Haru Basho is in full swing: a can't-miss for sumô fans

Haru Basho is one of the six major professional Sumô Tournaments –honbasho- that take place in Japan every year. And it is happening at the moment in Ôsaka. Since 1958, honbasho – meaning “real tournaments”, in contrast to the demonstration fights – gather all fans of the sport every two months. Each one of these tournaments lasts about a fortnight and contributes to determine the banzuke –the sumô wrestlers’ ranking-.

The other honbasho occur throughout the year:

• Hatsu Basho, New Year’s Tournament (in January, in Tôkyô)
• Haru Basho, Spring’s Tournament (-happening now- in March, in Ôsaka)
• Natsu Basho, Summer’s Tournament (in May, in Tôkyô)
• Nagoya Basho (in July, in Nagoya)
• Aki Basho, Autumn’s Tournament (in September, in Tôkyô)
• Kyûshû Basho (in November, in Fukuoka)

 In France, people are also passionate about this sport. Members of Paris Sumo answered some of our questions:

Japan Expo – How was Paris Sumo founded?
Paris Sumo – We are Japanese Sumô enthusiasts. We are used to following the Tournaments and to discuss them in a forum (info-sumo.net). And now and then, we even meet for meals.
One day, we came up with the idea of giving it a try. That was in March 2007: see some pictures here.
Then, once or twice a year, we continued to organize outside sessions; and soon after that, we founded our association. At first, we used a room we rented once a month. But it has now been three years and a half since we follow the training once a week, on Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Japan Expo – Your motto says “Sumo isn’t for big guys only”. So, is it not necessary to be the size of most of Sumô wrestlers, to practise this sport?
Paris Sumo – No, it is not mandatory to be large in size to practise Sumô. We can compare Sumô with Jûdô, with Boxing… Just imagine what would happen if there were no more weight categories in Jûdô: all you would see during competitions would be +264 lbs. wrestlers. One of the most eminent Japanese yokozuna (CHIYONOFUJI) weighted 286 lbs; it’s the weight of Teddy RINER, our current Jûdô champion. In Japanese professional Sumô, wrestlers also have the tendency to gain weight in order to compensate for their lack of speed, strength, or technique… The average weight for a Japanese wrestler is of 319 lbs.
Of course, we have no such problems at Paris Sumo, and there are several weight categories in amateur Sumô competitions.

Japan Expo – Could you define what a good training session is?
Paris Sumo – To know more about the content of our training sessions, I invite you to take a look at our Training page, on our website.

Japan Expo – What are the most important principles people have to adhere to in Sumô?
Paris Sumo – The rules you have to follow in Sumô are approximately the same as what should, in my opinion, be observed in all kind of sports: open-mindedness (consciousness of self and others), fair play, generosity, courage… On a more personal note, I would had that my motto is “Do things seriously, but never take yourself too seriously!”

Japan Expo – What do you reckon are the main qualities of a good sumôtori?
Paris Sumo – A good sumôtori? Tenacity, generosity in the effort involved, courage. Suppleness, strength, explosivity, endurance.

Japan Expo – What would you say to entice people out there to give Sumô a try?
Paris Sumo – Sumô is a very recreational sport, with simple rules. It is a man-to-man sport with very few tricks. It helps with the developing of numerous physical qualities: sense of balance, agility, suppleness, strength; and also moral qualities such as courage and tenacity…
Furthermore, it is spectacular, which is in my opinion, an advantage that pays in the long run. No one ever feels bored in a Sumô Tournament. Fights are quick (approximately 20 seconds), legible (we almost always know who wins), and astonishing (with sudden reversals in the situation, projections…).
 

Many thanks to Paris Sumo !

Find out more about their activities, on their website