Finally, livestream sumo!!!!

While visiting my wife's parents in Tokyo the summer after our daughter was born I was surprised to find out there was a sumo tournament going on.  Now, growing up in the countryside on a dairy farm in Ohio introducing me to sumo was like introducing someone who grew up in downtown Tokyo to pitching manure from the barn!!  However, since I don't speak Japanese and I cannot drive or read any of the signs, and it was also the rainy season, I had no other choice but to watch it as it was the only thing on TV every day for the entire trip!  After watching it for a couple days and asking questions that no one who grew up there could answer I started researching online about sumo.  I shortly found a new sport that I liked and began to enjoy. 

Goo Sumo website for Origins of Sumo

Most people believe it is just a bunch of fat guys wrestling.  However, there is much more to it than that and the sport has extremely deep origins that go farther back than any other sport that I know of!  Every match counts and you are either promoted or demoted based on your results after each tournament (basho).  The best wrestlers are not the fattest or largest but usually the strongest combined with the best technique.  While I have no one here that is interested in sumo with me that does not stop me from following it whenever I can.  For a few years we had TV Japan on the satellite to see the tournaments.  However, during the gambling and other scandals, NHK (the sports station that broadcasts sumo in Japan) boycotted one of the tournaments and we couldn't watch.  After that we cancelled the station. 

Last weekend while checking on the current Basho I found a link to a live stream broadcast of the Bashos.  It is all in Japanese and there is no replay or explanations of what is going on like you will get with NHK.  However, it is a full feed of the entire day from the first match of the lowest ranked wrestlers to the last match involving the Ozeki's and Yokozuna's.


http://sumo.goo.ne.jp/hon_basho/torikumi/eizo_haishin/asx/sumolive.asx

Here is a video from last Basho of the top two guys in the final match of the Basho!

Hakuho vs. Harumafuji

It is worth checking out and learning more about it.  Even if you are not interested there is a lot of history involved with this ancient sport and knowledge is power!  Someday you may be able to impress someone with your knowledge and change someone's lopsided opinion about the world around them just like my wife's family did for me!


Have a great everyone and enjoy!