Otakon 2014

Sumo Q&A

Andrew F. Freund, executive director, president & trustee of US Sumo Federation, convened a question-and-answer panel at Otakon 2014 about USA Sumo, featuring the sumo wrestlers Yamamotoyama and Kelly Gneiting. Yamamotoyama, who generally goes by “Yama,” is the heaviest Japanese of all time, weighing in at 600 pounds. He has wrestled since age 6 and joined the prestigious Nihon University team. He reached makuuchi, sumo's highest division, in the second-fastest time on record. He is also a big anime and manga fan. Kelly Gneiting has a background in football and Western wrestling before training in sumo wrestling in Japan. He is a five-time US champion and also holds a record: the heaviest person to ever run a marathon. Gneiting also enjoys swimming: he recently swam 14 miles off the California coast and is training to swim across the English Channel.

Where are sumo tournaments held in the US?

Freund: The US Sumo Open is held each year in Los Angeles. It attracts 50 different athletes from all over the world and is broadcast on TV. We are trying to expand into more cities.

What is the most enjoyable part of sumo?

Yama: Understanding that I have become stronger.

Gneiting: Sumo has a nearly 2,000-year history. It's a martial art; the dohyou (ring) is like a battlefield. In many ways it resembles war; it's like combat, but without weapons. I find being part of that ancient tradition very inspiring. It makes me feel that I'm part of something much bigger than myself.

Freund: Yama's certainly much bigger than you are. [Gneiting weighs about 425 pounds.]

Gneiting: (laughs) Yes, he is.

Can you explain more about the ceremony that takes place when sumo wrestlers enter the ring?

Freund: Well, sumo is full of symbols and ceremony, so it's a little hard to explain. For example, only yokozuna, the highest-ranking wrestlers, wear these white cords. The dohyou is seen as a battlefield, so sumo wrestlers always throw salt into it before the match to purify it. It goes back to ancient Shinto rituals. Everything in sumo has a meaning and symbolizes something; even I'm still learning all the little details. I don't want to go into it right now.

Is there any relation between sumo and Graeco-Roman wrestling?

Freund: Well, many American sumo wrestlers begin in Western wrestling, but I'll let the wrestlers answer this one.

Gneiting: They're similar – it's all about the upper body in both sports. You'll see wrestlers going after the torso a lot. You can go after the legs, of course, but it's a bad idea – it's very easy to end up on the ground. Sumo has more emphasis on ring-outs and throwing your opponent. The style is totally different; I had to change my thinking a lot when I started sumo.

Yama: Sumo is more than just a sport; it's an entire lifestyle. Sumo and Western wrestling might look similar, but they're different in many respects – like the movement and the way you use muscles.

I heard yesterday [at the sumo demonstration] that the sumo diet is actually very healthy, with lots of proteins, vitamins and minerals. Is it hard to maintain your weight on that?

Freund: It can be. Some wrestlers do end up losing a lot of weight just by working so hard. Others are just naturally big.

Yama: I'm naturally this big. Others just have to eat a lot.

Is there a cultural or historical reason for sumo's simplicity?

Freund: Yes. It's a traditional sport. Most traditional sports are like that. Western wrestling is like that too. It's the more modern sports like football and basketball that are more complicated.

Gneiting: It's based on war. Do you remember that scene in Braveheart where the two armies are rushing at each other, but he's really trying to seek and take out that one guy? That's what I keep comparing it too. In sumo, you're just focusing on one guy and trying to take him down.

What's the most important aspect of sumo? Size, speed, ferocity?

Yama: Kiai [a Japanese concept in martial arts similar to personal energy].

Gneiting: What I told my daughter, who's getting ready to compete in the women's junior division, is that you can learn the basics of sumo, how to stand and how to grab your opponent, but what's more important is coming in with a lot of energy and determination. That can really intimidate your opponent and give you the upper hand. It's definitely about a lot more than just size.

How long can sumo wrestlers participate? What do they do after retirement?

Freund: None of the sumo wrestlers in the US Open are pros – they all have other day jobs. In Japan, they rarely last beyond a year or two, because it's such a grueling lifestyle. Some may continue into their mid-20s, but it's rare that they continue beyond 30. Right now there's one guy, Kyokutenhou from Mongolia, who's about to set a record – he's almost 40.

What will it take to bring sumo greater exposure in the US?

Freund: Otakon! (laughs) Well, that's part of it, anyway. Partly we aim for these people, those who are interested in Japanese culture, and partly we aim for sports fans.

Gneiting: American sumo has to get past this stereotype that it's all one big joke – just some fat guys pushing each other around on a mat. It's like trying to get a friend to see a movie that he really doesn't want to see. He may think it looks bad, but once he actually sits down and watches it, he'll see that it's really good – but the trouble is convincing him to do it. I think it's also much better appreciated live. I mean, it's great that you can see it on TV, but I think to really get a feel for it you have to come for yourself.

Yama: I think probably showing your butt restrains [sumo from attaining greater popularity].

Freund: (laughs) That's right. That's why, if you'll look at the booklet, you'll see the American sumo wrestlers sometimes wear those bike shorts. And the women, of course, cover their whole torsos.

Can you tell us a little more about the sumo lifestyle?

Freund: Well, 16-year-olds get thrown into a sumo stable where they're the lowest on the totem pole. They're surrounded by all these older guys who make them do chores, eat the leftover broth from their soups, and basically make them beg for scraps. That makes them determined to move further up the ranks, which you can only do gradually, by doing well in tournaments. It's very Japanese that way – the hierarchy, the ranks, the sheer determination it asks of you. As for a typical day, sumo wrestlers have to get up early and train without eating breakfast. They go on long runs and get all sweaty, then eat a huge chankonabe lunch. [Chankonabe is a rich stew of fish, meat and vegetables.] After that, they do some chores, train some more, eat dinner, and go to sleep.

Yama: I didn't run. I did weight training.

What muscles do sumo wrestlers focus on exercising?

Freund: Sumo wrestlers work out their whole body, but the legs are especially important to maintain stability.

Gneiting: That's right; Americans like to focus on developing their chest muscles, but you'll see sumo wrestlers don't focus as much on their upper body. But look at their legs; they're like tree trunks.

Are sumo wrestlers on a special diet? Is there anything they can't eat?

Freund: Well, like we said before, the sumo diet is really based on chankonabe stew and maybe some rice bowls on the side. It's really very low in fat, but high in protein, minerals and vitamins.

Yama: There's no snacking. You can't eat junk foods.

Can you tell us more about the heya [sumo stables]?

Freund: Sure. Well, it occurs to me that I didn't really finish answering a question that was asked earlier. After retiring, only about 1% of sumo wrestlers get to become oyakata [coaches], but most of them end up coaching in various positions anyway. Others might open restaurants to cook their chankonabe, if they're really good cooks.

What kind of mentality do you need to get into your kiai?

Yama: I don't do anything.

Gneiting: I relate a lot to my Marine experience. It's not lethal, but in a lot of ways it's like combat without weapons. There are definitely some wrestlers in the World Championships who would rather die than lose. You have to know what you're up against and get ready for that kind of determination.

What is the dropout rate like? Are there a lot of hardships being at the bottom?

Yama: I was irritated by all the youngsters bossing me around (I had already finished college by the time I got into it), but I moved quickly up the ranks so I didn't have to deal with it much.

How did Yama rise so fast?

Gneiting: He had a really great record. He had more wins than losses.

At this point Freund reminded the audience that Yama is literally “the biggest otaku in Japan” (at one point he owned about 400 volumes of manga) and asked for some anime-related questions.

Do a lot of sumo wrestlers get into it after reading stuff like Kinnikuman and Tiger Mask?

Yama: No.

Can you recommend any sumo anime or manga?

Yama: Bachi-Bachi.

How accurate is E. Honda [of Street Fighter]?

Yama: He's actually modeled after Kouji Honda, one of my seniors at Nihon University.

What's your favorite anime or manga?

Yama: The irregular at magic high school.

Have you seen Abarenbō Rikishi!! Matsutarō?

Yama: There isn't really a sumo wrestler like that.

Do you like sumo anime, or do you separate the two?

Yama: I like realistic ones, but not the two that were previously mentioned.

In the Edo Period, sumo wrestlers were almost regarded as folk heroes. Is that still the case?

Freund: Yes.

If you weren't a sumo wrestler (basically, if you were American), what sports would you have gotten into?

Yama: Racecar driving. I'd also like to be a gymnast or a baseball or soccer player if I was lighter.

Can you recommend any movies about sumo?

Freund: Sumo Do, Sumo Don't.

Yama:No, that one's not very accurate.

Was there any cosplay at Otakon that you liked?

Yama: Jiraiya from Naruto.