Sumo
At first, the difference between Boekh the Mongolian wrestling and Japanese sumo wrestling.
In Japan, wrestlers(called rikishi, direct meaning is power samurai) lose if they step out of the ring or touch anything other than the soles of their feet to the ground.
Somewhat like wrestling and Turkish oil wrestling, yargylesi is a relative of Monglian wrestling.
Sumo History
The Sumo Association of Japan says the tournament dates back to an eighth-century document that shows a rikishi match between the sumo wrestlers Nimi no Sukune and Tomakeya in front of the emperor. Oda Nobunaga, perhaps Japan’s most revolutionary warlord, even auditioned sumo wrestlers from all over the country to compete in his castle, with the winner being chosen as his vassal.
Sumo is full of tradition, but in ancient times it was very different from what it is today. It may be easier to think of it simply as an official street fight. The match between Nominosukune and Toma Kehaya was a gruesome affair in which Nominosukune won by kicking each other and then breaking his hip. The emperor gave the territory to Shukune because Kehaya lost.
Nowadays, kicking is a foul, falling is the end, and if you try to step on a fallen opponent and break his bones, you will be banned for life and the police will move in.
As a professional occupation, it has been around since the Edo period and continues to this day. You can even watch a match in front of the Emperor on TV today. (As a side note, exhibition matches are no longer held, but were once held in the Tokyo-Osaka baseball game between the Giants and Hanshin.)
Yokozuna, the best sumo wrestler
The most famous rikishi of all are the top two yokozuna. Here are some of the most famous rikishi in history.
Raiden, the old famous sumo wrestler
Raiden Taemon, who represented the Edo period; Futabayama, who represented the Showa period; Chiyonofuji, whose nickname was Wolf; Wakanohana and Takanohana, both brothers who became yokozuna; and Takanohana, who, after retiring, staged a coup against the Sumo Association in response to an assault by a pupil.
Akebono, the best American sumo wrestler
Also retired from sumo is Akebono, a giant of a Hawaiian wrestler who has not fared well in mixed martial arts. He was one of the strongest yokozuna in the world, using his size and weight to his advantage, taking up several percent of the ring with his body.
Asashoryu and Hakuho, the Mongolian famous sumo wrestlers
In recent years, the Mongolian rikishi Asashoryu has won 25 tournaments at the top of the yokozuna ranks, and Hakuho, who has won 43 more tournaments and holds the record of 69 consecutive victories, second only to the great Yokozuna Futabayama of the Showa era, is known to all Japanese who do not watch sumo.
As Asashoryu’s older brother and Hakuho’s father were both Mongolian wrestling bokh champions and come from prestigious sporting families. Moreover, Asashoryu’s brother is a politician and minister in Mongolia, and Hakuho’s father has won a silver medal in Olympic wrestling. Hakuho’s father won a silver medal in Olympic wrestling.
Another non-yokozuna I’d recommend is Takanoyama. He’s a lightweight white guy, but he’s got a lot of skill, and it’s amazing to see him throwing a guy who weighs only 90-odd kilos, when most of the other wrestlers weigh tens of kilos more.
