Sumo

I'm baaaaaack.

Official listing of rank in sumo

I felt it was time to update you guys on what's been going on lately (like you don't get that enough through my Facebook pictures already). But I recently attended a sumo wrestling tournament, so I think that's pretty blog-worthy. Now, what's the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the words "sumo wrestling?" If you answered any of the following: Large men, big dudes, scary guys, bad a** Japanese, or diaper thingys, you basically have a solid idea of the sport! But let me give a quick description for those of you that aren't familiar. According to Wikipedia, every college student's favorite invention, "sumo is a competitive full-contact wrestling sport where a rikishi (wrestler) attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring (dohyo) or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally."

With the help of my graduation money and dire need for really cool and expensive things, I bought myself a Canon Rebel T3i camera, along with a telephoto lens. I've used this camera to shoot a number of awesome things, but taking pictures of the sumo tournament was my favorite so far. Reviewing the sumo pictures was even better because I got to see all the wrestlers' gnarly expressions. But let's remember to give these guys some credit; this sport ain't easy! For your enjoyment, I've added some of my own captions ;)

It's about to go down!

"No no no, not in my house." What really gets me is the fellow sumo wrestler watching the match, obviously not impressed. 

That awkward moment when a 300 pound man has more flexibility than you do. 

Look at his feet! So close!

I'm not sure what's cuter: the colors of their mawashi (loincloths), or the referee's uniform. #thighgoals

Click here to watch a quick video montage of some of the matches! I added "Till I Collapse" by Eminem as the background music to add dramatic effect. You're welcome. Make sure to watch until the end! The throwing of the seat cushions is a tradition the audience does at the end of the tournament, either out of frustration at a wrestler's loss, or out of excitement. But mostly because Japanese people are just awesome.