Some time ago, Thailand hosted the first-ever sumo wrestling competition which had seen the participation of nine Japanese professional sumo wrestlers. It was an event meant to promote cultural exchanges and the politico-economical relationship between Japan and Thailand. The Thais have been sharing their history with the people of Japan for about 600 years and have had diplomatic relations for more than 125 years.
But, regardless of the political significance of such an event, the biggest winner of them all was the sport of sumo itself, which had been missing from the Thai sport scene for quite some time. Half a decade ago, Chiang Mai hosted the 2007 Sumo World Championships and, ever since, nothing has really happened on the national level. Until recently!
A full-contact sport, sumo has always been associated with very large wrestlers known as rikishi who fight in a circular ring called doyho. The objective is to force your opponent out of the ring or to trip him (or her!) to the ground. Once a sumo wrestler steps over the boundary of the ring or touches the ground with anything else other than the soles of the feet, the bout is over. It can all take up to only a few seconds and Japanese professional sumo athletes can reach stardom status. But, before anyone can achieve that, each sumo wrestler has years and years of practice at a sumo training “stable.”
Literally, the word sumo means “strength in combat” with the ideogram su meaning “combat” and mo standing for “strength.” It is a traditional Japanese sport that, few know, can also be practiced in Thailand. The Sumo Association of Thailand was established in 1993 and its current president and head coach (known as sensei to his students) is Sumio Kurasawa, a Japanese national who has been living in Thailand for 30 years.
After practicing sumo in Japan for six years, where he reached the title of a regional sumo champion, Sumio Kurasawa moved to Thailand where he opened Tokyodo Books, a Japanese language bookstore which has several branches in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. But, apart from knowledge, he also brought from his home country his passion for sumo and helped the Thais build their sumo association. In 2010, Sumio-san received a certificate for “Excellence in promoting sumo wrestling in Thailand” from the Japanese Ambassador to the Kingdom.
Alongside 87 other countries, the Sumo Association of Thailand is an organization that is part of the International Sumo Federation which, unsurprisingly, has its headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. Most ASEAN countries are also part of this Federation while Asian Sumo comprises of over forty nations. The mission of the Federation is to promote sumo worldwide and organize international championships for amateur athletes.
In Bangkok, the instructor in charge of both the new and more experienced sumo wrestlers is Tassama Chalearmthip, a 39-year-old former member of the Thai judo national team. Tassama had practiced judo for ten years but she retired from competitive judo after she won the gold medal at the 2001 Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia. “The transition from judo to sumo was not difficult at all,” she confessed. “I had been involved in judo for many years and now that I’ve switched to sumo, I’m loving every minute of it.”
And indeed, she has good reasons to be proud of her sumo achievements. At the Women Sumo World Championships in 2008, she came third in the middleweight division (under 80 kg) after Japan and Taipei. In 2009, Tassama lost the match in the 1/16 elimination bout to an Estonian wrestler but, in 2010, she reached a well-deserved fifth place.
It is important to mention that Tassama participated in tournaments opened to amateur sumo athletes, also known as shinsumo or “new sumo.” Professional sumo excludes women from competitions and all related ceremonies. The biggest visible difference between amateur and professional sumo events is the lack of ceremony that we’re all used to seeing on TV or YouTube. Still, successful and talented amateur sumo wrestlers can join the ranks of professionals, but this happens only in Japan where a rigorous ranking system is followed at all levels and divisions. Only Japan has professional sumo stables, where wrestlers live and train.
There are only two places in Thailand where one can practice sumo and the second one is 140 km north of Bangkok, in Baan Mee in Lopburi province. Here, at a government school, Jakkrapong Chaorungmetee, a Thai national sumo wrestler, is coaching about 20 children from upper primary to high school in the Japanese sport of sumo. Also coming from a judo background, a sport Jakkrapong had practiced for ten years, the instructor from Lopburi has been a sumo wrestler for the last eleven years.
Soon after he took up sumo, Jakkrapong won a gold medal in the middleweight division (under 115 kg) at the 2002 Asian Sumo Championship. More recently, he reached the ninth place at the Sumo World Championships in 2010 in the lightweight division (under 85 kg). In comparison, in 2008 he succeeded only a modest 19th place. “I started training in sumo because I think it’s a very exciting sport,” said Jakkrapong. “At the very beginning I was highly impressed and influenced by our sensei’s kindness and his willingness to instill the spirit of sumo here in Thailand.”
Sumo is for everyone, regardless if you have a robust physique or if you’re light. Both boys and girls of at least five years old can start practicing sumo and, at an amateur level, there’s no need for a special weight-building diet or even gym training. “I keep telling my students that, in sumo, it doesn’t matter if you’re big or small. Never be afraid of a bigger opponent, skill is more important than strength in sumo,” said the children’s coach.
Using a series of well-tuned and perfectly placed slaps, punches and knee strikes, a smaller rishiki can bring down a bigger opponent, but in the case when the sumo wrestler manages to grabs his opponent’s belt and lifts him up and out of the fighting area, then definitely, size and weight does matter.
Boys and girls can train together with no problems and during a regular training session, the wrestler’s condition is automatically strengthened via the routines and special exercises taught and repeated time after time. A lot of emphasis is placed on balance, flexibility, and the conditioning of leg muscles.
There are about 20 sumo students training at the Bangkok facility, all of which are Thai. Nonetheless, anyone can join them regardless of nationality, gender, fitness level, or body weight. There is only one training session per week, on Sunday from 10am to 3pm. The session includes warm up, skills practice and fights, followed by short meetings when important announcements need to be made.
The lessons are free of charge and the Japanese coach provides all newcomers with a mawashi, a sumo belt that is wrapped around the waist and groin during training and competitions. Female wrestlers wear a T-shirt and tight shorts under the mawashi while shier men can also choose to wear tights.
The Thai national sumo team is now preparing for the 2012 World Sumo Championships which will take place between 27-28 October in Hong Kong, China. Thailand will be represented by three men and three women in both the junior and senior divisions. We wish them good luck!
In Bangkok, sumo training takes place at the headquarters of the Sumo Association of Thailand which is located in a specially-modified house on Sukhumvit 71, Soi Pridi Banomyong 20. To reach their dojo, you can either take a motorbike taxi on the corner of Soi Pridi 20 or drive up the soi until you reach St. Andrews International School. From here, go down Panitchakun Yaek 1 lane for another 100 meters and you will see the Sumo Association in a corner on your right hand side.
For more information join their Facebook page or call 084 123 8364.
Originally published in “Bangkok Trader” (Vol. 6, No.10, September 2012)
(@ ^___^ @)
“Very good story”