Ok, as promised, this is where I introduce you to my new sumo friends. Hehe. You’ll wanna think twice about messing with me now eh?! Haha.

Back to where I left off in the last blog post, the life of a professional sumo wrestler basically revolves around the ring and the heya. A heya is where sumo wrestlers live and train, and all wrestlers in professional sumo must belong to one. Most heya have a network of scouts, who may be former wrestlers themselves, friends of the head coach, or supporters of the heya, who keep a look out for any powerful or athletic young men and follow the results of local sumo (and judo) competitions. Most new recruits join at the age of 15 or 16, straight from junior high school and stay with the same heya until the end of their career at the age of their 30’s or so.

After the match, I had the honour of being invited by Hayakawa san to his friend’s heya. See this guy in the pic? Sorry it's not very clear...

Well, his name is Kyokutenho san, he's 191cm tall, weighs 156kg and originates from Mongolia. He’s with the Makuuchi division and he won his match that night! *grin* We got to hang out at his crib after the match. Hehe.

he's huge! I feel safe with him! Haha.

his foot, compared to the big whisky bottle beside it. hehe

Generally, the staple diet of the sumo wrestler is nabe (Japanese hot pot) which consists of vegetables and meat or sometimes fish in soup. Noodles are later added on to that and the meal is completed with multiple big bowls of rice! Haha. I was told that sumo wrestlers are required to take naps after they eat…. So nice! Haha. Fancy becoming a sumo wrestler? Hehe.

big nabe pot *grin*

According to Wikipedia, as of 2006, the monthly salary figures for makuuchi were - yokozuna (about $30500 USD), ozeki (about $25000 USD), sanyaku (about $18000 USD), maegashira (about $14000 USD), juryo (about $11000 USD).

This is apart from the additional bonus income top wrestlers receive six times a year (once every tournament) based on the cumulative performance in their career to date, and the prize money for winners of each divisional championship.

For wrestlers in the top division giving an exceptional performance in the eyes of a judging panel, there are also three special prizes which are worth 2,000,000 yen each (about $19000 USD). Individual top division matches can also be sponsored by companies (like what you see in the video where ‘flag-poles’ of the sponsors’ logos are being carried around the ring before the match). In such cases the winner of the match typically receives around 30,000 yen ($300 USD) net per sponsor (out of the sponsors contribution of 60,000 yen—much of the remainder goes in paying the wrestler's tax on the prize). In the video, the last match had about 30 sponsors meaning the winner of that particular match would receive $9000 USD just for that 1 match! Imagine if a wrestler wins for 15 days of the tournament! Wow!

with a Juryo division wrestler from the same heya, Kyokunankai san *smile*

Wrestlers lower than juryo on the other hand, who are considered to be trainees, do not receive a salary, but only a fairly small allowance, and are treated differently at the heya as compared to their seniors. Most often they must get up earliest, around 5 a.m., for training whereas the higher ranking division wrestlers may start around 7 a.m. When the seniors are training the juniors may have chores to do, such as assisting in cooking the lunch, cleaning and preparing the bath, or holding a senior’s towel for him for when he needs it. The ranking hierarchy is preserved for the order of precedence in bathing after training, and in eating lunch.

In the afternoon the juniors will again usually have cleaning or other chores to do, while their seniors may relax, or deal with work issues related to their fan clubs. In the evening seniors may go out with their sponsors while juniors stay at home in the stable, unless they are to accompany the stablemaster or a senior as his manservant when he is out (this is normally a more privileged role given to a junior who may be nearing senior status himself). Becoming a tsukebito (or personal assistant) for a senior member of the stable is a typical chore. A senior will have many tsukebito, with the most junior responsible for cleaning and other mundane tasks. Only the most senior tsukebito will accompany the sekitori when he goes out. How about that? Haha. Pretty cool eh? Hehe.

Tomorrow we’ll talk about tickets and the sumo goodie bag! Food – my favourite – and as I always like to say, some of the best things in life! Haha. Thank you God for food! *grin*

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