Sumo Events

During the Sumo tournaments, there are also other events that Japanese people celebrated and a special sumo wrestling that be held outside the stadium to attract the attention of the audience. So, for those who visiting Japan between sumo tournaments, they can see sumo matches in other ways around. This is because, there will be exhibition tournaments that are held across the country in between official tournaments and occasional retirement ceremonies of prominent wrestlers. Retirement ceremonies usually include an exhibition contest, some light-hearted performances by wrestlers and a time-consuming hair cutting ritual to sever the top knot that is symbolic to an active wrestler.

 

Furthermore, outside the professional sumo world, there are some universities and high schools that maintain sumo clubs and the tourist able to visit the events of the activity. There are also occasional sumo performance or contest at some shrine and festivals that carried out in town like decorated floats (dashi) which are pulled through the town accompanied by drum and flute music by the people sitting on the floats. Every festivals has its own characteristics while some festivals are calm and meditative and many are energetic and noisy.