You’re Never Too Small To Sumo Wrestle －力士になるのに、小さすぎることはない－

I used to like watching Asashoryu, a Mongolian sumo rikishi.  He made the sport seem elegant as he slipped under the grasp of bigger opponents and lifted them off the ground, or when he spun around in a victory dance.  He was considered small for a yokozuna at 184cm tall and 145kg in weight. 

It is hard for rikishi smaller than that to reach the top in sumo.  Enho is just 169cm tall and 99kg in weight.  But he has to compete against rikishi 60 or 70kg heavier, or more.  I am taller than him, and I am creeping closer to him in weight too.  Has there ever been a sumo rikishi who built up his weight by eating chocolate-covered almonds? 

But recently I found some even smaller rikishi.  My son’s nursery decided to put on a sumo tournament, and teach the toddlers to push one another out of a ring.  Thus three year-old Yumenishiki (my son, using his sumo name) took to the ring. 

I was unable to witness an actual bout between the toddlers.  I wonder if they were really pushing and tripping each other?  Did they really have any idea what was going on?  But the nursery seemed proud of its idea, and printed the shikona (sumo names) of the rikishi toddlers and placed them outside the nursery for all passers by to see.  Then stars started appearing next to the names as the tournament progressed (over several days) to show who had won bouts. 

Sadly, Yumenishiki wasn’t getting any stars next to his name.  He was either losing the bouts, or maybe refusing to take part.  When he got home, I decided to test his sumo skills.  I asked him to wrestle on a mat on the floor.  He stamped one foot and the ground, and then the other, then came running at me.

“Be careful!  He seems very aggressive despite his small stature,” I thought. 

Then, when he reached me, he smiled and held my hands and started dancing around in a circle, instead of trying to push me off the mat.  No wonder he wasn’t getting any stars.  He doesn’t have the killer instinct necessary to be a top rikishi. 

I’m not too disappointed that Yumenishiki wasn’t winning.  Wouldn’t it be more worrying if your three-year old child did have the killer instinct of Enho?



Vocabulary:

to creep closer – to move closer little by little

a toddler – a very young child, who has only recently learned to walk

a passer by – someone who walks past

a bout – a sporting contest, especially boxing, wrestling, etc.

aggressive – willing to use force or violence

stature – a person’s natural height