Today, all sports, starting with the Major League Baseball playoffs.
| Matchup | Game Time (ET) | TV / Streaming |
|---|---|---|
 Philadelphia Phillies vs.  Atlanta Braves | 2:00 p.m. | NBC, Peacock |
 Chicago White Sox vs.  Houston Astros | 5:00 p.m. | NBCSN, Peacock |
 Boston Red Sox vs.  New York Yankees | 8:00 p.m. | NBC, Peacock |
 Chicago Cubs vs.  San Diego Padres | 10:00 p.m. | NBCSN, Peacock |
- YouTube TV.
- Xfinity (Comcast), depending on your cable system, sometimes on Channel 1211.
- Fubo.
Where can you find Peacock? This is a streaming channel with a monthly charge.
Well, Hurricane Nolo has moved past the Hawaiian Islands.
- At 5 AM today, was 325 miles west-southwest of Lihue, Kauai, with the eye still at 110 MPH, dropping from 120 MPH Monday night.
- Now moving north at 9 MPH.
- Up to 6 inches of rain could yet fall on Niihau and Kauai through Thursday.
Photo of Honolulu from my seat writing this blog. Hurricane Nolo is more than 400 miles away in the extreme right direction.- For the first time in a long time, no hurricanes heading towards Hawaii.
Now, on to an esoteric sport. Very few worldwide watch sumo wrestling. Even in Japan, this percentage of avid viewers is less than 4% of adults, and mostly male: 6.6% vs 0.8% female. However nearly two-thirds of the Japan population say they watch these broadcasts sometimes. So why am I featuring sumo? It is the World's Oldest Professional Sport.
You can stream live and recorded Japanese grand sumo tournaments from home in New York City, Singapore, or Europe primarily through digital platforms like the NHK WORLD-JAPAN App and community streams on Twitch. [1, 2]
Digital Streaming & Apps
- NHK World-Japan: Use the official NHK World-Japan TV website and mobile app to watch daily 30-minute English-narrated Grand Sumo Highlights on-demand. [1, 2]
- Twitch Community Restreams: Fans frequently host live re-broadcasts and commentary of full tournament days under channels like "Midnight Sumo" on Twitch to accommodate non-Japan time zones. [1, 2]
- YouTube: Official clips, archival footage, and tournament recaps are widely available on the NHK World-Japan YouTube Channel. [1]
Sumo originated in Japan, the only country where it is practised professionally and where it is considered the national sport.[2][3] It is considered a gendai budō, which refers to modern Japanese martial arts, but the sport has a history spanning many centuries. Many ancient traditions have been preserved in sumo, and even today the sport includes many ritual elements, such as the use of salt purification, from Shinto.
- Some history.
- In the year 712, folk tales indicated wrestling matches, not war, determined territorial ownership.
- In 1578, Oda Nobunaga held a tournament of 1500 wrestlers. Invented was the dohyo, a circular ring of just under 15 feet diameter.
- For a while sumo was banned, until 1684 when it was permitted for charity events in Kyoto and Osaka. The first sanctioned tournament occurred and the official sumo organization was formed in Edo (now Tokyo).
- In the 18th century, Raiden Tameemon was 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighed 373 pounds. Tanikaze Kajinosuke became the first yokozuna, or champion.
- The Meiji Restoration of 1868 created a fixation on Western culture, and sumo became an embarrassing relic.
- However, Emperor Meiji restored the sport in 1884, making sumo a national symbol, contributing to national sentiment, following military successes against Korea and China.
- Around 1903 the chankonabe (communal hot pot) was created for kitchen efficiency and to support rapid weight gain. More protein came after World War II. The average weight of sumotoris increased from 276 pounds in 1969 to over 330 pounds in 1991, with a record 366 pounds in 2019.
- Heaviest wrestlers have been Orora Satoshi (2018) at 645 pounds and Konishiki (1963) at 633 pounds.
- Orora Satoshi's real name is Anatoliy Valeryevich Mikhakhanov from Russia. Competed for 18 years, and retired in 2018.
- Three of the top ten were from Hawaii: #8 Musashimaru (left) in 1971 at 522 pounds and Akebono (right) in 1969 at 520 pounds. Konishiki in the middle.
- Emmanuel Yarbrough, (right), an amateur sumotori, and in mixed martial arts, reached 704 pounds, holding the Guinness record for heaviest living athlete.
- Heaviest NFL player is Aaron Gibson at 410 pounds. He was 6'8" tall and died in 2015 at the age of 51.
- Sumo wrestlers have a life expectancy of 60-65 years, 15-20 years shorter than the average Japanese
- Average athlete consumes 10,000 calories/day, mostly chanko nabe.
- After retirement, tend to suffer from type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart problems.
- The Japan Sumo Association reunited on 28December1925.
- Tournaments were extended from 10 to 15 days in 1949, and tournaments from 4 to 6 per year in 1958.
- Some interesting things:
- The mawashi, or thick silky loincloth sumo wrestlers wear.
- There is no underwear, below it.
- The color is more a personal choice than anything else.
- They never wash it, for doing so, they feel, washes away luck, victories and past achievements. They do place it in the sun. They wear a new one if it becomes too smelly. Sometimes washed if the stablemaster dies.
- Must be carefully secured, because if the mawashi comes apart, he is disqualified.
- Attached are tassels, known as sagari for tradition, superstition and symbolism. Always odd numbers. Linked to old Shinto religion.
- No professional women's sumo in Japan. Further, females are strictly forbidden for touching the dohyo (wrestling ring).
- White envelopes given to match winner.
- Called Kenshokin, each envelope contains corporation sponsorship prize money.
- Sponsor provides 70,000 Yen ($437), but around 10,000Y kept by the Japan Sumo Association for taxes, fees and a retirement reserve fund.
- Winner takes all.
- Some matches accumulate 50 or more envelopes.
- The record is 63 envelopes won by Kotonowaka against Kirishima on Day 14 of the January 2024 tournament.
- Hakuho Sho holds the record, 645 in one tournament and 2111 for the year 2010.
- Sometimes there is no envelope after a match.
- Now 10 million yen, the prize for winning a Makuuchi tournament championship will double to 20 million yen. First increase in 30 years.
- Hakuho Sho could have a net worth of $150 million as the richest sumo wrestler in modern history. A yokozuna earns a fixed monthly salary of from $30,000 to $36,000. Plus, corporate prize money and bonuses.
- Records
- Hakuho Sho (2006-2021) is considered the greatest sumo wrestler of all time, with 45 makuuchi championship titles and 1,187 match victories. 16 perfect tournaments. Ranked as yokozuna for 84 tournaments. Suffered 199 losses in Makuuchi division.
- Taiho (1960-1971) won 32 championships as #2, and Chiyonofuji (1981-1990) 31.
- Futabayama won 69 consecutive matches for 1936 ato 1939.
- Jokoryu in 2011 made a debut record of 27 straight victories.
- Hanakaze from 1986 to 2022 participated in 215 tournaments.
- Asashoryu became Yokozuna after only 12 tournaments.
- Out of the 42 wrestlers in the top Makuuchi division, 9 or 10 are foreign born. More recently, they have come from Mongolia, Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan.
- Sumo divisions.
- At the top is Makuuchi.
- 42 wrestlers, with number of wrestlers.
- Yokozuna (2)
- Ozeki (3)
- Sekiwake (2)
- Komusubi (2
- Maegashira, with two in each category from best (#1) to #16, and one in #17.
- Juryo is the second highest with 28 wrestlers.
- Two each is 14 categories, with #1 being the highest and best.
- Compete 15 times/tournament.
- Makushita is the third division.
- 120 total wrestlers, 60 in the East and 60 in the West.
- Compete 7 times/tournament.
- Considered the first step toward become a professional wrestler.
- Receives a comfortable monthly salary.
- Sandanme, 4th division.
- 160 wrestlers/tournament.
- Can dress better
- Only gets an allowance
- Compete 7 times/tournament
- Salary and privileges improves.
- Jonidan, 5th division.
- Usually 200-250 wrestlers.
- Gets the more mundane chores.
- Can't wear overcoats, and must wear geta (a wooden slipper) even in the winter.
- Compete 7 times/tournament.
- Jonokuchi is the lowest division.
- From 40-90 wrestlers.
- New wrestlers and some older ones still performing after injuries.
- Compete 7 times/tournament.
- There are 45 stables, all in the Greater Tokyo Region.
- There are six tournaments/year.
- Three in Tokyo (January, May and September).
- One each in Osaka (March), Nagoya (July) and Fukuoka (November)
- Glossary of sumo terms.
- Basho: a sumo tournament.
- Gyoji: a sumo referee.
- Heya: a stable.
- Kachi-koshi: finishing with a winning tournament record. Thus 8 wins in the upper divisions.
- Make-koshi: finishing with a losing record.
- Rikishi: term for a professional sumo wrestler.
- Tachi-ai: the initial charge at the beginning of a bout.
- Hakuho is the GOAT....the greatest sumo wrestler of all time.
- 25 epic moments from his career.
- Talks about his life and career.
- A quote:
"At times, it actually caused a problem. When I won seven consecutive tournaments, seven entire cows arrived. I still had meat from previous prizes, so it wouldn't all fit in the refrigerator! In the end, I had to hand the extra meat out to my neighbors," he shared with a laugh.
- The story of his magical life.
At the age of 15, Hakuho first arrived in Japan from Mongolia on October 25, 2000. He stayed at the corporate headquarters of Settsu Soko, a prominent amateur sumo sponsor, where he trained alongside six fellow Mongolian youths for two months. Waking up at 4:00 AM every day, they went for runs and practiced fundamental sumo drills like shiko and suri-ashi, while learning Japanese etiquette.
"Under the Japan Sumo Association's rules at the time, you had to be at least 173 cm tall and weigh 75 kg to enter professional sumo. In my case, I cleared the height standard at 175 cm, but I didn't have the weight—I was only 62 kg (137 pounds). Stablemasters from various stables came to scout, but nobody picked me up.
While three of the young men were quickly scouted into sumo stables, Hakuho received no offers due to his skinny frame. On December 22, he was handed a plane ticket to return to Mongolia the following day and had already purchased souvenirs for his parents. At a farewell gathering that evening, he poured his heart out to the late Tsuyoshi Asano, the company president who had hosted the young foreign wrestlers.
- The most notable is Akebono, attained Yokozuna rank and in 1993 became the first foreign-born grand champion.
- Musashimaru, the second foreign-born grand champion, who attained Yokozuna status and won 12 top-division titles.
- Konishiki (right), the first non-Japanese-born wrestler to reach the second-highest rank of ozeki.
- While Akebono passed away, Musashimaru and Konishiki both received life-saving kidney transplants from their respective wives.
- Musashimaru is 55 years old and is a sumo elder, runnning the Musashigawa stable.
- Konishiki is 62, still lives in Japan, and is a global ambassador of the sport.
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