Sumo and Chankonabe

I had mentioned to my coworkers a while back that I wanted to try chankonabe, the staple sumo wrestler meal. One of my JTEs, Fujiwara-sensei, is a HUGE sumo fan. Upon mentioning this to her she emphatically suggested we get a group of teachers together and go to dinner. It turns out Tottori has nationally renowned high school, Tottori Johoku SHS, specializing in educating and training future sumo wrestlers. And naturally, right next door is a famous chankoabe restaurant. She then proceeded to immediately call a bunch of teachers for the party. Turns out our school nurse, who is well networked in Tottori apparently, knew Johokui's school nurse. She got us invited to watch the sumo practice before dinner on February 28th.

The day before the event, Fujiwara-sensei asked me something that clashed with Japan's work ethic; could I take an our of paid leave and head out early to watch the sumo practice? We had a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet a famous sumo wrestler who would be the school that day. Hakuho Sho was at the school, there to practice with and coach at the high school sumo club.  Hakuho is arguably one of the best sumo wrestlers of all time (see his info here), making this event probably equivalent to having Peyton Manning drop in your local high school's football practice.

Watching sumo was an enlightening experience. I only have a rough concept of the rules of sumo, and knew nothing about the culture. Sumo is incredibly testosterone driven, fast, and violent. Matches can end in a second, rarely lasting over a minute. The matches begin when both wrestler's touch their hands to the ground, creating a tense standoff between the participants. Once they begin, they hit hard. The rules and culture of the sport require the wrestlers charge head on into one another, with dodging heavily frowned upon. It's the brutal confrontational nature of these matches which favors the stereotypical sumo physique. While sumo wrestlers are definitely large, they are far from weak. The fat provides them the extra mass and weight needed to stay grounded and channel momentum during these brief forceful bouts.

The sport is also highly ritualized, even in practice. There was a reverent air about the practice room, with no idle chitchat from the students or the spectators. When Hakuho began practicing himself, being the highest rank in sumo, even more ritualized activities began. A few students always stood ready with a towel and water cup for him, and prior to entering the ring he would christened the ring by tossing salt on it.

The students were good, and they hit hard. Their statue was impressive, many of them taller than me, and most all of them definitely heavier than me.  Their practice was relentless too, with some students fighting multiple rounds in a row until they lost, probably due to exhaustion. Yet despite how impressive these students were, once Hakuho entered the ring he merely toyed with them. Yet he showed signs of being a good coach too though. He would let them try some sort of maneuver to beat him, giving them an initial advantage, but would soon then either counter or simply out muscle the students.

Unfortunately, due to Japan's privacy protection laws, I am not allowed to post the photos or video I have taken of their practice online.

As we watched the practice, I learned how big this school was on sumo. The practice room was pristine, newly constructed, and well maintained. The school’s principal is even the sumo coach! He was a cartoon of a human. A former wrestler himeself, he has maintained his large stature, and hypermasculine presence. He wore a retro style suit with large, sharp lapels and what I recall as a leopard pattern tie. His voice was strong and deep, and he addressed his students with curt, strong language, a style of speech only used my 'manly men' in Japan.  Yet despite his gruff demeanor he was still incredibly courteous to the guests at his school.

At the end of the sumo practice, the smell of chankonabe being prepared for the students filled the hall, so left for dinner ourselves. We went across the street to Chanko Ishura, owned by the principal's family.

Chankonabe is delicious. Nabe is a type of shared meal in Japan, popular in colder months. On your table there is a large communal hot pot which boils a variety of vegetables, mushrooms, and meats in a chicken or soy broth. Once these are all consumed, rice and eggs or ramen noodles are tossed into the broth as a second course. Chankonabe uniquely adds hearty chicken meatballs to the usual recipe, which you get to roll yourself!  It is definitely a healthy, hearty meal.