Sumo Scene / Special Pre-Tournament Joint Training Session Gives Glimpse of What’s to Come

By Kuniyuki Kamimura / Yomiuri Shimbun Senior Writer

13:06 JST, September 18, 2024

The Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament, the last to be held this year in Tokyo, is in full swing and heading toward a dramatic conclusion. Were you aware that before each tournament in Tokyo there is a special joint training session held to give us insight into the condition of each wrestler?

The session, called the “keiko soken,” or group observation of training, is organized by the Japan Sumo Association’s Yokozuna Deliberation Council, an advisory body consisting of notable persons outside of the sumo world. It is held at Ryogoku Kokugikan arena prior to each of the three Tokyo grand tournaments.

Usually, a practice ring within the Kokugikan building is used, but once a year, it is conducted on the main ring used for the tournament and opened up to the public free of charge.

As its name denotes, the function of the Yokozuna Deliberation Council is to discuss recommendations on promotion to yokozuna and other issues related to the sport’s highest rank. It is comprised of about 10 members coming from a wide range of fields such as academia, media and finance.

The main reason for the joint training is to give the council members a glimpse at how prepared the top wrestlers are heading into the first day of a grand tournament.

In the joint training, the highest-ranked makuuchi-division wrestlers go through a sort of “king of the hill” known as “moshiai,” in which the wrestler stays in the ring against opponents of his choosing until he is defeated. It is not unusual for the yokozuna and ozeki wrestlers to pick out opponents whom they are likely to face in the upcoming tournament to get a look at their style of sumo.

The session also provides a look at how the wrestlers intend to fight in the tournament, as well as their general condition such as how well they have recovered from a recent injury. This makes it a valuable resource for getting an overall look at the prospects for the upcoming tournament.

I still clearly remember the keiko soken ahead of the New Year’s Grand Tournament in 2003. Yokozuna Takanohana was nursing a right knee injury and there was concern over whether he would take part in the tourney. He appeared at the joint training, but just did the foot stomping, taking part in no bouts and not responding to reporters’ questions.

Takanohana made it into the ring for the tournament, but was a shell of his usually powerful self and decided to retire before the tourney had finished. His actions in the joint training had given a strong indication of what was to come.

Along with the Yokozuna Deliberation Council members, the stablemasters who serve as executives in the Japan Sumo Association are also in attendance at the joint training. For that reason, wrestlers cannot get complacent. It is an extremely important stage for them.

— Kamimura is a sumo expert.