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Japanese Wrestling

When you hear the word 'wrestling' your mind starts creating a picture of a wrestling ring in which two fitness freaks are trying to defeat their opponent by clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins, and other grappling holds. But in Japan, there is a whole different and unique type of wrestling called SUMO. Sumo is a Japanese style of wrestling and Japan's national sport. It originated in ancient times as a performance to entertain the Shinto deities. In line with tradition, only men practice the sport professionally in Japan. Life as a wrestler is highly regimented, with rules regulated by the Japan Sumo Association. Most sumo wrestlers are required to live in communal sumo training stables, known in Japanese as Heya. The rules are simple: the wrestler who first exits the ring or touches the ground with any part of his body besides the soles of his feet loses. Matches take place on an elevated ring (dohyo), which is made of clay and covered in a layer of sand. A contest usually lasts only a few seconds, but in rare cases can take a minute or more. There are no weight restrictions or classes in sumo. Wrestlers wear different colors of silk mawashi during tournaments. Outside of tournaments and practices, sumo wrestlers are required to wear traditional Japanese clothes. Women are not allowed to play SUMO and are not even allowed to enter the Sumo ring, tell me what you think about this decision?

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