Sumo wrestlers perform shokkiri, comedy routines involving forbidden sumo moves, in Wakayama City in October.
11:11 JST, November 2, 2024
WAKAYAMA – A large group of sumo wrestlers recently visited Wakayama City for an event called the Wakayama Basho as part of their fall regional jungyo tour. The event took place at the city’s Wakayama Big Whale multi-purpose hall on October 20 and attracted around 3,600 sumo fans.
In addition to the Grand Sumo tournaments, sumo wrestlers travel to various locations in Japan during the Jungyo tour in April, August, October and December. This is the second consecutive year of Wakayama Basho, after last October.
About 180 sumo wrestlers, including Ozeki Kotozakura and Hoshoryu, participated in the event along with gyoji referees. The crowd cheered every time the two ozeki, or other popular wrestlers such as Tobizaru, showed up for training sessions and fights.
In between matches, the wrestlers performed Sumo Jinku, in which they sang sumo folk songs while others clapped and sang along, and shokkiri comedy routines with forbidden sumo moves.
The wrestlers also took photos with fans and signed autographs.
“The opportunity to meet wrestlers up close is one of the attractions of the jungyo tour,” said a 40-year-old woman who had her photo taken with komusubi Daieisho.
