Explanations of Wrestling Technique — Sumo—Japanese Wrestling — Takase Studios

Fine Japanese Calligraphy

The Art of Master Japanese Calligrapher Eri Takase

III. EXPLANATIONS OF WRESTLING TECHNIQUE

Photograph of two heavy men locked together at the center of a platform, bent forward, one with a leg raised high behind him toward the upper left and the other with his feet spread on the floor. At the right a man in a long robe and a black cap bends forward to watch. A pale column with white streamers stands behind them, and spectators fill the tiers and the galleries, which carry small framed pictures. — Wrestler on right will win the game (see page 66, “uwate-nage”)

Photograph of two heavy men at the right end of a platform, close together. The nearer one, in a dark belt, is bent forward and leans into the other, whose head and shoulders show above him at the upper right. At the right edge a large pale hanging cloth carries dark leaf-shaped patterns. A crowd fills the hall behind the platform, and the dark heads of spectators show at the bottom. — Game! He was forced out
(see page 65, “yori-kiri”)

Tall photograph of a hall. Dark gathered curtains and a heavy garland with a ruffled, patterned edge hang across the upper part, with glowing lamps among them and a pale post at the left. A banner of Japanese characters runs along the gallery railing. At the center two heavy men clasp each other on a platform, one with his arm around the other, and a crowd fills the hall around them, with the dark heads of spectators at the bottom edge. — Clinching. Both are seeking to work the trick

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. The man at the left bends far forward at the waist with his head low at the upper left and one arm flung up behind him. The man at the right lunges toward him with one knee bent and the other leg stretched back, both arms reaching out so that his hands press on the left man's upper body. Printed beside the drawing: 1. Tukippanasi

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. The man at the left stands with his knees bent and his upper body leaning forward, one hand held open low at the left. The man at the right is bent far forward with his hips high, one leg flung out behind him and up to the upper right and the other leg bent beneath him; his head is not visible. Printed beside the drawing: 2. Hataki-komi

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. Both stand in wide stances. The man at the left has his head up and an arm bent across the other man's chest. The man at the right leans toward the left with his head down against the first man's shoulder, one arm flung out behind him to the right and one leg stretched far back to the lower right. Printed beside the drawing: 3. Hikkake

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. The man at the left is bent forward, the top of his head showing at the upper center and one arm bent up in front of him at the left. The man at the right, his head up and turned down toward him, has his arms on the other man's body, one hand low near the belt. Both stand with their feet wide apart. Printed beside the drawing: 4. Ō-u atasi

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. The man at the left is bent far forward with one arm swung down and back at the lower left. The man at the right leans over him from the right, his arms reaching across the left man's back, with his feet planted wide apart. A short line marks the ground at the lower left. Printed beside the drawing: 5. Okuri-dasi

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. The two men face each other in wide stances with their knees bent, their arms raised so that their hands are clasped together in the middle of the drawing, one clasp above another. Printed beside the drawing: 6. Te-yottu

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. The two men face each other in wide stances. The man at the left reaches an arm up so that his hand and forearm press against the other man's neck and jaw, and the man at the right has his head tipped back. A line of dashes marks the ground at the bottom. Printed beside the drawing: 7. Nodowa

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. The two men are close together at the center, both bent forward and leaning to the left. The head of one shows at the upper left and the head of the other at the upper right, partly turned away. One leg stretches out low toward the lower right with the foot lifted, and a line of dashes crosses the ground below. Printed beside the drawing: 8. Osi-dasi

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. The two men are pressed close together at the center, bent forward, their arms wrapped around one another and their heads side by side at the top, with a dark belt at the waist of the nearer man. Their feet are spread wide on the ground, and a line of dashes crosses the ground at the lower right. Printed beside the drawing: 9. Izumigawa

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. The two men overlap in a tangle. One is tipped nearly horizontal at the upper center with a leg stretched straight out to the left and his head and shoulders at the upper right, and the legs of the other are planted wide below. Printed beside the drawing: 10. Tuki-otosi

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. The two men overlap at the center. One has a leg flung out straight to the upper left, his belt and apron at the center, and a dark round head of hair shows at the right. Below, legs are planted wide apart, one foot at the lower left and one at the lower right. Printed beside the drawing: 11. Maki-otosi

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. The two men are bent forward and pressed together at the center, a dark belt at the waist of the nearer man and their heads side by side at the top. Their legs are spread wide, one foot at the lower left, and a line of dashes marks the ground at the bottom. Printed beside the drawing: 12. Watasi-komi

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. The two men tangle at the center. One is bent forward at the upper left with a topknot at the top left corner. The other, his face turned downward at the upper center, leans across him with one arm raised, his legs bent and spread to the lower left and the lower right. Printed beside the drawing: 13. Asi-tori

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. The two men tangle at the center. One bends forward at the upper left with a topknot at the top left. The other is tipped over, his dark-haired head low at the center and his hips and belt above it, one leg kicking up to the upper right; bare feet show at the lower left and the bottom. Printed beside the drawing: 14. Tottari

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. A large man at the upper left stands bent over with his arms drawn in at the center left. The other man hangs diagonally across the right of the drawing, his dark-haired head at the middle right and his legs at the lower right, while the first man's legs are planted wide apart at the lower left. Printed beside the drawing: 15. Saka-tottari

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. The two men stand pressed together with their heads side by side at the top and their feet far apart, hands gripping a belt at the center of the drawing. Printed beside the drawing: 16. Migi-zasi

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. One man stands upright at the upper left with his head turned to the right and one hand at his own hip. The other, bent forward with his back to the viewer and a belt knot showing, is pressed against him and hides his body below the chest. Both have their legs far apart, and a long line of the ground runs across the bottom. Printed beside the drawing: 17. Yori-kiri

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. The two men press together with their upper bodies at the upper right and a hand at the belt at the center left. One leg is stretched far out to the left with the foot lifted, and two other legs are planted apart below. Printed beside the drawing: 18. Turi-dasi

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. The two men are tangled together. The upper one is turned on his side with two legs stretched out horizontally to the right, feet pointed, and a topknot shows at the far left. The other is crouched below with his knees bent and his feet on the ground at the bottom center. Printed beside the drawing: 19. Uwate-nage

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. The two men are tangled together, with two legs stretched out horizontally to the right at the top and a dark-haired head at the lower left. The belts show at the center, and a crouching pair of legs with the feet on the ground is at the bottom. Printed beside the drawing: 20. Kote-nage

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. The two men are tangled in a tumble. Two legs stretch out to the upper left with the feet lifted, a head with a topknot and a face turned down is at the right, and the dark-haired head of the other man is at the center. Feet are on the ground at the bottom. Printed beside the drawing: 21. Sitate-nage

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. One man stands at the right with his head bowed and an arm bent in front of him. A second man's body curves across the center with his belt and hips at the middle, one leg stretched out to the left with the foot lifted and his dark-haired head low at the right of center. Printed beside the drawing: 22. Sukui-nage

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. One man is bent far forward with a topknot at the upper left and a hand gripping a belt at the left of the drawing. The other man's body curves across the center with a leg bent up at the right, and legs are spread below, with the hanging strands of the apron flying out at the upper right. Printed beside the drawing: 23. Yagura-nage

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. The two men are locked together with their heads side by side at the top. One man's leg is bent up at the left with the foot lifted, another leg stretches out to the lower left, and two legs are planted apart at the lower right. Printed beside the drawing: 24. Komata-sukui

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. The two men are pressed together at the left, their heads at the upper left, one with his face turned down and a hand at the other's belt at the center. One leg stretches out horizontally to the right with the foot pointed, and two legs stand close together at the bottom. Printed beside the drawing: 25. Nimai-geri

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. The two men are tangled at the center, bent forward, with a dark belt and an apron of hanging strands at the upper center. One leg is lifted with the knee bent in the middle of the drawing and the other legs are planted apart at the bottom. A short line of dashes marks the ground at the lower right. Printed beside the drawing: 26. Kiri-kaesi

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. One man is bent over with his dark-haired head at the center and an arm stretched out to the lower left. A leg of the other stretches out to the upper right with the foot lifted, and legs are planted at the bottom center. Printed beside the drawing: 27. Zu-hineri

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. The two men are tangled at the center. A dark-haired head shows at the upper left and a dark belt at the upper center, and one leg stretches out horizontally to the right with the foot lifted. The other legs are planted apart at the bottom. Printed beside the drawing: 28. Soto-musō

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. The two men are bent together over the center. One leg stretches out to the left at the upper left with the foot lifted, a hand grips a belt at the center left, and legs are planted at the lower left and lower right, with the hanging strands of the apron flying out at the top. Printed beside the drawing: 29. Uti-musō

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. The two men stand close together, leaning diagonally from the upper right toward the lower left. A hand at the center grips a belt, and long legs reach down to the bottom, the feet at the lower left and the bottom center. Printed beside the drawing: 30. Uti-gake

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. The two men lean toward each other. The man at the left is bent forward with a topknot at the top and both hands gripping a belt at the center. The other man, his face turned up, stands with his legs bent and spread at the lower right. Printed beside the drawing: 31. Soto-gake

Line drawing of two wrestlers, each in a dark belt with an apron of hanging strands. The two men are at the center. The upper one is bent forward with an arm and hand at a belt at the center, and one leg stretches out straight to the right with the foot pointed. Other legs are spread at the lower left and center, and a curved line of the ground runs across the bottom. Printed beside the drawing: 32. Uttyari