Japanese Sumo Wrestling is one of the oldest martial arts in Japan. In contrast to some of the traditional Japanese arts, sumo wrestling is enjoying a rising popularity - comparable to basketball in North America or soccer in Europe.

During the last two decades the art of sumo wrestling could establish itself even outside of Japan. Akebono, an American born in Hawaii, became the first American champion to reach the highest rank.

Sumo has its roots in the shinto religion. The matches were dedicated to the gods in prayers for a good harvest. The oldest written records date back to the 15th century.

In the later feudal periods, it was occasionally used as a method of resolving political disputes by sending sumo wrestlers to decide the issue; rather similar to the feudalistic European practice of using champions to decide the right of an issue by might.

In the Edo period, sumo became a popular feature of urban culture among the merchant class and it emerged as a professional sport with rules and ceremonies which are closely related to today's.

A sumo wrestling match is accompanied by a lot of traditional ceremony. The marching-in of the wrestlers is a sequence of formal rituals. The wrestlers are accompanied by two assistants - one walking in front and one behind him - the one behind is usually hard to spot.

The referee is clad in a luxurious kimono and wears a strange hat. After performing a series of opening rituals, the contest begins.

The wrestling match is all about pushing or throwing the opponent out of the doyo - the ring - or to bring the other guy down on the floor.

Sumo combines some of the most public forms of Shintoritual with the stupendous sight of wrestlers weighing up to 680 pounds apiece slamming into each other. At first glance, foreigners are frequently repulsed, but many morph into fanatics.

There are 70 ways of beating an opponent listed by the Sumo Association, including such common ones as uwatenag (overarm throw) and shitatenage (underarm throw), but few methods of attack are banned. Wrestlers may trip or slap with an open hand, but eye-gouging, hair-pulling, and hitting with a closed fist are not permitted and will result in forfeiting the bout.

The wrestling ring is a raised clay platform with bales of straw half buried in the clay to outline the circular ring. Wrestlers wear only a thick belt which can be grasped by the opponent and used to lever the wearer out of the ring.

Sumo does not know any weight categories. There are a few basic techniques - from pulling the opponents legs to grabbing his belt and trying to throw or carry the opponent out of the ring.

The basic rules of sumo are simple: The wrestler who either first touches the floor with something else than his sole or leaves the ring before his opponent, loses. The fights themselves usually last only a few seconds and in rare cases up to one minute or longer.

Six tournaments are held every year, each one lasting 15 days. Three of the tournaments are held in Tokyo (January, May, September), and one each in Osaka (March), Nagoya (July) and Fukuoka (November).

Only wrestlers in the top two divisions (Makuuchi and Juryo) are paid a monthly salary, so the income of a wrestler is not assured until a consistent winning record propels him up the ranks.

Potential wrestlers come to the world of sumo as young as13. Many recruits are from rural areas where people are said to be better accustomed to the physical hardships which sumo demands.

Training is rough and included beating with sticks to drive home the fine points of wrestling (this is quickly becoming a thing of the past). In recent years, the level of physical abuse has eased, which, together with the popularity of the sport, has attracted larger numbers of youngsters to try out.

At the top of the sumo wrestlers' hierarchy (banzuke) stands the yokozuna (grand champion). At the moment, there is only one yokozuna, Asashoryu from Mongolia. Once a wrestler reaches the rank of yokozuna, he cannot lose it anymore. However, he is expected to retire as soon as his results are starting to worsen.

Those who are successful enter a stable of wrestlers which is owned and trained by a retired successful wrestler called anOyakata; there are around 30 stables.

Junior wrestlers not only have to train and attend school, they must do the dirty work of the stable, including attending to the whims of the senior wrestlers who are constantly requiring massages, snacks or drinks.

Most elite wrestlers are highly trained athletes and between 20 to 35 years old. Besides working out, the wrestlers are eating large amounts of food and go to bed right after eating in order to gain mass. The wrestlers are living in special sumo stables where the rules are very strict, especially for lower ranked wrestlers.

The organization and values of this sport are fundamentally feudal and are often criticized for bringing forward into the modern age patterns of behavior which are outdated and undemocratic.