The Haru dohyo has taken its final shape in Osaka’s EDION arena, and will be ready for Sunday’s first day of competition. Given the new guidelines on construction, this dohyo is made from the exact same kind of clay as the Hatsu dohyo was in Tokyo. This was done to decrease the variability in surface, traction and stability that had been endemic to the various tournament locations.
Today’s activity included cutting steps and notches for the buckets in two of the corners. Only a few short days before Haru begins!
After the Takanoiwa scandal, still using beer bottles to beat the tawara?
Ouch! Nicely played…
Fairly new to the world of sumo, so forgive me if this is an ignorant question. Why is the dohyo elevated? Wouldn’t a dohyo that’s level with the stadium floor be safer for the rikishi? I’m sure there are benefits with the elevation, but it seems that some injuries could be avoided from a simple change. Most of the heya training videos I’ve seen take place on non-elevated surfaces. Or consider lowering the dohyo to some extent. Is tradition the primary force here?
Like so many things with sumo, the answer may seem silly. Short version – tradition. Once it became a spectator sport, they raised the fighting platform to make it easier for the crowd to see. Now mostly it happens on TV, so there is no need to do it that way, but because of all their venerated rituals revolve around a raised platform, they keep it.
The raised platform also puts the dohyo at eye level for the judges. If the dohyo was on the floor, it would be harder for the judges to determine which rikishi left the ring first during bouts.
The gyoji seem to manage…