On Saturday morning (just a few hours from now), the dohyo in Osaka’s EDION arena will be consecrated with ritual sacrifices to pray for a safe tournament. The ceremony is open to the public, and is expected to be well attended. The referees will don ceremonial Shinto garb for the ritual, in which the sacrificial items are placed in a small square space in the exact center of the fighting platform.
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!
With the start of the much anticipated 2018 Hatsu basho just days away, the Kokugikan crew is busy constructing the dohyo that will be the focus for the January tournament. Re-built each time a tournament is about to start, the dohyo is a masterpiece of hand crafted earth, packed firm with simple wooden tools and laid out according to long standing tradition.
Early Saturday, Tokyo time, the dohyo will be consecrated in a solemn ceremony, and this event is typically open to the public. For sumo fans, it is a fascinating spectacle, and features attendance by many of the top men of the sport.
Early afternoon (Japan time), the dohyo for the upcoming Kyushu basho was consecrated in a solemn ceremony attended by officials of the Sumo Kyokai and upper ranked rikishi.
With the ritual completed, everything is ready for tomorrow’s first bouts in what promises to be an exciting end to the 2017 sumo calendar. As always, Tachiai will be covering the tournament, and bringing you news and updates as they happen.