Mawashi

In sumo, a mawashi (廻し) is the loincloth that

rikishi (sumo wrestlers) wear during training or in competition. Upper ranked professional wrestlers wear a

keshō-mawashi as part of the ring entry ceremony or

dohyō-iri.

Mawashi

Hakuhō Shō in a silk mawashi, worn by sekitori during tournaments. Colour matching sagari strings hang from the mawashi across his legs.

Sekitori

During competition

For top ranked professional

rikishi (known as

sekitori), the mawashi is made of silk and comes in a variety of colours. It is approximately 30 feet (9 m) in length when unwrapped, about 2 ft (0.6 m) wide and weighs about 8 to 11 lb (4 to 5 kg). It is wrapped several times around the

rikishi and fastened in the back by a large knot. A series of stiffened silk fronds of matching colour called sagari (下がり) are inserted into the front of the

mawashi. Their number varies from 13 to 25, and is always an odd number. They mark out the only part of the

mawashi that it is illegal to grab on to: the vertical part covering the

sumotori's groin, and if they fall out during competition the

gyōji (referee) will throw them from the ring at the first opportunity. Many

rikishi are superstitious and will change the color of their

mawashi to change their luck. Sometimes a poor performance will cause them to change colors for the next tournament, or even during a tournament, in an attempt to change their luck for the better. An example of this was done by Ōnoshō during the 2020 July tournament, when, after several losses in a row, he decided to change from crimson to dark gray.

Sekitori in white cotton training mawashi.

During training

Sekitori only wear the silk

mawashi during competitive bouts either during ranking tournaments or touring displays. During training, a heavy white cotton

mawashi is worn. For senior

sekitori in the top two divisions, this belt is coloured white, and it is worn with one end distinctively looped at the front.

Sagari are not worn during training.

Lower-division rikishi

Rikishi ranked in the lower professional divisions wear a black cotton

mawashi both for training and in competition. In competition, cotton

sagari are inserted into the belt, but these are not stiffened.

Amateur sumo

Female amateur wrestlers at the 2017 World Games.

Amateur sumo wrestlers wear a cotton

mawashi of any color without the looping accorded to the senior professional's training garb. Additionally, they may wear a tag on the front of their

mawashi that identifies them individually or the nation they are competing for, depending on the competition. Amateur sumo wrestlers are also allowed (or required, in the case of women wrestlers) to wear shorts or leotards under their

mawashi while professional

rikishi are not.

Techniques and rules

Sometimes a

rikishi may wear his

mawashi in such a way as to give him some advantage over his opponent. He may wear it loosely to make it more difficult to be thrown, or he may wrap it tightly and splash a little water on it to help prevent his opponent from getting a good grip on it. His choice will depend on the type of techniques he prefers to employ in his bouts. Thus a wrestler preferring belt sumo will usually wear it more loosely, while those preferring pushing techniques will tend to wear the

mawashi more tightly. If a wrestler's

mawashi comes off during a tournament bout, he is automatically disqualified. This is extremely rare, but did occur in May 2000, when

sandanme wrestler Asanokiri's

mawashi came off during a match with Chiyohakuhō. However, for most of sumo's history, whether or not a wrestler's

mawashi came off during a bout was considered irrelevant, and the policy of disqualification only came into place when Japan began adopting European attitudes towards nudity.

Keshō-mawashi

Edo Period wrestler in keshō-mawashi

Wrestlers in the two upper divisions,

makuuchi and

jūryō, are allowed to wear a second ceremonial

keshō-mawashi during their ring entering ceremony. The silk 'belt' opens out at one end into a large apron which is usually heavily embroidered and with thick tassels at the bottom. The fringe and tassels of the

keshō-mawashi are usually gold but may be any color except purple, which is reserved for use by

yokozuna and

ōzeki only. The

keshō-mawashi may advertise the produce of a sponsor of the

rikishi (for example Bulgarian

ōzeki Kotoōshū was sponsored by a Japanese brand of yogurt, "Bulgaria", which was prominently displayed on the front of his

keshō-mawashi) or be a gift from one of the

rikishi's support groups. Alternatively, some foreign-born

rikishi (such as Czech-born Takanoyama) bear their national flag on their

keshō-mawashi. Popular

rikishi may be given many of these

keshō-mawashi.

Yokozuna have matching sets of three

keshō-mawashi, with two being worn by his wrestler "assistants" (his

tachimochi and

tsuyuharai) during his ring entrance ceremony. In the Edo period, the

keshō-mawashi also served as the wrestler's fighting

mawashi. However, as the aprons become more ornate, eventually the two functions were split apart. In this period wrestlers were normally sponsored by feudal

daimyō or overlords, whose clan crest would therefore appear on the

keshō-mawashi.

Modern sumo wrestlers in top division ring entrance ceremony, wearing keshō-mawashi

See also

• Fundoshi
• Glossary of sumo terms
• Kaupinam

External links

• Media related to Mawashi at Wikimedia Commons