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Sumo wrestlers in Japan are highly respected but live a highly regimented life dictated by the Japan Sumo Association. They live together in training facilities, are told how to dress and eat, and cannot drive. Having a pilot is a status symbol and a safety measure. Sumo wrestlers must wear their hair in a quiff and follow a hierarchy in living facilities. Wrestlers got as big as possible in the 20th century to gain an edge in matches.
Anyone who pays attention to professional sports knows that famous athletes don’t live like ordinary people, from being escorted by entourages everywhere they go to being hailed as heroes by schoolchildren. But for sumo wrestlers, the star treatment takes on an entirely different meaning. Sumo wrestlers are well loved in Japan, but instead of living the high life, they are expected to lead a highly regimented existence as dictated by the powerful Japan Sumo Association. They usually live together in training facilities, where they are told how to dress and what to eat. And instead of attending the events with luxurious cars, they can’t even drive. Having a pilot is kind of a status symbol, but it’s also about safety: sumo wrestlers are so big that they usually can’t reach behind the wheel. In fact, the rule began after a sumo wrestler was involved in a serious car accident. If caught behind the wheel, a wrestler can be booted from the competition.
Wrestling with sumo rules:
Sumo wrestlers are expected to wear their hair in a quiff, as an homage to the hairstyles of the Edo period.
Sumo living facilities follow a hierarchy where lower-ranking wrestlers cook and serve their higher-ranking brethren.
It wasn’t until the 20th century that sumo wrestlers got as big as possible to gain an edge in matches.
