I went to watch the
sumo practice last weekend. Not the real competition yet. But it's very near
from now. The training was intense. None of the sumo fighters actually stop and
do something else during the practice. Not sure if it's very hot for them inside, they were sweating and
panting heavily inside. Maybe they are just too fat that they are too insulated.
I have noticed that the moment the sumo wrestler wearing the
white loincloth enters the training ground, everyone look at him at start to
behave more cautiously. The man in white loincloth is the wrestler with higher
rank. He came in a bit later and when the other wrestlers have a training match
with him, they perform all the proper ritual. Unlike training with other
wrestlers in black loincloth, which was more informal. It seems to be like
everyone takes the ranking really seriously and having a higher rank can give
you more special privileges such as coming for the practice later. I’m just not
used to all these, if I meet someone with greater seniority, I would just treat
them like everyone else. I do respect such culture of respecting someone of
greater seniority, not everyone can treat another person extra special all the
time.
