Sumo is a Japanese combative sport that pits one huge, loin-cloth-clad contestant against another in a sand-covered ring. The men pull and push each other while attempting to execute a trip or throw. The objective is to force the opponent to touch the ground with any part of his body other than his feet.

Experts claim that sumo is derived from a more martially oriented art, but in its current incarnation, its purely a martial sport with little or no self-defense utility. It remains, however, one of the most popular spectator sports in Japan.


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