Editing Sumo (section)

==Life as a professional sumo wrestler==
[[File:Sumoworkout.JPG|right|thumb|Young low-ranking sumo wrestlers at the [[Tomozuna stable|Tomozuna Stable]] in Tokyo end their daily workout routine with a footwork drill (1998)]]
A professional sumo wrestler leads a highly regimented way of life. The Sumo Association prescribes the behavior of its wrestlers in some detail. For example, the association prohibits wrestlers from driving cars, although this is partly out of necessity as many wrestlers are too big to fit behind a steering wheel.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42178483|title=Inside the scandal-hit world of sumo|last=Seales|first=Rebecca|date=2017-12-01|work=BBC News|access-date=2018-10-01|archive-date=September 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925195036/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42178483|url-status=live}}</ref> Breaking the rules can result in fines and/or suspension for both the offending wrestler and his stablemaster.

On entering sumo, they are expected to grow their hair long to form a topknot, or ''[[chonmage]]'', similar to the ''samurai'' hairstyles of the Edo period. Furthermore, they are expected to wear the ''[[chonmage]]'' and traditional Japanese dress when in public, allowing them to be identified immediately as wrestlers.

The type and quality of the dress depends on the wrestler's rank. ''Rikishi'' in ''[[Professional sumo divisions#Jonidan|jonidan]]'' and below are allowed to wear only a thin cotton robe called a ''[[yukata]]'', even in winter. Furthermore, when outside, they must wear a form of wooden sandal called ''[[geta (footwear)|geta]]''. Wrestlers in the ''[[Professional sumo divisions#Makushita|makushita]]'' and ''[[Professional sumo divisions#Sandanme|sandanme]]'' divisions can wear a form of traditional short overcoat over their ''yukata'' and are allowed to wear straw sandals, called ''[[zōri]]''. The higher-ranked ''[[sekitori]]'' can wear silk robes of their own choice, and the quality of the garb is significantly improved. They also are expected to wear a more elaborate form of topknot called an ''ōichō'' (big [[Ginkgo biloba|ginkgo]] leaf) on formal occasions.

Similar distinctions are made in stable life. The junior wrestlers must get up earliest, around 5&nbsp;am, for training, whereas the ''sekitori'' may start around 7&nbsp;am. When the ''sekitori'' are training, the junior wrestlers may have chores to do, such as assisting in cooking lunch, cleaning, and preparing baths, holding a ''sekitori''{{'}}s towel, or wiping the sweat from him. The ranking hierarchy is preserved for the order of precedence in bathing after training, and in eating lunch.

Wrestlers are not normally allowed to eat breakfast and are expected to have a ''[[siesta]]''-like nap after a large lunch.<ref name="NHKQA"/> The most common type of lunch served is the traditional sumo meal of ''[[chankonabe]]'', which consists of a simmering stew of various meat and vegetables cooked at the table, and usually eaten with rice.<ref name="NHKQA"/> This regimen of no breakfast and a large lunch followed by a sleep is intended to help wrestlers put on a lot of weight so as to compete more effectively. Sumo wrestlers also drink large amounts of beer.<ref name=DiscoverBecoming/>

In the afternoon, the junior wrestlers again usually have cleaning or other chores, while their ''sekitori'' counterparts may relax, or deal with work issues related to their fan clubs. Younger wrestlers also attend classes, although their education differs from the typical curriculum of their non-sumo peers. In the evening, ''sekitori'' may go out with their sponsors, while the junior wrestlers generally stay at home in the stable, unless they are to accompany the stablemaster or a ''sekitori'' as his ''tsukebito'' (manservant) when he is out. Becoming a ''tsukebito'' for a senior member of the stable is a typical duty. A ''sekitori'' has a number of ''tsukebito'', depending on the size of the stable or in some cases depending on the size of the ''sekitori''.  The junior wrestlers are given the most mundane tasks such as cleaning the stable, running errands, and even washing or massaging the exceptionally large ''sekitori'' while only the senior ''tsukebito'' accompany the ''sekitori'' when he goes out.

The ''sekitori'' are given their own room in the stable, or may live in their own apartments, as do married wrestlers; the junior wrestlers sleep in communal dormitories. Thus, the world of the sumo wrestler is split broadly between the junior wrestlers, who serve, and the ''sekitori'', who are served. Life is especially harsh for recruits, to whom the worst jobs tend to be allocated, and the dropout rate at this stage is high.

The negative health effects of the sumo lifestyle can become apparent later in life. Sumo wrestlers have a [[life expectancy]] of 65,<ref name=DiscoverBecoming/> which is about 15 years shorter than that of the average Japanese male, as the diet and sport take a toll on the wrestler's body. Those having a higher body mass are at greater risk of death.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hoshi |first1=Akio |last2=Inaba |first2=Yutaka |date=1995 |title=Risk Factors for Mortality and Mortality Rate of Sumo Wrestlers. |url=http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jjh1946/50/3/50_3_730/_article/-char/ja/ |journal=Nippon Eiseigaku Zasshi (Japanese Journal of Hygiene) |language=en |volume=50 |issue=3 |pages=730–736 |doi=10.1265/jjh.50.730 |issn=0021-5082|doi-access=free |pmid=7474495 }}</ref><ref name="LetterToEditor">{{Cite journal |last1=Kanda |first1=Hideyuki |last2=Hayakawa |first2=Takehito |last3=Tsuboi |first3=Satoshi |last4=Mori |first4=Yayoi |last5=Takahashi |first5=Teruna |last6=Fukushima |first6=Tetsuhito |date=2009 |title=Higher Body Mass Index is a Predictor of Death Among Professional Sumo Wrestlers |journal=Journal of Sports Science & Medicine |volume=8 |issue=4 |pages=711–712 |issn=1303-2968 |pmc=3761530 |pmid=24137100}}</ref> Many develop [[type 2 diabetes]] or [[Hypertension|high blood pressure]], and they are prone to heart attacks due to the enormous amount of body mass and fat that they accumulate. The excessive intake of [[alcoholic drink|alcohol]] can lead to [[Alcoholic liver disease|liver problems]], and the stress on their joints due to their excess weight can cause [[arthritis]].<ref name="DiscoverBecoming" />  The repeated blows to the head sumo wrestlers take can also cause [[Chronic traumatic encephalopathy|long-term cognitive issues]], similar to those seen in boxers.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=McCurry |first=Justin |date=2021-02-06 |title=Conservative world of sumo slow to take action on concussion |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/feb/06/conservative-world-of-sumo-slow-to-take-action-on-concussion |access-date=2023-07-03 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> In the 21st century, the standards of weight gain became less strict for the sake of the wrestlers' health.<ref name=DiscoverBecoming>{{cite web | title=Becoming a Sumo Wrestler | work=Sumo East and West | publisher=[[Discovery Channel]] | url=http://www.discoverychannelasia.com/sumo/become_a_sumo_wrestler/index.shtml | access-date=November 18, 2005 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050831220303/http://discoverychannelasia.com/sumo/become_a_sumo_wrestler/index.shtml | archive-date=August 31, 2005 | df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=United Nations Statistics Division – Demographic and Social Statistics | url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2.htm | access-date=November 18, 2005 | archive-date=September 21, 2004 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040921002557/http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2.htm | url-status=live }}<!-- This citation should be clarified - where, exactly, in the source is the statement containing information to support something this article is saying? --></ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last=Suzuki |first=Takahiro |date=2018 |title=貴乃花問題で誰も触れない横綱のリアル寿命 |trans-title=Yokozuna's real life span that no one touches on the Takanohana issue |work=[[Toyo Keizai]] |url=https://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/241267}}</ref>