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ozumo rules

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sorry if this has been covered before, but are the rules in operation for ozumo available anywhere ( in English ) ?

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sorry if this has been covered before, but are the rules in operation for ozumo available anywhere ( in English ) ?

I translated the match rules (guidelines, really) on the Sumo Mailing list last year. Here they are:

Here are the rules for deciding a sumo match:

土俵内において足の裏以外の体の一部が、早く砂についた者を負けとする。

The first person to touch the sand inside the dohyou with any part of

their body other than the soles of their feet, loses.

土俵外の砂に体の一部でも早くついた者を負けとする。但し、吊って相手の両足

が土から上がっているのを土俵外に出す時、自分の足を土俵外に踏み出してか

ら、相手の体を土俵外に下した場合は、送り足となって負けにならない。

The first person to touch the sand outside of the dohyou with any part

of their body, loses. However, when carrying the opponent out of the

dohyou with both of their feet in the air, if the opponent is put down

outside the dohyou after you have stepped out, then this is

"okuri-ashi", and is not a loss.

吊って相手の両足が土から離れても、後退して踵から踏み切った場合は負けである。

It is a loss if you back out of the dohyou, even if you are lifting your

opponent so that both feet are in the air.

頭髪が砂についた時は負けである。しかし、相手を倒しながら、瞬時早く髪がつ

いた時は負けにならない。

It is a loss if your hair touches the sand. However, if your hair

touches first while throwing an opponent, it is not a loss.

土俵外にどれほど高く吊っても、また相手の体を持ち上げても勝ではない。

No matter how high you lift your opponent outside of the dohyou,

carrying your opponent's body is not a win.

締込の前の垂れが砂についても負けとならない。

It is not a loss if the front fold of the mawashi touches the sand.

相手の体を抱えるか、褌を引いて一緒に倒れるか、または手が少し早くついて

も、相手の体が重心を失っている時、即ち体が死んでいる時は、かばい手といっ

て負けにならない。

If your opponent has lost their balance, in other words, if their body

is dead, and you are holding their body, or if you have executed a throw

and both fall at the same time, or if your hand touches a little bit

earlier, this is ruled "kabaite" and is not a loss.

体の機能故障の場合は別として、競技中に、行司、審判委員の指示なくして競技

を自ら中止することはできない。

Except for cases of functional disability of the body, you may not stop

the match yourself without an indication from the gyoji or member of the

shinpan.

前褌がはずれて落ちた場合は、負けである。

If the maemitsu (front of the mawashi running horizontally) comes lose

and falls, it is a loss.

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However, if your hair touches first while throwing an opponent, it is not a loss.
Peculiar. Wasn't aware of that clause before. Looks like Osh doesn't have to worry about hairpins after all...

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If the maemitsu (front of the mawashi running horizontally) comes lose

and falls, it is a loss.

Yikes! Gotta watch out for this one!

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However, if your hair

touches first while throwing an opponent, it is not a loss.

That's new to me at least. I thought it was indeed a loss if your mage touches. There was this particular bout between Takanohana and Takamiyama which I think Takamiyama won because Takanohana touched the ground with his hair while throwing. Doesn't hair count as a part of the body too?

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The first person to touch the sand outside of the dohyou with any part

of their body, loses. However, when carrying the opponent out of the

dohyou with both of their feet in the air, if the opponent is put down

outside the dohyou after you have stepped out, then this is

"okuri-ashi", and is not a loss.

No matter how high you lift your opponent outside of the dohyou,

carrying your opponent's body is not a win.

I don't understand how the two rules above don't contradict one with the other :-D or I just don't understand what they mean ?

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Could not resist:

Ozumo rules !

More on topic:

It is interesting, that there is even some discussion about the rules. Though i have never read them in detail myself, i was sure to know the rules approximately. But i had never heard of the okuri-ashi and do not understand it.

Here my interpretation:

If you go back, while holding your opponent in the air and step out of the dohyou, you lose.

If you hold your opponent in the air and out of the dohyou, you do not get a win, unless you drop him later.

If you go forward, while holding your opponent in the air and step out of the dohyou AND drop him outside the dohyou on the ground you win ?

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[1]The first person to touch the sand outside of the dohyou with any part

of their body, loses. However, when carrying the opponent out of the

dohyou with both of their feet in the air, if the opponent is put down

outside the dohyou after you have stepped out, then this is

"okuri-ashi", and is not a loss.

[2]No matter how high you lift your opponent outside of the dohyou,

carrying your opponent's body is not a win.

I don't understand how the two rules above don't contradict one with the other :-D or I just don't understand what they mean ?

Upon careful reading, this is the difference. The first case involves a "tsuri" move where Rikishi A lifts Rikishi B and carrys him by taking steps out of the ring. His stepping out himself ahead of putting down his opponent does not result in his loss. The term for that, "okuri-ashi," means something like "step out in process of sending out."

The second rule covers all other cases. One example would be the utchari where Rikish A lifts Rikishi B and spins him outside of the ring. Rikishi B, though in the air outside of the ring, is not declared the loser until he touches the ground. So, if Rikishi A steps out or falls out/down in the process prior to Rikishi B touching ground, he would be the loser even though Rikishi B's body is suspended outside of the dohyo.

In short, Rule 1 is an exception to the more general Rule 2.

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The first case involves a "tsuri" move where Rikishi A lifts Rikishi B and carrys him by taking steps out of the ring. His stepping out himself ahead of putting down his opponent does not result in his loss. The term for that, "okuri-ashi," means something like "step out in process of sending out."

In short, Rule 1 is an exception to the more general Rule 2.

Madoro-zeki's explanation makes a lot of sense. A lift and carry type of yorikiri is rarely seen today, but was very common in the past. Rikishi A lifted rikishi B up by the mawashi and balanced him on his stomach. He then walked him out of the ring (with rikishi B usually kicking like mad). The problem is that when rikishi A gets to the tawari, there is no way to gently set rikishi B down without taking another step. The only alternative would be to throw him out into the seating area. Dangerous for both rikishi B and for the patrons.

It was always fun to watch this impressive move. I miss it.

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What rule 5 is saying is that no matter how high you lift an opponent out of a ring, you have to set him down on the ground outside for it to be a win. If you, for example, lift the opponent really high outside the ring, but then stumble backward so that he comes down inside the ring, you don't win.

Also, my translation of rule 4 is a little off. Rather than "throw" I should have said "knock down". Most often, we see cases of "nage no uchiai", both rikishi throwing each other at the same time. In those cases, if the mage touches first it's a loss. But say I throw you, but you don't throw me, and in the course of throwing you my mage brushes the ground. In that case, I don't lose. It's like isami-ashi, in a way.

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