Join the new world

*Above: 相撲 (Sumo) needs help swatting away some pesky flies.

The TFC recently posted an article about the workings and many interesting educational facts of Sumo. However this was soon struck down by a "spam" flag that rendered the article removed.

There is known fact that GLaDOS had noted the article "Spam" in a comment but it is unknown if GLaDOS is the real culprit or not. It is certain the right to label an article as such is a natural right but whoever flagged it surely did not think their decision through.
*It is possible GLaDOS had nothing to do with the flag but Akabeko does not claim any view on the matter and is just relaying facts.


*Above: Spam musubi. Does someone have beef with the TFC or Japanese culture itself?

eRepublik's Spam Guidelines state that any "article or topic of real world events not directly related to eRepublik" is spam. It is hard to not confess that the article itself is spam according to this rule, however it should be known that the article itself is true to Japanese culture and was made to enlighten the citizens of eJapan.
The article possibly refers to real life Japan but it was made to teach eJapanese culture of the real Japan to better their sense of their nation. A review of the thread posted by no1kevlin on the eJapan Offical Forums shows us a wonderful article displaying the rules of Sumo.

The article has legally been done away with on eJapan because of its "spam" nature. A few say they agree and many say the article should have stayed. It is up to the citizens of eJapan to stand up and fight for culture articles to keep the education of the real Japan coming. eJapan culture is directly related to real life Japan's culture, both are respected and both should be vigilant in the education process.


*Above: If you knock a Sumotori down, they will always get up and bow in respect.
__________

For the sake of cultural education, the article will be reposted from the original version in the eJapan Forums.

The Rules of Sumo

The sport of sumo has very few rules, which can result in some exciting bouts. Sumo takes place in a ring approximately 15 feet in diameter that is raised about 2 1/2 feet off the ground on a huge block of clay called a dohyo. A light sprinkling of sand is applied inside of the ring. The edge of the ring is made of tightly wound straw bands called tawara and rises up about 3 inches out of the dohyo. A new dohyo is created for each tournament. Five judges, or shinpan dressed in black kimono, sit below the dohyo and around the ring. These judges are former rikishi themselves. A referee, or gyoji, dressed in an elaborate kimono stands at the edge of the ring and officiates the bout. At the end of the bout, the gyoji points to the winner. In a particularly close bout, any of the five judges can dispute the call made by the referee. In this case, a conference, called a mono-ii, is held inside the ring with the gyoji and five shinpan to discuss the match. In modern times, television instant replay is used to determine the actual outcome of a match when in dispute.

A rikishi loses a match when any part of his body other than the bottoms of his feet touches the dohyo or when he is pushed or thrown outside of the ring. In the middle of the ring are two white lines called shikirisen. These lines are the starting points of each rikishi for each bout. When a judge gives the signal for the rikishi to fight, both rikishi crouch behind their respective shikirisen and face each other. When both rikishi place both hands clenched in fists on or behind the shikirisen, the bout begins. The tachi-ai, or initial charge, is extremely important in gaining the advantage and momentum over your opponent.

During the actual bout, a rikishi may use any technique or maneuver except pulling his opponent's hair, hitting his opponent with a closed fist, boxing his opponent's ears, choking his opponent (although he may push at the throat), or grabbing his opponent's mawashi in the crotch area. Rikishi use all sorts of techniques during the bout; however, a rikishi's style can usually be classified as one of two styles: oshi-zumo, or a tendency to push your opponent out of the ring, and yotsu-zumo, a tendency to grab your opponent's belt and force him out of the ring. The truly best rikishi are adept at using both styles to beat their opponents.

At the end of each bout, a kimarite, or winning technique, is announced informing the spectators exactly what method was used to win the bout. While there are over 60 official kimarite, only a dozen or so are seen regularly. Perhaps the greatest advantage a rikishi can gain over his opponent is to reach around and grab his opponent's belt thus keeping his opponent's arm pinned near his body. This technique is called uwate, or outside grip. Maintaining the outside grip, a rikishi commonly throws his opponent down (uwate-nage), or uses his position to force his opponent outside of the ring (yorikiri). As a sumo fan, understanding the different kimarite and techniques used by the rikishi, greatly enhances the viewing experience.
*Above article owned by the TFC and its rightful owners.

どうも ありがとう ございます！！