Sumo

A Thinking Fan's Guide to Japan's National Sport

By: David Benjamin

Write A Review

Paperback | 10 March 2010

At a Glance

Paperback
272 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
20.3 x 13.0 x 2.0

Paperback

$37.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $9.44 with

Ships in 5 to 10 business days

"The most entertaining and irreverent guide to sumo." â" James Fallows, The Atlantic

Sumo

is a fresh and funny introduction to the fascinating world of sumo, Japan's national sport. Author David Benjamin peels away the veneer of sumo as a cultural treasure and reveals it as an action-packed sport populated by superb athletes who employ numerous strategies and techniques to overcome their gargantuan opponents. Sumo provides an engaging, witty, behind-the-scenes look at sumo today.

A complete guide to sumo for both curious novices and long-time fans, you'll learn about:

The greatest sumo match ever
The many strategies employed by wrestlers, such as "the Hooker," "the Bulldozer" and "the Matador"
Sumo's most stunning move
Why rikishi sometimes throw a match
The backroom politics that influence who is promoted to the highest ranks
The "foreign invasion" of sumo and what it means for the sport's future

About This New Edition

This book is a thoroughly updated revision of the popular The Joy of Sumo. Benjamin's enthusiasm and insight into the sport remain unmatched, and his humorous descriptions of the personalities and pageantry of the sport will have you laughing loud and often.

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.

Defective items

If there is a problem with any of the items received for your order then the Booktopia Customer Care team is ready to assist you.

For more info please visit our Help Centre.

You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction Sports & Recreation Combat Sports & Self-Defence Wrestling Comedy & Humour History Regional & National History Asian History Oriental Martial Arts Sports Training & Coaching Boxing

Introduction	p. 7
The Pit	p. 19
"Death Valley"	p. 23
Rhythm and Recognition	p. 24
Big Al, Mad Dog, Tokyo Rose and the Silver Spoons	p. 29
Nomenclature: Proper and Improper	p. 32
The "Grouping Urge" Blubberbutts and Thoroughbreds	p. 43
Left/Right/Up/Down and All That	p. 45
Genus and Species	p. 49
Backstage: Choking Up in the Church	p. 57
Napoleon and Konishiki	p. 59
The Locker Room	p. 65
Aprons and Ads	p. 68
The Meditations of the Beast	p. 70
The Sumotori Rag: Pose-striking, Time-killing and the Eight Forms of Screwing Around	p. 73
The Importance of the Overture	p. 77
"Kokoro" and KITSH	p. 79
The KITSH Pecking Order	p. 81
Eight Ways to Screw Around	p. 83
Tachiai: Hookers, Bulldozers, Boxers, Stranglers, Matadors and Low-down Yankee Liars	p. 97
Jumpers and Receivers	p. 99
Bohr's Constant vs. The Human Factor	p. 101
"Fast Is Good, Heavy Is Better"	p. 104
The Five Styles of Tachiai	p. 106
To Live and Die at Tachiai	p. 110
The Fistfight at the Malamute Saloon and Other Japanese Cultural Treasures	p. 113
The Expert	p. 114
Hands, Feet and Angle	p. 116
The Guy in the Pajamas	p. 121
The Finish	p. 123
Extra Terms	p. 129
The Ripsnorter in Nagoya	p. 133
Chiyonofuji's Ghosts	p. 135
Asahifuji's Jinx	p. 138
The Match	p. 144
Afterward: "Keep Up Appearances Whatever You Do"	p. 153
The Membrane of Sportsmanship	p. 155
The Rite of Withdrawal	p. 159
The Interview	p. 163
The Basho Beat:"Give That Rhythm Everything You've Got"	p. 171
Banzuke: Confucian Confusion	p. 173
The Real Ranks: Upper Echelon	p. 175
The Real Ranks: Down Below	p. 180
The Weight of Concentration	p. 185
Good Basho, Bad Basho	p. 187
Tank This One for the Gipper	p. 189
Little Spoon, Tamaryu, and the Politics of Mono-ii	p. 192
A Sense of Honor	p. 196
"Yaocho Doesn't Exist"	p. 199
The Last-Day Blues	p. 202
How to Take a Dive	p. 206
The Rite of Passage	p. 207
The Statistical Imperative	p. 211
The Data Deficit	p. 214
Rating the Rikishi	p. 215
Whither Sumo Especially With All These Gatjin	p. 225
The Mongol Hordes	p. 226
Cracks in the Façade	p. 231
An American Solutio	p. 232
Jusc a Game	p. 241
Acknowledgments	p. 245
Glossary	p. 247
Index	p. 251
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Sumo

A Thinking Fan's Guide to Japan's National Sport

At a Glance

Paperback

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

More in Asian History

Belonging

A Journey of Love

Breakneck

China's Quest to Engineer the Future

Anti-Zionism

A Jewish History

How to Sell a Genocide

The Media's Complicity in the Destruction of Gaza

Requiem for Gaza

The Little Book of Japanese Mythology

A Pocket Guide to Myths and Legends from the Land of the Rising Sun

The Rape of Nanking

The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II

A Very Short History of the Israel-Palestine Conflict

Find Me at the Jaffa Gate

An encyclopaedia of a Palestinian family - Longlisted for the 2026 Stella Prize

The Cauldron

The Making of the Modern Middle East - The No.1 Sunday Times Bestseller

Don't Say Palestine

How the Media Manufactured Consent for Genocide

The Jakarta Method

Washington's Anticommunist Crusade and the Mass Murder Program that Shaped Our World

The Hundred Years' War on Palestine

A History of Settler Colonial Conquest and Resistance

The Doctor of Hiroshima

His heart-breaking and inspiring true life story

The Making of the Modern Middle East

A Personal History

The Finest Hotel in Kabul

WOMEN'S NON FICTION PRIZE 2026 WINNER - A People's History of Afghanistan

The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine

The Anarchy

The Relentless Rise of the East India Company

Samurai

The Greatest Battles and Warriors Depicted in Japanese Art

Crusader Strategy

Defending the Holy Land

Jerusalem

The Biography A History of the Middle East

Wild Swans

Three Daughters Of China

The Golden Road

How Ancient India Transformed the World

1291

The Crusaders' Last Stand

This product is categorised by