A sumo wrestler's highly regimented life centers around the "stable" where he lives and trains. The routine is a cycle of training, eating, resting and competing. Senior wrestlers dominate junior wrestlers, for whom life is difficult. While senior wrestlers have their own rooms or even apartments if they are married, junior wrestlers are grouped together in communal dormitories.
An Early Start With No Breakfast
Junior, unranked sumo wrestlers, called rikishi, get up around 5 a.m. to begin training. They stretch, perform exercises to increase strength and practice movement. Moshiai, or practice matches, come next, with the winner remaining in the ring to take on his stable mates. Another training practice is called butsukari-geiko, which involves hurling one's body into an opponent. This move typically is seen at the beginning of a sumo match. Senior wrestlers, called sekitori, get to sleep in. They join practice at 7 a.m.
Preparing for the First Meal of the Day
Sekitori train like the rikishi and sometimes help them with their technique. Around 8 a.m. the junior wrestlers might have to leave the training area to do chores, such as helping to prepare lunch, cleaning and filling the bath and acting as valet to a senior wrestler by having his towel ready when he wants it. By 10:30 a.m., the younger wrestlers have prepared lunch.
First Meal of the Day
Sumo wrestlers eat chanko or chanko-nabe. This usually refers to a calorie-rich stew but meals might include sashimi, fried foods, curry rice, hamburger steaks and even Chinese food, according to A Day in the Life of a Sumo Wrestler section on the Kids Web Japan website. The wrestlers bathe before lunch, which is served around 11 a.m. Senior wrestlers eat and bathe before junior wrestlers. Working out before eating breakfast is believed to cause the body to store more calories when it does get food. This, and sleeping after lunch, helps wrestlers pack on the pounds they need to compete against huge opponents.
Nightlife
Senior wrestlers can relax in the afternoon, or might handle business-related issues such as dealing with their fan clubs. As you might have guessed, junior wrestlers spend their afternoons doing chores or cleaning. The second and last meal of the day is served around 6 p.m. In the evening, juniors remain in the stable but seniors may go out. A junior wrestler who is close to graduating to a senior rank might be allowed to accompany a more senior wrestler or the head of the stable out on the town. His role is to act as a manservant to his senior, according to Japan Reference.com's Life as a Professional Sumo Wrestler.
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