| A few minutes' walk north from Kiyosumi Garden
is a pair of sumo stables on opposite sides of the road. While they may appear
to be ordinary buildings at first glance, they are distinguishable by their signs
outside the first floor and the long practice mawashi
(belts worn by sumo wrestlers) hanging from the balcony. The two stables are called
Taiho and Kitanoumi, taking their names from their stablemasters, both of whom
were famous yokozuna (the top rank for sumo wrestlers)
when they were active wrestlers.
Sumo stables are where wrestlers ordinarily train, as well as where young and
aspiring wrestlers live together. When they are not traveling or taking part in
a tournament somewhere, many young sumo wrestlers can be seen on this street and
in the surrounding neighborhood. Ryogoku Kokugikan, the arena where three of the
six annual sumo tournaments are held, is nearby, so there are many other stables
on the way.
|
