Nicholas Ton of Shōgeki Sumo Dojo knows what people think when someone brings up sumo wrestling. Chances are, it might just be a certain ex-Dr. Evil henchman.
“A lot of people cite Austin Powers, the scene with Fat Bastard, or something along those lines,” says Ton.
But this weekend, you can see what sumo really is when Shōgeki Sumo and Asia Society Texas Center present the 18th Annual Texas Classic Sumo Tournament.
“Most people’s interactions with sumo wrestling are usually through some form of Western media, where it’s usually in some comedic manner,” says Ton. “But what we really want to show is the athleticism of it, and how real the matches can be, how fast they are, how much balance is involved, how much technique is involved – things like that.”
Sumo wrestlers from across Texas will face off in the tournament, which will feature a double-elimination, open-weight structure and welcome a maximum of 30 competitors for the men’s division and 30 for the women’s division.
“It’s the same way the pros do it in Japan. So, you can have someone that’s 100 pounds going against someone that’s 400 pounds, and sometimes 100-pounder actually wins, and that’s a huge, huge crowd favorite when that happens,” says Ton. “There’s nothing else like having people who are 100-200 pounds going against people two times their size and sometimes coming out on top.”
Ton first became involved in sumo in 2020. Though he points to the anime Hinomaru Sumo as the moment sumo caught his interest, Ton says he didn’t follow up on that interest until he saw an Instagram ad for a tournament hosted by the San Antonio-based club Mighty Eagle Sumo during the pandemic.
“They said, ‘No experience required,’ and I said, ‘I have no experience. Let me go over there and try it,’” recalls Ton. “I lost every single match, which was a good thing, and then I just stuck with it from there.”
Ton’s club, Shōgeki Sumo, took up the mantle of the Texas Classic tournament last year after tournament founder Tom Zabel of Lone Star Sumo stepped away.
“They asked us to take on that namesake and continue the legacy for them,” says Ton.
But if this will be your first Texas Classic, former professional sumo wrestler Koomah of Kise Beya in Japan will again be on hand to serve as the tournament’s emcee.
“Koomah definitely knows how to involve the audience,” says Ton. “Koomah is skilled at being able to convey what everything is, what’s happening, and the history behind things in a fun and engaging way so the audience members are not lost.”
Though the tournament is the main event, there will be additional activities for audiences to look forward to, including a halftime show hosted by the Houston Kendama Meetup and a post-tournament meet-and-greet with the sumo wrestlers. Throughout the tournament, guests can also pop into the Grand Hall, where they will find gachapon, or Japanese vending machines; food, like sumo noodles, and beverages provided by Asahi; a sake tasting; and Japanese calligraphy.
From the perspective of Asia Society Texas, Director of Performing Arts and Culture Michael Buening says the ultimate goal is to “spark an interest” in sumo and the different Japanese cultural traditions around it.
“Our mission is all around cultural dialogue and communication. Sumo is something that gets people excited right away – which is wonderful – and we want them to come in and then have this learning experience,” says Buening. “Maybe they aren’t aware of the history and the traditions and the athleticism around the sport. And then maybe we also have the opportunity to sneak in some learning about other aspects of Japanese culture as well.”
Shōgeki Sumo can often be found sharing Japanese culture through their national sport at events around town like Tokyo X, Anime Houston, and Asia Society Texas’ annual Night Market, where Buening says, “There are always people that come up, especially young people and high school students and college students who get excited and want to try it out.”
Ton adds that they often get a lot of athletes who want to try it out, including football players, martial artists, wrestlers, and powerlifters – and they almost always walk away saying, “‘Wow, that was way harder than I expected.’”
“Everyone always thinks that it’s just about like strength and power, but there’s a ton of balance and a ton of flexibility. Most, if not all, of the really serious sumo wrestlers can do the side splits just because of how much flexibility is involved,” says Ton. “Some of our people who are half their size are able to handle them just because they have better technique and know how to handle people’s momentum, to control their center of gravity against the opponent, and things like that.”
If you find that you’d like to try your hand at sumo, Ton encourages you to stick around for the post-tournament meet-and-greet and talk to the wrestlers or Shōgeki Sumo’s Paul Gutierrez, who will be acting as the tournament director. Regardless, Ton and Buening are excited to share the sport, a thousands-year-old window to the past.
“We just want audiences to come away with a greater appreciation for the sport while also being entertained,” says Buening.
The 18th Annual Texas Classic Sumo Tournament is scheduled for Saturday, December 7, from 1 to 6 p.m. at Asia Society Texas Center, 1370 Southmore. For more information, call 713-496-9901 or visit asiasociety.org/texas. $30.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
