Shikiri / Pre-Bout Ritual
仕切り
A repeated ritual of crouching and staring down the opponent by which sumo wrestlers build psychological pressure before the actual clash (tachiai).
Quick Facts
Definition
Shikiri is the phase that precedes the actual bout and, in television broadcasts, often lasts far longer than the fight itself, which can be over in mere seconds. The wrestlers repeatedly return to the starting line, crouch into the shiko stance with clenched fists, and stare intensely into each other's eyes, a practice that aids concentration, intimidates the opponent, and helps synchronize the timing of the charge. Before each crouch a wrestler takes a handful of salt and throws it onto the dohyō as part of a Shinto purification ritual meant to cleanse the ring of impurity and injury. The length of shikiri is limited by the referee (gyōji) and a timekeeper according to the wrestler's division, with four minutes allowed in the top makuuchi division. Only when both opponents place both fists on the ground simultaneously can the actual charge (tachiai) occur; if they fail to do so together, the gyōji halts the start and calls matta.
Related Terms
An elevated clay ring 4.55 m in diameter on which sumo bouts are fought, its boundary marked by half-buried straw bales called tawara.
Yokozuna / Grand Champion横綱The highest and only lifetime rank in professional sumo, awarded solely to wrestlers with exceptional results and exemplary conduct.
Tachiai / Initial Charge立合いThe moment both sumo wrestlers explode from their crouch into first contact simultaneously, a moment that often decides the rhythm and outcome of the entire bout.