The Big Book of Sumo: History, Practice, Ritual, Fight Paperback – June 1, 1997

I've read several books on sumo. Even after reading them, this was taught me some things that the others had not. The author has had a great opportunity to spend time with several rikishi and become friends with some, creating a slightly different view point.

This book is a great way to learn about the sport of Sumo. It covers all the important things to know including background information. References to specific Sumo wrestlers is out of date but that is not at all critical to gaining a good understanding. NHK broadcasts summaries daily of all the high level bouts during tournament seasons. If you are interested in Sumo, get this book.

A fantastic and fun introduction to Sumo. I've already got my tickets for my second Basho next week and I'll have a lot better understanding of the sport because of this book. However, its a bit out of date for current wrestlers and recent records. But that's all available online from the Sumo organization web site. Also, its a good intro, but you'll have to look elsewhere for more detailed information and history.

After my son and I watched some Sumo matches and he asked some questions about what they were doing and I couldn't answer I typed "Sumo for a stupid American" into Google and this was the first book that popped up.It is a very basic book about the ceremony and culture around Sumo and was very enlightening for someone who knows little to nothing about the sport. It is a very quick read and very interesting to learn about why they do the things they do in the ring, the history of Sumo (without going into unnecessary minutiae) and even how, where and when to travel to Japan to see Sumo up close.Highly recommended for the beginner's guide to Sumo (and if you have an 8 year old asking questions you can't answer!)

This book was very informative about many aspects of sumo and I read through almost the whole book in one sitting (laying). It does show it's age though since it came out in the mid 1990s. Most of the wrestlers mentioned have retired and some things in the sumo world have changed due to a couple massive scandals, but the book is still a fascinating read and I highly recommend it. I hope the author does an updated version someday.

Released in the 1990s, Hall's book was cool but dated very quickly. Back then, there were only three foreigners in the top division. Now the upper ranks are dominated by foreigners and no Japanese has won a tournament for six years. Hence I wrote a more up-to-date guide with more wrestler interviews for Kindle.

It is a bit out of date (no Hawai'ians these days), but it's a good overview of Sumo wrestling.

As a begining Sumo wrestler, who trains with 2 time World Lightweight Sumo champ Svetoslav Binev, I really liked this book. I found "The Big Book of Sumo" to be an awesome little book on the history and tradition of Sumo.Unfortunately, it has nothing on the actual techniques used from the standpoint of a competing wrestler. Only descriptions of some names of common techniques from a fan's perspective.Never-the-less, it's a great little "Big Book of Sumo." Don't get this book if you are looking for more than a very general description of sumo technique. Do get this book if you want to understand the art, history and tradition of Sumo.

Bought as a present