Visit to a Sumo Stable

Thoughts Along the Way©

Elaine Mehn

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:45

In our nearly 23 years of living in Japan, we have come to enjoy watching sumo. At first it was a substitute for American football, but eventually we learned to appreciate it on its own merits.

Recently we had the unusual opportunity to visit a sumo stable. This is where the sumo wrestlers (rikishi) live and practice. We were able to watch them practice from 6 AM to 9:30AM. These practice sessions are not open to the public and can only be viewed by invitation. Our friend has a friend who knows the stable master. (You know how that works.)

When we first walked into the practice area, I was surprised that we were sitting so very close. Then the fact that they were only wearing mawashi (30 foot long cotton belt that is wrapped around as a loincloth) and nothing else began to sink in. Where do you look? After a bit, I came to the conclusion that they were not embarrassed at what they were wearing and since they were covered where they needed to be, I would not be embarrassed either. It was astounding to me how hard they practiced for those 3 ½ hours. I would not have survived more than a few minutes.

After the practice, we watched them sweep and clean the dojo (pounded dirt practice ring). Although sumo is a professional sport, it has its roots in the Shinto religion. As a part of the cleaning process, the loose dirt was swept into a pile which was shaped, purified with salt, and then had a Shinto lightening bolt decoration added.

While we sat and talked with the stable master, the sumo wrestlers got cleaned up and prepared lunch. We sat at an extremely low table (about 3 inches off the floor) and ate chanko nabe (vegetable and meatball soup), beef with mushroom and eggplant stir-fry, crab omelet with sweet and sour sauce, salad with batter fried chicken nuggets, rice and tea. We sat on zabuton (floor cushions) while the wrestlers wearing clean mawashi stood around and waited on us. They had exercised all morning, made the meal and now they were serving us. They were very polite and extremely concerned that everything was to our liking. If they felt a plate of food was no longer hot, they would take it away and replace it with a freshly prepared plate. They did not sit and eat until after we left. These large professional athletes, who are trained to have a fighting spirit, epitomized what it means to have a gentle servant’s heart.

God certainly is not calling me to be a sumo wrestler, but He does call each of us to boldly do battle in the spiritual realm and at the same time have the heart of a servant. Christ was not only our example of this but by His Spirit we are called to the same life. My heart is not always gentle and certainly struggles with being a servant. As I reflect back on how these men served and seemingly enjoyed serving, I get a glimmer of what God is calling me to be. He does not ask me to serve others as a punishment but from a desire to bring joy and contentment into my heart and life.

Prayer: Father, I desire to know Your servant’s heart more and more with each passing day. I don’t want to just read how Jesus served but I want to be changed into one who serves others from a heart overflowing with Your great love.

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