Well I imagine he was paid to make this appearance, and he didn't have to get his face rocked by a guy who spends an hour a day shoving his palm into a wooden pillar to make it hurt more. Something to smile about. Although he might have had to wrestle later, if this was an exhibition day.
You mentioned that in the past there were 5 different types of sumo hair styles. It would be interesting to see a short video about the history of the 5 styles some day. Great content!
I swear when Tochi's hair stands up straight like that, it just made me think of teletubbies, for some reason. This was really interesting, thanks for the vids, chap.
"Requires 5 to 10 years of training" (to comb hair) - as someone who used to live in Japan, and understands the Japanese mind, that is a very, very Japanese statement. Everything in the culture takes 5 to 10 years to master, from the simplest to the most complex task. It is this degree of determination to be perfect that drives many (but not all) Japanese people.
It's designed to keep labour costs low...it's effectively nonsense...the idea that it takes somebody a decade to learn something that took 7 minutes to perform is comical...but if your goal is to ensure that a) somebody stays in the job forever b) they get paid nothing for years and years then you've created the perfect system. The culture of unpaid/low paid apprentice work in Japan is very very strong and it's entirely about rewarding the people who came before.
Do the top guys bring their own hairdressers (like Hollywood stars)? Or does each stable have their own? Are there official hairdressers for a tournament?
@Leo Campos - Every hairdresser is a member of a stable, just like the wrestlers . . . and, indeed, like the gyōji (referees) and yobidashi (usher/herald/attendants). So, no, the star wrestlers don’t have personal hairdressers, in a formal sense, but there is a formally-defined hierarchy of hairdressers. For example, only a handful of the most senior, and highly-trained, hairdressers are authorized to prepare the hair of a yokozuna for competition and ceremonial occasions. At that level, there are so few hairdressers qualified to work with yokozuna that, for those wrestlers, those guys are close to being like their personal hairdressers.
@@thisisreallyverysilly - Good clarity! The culture derives things from the apprenticeship and then there is the reality in practice. Regimented social mobility must include agreeing to long training for mundane tasks. I know girls who could learn this is an hour.
Do they wash and dry their hair and when they are home can they wear it down and flowing like Tarzan ? Lol 😝 I think I’ve seen a photo of Enho with his hair down.
I never thought I will be watching almost 9 mins of a hairdressing video as I hate fashion stuff. But this is really cute and I enjoyed it, for the love of sumo and Chris's narration.
@@LadyCoyKoi right on lol, this hairstyle has history and is part of a culture while most people just base their hairstyle on whatever is trendy now no matter how good or bad it looks, it's easy to see why this hairstyle matters
I love that tohinochin smiles a lot :) , a few other wrestlers do aswell but i love when peopke sgow emotion in this sport, cause you have to love what you do
Always figured the procedure would be a lengthy ordeal. I wonder how many hair stylists for sumo are there? I can't imagine there being overly many. Not to mention, does the stylist himself make the paper hair ties? Fascinating stuff, thanks for sharing!
@@MesaperProductions Kokonoe-beya broke the limits for those 3 I guess. They have 2 gyoji (both in makuuchi), 3 yobidashi and 2 tokoyama. Isegahama-beya has 2 tokoyama, one of them the special tokoyama for yokozuna.
@@MesaperProductions Weirdest thing is, Miyagino-beya's own tokoyama is the lowest class (5th class). He had to borrow a tokoyama of his level on a rival stable (Isegahama) who has another yokozuna in Terunofuji and previously in Harumafuji. Only good thing is Miyagino is under the Isegahama ichimon.
I had a feeling the different hair style was something to do with the upper division when I saw Abi’s hair change after his demotion. Thanks for the insight Chris.
Its amazing Tochi can sit like that knowing how bad his knees are. Im just over 40 with knees I'd hope arent that bad and I cant even get into that position let alone stay there.
Even hairdressers have their own ranking system. Much like you have with gyoji's. Only ones with highest seniority are allowed to do a yokozuna's top knot.
Thanks for posting, I've always wanted to see a full styling of the chonmage. With so many different styles of the topknot, like the bald spot for instance, I was left wanting to hear more about the history of the style.
I always wondered how this process worked. Really cool to see! Also kind of curious how they made this work with wrestlers with naturally curly hair. Akebono comes to mind.
10:50! I could listen to you say in Japanese, 'like the wings of a wet crow' many times! That's probably the longest Japanese word or phrasing I've heard. It's really beautiful! Your Japanese is tremendous! Thank you for the video Chris!
Thank you so much! I am researching the material culture of sumo for my Master's dissertation, and this is fantastic! it's really hard to find primary sources like this.
This is great! I'd be interested to know what were the other styles of mage that fell out of use and what they were used for, could you provide us some more info on that topic :) ?
Fantastic to see this sort of "behind the scenes" video, really adds to an understanding of what's involved in being a top division Sumo Wrestler. What happens if the wrestler goes bald on top though ?????? (like me)
@@HAM-sb2ns She is a young lady who sits close to the dohyo and has perfect posture. She must be connected to sumo in some way to be such an avid fan and to be so close to the dohyo.
I have hair long enough to wear a top knot. Would it be seen as disrespectful for me to wear one? To me topknots are kinda like pocket watches. I don't need one. But it's cool.
Their hair is not long enough for a top knot. Rikishi who rise the ranks fast may even have an unbound hair style in the top division! At least Ichinojo had for a while.
Hi Chris, love your channel! Any word on what Tochi will do after retiring? Is he planning to acquire Japanese citizenship? Thanks, best wishes from Israel.
I love seeing this sort of stuff as well as the bouts. I find it all so fascinating- and I did wonder how long their hair had to be (45cm)! Something very sexy about rikishi when their hair comes undone and is dishevelled.
i know the others are not weak, but how the georgian, didn't ever make Yokozuna in his prime even if he was injured I can't understand. If some1 could explain i would appreciate. i just starting to learn this sport.
He broke covid protocols several times lied about it. When the sumo association found out, Asanoyama was banned for 5 tournaments. I think he's still out for one or two tournaments and then comes back in like the fourth division. Then he'll win almost all of his bouts for a year or so and he'll be back in the first division.
Wow thanks for posting this and your commentary. Was so glad to see Toshinoshin (Toe-Chin-Nos-Shin) as he and I are both from Georgia (me from U.S.). Then I realized this was part of his retirement, so sorry to see him go. When my son was young I introduced him to Akebono (also from U.S.- Hawaii). I wish you well Tochi...
@@rocketbear9870 Thanks for the clarification, I watched that retirement yesterday, glad to know this was not for his. He is a special guy who fights with a lot of heart, even injured.
Can't imagine how the process is supposed to take more than twice the time it did. I guess if you REALLY try to make it perfect but even then I cant see it taking more than 10 minutes.
I wonder if the hairdresser considers non-Japanese Sumo to be a professional challenge. The line "He then forms the topknot to suit the wrestler's facial size, facial shape, and hair qualities" got me ruminating on this, on if this process is more interesting for foreign wrestlers.
Imagine being an extraordinary judoka in eastern Europe and thinking to yourself "Someday, when I am older, about 5000 elderly Japanese men will watch someone do my hair"
This is exactly the kind of extra coverage I come here for! Thank you, as always, for giving us these glimpses behind the scenes!
Tochi looks like he's having a good time
Well I imagine he was paid to make this appearance, and he didn't have to get his face rocked by a guy who spends an hour a day shoving his palm into a wooden pillar to make it hurt more. Something to smile about. Although he might have had to wrestle later, if this was an exhibition day.
Definitely the biggest relaxed smile I've seen from him!
A trip to the barber's is a bit of a treat for me, so I can relate.
You mentioned that in the past there were 5 different types of sumo hair styles. It would be interesting to see a short video about the history of the 5 styles some day. Great content!
I think there were a bunch more than five. I'd like to see more about this.
Yeah, there were more.
I'm a simple man. I see Big Tochi, I click
I swear when Tochi's hair stands up straight like that, it just made me think of teletubbies, for some reason. This was really interesting, thanks for the vids, chap.
Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa, "To..."
😂
"Requires 5 to 10 years of training" (to comb hair) - as someone who used to live in Japan, and understands the Japanese mind, that is a very, very Japanese statement. Everything in the culture takes 5 to 10 years to master, from the simplest to the most complex task. It is this degree of determination to be perfect that drives many (but not all) Japanese people.
It's designed to keep labour costs low...it's effectively nonsense...the idea that it takes somebody a decade to learn something that took 7 minutes to perform is comical...but if your goal is to ensure that a) somebody stays in the job forever b) they get paid nothing for years and years then you've created the perfect system. The culture of unpaid/low paid apprentice work in Japan is very very strong and it's entirely about rewarding the people who came before.
I thought the same thing, how Japanese is that statement.
Do the top guys bring their own hairdressers (like Hollywood stars)? Or does each stable have their own? Are there official hairdressers for a tournament?
@Leo Campos - Every hairdresser is a member of a stable, just like the wrestlers . . . and, indeed, like the gyōji (referees) and yobidashi (usher/herald/attendants). So, no, the star wrestlers don’t have personal hairdressers, in a formal sense, but there is a formally-defined hierarchy of hairdressers. For example, only a handful of the most senior, and highly-trained, hairdressers are authorized to prepare the hair of a yokozuna for competition and ceremonial occasions. At that level, there are so few hairdressers qualified to work with yokozuna that, for those wrestlers, those guys are close to being like their personal hairdressers.
@@thisisreallyverysilly - Good clarity! The culture derives things from the apprenticeship and then there is the reality in practice. Regimented social mobility must include agreeing to long training for mundane tasks. I know girls who could learn this is an hour.
Makes you wonder how much effort the tokoyama has when styling the hair of someone like Akebono and Konishiki who have really curly hair.
I wonder how they'd style a black guys hair with super tight curls. They probably have to use a hot iron or something.
I think SumoStew mentions something along those lines in their Hawaiin Rikishii video...
Or like Takanoyama, who basically had no top hair haha
Do they wash and dry their hair and when they are home can they wear it down and flowing like Tarzan ? Lol 😝 I think I’ve seen a photo of Enho with his hair down.
@@fgg4136 imagine the JSA secretly only cares about foreigners joining to keep the work easier on the hairdressers xD
I never thought I will be watching almost 9 mins of a hairdressing video as I hate fashion stuff. But this is really cute and I enjoyed it, for the love of sumo and Chris's narration.
Because it’s historical not trendy.
This is fashion with culture and history lesson tie in... way better than influencer culture... it is Sumo Culture. 😎👍
@@LadyCoyKoi right on lol, this hairstyle has history and is part of a culture while most people just base their hairstyle on whatever is trendy now no matter how good or bad it looks, it's easy to see why this hairstyle matters
Cute? Bent comment. Keep it to yourself weirdo.
thank you as always Chris, I love the tradition and customs of this sport and am glad you take the time to cover and explain it to us! ☺
Yes agree, explains things so well & makes it interesting for new fans (like me - witch is hard to find)
@@dippetmcgeechie6508 we found a witch may we burn her 🤣
Fascinating stuff! I love seeing the costumes, customs and rituals of Sumo, it’s infinitely interesting 😍😍😍😍😍😍👍
Thanks Chris, that was cool. Nice to see Toshinoshin smile. 😊 I❤SUMO🌸
It is really great to see these unique aspects of Sumo.
Do you think he use the same banter that hairstylist do? “So how was your day? Did you have any plans this weekend”. Lol
What a rikishi! True Warrior! Thank you for everything Tochi! You Should be proud of yourself! You will be inspiration for generations!
...and just when I thought there would be no great sumo content until the next basho, Chris hits us with this. Awesome!
Ah. Keep this up Chris. I, for one, love it that you get all this footage.
The use of that mage rod is fascinating. I can see why it'd take some time to master it
Thank you Chris Sumo! This video content helped my wife gain a better connection with this great sport 🙂
I love that tohinochin smiles a lot :) , a few other wrestlers do aswell but i love when peopke sgow emotion in this sport, cause you have to love what you do
There was a moment there where we got the Tochi smile. Nice to see.
Love this contrast. Sport rules are so simple; culture around it is rich.
You have definatly become my favorite sumo RUclips channel. Thanks from Ohio!
That was great Chris, thank you for your commentary!
Always figured the procedure would be a lengthy ordeal. I wonder how many hair stylists for sumo are there? I can't imagine there being overly many. Not to mention, does the stylist himself make the paper hair ties? Fascinating stuff, thanks for sharing!
Hairstylists are like gyoji and yobidashi.
They're associated with a particular stable and there's usually just one per stable.
@@MesaperProductions Kokonoe-beya broke the limits for those 3 I guess. They have 2 gyoji (both in makuuchi), 3 yobidashi and 2 tokoyama. Isegahama-beya has 2 tokoyama, one of them the special tokoyama for yokozuna.
@@lipstickzombie4981 Yeah, it's not a hard rule. It's limited by budget I imagine.
And Hakuho getting his own tokoyama is just to be expected, right?
Thanks! I sort of thought that might be the case but wasn't sure.
@@MesaperProductions Weirdest thing is, Miyagino-beya's own tokoyama is the lowest class (5th class). He had to borrow a tokoyama of his level on a rival stable (Isegahama) who has another yokozuna in Terunofuji and previously in Harumafuji. Only good thing is Miyagino is under the Isegahama ichimon.
I made a D&D character based off Toshi. So this really made me smile
I have an L5R character based on him too! We need to game together. Us men of taste must unite. An all Sumo party.
@@timothypryor7952 Toshi is an Unarmed Fighter, wild magic Barbarian mix
@@timothypryor7952 and you like Chef John from food wishes. We should hang out
Excellent piece, Chris. Thank you for bringing us these looks behind the scenes!
Fascinating traditions in Sumo. Everything means something.
I found this incredibly interesting! Especially how the shape is formed. Thanks Chris!
I had a feeling the different hair style was something to do with the upper division when I saw Abi’s hair change after his demotion. Thanks for the insight Chris.
Wonderful ceremony ✨
Thanks for sharing this footage.
Another question i didn't need an answer for but I wanted one. Thank you Chris
Its amazing Tochi can sit like that knowing how bad his knees are. Im just over 40 with knees I'd hope arent that bad and I cant even get into that position let alone stay there.
So fresh and so clean, clean...
Interesting. Thanks for filming and showing us this!
Thank you, Chris. I'm still new to sumo and was wondering why there are two different styles of topknot.
Even hairdressers have their own ranking system. Much like you have with gyoji's. Only ones with highest seniority are allowed to do a yokozuna's top knot.
Thanks for posting, I've always wanted to see a full styling of the chonmage. With so many different styles of the topknot, like the bald spot for instance, I was left wanting to hear more about the history of the style.
I always wondered how this process worked. Really cool to see! Also kind of curious how they made this work with wrestlers with naturally curly hair. Akebono comes to mind.
Superb! I always wondered how it's done
Satisfying. Thanks for the translation. ❤️
Thank you for the informative video. Now I will have to research what the other hairstyles were.
Somewhat I find this very soothing.
10:50! I could listen to you say in Japanese, 'like the wings of a wet crow' many times! That's probably the longest Japanese word or phrasing I've heard. It's really beautiful!
Your Japanese is tremendous!
Thank you for the video Chris!
Thankyou, Chris.. that was great!!
Tochi would be perfect for a Heavy Metal band after his sumo days are done with that hair! 🤘🏻🤘🏻
the best channel on RUclips
Really fascinating. The Japanese really take it to the next level with 'attention to detail'.
If I have to dress up for a wedding or something I'll just show this video to a barber/hairdresser. I have the hair. Badass!
Thank you so much! I am researching the material culture of sumo for my Master's dissertation, and this is fantastic! it's really hard to find primary sources like this.
"The topnot serves as protection in head first falls"
Now it makes sense that hoshoryu wasnt afraid to faceplant last basho🤣🤣
This is great! I'd be interested to know what were the other styles of mage that fell out of use and what they were used for, could you provide us some more info on that topic :) ?
super interesting video. Thanks for uploading it!
Japan: He studied 10 years on how to make the omelette the right way.
Everyone else: I watched this 10 minute video and I should be fine.
awesome to see this - especially with one of my fav Rikishi !
Fantastic to see this sort of "behind the scenes" video, really adds to an understanding of what's involved in being a top division Sumo Wrestler. What happens if the wrestler goes bald on top though ?????? (like me)
Very interesting, thank you chris
Tochi's gotta mean cauliflower ear.
Great content as always.
Tochinoshin has to be the coolest.
4:25 i laughed a lot here :)) but thankful that i wasn't confronted with him
Tochi was a teletubby for a moment there XD
Thank you, Chris. Such an interesting video
貴重な動画をありがとうございます😊
just imagine the stress and presion on that hairdresser man
he did amazing, doing a 20 minute haircut in just 10 minutes
Too cool. Always wanted to know. Where else in the world does a stadium watch then cheer a hair style?
Amazing video thank you
My favorite rikishi.
Nothing worse than a guy who beats you up and looks good doing it
Tochinoshin has *style*
This was great. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the vid really educative, this question might be dum but what happen of the wrestler have no hair?!
Tochi smiling the whole time lol
Hell yes.
Thanks Chris.
Tochinoshin is my fav sumo
I have always wanted to see this
It's beautiful! 🥺
Wonderful. Is it true that Posture Princess is the daughter of a stylist?
Who is posture princess
@@HAM-sb2ns She is a young lady who sits close to the dohyo and has perfect posture. She must be connected to sumo in some way to be such an avid fan and to be so close to the dohyo.
@@asdfghjjfdfvcddcbhxg6550 Thank you!!!
I wish they'd done Takakeisho. He has the prettiest hair.
Didn't a rishiki get his fingers caught in his opponent's topknot during a recent bout? How would that happen?
I thought this was a retirement ceremony at first glance and audibly gasped 😱
I have hair long enough to wear a top knot. Would it be seen as disrespectful for me to wear one? To me topknots are kinda like pocket watches. I don't need one. But it's cool.
I've seen some lower ranked sumo wrestlers wrestling without a knot (just free flowing hair).. what's that about?
Their hair is not long enough for a top knot. Rikishi who rise the ranks fast may even have an unbound hair style in the top division! At least Ichinojo had for a while.
Hi Chris, love your channel! Any word on what Tochi will do after retiring? Is he planning to acquire Japanese citizenship? Thanks, best wishes from Israel.
I love seeing this sort of stuff as well as the bouts. I find it all so fascinating- and I did wonder how long their hair had to be (45cm)! Something very sexy about rikishi when their hair comes undone and is dishevelled.
What happens if someone is bald or losing thier hair and choose to go bald? Is that allowed?
what happens when a sumo is bald? Does that impact him in any way?
i know the others are not weak, but how the georgian, didn't ever make Yokozuna in his prime even if he was injured I can't understand. If some1 could explain i would appreciate. i just starting to learn this sport.
What happened to Asanoyama? Where did he disappear to?
He broke covid protocols several times lied about it. When the sumo association found out, Asanoyama was banned for 5 tournaments. I think he's still out for one or two tournaments and then comes back in like the fourth division. Then he'll win almost all of his bouts for a year or so and he'll be back in the first division.
WELL DONE ! AGAIN !
Yes! Thank you!
Has anyone done sumo at a high level with seriously kinky or curly hair? What does it look like after?
Wow thanks for posting this and your commentary. Was so glad to see Toshinoshin (Toe-Chin-Nos-Shin) as he and I are both from Georgia (me from U.S.). Then I realized this was part of his retirement, so sorry to see him go. When my son was young I introduced him to Akebono (also from U.S.- Hawaii). I wish you well Tochi...
@@rocketbear9870 Thanks for the clarification, I watched that retirement yesterday, glad to know this was not for his. He is a special guy who fights with a lot of heart, even injured.
Super interesting thx Chris
Can bald guys be Sumo?
Целое искусство такая прическа, мастер наверное не один год учился.
Pomade oil - because you're worth it 😁 Sorry, I couldn't resist that.
Can't imagine how the process is supposed to take more than twice the time it did. I guess if you REALLY try to make it perfect but even then I cant see it taking more than 10 minutes.
من عاشق کشتی سومو هستم. I LOVE SUMO WRESTLING
I wonder if the hairdresser considers non-Japanese Sumo to be a professional challenge. The line "He then forms the topknot to suit the wrestler's facial size, facial shape, and hair qualities" got me ruminating on this, on if this process is more interesting for foreign wrestlers.
For a split second, I thought it was Tochinoshin's retirement ceremony. Don't scare me like that.
fighter with hair dressing salon ... SUMO !!
Imagine being an extraordinary judoka in eastern Europe and thinking to yourself "Someday, when I am older, about 5000 elderly Japanese men will watch someone do my hair"