Hello! It is the blog How Unique Japan!
So, in this article, I would love to briefly talk about the Shi ko squat movement in the Sumo ceremony before the match.
Have you seen a sumo wrestler stumping the ring (dohyo) with his big feet in turns right after the left? It is called Shiko (squat). But why do wrestlers do such a movement?
Why do they do Shi ko?
Shiko movement contains some religious meaning. It tells us (or the God of the harvest) that they, sumo wrestlers, stump any bad luck or evil down under the land (ring/dohyo) and purify it for a good harvest outcome.
So, the movement is a special prayer that follows the Sumo wrestling’s purpose, an Exhibition match to entertain the Gods! And make them great fun for our life!
In addition, it is the same reason why sumo wrestlers always throw salt into the dohyo when they enter because many Japanese believe that salt has the power to purify bad things. So, the sumo match is considered a sacred event.
By the way, the wrestlers can grab the salt as much as they want. Thus, it is one wealthy point to see which wrestler would crab how much salt. Sometimes, a wrestler throws too much. It is like powder snow falling!
Shi ko can be a good training.
As well as the movement could be good training. It would work well for the under part of our body, especially muscles around the back, the hip, knees, ankles, and toes.
The collect manner is to open both legs and keep the height of the hip with the knees equal, which means keeping the form very row. Do not bend.
Thus, we should hold straight from your upper body to the hip, as a steel hard wire pierces through your body.
Nowadays, many exercise/cardio instructors use movement as a good program. Doing the movement for 10 minutes results in 108 kcal. Surprisingly, it is similar to jogging.
If it is hard to do for 10 minutes, just 1 minute is also effective. (Almost five times to do this movement). The most important is to keep the correct firm.
“Fun fact of the name Shi ko”
The Shiko also meant Ugly in Japan. In the Kanji capitals, Shi ko were 醜足 in ancient. It exactly meant Ugly Feet. However, that capital also includes another meaning for strong/tough like a monster. Now, the capitals are 四股 (the sound is the same). It expresses two pairs of legs because of the miner image of the previous one.
“To close for this article”
Thank you for reading this article!
The Shiko is one unique thing of sumo wrestling. Praying, purifying the land, and also good exercise and training methods.
But it is the tip of the iceberg, there are many other uniqueness in the Sumo wrestling. So, if you are interested in more sumo details, please follow my blog.