The Cold War is Over! Let the Battle Begin!

After the initial psychological/cold war tactics ritual the wrestlers engage! Its the Tachi-ai, the initial clash of the titan-esque men in the left panel. The wrestlers are vieing for a hold to unbalance each other. Any move to give them an edge. Well almost any move. Although Sumo is the most ritualized of the Japanese martial arts it still has 70 acceptable or legal moves to choose from. That is quite a few for any combat sport! The Panel on the right depicts an attempt at an Kotehineri, or an arm-bar twist down. A typical Sumo match will last under a minute but can go for up to 4 until a break is called. There are very few ties or draws, the last one being in 1974. To find out how the match finishes come back in a few days. To purchase these 2 panels visit HERE.


If you are interested in a full list of the Sumo Techniques please visit this site.