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Sumo: A Thinking Fan's Guide to Japan's National Sport (Tuttle Classics) Paperback – Illustrated, March 10, 2010

by David Benjamin (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 76 ratings
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"The most entertaining and irreverent guide to sumo." — James Fallows, The Atlantic

Sumo is a fresh and funny introduction to the fascinating world of sumo, Japan's national sport. Author David Benjamin peels away the veneer of sumo as a cultural treasure and reveals it as an action-packed sport populated by superb athletes who employ numerous strategies and techniques to overcome their gargantuan opponents. Sumo provides an engaging, witty, behind-the-scenes look at sumo today.

A complete guide to sumo for both curious novices and long-time fans, you'll learn about:
  • The greatest sumo match ever
  • The many strategies employed by wrestlers, such as "the Hooker," "the Bulldozer" and "the Matador"
  • Sumo's most stunning move
  • Why rikishi sometimes throw a match
  • The backroom politics that influence who is promoted to the highest ranks
  • The "foreign invasion" of sumo and what it means for the sport's future

About This New Edition
This book is a thoroughly updated revision of the popular The Joy of Sumo. Benjamin's enthusiasm and insight into the sport remain unmatched, and his humorous descriptions of the personalities and pageantry of the sport will have you laughing loud and often.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    272 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Tuttle Publishing
  4. Publication date
    March 10, 2010
  5. Dimensions
    5.13 x 0.8 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    4805310871
  7. ISBN-13
    978-4805310878
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

About the Author

David Benjamin lived in Japan for 7 years, where he was editor-in-chief of Tokyo Journal, contributing editor and columnist for The Japan Times Weekly, and wrote a weekly column for The Mainichi Daily News. He was also a regular sumo columnist in Shukan Bunshun and an occasional commentator on sumo and other sports on television, and remains the only foreigner ever to cover Japan's national sport on a regular basis in a major Japanese-language publication. He lives in New York and Paris.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tuttle Publishing; Illustrated edition (March 10, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 4805310871
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-4805310878
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.13 x 0.8 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 76 ratings

About the author

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David Benjamin

David Benjamin

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From his humble beginnings in Tomah, Wisconsin (chronicled in his Random House book "The Life and Times of the Last Kid Picked"), Benjamin has roamed the world as writer and journalist. A graduate of Beloit College, he has lived and worked in Boston, Mansfield, Beloit and Cambridge, also in Brussels, Tokyo, California, Paris, Long Island, Brooklyn and now Madison, Wisconsin. All this globetrotting is reflected in his novel, "Three's a Crowd," a "noir comedy" set in Las Vegas and Paris. But in his newest story, "A Sunday Kid of Love," Benjamin has dug deep into his Wisconsin roots, creating a "football romance" that explores the experience of the diehard sports fan (in this case the Green Bay Packers), with suspense, humor, heartbreak and a cast of 72,928 barroom philosophers, tailgate therapists, football poets, surrogate moms and madcap cheeseheads. A prolific novelist with several forthcoming books, Benjamin also writes a weekly essay at benjaminsmess@blogspot.com. His website is www.davidbenjaminwriter.com

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
76 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kev
5.0 out of 5 stars A good read, unless you hate fun.
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2021
Verified Purchase
This book is well written. It employs humor and it doesn't take itself too seriously.

If you're a namby-pamby who hates jokes and fun, and you want a sober and chaste assessment of the cultural significance of every little ritual in sumo, this isn't the book for you.

The book uses a lot of American sports metaphors, so somebody without that kind of background knowledge might find themselves a bit lost at parts, so bear that in mind.

Overall, I think the book is well written, it pokes fun at various aspects the sport, but it does it from a place of deep love and appreciation for it. It doesn't come off as particularly mean-spirited or sneering.
It's got the familiar tone of a friend who's been watching for a couple years turning you on to the sport he enjoys.
3 people found this helpful
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Kihm Winship
5.0 out of 5 stars The Goods
Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2010
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If you enjoy sports, any sport, you will enjoy this book. If you enjoy sumo, you will LOVE this book. It is deliciously irreverent, to be sure, but at the same time it comes from someone who truly knows and loves the sport. Not stuffy, but full of good stuff. One warning: If you read this with anyone else nearby, you are going to want to read parts of it aloud. You're going to want to, but first you'll have to stop laughing and catch your breath. Makes me want to go back to Japan at the earliest opportunity.
3 people found this helpful
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ReallyFastHero
5.0 out of 5 stars Witty and useful
Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2014
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"Sumo: A Thinking Fan's Guide to Japan's National Sport" is a very witty and charming guide to sumo, perfect for new fans or for fans who have seen a basho or two (or 100). Benjamin is funny throughout and shows sumo through a series of anecdotes and personal experience, as well as traditional sumo knowledge and history. This book is especially good for "gaijin" (non-Japanese) as a way of understanding the many layers and nuances of sumo. The book is never dry, always lively, and paints a vivid picture of sumo in the 21st century.
4 people found this helpful
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Charles Hailey
1.0 out of 5 stars Ridiculous and Childish
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2021
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Many, MANY reader’s reviews state that they can’t stomach this book beyond page 55. At this point, thinking he and his wife are cute, he begins to apply derogatory names to Rikishi (wrestlers) because they can’t be bothered to remember their names. Well, I pushed past that and made it all the way to page 114 (I think) where the self-appointed Sumo expert declared Sumo to be the only wrestling sport in the world to use something other than the body (referring to the mawashi). At this point, I decided I was done. Either the author is completely ignorant of far too many things to be credible, or his sense of humor went right by me unnoticed. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY ON THIS BOOK. If I could give zero stars and still have a review, it would be too many (I feel like I am owed a star for trying to read this, so Benjamin’s in the hole).
12 people found this helpful
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Carl T
5.0 out of 5 stars Heavy Wrestlers; Light Reading
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2014
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Entertaining & whimsical. If you are already knowledgeable of Sumo, or want a serious analysis of Sumo from either a technical; philosophical; or historical perspective, look elsewhere. As a kid, I read Joe Garagiola's "Baseball is a Funny Game". This book satisfied a similar itch I had for Sumo as an adult.
3 people found this helpful
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MAD
3.0 out of 5 stars I would look else where.
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2020
Verified Purchase
the info is here, but what I read it had a lot of wise cracks.
6 people found this helpful
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E. M. Morgan
2.0 out of 5 stars Do NOT recommend
Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2022
Verified Purchase
Long review short: this is a book about sumo by an author that seems to ultimately not actually like anything about sumo. The content is a majority opinion and the author’s anecdotes about (pretty much all now retired) rikishi and bashos he’s watched. There is very little substance, although you can glean some information (about enough to fill two pages).

If you are new to sumo and hungry for more information about it, I do not recommend this book. Maybe come back to it, after you’ve read five or more other books abut sumo, as a curiosity/alternate point of view.

…

I’m a new fan of sumo. I’ve been watching it for about a year, and I am totally captivated by it. I don’t consider myself a sports fan. I don’t watch any sports on TV. I don’t follow any teams. That just has never captivated me, but sumo does. So I’ve been looking for more English language books about it.

This book was on multiple recommendation lists so I got it.

Potential buyer, I finished it so you don’t have to.

My issues with it:
1) The entire book is written in a schtick of ‘stick it to the fuddy-duddies, I’m going to be as crass as possible’. Perhaps there really are sumo fans like this out there…I’ve not met any. The voice comes off as being written by that uncle who screams at the TV sloshing beer over himself while he critiques the finer points of football strategy despite never having left that armchair for the last 15 years. (Potential buyer, I don’t have that uncle. It’s a gross stereotype. So imagine reading a book written entirely as a gross stereotype.)
2) By crass I’m mostly referring to the liberal use of ‘fatso’ ‘lardass’ ‘dumb jock’ ‘whales’ etc. Yes, I get it. The author is being hyberbolic: ‘it’s just fuuuun, it’s funnnny’. Past the first ‘oh my gosh did he really say that?’ it really loses its humor. By page 230 you wonder how you slogged through it.
3) There are some very compelling written blow by blows of specific matches. These were fun and, read carefully, did help me understand some of the strategy of the psychology and different grips. These were the exception. I recall two of these in 230 pages. And the analysis of the strategy was only extensive in one of them.
4) The book was mostly fluff. Until we get to the last chapter about recommended changes to sumo to reinvigorate the flagging interest and low spectator turn out at the bashos. The recommendations summed up: make it an American team sport. Seriously. The author is dismayed there aren’t enough stats, make up more. It needs sexy cheerleaders or ushers or whatever, get girls. There should be more bashos, we should always be able to watch sumo everyday! There should be more pay, why aren’t they paid like football and soccer stars? There should be an NSL (national sumo league) and there should be teams.
5) I’m not going to wade into the quagmire of ‘what should sumo do to get more fans’. For one thing, I have no *bleepin* idea. But if you want to watch American style team sports, just go watch American style team sports. Lord knows there’s plenty from which to choose.

So. Why give it any stars? Well, maybe you want a silly book full of anecdotes. Maybe you think this schtick is funny. Maybe you already know all the fussy details of the sport and you don’t need any info and you just want to read more about sumo. In that case you might like this book. I’m completely baffled why it is subtitled ‘A thinking fan’s guide to Japan’s National Sport’ when there is no guiding involved and the thinking part is debatable. And I’m completely baffled why it would be on a recommended reading list (at least, without an asterisk).
7 people found this helpful
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Gaylord Plummer
4.0 out of 5 stars Sumo? Very amusing!
Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2010
Verified Purchase
Sumo is a very humorous and informative book about a esoteric (to Americans) Japanese sport. Especially amusing are comparisons to American sports and athletes. An easy, fun read.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

ColdNorth
1.0 out of 5 stars Childish
Reviewed in Canada on December 29, 2022
Verified Purchase
Take all the 1 2 and 3 star reviews for this book seriously. I wish I could give it a 0. This book is for the non thinking person, someone who thinks pokeing fun at or joking about someone or something is OK. To think that making up your own “funny” names for the rikishi, and disrespectful ones at that, is ridiculous. Jocks, Butterballs, Hippos?? Really? The constant references to fatness, body parts, nakedness, and even bringing up homosexuality is all way way wayyyyy over the line. I’ve never heard anyone link sumo with homosexual, even ‘humorously’, except in this book! Then there’s the derogatory stereotypes concerning Japanese men and women, an example of the sort of misogynistic stereotyping can seen in page 90 but it’s not alone. These tropes are sprinkled throughout the book.
It all comes across, unrelentingly nonstop, as written by an American Frat Boy for other frat boys. It seems in the 7 years the author claims to have lived in Japan all he did was gather “funny” derogatory jokes about the Japanese people and Sumo, and wrap them up in this book.Do Not Buy
One person found this helpful
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Lowlander
4.0 out of 5 stars good
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 3, 2021
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Witty and knowledgeable.
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michal haddad
3.0 out of 5 stars Its a little too long and not as gripping or funny as It thought
Reviewed in Japan on October 26, 2013
Verified Purchase
I was expecting to find more information, interesting insight into Sumo and perhaps my expectations were off.
Its not as funny as I thought and I couldnt get through more than half and put it down for a while.
One person found this helpful
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Ryuto
1.0 out of 5 stars Unreadable unless you`re an American Sport Addict!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 29, 2010
Verified Purchase
This is the worst book I`ve ever read on any subject! Its written in such a way that unless you are an American who`s into American sport its incomprehensible. The author uses idioms that Europeans and in fact, anyone who isn`t an American wouldn`t be able to follow at all. I`m actually in Japan right now and have been watching the Osaka basho and tried to use this book to really understand whats going on and it has failed me. The author takes several pages of verbose `jock` language to get across what would`ve taken only a few lines or so, to get across an idea, rule or point. I think that`s where the problem lies: I suspect his publishers have asked him to expand on what he`s written and as a consequence he`s ruined a potentially excellent book. On a slightly more serious note, at times I feel his way of saying things verges on racist or at least its disrespectful and I am far from prudish when it comes to straight talking. To call it a `thinking fans guide` is an oxymoron-its the diametric opposite.

So all-in-all I`d recommend avoiding this book unless, like me, you want to use its scrunched-up pages to protect the precious gifts you`ve bought from Japan in your suitcase on their homeward journey!
10 people found this helpful
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Mrs. D. P. Coleman
1.0 out of 5 stars Didn’t enjoy
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 3, 2020
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My husband did not like it. Too many ‘American references’ that he did not understand
One person found this helpful
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