Photo: White Rock (Getty Images)
Sumo wrestling is a big deal in Japan and has been for hundreds of years. In fact, it is so damn sacred and taken so seriously that there is actually a rule that states no women are allowed to be in the sacred space of the ring. And that absurd rule almost resulted in the death of a local politician.
According to The New York Times, during a sumo wrestling match in Kyoto, the 67-year-old mayor named Ryozo Tatami collapsed during a speech beforehand. Plenty of people rush to the ring, including a few women. But guess what? These gals are quickly booted from the ring.
Have a look!
Pretty crazy stuff.
Fortunately for Tatami, he was quickly transported to the hospital where he’s recovering from a brain hemorrhage. The head of the Japan Sumo Association, Nobuyoshi Hakkaku realized how baffling the decision was to boot the women from the ring, stating, “The response was inappropriate, considering that someone’s life was in danger. I am deeply sorry.”
Um, what? Woman Booted From Communal Pool Because Her Swimsuit Might ‘Excite Teenage Boys’
Yoshinori Kobayashi, a popular comic book artist had this to say on his blog:
“Believing that tradition is more important than human lives is like a cult that mistakes fundamentalism for tradition.”
Here’s hoping that this tradition is looked at closer and altered before someone actually ends up losing their life. When it comes down to it, these women were trying to rescue a man, they weren’t beating up the emperor…
