Thank you for joining our tour!
We welcomed 19 guests from Israel, France, US, Canada, Ireland, UK, and Germany.
We guides shared delightful moments with our guests, and enjoyed the beautiful iris flowers in full bloom at the Ninomaru Gardens.
In the world of sumo, one of the most emotional and symbolic events in a wrestler’s career is the retirement hair–cutting ceremony, known as the “danpatsu-shiki”. This traditional ritual marks the end of a sumo wrestler’s active career and the beginning of a new chapter in life. I had a chance to witness this ceremony at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.
The retiring wrestler, dressed in formal attire and seated on the dohyō (sumo ring), has their topknot (mage) slowly cut by dozens—sometimes hundreds—of people who have played an important role in their life and career.
Here’s how its done:
- The wrestler enters the ring and takes a seat.
- Guests, including fellow wrestlers, coaches, sponsors, and friends, take turns cutting a small part of the topknot with scissors.
- Finally, the wrestler’s stablemaster (oyakata) performs the “final cut”, completely removing the topknot and officially marking the end of the wrestler’s career.
Traditionally, sumo has strict rules that prohibit women from stepping into the ring, based on religious and historical customs. However, it was interesting to see a
special arrangement allowing them to cut the topknot while standing beside the ring, on a raised platform so they can reach without stepping into the ring.
Despite the strict tradition, this measure ensures that the ceremony remains meaningful for everyone close to the retiring wrestler, regardless of gender.
The ritual went on for hours, and I enjoyed every moment of it.
Once again, thank you so much for joining us on our tour. We always make efforts to improve our tours and highly appreciate your feedback on our TripAdvisor/Facebook etc. Your comments motivate us to continue our volunteer activities. Next time you’re in Tokyo, please join another one of our tours (Asakusa, Meiji Shrine/Harajuku and Ueno Park. We’d love to see you again.
Posted by Asako
For more information about our tour, please visit our web site at
https://tfwt.jp/top/east-gardens-of-the-imperial-palace/ ,
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or Tokyo Free Walking Tour at https://www.tripadvisor.jp/ .