Sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a rikishi attempts to force his opponent out of a dohyō or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet.
A sumo match (tori-kumi) between yokozuna Asashōryū (left) and komusubi Kotoshōgiku in January 2008
Sumo match in Tokyo c. 1890s
Sumo wrestling scene c. 1851
In sumo, a mawashi is the loincloth that rikishi wear during training or in competition. Upper ranked professional wrestlers wear a keshō-mawashi as part of the ring entry ceremony or dohyō-iri.
Sumo
…wrestlers at the disposal of the Edo administration. Many elements date from this period, such as the dohyō-iri, the heya system, the gyōji and the mawashi. The 18th century brought forth several notable wrestlers such as Raiden Tameemon, Onogawa Kisaburō and Tanikaze Kajinosuke, the first historical…
Hakuhō Shō in a silk mawashi, worn by sekitori during tournaments. Colour matching sagari strings hang from the mawashi across his legs.
Sekitori in white cotton training mawashi.
Edo Period wrestler in keshō-mawashi
Modern sumo wrestlers in top division ring entrance ceremony, wearing keshō-mawashi