CT081 Kakuriki: Okinawan Sumo with Andrew Clark

This week, Andrew Clark joins us to discuss his experience living in Japan and training in Okinawan and Japanese Sumo. Andy moved to Japan 2004,  to teach English on the tiny island of Kitadaito Jima,  a few hundered miles East of Okinawa. While there, Andy had the unique opportunity to train both Kakuriki, or Okinawan Sumo (also known as Tegumi & Muto). and Japanese Edo Sumo, which is the Japanese sumo that most of you are familiar with. Okinawan Sumo and it has been a popular grappling art for hundreds of years. Some people, including Shoshin Nagamine, thought that Okinawan Sumo was the original martial art of Okinawa, which later developed in the striking art of Te and ultimately Karate.

At the start of the show, Andy tells us how he arrived in Japan, and his first impressions of his new home. He then talks about how he got involved with the Kitadaito Sumo team, and explains the differences between Okinawan Sumo and Edo Sumo. At the end of the show, he gets into some of the challenges he faced during his training, and the best way to see Okinawan Sumo for yourself.

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