dohyō 土俵
The ring: a raised platform of packed clay.
The dohyō is the ring, a raised platform of packed clay 6.7 metres square. The fighting circle in the middle is 4.55 metres across, marked out by straw bales partly buried in the clay, and the ring takes its name from those bales. The ring attendants build a fresh one before every tournament, which takes them three days.
Related words
- tawara 俵
- The straw bales that mark the edge of the ring.
- tsuriyane 吊り屋根
- The shrine-style roof that hangs over the ring.
- dohyō matsuri 土俵祭
- The Shinto ceremony that blesses the ring before a tournament.
- yobidashi 呼出
- A ring attendant who calls the wrestlers up and builds the ring.