How Best to leverage ChatGPT/AI to write a Martial Arts article
Is this the Future of Blogs?
I decided to follow up on my Martial Arts AI article by demonstrating the quality of the future of AI articles. With this in mind and seeing I am a huge Sumo Fan, I asked ChatGPT the following request for an article on Sumo.
Please write an article on the following subject matter:
Traditional Japanese Sumo:
A True Martial Art or Simply a Cultural Exhibition?
While the result of my question was a very high-quality response, nevertheless there was nothing but facts and some interaction attempts by the AI to make the article more personalized (big-time fail!).
In addition, while every (recent) attempt by the developers of AI to ensure accuracy, unfortunately, “hallucinations” are still an issue, so some extra research or personal knowledge of the subject matter is essential.
Using my personal knowledge of Japanese Sumo and with the “assistance” of ChatGPT, I will personally answer the question I submitted to ChatGPT … Is Sumo really a Martial Art??
My first real encounter with Sumo
While I knew about Japanese Sumo before my first trip to Japan in 1991, it was at my first International Budo Seminar at the Kenshu Centre (run by the Nippon Budokan) that I discovered its full beauty, both in its tradition and its martial arts prowess.
On the first day of the seminar, the attendees were treated to an afternoon of demonstrations by all the Seminar’s Budo Instructors. This included several Students of Sumo and their Instructor who narrated the demonstration. I discovered that Sumo was one of the martial arts taught at the International Budo University, located near the Kenshu Centre.
This was my first inkling that Sumo was considered a formal martial art, at least in Japan. In fact, the Nippon Budokan (the Government Agency that oversees all Traditional Budo in Japan) and the International Budo University recognize Sumo as one of the 9 Budo officially sanctioned by the Government for ongoing support purposes.
Here is the list that the Nippon Budokan reflects on its website as part of its Charter:
Nippon Budōkan（Nippon Budōkan Foundation）
- Zen Nihon Jūdō Renmei（All Japan Judo Federation）
- Zen Nippon Kendō Renmei（All Japan Kendo Federation）
- Zen Nihon Kyūdō Renmei（All Nippon Kyudo Federation）
- Nihon Sumō Renmei（Japan Sumo Federation）
- Zen Nihon Karatedō Renmei（Japan Karatedo Federation）
- Aikikai（Aikikai Foundation）
- Shōrinji Kempō Renmei（Shorinji Kempo Federation）
- Zen Nihon Naginata Renmei（All Japan Naginata Federation）
- Zen Nihon Jūkendō Renmei（All Japan Jukendo Federation）
While I was fascinated by this unusual Budo, I didn’t realize its popularity until after the seminar and the communal dinner ended. In the lobby area of the Center, near its entrance was a large communal area with a single large TV surrounded by couches and chairs where all the seminar participants were relaxing and having a “Biru” or two. While most of the seminar participants were quietly talking amongst themselves, there was a sizable and excited group watching Sumo on the TV.
I moved over to the TV-watching crowd and saw the spectacle that was traditional Japanese Sumo. It was intriguing and exciting and I quickly got caught up in the fan-type jubilation along with what seemed to be half the seminar participants. It was a great time and I remember looking more deeply into Sumo from that point onwards. Today, I am a huge Sumo fan having visited the Tokyo Kokugikan on 3 occasions so I may be a bit biased in my opinion of whether Sumo is a true Martial Art.
Firstly: Remember to humanize your story!
As this article is a follow-up on my humanizing your martial arts interactions, including any articles you may wish to write on a martial arts subject, I wish to stress that leveraging AI (or ChatGPT in this case) is an excellent way to supplement your personal knowledge and research. I would not recommend quoting your ChatGPT results as there is still a question as to who owns the data that any AI platform uses in its responses, which could result in plagiarism issues.
With that said, the information provided by AI is too good to simply ignore, so as long as you can articulate the information in your own words, then use AI platforms like ChatGPT as part of your research efforts. As for my research into Sumo, I have leveraged my 30 years of personal experience following Sumo together with what was provided by ChatGPT.
A short history of Sumo
For some, Sumo wrestling is simply a sport with several unusual pre-bout rituals, but for Sumo to be considered a martial art is something that many question. Even as a sport, Sumo is fully ingrained into the traditional Japanese culture, as can be seen by the many rituals and elaborate attire worn by both combatants and officials.
While most of the traditions seen at today’s Sumo tournaments are a few hundred years old, the practice of sumo wrestling can be traced back to the early 8th century (AD/CE) when it was part of the annual harvest celebrations. Sumo slowly evolved over the centuries to where it became less of a ceremonial contest to an actual tournament, known as a “Basho”.
By the 17th and 18th centuries, Sumo became codified in that tournaments enacted strict rules, including what was to be worn by the professional Sumo fighter (Rikishi). With the establishment of the Japan Sumo Association in 1925, Sumo became a recognized competitive sport, together with all the trappings of its past.
Professional Japanese Sumo is now a 6 times a year – 15-day tournament, which has become an international spectacle enjoyed by millions. I was able to personally witness a few of these incredible events at the Japanese ‘Home” of Sumo, which is known as the Ryogoku Kokugikan National Sumo Arena.
The spectacle that lasts 15 days is an explosion of cultural traditions, and while completely entertaining for the audience, it does sometimes take away from the martial arts proficiency of the competitors. The competitors are fully committed to their profession, which includes communal living and the style of hair and clothes they wear. Fortunately, in this age of social media, the popularity of Sumo is now at an all-time high with just as many international fans as Japanese ones. This has allowed many of the Sumo wrestlers to garner a sizable following and most are more than willing to meet and greet any fan including myself.
Sumo as a Martial Art
To properly determine an answer to the question of whether Sumo is truly a martial art, I decided to leverage the AI Essay as it used some quality attributes on which to judge whether Sumo can be considered a martial art, namely disciplined training, mastery of techniques, physical conditioning, and philosophical depth. Even to the uninitiated, it is obvious that Sumo encompasses all these attributes.
Training and Discipline
The new Netflix series “The Sanctuary” is a graphic representation of the life of a young Sumo apprentice wrestler. It realistically reflects the way professional Sumo is practiced in Japan. Almost all of the Sumo players live communally except for the most senior of the ranks. Each “Heya” or Sumo Stable/Studio maintains both training facilities as well as eating and sleeping accommodations. This closeness allows for both comraderies as well as competitiveness, with each class usually starting early in the morning, lasting for several hours, and ending just before noon.
Classes are highly structured with the Senior Instructor of the school, known as the “Oyakata” (similar to a Senior Sensei or Shihan in Karate, for example) sitting at the front of the room watching and instructing both the trainees as well as the other instructors. The workouts are rigorous and almost universally start with the “Shiko”, which is the stomping of the feet and is repeated more than 200 times each session. Other exercises include pushing other trainees across the dohyo (ring) several times until near exhaustion (butsukari-geiko). In addition, and amazingly so, when considering the size of these competitors, most are quite flexible and a lot of the wrestlers can perform the full splits (matawari).
The last part of the day’s training includes actual bouts between the wrestlers, which can be brutal at times. Most bouts are between wrestlers of equal or near equal rank, as the hierarchal philosophy is similar to other martial arts whereby there is a sizable deferment to the senior wrestlers. In this sense, as part of the Sumo training routine, there are basics (kihon), set combination routines (similar to kata) and a lot of sparring matches (jyu kumite). All similar signs of a martial art!
Techniques and Skill
The techniques used by Sumo wrestlers are varied and complex. There are 82 official techniques available to the wrestlers, which include grappling, wrestling, and throws, all of which go back to one of the original Japanese martial arts, known as “taijutsu” or “body techniques”. As the purpose of Sumo is to either push your opponent (oshi-dashi) out of the ring (dohyo) or alternatively trip them up (kirikaeshi) so they fall or touch the ground with their hands or even throw them (uwatenage), the techniques are varied and, in some cases, quite unique.
As in any martial art, it takes years of regular practice to become proficient at Sumo, with most never even making the salaried ranks (those Sumo wrestlers that get paid). Even then, only a few make the top ranks and all the respect and grandeur that accompanies proficiency (mastery) of a martial art.
Philosophy and Ethics
While there are numerous competitive pressures similar to any sport, all new Sumo participants must adhere to an archaic set of traditions and some of these traditions do relate to Shinto (an indigenous spirituality in Japan), although on a somewhat superficial level.
Similar to most martial arts, a high sense of respect, humility, and discipline are the hallmarks of Sumo training. In fact, even a slight discretion can lead to a wrestler being kicked out of the Sumo Association, and thus unable to train. It would be like if you disrespected your Sensei/Instructor and after being told to leave the school, you discover that NO other martial arts school in the entire city would accept you as a student.
Sumo as a Cultural Exhibition
When watching Sumo on TV or if you ever get the chance to watch a Japanese Basho in person like I have, you will immediately notice all the pomp and pageantry. These ritualistic endeavors pay respect to the traditional Japanese culture and remain an important part of Sumo. The level of these pre-bout rituals does indeed take away from the ferocity of the matches, thus leading to the belief that Sumo is more of an exhibition art than a martial art.
Rituals and Ceremonies
While the discipline in the Sumo Beya (studios/stables) is strict and sometimes stifling, the numerous rituals that the Sumo wrestlers have to perform during each Basho (tournament), which are held every second month, serve to preserve the historical essence of both Japanese and Sumo culture. Some examples of these rituals include the wearing of the mawashi (silk loincloths) and kesho-mawashi (ceremonial aprons), the stomping of the feet before each bout and the very colorful “ring entering ceremonies”. The overall experience is a combination of cultural appreciation and theatrics providing the audience an incredibly entertaining night.
Social Media and Commercialization
While television and the commercialization of Sumo is still a work in progress, as it pertains to the popularization of Sumo, it was the internet and when Sumo went international that its popularity took off. As with any martial art, this commercialization was and still is a bit controversial due to the long tradition of pure dedication to the principles of Sumo and for Sumo wrestlers not to focus on the monetary side.
Fortunately, and thanks primarily to social media, this viewpoint is starting to change. Several young Sumo wrestlers now have large followings on social media, which as most people know usually results in some form of financial benefits. Again, this is similar to both sports stars and famous martial artists who have expertly leveraged social media, usually for financial gain.
Conclusion
In the martial arts world, there will always be controversy. Whether it’s “what is traditional” or what art form is street effective or even a discussion on what is NOT a martial art convinces me that Sumo should be a part of these discussions. While the majority will only witness Sumo through the lens of the two-week tournament or “Basho”, together with all its ceremonial rituals, if we view the training requirements for the wrestlers, a different perspective is realized.
Sumo training is as physically intensive and mentally challenging as any martial art and although a number of the training exercises may be considered unique, no more than any other traditional Japanese martial art (Kobudo). Every Sumo participant is fully dedicated to his training as any other martial artist and sometimes more so when realizing that training for Sumo wrestlers is a 4 to 5-hour workout, 7 days a week, with very few days off.
In my opinion, considering the techniques involved in the Sumo Syllabus (82 separate techniques), the dedication required and while modern martial artists pay respect to the traditions that are the foundation of their art form, Sumo wrestlers live it!
Finally, the world of martial arts is a varied and diverse universe with hundreds if not thousands of fighting methods from a myriad of cultures. Sumo is an ingrained part of both the Japanese Culture and its revered martial arts history and, in the end, when considering what passes as a martial art these days, Sumo has the stamp of approval from the Japanese Government as an official ‘Budo’ is good enough for me to consider Sumo a true martial art!
Pruim Shihan has regularly travelled to Japan in order to train with one of the world's foremost Karate masters, the late Kanazawa Hirokazu Soke (10th Dan Shotokan Karate) and his present instructor Shuseki Shihan Manabu Murakami (8th Dan).
Pruim Shihan also attended the International Budo University, located in Katsuura, Japan on several occasions for advanced Budo training where he was introduced to Atarashii Naginata.
Andries Pruim has written several articles over the past 30 years, with his most recent work focusing on the business side of the Martial Arts Industry.
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