Chikara-mizu: why a sumo wrestler rinses his mouth with water before a bout
Chikara-mizu ("power water") is a purification ritual performed only by sekitori - juryo and makuuchi wrestlers - just before they approach the dohyo. The previous winning wrestler, or another wrestler waiting nearby if the winner has already left, ladles water for him to rinse his mouth. He then wipes his mouth with a small folded paper called chikara-gami before walking to the starting lines to begin his own shikiri.
What you are seeing
- A wrestler waiting at the dohyo's edge dips a wooden ladle (hishaku) into a wooden bucket and offers it to the next sekitori about to fight.
- The receiving wrestler takes a small sip, rinses his mouth with it, and does not swallow it.
- He then dabs his mouth with a folded square of paper, chikara-gami, before heading to the starting lines for shikiri and the salt throw.
What to watch next
- Look for this handoff just before a juryo or makuuchi wrestler starts his own pre-bout routine - it happens before the salt, not after.
- Notice who gives the water: it is usually whoever won the previous bout at that rank, still waiting at ringside.
- Lower-division wrestlers skip this entirely, so if you see it, you already know you are watching a sekitori.
A common first-timer mistake
Assuming the water is for drinking or the gesture is random. It is a scripted purification step every sekitori performs before every bout, not a personal habit, and it never appears in the lower divisions.
Words you may hear
- Chikara-mizu
- the "power water" used to purify a sekitori's mouth before his bout
- Chikara-gami
- the small paper square used to wipe the mouth after the water
- Hishaku
- the wooden ladle used to serve the chikara-mizu
Sources and review
Created and photographed in Ryogoku by a Tokyo-based spectator. Facts reviewed against Japan Sumo Association materials on 25 August 2026.