Mawashi — Belt
The mawashi (廻し) is the belt worn by sumo wrestlers during training and competition. It is the wrestler's only garment during a bout and serves both a practical and symbolic function — the primary method of gripping an opponent in belt-based sumo.
In professional competition, the mawashi is made of silk and is typically around 9 meters long, wrapped multiple times around the waist and between the legs to form a thick, rigid band. The front flap (sagari) consists of decorative stiffened strings. Training mawashi are made of cotton and are much plainer.
The color of a competition mawashi is a personal choice and can become part of a wrestler's visual identity. Training belts follow different conventions: lower-ranked wrestlers generally wear dark cotton mawashi, while salaried wrestlers may wear white cotton belts in practice.