About

Hand Sumo is a game reportedly played by Japanese Youth that involves two participants standing arm's length apart and trying to use their arms and hands to knock the other one off balance while not falling off balance themself. The game started to get popular following TikToks in early 2022 showing people playing it, spreading into 2023 as the trend became more widespread on social media.

Origin

On February 21st, 2022, TikToker @NinJap^[1] uploaded a TikTok showcasing the game, while explaining the origin as being a Japanese game. The TikTok, while showing how a game is supposed to work, gained over 2,500 likes in a year and helped popularize the game across the platform (shown below).

Spread

The Hand Sumo game proceeded to spread slowly throughout 2022, with an increase happening later in 2023. On April 21st, 2023, TikToker @PonPonSensei^[2] uploaded a TikTok in which they explained the game, its origins and the rules for it, while calling it "Te-Oshi-Zumo." The TikTok, helping others to understand the finer rules of the game so they can play it with others, gained over 2,500 likes in six months (shown below).

On October 2nd, 2023, the official TikTok account for BethanBison^[3] college uploaded a TikTok showing all of the volleyball players attempting the game in a tournament setting. The TikTok, featuring several different matches, displayed many various ways to play the game, from slapping to grabbing the other player, helping it to earn over 100 likes in one week (shown below).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References