一人ひとり相撲ずもう

ひ

と

り

ず

も

う

Meanings

1

noun

fighting windmills; tilting at windmills; one-sided struggle

Idiomatic expression for a futile, one-sided effort where the opponent is imaginary or unresponsive; often used with 取る (一人相撲を取る).

彼かれの抗こう議ぎは誰だれも相あい手てにせず、完かん全ぜんに一人ひとり相撲ずもうだった。
Nobody took his protest seriously; it was completely a one-man fight.
あの政せい

治じ

家か

は

いつも

一人ひとり

相撲ずもう

を

取と

っ

て

いる

よう

に

見み

える

。

That politician always seems to be tilting at windmills.

2

noun

solo sumo performance; one-man sumo show

historical term

Historical term for a street performance where a person mimics a sumo match alone, often for entertainment or begging.

江え戸ど時じ代だいには、一人ひとり相撲ずもうを見みせる大だい道どう芸げい人にんがいた。
In the Edo period, there were street performers who put on solo sumo shows.

Written forms

一人ひとり相撲ずもうUsage50%
Standard kanji spelling; used in both the idiomatic and historical senses.
独ひとり相撲ずもうUsage50%
Alternate kanji spelling using 独り for 'alone'; less common but still seen.
ひとり相撲ずもう
Mixed kana-kanji spelling; sometimes used for clarity or stylistic reasons.

Kanji

一one, one radical (no.1)
人person
相inter-, mutual, together
撲slap, strike, hit
独single, alone, spontaneously

Similar words

空から回まわり
空回り emphasizes spinning one's wheels or making fruitless efforts, while 一人相撲 specifically implies a one-sided conflict with no real opponent.
独ひとり善よがり
独り善がり describes self-righteousness or self-satisfaction, whereas 一人相撲 focuses on a futile struggle against an absent adversary.

Etymology

Compound of 一人 (ひとり, 'one person') and 相撲 (すもう, 'sumo'). Literally 'one-person sumo', it originally referred to a solo sumo performance and later developed the figurative meaning of a futile, one-sided fight.