Sumo

: 「Tachiai」

Sumo is Japan's national sport and it has a history spanning many centuries.

History

In addition to its use as a trial of strength in combat, it has also been associated with Shinto ritual, and even certain shrines carry out forms of ritual dance where a human is said to wrestle with a kami (a Shinto divine spirit). It was an important ritual at the imperial court. Representatives of each province were ordered to attend the contest at the court and fight. They were required to pay for their travels themselves. The contest was known as sumai no sechie,, or "sumai party."

Over the rest of Japanese recorded history, sumo's popularity has changed according to the whims of its rulers and the need for its use as a training tool in periods of civil strife. The form of wrestling combat probably changed gradually into one where the main aim in victory was to throw one's opponent. The concept of pushing one's opponent out of a defined area came some time later.

It is believed that a ring, defined by more than the area given to the wrestlers by spectators, came into being in the 16th century as a result of a tournament organized by the then principal warlord in Japan, Oda Nobunaga. At this point wrestlers would wear loose loincloths, rather than the much stiffer mawashi of today. During the Edo period, wrestlers would wear a fringed kesho-mawashi during the bout, whereas today these are worn only during pre-tournament rituals. Most of the rest of the current forms within the sport developed in the early Edo period.

Professional sumo (大相撲, o-zumo-) can trace its roots back to the Edo Period in Japan as a form of sporting entertainment. The original wrestlers were probably samurai, often ronin, who needed to find an alternative form of income. Current professional sumo tournaments begun in the Tomioka Hachiman Shrine in 1684, and then were held in the Eko--in in the Edo period. They have been held in the Kokugikan since 1909.

Nations adjacent to Japan, sharing many cultural traditions, also feature styles of traditional wrestling that bear resemblance to sumo. Notable examples include Mongolian wrestling, Chinese Shuai jiao, and Korean Ssireum. Examples of Chinese art from 220 BCE show the wrestlers stripped to the waist and their bodies pressed shoulder to shoulder.((From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia))

「The size of the Dohyo(Sumo ring)」
The outer ring is formed with 20 straw rice bags and measures 4.55 meters in diameter. Among 20 straw bags, 4 bags (each bag at the north, south, west and east sides) are set slightly back from ring in order to drain off rain water. It was a remnant of the days of outdoor matches.

「Chanko-nabe」
Chanko-nabe (often it is just called "Chanko") is a Japanese stew eaten in huge quantity (5000kcal to 10000kcal) by sumo wrestlers (Rikishi) as a part of weight gain diet. Chanko-nabe contains a dashi (soup made of kombu seaweed and dried bonito) or chicken broth soup base with sake or mirin to add flavor.

「Dohyo」
Dohyo is made of a specific clay and spread with sand on its surface. A new dohyo is built prior to each tournament by the yobidashi(呼び出し), who are responsible for this activity. Yobidashi is also an announcer who calls the wrestlers to the dohyo before their bouts.

「Ryogoku kokugikan」
It is an indoor sporting arena located in the Ryogoku, Tokyo in Japan. It has a capacity of 10,000 people. It is mainly used for sumo wrestling tournaments (honbasho) and hosts the Hatsu Basho in January, the Natsu Basho in May, and the Aki Basho in September.

「Dohyoiri」
Dohyoiri is ring-entering ceremony, performed only by ju-ryo and makuuchi divisions. Only the yokozuna have their own individual dohyoiri performed separately.

「Gyoji(center)」
Gyouji is a sumo referee. He handles a Gunbai(war fan). It is usually made of wood, used by the gyoji to signal his instructions and final decision during a bout.

「Yokozuna Dohyoiri」
The main styles of yokozuna dohyoiri are Unryu(雲竜型)- and Shiranui（不知火型）, named after Unryu- Kyu-kichi (10th Yokozuna) and Shiranui Ko-emon (11th Yokozuna). A yokozuna performs the ceremony with two attendants, the tachimochi (太刀持ち, sword carrier) and the tsuyuharai (露払い, dew sweeper).

Sumo ♦ click image to enlarge

Sumo

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