Sumo Wrestling in Japan

A person can see a strong belief in keeping ones heritage by looking at the history of sumo wrestling. This sport is said to be over two thousand years old, however archaeological evidence shows other versions of sumo practiced as far back as the year 250. Sumo was often performed around the agricultural calendar. They believed that the winner of the tournaments would bring good fortune to the rest of the village along with a plentiful harvest for the coming year. Throughout the Nara period (646-794) sumo was performed strictly as a way of entertainment for the Imperial Courts. Over the course of the early 1600’s, sumo became a widely beneficial sport, often being us

Traditions and rituals play a very important role in the sport of sumo wrestling. Even today, sumo wrestling plays a big part in various festivals and rituals that have been practiced for many years and they are still important today. One of the rituals of the sport is Konaki-zumo (child-crying sumo). It is most often held after thanksgiving rituals during winter. It involves children born in the previous year. Children are dressed in the same clothing as the adults for the ceremony. In some shrines, infants, held by the owner of the shrine, are made to recreate an actual sumo match. Winning the match is the first child to cry. This idea comes from an ancient proverb: “A child crying will thrive.” Winning this type of match, like the adult matches, is said to bring good fortune to the victor. The idea of the winner being the first to cry is the same. Another type of ceremony is the Shinji-Zumo (God service rituals). These are mainly to entertain the gods. A well-known festival of this sort is the festival at Hakui Shrine in Ishikawa Prefecture. This particular festival involves wrestling from many surrounding villages competing for the favor of the Gods. Rituals such as this date back several thousand years. Hitori-Zumo (one-man sumo) is the most abstract of the ceremonies. It is described as not a competition of strength but an act between a man and the spirits. At matches, one of the ceremonies is known as the Yokozuna dohyoiri, or the ring entrance of the grand champion (Gakken 36). Beginning the match is a wrestler spending as much as 4 minutes stamping, squatting, and tossing salt in order to ward away evil, awaken good, and

Some topics in this essay:
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