THE HISTORY OF SUMÓ
Sumó, the national sport of Japan, has a history of over a thousand years. It has some similarity to boxing and wrestling, and a sport resembling sumó is practiced in the Soviet Union and in North and South Korea. References to it can also be found in Indian and Chinese historical records, and pictures of it can be seen in ancient Greek murals. Ancient history also tells us that the winner in sporting competitions resembling sumó received the highest praise during the festival of the Olympiad. It can therefore be said that sumó was played throughout the world in ancient times, with no regard for differences between East and West.
The specific features of Japanese sumó developed over time in harmony with the climate and natural surroundings of Japan and the cultural and spiritual characteristics of the Japanese people. The first reference to sumó in Japanese history is to its use in mythological times in a duel. The history of sumó really starts in the 8th century when it was performed for the Emperor at court banquets. From that time on, sumó became one of the regular functions arranged at the annual court banquets, and this tradition continued for some 400 years. These matches were held not in a dohyó but on the plaza in front of the Shishin-den (Imperial throne room).
With the development of feudalism after the 10th century and the ascendancy to power of the warrior classes, sumó came to be widely practiced as a fighting technique among warriors (1192-1580). Thereafter, the style of warfare changed, coming to depend more on actions by groups than by individuals, and sumó passed out of the hands of the warriors into those of the common people, among whom professional sumó wrestlers appeared.
During the Tokugawa Shógunate era from 1603 to 1867 professional sumó wrestlers were supported by the feudal lords. With the collapse of feudalism at the end of the Tokugawa era, they began to make their own living with support from the townspeople. Closely linked to shrines and temples, matches were held to raise money for their construction and repair. This form of sumó was known as Kanjin Sumó, which later developed into the present Japan Sumó Association of professional sumó wrestlers. The Japan Sumó Association has preserved its links with this long historical tradition, two visible manifestations of which can be seen in the shinden (shrine housing a deity in a Shinto shrine) form of the roof suspended over the ring, and in the clothing worn by the referee, symbolizing a Japanese warrior of the past in hunting dress.
