SUMÓ TODAY
Both amateurs and professionals take part in sumó today, working together in harmony, preserving their own spheres and contributing to the overall development of sumó. Professional sumó underwent various organizational changes from the Edo era 1onwards until in 1925 the Japan Sumó Association was constituted as a body with special juridical status. It has striven to raise the level of techniques and the standards of those engaged in sumó and to encourage pride in the professional status of being a sumó wrestler.
Amateur sumó can be divided organizationally into Young Sumó for pupils from primary and junior high schools, Student Sumó for students from senior high schools, colleges and universities, and Adult Sumó, embracing teachers, young people, clubs from industrial and commercial enterprises, and sumó fans from among the general public. Each group has its own nationwide system and all enjoy wide popular support.
These various groupings are backed by the Nihon Sumó Renméi (Japan Sumó Federation), the largest and most authoritative organization of amateur sumó in Japan.
At present, sumó in Japan is enjoying a period of unprecedented prosperity with close cooperation between amateur sumó, participated in by people from every walk of life, and the spectator sport of professional sumó.
The practice of sumó has also made a substantial contribution to improvements in the physique of the Japanese people, and participation in sumó may be expected to continue to play an important part in raising the basic level of physique of the people in future.
The hope of the Japan Sumó Federation is to disseminate knowledge and the practice of sumó among all the peoples of the world. A start was made in July 1983, when the International Sumó Organization was founded by Japan and Brazil. The hope and aim of those involved is to foster and strengthen this organization so that it develops into the International Sumó Federation, and in the near future to sponsor and organize international sumó championships. In accordance with this aim, for the past five years the Japan Sumó Federation has encouraged and sponsored participation by teams from Brazil, America and West Germany, as well as teams drawn from the representatives of various countries in Japan, in the All
Japan Amateur Sumó Championship, and participation by a team from South Korea is promised for 1985.
