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YOUR GLOBAL CRAFTSMAN STUDIO
(OureditorialteamislocatedinRyogoku,theSumotown)
The heartland of Sumo
spirit of Japan
WA
Sumo
Ryogoku Kokugikan
“Hakkeyoi, nokotta!” The Gyoji clad in his
beautiful costume signals the start of a
powerful bout between two sumo wrestlers.
The setting is perfectly set, with the suspended
roof over the dohyo and ready to show the
distinguished rituals of the ring entering
ceremony and the bowdance.When you go to a
Honbasho to watch sumo, there is far more to
enjoy than simply the “match”.
Known as Japan’s national sport, sumo dates
back to the age of mythology. The word sumo
originally comes fromthe ancient noun sumahi
meaning “battle”. The word sumahi can be
found in Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters)
and Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan) written
in around 720 A.D., to describe contests of
strength between the gods.
During the Heian Period (794~), messengers
were sent around the country to gather
sumaibito (sumo wrestlers) to entertain
nobility and the emperor. After the bouts,
grand banquets were held. Sumahi continued
as a court event for 400 years, while slowly
developing into the form we know today as
sumo.
In the days of the samurai from the Kamakura
Period (1185~) through the Azuchi-Momoyama
Period (1573~), shoguns and feudal lords
began to take an interest in sumowrestling and
they too, gathered wrestlers to watch. Warring
Lord Oda Nobunaga had a special preference
for sumo, invitingwrestlers fromall over Japan
to the Azuchi Castle inOmi to perform. It iswell
known that he welcomed the strongest into the
castle as retainers.
Sumo started to become a form of box office
entertainment when collecting entrance
charges from the public started during the
Muromachi Period (1336~). By around the
middle of the Edo Period (18th century)
different sumo groups that had independently
beenholdingperformances,gatheredtogether.
This gathering created the basic structure
of what would later become professional
sumo wrestling, with six scheduled Honbasho
tournaments per year. Sumo’s popularity grew
quickly with the rise of great wrestlers such as
Onogawa Kisaburo and Tanikaze Kajinosuk,
one of the first Yokozuna’s. Along with
kabuki, it became established as the people’s
entertainment of the Edo Period.
Throughout its long history, sumo gradually
took shape as a sport and became a traditional
culture unique to Japan. Today, while balancing
tradition with innovation, sumo still continues
to fascinate fans from across Japan and all
over the world.
Six sumo tournaments called Honbasho are
held each year. Three of them (the January,
May, and September Basho) are held in Tokyo,
at the Ryogoku Kokugikan just north of JR
Ryogoku Station. Colourful banners with
names of sumo wrestlers written on them
line the streets during the tournament, adding
a true ambience to the sumo town. The first
thing that makes visiting Ryogoku Kokugikan
especially exciting is approaching the stadium
gate. There’s a good chance of meeting stable
masters, who were once famous wrestlers
because they stand there as ticket collectors.
Once inside the hall, you are enveloped
in the sumo world with 20 information
booths side-by-side and the area is usually
bustling with ushers dressed in hakama and
ladies dressed in kimono. There is a sumo
museum on the first floor of the Kokugikan
where you will find an abundant collection
of sumo artifacts such as woodblock prints,
banzuke (rank charts), and keshomawashi
(ornamental aprons worn by Yokozuna).
