Sport with a ritual frame
Sumo is a form of wrestling in which two competitors try to force each other out of a circular ring or make the other touch the ground with any part of the body other than the soles of the feet. A bout is often over in a few seconds. Yet this short contest is surrounded by ceremony that points to its older role as a ritual act, which is why many people call it both a sport and a cultural tradition. It is worth describing respectfully, because for many people in Japan it is more than entertainment.
Roots in ritual and the court
Wrestling of some kind is very old, and early Japanese chronicles contain stories of strength contests, including a legendary bout often cited as the first sumo match. These are mythic accounts, not records that can be dated reliably. A safer reading is that, in early periods, contests of strength were linked to rituals for the gods (kami), such as prayers for a good harvest, and were sometimes held as offerings at shrines. That ritual link continues today in the form of local shrine sumo, in which children and adults take part.
At the Heian court, a yearly event involving wrestlers from across the country was held for the aristocracy and the ruler. These matches had ceremonial functions, with set procedures and officials. Over time the court event faded as the political system changed, but its sense of ceremony was passed on.
Warriors and the Edo period
Wrestling was practiced by warriors as part of training, and as part of samurai culture it was valued as a way to build strength and courage. Powerful regional lords sometimes supported wrestlers, a patronage that continued for a long time.
In the Edo period, sumo developed into a form of public entertainment. Tournaments were often held on the grounds of temples and shrines as fundraising events (a style often called kanjin sumo), and wrestlers became popular figures. Edo townspeople followed their favorites much as people follow sports stars today, and printed pictures of wrestlers were widely sold as ukiyo-e prints. During this time sumo took on the main elements of its present organization, including the ranking list, the use of the raised ring, and a body of officials who judge the bouts. The long-running professional structure that exists today grew from that foundation.
After the Meiji modernization, sumo faced questions about its place in a changing society, including the idea of the topknot and its status as a national tradition. It survived and became more closely linked with the idea of a national sport, and a large hall in Tokyo became its home. Today, professional sumo is administered by an association that sets the rules, ranks and calendar.
The ring and its symbolism
The ring is called the dohyo. It is a platform of packed clay, covered with a thin layer of sand, with a circle marked by bales of rice straw set into the surface. Before each tournament, a ceremony is held to consecrate it, with offerings to the gods, and a roof hangs above the ring in a style resembling that of Shinto shrines. In this sense, the ring is treated as sacred space, a shrine-like place where the contest happens.
Ritual elements in a bout
Several actions that look like theater have ritual meanings.
- Salt throwing. Wrestlers scatter handfuls of salt in the ring before bouts, a gesture generally understood as purification.
- Foot stamping (shiko). The raising and stamping of each leg is often explained as driving away evil spirits and as a way of showing readiness.
- Rinsing the mouth with water. The wrestlers rinse their mouths with water, which echoes the purification a worshipper performs at a shrine.
- The referee. The referee wears robes inspired by older court dress and carries a fan used to signal the start of the bout and the winner.
- The ring-entering ceremony. Higher-ranked wrestlers perform a ceremony in which they enter the ring wearing decorated aprons.
The highest rank, yokozuna, is marked by a thick white rope worn around the waist during a ceremonial entry. The rope resembles the twisted straw ropes used at shrines to mark sacred places. It is a symbol of the status, not an ornament. Rank advancement is reviewed with care, and the rank has high expectations of conduct as well as results.
How the sport is organized
Professional sumo is based on training houses, called heya or “stables,” where wrestlers live and train together under a senior master. Daily life is strict and follows seniority, with younger wrestlers performing chores for those above them. Wrestlers keep long hair tied in a traditional topknot, and they wear a belt (mawashi) in the ring.
Six main tournaments a year are held, each lasting fifteen days, in Tokyo and other cities. Wrestlers’ standing is recorded in a ranking list that is updated after each tournament, and a wrestler’s rank rises or falls depending on his record. Sumo has several divisions, and wrestlers move between them as results change.
Debates and change
Like many long-standing institutions, sumo has had debates about its customs. One concerns the tradition that women are not allowed to enter the ring, which has been explained in terms of old ideas of ritual purity and has been questioned in recent years. Other concerns include the strict discipline of the stables, and the difficulties of recruiting young people in Japan. Foreign-born wrestlers have been prominent in the top ranks for several decades, which has broadened the sport’s audience while also prompting discussion about its traditions. Observers hold different views about what should change and what should stay, and it is fair to say that these questions are still being worked out.
Watching with understanding
For a first-time viewer, the contrast between the quiet ritual and the sudden clash is the heart of the experience. Knowing what the salt, stamping and rope mean makes the bout easier to follow, and it shows how closely a modern sport can remain tied to older religious and cultural ideas.