Sumo Match - Tokyo - 相撲

This video was shot in January 2017. Sumo was first mentioned in a Kojiki manuscript dating back to 712 describing how possession of the Japanese islands was decided in a wrestling match between the divine being (Kami) Takemikazuchi and Takeminakata. It is only several years later, around 720 that the first Sumo match between mortals took place and at the request of the Emperor Suinin.

Rising in popularity until 1185, it is after the collapse of the Emperor’s central authority that Sumo was repurposed from a ceremonial discipline to a form of military combat training to then becoming a popular event for the masses. During the Edo period (1603-1867) Sumo really fell into disgrace due to many unauthorized and illegal fights until Sumo was temporarily banned in many cities.

It is only during the Meiji Restoration in 1884 that the Emperor Meiji organized his first Sumo match which ultimately gave the sport its status today. In 1926 the Japan Sumo Association reunited and shaped the tournaments that still exist today.

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