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Sumo Wrestling
is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyÅ'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by throwing, shoving or pushing him down). Sumo originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally and where it is considered the national sport. It is considered a ''gendai budÅ'', which refers to modern Japanese martial arts, but the sport has a history spanning many centuries. Many ancient traditions have been preserved in sumo, and even today the sport includes many ritual elements, such as the use of salt purification, from Shinto. Life as a wrestler is highly regimented, with rules regulated by the Japan Sumo Association. Most sumo wrestlers are required to live in communal sumo training stables, known in Japanese as ''heya'', where all aspects of their daily lives—from meals to their manner of dress—are dict ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
AsashÅryÅ« Akinori
is a Mongolian former professional sumo wrestler (''rikishi''). He was the 68th ''yokozuna'' in the history of the sport in Japan, and in January 2003 he became the first Mongolian to reach sumo's highest rank. He was one of the most successful ''yokozuna'' ever. In 2005, he became the first wrestler to win all six official tournaments (''honbasho'') in a single year. Over his entire career, he won 25 top division tournament championships, placing him fourth on the all-time list. From 2004 until 2007, AsashÅryÅ« was sumo's sole ''yokozuna'' between the retirement of Musashimaru and the promotion of fellow Mongolian HakuhÅ, and was criticized at times by the media and the Japan Sumo Association for not upholding the standards of behaviour expected of a holder of such a prestigious rank. He became the first ''yokozuna'' in history to be suspended from competition in August 2007 when he participated in a charity football match in his home country despite having withdrawn from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rikishi
A , or, more colloquially, , is a professional sumo wrestler. follow and live by the centuries-old rules of the sumo profession, with most coming from Japan, the only country where sumo is practiced professionally. Participation in official tournaments () is the only means of marking achievement in sumo, with the rank of an individual based solely on official wins. The number of active peaked at 943 in May 1994, at the height of the "Waka-Taka boom," but had declined to 665 by January 2022. Terminology In popular use, the term can mean any sumo wrestler and be an alternative term to (sumo practitioner) or the more colloquial . The two kanji characters that make up the word are "strength/power" and "gentleman/samurai"; consequently, and more idiomatically, the term can be defined as "a gentleman of strength". Within the world of professional sumo, is used as a catch-all term for wrestlers who are in the lower, un-salaried divisions of , , and . The more prestigious t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Finger Pulling
Finger pulling, regionally known as Fingerhakeln (German), Trække krog (Danish), Fingerkrok (Norwegian and Swedish), and Sormikoukku (Finnish) is a sport practiced in many regions, predominantly Bavaria, Austria, Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ..., and Finland. Rules In finger pulling, both opponents sit at a table opposite one another and try to pull the opponent towards themselves over the table using one finger. By physical force, overcoming the pain of the finger being stretched and with appropriate technique, the opponent can be defeated. Any single finger is allowed in principle (but not the thumb), but usually the opponents hook their middle fingers in a leather strap. Sometimes, only the index fingers are hooked into each other without a strap. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arm Wrestling
Arm wrestling (also spelled armwrestling) is a sport with two opponents who face each other with their bent elbows placed on a table and hands firmly gripped, who then attempt to force the opponent's hand down to the table top ("pin" them). The sport is often casually used to demonstrate the stronger person between two or more people. In the early years other names were used to describe the same sport, including arm turning, arm twisting, twisting wrists, wrist turning and wrist wrestling. History Current knowledge of the history of arm wrestling is based on written and pictorial evidentiary sources, and arm wrestling may have existed in any number of ancient or medieval cultures that did not record it. Popular claims that it was practiced in ancient Egypt or ancient Greece, while not necessarily implausible, are founded on misinterpretation of sources (confusing references to wrestling with the arms or images of wrestling with the hands or of dancing for arm wrestling). Arm wr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heian Period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyÅ (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. It is a period in Japanese history when the Chinese influences were in decline and the national culture matured. The Heian period is also considered the peak of the Japanese imperial court and noted for its art, especially poetry and literature. Two types of Japanese script emerged, including katakana, a phonetic script which was abbreviated into hiragana, a cursive alphabet with a unique writing method distinctive to Japan. This gave rise to Japan's famous vernacular literature, with many of its texts written by court women who were not as educated in Chinese compared to their male counterparts. Although the Imperial House of Japan had power on the surface, the real power was in the hands of the Fujiwara clan, a powerful aristocratic f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Makuuchi
, or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the only division that is featured on NHK's standard live coverage of sumo tournaments. The lower divisions are shown on their satellite coverage, with only the ''makuuchi'' broadcast having bilingual English commentary. ''Makuuchi'' literally means "inside the curtain", a reference to the early period of professional sumo, when there was a curtained-off area reserved for the top ranked wrestlers, to sit before appearing for their bouts. Wrestlers are considered for promotion or demotion in rank before each grand tournament according to their performance in the one previous. Generally, a greater number of wins than losses (''kachi-koshi'') results in a promotion, and the reverse (''make-koshi'') results in demotion. There are stricter criteria ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Controversies In Professional Sumo
Professional sumo has had several controversies over its long history. These include proven allegations of match-fixing to hazing. Match-fixing Due to the hierarchical structure of the sport, where top ranked wrestlers have great advantages in salary and status over lower ranked wrestlers, speculation about the existence of match-fixing and isolated reports of match fixing have surfaced over the years. The Japan Sumo Association (JSA) repeatedly denied any wrestlers were involved in match-fixing, known as ''yaocho'', and even took publishers to court over such allegations.Martin, Alex, and Mizuho Aoki,Are fixed bouts final nail in sumo coffin?, ''Japan Times'', February 4, 2011, p. 2. However, in 2011, it was announced that an investigation by police had discovered cell phone text messages indicating that a number of matches had been fixed. Allegedly, 14 wrestlers and a few stablemasters were involved. In the course of the investigation, several wrestlers eventually admitted to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heya (sumo)
In sumo wrestling, a is an organization of sumo wrestlers where they train and live. It can also be termed ''sumo-beya''. All wrestlers in professional sumo must belong to one. There are currently 43 ''heya'' (as of 2022), each of which belongs to one of five ''Glossary of sumo terms#ichimon, ichimon'' (groupings of ''heya''). They vary in size, with the largest ''heya'' having over thirty wrestlers and smallest just one wrestler. Most ''heya'' are based in and around the RyÅgoku district of Tokyo, sumo's traditional heartland, although the high price of land has led to some newer ''heya'' being built in other parts of Tokyo or its suburbs. Most ''heya'' have a network of scouts, who may be former wrestlers themselves, friends of the head coach, or supporters of the ''heya'', who keep a look out for any powerful or athletic young men and follow the results of local sumo (and judo) competitions. Most new recruits join at the age of 15 or 16, straight from junior high school. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shinto
Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintoists'', although adherents rarely use that term themselves. There is no central authority in control of Shinto, with much diversity of belief and practice evident among practitioners. A polytheistic and animistic religion, Shinto revolves around supernatural entities called the . The are believed to inhabit all things, including forces of nature and prominent landscape locations. The are worshiped at household shrines, family shrines, and ''jinja'' public shrines. The latter are staffed by priests, known as , who oversee offerings of food and drink to the specific enshrined at that location. This is done to cultivate harmony between humans and and to solicit the latter's blessing. Other common rituals include the dances, rites of pass ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japanese Martial Arts
Japanese martial arts refers to the variety of martial arts native to the country of Japan. At least three Japanese terms (''budÅ'', ''bujutsu'', and ''bugei'') are used interchangeably with the English phrase Japanese martial arts. The usage of the term ''budÅ'' (æ¦é“) to mean martial arts is a modern one: historically the term meant a way of life encompassing physical, spiritual and moral dimensions with a focus on self-improvement, fulfillment or personal growth. The terms ''bujutsu'' (æ¦è¡“) and ''bugei'' (æ¦èŠ¸) have different meanings from ''budÅ'', at least historically speaking. ''Bujutsu'' refers specifically to the practical application of martial tactics and techniques in actual combat. ''Bugei'' refers to the adaptation or refinement of those tactics and techniques to facilitate systematic instruction and dissemination within a formal learning environment. History The historical origin of Japanese martial arts can be found in the warrior traditio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gendai BudÅ
, or Draeger, Donn F. (1974) Modern Bujutsu & Budo - The Martial Arts and Ways of Japan. New York/Tokyo: Weatherhill. Page 57. are both terms referring to modern Japanese martial arts, which were established after the Meiji Restoration (1866–1869). KobudÅ or koryÅ« are the opposite of these terms referring to ancient martial arts established before the Meiji Restoration. Scope and tradition Any martial art created after the Meiji Restoration of 1868 is Gendai BudÅ. KoryÅ BudÅ are schools of budÅ that predate 1868. Some examples of Gendai budÅ are aikido, gendai goshin jutsu, judo, karate, kÅ«dÅ and shorinji kempo. The Japanese art of sumo is often defined as a gendai budÅ. This definition is incorrect as sumo is an ancient art that has attained popularity and media coverage in the modern era. Gendai budÅ have origins in '' koryÅ«'', the traditional Japanese martial arts. For example, Kano Jigoro (å˜‰ç´ æ²»äº”éƒŽ ''KanÅ JigorÅ'', 1860–1938) founded judo in par ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
