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SumÅ
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 dic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Glossary Of Sumo Terms
The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. A B C D E F G H I J K M N O R S T W Y Z References External links Glossary of Sumo TermsSumopediaat NHK World-Japan {{Glossaries of sports Sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' ( ... [...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] |
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] |
Kanji
are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are still used, along with the subsequently-derived syllabic scripts of ''hiragana'' and ''katakana''. The characters have Japanese pronunciation, pronunciations; most have two, with one based on the Chinese sound. A few characters were invented in Japan by constructing character components derived from other Chinese characters. After World War II, Japan made its own efforts to simplify the characters, now known as shinjitai, by a process similar to China's simplified Chinese characters, simplification efforts, with the intention to increase literacy among the common folk. Since the 1920s, the Japanese government has published character lists periodically to help direct the education of its citizenry through the myriad Chinese characte ... [...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] |
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] |
National Sport
A national sport is considered to be an intrinsic part of the culture of a nation. Some sports are ''de facto'' (not established by law) national sports, as sumo is in Japan and Gaelic games are in Ireland and field hockey in Pakistan, while others are ''de jure'' (established by law) national sports, as taekwondo is in South Korea. Official recognition of national sports Sports declared as national sport by a law or through any other official means. Unofficial national sports The following is a list of ''de facto'' or unofficial national sport/s by country. Some of these countries may have an official national sport defined by law but may have other sports occasionally considered as a national sport by various sources. The status of these sport/s as a national sport may be considered as "incorrect" either due to the status of another sport as a national sport or there is explicitly no official sport in the country concerned. See also *List of sports *List of marti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ministry Of Foreign Affairs (Japan)
The is an executive department of the Government of Japan, and is responsible for the country's foreign policy and international relations. The ministry was established by the second term of the third article of the National Government Organization Act, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Establishment Act. According to the law, the mission of the ministry is "to aim at improvement of the profits of Japan and Japanese nationals, while contributing to maintenance of peaceful and safe international society, and, through an active and eager measure, both to implement good international environment and to keep and develop harmonic foreign relationships". Policy formulation Under the 1947 constitution, the cabinet exercises primary responsibility for the conduct of foreign affairs, subject to the overall supervision of the National Diet. The Prime Minister is required to make periodic reports on foreign relations to the Diet, whose upper and lower houses each have a foreign a ... [...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] |
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] |
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] |
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] |
