Sumo — a Gentle Art with Sake, Okashi (Japanese Munchies) of Various Sorts, Song and Impromptu Individual Dances
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chan’ko is a cuisine of the agricultural worker and the soldier. The en’kai itself concludes Sumo — A Gentle Art with sake, okashi (Japanese munchies) of various sorts, song and impromptu individual dances. At the end, the various participants take their leave bidding formal farewell to the kami with hand clapping rituals. Solveig Throndardottir We saw that Sumo enjoys and ancient lineage stretching back to Japanese antiquity and continuing to the present. Before the Japanese middle ages, Sumo had become an What do warriors do when they are not actually established part of court life. During the Japanese middle ages, Sumo was embraced by in battle? They may serve as government officials, the Samurai. At the close of the Muromachi period, Sumo remained a familiar part of engage in a number of arts, train in various weapon Japanese life. The Ten’shoh bon and the Tori’aki bon both include plays involving forms, participate in mock combat and teach any Sumo. Chinese are defeated with Sumo and daimyo are portrayed as wrestling with each number of practical and speculative arts. Wrestling other and with insects. The en’kai has also remained a familiar feature of Japanese is a warrior activity which has been sadly neglected. society and has continued up to the present. We see examples of en'kai in Biku’sada and Wrestling was an important martial skill which could Iori no Ume. Regardless, from its beginnings with the imperially sanctioned Tanabata be practiced indoors during the long Winter months. festival, Sumo has come to be associated with each of the major seasons of the year and Thus, it was a popular Winter pastime for the Scan- with various regional festivals. dinavian Vikings. In Japan, it was often desirable to capture rather than kill an important opponent on Bibliography the battlefield. “Strong men” trained in wrestling could also prove invaluable for storming fortifica- Aston, W. G. Nihongi — Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A.D. 697. Figure 1. A Yokozuna (Grand tions. Finally, wrestling became an important virile Rutland, Charles E. Tuttle Co., 1972. Champion.) fertility ritual in ancient Japanese court culture. Chamberlain, Basil Hall. Japanese Things — Being Notes on Various Subjects Connected with Japan. Rutland, Charles E. Tuttle Co., 1971. From earliest times, wrestling in Japan was associ- Dewa no umi Tomotaka and Sakisaka Matsuhiko. Oozumo wo miru tame no hon. ated with the Autumn harvest rites of the imperial Supotsu no Midokoro Series 10. Tokyo, Dobun Shoin, 1988. court and especially with the Tanabata festival. The Frederic, Louis. Daily Life in Japan — at the time of the Samurai, 1185-1603. Ttrans. earliest legendary account of wrestling appears in the Eileen M. Lowe. New York, Praeger, 1972. Nihon Shoki. This incident supposably occurred in Kobayashi Seki and Aburatani Mitsuo. Kyogen Handbook. Tokyo, Sanshodo, 1995. 23 BCE. While it is possible that the story may be Papinot, E. Historical and Geographical Dictionary of Japan. Rutland, Charles E. accurate and was included in the Nihon Shoki based Tuttle Co., 1972, upon a story found in a Chinese account, it is more Saeki Umetomo and Mabuchi Kazuo. Kodansha Kogojiten. (Kodansha Dictionary of likely that the incident is entirely legendary. Classical Japanese) Tokyo, Kodansha, 1969. Tanaka Hidetoshi. Sumo. Tokyo, Kirihara Shoten. 1981. 7th year, Autumn, 7th month, 7th day. The Figure 2. Thirteenth century courtiers represented to the Emperor as follows:— French wrestlers. Illustrations “In the village of Taima there is a valiant man called Kuyehaya of Taima. He is of great bodily The illustrations appearing in this note are based upon illustrations found in the works strength, so that he can break horns and straighten cited in the bibliography. Specifically, figure 11 is derived from Kohdansha Kogo Jiten, out hooks. He is always saying to the people:— figures 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are derived from Oozumo wo miru tame no hon by Dewa no ‘You may search the four quarters, but where is umi and Sakisaka; and figures 2, 4, 9, and 10 are dervied from Sumo by Tanaka Hidetoshi. there one to compare with me in strength? O Figure 2 is a reproduction of a sketch found in the Paris National Museum. that I could meet with a man of might, with whom to have a trial of strength, regardless of About the Author life or death.’” The Emperor, hearing this, proclaimed to his ministers saying:— “We hear that Kuyehaya of Lady Solveig Throndardottir, CoM is a tenth century Norse woman who somehow got Taima is the champion of the Empire. Might lost and found her way to Japan. Barbara Nostrand has a Ph.D. in Mathematics and may there be any one to compare with him?” some day earn an M.A. in Japanese Language and Literature. That same day the Emperor sent Nagaochi, the Figure 3. Nomi no Sukune and ancestor of the Atahe of Yamato, to summon Nomi Taima no Kuyehaya. no Sukune. Thereupon Nomi no Sukune came from Idzumo, and straightway he and In Japan, yori’kiri (lifting your opponent out of the do’hyoh by his mawashi) accounts Taima no Kuyehaya were made to wrestle together. The two men stood opposite to for 40% of all Sumo victories. The second most common victory is oshi’dashi in which one another. Each raised his foot and kicked at the other, when Nomi no Sukune the seki’tori forces his adversary out of the do’hyoh by a series of slaps or open hand broke with a kick the ribs of Kuyehaya and also kicked and broke his loins and thus thrusts to the body. Although oshi’dashi is the second most common victory, it accounts killed him. Therefore the land of Taima no Kuyehaya was seized, and was all given for less than 15% of all victories. The third most common victory is hataki’komi which to Nomi n o Sukune. This was the cause why there is in that village a place called accounts for only 6.5% of all victories. Hataki’komi is performed by stepping aside Koshu-ire-da, i.e. the field of the broken loins. (Nihongi vol. I p. 173) during the tachi’ai and pushing down upon your opponent’s back. This attack is most effective against seki’tori who prefer oshi’dashi victories or do not adequately concentrate The earliest historical account of a wrestling match can also be found in the Nihon during the tachi’ai. The fourth most common victory is one of the many throws encountered Shoki. However, it is recorded in the later part of this early history of Japan which is in Sumo. ue’te’nage is performed when a seki’tori has failed to grip his opponents generally believed to be historical. mawashi with both hands. The seki’tori pulls up with his arm gripping the mawashi and leans down in the opposite. This is a spectacular win in that the victor must lift his own In the seventh month (Autumn by the Chinese calendar) of 642 CE, Korean leg in the air in order to bear down on his opponent. The fifth most common victory is ambassadors arrived in Japan with their wives and children bearing messages of yori’ta’oshi. This is yet another modification of the basic yori’kiri approach to victory. condolence to Empress Kogyoku from the Pekche court over the death of emperor When an opponent is successfully resisting stepping out of the do’hyoh, the seki’tori Jomei. While still in Japan, the son of ambassador Kyoki died. After he was buried, bears into him with the weight of his body forcing his opponent to bend backwards and the empress invited the Korean delegation to a banquet and commanded “stout eventually topple. One final note regarding the yori’kiri road to victory. If your opponent fellows” to entertain the guests by staging a wrestling match. (Nihongi vol II p. 174) counters yori’kiri with lifting both legs backwards into the air, you can simply carry him out of the do’hyoh, in which case your victory is called tsuri’dashi. Wrestling appears to have become an established court entertainment associated with Tanabata during the Yayoi period prior to the establishment of the first permanent capital Although the actual kyo’ji has few rules, Sumo is bound by at Nara as we find another instance of wrestling occurring in 682 CE. tradition and is highly disciplined. The seki’tori bow upon entering and leaving the do'hyoh and to each other when the vanquished Autumn, 7th month, 3rd day. Hayato came in numbers with tribute of the productions takes his leave. Ultimately, the gyo’ji and not the seki’tori directs of their country. On this day, the hayato of Ohosumi and the hayato of Ata wrestled each kyo’ji and the matsuri as a whole. Victory is granted to the in the Court. The Ohosumi hayato had the victory. (Nihongi vol. II p. 356) sen’shu if 1) the ai’te precedes him out of the do’hyoh, 2) the ai’te touches the ground before he does, 3) the ai’te employs and This is the first account of wrestlers being divided into teams which competed with illegal move, 4) the ai’te’s mawashi comes untied, 5) the ai’te’s each other. This competition between two teams (or armies in miniature) of wrestlers hair touches the ground. The gyo’ji may halt the kyo’ji and persists up to the present. Even in grand tournaments where an individual champion award victory whenever in his opinion the kyo’ji has become emerges at the end, each day the wrestlers are divided into two teams and wrestle in pairs dangerous.