Discover the beautiful history of Sumo, understand how this martial art was born and everything that involves it.
At first, we can say that the history of Sumo is very old. We will need to go back over 2000 years to understand it.
Its history is linked to Shintoism, more specifically to a religious ritual. This ritual was believed to improve the harvest and ward off evil spirits.
Over time, Sumo gained its own rules and evolved, becoming a popular sport in Japan. The first mention made of the sport is between the years 710 to 794.
At first, still linked to religious festivals, but practiced only by aristocrats. Having become popular only in the year 1603, a long wait. Let’s get to know a little more about this martial art that is the face of Japan.
The Origins of Sumo
First of all, we can say that its origin is very old, going back thousands of years. And as already mentioned, Sumo has a very strong religiosity in its roots.
Since it begins to be practiced in Shinto meetings, as a way to bless the harvest.
Thus, heavyweight men fought each other as a way to entertain and appease the gods. Understanding that in this way they would be blessed in their agriculture.
To the point where sport is considered a vital part of Shinto ceremonies. Thus, with its origin so connected to Japanese customs and culture, Sumo has the face of Japan. Discover the beautiful history of Sumo.
Discover the beautiful history of Sumo rituals and traditions
First of all, Sumo is much more than the physical and technical part of the fight itself. Thus possessing a series of traditions and rituals of the sport and its history.
These rituals and traditions are of great value to Japanese culture, so much so that they have been passed down for generations.
A great example of this is the pre-fight ritual known as Shikiri. If you’ve ever had the experience of watching a Sumo match, you’ll remember the warm-up.
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That is, a series of movements made before the fight, all athletes do the Shikiri. The movements that are similar to a dance, serve to relax the muscles.
As well as, to demonstrate concentration and mental preparedness. Another ritual part of sumo is the throwing of salt, before the match the athletes throw salt in the air.
As if it were a form of purification, all of this is part of the common sumo rituals.
Know now the rules of Sumo
Fights take place in a circle known as a dohyo. The circle is very rustic, made of clay and covered with sand.
The main objective is to get the opponent out of the circle, as well as to make his opponent touch the ground.
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In this way, any part of your opponent that touches the ground, with the exception of the soles of the feet, is among the targets.
Being able to throw, push to reach their goal, the fighters must have a lot of strength in Sumo. To know sumo is to know more about Japanese culture. Full of traditions that value its past.
