Lords of the Ring
4 days ago
- #Japan
- #sumo
- #culture
- Sumo wrestling is Japan's national sport with deep historical and religious ties to Shinto.
- The sport involves two wrestlers (rikishi) competing in a sand-covered ring (dohyo), with the goal of forcing the opponent out or making them touch the ground with any part of their body other than their feet.
- Hoshoryu, one of sumo's two active grand champions (yokozuna), became the 74th yokozuna in January, despite some controversy over his readiness.
- Mongolian wrestlers have dominated sumo's upper ranks since the 1990s, with six of the last eight yokozuna being Mongolian, sparking debates about national identity and cultural rivalry.
- The promotion of Japanese wrestler Onosato to yokozuna in May reignited the cultural rivalry between Japanese and Mongolian wrestlers, reflecting broader societal tensions around immigration and nationalism.
- Sumo's origins trace back to ancient Japanese mythology, with the first match believed to have been between two deities, and the sport evolving from martial-arts training to popular entertainment.
- The sport faced criticism during Japan's Meiji-era modernization but was later embraced as a symbol of national identity, culminating in the construction of the Kokugikan arena in Tokyo.
- Foreign wrestlers, particularly from Hawaii and Mongolia, have played significant roles in sumo's internationalization, though their presence has sometimes sparked racial and cultural tensions.
- The recent rise of far-right political party Sanseito, which opposes immigration, has added a political dimension to the cultural rivalry in sumo.
- The autumn tournament featured a rare playoff between Hoshoryu and Onosato, with Onosato winning, while Ukrainian wrestler Aonishiki later won a tournament, highlighting sumo's evolving diversity.