The Osaka Mainichi and Tokyo Nichi Nichi, Wednesday 14th
May 1941 (Page 3)
MAEDAYAMA TOPPLED
East Team Ozeki Defeated By Saganohana On 5th Day
Maedayama, “ozeki” of the East team, who maintained
an unmarred record until the fourth day, suffered his first defeat at the
hands of rising Saganohana from the Nishonozeki Club on the fifth day of
the summer main sumo tourney at the Kokugikan, Tokyo, on May 13.
Minanogawa, “yokozuna” and captain of the East team,
who lost on the second and third days, and Kasagiyama, “komusubi” of the
same team, were defeated by Tatekabuto and Kuganishiki, respectively.
The West team outpointed the East team 14 to 13
on the fifth day, but the East team still leads the senior inter-team series
by five points, 69 to 64.
The results of the leading matches on the fifth
day were:
| Banjaku defeated Kyushuzan |
| Ayanobori defeated Futasegawa |
| Tamanoumi defeated Kashimanada |
| Kuganishiki defeated Kasagiyama |
| Hishuzan defeated Asahikawa |
| Nayoroiwa defeated Sakuranishiki |
| Terukuni defeated Masuiyama |
| Itsutsushima defeated Komatsuyama |
| Saganohana defeated Maedayama |
| Haguroyama defeated Tominishiki |
| Akinoumi defeated Tominishiki |
| Akinoumi defeated Matsuuragata |
| Futabayama defeated Dewaminato |
| Tatekabuto defeated Minanogawa. |
Pairings on May 14
The main pairings on the sixth day, May 14, are as follows:
| Matsuuragata vs. Sagamigawa |
| Fujigatake vs. Ayanobori |
| Tatekabuto vs. Kasagiyama |
| Tamanoumi vs. Yamatonishiki |
| Terukuni vs. Tominishiki |
| Saganohana vs. Hishuzan |
| Nayoroiwa vs. Kyushuzan |
| Asahikawa vs. Akinoumi |
| Aobayama vs. Itsutsushima |
| Banjaku vs. Masuiyama |
| Haguroyama vs. Dewaminato |
| Kuganishiki vs. Minanogawa |
| Futabayama vs. Shintozan. |
Sumo Again Draws Attention Of Fans
(Page 5)
Top: A capacity crowd at the Kokugikan.
Right: Futasegawa, a "maegashira" of the West team pushing
Minanogawa, "yokozuna" of the East team, out of the ring on
the second day of the current tourney.
|
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Sumo's Development From Olden Times
Ancient Combat Recorded in "Kojiki";
Victory Of Nomi-No-Sukune Is Famous;
Impetus Given By Holding Of "Kanjin-Zumo"
By Masayuki Ikawa, Staff Member
Sumo is Nippon's national sport. Though different
from that staged today, it is probable that this style of contest was already
in existence among the Japanese people at the very birth of their race.
The Kojiki, "Record Of Ancient Matters", the oldest
written Japanese record in existence, in a section devoted to the taking
over of the land in the chapter in mythology, gives an account of a contest
between Takemikazuchi-no-Kami, the representative of the divine race, and
Takeminakata-no-Kami, a son of Okuninushi-no-Mikoto who, before the decent
of the grandson of Amaterasu-Omikami, owned this country.
The Kojiki relates that Okuninushi-no-Mikoto agreed
to the demand of Takemikazuchi-no-Kami to surrender the land he owned to
the divine race, but Takeminakata-no-Kami, discontented with this, challenged
Takemikazuchi-no-Kami to settle the issue by wrestling.
The contest, a trial of strength, took place at
Kohama on Inasu beach, Izumo, resulting in the victory of Takemikazuchi-no-Kami,
the vanquished, fled to Suwa, Shinano, and surrendered there. The land
was thus taken over by the divine race, the Kojiki records.
The word, "sumo" was not used in the Kojiki, but
it is apparent from this story that the "sumo" style of wrestling was an
ancient one.
Fight To Finish
The first and typical contest after the dawn of history
was that staged between Nomi-no-Suke and Taema-no-Kehaya before Suinin
Tenno, the 11th Emperor, on July 7, 23 B.C., in the then Imperial court
at Makimuku, Shiki-gun, Yamato. As the result of the grueling fight to
the finish, Taema-no-Kehaya was kicked down and trampled to death, as is
well known even among school children.
Combats in those early days were decisive, being
fought until one adversary was killed or surrendered himself utterly and
unconditionally.
With the development of the greater knowledge and
enlightenment, such violent and brutal exercises were rejected as being
cruel and savage and this brought about reforms. Meanwhile, sumo developed
as a martial art and witnessed the establishment of various rules regarding
the method of combat.
The art of sumo was given sudden encouragement by
a court function called "Sumai-no-Sechie" or "Sumai-no-Sechi", held during
the reign of Emperor Shomu, the 45th Sovereign, on July 7, 782 A.D., in
which the Emperor Shomu witnessed combats by representative contestants
summoned from all parts of the country and granted a banquet to all the
Court officials.
Sumo matches before the Imperial presence had been
in existence since the reign of Emperor Suinin but it was during the reign
of Emperor Shomu that the function became to be staged systematically in
a manner worthy of being called a festival.
3 'Hands' Prohibited
The champion wrestler in those days was a man by the
name of Shiga-no-Seirin, a native of Shiga. As he was skilled in tricks
and well versed in antique lore concerning the art of sumo, he became a
"hote", which is equivalent to the "ozeki" of today and, by Imperial command,
he prohibited three "hands" which were fatal, namely, thrusting, striking,
and kicking. Simultaneously, Shiga-no-Seirin set a fundamental technique
of 48 "hands", the first to be established, but no data are available at
present to explain exactly what they were.
"Sumai-no-Sechi", the court sumo festival, which
was observed in imposing style before the Sovereign, was abolished following
the one held in July 1174, the fourth year under the reign of the Emperor
Takakura, because of the shifting political power to the military class.
This did not mean the decline of sumo, however.
The art was encouraged all the more by military lords as an important military
art. Special importance was attached to the development of skill in grappling
with an opponent in a hand-to-hand encounter on the battlefield.
Tournaments were often held by military lords. Meanwhile,
men of gigantic frame, excelling in the art of sumo, began earning their
livelihood by instructing young aspirants and holding exhibition matches.
Such a tendency gradually became pronounced from the middle latter part
of the Ashikaga period.
The trend of the exhibition sumo matches toward
becoming a full-fledged business grew following the establishment of a
system of staging matches in a ring between the Tensho and Keicho eras,
1573-1614. The adoption of the sumo ring brought about a revolution in
the art of contesting, resulting in the invention and improvement of various
"hands" which had not been seen before the adoption of the system.
With the introduction of the ring, it became necessary
for the contestants to display their art of attack and defense within a
limited space. The present form of sumo originated in those days.
There was no definite limit to the area of combat
before the adoption of the ring system, but it is surmisable that the contests
were held in an area that the contests were held in an area about 30 feet
long.
Sumo developed as a sport in the early part of the
Tokugawa period, 17th century, centering around those aspects of the art
of sumo which are fittable to be staged in a ring. The military elements
of the art of sumo were preserved among the samurai who developed it into
the "yawara", a form of the present judo.
Sudden Impetus Given
Sumo as a sport was given sudden stimulus, leading to
the appearance of professional wrestlers, because of the rise of the "kanjin-zumo"
tournament to raise funds to be spent in the construction or repair of
temples or shrines, bridges, roads, and any other worthy causes.
According to the Sumo Taizen, the earliest book
on sumo, the first such "kanjin-zumo" was that sponsored in Kyoto by Priest
Soen of the Kofukuji temple in Tanakamura, Atago-gun, Yamashiro (now Kyoto
city) for ten days in February 1645, to raise a fund for the construction
of the Hachimangu in the premises of the temple.
Many evils, at first, accompanied the "kanjin-zumo".
The holding of the "kanjin-zumo" gradually became unified, due to intervention
from outside and self introspection within sumo circles. After the middle
part of the Tokugawa period, it developed into a grand tourney held in
Tokyo in winter and spring, Kyoto in summer and Osaka in autumn.
This laid the present foundation of the sumo tourney,
though it had yet to undergo various changes.
At present, the main (grand) sumo tournament is
held twice a year at the Kokugikan, Tokyo, (in January and May, for a period
of 15 days each), sponsored by the Dai Nippon Sumo Kyokai.
The January tourney is called "Haru-Basho" or spring
tourney and the May tourney "Natsu-Basho" or summer tourney. Only these
two are official, although tourneys are also held in Osaka, Nagoya and
other places.
In the Tokugawa period, a tourney was usually held
on 10 fair days. Fair days were important, because the tourney was held
in the premises of shrines or other open space.
Emperor Meiji liked the art of sumo and is said
to have grappled with Tetsutaro Yamaoka, a courtier. Emperor Meiji commanded
several wrestling tournaments, the most imposing of which was that held
on March 10, 1884, at the Enryo-kan.
In May 1937, the period of a main tournament was
extended to 13 days from 11 days and further to 15 days in May, 1939.
The official ring, at present, is about 15 feet
in diameter. The diameter of the ring was formerly about 13 feet, but was
extended to 15 feet after the tourney held before his Majesty the Emperor
at the Imperial Palace grounds on the auspicious day of His Majesty's birthday,
April 29, 1931.
His Majesty the Emperor has often been pleased to
witness sumo matches (at the Imperial Palace, the Army Officers' Club,
and the Naval Officers' Club) in a gracious wish to encourage the art of
sumo.
Sumo is not monopolizes by professional wrestlers.
It has also developed as an amateur sport.
There are many outstanding amateur sumo events,
the typical of which are the national intercollegiate tourney, the secondary
school tourney, the Inter-factory tourney, and the inter-young men's school
tourney.
A party of sumo wrestlers made a barnstorming tour
to the United States in the Meiji era and again in the Taiho era in an
attempt to introduce the best of professional sumo to the Americans.