THE SPORT THAT MARKED THE ORIGIN OF JAPAN

There is no definite timeline to the origin of sumo wrestling, but legend has it that it dates back to the beginning of Japan itself. According to Kojiki, Japan’s oldest existing chronicle on ancient myths, the first sumo bout was between the deities Takemikatzuchi and Takeminakata. In his scholarly paper on sumo, Icelandic researcher professor SM Sigurbjörnsdóttir says Takemikatzuchi was sent by the gods above to get the loyalty of Okuninushi and his sons. Takeminakata was one of them. “He challenged Takemikatzuchi to a trial of strength, a sumo bout, where Takemikatzuchi won. The outcome of this sumo bout is said to have marked the origin of the Japanese race, its supremacy in the islands of Japan was established with this victory,” says Sigurbjörnsdóttir.

Since then, sumo has dominated Japanese culture, and became its national sport in early 20th century. There are other myths about sumo’s origin, but it was not until the 8th century AD that it took the form we see today. At the time, it was seen mostly as a martial art, and Samurai warriors were often the proponents of the sport. Interestingly, the Jap- anese martial art of jujutsu is said to have originated from sumo.

Professional sumo, as we see today, was formalised only during the Edo period (1603-1868) when the royals and the nobles began to patronise the sport and wrestlers started receiving payment. Many of sumo’s rituals, practised even today, originated during this time.

Sumo wrestlers always had a special status in Japanese culture, and those with the title of yokozuna (grand champion) – the highest rank in the sport – become superstars, just like recordbreaking cricketers in India. The Emperor’s Cup, for which the six honbasho (grand tournaments) are organised every year, is easily the most coveted sporting prize in Japan. Since the mid1980s, though, sumo began dwindling in popularity. The 2011 sumo match-fixing scandal, which traumatised Japan and led to the sacking of dozens of wrestlers, is something that the country is yet to recover from. However, for last four or five years, the sport has seen a revival – both in stadium attendance and television ratings. This revival has coincided with the rise of yokozuna Hakuho Sho, considered to be the greatest sumo wrestler of all time, and who is still playing.