Sumo history videos

[Akinomaki 40,790]

A lecture at the Osaka Freedom university about the 1932 Shunjuuen incident and how modern sumo developed

 

Edited June 30, 2019 by Akinomaki

[orandashoho 720]

Wish I could understand enough Japanese to follow the lecture. It would have been interesting.

[Akinomaki 40,790]

A video about sumo history from the Sakurai-city tourism association - the city that claims to be the origin place of sumo, with the sumo shrine and the location of the bout of NominoSukune and TaimanoKehaya. The video later has the focus on Osaka sumo and the Tozaikai.

Some points I found interesting:

Sumo in the Heian period, when there was no dohyo,  was held as a set with archery (what is now kyudo) and riding (while shooting the bow, what now remains as yabusame): quite similar to the Mongolian Naadam.

The bow twirling ceremony (and the mawashi) goes back to Heian times, thus has nothing to do with a yokozuna. Sumo had been a fight to the death (like with NominoSukune) and only then became a Shinto ceremony: sumo as shinji, which the YDC and the like are so eager to point out now.

But in the Kamakura period, sumo became again mainly just a martial art, war training for the samurai.

 

Osaka had a small kokugikan at first, after the Shunjuen incident, there was no Osaka basho anymore - the rebel sumo organization was located in Kansai. The dai-NSK persuaded one rikishi after the other to come back.

The predecessor of the tozaikai (tamarikai in Tokyo, the people on the best cushions around the dohyo) then planned to build the biggest sumo hall ever:  the Osaka grand kokugikan had room for  2.5 times the number of spectators of the present kokugikan - it was only used for 7 Osaka basho, the first was only a semi-basho, June 1937, without effect on the banzuke, only on the mochi-kyukin. Ticket prices then: the 4 person A masu seat box that at the moment (soon to rise) costs 45200 yen was 5.5yen, 3rd class seats 1yen, 4th class 0.5yen - in the yen, the whole history of inflation is preserved.

Edited July 3, 2019 by Akinomaki

[Yamanashi 3,904]

7 hours ago, Akinomaki said:

Sumo in the early Heian period, when there was no dohyo,  was held as a set with archery (what is now kyudo) and riding (while shooting the bow, what now remains as yabusame): quite similar to the Mongolian Naadam.

This set of activities would have made it more difficult for 200 kg rikishi to dominate (unless they also bred horse-yokozuna to hold them!)

[Akinomaki 40,790]

6 hours ago, Yamanashi said:

This set of activities would have made it more difficult for 200 kg rikishi to dominate (unless they also bred horse-yokozuna to hold them!)

Like in Mongolia now, not the same people have to do all 3 activities - no need for a triathlon, just 3 events in one festival

Edited July 1, 2019 by Akinomaki

[sumojoann 1,268]

I'm not sure if this video belongs in this Sumo History category, but it is about an old makeshift sumo ring in a small village in Japan.  It is part of the village's history.  The tawara (straw bales) is made out of an old fire hose and the raised ring is held in place by old tires.  It would be interesting to know what the sign next to it says.

 

[Tsuchinoninjin 1,276]

The power stones before the big gate ?medicine hall?

Before the war, Young people would gather on festival days and off days from farming/harvesting, and do power trails, it is said.

- Yuhi higashiyama temple self made organization

I have no idea if the stones are part of the power trials. Maybe they had to push the stones out or something.

Here is some more information. I guess they just lifted the stones.

https://chikaraishiworld.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-493.html

Also, Parnelli Jones Firestones are way after the war so I'm not sure who is saying what the sign says.

Edited August 22, 2019 by Tsuchinoninjin

[sumojoann 1,268]

2 hours ago, Tsuchinoninjin said:

The power stones before the big gate ?medicine hall?

Before the war, Young people would gather on festival days and off days from farming/harvesting, and do power trails, it is said.

- Yuhi higashiyama temple self made organization

I have no idea if the stones are part of the power trials. Maybe they had to push the stones out or something.

Here is some more information. I guess they just lifted the stones.

https://chikaraishiworld.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-493.html

Also, Parnelli Jones Firestones are way after the war so I'm not sure who is saying what the sign says.

Very interesting post!  Wikipedia has some excellent information.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chikaraishi

One fact mentioned was that sumo wrestlers sometimes lifted the stones between bouts as a form of entertainment for their audiences.

 

Edited August 22, 2019 by sumojoann
Add info about sumo wrestlers

[sumojoann 1,268]

I don't know if these 2 videos have been posted before but I found them to be fascinating.  Part 1 is the history of sumo between 1900 and 1960.  Part 2 is from 1960-2000.  Here is the link to Part 1 (part 2 to follow).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHL9efgqxbw&t=242s

[sumojoann 1,268]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wlY-_h4CpY&t=343s

Here is Part 2.

 

[sekitori 492]

This looks like an ancient version of a Hakuho-Enho workout .

Edited December 5, 2019 by sekitori