athelitextreme 6 Posted May 13, 2021 I stumbled onto a site with historical Sumo information. I found the following points surprising: "In the old days, some wrestlers were homosexual prostitutes... A bloody version of sumo was briefly popular." Were some Sumo wrestlers really gay-for-pay? Is it common knowledge or obscure? What rules were different in the bloody version of Sumo from modern Sumo? http://factsanddetails.com/japan/cat21/sub138/item756.html 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kaminariyuki 500 Posted June 21, 2021 Difficult to believe that nobody has commented on this! I have no new info on your two questions but I found another couple of bits very interesting, and with the potential to rattle a few regular SF members. Notably - " and at various times, women were allowed to compete in the sport. One famous wrestler during the imperial era was a nun." Very interesting, since the immediate defense of "tradition" is so often invoked as soon as anyone suggests letting the girls back in. Being legally blind, myself, I also liked the extra bit about lewd entertainment... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kaminariyuki 500 Posted June 21, 2021 Well, I found the New York Times article that includes the bit about lewd contests between topless women and blind men. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/19/sports/19iht-SUMO.html This article is mostly about women in sumo back in 2010 but as a newspaper article, there are no references, unfortunately. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
athelitextreme 6 Posted July 1, 2021 @Kaminariyuki I'm intrigued by the bloody version of Sumo. I wish to learn how it was practiced. The reference to some Rikishi being homosexual prostitutes is interesting and it reminded that years ago while I was in Japan, someone who had briefly lived in a Sumo-beya, mentioned that a couple of the lower ranking Rikishi had been gay-for-pay. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ArvidMan 3 Posted July 1, 2021 (edited) I keep reading this forum and I keep learning new stuff every time I log in here Edited July 1, 2021 by ArvidMan 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Seiyashi 4,108 Posted July 1, 2021 2 hours ago, ArvidMan said: I keep reading this forum and I keep learning new stuff every time I log in here I would take what you read with a pinch of salt. While we do do our best to try and reference information, there's also a fair amount of "common knowledge" (i.e. GoT-style "it is known") bits of trivia that may actually be apocryphal, misconceptions, and sometimes even mistranslations/language barriers. I also learn plenty of stuff, but I've also been proven wrong multiple times. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kaminariyuki 500 Posted July 1, 2021 5 hours ago, ArvidMan said: I keep reading this forum and I keep learning new stuff every time I log in here Same here. And, although I agree with everything Seiyashi said, I think the info here on the forum is easily better than most of what's in the popular press, Japan Times excepted. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Washuyama 641 Posted July 1, 2021 7 hours ago, ArvidMan said: I keep reading this forum and I keep learning new stuff every time I log in here Get used to it. I've been on this forum for 14 years and following sumo since 1976 and I still get educated on almost every visit to this site! 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ArvidMan 3 Posted July 2, 2021 11 hours ago, Washuyama said: Get used to it. I've been on this forum for 14 years and following sumo since 1976 and I still get educated on almost every visit to this site! There should me more good forums like this one on other topics 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
