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 On 01/07/2021 at 14:40, 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 On 01/07/2021 at 14:40, 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 On 01/07/2021 at 14:40, 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 On 01/07/2021 at 21:56, 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
