Sumo History

The earliest written mention of sumo is found in the Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters),
a book from the year 712, which is the oldest extant example of Japanese writing. The
Kojiki relates a legend about how possession of the Japanese islands was determined by a
sumo match. According to the book, about 2,500 years ago, the gods Takemikazuchi and
Takeminakata grappled on the shores of Izumo along the Japan Sea coast in what is now
Shimane-ken, until Takeminakata finally lost. Thus control of the archipelago was ceded
to the Japanese people led by Takemikazuchi, who is said to have established the imperial
family from which the present emperor traces his ancestry.

Sumo in its early days tended to be violent with no holds barred--often a veritable fight to
the finish. The Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan), from 720, records the first bout
between mortals as taking place in 23 BC. Emperor Suinin (r. 29BC - AD70) is said to
have made a special request to Nomi no Sukune, a potter from Izumo, to fight Taima no
Kehaya, a bully and braggart from what is now Nara-ken. The two grappled for quite a
while until Sukune finally rendered some devastating kicks to Kehaya's stomach and
solar plexus. Kehaya was mortally wounded, and Sukune, the victor, has been
immortalized ever since as the 'father of sumo.'

It is believed that a ring, defined by more than the area given to the wrestlers by
spectators, came into being in the 16th century as a result of a tournament organized by
the then principal warlord in Japan, Oda Nobunaga. At this point wrestlers would wear
loose loincloths, rather than the much stiffer mawashi of today. During the Edo Period,
wrestlers would wear a fringed kesho-mawashi during the bout, whereas today these are
worn only during pre-tournament rituals. Most of the rest of the current forms within the
sport developed in the early Edo Period.

Professional sumo can trace its roots back to the Edo Period in Japan as a form of
sporting entertainment. The original wrestlers were probably samurai, often ronin, who
needed to find an alternative form of income. Current professional sumo tournaments
began in the Tomioka Hachiman Shrine in 1684, and then were held in the Ekō-in in the
Edo period. They have been held in the Kokugikan in Tokyo since 1909.
JIS-A—Sumo History 名前：＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿
2/5/08

Answer the following questions based on the reading on the back of this page.

1. Taima no Kehaya was a ___.

a. Emperor
b. A potter
c. A ninja
d. A bully

2. Who organized the Sumo tournament where is it believed a ring was first used?
a. Oda Nobunaga
b. Tokugawa Ieyasu
c. Matsuo Basho
d. Suzuki Ichiro

3. Where are current sumo wrestling matches held?

a. The Tomioka Hachiman Shrine
b. The Kokugikan
c. The Kinkakuji
d. The Ise Shrine

4. What happened as a result of the Sumo match between the gods Takemikazuchi and
Takeminakata, according to the Kojiki?
a. The stomping broke Japan up into islands
b. When Takeminakata lost, his fall created a huge earthquake.
c. When Takemikazuchi won, he gained control of Japan.
d. The salt-throwing caused the ocean to become salty.

5. When were most of the current forms of Sumo wrestling developed?

a. The Kamakura period
b. The Edo period
c. The Nara period
d. The Sengoku period