GRAND SUMO
| It is believed a first bout of sumo took place as early as 23 B.C. in the
presence of the Emperor of that time. The imperial court encouraged wrestling
bouts in olden times and experts in the art were summoned to court at Kyoto
to wrestle for a prize. The Tokugawa Shoguns, especially Ieyasu, also encouraged
Sumo and matches became quite important social functions. In feudal times
the daimyo kept their own bands of wrestlers who were matched against to
those belonging to other lords. With the abolition of feudalism the sport
declined and was not revived until 1883, when it was encouraged by the
presence of the Emperor Meiji at a series of bouts given at the Shiba Detached
Palace in Tokyo. The Kokugikan at Ryogoku, Tokyo, is the center of the
sport and tournaments are held three times out of six tournaments a year,
in January, in May and in September. Other places the tournaments held
are in Osaka, in Nagoya and in Fukuoka. (Quoted from JAPANALIA by Lewis
Bush) URL: Japan Sumo Association |
Sumo wrestlers gathering at Kokugikan in Tokyo for bouts
