Wrestling with Tradition: Women and Sumo in Japan
Krista Rae Wakelin
In late autumn, I attended the Kyushu Basho Sumo tournament in Fukuoka, Japan -- one of the nation's six grand sumo tournaments of the year. I don't often enjoy sports on TV, but I do enjoy watching sports live. While I've never been interested in sumo wrestling, I thought I would go to experience sumo, enjoy the atmosphere, and soak up the energy of the crowd.
Before I went to Fukuoka, I decided I should know a bit more about this mysterious sport and learn some sumo etiquette. I had many questions about being a polite spectator: Could I cheer for my favourite wrestler, or was I supposed to sit back and enjoy? Could I make a sign? Could I throw things?
I found out that it is acceptable to yell, clap, and cheer, but not acceptable to stand while the fight is going on, or throw things. I also discovered some interesting facts about women, or lack thereof, in the sumo world.
Sumo is a more than a male-dominated sport: it's a male-only sport. Not only are women not allowed to participate in the fighting, but they are not allowed to set up the dohyo (clay wrestling ring), nor are they permitted to touch or stand on it at any time. The reason for these practices dates back to the 8th Century Nara Period when sumo was first practiced. Women were thought to be impure because of menstruation; therefore, to keep the wrestling pure, women were not to touch or step on the dohyo or participate in the sport.
The dohyo is very sacred. It is made mostly of special clay and hay bales, but during the major tournaments there are also six items buried in the middle of the doyho to make it pure: salt, washed rice, Torreya nuts, squid, kelp, and chestnuts. I could not find the individual significance of the items buried in the dohyo but only found that these items help to purify the dohyo. From the moment these things are embedded in the clay and
straw, the dohyo becomes sacred and purified.
During the six major tournaments, the governor of the prefecture presents the winner with an award at the closing ceremony. Osaka governor, Fusae Ota, is the first woman to become governor of a prefecture in Japan. She won the election in February 2000, and is still the governor of Osaka. Every year since she has been governor, Ota has applied to the Japan Sumo Association for permission to present an award to the winner, but each year she has either been denied or has withdrawn her request to avoid too much conflict. During Ota's term, the award has been presented by the vice-governor: a male. As the first female governor, I feel she thought she would be accepted by the Japan Sumo Association to present the award, but sadly this was not the case.
Her quest to present the award has gained public attention, including that of an activist group devoted to promoting children's education. They claim that because Ota wasn't permitted to present the award on the doyho, that this encourages sexism. When handing down the ruling, presiding Judge Fumio Hirotani stated:
The action does not actually encourage sexism, though
there is room for discussion of the governor's
responsibility as it is not a positive step toward
realizing a society based on gender equality.
On August 31,2005, The Japanese Times reported that Hirotani did say that there is "an element of sexism" in allowing only men to enter the sumo ring to present the award. Although this statement may sound like a small victory, I don't feel it is because the court system and the Sumo Association operate on different rules. It's a positive sign that a high-ranking judge recognizes sexism in the Japanese society, but in terms of women having a place in the sumo world, the Sumo Association has the final say as to what happens on the dohyo.
A few years ago, a female sumo wrestling league was established. The league only plays at the amateur level and not professionally, and it is not televised or given much attention. According to the New Sumo Federation, there are 300 women sumo wrestlers. Unlike with men, the women have weight classes--most women weigh in between 63kg- 80kg, much less than the 160kg or more of the men.
Japan is fighting to preserve its culture. During most of the Edo Period (1603—1867), Japan was isolated from other countries and so the culture was not significantly externally influenced until 20th Century wartime. During the Edo Period, western books were banned and, with the exception of a Dutch colony in Nagasaki, few foreigners were permitted to live in Japan. Japanese people enjoy learning about other cultures, but at the same time want to protect their own from changing. Japan's culture runs deep in traditions.
Sports are played by both men and women in Japan, although all the professional sports are men only. There are soccer, baseball, and basketball leagues in Japan, but no female athletes in these leagues. The Japanese do not want to modernize sumo by allowing women to have an active role in the sport. Japan is a country that fears losing its culture. Because sumo is a sport tied tightly to tradition, I feel that it will remain a male-only sport.
