Spirituality and Sumo

[Orion 431]

Coming in rather late: There's so much that's oversimplified, half-true, or just plain wrong in the "Facts and Details" excerpt quoted above, and a lot of the "information" given earlier in this thread, that all I can do is to warn people to take it all with a pinch of salt. Remember that Japanese beliefs are an accretion -- which just means that the arrival of a new myth, folk story or religious teaching does not necessarily drive out the old; it all stays side by side. This is nothing unique to Japan. You might like to check out why many of us decorate our houses with holly and mistletoe and fir trees, none of which has any connection with Christmas; "Easter" comes from Eostre, the name of an old German goddess. Likewise Japan has a great mixture of beliefs, some of which are actually contradictory.

To return to sumo, take one point: if you think that sumo is basically Shinto because the dohyo is under a Shinto-style hanging roof, this is exactly what the people who lobbied in the 20th century for that style of roof intended the observers to think. But in the oldest photos I could find of the original covered Kokugikan (which by definition was the first sumo venue that could have a hanging roof), the roof was actually Buddhist in style. It took a lot of work behind the scenes to strengthen the connection with the Imperial Family and get the tsuri-yane changed to the style of the Outer Shrine (Geku) of Ise.

The top two divisions wash their mouths out with clean water (they don't "sip sacred water") but they do indeed throw purifying salt into the ring before a match (at least that's right). The referee's costume is nothing like that of a Shinto priest; it is a modified form of the hunting costume of the time of the Ashikaga shoguns, and was designed on the orders of the sumo authorities after the opening of the first Kokugikan. It was first worn by gyojis in May 1910 -- not exactly in the mists of antiquity. It is quite true that the three gyojis who consecrate (my choice of word) the dohyo before a basho starts wear the costumes of Shinto priests, but as I observed earlier, they deny that they are priests at that time.

All this has been said before -- but somehow the misunderstandings come creeping back. Apologies for any typos I may have left in.

Orion

[勝 Katsu 20]

Coming in rather late: There's so much that's oversimplified, half-true, or just plain wrong....

Hey Orion,

The thing is, this is a matter of worldview. I don't believe everything I read about the subject,

but I do view Sumo within the context of Shinto and not simply a self-existing entity.

Some people may choose ignore the fact that things like throwing salt for purification,

rites done at shrines and its mythological basis are the heart of Sumo but these things are what's important to me about the sport.

[Kuroyama 715]

To return to sumo, take one point: if you think that sumo is basically Shinto because the dohyo is under a Shinto-style hanging roof, this is exactly what the people who lobbied in the 20th century for that style of roof intended the observers to think. But in the oldest photos I could find of the original covered Kokugikan (which by definition was the first sumo venue that could have a hanging roof), the roof was actually Buddhist in style. It took a lot of work behind the scenes to strengthen the connection with the Imperial Family and get the tsuri-yane changed to the style of the Outer Shrine (Geku) of Ise.

Of course, in the old days the roof didn't hang but was supported by posts. I don't think the hanging roof came along until some point after the move to Kuramae, no?

The original purpose of that roof was probably far more mundane than having either Shinto or Buddhist associations: sumo was held outdoors, and in the event of rain you didn't want the dohyo to turn into a big pile of mud.

@Katsu -- I think it's easy to overstate the whole spiritual aspect of sumo. It's an old sport. At one time, no significant human endeavor was undertaken without some sort of invocation of divinity. We've largely lost that nowadays, but it persists in our most traditional institutions, and sumo -- in spite of certain modern accommodations -- is a traditional institution. It's no more particularly Shinto than is the planting of rice -- but there are Shinto ceremonies for that too. (Not just Shinto, but nearly every religion -- Christianity included, in its more traditional forms -- asks divine blessings on all aspects of agriculture.)

Yes, sumo figures into the version of the Japanese creation myth as it now stands, but you can't read any more into that than you can Greek myths of Zeus and Heracles wrestling to a draw at the first Olympic games.

[勝 Katsu 20]

To return to sumo, take one point: if you think that sumo is basically Shinto because the dohyo is under a Shinto-style hanging roof, this is exactly what the people who lobbied in the 20th century for that style of roof intended the observers to think. But in the oldest photos I could find of the original covered Kokugikan (which by definition was the first sumo venue that could have a hanging roof), the roof was actually Buddhist in style. It took a lot of work behind the scenes to strengthen the connection with the Imperial Family and get the tsuri-yane changed to the style of the Outer Shrine (Geku) of Ise.

Of course, in the old days the roof didn't hang but was supported by posts. I don't think the hanging roof came along until some point after the move to Kuramae, no?

The original purpose of that roof was probably far more mundane than having either Shinto or Buddhist associations: sumo was held outdoors, and in the event of rain you didn't want the dohyo to turn into a big pile of mud.

@Katsu -- I think it's easy to overstate the whole spiritual aspect of sumo. It's an old sport. At one time, no significant human endeavor was undertaken without some sort of invocation of divinity. We've largely lost that nowadays, but it persists in our most traditional institutions, and sumo -- in spite of certain modern accommodations -- is a traditional institution. It's no more particularly Shinto than is the planting of rice -- but there are Shinto ceremonies for that too. (Not just Shinto, but nearly every religion -- Christianity included, in its more traditional forms -- asks divine blessings on all aspects of agriculture.)

Yes, sumo figures into the version of the Japanese creation myth as it now stands, but you can't read any more into that than you can Greek myths of Zeus and Heracles wrestling to a draw at the first Olympic games.

[Kuroyama 715]

Will you please stop replying with macros? A little of that goes a very, very long way.

[勝 Katsu 20]

Will you please stop replying with macros? A little of that goes a very, very long way.

Unless the modz tell me otherwise, I will continue my use of memes.

[Kuroyama 715]

Will you please stop replying with macros? A little of that goes a very, very long way.

Unless the modz tell me otherwise, I will continue my use of memes.

We tend not to use them here, and they're jarring to see.

This forum isn't about trolling each other. Sure, there are disagreements and arguments and occasional nastiness, but for the most part there's informed and good humored discussion. We don't fling captioned pictures at each other. You've now had two people ask you to refrain. Blank refusal is probably ill-advised.

In particular, when you're presented with facts and you reply not with a different view of them, or perhaps alternate research, but a cat macro, it's kind of insulting.

Edited October 21, 2012 by Kuroyama

[勝 Katsu 20]

Will you please stop replying with macros? A little of that goes a very, very long way.

Unless the modz tell me otherwise, I will continue my use of memes.

We tend not to use them here, and they're jarring to see.

This forum isn't about trolling each other. Sure, there are disagreements and arguments and occasional nastiness, but for the most part there's informed and good humored discussion. We don't fling captioned pictures at each other. You've now had two people ask you to refrain. Blank refusal is probably ill-advised.

In particular, when you're presented with facts and you reply not with a different view of them, or perhaps alternate research, but a cat macro, it's kind of insulting.

Cool.

[勝 Katsu 20]

Go to Bing...search "sumo religion" then hit images....there's a laugh a minute. :)

[Washuyama 610]

Go to Bing...search "sumo religion" then hit images....there's a laugh a minute. :)

Looks kinda like Wajima.

[勝 Katsu 20]

Sumō shinji

This festival is also known as the sōmoku shinji. Sumō has long been an important part of Japanese festivals. The number of shrines that incorporate sacred sumō (shiyūhaira) as part of their rituals — such the kamisumō match held at the end of Suwa Taisha Shrine's ofune matsuri (boat festival) or the match between the kami at Okidōsen Mita Hachimangū Shrine's dengakusai — are too numerous to mention.

On September 9, a sacred sumō match — which resembles the shiyūhaira sumō match — is held as part of the dengakusai held at Hiyoshi Jinja in Nishinoshima Town, Oki County, Shimane Prefecture.

The sumō ritual held at Hakui Jinja on September 25 in Hakui City, Ishikawa Prefecture is known as karatoyama sumō. The wrestlers divide into two groups, the kamiyama and the shimoyama (upper mountain and lower mountain), and the match is held after a ceremony. It is said that this sumō ring is the oldest in Japan.

The zuiki matsuri is held on October 24 at Mikami Jinja Shrine in Yasu Town, Yasu County, Shiga Prefecture. The sōmoku ritual occurs on the night of the zuiki matsuri, which includes the dedication of a shin'yo (sacred palanquin) made from taro stalks. After the ceremony a bonfire is built on the lawn of the shrine grounds (keidai). Two groups of boys appear, one group called the ōzunoriki and the other known as the kozunoriki, grapple with each other and cry "ya!" "tō!" in a stylized sumō match. Sōmoku is understood as an alternative reading for the same Chinese characters used in writing sumō. In some regions, however, sōmoku is used to mean "weather." There are examples of divination for the oncoming year (toshiura) done with sōmokuyaki. Sōmoku is also thought to mean "complexion."

— Mogi Sakae

Like? @ http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/

[勝 Katsu 20]

Sojin

Progenitor kami of a clan. Here a kami is not viewed as a transcendental being but rather is a concept within the genealogical relations of living people. A synonym of sojin is oyagami (parental deity), where oya does not necessarily refer to a progenitor but rather has a more general, comprehensive connotation. It is based on the belief that all human beings are descendents of kami. The term sojin does not always imply an ancestral deity of a certain bloodline or particular locality. Amaterasu, the ancestral goddess of the tennō, is a good example. The progenitor kami of the tennō's line is alternatively termed kōso (ancestor of tennō), tenso (heavenly ancestor), or taiso (great ancestor). The Compendium of Aristocratic Kindreds ( Shinsenshōjiroku ), which was compiled in the Heian period, categorizes families in the Kinai region according to their ancestors. Those whose ancestors were tennō were designated kōbestu ; those whose ancestors were kami were designated shimbetsu; and those whose ancestors were foreign immigrants were designated shoban. The category of those with kami ancestors is further divided into three types: those whose kami ancestors were heavenly kami were tenjin; those whose ancestors were descendents of kami were tenson; and those whose ancestors were earthly kami were chigi.

The progenitor deity for some important historical clans are noted below:

Abe no ason — Ōhiko no mikoto (Left capital, tennō descent)

Kibi no ason — Wakatakehiko no mikoto (Right capital, tennō descent)

Fujiwara no ason — Ame no koyane no mikoto (Left capital, kami descent, tenjin)

Isonokami no ason — Kannigihayahi no mikoto (Left capital, kami descent, tenjin)

Ōtomo no sukune — Ame no oshihi no mikoto (Left capital, kami descent, tenjin)

Owari no muraji — Hoakari no mikoto (Left capital, kami descent, tenson)

Inbe no sukune — Ame no futotama no mikoto (Right capital, kami descent, tenjin)

Kamo no agatanushi — Taketsu no mi no mikoto (Yamashiro, kami descent, tenjin)

Ōmiwa no ason — Ōkuninushi no mikoto (Yamato, kami descent, chigi)

Kuzu — Ishiho oshiwake no kami (Yamato, kami descent, chigi)

Tsushima no ason — Ame no koyane no mikoto (Settsu, kami descent, tenjin)

Tsumori no sukune — Ame no ho akari no mikoto (Settsu, kami descent, tenson)

Uzumasa-kō no sukune — Shikōtei (Left capital, immigrant descent, Han)

Miyake no muraji — Ame no hihoko no mikoto (Right capital, immigrant descent, Silla)

The phrases such as "sumera ga mutsu kamurogi" (cherished ancestral deity of the tennō) in the Great Purification liturgy (oharae kotoba) archived in the Engishiki, or "waka mutsu kamurogi" (our cherished ancestral kami) referred to in the Kōtoku chapter in the Nihongi both suggest a familiar and beloved parental kami. This traditional view has a strong connection to the idea of a parental deity in modern new religions.

See also oyagami , shinsenshōjiroku

— Nishioka Kazuhiko

[勝 Katsu 20]

Posted the Sojin article so Sumo fans could possibly find Ancestor Kami for their favorite wrestler.

Here's something for anyone who's planning a trip: Dōsojin

"Tutelary of roads," a generic name for a kami often found dedicated at village borders and intersections as a guard against noxious spirits and evil kami that bring pestilence and disasters to the local community from outside. Frequently called sae no kami, dōrokujin, funado no kami, or shakujin, they are sometimes found in the form of objects shaped like male and female genitalia or round stones, but they are also often depicted as a pair of paired male and female figures. Specific deities identified as dōsojin include the bodhisattva Jizō, Sarutahiko, Kōshin, Kōjin, Konseishin, and Ubakami. Festive celebrations to dōsojin are frequently observed on January 14, the evening before the "little New Year's day" on the 15th. Called by various names including sagichō, tondo, and saenokami, these observances involve the exorcism of pestilent spirits and prayers for good harvest in the coming year. The late Heian period, Hokke genki includes an entry relating the appearance of a dōsojin which it calls sae no kami ("kami of the border").

Since the original purpose of the dōsojin was to guard against invasion by evil wandering spirits believed to cause pestilence, the Genki relates that a damaged dōsojin could presage a coming epidemic. According to the story, a dōsojin image was enshrined under a large tree, but the image was in the "man's shape" alone, without the accompanying woman's figure, thus reflecting a belief that the dōsojin should be enshrined as a pair of mated male-female images or shapes.

According to the early myths of the Kojiki and Nihongi, the original name of the sae no kami was Kunato no sae no kami. The fact that this sae no kami came to be written as dōsojin or merely sojin is explained in an entry in the Wamyō ruijūshō (compiled ca. 938) as follows:

Dōso, a term commonly used to refer to the child of the god Gòng-gōng-shì (Jp. Kyōkōshi); since he enjoyed taking long trips, after he died he was enshrined as the original tutelary (

sojin

) of the road. Also called

Sae no kami

.

This entry thus suggests that the original dōsojin was superimposed on the model of a Chinese tutelary of roads and travel. The festivals of dōsojin held on the holiday known as "little New Year's" are generally observances involving fire. At the village border or a large road intersection, branches of bamboo and green cedar are used to construct a large pillar or circular mass that is burned together with various New Year decorations and implements, including pine gate decorations and the papers used in New Year calligraphy contests. Eating rice cakes and confections roasted over the bonfire is believed to prevent sickness during the year and improve one's calligraphy and academic abilities.

The burning of large erect pillars signifies the exorcism of pollutions from within the community via the purifying element of fire, simultaneously drawing into this world new powers of life. This theme is reinforced by the common custom of young men's engaging in boistrous or reckless competitions, or the staging of mock battles with the display of violent energy. The Meiji government's policy of introducing modern Western "civilization and enlightenment" led to the prohibition of dōsojin festivals in some areas due their status as "superstition." See also sakai no kami.

[勝 Katsu 20]

Here's an article on "Crow" Sumo

[勝 Katsu 20]

Ka....me.....ha....me...haaaaaa!.....and other Kotodama

[勝 Katsu 20]

Living Gods: The Relationship Between Sumo and Shinto

[勝 Katsu 20]

Here's an article on "Crow" Sumo

And here's a waaaay older version involving burning down a straw house....and sumo.. ;)

[勝 Katsu 20]

And here's "Nippon Kichi"...and Sumo... ;)

[勝 Katsu 20]

FUN! (sort of) It's a series of games RE: ancient Japan and Folkbelief

[勝 Katsu 20]

Success Akkadian!

Here's a big list (and here) (but certainly not complete) of Japanese deities and other Kami.

Note: Nominosukune is listed as the Kami of Wrestling. While this may be true for some Shinto practitioners, other options may include...but are not limited to:

Amaterasu-No-Kami (because it is speculated that she engaged in a Sumo match with Her brother

Kappa/ Kawatarō /Gataro (These MizuKami are well known to engage in Sumo)

Yama-Uba (The mountain mother presents travelers with a small "stranded" baby who becomes heavier and heavier...in what could be intepreted as Sumo)

Daidara-bocchi (The "giant Kami")

Kitsune (Fox Goddess who has shrines at no small amount of sports arenas.)

Takemikazuchi no kami AND/OR Takeminaka (The "first" Sumo wrestlers)

Edited November 25, 2012 by 勝 Katsu

[勝 Katsu 20]

A new book on Shinto Shrines has been published by Hawaii University Press!

[勝 Katsu 20]

Short "ask jeeves" type Shinto-Sumo piece, but some cool pix. :)

A cool Tumblr on Shinto

[勝 Katsu 20]

Okunitama Shrine...has it's own Dohyo.....that's a spicy meatball... :)

(That's from this list....a rather complete rundown of Shrines in Tokyo)

[勝 Katsu 20]

There's also this shukubo...where monks serve you vegan breakfast AND Asashoryu (and the royal family) stayed...

[勝 Katsu 20]

I found this personally interesting as, again, there is a parallel in Ancient Egyptian belief:

Ichirei shikon