Sumo has a long history and is known as Japanese skill, which is an important part of Japanese culture. Sumo seems to be a rough wrestling sport, but it has profound spiritual connotation, paying attention to modesty and courtesy and the spirit of desperate struggle. It represents the aggressive, tenacious and patient psychology and character of the Japanese nation. By introducing the history, competition and life of sumo wrestlers, readers can have a more comprehensive understanding of sumo past lives and Japanese culture.

Sumo; Keywords; National skills; Japanese culture

First, the history of sumo.

Sumo, known as the Japanese national sport, also known as wrestling and pancratium, originated in China. China's "Book of Rites and Moon Order" also mentioned that "the son of heaven is a general who teaches martial arts, learns to shoot and wrestle". There is no word "sumo" in China's Chinese characters. In about 590, when Indians translated Sakyamuni's biography "Buddhist Scriptures" into Chinese characters, they deliberately translated Indian unarmed combat into "sumo" to distinguish it from "wrestling", which shows that India's unarmed combat was different from China's "wrestling" at that time. According to archaeological data, the earliest nude sumo may have come from horsemen in the northern grassland. During the Western Jin Dynasty, Wuhu moved southward in large numbers, and Han people began to have the name of sumo. After the Western Jin Dynasty, nude sumo was introduced to the farming Yamato people.

Sumo was introduced into Japan from the myth in Japan's "Ancient Stories": In ancient times, Yu Jian's Raytheon was instructed by the God of Heaven to persuade the Austrian God to hand over the territory under his jurisdiction, but Yu Jian's God disagreed and asked to wrestle with Yu Jian's Raytheon, and the bet was the territory. As a result, Yu Jianfang lost easily and was thrown out after being twisted. It is also recorded in the Japanese history book "Chui Renji" that in 642 AD, in order to receive the envoys of Baekje, His Majesty the Emperor called court guards to hold a sumo contest. According to records, in Nara, there was a man named Su who was brave and overbearing. The emperor recruited a brave fighter from the cloud to sumo with him, but he kicked Ma Kui down and died of a broken lumbar spine. The Japanese sumo community regards this competition as the first sumo competition and Shintai as the ancestor of sumo. Prior to this, sumo was originally spread among the people as a ritual to worship the gods, with the purpose of praying for a bumper harvest of crops and a strong folk color. In the 6th and 7th centuries, sumo gradually moved from temples and folk to courts.

In the Nara era of the 8th century, sumo was introduced to the nobles of the imperial court. In 7 19, the imperial court set up a drawing department (later prime minister), and in 734, the imperial court set up a sumo festival, which was held every year on Qixi. In Ping 'an 82 1 year, Emperor Xie officially designated sumo as one of the important ceremonies in the palace, and it was called "the third festival" with bow and arrow, riding and shooting. Stories of Past and Present and Collection of Yuji unofficial history both recorded many anecdotes about sumo, while The Rise and Fall of Yuanping even recorded that the throne was decided by the outcome of sumo. After sumo became an important ceremony in the court, it removed the coarseness and fineness, abandoned the rough behaviors such as punching and kicking, and sublimated into a form similar to modern sumo with "skill" and "strength".

After the Kamakura era, sumo, as one of the practical martial arts training methods for samurai, prevailed among samurai, and jujitsu (Judo) was derived. Some famous sumo wrestlers have become soldiers, galloping on the battlefield. In Wife Mirror and Taiping Ji, there are records of fighting, hunting and sumo wrestling. Palace sumo wrestlers mostly returned to the countryside to spread the rules of court sumo etiquette to the people. Sumo is combined with folk activities, such as offering sacrifices to gods, exorcising demons and predicting a year's harvest. In the next 400 years, sumo wrestling has been an entertainment activity for the samurai class and farmers.

During the Edo shogunate, professional sumo wrestlers gathered in big cities such as Edo and Kyoto, and special sumo clubs appeared. "Surrender Sumo" is often held to raise money for the construction of temples or bridges. When "Persuade into Sumo" is held, it is similar to street performers, and anyone can participate at any time. Many competitive people will compete one after another, and bloodshed will happen from time to time. So since 1648, the shogunate has issued several sumo bans. 1684, Lu Xun, a professional sumo wrestlers teacher, complained to the administrative director "Temple Society Insists". After various comments, he worked out the "soil table" of sumo field boundary, 48-hand technique and various foul restrictions, and prohibited temporary participation. Only then did the shogunate lift the ban. This is an epoch-making progress in the history of sumo, and all professional wrestlers must belong to a sumo group to participate. During this period, political stability and developed economy and culture promoted the formation of professional sumo.

After the Meiji Restoration, civilization prevailed, and sumo was denounced as "inappropriate naked dance" by young officials who pursued western civilization. In the sixth year of Meiji, the Meiji government issued a ban, on the grounds that "sumo is a barbaric game of nudity". Sumo once entered a low tide. 1876, sumo club was renamed Tokyo Grand Wrestling Association. With the support of political veterans and sumo enthusiasts such as Kuroda and Ito Bowen, Meiji held the "Sky Blue Sumo" competition in 1884, which turned the corner of sumo.

1909, Tokyo built a special venue for sumo wrestling. At the opening ceremony, the phrase "Sumo is Japan's national sport after all" appeared for the first time in the speech drafted by writer Jiang Jianshui Yin. Since then, the concept of "sumo is a national sport" has become popular. At the beginning of Taisho and Showa, nationalism rose and sumo was revived. 1925 65438+In February, sumo associations in Tokyo and Osaka merged to form the present Japanese Sumo Association. 194 1 year sumo is listed as an official subject of school physical education. At this point, the national technical status of sumo has been further affirmed. After the war, sumo venues were built in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Nagoya. As a mass sport, sumo is still quite popular all over Japan.

Second, the sumo competition

(a) the venue of the competition

Sumo wrestling is held in a place called Tubiao. The earth's surface is located in the center of the site, which is a square site with a height of about 60 cm and a side length of 6.7 meters. On the field, a round playing field with a diameter of 4.55 meters is made of straw bundles embedded in a clay platform and covered with thin sand. In traditional competitions, there are pillars and roofs at the four corners of the ground, and the audience looks around. The four pillars of green, red, white and black symbolize the gods of the four seasons. Since 1952, the column has been replaced by a suspended roof. There is a hole under the soil surface. For safety, people buried wine, salt, millet, flour, rice and so on in the hole the day before the game.

On the east and west sides of the soil surface are players' seats, and salt and buckets are placed in the southeast corner and southwest corner respectively.

(b) Clothing and basic movements

The relationship between Japanese sumo and Shinto has a long history. Even now, there are still many traditional rituals and behaviors related to Shinto. The entrance ceremony before the competition is divided into two parts. First of all, sumo wrestlers people with luxurious embroidered aprons around their waists lined up on the soil. After that, Yokozuna entered the stadium under the escort of the escort and the knife-wielding Lux. In the competition, the two lux stood on the stage almost naked with their hair in a bun and only a crotch belt under their bodies. The crotch belt is satin, mostly purple or dark blue. The crotch belt used in the competition is never washed, and it is soaked with sweat and stains, which is the value of the players. A curtain-like belt hangs down from the front of the crotch belt to show holiness.

Basic movements of sumo wrestlers;

1. Sprinkle salt. Lux will sprinkle some salt on the soil surface when she enters it. In the Japanese concept, sprinkling salt can exorcise ghosts and achieve the purpose of purification. There is also a saying that salt can be disinfected, even if you are injured in the game, you have already taken protective measures in advance. During the sumo competition, almost every day, the amount of salt reached forty or fifty kilograms.

Step 2 get down. The tip of the sole touches the ground, the knees extend outward to stabilize the waist, the shoulders are relaxed, and the hands are placed on the knees, which is one of the basic postures of Lux. In order to achieve balance, the upper body must be straight to maintain the center of gravity. This move is to show respect for the opponent. This action seems easy, in fact, you must have considerable experience to look stable.

3. Dirty hands and water. This action is to crouch on one side of the soil first, then put your hands together and extend horizontally to both sides, with your palms up. Show your opponent that your hand is upside down, which means you are not carrying any weapons on the court.

4. Four shares. Also known as "forcing feet". It is to stamp the ground with both feet in turn, in order to drive away the evil spirits underground with the help of the literati. At the same time, it can relax muscles.

5. stone cutting. This action is the appearance of bending over directly after four strands, with elbows on knees, chin slightly raised and eyes staring at the opponent to concentrate.

6. Hand knife. After the referee (referee) declares victory, he can get the so-called "bonus". At this time, the referee cut off the left and right volleys with his right hand to express his gratitude to the three gods and accept the reward.

(3) Competition rules

In the competition, sumo wrestlers are not allowed to touch the table or cross the circle except the soles of their feet. Whoever comes out of the circle or lands first loses. The rules of sumo wrestling are very strict. Don't pull each other's hair or ears, don't twist, hit, kick or kick each other, or you will be sent off.

The process of sumo is extremely rapid, and it often takes a minute or two or even a few seconds to decide the outcome. However, the skills of winning the game are very complicated. There are 70 skillful hands in sumo, 48 traditional hands, and there are actually more than 100 hands. The most common ones are: "send and cut", that is, sumo wrestlers grabs the opponent's belt, picks him up and pushes him out of the court; There is also a "sudden tension" of pushing and shoving; Pushing an opponent off the court at the stalemate stage is called "out" Which technique to use depends on the other person's technique.

There is no heavyweight in professional sumo. Although the huge sumo wrestler has obvious advantages, it is not the fat man who won the sumo competition. The speed, timing and physical balance of the attack are the key to determine the outcome of the game. We must rely on the control and application of explosive force, grasp the opportunity correctly and rely on a flexible mind that is good at judging.

Sumo referee * * * consists of six people. The presiding judge is a "clerk", wearing a traditional fat robe, a high hat and a gift fan. The other five people are in the front row, east, west and referee's seat respectively. "Si" loudly commented on the sumo wrestlers' every move and fairly judged the outcome. If both sides fall at the same time, and the "divider" fails to see clearly, it is up to the referee in the audience to decide.

(4) the level of players

Yokozuna is the highest level of sumo, and the following six levels are Daguan, Guan Wei, Summary, Qiantou, Liang Shi and Liang Shi, which are called "in-screen" and belong to the upper level of Lux. Once again, the low-level curtain, sequence three, sequence two. The bottom layer is called preface. Determine the level according to the record. A sub-standard player will be demoted if he loses two games in a row. A sign of winning two places in a row may be promoted to Yokozuna. Yokozuna is the only permanent grade and will not be demoted, but if his grades are too poor, he will be asked to retire. In a league match, sumo wrestlers at the screen level plays once a day, 15 days, while sumo wrestlers at the lower level only plays for 7 days. Sumo wrestlers can only maintain their current level or advance to the next level if they win most games (/kloc-8 out of 0/5 games or 4 out of 7 games).

The level of sumo wrestling appeared in 1789, and Gu Feng and Onogawa were the earliest Yokozuna. A black-and-white catalogue of sumo wrestlers' grades appears in 176 1. So far, only 68 Lux has won the honor of Yokozuna. At present, the two Yokozuna are Chao Qinglong and Bai Peng from Mongolia.

(5) Competition process

Japan holds six sumo competitions every year, each for 15 days. Sumo wrestlers are divided into east and west camps, each with 15 people. 10, May and September, 65438 was held in the "National Technology Museum of the Two Countries" in Tokyo, which can accommodate 1000 spectators. The other three games are Osaka in March, Nagoya in July,165438+1Fukuoka in October. Off-screen competitions will be held on 10 in the morning, and high-level off-screen competitions will be held at 3 pm. Although the admission ticket is expensive, the highest ticket price is as high as 200,000 yen (about 1.500 US dollars), and sumo lovers will flock to watch it. NHK will broadcast the game live on national television from 4 pm to 6 pm. There are millions of viewers watching live TV.

The last day of each competition is called "Qian Qiu Music". The best Lux is selected and an award ceremony is held. The sumo wrestler who won the most games won the game. If it is a draw, it will be decided in the knockout round on the last day. The highest prize is "Cup from the Emperor" from 1925, which is awarded to the best sumo wrestlers. There are also trophies, prizes and certificates from many countries and groups. Starting from 1980, China presented cloisonne trophy. In addition, Lux, who scored more points, was awarded a "special prize"; Novices who are brave in fighting will be awarded the "Dare to Fight Award"; Sumo wrestlers who comprehensively use skills are awarded the "Skill Award". These rewards will be accompanied by cash bonuses. There is also a Venus reward system, which is specially used to encourage low-level sumo wrestlers who beat Yokozuna. Every extra gold star will increase the chances of a salary increase in the future.

During the competition, sumo wrestlers toured around Japan to promote the sport and attract novices.

Three. Life of a sumo wrestler

The basic conditions for becoming a sumo wrestler are: having completed compulsory education (junior high school), being between 15 and 23 years old, being over 1.73 meters tall and weighing over 75 kilograms. The sumo training center is called the "Ministry Hospital". The Japan Sumo Association has 49 departments. The head coach of each department is called "Pro-Party" (Master), and Pro-Party is a retired celebrity who teaches and manages his disciples' study and life. Students are selected from primary school students all over the country every year. Once they start, they must pay for food, clothes and housing. Since ancient times, sumo wrestlers have had a high status in Japan and are deeply loved and respected by people. Many sumo wrestlers come from poor families in rural areas. In order to get ahead, they have been trained in sumo since childhood. At present, there are more than 900 people who have received sumo training in the Ministry, and only more than 60 high-level players. A few top sumo wrestlers will get married and live outside the training center. But the only home for most sumo wrestlers in their sumo career is the training ground.

Sumo wrestlers,/kloc-over 0/2 years old, called Lux, is a professional sumo wrestlers with a high salary. Preface, Preface 2, Preface 3 and Curtain are all students, and there is no salary. Lux's hair can be combed into ginkgo knots, and only T-shaped hair can be combed under the curtains. Sumo wrestlers live a strict hierarchical life, and junior sumo wrestlers have the obligation to run errands for senior sumo wrestlers. Even eating, going to the toilet and taking a bath should be listed in strict order according to rank and position. Recently, even a high-level sumo wrestlers abused and killed new students.

Sumo wrestlers live a very strict life. Rest at night 10, get up at 4 or 5 in the morning and start training. Do morning exercises after getting up. There are three main activities: four strands, iron cannon and strand cutting. Four strands are sumo wrestlers alternately lifting his left and right legs and kicking the ground hard. An iron cannon is to hit a wooden post with a flat palm. Femoral cutting is a kind of exercise. When sitting, a person tries to separate his legs and land on the ground with his upper body. Then you can enter the real training field. After training, sumo wrestlers should take a bath to relieve fatigue. 1 1 Have lunch and take a nap for two hours after dinner. Do some exercise after noon nap and have dinner at 6 pm.

Although sumo wrestlers only eat two meals a day, their intake per meal far exceeds that of ordinary people. In order to gain physical advantage, sumo wrestlers must eat a lot of food, mainly a kind of assorted hot pot (high-energy stew composed of several kinds of meat, fish and vegetables) and rice. Taking a nap after a meal, accompanied by a lot of food, will promote weight gain. Looks people are tall and fat, with big arms and round waist. Most Lux weigh in 1 10- 150 kg, and a few even weigh more than 200 kg. The heaviest wrestler in sumo history is Daguanjin from the United States, weighing 263kg.

Compared with other sports, the life span of sumo wrestlers is quite short. Lux people are overeating and obese, and are prone to cerebral thrombosis, heart disease, liver function decline and other diseases. It is common for them to get injured because their legs are overwhelmed. Many people are forced to retire because of illness or injury. Sumo wrestlers rarely start competing in their early 30s. According to statistics, the average life expectancy of sumo wrestlers is only 57 years old.

Professional sumo wrestlers must also attend training courses organized by the Japanese Sumo Association, including ideological cultivation, diet, sumo techniques, sports medicine, physiology and China's poems. An ordinary sumo wrestlers has to make great efforts to get a higher grade; It is impossible to get the lowest score without hard work. Strict grade selection system and short life make excellent sumo wrestlers valuable because of scarcity.

Fourth, between tradition and modernity.

In order to expand its international popularity, Japan has spared no effort to introduce sumo to the world. Friendly trips are held around the world every year. 1973 in April and June 2004, sumo wrestlers performed in China twice. Wherever the lux people go, they will cause onlookers. Sumo, like Mount Fuji, has become synonymous with Japan.

Internationalization has brought popularity to Japan and competition from foreign players. More and more young people come to Japan from the United States, Bulgaria, China, Mongolia, Argentina and other countries to study this sport. 1993, Shu from Hawaii became the first foreigner. Sumo is the most profitable and respected industry for foreigners to enter Japan. Open doors and free competition can strengthen the excellent quality of their own products, which is the same for economy and sports. But opening the door is a double-edged sword, and it is also facing danger.

In recent years, sumo has undergone new changes. First of all, Japanese women have officially joined the sport. 1997 65438+ 10 In October, Japan held the first national women's sumo championship. Second, amateur sumo is on the rise in Japan, and most amateurs belong to sumo clubs in schools and companies. Amateur sumo is divided into four levels: lightweight, middleweight, heavyweight and free heavyweight. Wear underwear on stage, no salt.

While constantly adapting to the requirements of the times, sumo tries its best to maintain and maintain Japanese customs and traditions. Not only in venues, ceremonies and costumes, but also in traditional ideology. Influenced by China's Confucianism, women were considered "unclean" in ancient Japan, so women were not allowed to climb the sacred mountain with temples and touch the sacred sedan chair with shrines. The surface of the earth has always been regarded as a "sacred" place, and women are not allowed to approach it. As a result, the governor of Osaka Prefecture, Ms. Fusae Ohta, was rejected by the Sumo Association. So far, she can't give Yonex an award. Modern thoughts of equality between men and women and conservative traditional thoughts collide fiercely.

As a special culture, sumo has also created a series of related industries, such as sumo cuisine, refreshments and souvenirs. The halls and corridors of the sumo arena are decorated in the street style of the edo shogunate era, and the guys dressed in ancient costumes in restaurants, teahouses and handicraft workshops are very lively. The auditorium in the museum is divided into two categories. There are cross-legged seats around the stage, and every four people sit in a square. The back row and the second floor are ordinary chairs. Seat tickets are the most expensive, around 10 thousand yen, and it is difficult to buy. The sumo industry has brought great economic benefits. Only six competitions held in one year can generate 654.38+0.5 billion yen for the Japanese Sumo Association, and the related income is difficult to estimate.

Five, sumo spirit

Sumo seems to be a rough wrestling sport, but it has profound spiritual connotation. Sumo pays attention to modesty and etiquette and the spirit of desperate struggle. Its essence is to pursue a lofty spiritual realm, which includes patience, struggle and moral cultivation.

From the first day he entered the Ministry, sumo wrestlers began to experience this state in training. Day after day, year after year, apprenticeship is similar to closed practice. Because of the hard training, there have also been cases where apprentices run away because they can't bear the burden. But such strict and arduous training is to cultivate the willpower and self-cultivation of sumo wrestlers, and to resist all disasters and difficulties with patience and correct conscience.

Nitobe Inazo wrote in Bushido: On the one hand, brave exercise needs to remember patience without groaning; On the other hand, the teaching of etiquette requires us not to hurt the happiness or peace of others by revealing our own sadness or pain. Sumo wrestlers are admired for their seriousness and composure. I have never been angry or noisy because of the controversy over the referee's decision. Although the results of some rounds are very close, and the referee's decision must be unanimously passed (sometimes the decision of the judgment will be overturned), neither the winner nor the loser has protested, reflecting the general style of anger and anger. The "soil surface" of the sumo venue is considered as a sacred place. If you use foul language on the court, it is disrespectful to sumo and the audience

Every sumo wrestler is not only an athlete, but also the embodiment and inheritor of the essence of Japanese culture. Therefore, only Yokozuna, a Japanese national, is the real hero in the eyes of the Japanese, while Yokozuna, a foreign national, is only the champion on the field, because the former truly embodies the sumo culture. As the highest-level sumo wrestler, Yokozuna should not only have strength, but also have a fairly high level of personality. At that time, when fighting with Xiaojin, Shu rudely pushed him out of the water, but Xiaojin then stepped forward to hold Shu. This song "A Help" touched countless audiences. On the contrary, Yokozuna Chaoqinglong is despised by many Japanese because of drinking, abusive fighting and bad manners, and is condemned by public opinion from time to time.

It is not uncommon to bully the big with the small, and defeat the strong with the weak, which is also the charm of sumo. It reminds people that in any case, they must have the belief of winning and firm perseverance. As long as you are good at fighting, you can defeat strong enemies and overcome difficulties. Japanese people love sumo, not only because of their interest in the results of the competition, but also because of their love for the traditional Japanese culture reflected in this sport. It represents the aggressive, tenacious and tolerant psychology and character of the Japanese nation. It can be said that you can't really understand Japanese culture without understanding sumo.

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