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Sumo Venues In Japan
is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a '' rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by throwing, shoving or pushing him down). Sumo originated in Japan, the only country where it is practised professionally and where it is considered the national sport. It is considered a ''gendai budō'', which refers to modern Japanese martial arts, but the sport has a history spanning many centuries. Many ancient traditions have been preserved in sumo, and even today the sport includes many ritual elements, such as the use of salt purification, from Shinto. Life as a wrestler is highly regimented, with rules regulated by the Japan Sumo Association. Most sumo wrestlers are required to live in communal sumo training stables, known in Japanese as '' heya'', where all aspects of their daily livesfrom meals to their manner of dressare dictated ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asashōryū Akinori
is a Mongolian former professional sumo wrestler (''rikishi''). He was the 68th ''yokozuna'' in the history of the sport in Japan, and in January 2003 he became the first Mongolian to reach sumo's highest rank. He was one of the most successful ''yokozuna'' ever. In 2005, he became the first wrestler to win all six official tournaments (''honbasho'') in a single year. Over his entire career, he won 25 top division tournament championships, placing him fourth on the all-time list. From 2004 until 2007, Asashōryū was sumo's sole ''yokozuna'' between the retirement of Musashimaru Kōyō, Musashimaru and the promotion of fellow Mongolian Hakuhō Shō, Hakuhō, and was criticized at times by the media and the Japan Sumo Association for not upholding the standards of behaviour expected of a holder of such a prestigious rank. He became the first ''yokozuna'' in history to be suspended from competition in August 2007 when he participated in a charity Association football, football m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kanji
are logographic Chinese characters, adapted from Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script, used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese and are still used, along with the subsequently-derived Syllabary, syllabic scripts of and . The characters have Japanese pronunciations; most have two, with one based on the Chinese sound. A few characters were invented in Japan by constructing character components derived from other Chinese characters. After the Meiji Restoration, Japan made its own efforts to simplify the characters, now known as , by a process similar to China's simplified Chinese characters, simplification efforts, with the intention to increase literacy among the general public. Since the 1920s, the Japanese government has published character lists periodically to help direct the education of its citizenry through the myriad Chinese characters that exist. There are nearly 3 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heian Period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a period in Japanese history when the Chinese influence on Japanese culture, Chinese influences were in decline and the national culture matured. The Heian period is also considered the peak of the Japanese Emperors of Japan, imperial court, noted for its Japanese art, art, especially Japanese poetry, poetry and Japanese literature, literature. Two syllabaries unique to Japan, katakana and hiragana, emerged during this time. This gave rise to Japan's famous vernacular literature, with many of its texts written by court ladies who were not as educated in Chinese as their male counterparts. Although the Imperial House of Japan had power on the surface, the real power was in the hands of the Fujiwara clan, a powerful Kuge, aristocratic family wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Makuuchi
, or , is the top division of Professional sumo divisions, the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the only division that is featured on NHK's standard live coverage of sumo tournaments. The lower divisions are shown on their satellite coverage, with only the ''makuuchi'' broadcast having bilingual English commentary. ''Makuuchi'' literally means "inside the curtain", a reference to the early period of professional sumo, when there was a curtained-off area reserved for the top ranked wrestlers, to sit before appearing for their bouts. Wrestlers are considered for Promotion and relegation, promotion or demotion in rank before each grand tournament according to their performance in the one previous. Generally, a greater number of wins than losses (''kachi-koshi'') results in a promotion, and the reverse (''makekoshi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Controversies In Professional Sumo
Professional sumo has had several controversies over its long history. These include proven allegations of match-fixing to hazing. Match-fixing Due to the hierarchical structure of the sport, where top ranked wrestlers have great advantages in salary and status over lower ranked wrestlers, speculation about the existence of match-fixing and isolated reports of match fixing have surfaced over the years. The Japan Sumo Association (JSA) repeatedly denied any wrestlers were involved in match-fixing, known as ''yaocho'', and even took publishers to court over such allegations.Martin, Alex, and Mizuho Aoki,Are fixed bouts final nail in sumo coffin?, ''Japan Times'', February 4, 2011, p. 2. However, in 2011, it was announced that an investigation by police had discovered cell phone text messages indicating that a number of matches had been fixed. Allegedly, 14 wrestlers and a few stablemasters were involved. In the course of the investigation, several wrestlers eventually admitted to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heya (sumo)
In professional sumo wrestling, a , most commonly and metaphorically translated in English as "Stable#Other uses, stable", but also known as "Barracks, training quarters", or "fraternity", is an organization of rikishi, wrestlers where they train and live in a "quasi-Monastery#Monastic life, monastic and Stratocracy, militaristic lifestyle". Closer to a medieval fraternity than a modern sports team, a stable is a group that lives, eats, trains, sleeps and socializes together, under the authority of one or more elders. Additionally to wrestlers, all the traditional sports professionals (such as , and ) must belong to a . vary in size, with the largest and most successful stables having a completely different training environment from the smaller stables that have a dimension described as being more family-oriented. Most are based in and around the Ryōgoku district of Tokyo, sumo's traditional heartland, although the high price of land has led to some newer being built in oth ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shinto
, also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintoists'', although adherents rarely use that term themselves. With no central authority in control of Shinto, there is much diversity of belief and practice evident among practitioners. A polytheism, polytheistic and animism, animistic religion, Shinto revolves around supernatural entities called the (神). The are believed to inhabit all things, including forces of nature and prominent landscape locations. The are worshipped at household shrines, family shrines, and Shinto shrine, ''jinja'' public shrines. The latter are staffed by priests, known as , who oversee offerings of food and drink to the specific enshrined at that location. This is done to cultivate harmony ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japanese Martial Arts
Japanese martial arts refers to the variety of martial arts native to the country of Japan. At least three Japanese terms (''budō'', ''bujutsu'', and ''bugei'') are used interchangeably with the English phrase Japanese martial arts. The usage of the term ''budō'' (武道) to mean martial arts is a modern one: historically the term meant a way of life encompassing physical, spiritual and moral dimensions with a focus on self-improvement, fulfillment or personal growth. The terms ''bujutsu'' (武術) and ''bugei'' (武芸) have different meanings from ''budō'', at least historically speaking. ''Bujutsu'' refers specifically to the practical application of martial tactics and techniques in actual combat. ''Bugei'' refers to the adaptation or refinement of those tactics and techniques to facilitate systematic instruction and dissemination within a formal learning environment. History Each child who grew up in a samurai family was expected to be a warrior when he gre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gendai Budō
, or are both terms referring to modern Japanese martial arts, which were established after the Meiji Restoration (1866–1869). Kobudō or koryū are the opposite of these terms referring to ancient martial arts established before the Meiji Restoration. Scope and tradition Any martial art created after the Meiji Restoration of 1868 is Gendai Budō. Koryō Budō are schools of budō that predate 1868. Some examples of Gendai budō are aikido, fuji ryu Goshendo ju-jitsu, gendai goshin ju jitsu, judo, karate, kūdō and shorinji kempo. The Japanese art of sumo is often defined as a gendai budō. This definition is incorrect as sumo is an ancient art that has attained popularity and media coverage in the modern era. Gendai budō have origins in '' koryū'', the traditional Japanese martial arts. For example, Kano Jigoro (嘉納 治五郎 ''Kanō Jigorō'', 1860–1938) founded judo in part as an attempt to systematize the myriad traditions of ju-jitsu which existed at th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Mainichi
The is one of the major newspapers in Japan, published by In addition to the ''Mainichi Shimbun'', which is printed twice a day in several local editions, Mainichi also operates an English-language news website called , and publishes a bilingual news magazine, ''Mainichi Weekly''. It also publishes paperbacks, books and other magazines, including a weekly news magazine, ''Sunday Mainichi''. It is one of the four national newspapers in Japan; the other three are ''The Asahi Shimbun'', the ''Yomiuri Shimbun'' and the ''Nihon Keizai Shimbun''. The ''Sankei Shimbun'' and the ''Chunichi Shimbun'' are not currently in the position of a national newspaper despite a large circulation for both. History The history of the ''Mainichi Shimbun'' began with the founding of two papers during the Meiji period. The ''Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun'' was founded first, in 1872. The ''Mainichi'' claims that it is the oldest existing Japanese daily newspaper with its 136-year history. The Osaka ''Ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
