ABSTRACT
Sumo is an original Japanese style of wrestling with a very large fan base from the imperial family to the everyday person, all of whom consider sumo to be a national sport. It is also a sport that is steeped in the history and tradition of Japanese martial arts. According to historical records, it has been suggested that sumo started roughly 1,500 years ago as part of an ancient religious-based agricultural celebration, where villagers would gather at local shrines to either celebrate and pray to the heavens for a bountiful rice crop after planting or to thank the deities for blessing their village by providing a good harvest. Unlike the sport that we know today, sumo in ancient times was a community event where the winners of bouts were simply determined by brute force and sheer power over their opponents. Anyone could participate, and the winning prize for the participants would be a year’s supply of rice to feed their families.
