Sumo Sexism

["Nashinokawa" <nashinokawa@parbrook.free-online.co.uk>]

I hope I don't reopen more wounds with this but, like many things around the
world such rules often come about from all sorts of incidents that happen in
history.

I have heard that one of the reasons for the rule, was that back in the days
of the mid-Tokugawa period when sumo was trying to reestablish itself  (it
was banned for a while -- reasons at the end) as a form of entertainment,
one of the things that grew up alongside was a form of woman's sumo that was
less to do with athletic prowess and more to do with sexual entertainment
(likened in the article I read to the mudwrestling of its day). This form of
entertainment had various forms of bouts, including blind men wrestling the
women (plently of groping apparently..) It was a parody of the real thing
with the woman taking on shikona with sexual innuendo and wearing a form of
wig with the hair tied in a chon-mage (actually made out of a partially
split half-coconut with the fronds of the coconut tied up to give the syle.)

Anyway not unnaturally the "association" such as it was at that time did not
wish to be associated with this form of sumo and so the doyho rules came
into being, along.  In time these have been codified into cultural rules
with quasi-religious reasons to support them.

(other examples in history are the banning of woman from power in the RC
church -- some woman abbots stirred up too much trouble in the eyes of the
men of the time -- and present no woman emperor rules in Japan -- the last
woman empress had a lover who weilded too much power and stirred up a lot of
trouble about 1000 years ago)

Personally, I would like to see the rules changed to allow woman to cut
retiring rikishi's hair on the dohyo (they can do it for rikishi who do not
qualify for a kokugikan danpatsu), present prizes etc..  And, my guess is
that eventually things will change, as culturally Japan becomes more
tolerant in this regard.  There are cases certainly in the UK of male only
golf club clubhouses (or bars) and it is only in the past year that MCC
(Cricket's spiritual home club, with the main UK cricket stadium) voted to
allow woman members.  Having said that, however, a major aspect that I
appreciate about "Ozumo"  is the conservatism of the sumo association in
trying to keep its traditions and distintive culture alive and as an
outsider, I have to take the parts I like along with those I don't, and
enjoy the sport for what it is.

Cheers

Peter (Nashinokawa)

Why the Shogunate banned sumo(As promised):
Sumo was banned in the early part of the Tokugawa period as the bashos that
were held (usually using displaced (or materless) samurai (Ronin) for the
wrestlers) often degenerated into sword fights with people getting killed.
The events were often held to support temples so were a form of charity
entertainment (Kanjin-Sumo).

After being banned for a while a proposal was made to hold a tournament
under some strict guidelines about behaviour. The shogun authorities at the
time accepted this and a charity sumo event went ahead which was very
successful.  The codes used there are the basis for the present rules and
form of sumo as we see it today, although obviously things are much more
formalised now.

The history of sumo in supporting the temples etc is still seen today as
Ryogoku (sumo's traditional home) was/is a major location for Funerary
Temples for the Tokyo Metropolis.