258–
858
1761– 1950 s 1984 1990 s
1884
1909–
1949
1185–
1684
Between
250-552, sumo
bouts were
performed at
Shinto shrines
to entertain the
gods during
festivals. 710-
794 saw the
first recorded
accounts of
sumo bouts at
the imperial
court. According
to legend,
in 858, the
Emperor Seiwa
secured his
throne after
winning a
sumo bout.In 1909,
construction
of the first
dedicated
sumo stadium
began. 1912
saw the birth
of Futabayama
Sadaji, the sumo
wrestler who set
an all-time record
by winning 69
consecutive
bouts, and 12
yūshō (sumo
championships).
A merger of
the Osaka and
Tokyo sumo
into a single,
pan-Japanese
organisation
took place in
1927, becoming
the Japan Sumo
Association.
In 1931, the
standard
diameter for
a dohyō – the
wrestling ring –
was set at 4.55
metres. The
basho, or sumo
tournament, was
extended from
10 to 15 days
in 1949.Between 1185-
1333, sumo
was used to
train samurai
warriors and to
settle disputes.
In 1684, the first
professional
sumo
tournament
was held at
the Tomioka
Hachiman
Shrine in Tokyo.In 1993,
Akebono, an
American sumo
wrestler from
Hawaii, becomes
the first foreign
sumo wrestler
to obtain the
highest sumo
rank, yokozuna.
In 1994, sumo
rated as the
most popular
sport in Japan,
significantly
ahead of soccer
and baseball.1761 saw the
introduction of
the banzuke, the
written rankings
for sumo
wrestlers.
In 1853, sumo
wrestlers
performed for
Commodore
Matthew Perry,
one of the first
foreigners to
witness the
sport. The Meiji
Emperor visited
a sumo match
in 1884, raising
its status to a
national sport.In 1953, there
was the first
television
broadcast
of a sumo
tournament.
A year later in
1954, there was
the opening
of the Sumo
Museum at
Kuramae
Kokugikan,
the home of
professional
sumo prior
to its move
to Ryōgoku
Kokugikan.There is the
reconstruction
of the Ryōgoku
Kokugikan, the
home of sumo
tournaments in
Tokyo.The Evolution of Sumo
50 HERITAGE