It's exciting! The birth of the Japanese amateur sumo team: "Breaking the Sex discrimination in sumo is the driving force of my strong temper"

Sumo, is Japan's national essence of the Millennium Movement, perfect presentation of the combination of beauty, however, the Campaign for the prohibition of women to participate in the traditional rules, has always been the public discussion.

According to the BBC , Bucton, a former columnist for the Japanese English-language newspaper, Japan Times, said the sumo movement was related to Shinto religion in Japan. Buckton

"In Japan, Sumo is not seen as a sport," Bucton said. "It has a richer meaning in the collective psyche of Japanese citizens." "Traditionally, before the sumo tournament, the General Assembly would draw a hole in the middle of the Biao, where the priest would bury the nuts, squid, kelp and sake." Sumo wrestlers will take turns to lift their feet vigorously step down, driving evil spirits.

"The Earth Biao is regarded as the sacred domain in the Shinto thought." "Bucton said.

Therefore, in the past, the Japanese Shinto religion believed that a month of women as "unclean", do not allow women to embark on soil biao. Bucton explained that any blood is regarded as a stain on the soil biao, if the sumo wrestler in the soil Biao injured bleeding, the Assembly will also be "purified" salt sprinkle. (Recommended reading: for you to choose the book | "menstrual Inequality" from ancient times, women's menstruation is taboo )

All over the world, women can participate in amateur sumo competitions, but not sumo in Tokyo's official sumo arena or in the official Sumo league.

Pictures | source

Women may not go to Earth Biao for first aid, speech, Sumo Association: "Please respect the tradition"

In the past, there have been many incidents in the Japanese Sumo circle, which sparked a sex-discrimination controversy, and the Association of the Japanese Sumo Association (Japan Sumo) promised to review the "men only" entry to the ring, but the results are still to be announced.

One of the events, in April 2018, earlier Jingdufu Dange a sumo tournament, Maizuru Mayor see Liang in the "Earth Biao" (Sumo Arena), in the speech during a stroke fainted, a female medical staff immediately stepped forward for its first aid, but many times by the referee through the broadcast, asked to leave the field. After the female ambulance personnel left, sumo officials suspected of sprinkling salt purification action.

Sumo officials later explained that the salt-cleaning was not because the woman had stepped into the entrance, but the traditional ritual before the competition.

Nevertheless, the referee's public broadcast, the expulsion of female ambulance staff, so that the Japanese Sumo Association has been criticized, the association's chairman, octagonal letter Fang, the "improper conduct" public apology.

Pictures | source

However, after a few days, the association was again bombarded by the refusal of a female mayor to enter the Biao. The association in Bingku County Bao Tomb City staging demonstration, as a woman's treasure Tomb Mayor Nakagawa, asked whether in the match before the Earth Biao speech, but was replied "please respect the tradition."

"Female mayor is also a person," Biao in the end can only in the Earth outside speech: "Because I am a woman can not in the Earth Biao speech, I feel indignant." 」

The above gender-contentious events not only make sumo circles controversial, but are also seen as a metaphor for Japanese women's treatment, with a poor performance in global gender equality and women's participation in the regime. In the past, sumo also because of the traditional concept of hate women, only the exclusive men's movement, not to become the Olympic Games event. (Recommended reading: from the position of women in the workplace, to see how far Japan's gender equality of the road to the distance )

Sumo for everyone: close to the women's Sumo wrestling competition, which makes people excited

According to the Guardian , recently, the Asahi University women's sumo team released a photo of eight female sumo wrestlers, attracting outside attention, and once again aroused the gender controversy in sumo wrestling.

Tomoko Nakagawa, mayor of the western Japanese city of Bao Zhong, petitioned the Japanese Sumo Association to "lift the ban on female suspensions", but it did not succeed. She told AFP: "I do not understand why, only the sumo world refuses to change, or even backwards." 」

Photo source |Laura Liverani for the Guardian

The campaign's struggle against gender discrimination, also plagued by female sumo wrestler Okumuras, who has been practising sumo since junior high, "Sumo should not be considered a sport for men and women," said Okumuras, who won the runner-up in the 64-80kg category of the International Women's Sumo tournament last month, "I can train with men, I was absolutely benefited, and in the process I did not feel that they looked down upon me and other women. If women are allowed to compete with them in formal competitions, I can still play my part. 」

The Japan-Asahi Sumo Club was established eight years ago and is now one of the six women's sumo clubs in the Japanese university. "Some people still have a hard time accepting the idea of a female sumo, but I never thought it was so weird in women's sumo," said Shigeto Takahashi, manager of the club, who used to coach a 35-year female wrestler. "The only real difference is that women have to be careful when they are injured in the shoulder and they are not allowed to wear any pads." 」

Photo source |Laura Liverani for the Guardian

Photo source |Laura Liverani for the Guardian

Song, associate professor of health and physical Education at the Asahi University, said that amateur sumo lacked the advice of female coaches to provide guidance to girls and young women. "Some of the people I met were even amazed at the international female Sumo tournament," she said. We need to have a more coordinated and consistent approach to the promotion of the brilliant and glorious female sumo. It's exciting to be close to the women's Sumo wrestling match. 」

Wrestler Minayo Nishimoto also said, "I understand that the Biao is considered sacred, but in any case, the traditional ban on women is sexist," she said, "but the ban is a step towards making me more determined to be the driving force for Japan's top female sumo wrestler. "Looking forward to the efforts of the media and women to join the sumo industry, there is a day to improve the sex discrimination tradition of Japanese national sports."