Changes

==Edo Period==

==Edo Period==

It was in the [[Edo period]] that sumô became more of an entertainment form. By the 1750s, sumô was often being performed in a ring, under a roof, with a referee, and spectators who paid to see the match. Though conducted under the aegis of "''kanjin-zumô''," these matches shared much with the realm of entertainment: spectators bought food and drink at the event, and took breaks from watching the show to patronize teahouses nearby; further, certain wrestlers attracted considerable popularity, and were featured in ''[[ukiyo-e]]'' woodblock prints, becoming popular stars much like [[kabuki]] actors or famous [[courtesans]].

It was in the [[Edo period]] that sumô became more of an entertainment form. By the 1750s, sumô was often being performed in a ring, under a roof, with a referee, and spectators who paid to see the match. Though conducted under the aegis of "''kanjin-zumô''," these matches shared much with the realm of entertainment: spectators bought food and drink at the event, and took breaks from watching the show to patronize teahouses nearby; further, certain wrestlers attracted considerable popularity, and were featured in ''[[ukiyo-e]]'' woodblock prints, becoming popular stars much like [[kabuki]] actors or famous [[courtesans]].

Many sumô wrestlers served individual [[han|domains]] or [[daimyo|lords]], in a role akin to ''[[goyo shonin|goyô shônin]]''. Though bearing a rather marginal status in earlier periods, alongside ''[[kawaramono]]'' and the like, in the Edo period some wrestlers were even granted the right to bear a surname, and to wear swords. They often traveled across the archipelago, or simply within a given region, to engage in symbolic battle against other domains, on behalf of their lord. Domains of [[Bizen province]], [[Sendai han|Sendai]], and [[Matsue han|Matsue]] were among those which strongly supported sumô, and dispatched wrestlers to major competitions in [[Edo]] and [[Osaka]]; meanwhile, domains such as [[Tosa han|Tosa]] and [[Satsuma han|Satsuma]] also maintained notable "stables" of sumô wrestlers, but participated chiefly in more local/regional events in Shikoku and Kyûshû, not typically sending their wrestlers to Osaka or Edo. Many sumô wrestlers also developed professional guilds or families, akin to the family lineages of kabuki actors. The sumô ring and stage developed into a relatively standard form, and matches began to be regularly advertised used standard forms of ''[[banzuke]]'' (playbills). There was considerable overlap: wrestlers associated with a domain were also often prominent in the realm of popular entertainment, and were included in guild lineages and ''banzuke''.

Many sumô wrestlers served individual [[han|domains]] or [[daimyo|lords]], in a role akin to ''[[goyo shonin|goyô shônin]]''. Though bearing a rather marginal status in earlier periods, alongside ''[[kawaramono]]'' and the like, in the Edo period some wrestlers were even granted the right to bear a surname, and to wear swords. They often traveled across the archipelago, or simply within a given region, to engage in symbolic battle against other domains, on behalf of their lord. Domains of [[Bizen province]], [[Sendai han|Sendai]], and [[Matsue han|Matsue]] were among those which strongly supported sumô, and dispatched wrestlers to major competitions in [[Edo]] and [[Osaka]]; meanwhile, domains such as [[Tosa han|Tosa]] and [[Satsuma han|Satsuma]] also maintained notable "stables" of sumô wrestlers, but participated chiefly in more local/regional events in Shikoku and Kyûshû, not typically sending their wrestlers to Osaka or Edo. Many sumô wrestlers also developed professional guilds or families, akin to the family lineages of kabuki actors. The sumô ring and stage developed into a relatively standard form, and matches began to be regularly advertised used standard forms of ''[[banzuke]]'' (playbills). There was considerable overlap: wrestlers associated with a domain were also often prominent in the realm of popular entertainment, and were included in guild lineages and ''banzuke''.

A variety of terms were used to refer to ''sumô'' in the Edo period. ''Sumô'' was one of them; ''jûdô'' (lit. "the way of flexibility") was another. Prior to the development of [[Shaolin kempo|Shaolin kempô]] in the 1650s, and of certain other formally structured [[martial arts]], ''jûdô'' could also refer to military skills, fighting techniques more generally.

Wrestlers mingled among the urban population, developing relationships both positive and negative. On occasion, disagreements or even brawls erupted between groups of sumô wrestlers, and other groups. One particularly famous incident, known as the [[Megumi Kenka Incident]], took place in [[1804]]. Rumor or gossip of this street fight between a number of sumô wrestlers (some armed with swords) and firefighters (armed with hooked tools known as ''[[tobi]]'') traveled widely, and is recorded in numerous diaries from the period.

==Meiji Period==

==Meiji Period==

It was in the Meiji period that the Western or international "modern" concept of "sports" entered Japan, alongside such "modern" concepts as "national arts" and "national literature." Sumô was thus re-invented as ''the'' "national sport" (国技, ''kokugi''), and came to be promoted as something essentially and distinctively Japanese, of which Japan could be proud, alongside such "traditions" as [[tea ceremony]] and [[Nihonga|ink painting]].

It was in the Meiji period that the Western or international "modern" concept of "sports" entered Japan, alongside such "modern" concepts as "national arts" and "national literature." Sumô was thus re-invented as ''the'' "national sport" (国技, ''kokugi''), and came to be promoted as something essentially and distinctively Japanese, of which Japan could be proud, alongside such "traditions" as [[tea ceremony]] and [[Nihonga|ink painting]]. The modern system of rankings and competitions was established at this time as well.

 

Sumô performances held in Honolulu in [[1885]], in conjunction with celebrations of the arrival of the first [[Japanese immigration to Hawaii|Japanese immigrants to Hawaiʻi]], likely mark the first time sumô was performed in those islands.<ref>Franklin Odo and Kazuko Sinoto, ''A Pictorial History of the Japanese in Hawaii 1885-1924'', Bishop Museum (1985), 39.</ref> Sumô quickly became a popular pastime among local Japanese in Hawaiʻi, and the first "All-Island" competition (across all the islands of Hawaiʻi) was held in [[1896]].

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