Kamizumo

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Kamizumo(紙相撲, "paper wrestling") is a Japanese pastime or performance which consists of a sumo match between puppets or other inanimate surrogates. The two terms, although homonyms in English, are written with different kanji, and refer to two different but related practices.

Sumo full-contact wrestling sport

Sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a rikishi (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (dohyō) or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet.

In linguistics, homonyms, broadly defined, are words which sound alike or are spelled alike, but have different meanings. A more restrictive definition sees homonyms as words that are simultaneously homographs and homophones – that is to say they have identical pronunciation and spelling, whilst maintaining different meanings. The relationship between a set of homonyms is called homonymy. Examples of homonyms are the pair stalk and stalk and the pair left and left. A distinction is sometimes made between true homonyms, which are unrelated in origin, such as skate and skate, and polysemous homonyms, or polysemes, which have a shared origin, such as mouth and mouth.

<i>Kanji</i> adopted logographic Chinese characters used in the modern Japanese writing system

Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters that are used in the Japanese writing system. They are used alongside the Japanese syllabic scripts hiragana and katakana. The Japanese term kanji for the Chinese characters literally means "Han characters". It is written with the same characters in the Chinese language to refer to the character writing system, hanzi (漢字).

Originally, kamizumo(神相撲) was practiced as a Shinto ritual, part of the shrine dedication ceremony at the Hachiman shrine in Yoshitomi. Every four years, performers use articulated wooden dolls, manipulated from below by puppeteers known as odoriko to enact a sumo bout at the shrine. Up to twelve puppets are used, representing the kami of the East and West. The outcome is prearranged; in the second round, the West triumphs thanks to the appearance of the kami Sumiyoshi. [1] [2]

Shinto Japanese traditional folk religion

Shinto or kami-no-michi is the traditional religion of Japan that focuses on ritual practices to be carried out diligently to establish a connection between present-day Japan and its ancient past.

Hachiman shrine

A Hachiman shrine is a Shinto shrine dedicated to kami Hachiman. It is the second most numerous type of Shinto shrine after those dedicated to Inari Ōkami.

Yoshitomi, Fukuoka Town in Kyushu, Japan

Yoshitomi is a town located in Chikujō District, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.

More recently, kamizumo(紙相撲) has developed into a children's game, in which two paper or cardboard effigies of sumo wrestlers are placed facing each other and manipulated (either indirectly by vibration of the playing surface or with a stick) until one either falls or is moved out of the playing area. [3] [4]

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<i>Shintai</i>

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Meisei Chikara (明生力), is a professional sumo wrestler. He debuted in sumo wrestling in July 2011 and made his makuuchi debut in July 2018. His highest rank has been maegashira 11. He wrestles for Tatsunami stable.

References

  1. ↑ Herbert E. Plutschow; Patrick Geoffrey O'Neill (17 October 1996). Matsuri: The Festivals of Japan. Japan Library. p. 219. ISBN   978-1-873410-63-9 . Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  2. ↑ Terence A. Lancashire (16 December 2011). An Introduction to Japanese Folk Performing Arts. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 104. ISBN   978-1-4094-3133-6 . Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  3. ↑ "Kamizumo". Origami Resource Center. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  4. ↑ Pacific friend. Jiji Gaho Sha, inc. 1999. p. 52. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
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