Women's Sumo Wrestling in Japan

抄録

In this paper, Japanese traditional and folklore women's sumo is introduced as an example that female was involved in combative sport.
(1) Description in the Nihonshoki- First record of women's sumo, (2) Women's sumo as a show exhibition-from the middle of the Edo period to 1950's, there have been a women's sumo show exhibition performed, (3) Women's sumo as local folklore events and a performing art peculiar to a certain locality-in the north west part of Kyushu island (Nagasaki, Saga, Kumamoto), sumo was performed as local culture events. There are two types of sumo performed. Real sumo tournament and folklore dance as a motif without fighting a sumo wrestling, (4) Women's sumo as a praying for rain-women's sumo was performed as a praying for rain in Akita prefecture. In addition, in Okayama Prefecture and Saga prefecture, there are records that women's sumo was performed for praying rain, (5) God sumo in Okinawa-at the time of festival called Shinugu and Unjami, festival praying for abundant crop (fertility), sumo tournament of man against woman was performed in Okinawa. As above-mentioned, Japanese sumo was not exclusive to the male. Women was said to have participated time to time in the sumo tournament.