EARLY EDO (1600 - 1700)
The early Edo period of Japan was a period of relative peace and prosperity following the previous period of continual war and unrest. In laying the foundations for the Edo period, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, in 1590, "decreeed a freezing of social status, forbidding any further mobility between classes"(Cuyler, 1985, pg 56), in order to ensure the peace and stability of Japan. Social classes were constructed in a way that the samauri were at the top of the hierarchical scale, followed by artisans, merchants and farmers.
The Edo period consequently brought a period of uncertainty for many samauri who had lost their Daimyo masters in the unsettled "Sengoku Jidai" (Period of War). Without a Daimyo's patronage and forbidden to join a lower class to learn a trade, these masterless samauri (also known as "Ronin") were left with very few career opportunities. Sumo, however, was one of the few occupations that was considered suitable for a samauri, which resulted in many of these ronin resorting to practicing it in order to make a living. Some ronin were fortunate enough to be employed by other daimyo to join their wrestling ranks, while others not so fortunate were forced to perform in the streets in what was known as "Street-corner sumo".
| While life became uncertain for some of the samauri class, it was a period of change for the merchant and working classes. With this new prosperity and the closing of Japan to foreign influences, entertainment, culture and education became the most accessable to the masses that it had ever been in the history of Japan. Entertainment districts flourished, with theatre, restaurants, bath houses and brothels gaining popularity and patronage by the common people. Traditionally, theatre and large sumo tournaments had been a form of entertainment for the noble classes, but it was during this period that it became available to the masses. |
With the introduction of street sumo, and the general expansion of the entertainment districts came the problem of violence. There were widespread incidences of clashes between the classes, especially between unemployed warriors and rough commoners. Street corner sumo was especially cause for concern for authorities, as many of the matches resulted in violent fights, endangering both the audience and innocent bystanders.
At this time, sumo was also being carried out as "Kajin-zumo", or benefit sumo for shrines and temples, where matches were held on shrine precincts in order to to collect donations for the repair and maintenance of shrine property. The matches proved immensely popular, but reached the stage where all money was going towards the wages of the "Sumotori", rather than the original cause. In this case too, there were also many cases of brawling, especially when people were called up from the crowd to participate.
This state of affairs prompted the authorities to take a stance in 1648, with the town magistrate issuing the following decree:
"Item: Street-corner sumo shall not be performed.
Item: Benefit sumo shall no longer be organised.
Item: Wrestlers who are invited to perform at the residences of their superiors shall not wear loincloths made of silk, but only those made of plain cloth."(Cuyler, 1985, pg 60)
The authorities took quite a hard stance on the practice of sumo matches from that time on, permitting only a couple of benefit performances at which no donations were permitted, and people from the audience were forbidden to participate. The entertainment districts became more regulated by rules, and the lavish private theatre and sumo performances held by the daimyo were frowned upon by Tokugawa authorities. This resulted in the daimyo disbanding their ranks of wrestlers, and a halt to any sumo performances for some time. Despite the decree of 1648, street-corner sumo continued illegally, which resulted in the authorities totally banning sumo within the city limits in 1661.
While in Edo sumo was causing much public disturbance, Kyoto and Osaka were relatively quiet. Kyoto had established orderly, large-scale benefit-sumo tournaments, with both cities holding them on a regular basis with little incidence of violence or disorder.
Sumo came back into the limelight in Edo over twenty years later, with the ronin and professional wrestlers banding together to petition to be permitted to perform in public places. Eventually, permission was granted for an eight day benefit sumo tournament at Fukugawa Hachiman Shrine, in Eastern Edo, to Ikazuchi Gondaiyu in 1684, though changes had to be specified in order to prevent violence.
One of the changes made was to seperate the ring from the crowd by way of dividing it off with straw and clay bales. Previously a circle had been marked and the spectators stood in a circle around the ring.
Other changes Gondaiyu proposed included the categorization and simplification of techniques used in sumo. From the mid-Muromachi period to the late 17th century the list of various techniques used had grown to over 250, and Gondaiyu proposed these be simplified and categorized into four basic groups:
"Nage, or throwing; Kake, or tripping; Sori, or bending; and Hineri, or twisting. For each of those, 12 of the most commonly used holds were designated, making a total of 48... other groupings - crushing, maneuvering, special tricks - were invented to absorb the remaining techniques"(Cuyler, 1985, pg 63)
In 1684, an official permit system was established, with Gondaiyu taking the role of organizer, acting as a go-between with the authorities and groups of wrestlers, a role which earned him the title of "Toshiyori", or elder. The position of toshiyori involved the development of "headed groups of professional sumo wrestlers, organized and directed the sumo-benefit performances, and (he was) responsible for keeping the tournaments free of fighting"( Cuyler, 1985, pg 64)
| Programs also began to be used in the late 17th century, with the first known one being for the seven-day benefit sumo performance in Kyoto at the Okazaki Tenno Shrine in 1699. The first programs were wooden boards posted at the grounds of the tournament, listing the referees and wrestlers of each team on the left and the right. Paper programs were developed in the early 18th century, and consisted of a seperate sheet of paper for each team. The wrestlers name were written according to rank, with the highest ranking at the top in large, visible writing, which became progressively smaller as it proceeded down the ranks. |
The first program on paper, c.1717 |
With sumo becoming officially permissible once again, and it's subsequent rise in popularity, the daimyo began to sponsor wrestlers as they had before the bans. The wrestlers were employed by the powerful lords and raised to the status of samauri, which meant they were permitted to carry two swords (those not sponsored were not permitted to carry swords unless for a ceremonial occasion).
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