recorded jujitsu school was not formed in Japan until about five hundred years ago. Considering that sumo was an integral part of the Japanese culture for many centuries before the numerous refined empty-hand techniques of jujitsu were introduced, it would be logical to think sumo had a strong influence in the development of jujitsu.
Sumo can been considered the earliest codified form of jujitsu. Many of the kimarite, sumo’s winning moves, are similar to modern-day jujitsu and judo techniques. They also have similar names. Sumo’s one-arm shoulder throw, ipponzeoi, has a counterpart in jujitsu’s full shoulder throw called ippon seoi nage. Sumo’s koshinage, a hip throw, is similar to jujitsu’s o-goshi or full hip throw, and the same goes for sotogake, sumo’s outside leg trip, and jujitsu’s kosoto-gake, or small outer hook.
Sumo can be seen as one of the oldest and most primal and powerful of the Japanese martial arts. So it is not hard to understand why we may view sumo as the root of jujitsu. Some other martial arts, such as judo, aikido, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ), are all modern-day forms of jujitsu,2 each having different objectives and associated techniques that have changed over time to coincide with those objectives.
Some well-known martial artists have studied sumo. The founder of judo, Jigoro Kano, studied not only jujitsu but also a great variety of martial arts, including sumo, to help formulate his modern-day judo.3 When Kano wanted to beat a competitor, he would study everything available, along with sumo techniques and even training books from abroad. Early on, Kano used his knowledge of a sumo shoulder-throw technique to help him create the shoulder-wheel throw (kata-guruma), which is similar to Western wrestling’s fireman’s carry. He used this new throw to defeat a tough opponent. Kano collected nearly one hundred transmission scrolls (texts containing the secrets of the system) from many different schools of martial arts, including sumo.4
In Okinawa, karate master and pioneer Gichin Funakoshi in his youth engaged in sumo-like wrestling called tegumi, which he recounts in his book Karate-Do, My Way of Life. Funakoshi mentioned in his book that he cannot be sure how much tegumi helped his karate mastery, but it definitely had a positive impact. His tegumi training helped him gain muscular strength, which is very beneficial in karate. Also, Funakoshi is certain that tegumi assisted in fortifying his will, an attribute every martial artist needs.5 Tegumi branched off in two directions: the self-defense version, karate, and the sport version, Okinawan sumo. Hence, many Okinawan karate masters also practiced tegumi.
The founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, started his first real training in the martial arts with sumo. In Abundant Peace, Stevens describes the grueling conditioning Ueshiba endured during his sumo training. Even while in the Imperial Army as a young man, Ueshiba was still remarkable at sumo. Ueshiba’s early training in sumo, which focused “on keeping one’s center of gravity low,” probably had an influence on the development of aikido in his later years.6 All three profoundly influential martial arts masters, Kano (1860–1938), Funakoshi (1868–1957), and Ueshiba (1883–1969) saw the great importance of adding sumo to their martial arts training routine.7
More recently, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida, besides being an expert in Shotokan karate and BJJ, has a strong background in sumo. Machida describes in his book Machida Karate-Do Mixed Martial Arts Techniques that his sumo training strengthened his fighting stance and base, as well as his mind.8 With his open-minded approach to martial arts training, Machida has become one of the most formidable MMA fighters of his time. Later in this book we will examine his fighting style in depth, especially his outstanding use of sumo techniques and tactics in MMA competition. Even in the modern arena of MMA, Machida saw the value of integrating some sumo into his MMA fighting game.
All three profoundly influential martial arts masters, Kano (1860–1938), Funakoshi (1868–1957), and Ueshiba (1883–1969), saw the great importance of adding sumo to their martial arts training routine.
(Left: Kano, courtesy of Uchina, Wikimedia Commons. Middle: Funakoshi, courtesy of Gichin Funakoshi, Wikimedia Commons. Right: Ueshiba, courtesy of Sakurambo, Wikimedia Commons.)
The judo/jujitsu throws full shoulder throw (ippon seoi nage) and full hip throw (o-goshi) have practically the same technique and name as its sumo kimarite counterparts one-arm shoulder throw (ipponzeoi) and hip throw (koshinage). This shows that there is a very close historical link between sumo and judo/jujitsu. There are numerous other instances of this connection—so much so that sumo could be considered the earliest codified form of judo/jujitsu.
(Upper: Ippon Seoi Nage, courtesy of bimserd, Can Stock Photo. Lower: O-Goshi, courtesy of bimserd, Can Stock Photo.)
Myth surrounds much of sumo’s early history. It was a violent sumo match between the gods, it is said, that created the Japanese islands themselves. Sumo’s Japanese beginnings go back about one thousand five hundred years, making sumo one of the oldest organized sports on earth. There is evidence that the precursors of the combat sport probably came from China or Korea. The earliest known record of sumo in Japan is its ancient predecessor known as sumai, which was practiced in a no-holds-barred wrestling style. Warlike sumai evolved to a more sportive sumo style of wrestling. Sumo essentially took its present style in the Edo period (AD 1603–1867).
In Japan, the first sumo matches were in religious ceremonies to pray for a good harvest, and eventually they were used as a training routine for samurai warriors. Masterless samurai warriors (ronin) even used their training in sumo matches as a way to earn extra money. Sumo had an influence in the development of many modern Japanese martial arts, and today it is the unofficial national sport of Japan. The complex system of rituals and etiquette of sumo are uniquely Japanese. It is significantly more than just two huge men wrestling. Even in modern Japanese society, rikishi are thought of as godlike heroes. Rikishi literally means “powerful man.”
The rules of Japan’s ancient martial art are not complex: the wrestler loses when he touches anything outside the ring before his opponent or when he first touches the surface inside the ring with something other than the soles of his feet. The outcome is decided in a short time (in seconds, rarely in minutes). In a small ring, in those seconds, the rikishi push themselves to the maximum, both mentally and physically.
The following are prohibited techniques in today’s sumo matches and result in loss of a match due to disqualification:
striking the opponent with a closed fistbending back one or more of the opponent’s fingersgrabbing the opponent’s hairgrabbing the opponent’s throatjabbing at the opponent’s eyes or solar plexuspalm striking both of the opponent’s ears at the same timegrabbing or pulling at the opponent’s groin areakicking at the opponent’s chest or waist
Besides the disqualifying moves listed above, almost anything else is permitted to win a match.
Before a rikishi steps onto the dohyo for a major match, he must endure much rigorous and grueling training. The young rikishi train in a sumostable under the guidance of the stablemaster and his seniors. Young rikishi live in the stable, and their training starts early in the morning with mostly basic movements. Strength, flexibility, and reflex exercises are performed countless times until they become second nature, as well as breakfalls (ukemi), which protect them when they fall. Thigh splits (matawari) are an integral part of the daily training regimen to gain suppleness in the entire body. After going through the Japan Sumo Association training school, which lasts
