TOKYO (AP) — Sanae Takaichi In October, she made history by becoming Japan’s first female prime minister. She must now decide whether to break through the new taboo barrier that excludes women from the sumo ring.
The winner of the Kyushu Sumo Tournament, which concludes on Sunday, will receive the Prime Minister’s Cup. Some of her male predecessors, including former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, have stepped into the ring to hand over the cup.
Takaichi, a staunch conservative who supports Japan’s traditional gender and patriarchal values, may not break the taboo. In any case, she will not be faced with a decision on whether to step into the ring this time, as she will return the next day from the G20 summit in South Africa.
The next chance to make a decision will be at the New Year’s tournament in Tokyo.
However, the debate on taboos against women is likely to continue, in no small part because women are leading the way in Japan. Critics also say that the ban on sumo and other religious places is out of step with the changing status of women in Japanese society.
Women are still prohibited from entering some sacred sites and festivals.
Sumo ring That’s only part of the controversy.
For centuries in Japan, female worshipers have been prohibited from attending certain sacred mountains, religious workshops, temples, shrines and festivals.
Similar taboos exist in other parts of the world, but Japan’s taboos stem from a belief in the “impurity” of women associated with menstruation and childbirth, as well as certain misogynistic views of Buddhism, said Naoko Kobayashi, a professor at Aichi Gakuin University and an expert on religion and gender.
The ban on women from sacred mountains and religious facilities, including Mt. Fuji, has been largely abolished in recent years. However, it remains at certain shrines and festivals.
Many of these bans date back to the Meiji era in the 19th century, and women have long been kept out of political and religious decision-making, making it difficult to break the taboos, Kobayashi said.
Sumo has a history of 1,500 years, but banning women from participating is not an old tradition.
The origin of sumo is related to the rituals of “sumo,” an indigenous religion in Japan. ShintoIt is primarily rooted in animism and the belief that thousands of gods, or spirits, inhabit nature. The origins of the first sumo matches date back 1,500 years, when they were performed at shrines as rituals dedicated to the gods to pray for a good harvest and include dances and other performances.
The sumo ring, in which sumo is held, is a high ring made of special clay, the edges of which are marked with circles of rice straw, separating the inner sanctuary from the impure world outside. Women are not allowed in sumo tournaments.
Some experts say sumo follows Shinto beliefs in the impurity of women.
The Japan Sumo Association denied that the ban on women was based on Shinto’s belief in impurity.
“This interpretation is a misunderstanding,” association president Nobuyoshi Hakkaku said in 2018, adding that sumo rituals are tied to folk beliefs such as gratitude for a good harvest, and are not about strict religious principles.
“We have consistently denied any sexist intent,” Hakkaku said. “The rules that make the dohyo a place for men’s serious competition are natural for sumo wrestlers, making the dohyo a male-only world and leading to the inheritance of customs that prohibit women from entering the ring.”
Citing a 7th-century document called the Ancient Chronicles of Japan, historians say that female members of the imperial court performed sumo for the first time at the request of the emperor. Records of female sumo wrestlers remain in documents from the 16th century.
Sumo rose to fame in 1884 when Emperor Meiji competed in a match, and then achieved national sport status in 1909 with the completion of the first Ryogoku Stadium.
Banning women from the ring has been criticized for decades.
In 1978, Mayumi Moriyama, a female bureaucrat in the Ministry of Labor, protested after the sumo association blocked a girl who won a local children’s sumo qualifying round from advancing to the finals in a real sumo ring.
In 1990, as a government spokesperson, Moriyama expressed a desire to appear in the ring at the Prime Minister’s Cup ceremony, but his request was rejected by the Sumo Association.
In 2018, Mayor of Maizuru A man from northern Kyoto collapsed while giving a speech in the ring. Two female medical professionals rushed to the scene and began administering first aid while several male sumo officials looked on. Two more women attempted to attend first aid before an announcement was made asking the women to leave the ring. Sumo officials then sprinkled salt on him as a sign of purification.
A few days later, the association refused then-Mayor of Takarazuka, Tomoko Nakagawa, access to the ring to give a speech at an exhibition tournament. Nakagawa, who was forced to speak from ringside, said that it was frustrating to be rejected just because she was a woman.
Sumo Association president apologizes A committee of outside experts was set up to consider the ban on women, saying it had offended Nakagawa by “failing to take appropriate action in a life-threatening situation.” Seven years later, no decision has been made.
Professor Kobayashi pointed out that “excluding women based on male-centered traditions and customs can no longer be justified based on the values of the times.”
Takaichi supports traditional Japanese gender views
Takaichi Not considered feminist. She upheld paternalistic family values and kept succession to Japan’s monarchy open only to men. She also opposes changes to 19th-century laws that allow married couples to choose separate surnames.
Takaichi is trying to win back support from right-wing voters drawn to emerging populist groups in recent elections. Any attempt to present trophies in the ring would be considered contrary to sumo tradition and could tarnish her image with voters.
Although she has not commented on how she would handle the trophy presentation, a top government spokesperson suggested that Takaichi was not considering stepping into the ring.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters, “Prime Minister Takaichi intends to respect the traditions of sumo culture.”
