Sumo Japanese women face uphill battle for recognition in Sumo

Mainichi on the challenges female rikishi (力士) face in sumo.

In Japan, sumo is not just a sport but a sacred tradition with roots dating back 1,500 years, tied to Shinto ritual and ceremony. And it faces an enduring taboo: women are still forbidden from entering the dohyo, the sport's sacred ring. That restriction is beginning to face subtle challenges. Although professional sumo — the form most familiar to audiences around the world — remains off limits to women, more than 600 female wrestlers (rikishi) now compete at the amateur level in Japan. Many of them are setting their sights not only on domestic recognition but also on international stages, including the men's and women's amateur Sumo World Championships, which open this weekend in Bangkok.

Unlike males who compete bare-chested in mawashi, the traditional loincloth, women wear it over spandex shirts and bodysuits. "It's unavoidable -- women have body parts that must be covered," Hasegawa says. "I've never wanted to compete dressed like a man." She adds that clothing also signals body image expectations. "If I quit sumo," Hasegawa says, "I might think about losing weight." Male rikishi often drop weight once they leave sumo, with research showing the large body mass might lead to health problems. "In Japan, slim is often equated with beautiful," says 19-year-old Shiho Suzuki, one of Keio's four female rikishi. "But for performance and health, thin isn't everything. A strong, healthy body with some weight on it is attractive, too."

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There are descriptions of female sumo in the Nihon Shoki, and from the Edo period to the early Meiji period, women's sumo was held in various regions throughout Japan.

Nikkei Asia picked up female sumo, too:

For centuries, women have been excluded from stepping into the professional sumo ring, the dohyō, where their presence was long considered "ritually impure" under Shintō beliefs that define the ring as a sacred space reserved for men. Yet on the amateur stage, women's sumo has been steadily gaining ground, both in Japan and abroad. That momentum is embodied by Rio Hasegawa, a senior at Keio University in Tokyo, who on 20 September guided her college team to its first-ever victory in the team event at the All-Japan University Women's Sumo Championships.



Reflecting on the triumph, Hasegawa admitted she had never imagined claiming the university title, and expressed gratitude to her younger teammates for making it possible. The win came as a welcome consolation after disappointment the week before in Bangkok, where she was unable to defend her middleweight crown at the Women's World Sumo Championships. In that final, she fell to the same Ukrainian opponent she had defeated for the title a year earlier.

Hasegawa, 22, now faces a decision about whether to continue in the sport, saying that after graduating, she is interested in establishing a company that supports athletes with similar backgrounds. While she had planned to focus on her business career, her recent performances have left her wondering if sumo might remain a bigger part of her future than she once imagined. [...] Hasegawa followed her two elder brothers into sumo. While she has exceptional talent, she said that "it wasn't like I really loved sumo" at first. At the Hakuho Cup tournament in 2013, hosted by former yokozuna (grand champion) Hakuho, she placed third in the elementary school third-grade division, facing both girls and boys from Japan and around the world. The following year, the venue changed to the Ryogoku Kokugikan, the Tokyo headquarters of the Grand Sumo tournament. Girls, who were not permitted to step onto the dohyo, were no longer able to compete. There remains deep prejudice in what is widely regarded as a male sport in Japan.

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Women's sumo may not have the same drama as the men's sport, but its fast bouts and sharp techniques keep spectators engaged. Hasegawa pointed out that the quick matches and brisk tournament pace let audiences, even overseas newcomers, enjoy many contests in a short time. The Japan Sumo Federation counts about 4,000 wrestlers, of whom 500 to 600 are women. But with few competitions available, many girls stop competing as they grow older — the first national high school girls' tournament only began last year.

Change is emerging at Keio University, where Hasegawa, the club's first female member, has also become its first woman captain. She now leads a small team of men, women, and high school boys, describing the role as rewarding but challenging, especially in encouraging and organising her teammates.

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