Why do sumos make babies cry ?

You are no doubt familiar with sumo fights : these extremely ritualistic clashes between two heavyweight wrestlers in front of a dumbfounded assembly. But, have you ever heard of crying fights ? Called “Naki Sumo” (or “Nakizumo”), this ceremony involves two sumotoris lifting babies to make them cry. A Shinto custom aimed at strengthening (both physically and spiritually) young Japanese children.

Growing up by crying

One might think it is a sports parody, but yet there are many crying contests in the “land of the rising sun”.

To be more exact, for more than 400 years, an extraordinary ceremony has been taking place, for the uninitiated. In order to help newborns grow strong and grow healthy, the Japanese decide to put their offspring to the test.

And in this context, crying is seen as an excellent outlet.

Synthesized by the maxim “the more the child cries, the better he will grow”, this mentality thus pushes the parents to appeal to sumotori (assimilated to “semi-divinities” by the Japanese) to help their cherubim to attract the favor of the gods, weeping with all their might.

Like sumo bouts, this traditional Shinto ceremony takes the form of a tournament, featuring - in a ring - several teams, a referee and a few monks.

Tears of joy

Every year, during the spring season, parents rush to the temples and shrines on the island to bring their young children there.

Opposed to each other, by integrating one of the two teams, the babies thus go into “fight” against their opponent. The principle is simple : any confrontation lasts 60 seconds and the first to cry wins. If both contestants cry at the same time, the one who shouts the loudest wins the game.

In order to help them, the sumo players make intimidating faces or cries. The crowd, for its part, resumes “Nake, nake, nake” (“Crying, crying, crying”) in chorus, to help the most stoic babies.

Once the last cries have been heard, all in attendance can then exclaim “Banzai raku!” (“Long life !”), To end the ceremony on a note of joy and good humor.

history and cultural significance of sumo in Japan

Sumo is an ancient form of wrestling that has been the national sport of Japan for several thousand years. Its origins go back to the Yayoi period (c. 300 BCE - c. 300 CE) and it incorporates many elements of the Shinto religion in its various rituals and conventions. Sumo wrestling was born as a Shinto ritual to entertain gods, and it was believed that if the gods were not pleased, they would not bring a good harvest season. Sumo is considered a gendai budō, which refers to modern Japanese martial arts, but the sport has a history spanning many centuries. Many ancient traditions have been preserved in sumo, and even today the sport includes many ritual elements, such as the use of salt purification, from Shinto. In Japan, sumo wrestling was under Imperial patronage between 710 and 1185 and was a popular spectator sport. During this era, it was refined from a brutal submission spectacle into a highly ritualized toppling match in which victory could be gained by forcing the opponent out of a 15-foot circle. Then, under the shoguns, public matches were banned, and martial forms of the sport for the samurai, or military caste, were emphasized instead. The modern form of the sport took shape at the Shinto shrine of Tomioka Hachimangu in Tokyo. Here, from 1684 CE during the Edo period (1600-1868 CE), regular bouts were organized, notably by the former samurai Ikazuchi Gondayu who created the rules and arena still adhered to today. Sumo wrestlers, often known colloquially as rikishi, then became professional sportsmen who toured the country, and sumo became the national sport of Japan. Sumo has many cultural significances in Japan. It is still considered a sacred event, and the pavilion in which sumo bouts are performed is regarded as a Shinto shrine. The fringes of the ropes hanging from the belt symbolize the purified ropes in front of Shinto shrines that must always be in odd numbers (usually 17, 19, or 21) that are lucky in Shintoism. The Japan Sumo Association currently distinguishes 82 kimarite, or winning techniques, some of which come from judo. The sport has also become a popular tourist attraction, and the Sumo Museum, located inside the Kokugikan sumo stadium, houses rotating exhibitions about sumo, including a collection of portraits of past and present yokozuna, pictures of significant events in the history of sumo, and ceremonial aprons worn by retired prominent wrestlers.