Among the many people who have entered the Ryogoku Kokugikan sumo arena, some may have wondered, "Why is there a roof above the dohyo ring even though it is located indoors?"
The roof above the ring is suspended from the ceiling by cables. Rikishi sumo wrestlers and gyoji referees cannot get wet because they are inside the building, so there would seem to be no need for a small roof to be placed below the big roof. Nevertheless, it is necessary because one aspect of sumo is that it is a form of culture and performing art to display to Shinto gods.
The roof above the ring is patterned after the architectural style of shrines where gods gather. The indoor roof currently in use is of the Shinmei-zukuri style represented by the Ise Shrine. Shinmei-zukuri is said to be the style of a special structure where people placed offerings to gods during the Yayoi period (ca 300 B.C.-ca A.D. 300). After April 1931, when sumo was performed at the Imperial Palace in the presence of Emperor Showa, the Shinmei-zukuri style was adopted for the roof.
The Ise Grand Shrine enshrines the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami, the Shinto deity for the Imperial Household. Major developments occurred in the sumo world from the Taisho era (1912-1926) to Showa era (1926-1989).
Sumo was held in 1925 at the Crown Prince's Palace to celebrate the birthday of the then crown prince (later Emperor Showa). In return for this, the Imperial Household gave a gift of money to a sumo association. The association used the money to produce the Emperor's Cup, the original form of the Emperor's Cup presented today to the winner of a grand sumo tournament in the makuuchi highest division of wrestlers.
That the Emperor's Cup was thus conferred on the association is tantamount to grand sumo tournaments having been assured the backing of the Imperial family. This heightened the momentum for two divided sumo associations, in Tokyo and Osaka, to merge. The East and West associations merged to establish the Great Japan Sumo Association in 1927, a move that followed the education minister's approval of the establishment of a sumo incorporated foundation.
In 1931, the association adopted the Ise Shrine's Shinmei-zukuri style for the above-the-dohyo hanging roof. This is tantamount to the association expressing to society its admiration of the Imperial family. Partly because the then reigning emperor was an avid sumo fan, grand sumo tournaments thrived tremendously in the Showa era.
-- Miki is a sumo expert.
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