[sumo] Dohyo Matsuri

[Joe Kuroda]

With all the hoopla of who would come out and receive
the yusho winner portrait for Asashoryu, something
more meaningful was left out in the sumo news today.

This morning they had the Dohyo Matsuri, a cermony the
tate-gyoji performs on the dohyo accompnied by his
assistants and with the Rijicho and all Dohyo judges
circling around the dohyo.

They set up a temporary altar in the middle of the
dohyo with seven Shinto white strips of papers
surrounding it. In the center of it there is a 15 cm
rectangular hole dug up. It is a cermony evoking the
dawning of Sumo as it was staged in front of the
emperors from the eras of Nara and Heian (700
AD~1200AD). The dohyo is literally a place where the
Shinto deity would come down from heaven, more than a
battleground of the two competitors.

First the Tate-gyoji will recite:

With the opening of Heaven and Earth
Yang and Yin was divided
Pure and Lightening matters rise up as Yang
And they will be called Win
Murky and Heavy matters will descend as Yin
And they will be called Loss
Winning and losing is reasoned
According to the order of Heaven and Earth
To be executed by Man
In this place of Purity and Grace
We build the cleansed soil and form with the Tawara
Here is our prayer and ceremony
For bountiful and plentiful produces
And good heatlh and saftey for All...

There are two plates placed on the center of the
dohyo. On one plate, the gyoji will put chestnuts,
sprout seeds and washed rice. On the other plate he
will place dried kelp and dried squid. He will then
offer a prayer and then put all on one plate. He then
covers the plate with the other. He will wrap the
whole thing in a paper and then sprinkle water over
it. After throwing salt on it, he will place it in the
hole.

The gyoji will then pour ceremonial Sake over the
hole. The sake will then pour over the Tawara, first
on the Mukou-Shoumen (the side where the gyoji sits),
the West, the Shoumen (where the chief dohyo judge
sits) and then to the East. Then a cup of the Sake is
given to each Judge and Rijicho for the ceremonial
drink.

In the current form, the Dohyo Matsuri ceremony has
been performed for over 200 years. 

Here are the pictures courtesy of ilovesumo on
SumoForum
http://www.sumoforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=11119&st=0&p=101786&#entry101786

.....Jonosuke 
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