Woman breaches ancient Japanese tradition

Agence France-Presse
Last updated 03:10pm (Mla time) 09/20/2007

TOKYO -- Sumo's centuries-old tradition of barring women from entering the ring was momentarily breached Thursday after a woman suddenly threw herself onto the mound where the wrestlers fight.

Television footage showed a middle-aged woman in blue jeans and a green T-shirt abruptly climbing onto the elevated mound between matches Wednesday at the autumn grand tournament in Tokyo.

The mound encompasses the circle in which sumo wrestlers fight but the woman -- whose motive was unclear -- was dragged down by a stunned wrestler and others before she could reach the fighting circle.

Although the entire square mound is technically considered the sumo ring, sumo authorities denied the ancient tradition -- which bars women from entering the "sacred" ring -- had been broken.

"She put her foot on the mound and that can never be a desirable incident. Fortunately, however, she did not enter the fighting ring," a spokeswoman at the Japan Sumo Association said.
"We do not consider that she entered the ring," the official said, adding the association had no plans to press charges against her.

But sports tabloids dismissed the association's view and splashed photos of the woman on their front pages.

"They certainly blocked her from entering the fighting ring and there was no hindrance to matches, but nonetheless a 1,400-year history was broken since a woman was on the ring," the Nikkan Sports wrote.

The sumo association has gone to great lengths to preserve the tradition, even rejecting requests by powerful female politicians to present trophies to the winners of tournaments, making them send their male deputies instead.

Sumo is linked to the Shinto faith, whose rituals strictly forbid any contact with blood, such as that shed by women during menstruation and childbirth.

Women, considered to lack purity, were not even allowed to watch sumo until the late 19th century.

The woman who broke into the mound was taken to a nearby police station but later released, reports said.

Her identity and motive were unclear, although the Nikkan Sports said she was holding fliers with messages such as "Help. Evil spirits."