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Japanese women struggle to find a place in the Japanese sumo world
More than 600 women compete at amateur sumo level in Japan, doubling participation recently amid ongoing exclusion from professional sumo due to traditional taboos, officials said.
- In Japan, women are barred from entering the traditional sumo ring, the dohyō, but the amateur scene includes more than 600 female wrestlers nationwide.
- Rooted in centuries-old ritual, sumo's Shinto-linked traditions barred women from the ring and cultural norms equate slimness with beauty; government data show over 20% of Japanese women in their 20s and 30s are underweight.
- At clubs like Keio University Sumo Club, women train alongside men, wear the traditional loincloth over spandex for modesty, and amateur participation has more than doubled in recent years, the Associated Press documented.
- Leading the charge, Rio Hasegawa, 22-year-old 2024 middleweight world champion, is the first female to join Keio University Sumo Club since 1919, while Airi Hisano seeks gender equality and Olympic recognition in women's sumo.
- Despite gains, girls face teasing that can push some out of sumo, and middle-schoolers cited have lost roughly 20 kilograms; women's amateur sumo bouts match male intensity, signaling broader societal impact.
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More than 600 women practice amateur sumo wrestling in Japan despite professional exclusion
While professional sumo wrestling in Japan maintains its 1,500-year-old tradition of excluding women from the sacred ring, a growing movement of more than 600 female amateur wrestlers is challenging gender barriers and pushing for the sport's inclusion in the Olympics.
·United States
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Associated Press News+20 Reposted by 20 other sources
Japanese women struggle to find a place in the Japanese sumo world
Sumo is more than a sport in Japan; it's a sacred tradition. Women are still barred from the traditional ring, known as the dohyō, but this legacy is facing quiet resistance.
·United States
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Total News Sources23
Leaning Left8Leaning Right2Center8Last UpdatedBias Distribution44% Left, 44% Center
Bias Distribution
- 44% of the sources lean Left, 44% of the sources are Center
44% Center
L 44%
C 44%
11%
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