I would like to express my delight at the grand opening of
the Seventh Sumo World Championship at the Palace of Sumo,
the Kokugikan, from the depths of my heart.
First, let us look at the history of sumo. A sculpture has
been found in ancient Babylonian remains. It has two people
with a belt wrapped around them and their arms intertwined.
It is estimated to be over 4500 years old, the oldest record
of this kind of sport. In Egypt, a wall painting of martial
arts estimated at over 4000 years old has been found. China
and India also have many oral traditions and accounts related
to sumo that are recorded in ancient writings.
From these relics it can be surmised that sumo is not
merely from Japan, it was in ancient times, widely known
throughout the world I am sure that I am not alone in feeling
great joy in bridging the gap of time of thousands of years
and taking pride in the opening of the Sumo World
Championship again this year with more than 30 participating
countries. All of this could not be done without the efforts
of the International Sumo Federation and the various
continental sumo federations.
The sumo of today is a proud martial art which aims toward
true human form through the training of mind, technique, and
body. Sumo respects courtesy and it is also a modern sport
which follows international rules. More than anything else, I
hope that the participants of this championship respect the
rules and manners of the sport while competing fairly in the
name of the honor and dignity of their nations. Most
importantly, victory should be without vanity and defeat
should not be a discouragement. Praise should go to the
winner and compassion to the loser. It would be our pleasure
if this championship could serve as an opportunity for all
the contestants to develop their respectable character and
friendly relationships with each other.
Finally, I would like to thank, from the bottom of my
heart, all of those who have assisted in the holding of this
championship. I pray for the success of the championship and
the future development of sumo.
Seiji Yoshida
President
Japan Sumo Federation
