✨ TITLE: The Sumo Ring and Gender: Finding Equal Power Beyond the “Invisible Shield” ✨
Hey, we’ve talked about “White Stars” and “Odd Numbers,” but Sumo has one rule that sometimes feels a little frustrating to us: the exclusion of women (Nyōnin Kinsei) from the Dohyo (the ring).
Even if they say, “It’s because it’s a cultural tradition,” as working women today, we can’t help but feel, “Why are we the only ones excluded?” Of course, women are active in modern amateur and women’s sumo, but the frustration comes from the symbolic wall of the traditional professional ring. We see that same kind of subtle, male-dominated “Dohyo” in our workplaces and society, too.
Men Also Carry the Burden of the “Why Me?”
But I’ve been thinking, is this feeling of frustration exclusive to women?
Men also face invisible pressure, sometimes asking, “Why do I always have to be on the frontline?” or “Why is it always my role to ‘protect’ women and family?”
The reason the traditional Dohyo excludes women is to uphold the strict tradition as a Shinto ritual (Shinji). There is a perspective that this is absolutely not a slight against women in the modern sense.
Historically, men stood on the battlefields or hunting grounds, acting as the “shield” for women and children, risking their lives. Perhaps the Dohyo, being the symbol of that “sacred battleground,” was reserved only for men who took on that specific role.
No Up or Down. Just Different, But Absolutely Equal Roles.
What’s crucial here is that it’s not about “who is superior” or “who is more disadvantaged.”
We also possess an ultimate strength that is different from the man’s “shield role,” and we use it outside the Dohyo—in the “backstage” of our daily lives and careers.
Look at the Okamisan (the stable master’s wife). She can’t step into the ring, but she manages the wrestlers’ lives, handles all relationships, and maintains the entire community of the stable—a lifeline role no one else can fill.
- If men are working hard as the “Shield that Protects,” we can exert our power as the “Foundation that Supports.”
- Our roles are simply different, but their importance is absolutely equal.
As we approach our 30s, we become stronger by acknowledging and respecting each other’s burdens. We don’t need to be in the spotlight on the Dohyo. Let’s be the “Backstage Producers” who skillfully run our organizations and homes.
Let’s find our own “Hidden Dohyo” and stack up our unique White Stars there!
#GenderRoles #EqualPower #NoUpNoDown #RespectAndTradition #BackstageProducer
