Sports

Sports in Japan

Many different sports are played in Japan. Traditional martial arts like judo and kendo are popular, as are sports imported from overseas, such as baseball and football.

Traditional  Sports

Sumo

Sumo is a traditional Japanese sport that still enjoys immense popularity today. In sumo, two wrestler who brings his opponent down to the ground or pushes him out of the ring is the winner.

There are no weight restrictions or classes in sumo, meaning that wrestlers can easily find themselves matched off against someone many times their size. As a result, weight gain is an essential part of sumo training.

Judo

Judo (柔道, Jūdō) is a popular Japanese martial art and a contested sport in the Olympics. It was created by Kano Jigoro in Japan in 1882.

The three basic categories of techniques practiced in Judo are throwing, grappling and striking, while the art of falling is also an important component of the sport. In sparring practices and contests, participants are only allowed to use a set of approved techniques that excludes striking techniques to avoid injuries.

Kendo

Another traditional sport is Kendo. In Kendo, two fencers wearing protectors, including masks and chest guards, each hold a long bamboo sword and compete by attempting to strike the opponent's mask or chest with the sword. The furious, noisy sport of Kendo is perhaps Japan's oldest martial art and blends power, skill and bravery.

Kendo could be described loosely as "Japanese fencing", though the "swords" are today crafted from four substantial bamboo slats, usually held together by leather straps. Its origins lie in the Kamakura period (1185-1333) with the samurai, who needed to practice their swordsmanship.

  Over time the swords were replaced with the bamboo staves, and thick, protective body armour was introduced. Today Kendo is practiced all over Japan and is a sport for all ages of participants.

Karate

Karate developed on the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was brought to the Japanese mainland in the early 20th century during a time of cultural exchanges between the Japanese and the Chinese.

Karate is now predominantly a striking art using punching, kicking, knee strikes, elbow strikes and open hand techniques such as knife-hands, spear-hands, and palm-heel strikes. In August 2016, the International Olympic Committee approved karate as an Olympic sport beginning at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Modern Sports

Baseball

Baseball was first introduced to Japan in 1872 by American Horace Wilson, an English professor in Tokyo and is currently among the country's most popular participatory and spectator sports. The first professional competitions emerged in the 1920s. The current league, Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), consists of two leagues of 6 teams each.

The league currently consists of two six-team circuits, the Central League and the Pacific League. Each season the winning clubs from the two leagues compete in the Japan Series, the championship series of NPB.

Football

Association football is one of the most popular sports in Japan. Its nationwide organization, Japan Football Association, administers the professional football league, J. League, which is the most successful association football league in Asia.

REFERENCES
👉Cesare Polenghi (2013). J-League History Part 1: Beginnings. Retrieved 12   November 2016 from http://www.goal.com/en-sg/news/3883/features/2013/09/09/4249128/j-league-history-part-1-beginnings

👉NPB Tracker (2009). Baseball in Japan & Around the World. Retrieved 12 November 2016 from http://www.npbtracker.com/

👉Ishikawa, Takahiko; Draeger, Donn F. (1999), Judo Training Methods. Boston, Massachusetts: Tuttle Publishing. 

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NG CHUN KHAI

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