Editing Sports in Japan (section)

==History==

===Pre-Edo period===
[[File:Ancient Sumo competition.jpg|thumb|right|Painting of an ancient Sumo competition, [[Heian period|Heian]] or [[Kamakura period]]]] 
[[Sumo]] shows an important side of traditional Japanese sport, a religious occasion as well as a sporting event. Many sumo rituals are closely associated with [[Shinto]] belief. It is believed that some ancient sumo matches were purely religious events with predetermined outcomes as an offering to [[kami]], with some matches regarded as [[divination]] – e.g. if a well-liked fisherman competed and won, a good catch was predicted for the year.

The Kamakura period was a starting point for many martial arts. [[Kyūdō]] became popular as {{Transliteration|ja|kyujutsu}}, literally ''bow skill'', as a pastime for the samurai class. [[Yabusame]] also started as a sport in this period, but is now considered a sacred ceremony.

===Edo period===
In the [[Edo period]], sports became a popular way to spend time. The only problem was that they were often accompanied by gambling. A notice to punish playing and betting on sumo without authorization was repeatedly posted to little effect. Kyūdō was encouraged by ''[[shōgun]]s'' and ''[[daimyō]]s'' as a pastime, and contests as well as record making attempts were held. On April 26, 1686, a samurai named ''Wasa Daihachiro'' competing in the [[Tōshiya]] made an unsurpassed record of shooting 13,053 arrows and hitting the mark 8,133 times over a 24-hour period. This is even more remarkable when one considers the shooting range for this attempt, a 120-meter-long corridor with a ceiling of only 2.2 meters. In the [[Olympic Games]], archers shoot over a distance of only 70 meters. Martial arts like [[jujutsu]] were popular but schools avoided inter-school matches, leaving room only for intramural matches.

===After Meiji Restoration===
[[File:Karate ShuriCastle.jpg|thumb|right|Karate practices at [[Shuri Castle]] in 1938]]
[[File:050907-M-7747B-002-Judo.jpg|thumb|right|Judoka in Okinawa]]
After the [[Meiji Restoration]], various kinds of Western sports were introduced into Japan. Playing sports was adopted as a school activity and matches between universities became popular. During the 1870s, [[track and field]] events, [[baseball]], [[Association football|football]], [[rugby union]], [[cricket]] and [[ice skating]] were introduced. In 1911, an [[Austria]]n gave [[skiing]] instruction to the Japanese army. In those days, Western sports were played by a few people, but through the educational system, they spread throughout the country. Western sports were initially stressed as a form of mental discipline, but Japanese have now come to enjoy them as recreational activities.<ref>[http://web-japan.org/factsheet/pdf/SPORTS.pdf Japan Fact Sheet Sport], Web Japan {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926221500/http://web-japan.org/factsheet/pdf/SPORTS.pdf |date=2007-09-26 }}</ref> Professional sports, the most famous being baseball which continues even today, started in the late 1920s but persistent rumors of bribes and a general attitude that sports should be for players or as a hobby persisted. Matches between schools attracted large crowd until after [[World War II]] when airing sporting events on [[radio]] and [[television]] became common. [[Manga]] with sports-themed stories (colloquially called ''{{Transliteration|ja|[[spokon]]}}'') have also played a part in attracting readers to slightly less popular sports, such as volleyball,<ref>See ''[[Attack No. 1]]'', ''[[Haikyū!!]]''.</ref> association football,<ref>See ''[[Captain Tsubasa]]'', ''[[The Knight in the Area]]''.</ref> basketball,<ref>See ''[[Slam Dunk (manga)|Slam Dunk]]'', ''[[Kuroko's Basketball]]''.</ref> or American football,<ref>See ''[[Eyeshield 21]]''.</ref> although there are also stories focusing on more popular sports like baseball.<ref>See ''[[Star of the Giants]]'', ''[[Touch (manga)|Touch]]''.</ref>

Other sports like [[table tennis]] and [[fencing]] have been popular at different times. Baseball was a staple of early television, and [[boxing]] and sumo were aired periodically. Initially, running live sports games was viewed with skepticism as it was believed that fans would rather stay at home if they could watch for free. But, as it actually increased interest and sold more merchandise, airing of sports on television became popular.

Judo has been recognized as an official event in the [[Olympic Games]] since the [[1964 Summer Olympics]] in [[Tokyo]]. It is also one of the four main forms of amateur competitive wrestling practiced internationally today. [[Keirin]] racing has also become an Olympic Games event since the [[2000 Summer Olympics]] in [[Sydney]].

[[Motorsport]]s have become quite popular in Japan, especially during the latter third of the 20th century. Japanese car manufacturers use a relatively new form of motorsport that is distinctly Japanese and is now being exported abroad.

Japan hosted the [[Tokyo 2020]] Olympics, which were postponed until 2021 due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].