Song Sumo - Utazumo

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[origin]
Poetry contests could have been held at any time if the spirit of singing, the spirit of competition, and the spirit of understanding were combined, but they did not exist in the Manyo period, nor in the early Heian period, when waka poetry became literature that was written and read and recorded in documents. The oldest surviving "Tambekyo Yukihira Family Poetry Contest" ("Zaiminbukyo Family Poetry Contest") first appeared during the Ninna era (885-889) of Emperor Koko, who established waka poetry, court ceremonies, and national style in order to suppress the regent politics of the Northern House Fujiwara clan, and considering that the format of the poetry contest closely resembles that of a sumo festival, it can even be thought of as having begun out of an interest in a kind of song-sumo contest.
[Classification and composition]
According to the status of the host, there are hierarchical standards that divide the contests into Dairi, Sen'do, Kogu, Nyoin, Nyogo, Miyasudokoro, Shinno, Naishinno, Saigū, Saiin, Daijin, Nagon, Sangi, Unkyaku, Chika, Nyo'yō, Nōtaku, Monk's quarters, and Shinto shrines; furthermore, according to the interest of the uta-awase, these are broadly divided vertically into mono-awase with poems, uta-awase with mono-awase, uta-awase with mono-awase, and pure uta-awase; these are further subdivided horizontally according to the subject matter, into ne-awase, maesai-awase, yorobi-awase, dianthus-awase, chrysanthemum-awase, maple-awase, shell-awase, insect-awase, bird-awase, beast-awase, artisans-awase, ishi-awase, yōwa-kō-awase, fan-awase, picture-awase, kōshi-awase, kobako-awase, riddle-awase, tale-awase, erotic calligraphy-awase, question and answer-awase, shi-uta-awase, and renga-awase.

*Some of the terminology that refers to "Uta Sumo" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

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［起源］
　歌う心と競う心と判（ことわ）る心とが結びつけば歌合はいつでも成立しえたはずであるが，万葉時代にもなく，和歌が書き読む文学となって文献に記録されるようになった平安朝初期にもなかった。北家藤原氏の摂関政治を抑えるために和歌をはじめ朝儀，国風を作興した光孝天皇の仁和年間(885‐889)に初めて現存最古の《民部卿行平家歌合》(《在民部卿家歌合》)が出現したことと，歌合の行事形式が相撲節会（すまいのせちえ）に酷似していることとからして，いわば歌相撲といった興味から始められたものとさえ考えられる。
［分類と構成］
　主催者の地位によって，内裏，仙洞，后宮，女院，女御，御息所，親王，内親王，斎宮，斎院，大臣，納言，参議，雲客，地下，女宅，僧房，神社などに分ける階級的規準があり，さらに歌合の興味の所在によって，歌を伴う物合，物合を伴う歌合，物を伴う歌合，純粋歌合と縦に大別し，これを題材によって横に細分して，根合，前栽合，女郎花合，撫子合，菊合，紅葉合，貝合，虫合，鳥合，獣合，職人合，石合，百和香合，扇合，絵合，草子合，小箱合，謎合，物語合，艶書合，問答合，詩歌合，連歌合などに分ける素材的規準がある。…

※「歌相撲」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報