Opening of a storehouse - Opening of a storehouse

... The "Dohyo Festival" is a kind of ground-breaking ceremony for a newly constructed sumo ring, and in sumo wrestling, it is held around 10 a.m. on the day before the first day of the tournament. In the past, it was called "kataya-biraki." This ceremony conveys the customs associated with sumo that have been prevalent in rural areas since ancient times, and it conveys the meaning of praying for a good harvest, as well as the spirit and form of offering sumo to the gods in times of good harvest.

*Some of the terminology explanations that refer to "Hatayabiraki" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…　〈土俵祭〉は，新しく構築した土俵の地鎮祭の一種で，大相撲では本場所初日の前日の朝10時前後に行われる。古く方屋開きといった。この儀式は，古代のころから農村に普及していた相撲に伴う習俗を伝え，五穀豊穣を祈願する意味と，豊作のとき神前に相撲を奉納する精神と形式が伝えられている。…

※「方屋開き」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