The earliest written mention of Sumo is found in the Kojiki, a book from the year 712, which is the oldest example of Japanese writing. The Kojiki relates a legend about how possession of the Japanese islands was determined by a Sumo match 2,500 years ago between the gods Takemikazuchi and Takeminakata. The two men grappled on the shores of Izumo along the Japan Sea coast until the latter finally lost. Thus control of the archipelago was ceded to the Japanese people led by Takemikazuchi, who is said to have established the imperial family from which the present emperor traces his ancestry. Thus Sumo from the start was different from most other sporting matches; each match a historical recreation.
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Historians think Sumo has lasted since the stone ages. No one knows for sure when the first sumo match occurred. Although, there are cave paintings showing people doing sumo.