Quote:
Originally Posted by CrazyLee
Wouldn't it depend on were the Sumo came from in relation to caste? Couldn't you have, for example, a Samurai who was also doing Sumo, as its a form of wrestling/martial art?
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No. Sumo wrestlers of old were honored for their fighting skills, but they were merely entertainers. They may have been well paid, and become popular, but their social status would be like that of other entertainers, which was very low.
The order runs so:
The Emperor and nobility, then his highest advisers (usually samurai, including the Shogun). Then came the samurai (and there are different levels of samurai). Following the samurai came the peasants (craftsmen and farmers). Below these were the merchants, and below the merchants were the entertainers. Below these were the remains of society, which included outcasts, criminals, and of course, foreigners.