Pre-Edo period
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Painting of an ancient Sumo competition, Heian or Kamakura periodSumo 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 of ancient sumo matches were a purely religious event with a predetermined outcome as an offering to kami. Some matches are done as divination. For example, if a fisherman and farmer held a match and the fisherman won, a good catch was predicted for the year.

The Kamakura period was a starting point for many martial arts. Ky?d? became popular as kyujutsu, literally bow skill, as a pastime for samurai. Yabusame also started as a sport in this period, but is now considered a sacred ceremony. Hunting also became a popular sport and dogs were used to aid a hunt. Hunting was also called Inuoimono, literally dog chasing

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