Why the Grand Sumo Tournament is Being Held in the UK Capital
The Grand Sumo Tournament
Venue: This Historic London Venue, London. Dates: 15-19 October
Exploring Japan's National Sport
Sumo embodies the traditional sport of Japan, blending custom, discipline and Shinto religious rituals dating back over a millennium.
This combat sport features two wrestlers – known as rikishi – competing within a circular arena – a dohyo – spanning 4.55 meters in diameter.
Various rituals take place both preceding and following each bout, highlighting the ceremonial aspects of the sport.
Customarily before a match, an opening is made at the center of the ring then filled with nuts, squid, seaweed and sake by Shinto priests.
The hole gets sealed, enshrining inside divine presence. Sumo wrestlers then perform a ceremonial stomp with hand clapping to scare away bad spirits.
Elite sumo operates under a strict hierarchy, with competitors involved dedicate their entire lives to the sport – living and training in group settings.
Why London?
This Major Sumo Event is taking place outside of Japan for just the second time, with the competition occurring in London from Wednesday, 15 October through October 19th.
The British capital and The Royal Albert Hall previously held the 1991 edition – the first time such an event was staged beyond Japan in sumo history.
Explaining the reasoning behind going overseas, sumo leadership expressed he wanted to share to the people of London the appeal of Sumo – an ancient traditional Japanese culture".
Sumo has experienced a significant rise in popularity among international fans recently, with overseas events could further boost the popularity of Japanese culture internationally.
How Sumo Matches Work
The basic rules of sumo are straightforward. The match concludes when a rikishi gets pushed from the ring or makes contact with anything other than their foot soles.
Matches can conclude in a fraction of a second or continue several minutes.
There exist two main fighting styles. Pusher-thrusters generally push their opponents from the arena by force, while belt-fighters prefer to grapple their opponent employing throwing techniques.
High-ranking rikishi frequently excel in multiple combat styles and can adapt to their opponents.
There are dozens of victory moves, ranging from audacious throws strategic evasions. This diversity in moves and tactics keeps audiences engaged, meaning unexpected results may happen during any match.
Size categories do not exist within sumo, making it normal to see rikishi with significant size differences. Sumo rankings decides opponents instead of body measurements.
While women do compete in amateur sumo globally, they're excluded from elite competitions or the main arenas.
Rikishi Lifestyle
Professional rikishi live and train in communal facilities known as heya, under a head trainer.
Everyday life of a rikishi centers completely around the sport. Early mornings dedicated to training, then consuming a large meal the traditional stew – a protein-rich preparation aimed at building mass – with rest periods.
The average wrestler eats approximately multiple servings each sitting – thousands of calories – with notable instances of extreme consumption are documented.
Rikishi intentionally gain weight to enhance leverage during matches. Although large, they demonstrate surprising agility, quick movements with strong bursts.
Virtually every aspect of wrestlers' existence get controlled by their stable and governing body – creating a distinctive existence in professional sports.
A wrestler's ranking affects their payment, living arrangements including personal assistants.
Younger or lower ranked wrestlers handle chores around the heya, whereas senior competitors receive preferred treatment.
Sumo rankings are established by results in six annual tournaments. Wrestlers with winning records advance, while those losing descend the rankings.
Before each tournament, updated rankings gets published – a ceremonial list displaying all wrestlers' positions within the sport.
At the summit exists the rank of Grand Champion – the pinnacle position. Yokozuna embody the essence of the sport – transcending winning.
Who Becomes a Rikishi
There are approximately 600 rikishi in professional sumo, primarily being Japanese.
International competitors have been involved prominently over years, including Mongolian wrestlers achieving dominance in recent times.
Top champions feature international representatives, with competitors multiple countries reaching elite status.
Recently, young international aspirants have traveled to the homeland pursuing professional sumo careers.
