The Reason the Grand Sumo Tournament Takes Place in London

This Prestigious Sumo Competition

Venue: The Royal Albert Hall, London. Schedule: 15-19 October

Exploring Sumo Wrestling

Sumo represents Japan's iconic national sport, combining tradition, discipline and ancient spiritual practices dating back more than 1,000 years.

This combat sport involves two competitors – called rikishi – battling within a circular arena – a dohyo – measuring 4.55m (14.9 ft) across.

Various rituals take place before and after each bout, highlighting the ceremonial aspects of the sport.

Customarily prior to competition, a hole is made in the center of the dohyo and filled with nuts, squid, seaweed and sake by Shinto priests.

The hole is closed, containing within divine presence. The rikishi then perform a ceremonial stomp with hand clapping to scare away bad spirits.

Professional sumo is governed a strict hierarchy, and the wrestlers who participate commit completely to it – residing and practicing in group settings.

Why London?

This Major Sumo Event is taking place outside of Japan for just the second time, with the competition taking place in London beginning October 15th through October 19th.

London and The Royal Albert Hall also hosted the 1991 edition – the first time a tournament was staged beyond Japan in the sport's history.

Explaining the reasoning behind going overseas, the Japan Sumo Association chair stated he wanted to share with London audiences the appeal of Sumo – an ancient traditional Japanese culture".

The sport has seen substantial growth in international interest among international fans recently, and a rare international tournament could further boost the popularity of Japanese culture abroad.

How Sumo Matches Work

The basic rules in sumo wrestling are straightforward. The bout is decided once a wrestler gets pushed from the ring or touches the floor using anything besides their foot soles.

Matches can conclude almost instantly or last over two minutes.

There exist two primary techniques. Pusher-thrusters generally push competitors out of the ring through strength, whereas grapplers prefer to grapple their opponent and use judo-like throws.

Elite wrestlers often master various techniques and can adapt against different styles.

Sumo includes dozens of victory moves, ranging from audacious throws to clever side-steps. This diversity in moves and tactics keeps audiences engaged, meaning unexpected results may happen in any bout.

Weight classes are not used in sumo, so it's common to observe wrestlers with significant size differences. The ranking system decides opponents rather than body measurements.

Although female athletes do compete in amateur sumo worldwide, they cannot enter elite competitions including major venues.

Rikishi Lifestyle

Professional rikishi reside and practice in communal facilities called heya, under a head trainer.

The daily routine for wrestlers focuses entirely around the sport. Early mornings dedicated to training, then consuming a substantial lunch the traditional stew – a high-protein dish aimed at building mass – with rest periods.

The average wrestler consumes between multiple servings each sitting – thousands of calories – although legendary stories of massive eating are documented.

Rikishi intentionally gain weight to enhance leverage during matches. Although large, they demonstrate surprising agility, quick movements with strong bursts.

Nearly all elements of rikishi life get controlled by their stable and governing body – creating a distinctive existence in professional sports.

Competitive standing determines earnings, living arrangements including support staff.

Younger less established wrestlers perform duties in the stable, whereas senior competitors receive preferred treatment.

Competitive standings get determined by results in six annual tournaments. Wrestlers with winning records move up, unsuccessful ones drop down in standing.

Before each tournament, a new banzuke are released – a ceremonial list showing all wrestlers' positions in professional sumo.

At the summit exists the rank of Grand Champion – the pinnacle position. Yokozuna represent the spirit of sumo – transcending winning.

Who Becomes a Rikishi

There are approximately several hundred wrestlers competing professionally, with most being Japanese.

International competitors have been involved prominently for decades, with Mongolian athletes reaching top levels in recent times.

Top champions include international representatives, including wrestlers from various nations achieving high ranks.

Recently, foreign prospects have journeyed to Japan pursuing wrestling careers.