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The Grand Sumo Tournament

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

Understanding Sumo Wrestling

Sumo represents Japan's iconic national sport, combining tradition, discipline and ancient spiritual practices dating back over a millennium.

This combat sport involves two competitors – known as rikishi – competing within a circular arena – a dohyo – measuring 4.55m (14.9 ft) in diameter.

Various rituals are performed before and after every match, emphasizing the traditional nature of the sport.

Customarily before a match, an opening is created at the center of the ring then filled with symbolic offerings through Shinto ceremonies.

The hole gets sealed, containing within divine presence. The rikishi then perform a ritual stamp and clap to drive off bad spirits.

Professional sumo is governed a strict hierarchy, and the wrestlers involved commit completely to it – living and training communally.

Why London?

This Major Sumo Event is being held outside of Japan only the second occasion, with the competition taking place in London from Wednesday, 15 October until Sunday, 19 October.

London and The Royal Albert Hall also hosted the 1991 tournament – the first time such an event was staged outside Japan in the sport's history.

Explaining the reasoning behind going overseas, sumo leadership expressed the intention to share to the people of London sumo's attraction – a historic Japanese tradition".

Sumo has experienced substantial growth in popularity globally in recent years, with overseas events potentially enhancing the popularity of Japanese culture abroad.

Sumo Bout Mechanics

The basic rules of sumo are quite simple. The match concludes once a wrestler gets pushed of the dohyo or makes contact with anything other than their foot soles.

Matches might end almost instantly or continue over two minutes.

There exist two primary techniques. Pusher-thrusters typically shove their opponents from the arena by force, while belt-fighters choose to grip their opponent and use judo-like throws.

Elite wrestlers often master multiple combat styles and can adapt against different styles.

Sumo includes 82 winning techniques, ranging from dramatic throws strategic evasions. This diversity of techniques and strategies keeps audiences engaged, meaning unexpected results can occur during any match.

Weight classes are not used within sumo, making it normal to see rikishi with significant size differences. Sumo rankings determine matchups rather than physical attributes.

While women can participate in amateur sumo globally, they're excluded from professional tournaments including major venues.

Rikishi Lifestyle

Professional rikishi live and train together in training stables known as heya, led by a stable master.

The daily routine of a rikishi focuses entirely on sumo. They rise early for intense practice, followed by a substantial lunch the traditional stew – a high-protein dish aimed at building mass – and an afternoon nap.

The average wrestler eats approximately multiple servings per meal – approximately 10,000 calories – although legendary stories of massive eating are documented.

Wrestlers purposely increase mass to enhance leverage during matches. Despite their size, they possess remarkable flexibility, rapid reflexes and explosive power.

Nearly all elements of rikishi life get controlled by their stable and the Sumo Association – creating a unique lifestyle among athletic professions.

Competitive standing determines their payment, living arrangements and even personal assistants.

Junior less established rikishi handle chores around the heya, while higher ranked ones enjoy special privileges.

Sumo rankings are established by results during yearly events. Wrestlers with winning records move up, while those losing drop down in standing.

Before each tournament, updated rankings gets published – a ceremonial list showing all wrestlers' positions within the sport.

The highest level exists the rank of Grand Champion – the ultimate achievement. Yokozuna embody the spirit of the sport – transcending winning.

Sumo Wrestlers Demographics

There are approximately 600 rikishi competing professionally, with most being Japanese.

Foreign wrestlers have participated prominently over years, with Mongolian athletes reaching top levels in recent times.

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

Recently, young international aspirants have traveled to the homeland seeking wrestling careers.