Why This Major Sumo Event is Being Held in London

This Prestigious Sumo Competition

Venue: This Historic London Venue, London. Schedule: October 15th through 19th

Exploring Sumo Wrestling

Sumo represents Japan's iconic national sport, combining custom, discipline and Shinto religious rituals dating back more than 1,000 years.

This combat sport features two wrestlers – known as rikishi – competing within a circular arena – a dohyo – spanning 4.55 meters in diameter.

Various rituals are performed both preceding and following every match, highlighting the ceremonial aspects in sumo.

Customarily before a match, an opening is made in the center of the dohyo and filled with nuts, squid, seaweed and sake by Shinto priests.

This opening is closed, enshrining inside a spirit. Sumo wrestlers subsequently execute a ceremonial stomp and clap to scare away bad spirits.

Professional sumo is governed a strict hierarchy, and the wrestlers involved dedicate their entire lives to it – residing and practicing communally.

The London Location

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

The British capital with this iconic venue also hosted the 1991 edition – the first time a tournament took place outside Japan in sumo history.

Explaining the reasoning for the international competition, sumo leadership stated the intention to share with London audiences sumo's attraction – a historic Japanese tradition".

Sumo has seen substantial growth in popularity globally recently, and a rare international tournament could further boost the popularity of Japanese culture abroad.

How Sumo Matches Work

The fundamental regulations in sumo wrestling are straightforward. The match concludes once a wrestler is forced out from the ring or touches the floor using anything besides their foot soles.

Bouts can conclude in a fraction of a second or last several minutes.

There exist two main fighting styles. Aggressive pushers generally push competitors out of the ring by force, whereas grapplers prefer to grapple the other rikishi employing judo-like throws.

Elite wrestlers often master various techniques and can adapt to their opponents.

Sumo includes dozens of victory moves, including dramatic throws strategic evasions. The variety in moves and tactics keeps audiences engaged, meaning unexpected results can occur during any match.

Weight classes do not exist in sumo, so it's common to observe wrestlers of varying dimensions. The ranking system decides opponents rather than body measurements.

Although female athletes do compete in amateur sumo globally, they're excluded from elite competitions including major venues.

Rikishi Lifestyle

Professional rikishi live and train together in training stables called heya, under a head trainer.

The daily routine of a rikishi focuses entirely on sumo. Early mornings for intense practice, followed by a substantial lunch the traditional stew – a high-protein dish designed for weight gain – with rest periods.

The average wrestler consumes between six to 10 bowls each sitting – thousands of calories – with notable instances of massive eating exist in sumo history.

Wrestlers purposely increase mass for competitive advantage during matches. Although large, they possess remarkable flexibility, rapid reflexes with strong bursts.

Nearly all elements of wrestlers' existence are regulated by their stable and the Sumo Association – creating a unique lifestyle in professional sports.

A wrestler's ranking determines their payment, living arrangements including personal assistants.

Junior or lower ranked wrestlers perform duties in the stable, while higher ranked competitors receive special privileges.

Sumo rankings are established by results in six annual tournaments. Wrestlers with winning records move up, while those losing drop down the rankings.

Prior to events, a new banzuke are released – a traditional document showing all wrestlers' positions in professional sumo.

At the summit features the title of Grand Champion – the pinnacle position. Yokozuna represent the spirit of the sport – transcending winning.

Who Becomes a Rikishi

There are approximately 600 rikishi in professional sumo, with most from Japan.

International competitors have participated prominently over years, including Mongolian wrestlers achieving dominance currently.

Top champions include global participants, with competitors from various nations reaching elite status.

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