🔗 Share this article

Not many athletic disciplines can captivate an audience through three-quarters of an hour of ritual before the first point is even contested.

Yet the detailed ceremonies unfolding in a traditional dohyō - largely unaltered for centuries - accomplished exactly that.

Experience the Prestigious Rikishi Event

This five-day event at the historic concert hall features numerous elite sumo wrestlers showcasing a sport whose initial documentation dates back to the first century BC.

London's Victorian concert venue has been totally redesigned, complete with a massive traditional roof structure hanging above the dohyō.

Time-Honored Rituals Meet Current Innovations

It is here the athletes, known as sumo professionals, perform their foot stomping to expel evil spirits, and where they applaud to attract the deities.

Above all this historical practice, a massive rotating display - which wouldn't look out of place at an American basketball game - offers the crowd all the data and video they could want.

Global Fans Discover Sumo

For an enthusiastic follower, it was a "chance online clip" that first caught her attention a couple of years ago.

This was soon supplemented with the discovery of focused video platforms for sumo stables, where competitors stay and exercise, rising before dawn to train, followed by a protein-rich meal and then an daytime sleep - all in the effort toward gaining weight.

From Edinburgh, Alternative View

Another couple discovered sumo through a conventional method: a journey to Asia six years ago.

"We considered it a common sightseeing event, but we actually ended up loving the sport," says Julia.

"Subsequently, we tried to locate groups, resources, just to learn more about it," the other fan explains.

Rare Opportunity

Visiting the homeland is typically the sole method to see a major championship.

This current tournament marks only the second occasion the tournament has come to London - the previous visit was in the early nineties.

Even going to Japan isn't a guarantee of obtaining admission, with the past period seeing fully attended competitions.

Live Observation

For many attendees, the UK competition represents the initial opportunity they have experienced the sport directly - and it lives up to the hype.

"Seeing it up close, you get a feeling of velocity and the strength which you can't experience on TV," explains an attendee. "They are so big."

The Bouts

To succeed, one rikishi needs to move the other man from the dohyō or to the ground using raw power.

The most use one of pair of techniques to accomplish this, often in moments - thrusting, or clenching.

Either way, the noise of the two rikishi meeting in the first moment of the match reverberates around the auditorium.

Front Row Positions

The cushions right next to the ring are of course greatly valued - but also, a bit risky.

During one particular match, a large wrestler tumbled into the spectators - perhaps making those in less expensive positions breathe a sigh of relief.

Organizational Issues

Of course, the dimensions of the wrestlers is one of the initial aspects most people consider when they contemplate wrestling.

The hall's organizers revealed they "had to source and acquire reinforced furniture which can withstand 200kg in weight."

But sumo - for all its popular tournaments - is not without its difficulties behind the scenes.

Coming Obstacles

Perhaps the rigorous lifestyle of a sumo wrestler doesn't look as desirable as it once might have.

Its following among young Japanese is also being challenged by other sports, while Japan's falling birthrate will present additional challenges.

Global Community

Not that any of this has worried fans in London.

"Witnessing these tradition and practice that goes with sumo is especially significant," one enthusiast notes. "Today, watching it directly, you experience being you are more part of it."

For other dedicated followers, the drama "produced unforgettable moments" - as did encountering the fellow enthusiasts.

"Emerging from a particularly focused online community and being able to witness multiple sumo fans directly and being able to converse with other people who are similarly enthusiastic as we are - it was worth every penny."