Sumo on the BBC – what is it and where can you watch?

The Grand Sumo Tournament

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

Sumo is the iconic national sport of Japan, but it is also a mix of tradition, discipline and Shinto religious rituals going back more than 1,000 years.

It is a combat sport with two wrestlers – called rikishi – fighting inside a raised circular ring – a dohyo – 4.55m (14.9 ft) large. Rituals and ceremonies are performed before and after each bout, highlighting the traditional nature of the sport.

Traditionally before a match, a hole is made in the centre of the dohyo and filled with nuts, squid, seaweed and sake by Shinto priests.

The hole is closed, enshrining inside a spirit. Sumo wrestlers then perform a ritual stamp and clap to scare away bad spirits.

The Grand Sumo Tournament is taking place outside of Japan for just the second time, 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 edition – the first time a tournament was staged outside Japan in the sport’s history.

Explaining why the competition has gone overseas, Hakkaku Rijicho, the Japan Sumo Association chair, said he wanted to “convey to the people of London the appeal of Sumo – an ancient traditional Japanese culture”.

The basic rules of sumo are quite simple. The bout is decided when a rikishi is forced out of the dohyo or touches the floor of the ring with anything other than the sole of his feet. Bouts can be over in a fraction of a second or last over two minutes.

There are two main fighting styles in sumo. Pusher-thrusters tend to shove their opponents out of the ring by force, while belt-fighters prefer to grapple the other rikishi and use judo-like throws.

High-ranking rikishi often excel in more than one type of combat and are able to adapt to their opponents.

There are 82 winning techniques, ranging from audacious throws to clever side-steps. The variety of techniques and strategies keeps fans fascinated, so surprises and upsets can happen in any bout.

There are no weight classes in sumo, so it is normal to see rikishi with huge size differences. Sumo rankings determine who is fighting who, rather than physical attributes.

Sumo wrestlers live and train together in training stables called a heya, led by a stable master.

The daily life of a rikishi is dedicated entirely to sumo. They wake up early for an intense morning practice, followed by a rich lunch of chankonabe (a high-protein stew designed to build bulk), and an afternoon nap.

The average wrestler consumes between six to 10 bowls per meal – around 10,000 calories – although the retired wrestler Takamisugi became famous when he reportedly ate 65 bowls of chankonabe in one sitting.

Rikishi intentionally gain weight to maximise their leverage in the ring. Despite their massive size, they are incredibly flexible, agile, and have explosive power.

A rikishi’s ranking regulates whether he is paid, allowed to have his own room or even live outside the stable or have an assistant.

Younger or lower ranked rikishi cook and perform chores around the heya, while higher ranked ones enjoy other special privileges.

Sumo rankings are determined by each rikishi’s performance in the six annual 15-day tournaments. Rikishi with a winning record, go up in the rankings, while those with a losing record go down.

Ahead of each tournament, a new banzuke is published, which is a single large sheet of traditional calligraphy containing the new ranking of all rikishi in professional sumo.

There are only around 600 rikishi in professional sumo and the majority are Japanese.

Foreign rikishi have featured prominently in the sport for decades, with Mongolian wrestlers dominating since the start of the century.

One of the two Yokozuna competing today – Hoshoryu – is from Mongolia. There are also two rikishi competing in the top divisions from Ukraine, while previous high-rankers included wrestlers from Eastern Europe and the Pacific Islands.

Earlier this year, 15-year-old Nicholas Tarasenko from Hull went to Japan to train become a professional sumo wrestler.

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