🔗 Share this article

Only a handful of competitions can captivate an audience through 45 minutes of tradition before the initial score is even decided.

Yet the intricate traditions unfolding in a traditional dohyō - largely unaltered for hundreds of years - managed to do just that.

Welcome to the Grand Sumo Tournament

This five-day event at the Royal Albert Hall features numerous elite sumo athletes showcasing a sport whose earliest records dates back to 23BC.

London's historic performance space has been completely reimagined, complete with a six-tonne Japanese temple roof hanging above the dohyō.

Ancient Traditions Meet Contemporary Displays

It is here the athletes, known as sumo professionals, perform their leg stomps to expel negative energies, and where they strike their hands to get the attention of the gods.

Above all this traditional ritual, a giant, revolving LED screen - which wouldn't look out of place at an American basketball game - offers the audience all the stats and replays they could want.

Global Fans Embrace Sumo

For one dedicated fan, it was a "chance online clip" that first drew her interest a couple of years ago.

This was rapidly enhanced by the discovery of dedicated YouTube channels for rikishi houses, where competitors stay and exercise, waking up early to work out, followed by a nutritious chankonabe and then an afternoon nap - all in the service of increasing mass.

From Edinburgh, Another Perspective

Julia and her partner Cezar discovered sumo through a more traditional route: a trip to Japan six years ago.

"We approached it as a very touristy activity, but we actually ended up loving the sport," notes the enthusiast.

"From there on, we tried to discover networks, information, just to expand our knowledge about it," adds Cezar.

Special Event

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

This London competition marks only the second occasion the tournament has come to London - the initial occasion was in over three decades ago.

Even visiting the country doesn't ensure of obtaining admission, with recent years seeing fully attended competitions.

Live Observation

For many attendees, the current event represents the first time they have seen live sumo - and it lives up to the hype.

"Seeing it up close, you get a feeling of velocity and the strength which you don't get on TV," says Caspar Eliot. "Their size is impressive."

The Matches

To succeed, one wrestler needs to push another off the clay or to the ground using raw power.

The most use one of pair of techniques to achieve this, often in instantaneous actions - shoving, or grappling.

Either way, the sound of the two rikishi colliding in the initial contact of the match reverberates around the hall.

Premium Seating

The positions right next to the dohyō are of course extremely sought-after - but also, somewhat dangerous.

During one particular match, a tall wrestler went plummeting into the crowd - perhaps making those in less expensive positions experience comfort.

Organizational Issues

Of course, the size of the athletes is one of the first things most people think of when they think of sumo.

The hall's organizers revealed they "needed to find and buy new chairs which can support 200kg in weight."

But sumo - for all its successful competitions - is not without its challenges behind the scenes.

Potential Issues

Perhaps the strict life of a professional athlete doesn't look as attractive as it once might have.

Its appeal among the younger generation is also being threatened by other sports, while Japan's declining population will not help.

Global Community

Not that any of this has worried fans in London.

"Seeing all this ritual and ceremony that goes with sumo is quite special," an attendee explains. "Currently, observing it live, you sense that you are more involved."

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

"Leaving a particularly focused online community and being able to see all these sumo fans live and being able to converse with other people who are equally passionate as we are - it was completely valuable."