🔗 Share this article

Few sports can hold spectators spellbound through 45 minutes of ceremony before the initial score is even determined.

Yet the complex rituals unfolding in a traditional dohyō - largely unaltered for centuries - managed to do just that.

Welcome to the Major Sumo Competition

This multi-day tournament at the Royal Albert Hall features numerous elite sumo athletes showcasing a sport whose earliest records dates back to ancient times.

London's renowned auditorium has been completely reimagined, complete with a elaborate suspended canopy hanging above the competition area.

Ancient Traditions Meet Contemporary Displays

It is here the wrestlers, known as rikishi, perform their shiko exercises to banish dark forces, and where they applaud to summon the deities.

Above all this historical practice, a massive rotating display - that appears natural at an professional sports event - offers the crowd all the data and video they could want.

Global Fans Discover Sumo

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

This was soon supplemented with the discovery of focused video platforms for rikishi houses, where wrestlers live and train, starting their day early to train, followed by a high protein stew and then an afternoon nap - all in the effort toward increasing mass.

From Edinburgh, Another Perspective

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

"We saw it as a typical visitor experience, but we actually developed passion for the sport," says Julia.

"After that, we tried to discover networks, resources, just to expand our knowledge about it," adds Cezar.

Rare Opportunity

Going to Japan is typically the sole method to see a top-flight sumo tournament.

This week's event marks only the second occasion the tournament has visited the city - the initial occasion was in the early nineties.

Even visiting the country isn't certain of getting a seat, with recent years seeing completely booked tournaments.

Live Observation

For many attendees, the London tournament represents the first time they have experienced the sport directly - and it lives up to the hype.

"Observing directly, you get a feeling of velocity and the force which you can't experience on TV," says Caspar Eliot. "Their stature is remarkable."

The Competition

To succeed, one wrestler needs to push another from the dohyō or to the ground using brute strength.

The most use one of two styles to achieve this, often in moments - pushing, or clenching.

Either way, the noise of the two wrestlers colliding in the first moment of the match echoes around the auditorium.

Prime Locations

The seats right next to the dohyō are of course extremely sought-after - but also, potentially hazardous.

During one recent bout, a large wrestler tumbled into the audience - perhaps making those in less expensive positions experience comfort.

Internal Challenges

Of course, the size of the wrestlers is one of the first things most people think of when they contemplate wrestling.

The venue's management revealed they "were required to locate and acquire reinforced furniture which can take up to 200kg in weight."

But sumo - for all its sell-out events - is not without its challenges behind the scenes.

Coming Obstacles

Perhaps the demanding existence of a sumo wrestler doesn't look as attractive as it once might have.

Its following among young Japanese is also being competed with by different athletic pursuits, while Japan's falling birthrate will present additional challenges.

International Network

Not that any of this has worried fans in London.

"Experiencing the ritual and ceremony that goes with sumo is quite special," an attendee explains. "Currently, observing it in person, you feel like you are more involved."

For other enthusiastic fans, the drama "created amazing experiences" - as did interacting with the like-minded individuals.

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