🔗 Share this article

Only a handful of competitions can keep viewers enthralled through 45 minutes of ceremony before the initial score is even determined.

Yet the detailed ceremonies unfolding in a traditional dohyō - virtually unchanged for hundreds of years - accomplished exactly that.

Welcome to the Prestigious Rikishi Event

This week-long competition at the historic concert hall features four dozen top-tier sumo athletes showcasing a sport whose earliest records dates back to the first century BC.

London's Victorian concert venue has been utterly transformed, complete with a elaborate suspended canopy hanging above the ring.

Ancient Traditions Meet Contemporary Displays

It is here the athletes, known as sumo professionals, perform their shiko exercises to drive away dark forces, and where they applaud to summon the deities.

Above all this traditional ritual, a enormous circular monitor - which wouldn't look out of place at an American basketball game - offers the crowd all the data and video they could want.

International Enthusiasts Find Sumo

For Sian Spencer, it was a "unexpected footage" that first drew her interest a couple of years ago.

This was rapidly enhanced by the discovery of focused video platforms for sumo stables, where competitors stay and exercise, starting their day early to train, followed by a protein-rich meal and then an daytime sleep - all in the effort toward bulking up.

Traveling from the North, Different Experience

Different enthusiasts discovered sumo through a more traditional route: a visit to the country six years ago.

"We approached it as a very touristy activity, but we actually developed passion for the sport," notes the enthusiast.

"After that, we tried to locate groups, information, just to learn more about it," adds Cezar.

Rare Opportunity

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

This week's event marks only the second instance the tournament has appeared in the capital - the initial occasion was in 1991.

Even going to Japan isn't a guarantee of getting a seat, with current times seeing fully attended competitions.

First-Hand Experience

For numerous spectators, the UK competition represents the initial opportunity they have seen live sumo - and it doesn't disappoint.

"Watching nearby, you get a sense of the speed and the power which you don't get on TV," notes one fan. "Their size is impressive."

The Bouts

To succeed, one competitor needs to push another from the dohyō or to the surface using raw power.

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

Either way, the impact of the two rikishi meeting in the opening second of the match reverberates around the venue.

Premium Seating

The seats right next to the ring are of course highly prized - but also, somewhat dangerous.

During one specific contest, a large wrestler went plummeting into the audience - perhaps making those in less expensive positions feel relieved.

Behind the Scenes

Of course, the dimensions of the rikishi is one of the first things most people consider when they think of sumo.

The facility's operators revealed they "needed to find and buy new chairs which can withstand 200kg in weight."

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

Potential Issues

Perhaps the demanding existence of a professional athlete doesn't look as desirable as it once might have.

Its appeal among young Japanese is also being threatened by alternative competitions, while Japan's declining population will present additional challenges.

Global Community

Not that any of this has troubled spectators in London.

"Seeing all this ritual and ceremony that is part of sumo is particularly meaningful," an attendee explains. "Today, watching it in person, you experience being you are more involved."

For other committed supporters, the intensity "created amazing experiences" - as did meeting the other fans.

"Emerging from a highly specialized online community and being able to observe numerous sumo fans directly and being able to converse with other people who are just as into this as we are - it was absolutely worthwhile."