Ancient rituals and online fans

There aren’t many sports that can delight a crowd with a 45-minute ceremony before the first point is discussed.

And yet, the complex traditions that emerged in a small ring of clay that has remained virtually unchanged for hundreds of years have managed to do just that.

So, the Royal Albert Hall, featuring 40 of the best sumo wrestlers and the first mention of B.C. Welcome to the Grand Sumo Tournament, a five-day event showcasing the sport dating back to 23 years ago.

London’s Victorian concert hall has been completely transformed, with a six-tonne Japanese temple roof suspended above the ring.

This is where wrestlers, known as rikishi, would kick their legs to ward off evil spirits and clap to attract the attention of the gods.

And beyond all the old ceremony is a giant, revolving LED screen that gives the audience all the stats and replays they could want, out of place at an American basketball game.

Sumo may be very old and have strict rules that govern every aspect of a rikishi’s behavior, but it still exists in the modern world.

And this modern world helps sumo spread far beyond the borders of Japan.

It was a “random video” that first caught Sian Spencer’s attention a few years ago.

This was quickly followed by the discovery of dedicated YouTube channels for several sumo stables where rikishi lived and trained, waking up early to train, followed by a high-protein stew called chankonabe, followed by an afternoon nap.

Then he discovered the bi-monthly, 15-day championships known as basho and was fascinated from there.

The 35-year-old says the London tournament is a “once in a lifetime” opportunity to see it all in real life, not to be missed.

Julia and her partner Cezar, who lives in Edinburgh, discovered sumo the more traditional way: a trip to Japan six years ago.

“We saw it as a very touristy activity, but we actually started to love the sport,” says Julia, 34.

“From then on, we tried to find communities and information and learn more about it,” adds Cezar, 36.

They found that their colleagues, friends, and family might be quite surprised by their new passion.

“It’s the only sport we watch,” Julia explains. So they found like-minded people on messaging apps like Telegram.

“We found Italian bands, British bands,” says Julia.

“The only way to engage with sports outside of Japan is online,” Cezar adds.

Going to Japan is pretty much the only way to watch a top-level sumo tournament.

This week’s event in London was only the second time the tournament has visited the city (the first time was in 1991), while its last trip abroad was to Jakarta in 2013.

However, even going to Japan is not a guarantee of getting a seat. Last year, for the first time in 24 years, all six of the 15-day bimonthly events sold out in 28 years, Kyodo News reported; This was due to domestic interest and a tourist boom, with more than 36 million foreigners visiting in 2024.

For many people the London tournament is the first time they have watched sumo in person and it does not disappoint.

“When you watch it up close, you get a feeling of speed and power that you don’t get on television. It was incredible,” says Caspar Eliot, a 36-year-old fan from London. “They’re so big.”

To win, one man must push the other out of the ring or onto the ground using brute force. The majority use one of two styles to achieve this, usually within a few seconds: pushing or grappling.

In both cases, the sound of two rikishi colliding at the first moment of the match echoes in the hall.

Caspar and his wife Megha Okhai were among those lucky enough to get tickets when they visited Japan last year; but they could not reach the post office in time.

But that didn’t stop them from falling head over heels and they watched every basho this year. So when it came to the London Grand Sumo Tournament, they weren’t trying their luck.

“I think we had four devices to book tickets,” Caspar told the BBC before the event, proudly displaying the sumo towels that are a must-have for die-hard fans. “We have cushioned seats in the front row.”

The cushions right next to the ring are of course very valuable, but also a bit risky.

On Thursday, the 181 kg and 191 cm tall Shonannoumi fell into the crowd; Perhaps it caused those sitting in the slightly cheaper seats to breathe a sigh of relief.

Of course, when sumo is mentioned, one of the first things that comes to most people’s minds is the size of the rikishi. The Albert Hall’s director of programming explained to The Guardian earlier this week that they “had to source and purchase new chairs that could weigh up to 200kg”.

But despite its sold-out events, sumo also has problems behind the scenes. A series of scandals around bullying, match-fixing and sexism over the last few decades have tarnished the image of the institution.

And then there’s the fact that last year – albeit a buffer in terms of ticket sales – saw the lowest number of new people joining the stables.

Perhaps the austere life of a rikishi doesn’t seem as appealing as it once did. Its popularity among young Japanese is also threatened by other sports such as baseball. As the BBC’s sumo fan Thomas Fabbri said: “My Japanese friends think I’m crazy because they see it as a sport for old people.”

Japan’s falling birth rate won’t help either; The Japanese Sumo Association’s rule limiting each stable to only one foreign rikishi won’t help either. Despite this, the Mongolians have dominated for the last few years and one of the most exciting rising stars comes from Ukraine.

None of this worries fans in London.

“It’s pretty special to see all the ritual and ceremony that goes along with sumo,” says fan Sian. “Now when you see it in person, you feel like you’re more a part of it.”

Julia and Cesar agree in a text the next day.

“It’s a Japanese sport, but we were surrounded by so many people from all over the world that we didn’t feel like strangers.”

For Megha, the series “made everything incredible”, as did meeting other fans.

“Coming out of a very niche Reddit community and being able to see all these sumo fans in person and chat with other people who are as interested in this topic as we are — it was worth every penny of sumo gold.”

Additional reporting by Thomas Fabbri

Do you want to watch? Viewers can watch via BBC iPlayer, BBC Red Button, BBC Sport website and app.