Japan's traditional sport | Sumo in London: Heavyweights on the move

Nobuyoshi Hokutoumi has experienced it all in his sport. As a young man, the now 62-year-old was such an accomplished sumo wrestler that he was allowed to compete for five years as a yokozuna , the grandmaster of his sport. For ten years, he has led Japan's renowned sumo association as president. These days, however, the veteran is nervous. "We will do everything we can to ensure the fans enjoy what they see," he recently declared. "So that they understand what's so special about sumo!"

On Wednesday, Hokutoumi will compete on the other side of the world with 40 current wrestlers. From October 15 to 19, the sumo world will be guests at a tournament at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London. The second leg of the world tour will follow in June 2026 with a performance in Paris. Further appearances could follow, as sumo aims to become more international.

With a world tour out of the crisis

For the oldest of all sports, it is also a flight forward. In its country of origin, where sumo began as a ceremonial event at the court of the Japanese emperor thousands of years ago and became a competitive sport around 400 years ago, the discipline has been in crisis for some time. There is a lack of young talent. The two most popular sports in Japan today are baseball and soccer. And the stars from these scenes are the ones that children emulate. According to a survey, the most popular athlete in the country by far is Shohei Ohtani, who breaks records at will in the US Major League Baseball (MLB). Soccer players Kaoru Mitoma and Takefuso Kubo are also in the top ten. A sumo wrestler is missing from the list.

When one of the six major sumo tournaments takes place each year, all sorts of ramen restaurants, izakayas, and bars broadcast live. But those who pay attention these days are primarily older people. Among younger generations, sumo is considered old-fashioned, both aesthetically and ethically.

The traditional procedures before and after a fight—from sprinkling salt in the ring to cleansing to the ban on women entering the ring due to supposed uncleanness during menstruation—no longer appeal to many people. And various scandals over the past few years, from illegal betting to bullying to incidents of brutal violence outside the ring, have had a strong repulsive effect. Sumo is supposed to be about respect. But that's not always the case.

Lack of talent and wrestlers from abroad

In a sense, sumo is also a victim of Japan's increased prosperity. When poverty was more widespread in the country, a sumo stable, where wrestlers lived and trained, had the effect of a social welfare system. Those who made it there through strength and discipline didn't pay for food and lodging. But life in the stable demands a lot from the athletes. The strict hierarchies dictate that the youngest wrestler must cook every day. Some wrestlers sleep on the kitchen floor.

"The fact that young people are staying away from sumo is a long-standing trend," says Koichi Nakano, a political science professor at Sophia University in Tokyo. "There simply aren't enough young people who want to lead that lifestyle anymore." However, there aren't enough people in all sorts of areas of life these days. With decades of low birth rates, Japan's population is aging and shrinking. Labor shortages are pervasive. What can be done?

"Recruiting talent from abroad has long been part of our strategy," observes Nakano. Indeed, most of the yokozuna, or the highest-ranking wrestlers, over the past two decades have come from Mongolia, which has a similar fighting tradition. There are successful wrestlers from Hawaii and Egypt, and Europeans are also making a splash. Aonishiki , who came to the country as a refugee from Ukraine, is being touted as a possible future yokozuna.

A mix of sports and tourism fair

But in Japan itself, foreign talent isn't really making the sport as popular as it was 30 years ago. So the sumo circus is now touring the world – and advertising with big promises: "Immerse yourself in the world of ancient rituals, extraordinary strength, and rich tradition – experience sumo wrestling, one of the oldest sports in the world," the Royal Albert Hall, which normally hosts classical concerts, advertises on its website.

"For five days, the hall is transformed into a temple of sumo, with an authentic floor of earth and sand and a roof reminiscent of a Shinto shrine," it continues. This exoticism is a well-chosen move. Japanese culture has been experiencing a global boom for years. Tea drinkers today love matcha, ceramics fans swear by cups from Japan, and travelers are drawn to the East Asian country in droves. So why shouldn't sumo also delight the masses?

Quick money instead of long-term youth development

In fact, the sport is already doing this in some ways. In mid-September, the Asahi Shimbun, Japan's second-largest daily newspaper, raved: "In 2024, all seats for all six 'honbasho' tournaments – 15-day competitions held over 90 days a year – were sold out." It was the first time since 1996 that all tournaments were held in front of packed stands. What makes the difference are tourists from abroad who want to experience a traditional sumo match on their trips to Japan.

Can the world tour of this highly traditional sport also attract some talented foreigners to the sport? "Sumo is not yet as internationalized as it could be," says Koichi Nakano. This is reflected, among other things, in the fact that there is no World Sumo Federation and hardly any competitive structures outside of Japan. And the ticket prices in London – sometimes several hundred euros – suggest that the organizers are more interested in making a quick buck than in developing long-term talent.