Japan: Inside the Closed World of Sumo

Overview

In Japan, sumo isn’t just a sport. It is almost a religion, with its stars hailed as Demi Gods. But it’s a world closed to outside influence, where scandals are immediately covered up, women are considered unclean and the parents of students are asked not to visit their children for years. We gained exceptional access to this closed world. Sumo is the only sport in the world where professional athletes live together 24 hours a day, in schools known as Ecuries. Life in an ecurie is strictly hierarchical, with younger students expected to clean up after the senior ones. The day starts at 6.30 am with two and a half hours of training. Then hours of cleaning, followed by a large meal and siesta and the sequence is repeated. It’s a quasi monasterial life that leaves no time for girlfriends or other interests.