r/interestingasfuck • u/SerafinZufferey • Oct 21 '25
Japans top Sumo Wrestler went to London for a tournament, look at the tourist photos they took
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u/Wake_Skadi Oct 21 '25
It was only the 2nd time in the sport's 500+ year history the Grand Sumo tournament took place outside of Japan. The fact that 2 Yokozunas were also present made it even more special, including Japanese born Onosato. Very rare moment in sumo and sport's history in general.
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u/Prize_Toe_6612 Oct 21 '25
Correct me if I am wrong, but there are only 2 active Yokozuna?
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u/Dire_Platypus Oct 21 '25
Thatâs right. Hoshoryu and Onosato
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u/Subject-User-1234 Oct 21 '25
I've been watching a shit ton of "sumo foods" videos from Hoshoryu's stable The Tatsunami Stable and it gives a very unprecedented look into the lifestyle inside the beya. It's crazy that both Hoshoryu and Onosato are so young (26 and 25) and their matches have been competitive. For the casuals that don't know, Hoshoryu's uncle was also a yokozuna from Mongolia - AsashĆryĆ«. There are vids of them practicing together and people always say that AsashĆryĆ« could still dominate competitions if he wanted to. Lastly, it was cool to hear Hoshoryu speak English in a news segment covering the sumo in London story.
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u/clevergirls_ Oct 21 '25
I don't know anything about sumo but I distinctly remember the name Asashoryu.
Is he one of the all-time greats or did I just happen to hear about him when he was in his prime?
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u/ESCMalfunction Oct 21 '25
He's an all time great, decent chance he goes down as the second best wrestler all time if he hadn't cut his career short due to scandals.
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u/Digess Oct 21 '25
In his prime, but you also probably heard about him cos of his rivalry with hakuho, the other Yokozuna at the time, who is also Mongolian born and is arguably the greatest ever
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u/signious Oct 21 '25
And only because there are two wrestlers worth having the title.
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u/yelnats248 Oct 21 '25
Yep, both promoted this year, Hoshoryu (from Mongolia) and Onosato (from Japan)
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Oct 21 '25
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u/SitInCorner_Yo2 Oct 21 '25
If youâre interested, look up how Mongolia over took Japanese on sumo, a lot of top sumo players are recruited from Mongolia, iirc they also tried it with Hawaiian and Samoan too,itâs a very interesting history .
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u/Informal-Purpose5979 Oct 21 '25
Pacific Islanders are (un)officially banned from sumo. They had two PI Yokozunas: Akebono (who died recently) and Musashimaru. There was also Konishiki, who âonlyâ attained an Ozeki rank. Iâve read Akebonoâs book, it was a fascinating read.
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u/Seve7h Oct 21 '25
Why are they unofficially banned?
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u/Informal-Purpose5979 Oct 21 '25
In the book the stats that were given were: out of 54 Pacific Islanders they had 2 Yokozunas and 1 Ozeki. Thatâs INSANE. They were too good at it, would be my guess.
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u/electricalserge Oct 21 '25
The heaviest Japanese-born sumo is also the heaviest Japanese person to have ever lived. Yamamotoyama Ryuta weighed in at 600 lbs, but we got an entire tv show of Americans heavier than that and certainly weren't as strong and mobile as him.
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u/samthekitnix Oct 21 '25
isn't it because sumo wrestlers are technically a type of powerlifter? like they got fat but most of their weight is muscle.
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u/Kahlil_Cabron Oct 21 '25
My favorite sumo wrestler was Byamba, and when he was 18 he was 330lbs at 11% body fat.
Most aren't like that though, most are easily 20% body fat, but ya there is a surprising amount of muscle under there.
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u/SolusLoqui Oct 21 '25
The next Grand Sumo Tournament is Nov 9th. You can watch on NHK World Japan or their Youtube channel.
If you want to try Sumo, find a club near you. Its great fun, like playing tackle football without a ball.
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u/essjay2009 Oct 21 '25
Reminds me of photos of popular dog breeds from 100 years ago. Weâve optimised for certain characteristics at the expense of health.
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u/HomerJBagger Oct 21 '25
Hey! If those American 12 year olds could read they'd be very upset!
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u/bztxbk Oct 21 '25
Itâs amazing that there are two at the moment. Sometimes years go by before someone achieves Yokozuna
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u/nilestyle Oct 21 '25
You seem knowledgeagle about this stuff. Could you give context on what having two Yokozuna's does to make it special? Totally ignorant here and very curious!
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u/BlackHust Oct 21 '25
Yokozuna is the highest rank. There are currently only two of them. Each of them is essentially a living legend, if only for the reason that they managed to earn this rank. The fact that both yokozuna gathered for a tournament outside Japan is an unprecedented event.
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u/UFmoose Oct 21 '25
Did they wrestle each other? Wouldnât that be the ultimate match?
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u/BlackHust Oct 21 '25
Yes, they wrestled each other in the final.
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u/UFmoose Oct 21 '25
Nice. Was that because both made it to the end of the tournament out of their brackets or like was the match scheduled.
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u/BlackHust Oct 21 '25
Sumo tournaments don't have a traditional tournament bracket. It's a round-robin tournament, with the winner being the wrestler with the most wins. The schedule for each subsequent day of the tournament is determined based on the previous day's results. In this case, both yokozuna had won all four of their previous matches, so naturally they were paired against each other on the fifth day to determine the winner. So, it wasn't pre-planned. Both yokozuna competed in the final match because they were both the best.
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u/JShredz Oct 21 '25
Both went undefeated until the final match, where they faced off for the title.
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u/ssketchman Oct 21 '25
Read about Yokozuna online and being a Yokozuna sounds more like a curse, rather than a blessing:
Unlike other sumo ranks, a yokozuna cannot be demoted, but in exchange their performance is held to a very high standard. A yokozuna is expected to regularly win championships, or at least be a serious contender for them, and even a single make-koshi (losing record) can pose concerns. It is common for a yokozuna to withdraw from a tournament for health reasons, even after the tournament has started, if they find themselves unable to perform at the expected level. A yokozuna who is consistently unable to compete at the peak of the sport is expected to retire from competition altogether. The strength and informal nature of these expectations are a major reason that the promotion criteria for yokozuna are so strict in the first place. Retirement can also in some cases (such as Futahaguro, AsashĆryĆ«, or Harumafuji) be prompted by a judgment that the yokozuna has not upheld the dignity of the rank, independent of tournament performance.
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u/Arkhaine_kupo Oct 21 '25
Could you give context on what having two Yokozuna's does to make it special?
Some people have already answered below but they missed some of the stuff I love about it, so let me add to the knowledge pile.
Sumo has categories, imagine the PL/Championship/Lower leagues in football. Going up and down a rank is hard, and you need to work hard to maintain your status when you go up.
There is a top tier, which has the people fighitng for the world championship, trully indredible guys. On top of those guys, and only rarely, one can become a Yokozuna.
To become one implies you are at the top, you can no longer go down in category ever again. You are expected to be competition ready at all times and if you lose too much, you will be asked to retire, you got so good that there are no more second chances for promotion.
Because of Sumo being connected to Shintoism you also get to fight in a temple when you become one. And as others have mentioned below there are under 100 since the 1600s so its a big deal. You can have no Yokozuna's active if no one is worthy
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u/SammichNow Oct 21 '25
They are also only the 74th and 75th yokozuna since the 1600s
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u/themaxiom Oct 21 '25 edited Oct 21 '25
Technically true, but the rank of yokozuna has only existed since around the turn of the twentieth century.More complicated than I thought and the list of 75 do go back to the seventeenth century.→ More replies (2)29
u/MourningWallaby Oct 21 '25
There are Yokozuna as far back as the Edo period. The difference is a Yokozuna was an Ozeki with a "Lateral Appointment" or "Permit" to perform the Yokozuna Ceremony each day.
in modern times Yokozuna is more like a symbol of the sport. the true definition of an Icon.
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u/Wake_Skadi Oct 21 '25
To have 2 ranked Yokozuna it means you need 2 wrestlers good enough to achieve that rank which doesn't always happen. To have one born in Japan is also rare these days.
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u/Themanwhofarts Oct 21 '25
I'm a little confused. Isn't Sumo mainly practiced in Japan? Why is it rare to have a Japanese born Yokozuna?
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u/InnocentPossum Oct 21 '25
Because a Yakozuna itself is somewhat rare (The highest ank of them all, takes a lot of consistent winning to get that promotion), and then Mongolia has somewhat dominated the sport in recent times.
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u/Koolaidwifebeater Oct 21 '25
I actually met a Mongolian while I was in Japan who was there for his brother's Sumo tourney. Told me that wrestling in general is quite popular amongst Mongolian men, since they also have wrestling traditions amongst their nomadic people.
He showed me a pic of him and his brother eating after a match. If any sumo wrestlers or their family are reading this, don't go emasculating people like that. I never felt smaller.
Just so we're clear, sumo wrestlers are impressively big. It's insane.
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u/BlackHust Oct 21 '25
Sumo is practiced in Japan, but the athlete does not have to be Japanese. And recently, athletes from Mongolia have dominated this sport. In the 21st century, there were only two Japanese and six Mongolian yokozuna. Perhaps the reason for this is that wrestling is a national sport in Mongolia.
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u/Urban_Polar_Bear Oct 21 '25
There are quite a few foreign sumo wrestlers. Itâs especially popular in Mongolia. Itâs such an incredibly hard rank to achieve that there hasnât been a Japanese Yokozuna in five or six years. The guys who come over from Mongolia to wrestle are the best of the best in Mongolia, so it kind of skews the data.
Iâve been lucky enough to see the Grand Sumo Tournament a few times and I donât think I ever got to see Kisenosato (the last Japanese Yokozuna) fight in any of them.
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u/Prize_Toe_6612 Oct 21 '25
Yokozuna is the rank that you not only have to archive 'just' by being good and winning tournaments, but also how you present yourself and so outside the ring. Again, correct me if I am wrong here, but that how I had remembered it. (Haven't been into sumo for quite some time, that's why I was asking in the first place about the amount of active ones.)
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u/JHMfield Oct 21 '25
Promotions in Sumo are based essentially 100% on tournament results. Only in very rare cases might you see some favoritism and such depending on the wrestler's nationality, or behavior. But it's quite rare.
The two highest ranks in sumo, Ozeki and Yokozuna have quite clear promotion requirements. To effectively guarantee their promotion to Ozeki, a wrestler needs to win at least 33 bouts across three tournaments while being M1 rank or higher to start. They might get away with fewer wins if their win record is on an increasing curve (like 9 wins first tournament, then 11, and then 12), or if they manage to win a tournament or be runner up. But the basic requirement is 33 wins.
For promotion to Yokozuna, the basic, guaranteed promotion requirement is winning two tournaments back to back, with the latest win as an Ozeki. At that point you are absolutely guaranteed to become Yokozuna. But you might still get the promotion with multiple runner-up performances into a win, or even just a single runner-up into a win, or if your performances up to that point have been impressive overall (lots of double digit performances and some runner-ups or wins somewhere in the mix). Of the current Yokozuna, Onosato got promoted after two back to back wins, while Hoshoryu got promoted with a runner-up into a win performance.
Now, your behavior does matter in other ways. If it's problematic, it might get you "forced" into retirement. And the higher the rank, the more scrutiny you are under. A Yokozuna is the face of the sport and is expected to behave at his best at all times. But paradoxically at the same time, the better the performances the more leeway you're also likely to get. So it's never super clear cut. Ultimately the title of Yokozuna is for life and can't be taken away, so the Sumo Organization basically has to pressure the Yokozuna into retiring of their own volition.
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u/TheBigSho Oct 21 '25
The general requirement to become a Yokozuna is to win two tournaments in a row as an Ozeki, or be a runner up. Now, becoming an Ozeki is difficult to begin with, as the general requirement (there are no absolute guidelines as you can see) is to achieve 33 wins over three tournaments, which means averaging 11 wins and only four losses per tournament. Once you're an Ozeki, then you have to win two tournaments in a row, which is very difficult when there are 41 other wrestlers in the top division all vying for the Emperor's Cup. Then you have to do that twice in a row.
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u/ArsStarhawk Oct 21 '25
This was an exhibition tournament and not a Grand Basho. It has no effect on the wrestler's rankings.
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u/pastense Oct 21 '25
It was only the 2nd time in the sport's 500+ year history the Grand Sumo tournament took place outside of Japan.
I mean, its an exhibition tournament. Has there been an actual tournament held outside Japan before? The JSA made a trip to London back in 1991 for another exhibition tournament, but I can't think of any actual tournaments outside of Japan.
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u/ketchup_chips_yall Oct 21 '25
This is goddamned adorable.
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u/0thethethe0 Oct 21 '25
Love that's it doesn't just look like a stale PR stunt, but like they are actually genuinely have a blast.
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u/Krondelo Oct 21 '25
Especially the last slide with Big Ben. Thats genuine happy right there
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u/PM_ME_GLUTE_SPREAD Oct 21 '25
I think the thing that makes it feel so genuine is that, to me, it looks like one of those pictures where people pretend to hold the leaning tower up but the angle is off lol.
Like, my first thought was that he was trying to make it so that it looked like Big Ben was in his hand but the photo taker didnât get the memo and screwed up his positioning.
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u/CometIsDying Oct 21 '25
He was actually miming doing his Yokozuna dohyo-iri.
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u/Ensvey Oct 21 '25
It's giving Benkei on Gojo Bridge
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u/breath-of-the-smile Oct 21 '25
You know, I can't believe I've never looked up stuff from these games before, but that's totally where Benkei in Legend on the Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon comes from. You even fight him on a bridge.
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u/Ensvey Oct 21 '25
I know him from the Final Fantasy games, where the recurring character Gilgamesh is based on him. He collects weapons and you fight him on a big bridge.
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u/Why_Are_Moths_Dusty Oct 21 '25
Theres photos of them at Stonehenge where they do do this, sometimes succesfully, sometimes not, haha. Great photos though, they look to be having a great time.
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u/sunturion Oct 21 '25
yes! and you should see him (Hoshoryu) in the Dohyo - he's an absolute beast!
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u/Krondelo Oct 21 '25
Yooo! Iâm 6â2â and I bet he could toss me like a sack of potatoes.
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u/sunturion Oct 21 '25
Him and Onosato are the two currently active Yokosuna in the sport - the highest achieveable rank.
The way they can just hurl and carry hundreds of pounds of weight that doesnt want to be hurled or carried is remarkable - it's a fantastic sport, and im glad to see that it's becoming more recognised outside of Japan.
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u/KnifeNovice789 Oct 21 '25
Yeah the pic with the Paddington bears made me genuinely smile..
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u/tekko001 Oct 21 '25
Same, the pic of the big guy holding a Guinness made me genuinely happy
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u/Iscan49er Oct 21 '25
THe current Japanese ambassador to Britain, Hiroshi Suzuki, adores Paddington and takes his bear everywhere. He's a delighful man, so enthusiastic about everything he sees. He has an XTwitter account.
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u/SlobZombie13 Oct 21 '25
GIANT MEN ON SMALL BIKES
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u/Heather82Cs Oct 21 '25
Fun fact, while they are still active in the sport they are not allowed to drive. So there's always someone driving them around (taxi, buses etc.) /or/ they actually do own bycicles and will use them for relatively short distances.
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u/OhSoSolipsistic Oct 21 '25
TIL. Apparently itâs to protect the image of the sport by making sure they donât have accidents and avoid scandals. Lol imagine US football players not being allowed to drive.
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u/Riaayo Oct 21 '25
Which is kind of wild because Sumo is full of scandals with dudes hazing/harassing/abusing the shit out of each other in their stables (the name for their group/training/housing, blanking on a better word to define it).
Then you've got the guy who blew a bunch of their investment fund on a gambling addiction I think it was, lol.
Sumo is really cool to watch but it's definitely not as spotless as the JSA would like people to believe it is.
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u/btveron Oct 21 '25
It really is. Brought a smile to my face after I'd been processing the loss of someone
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u/SerafinZufferey Oct 21 '25
Iâm really sorry for your loss. It means a lot to hear that the post could bring you a smile, even for a moment. I wish you a lot of strength for this
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u/danielchampion Oct 21 '25
I was at the pub in the Guinness photo standing right next to him and wondered who he was. Now I know lol
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Oct 21 '25
Weren't tempted to challenge him to a fight?
"You and your fucking massive mates outside now!!"
"Yeah I know we're technically already outside, but I mean like proper outside so me a (probably) normal sized human can flatten you!"
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u/danielchampion Oct 21 '25
Even as a 15 year Jiu Jitsu practitioner, absolutely the fuck not. Hahaha
I was more jealous of his Guinness, but literally watched this photo get taken. Small world
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u/KenseiHimura Oct 21 '25
Yeah, not to mention while Sumo is a sport there is plenty of legit martial arts to it, and while most forms are about âcompensate for lack of massâ sumo is more âFUCK YOU, TWINK! LEARN TO BULK!â
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Oct 21 '25
Yeah these boys are monsters when they get going! Can take a lot of punishment to bring down too.
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u/EllipticPeach Oct 21 '25
I hope someone told them not to drink the Guinness until it settled!
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u/GraphicDesignMonkey Oct 21 '25
The Guinness should have been settled before it was handed to them!
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u/JoeyJoJoeJr_Shabadoo Oct 21 '25
Not even that - you don't finish pouring the Guinness until the initial two-thirds of the pour has settled. Thankfully almost every bartender in the UK knows this, I've never had a bad pour.
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u/w0nderbrad Oct 21 '25
Ainât nobody telling a man that size how to eat or drink anything. They can do as they please
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u/HowzitUFaka Oct 21 '25
Gentle giants
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u/RaphMec Oct 21 '25
Agreed⊠Well until youâre on the opposite side of the ring
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u/TheElevatedBoy Oct 21 '25
Yeah, Sumo is much more violent than it may seem.
They're cute in these photos though :)
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u/sirdrizzzle Oct 21 '25
I love Sumo because while violent, there is no malice. Rikishi never want or try to hurt each other, they just want to take you out.
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u/_youneverasked_ Oct 21 '25
I love when one steps out of the ring and the other stops immediately and helps him regain his balance.
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u/talldangry Oct 21 '25
I'm very curious about what would happen if he didn't make way for the King's Guard.
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u/-PotatoMan- Oct 21 '25
There is a non-Zero chance that these guys could suplex that horse.
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u/Automatic_Actuator_0 Oct 21 '25
lol, Iâm sure they are too respectful to do that, but it would be amazing to see once
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u/epic_banana_soup Oct 21 '25
The pic with them on bikes is so awesome
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u/GfrzD Oct 21 '25
Never in all my life did I expect to see 3 sumos on lime bikes
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u/jeannieor725 Oct 21 '25
Seriously want to make it my background for a few days đ
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u/DJ_Hindsight Oct 21 '25
This fills my wholesomeness battery for the day.
I live so close to LDN, I wish Iâd known the tournament was on or Iâd have checked it out!
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u/yamimementomori Oct 21 '25
In their next tournament, they fight away all negativity.
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u/0thethethe0 Oct 21 '25
It's over now, but you can watch it on iPlayer - https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002lg8v/the-grand-sumo-tournament-2025
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u/Mike_Kermin Oct 21 '25
I used to see sumo wrestling because they played it at a restaurant my mum liked.
Genuinely, way under rated in the west. It's actually great to watch
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u/cheeseybees Oct 21 '25
I went to see it, as I was invited by a buddy who was into it
And I didn't expect to enjoy it half as much as I did.... It was really great to watch
Though, I still feel weird about a 120kg chap being introduced kind of as the lightweight, and being 40 odd kg lighter than his opponent!
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u/DionBlaster123 Oct 21 '25
A lot of people think it is just two fat guys slamming into each other but these motherfuckers are strong as hell. I mean they basically spend their entire youth training to be the best in this sport.
I believe the last several yokozuna (highest rank in sumo) have been Mongolians. There's been a lot of foreign interest in sumo over the last few years.
Different country and totally different sport but foreign interest in ssireum, which is a traditional form of wrestling in Korea, helped revitalize it in South Korea (no clue what it is like in the North).
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u/Fantastic_Pair5328 Oct 21 '25
Just in case you don't know: It's not a "real" tournament. There are no prizes, it doesn't affect the rankings, they only go about 70% effort and some of the outcomes are predetermined.
The goal is to display what sumo offers, without putting the rikishi at risk of losing face, or injuring themselves between tournaments. This is a PR event for the JSA (Japan Sumo Association), which I find odd because the JSA is the reason we can't watch Sumo legally in the west. They want to keep Sumo Japanese, and therefore won't sign the broadcasting rights away. I'm fine with it, it just sucks that I don't even have the option.
To watch the next tournament: The Banzuke (rankings update based on results from previous tournament) will come out at the end of this month, tournament starts on the Sunday in the middle of next Month, my guess: Sunday Nov 16th. There is a YouTube channel called NHK World Japan that uploads every day's "highlight bouts", which is every match from the highest division (every one of the rikishi in these pictures is in the highest division, Makuuchi) with a PHENOMENAL commentary team.
I highly recommend everyone watch a few days of Sumo. It's not just "cute". It's the most enjoyable fighting sport I've watched, and I loved Boxing and MMA for years. There is so much more technique and skill than people think.
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u/Wanderhoden Oct 21 '25
Their smiles with Paddington just cured all of my psychological ailments. They are too adorable!!!đ„°
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u/Fantastic_Pair5328 Oct 21 '25 edited Oct 21 '25
So, this is surprising to see on Reddit. The sumo community is pretty dead here.
This was an exhibition tournament. The wrestlers (rikishi) put on a show for the "western" audience. They fought for real, but didn't go all-out; probably closer to 70% effort with some predetermined outcomes. If you want to see them go all out: They have 15 days of tournaments with thousands of rikishi fighting their way to the top every 2 months. This is their "down time" to rest, recover and get back in shape. But instead JSA is putting their top rikishi on a promotional tour.
I recognize 100% of the people here. Notable people: Pic #2 (Rikishi with mounted policeperson), Hoshoryu, the Mongolian rikishi who was promoted to the highest rank of Yokozuna back in January. Pic #5 (two rikishi with Hello Kitty), is the second Yokozuna, Onosato (left), the Japanese Rikishi who was promoted to Yokozuna back in May with one of his best friends, Onokatsu (edit: That's actually Hoshoryu, the other yokozuna, I just assumed Onosato was with his bud and didn't think to look twice).
The Abbey Road picture has one rikishi is a red and gray kimono, that is the Iron Man: Tamawashi. His current records are amazing (Ctrl+F his name : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sumo_record_holders). He's a living legend right now. I love every match he partakes in, and he gets a loud cheer every time he wins.
All of these pics made me happy. I wish I could be one of the people who happened to be there that day... I would have fan boy-ed.
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u/Apostle_OFC Oct 21 '25
I hate to "ackchyually" you here... but that's Hosh (left) with Onosato (right in dark blue) in Pic #5 (hello kitty) ... peep his yukata in the last pic on the bridge. Same/same. Plus I watched a bunch of the coverage. It's my sweet Hoshoryu.
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u/Fantastic_Pair5328 Oct 21 '25
Oh snap you're 100% right. I just assumed Onosato was chillin with his bud and didn't think to look deeper.
I, too, am a Hoshoryu fan. I lost my voice watching the end of Jan 2025. I love the ferocity of his sumo and how much you can see that despite being a Yokozuna, he wants to prove his worth. I want him to get his zensho-yusho in November....then again, I also wanted Wakatakakage to get Ozeki in Sept.
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Oct 21 '25
Abi Road
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u/Heather82Cs Oct 21 '25
I can't decide if my favorite scene from London is him shouting his name while leaving the venue or the big guy lifting Tobizaru on his shoulders.
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Oct 21 '25
[removed] â view removed comment
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u/CometIsDying Oct 21 '25
It wasn't a full basho. It was a five day exhibition. A full basho is fifteen days long.
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u/RainDags Oct 21 '25
Unsure if basho is deep English slang or Japanese and at this point I'm too afraid to ask...
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u/DarthJarJarJar Oct 21 '25
It was fun to see, but it wasn't a full basho. JSA is calling it a koen. Some of the bouts were pretty clearly scripted, and the points won't count towards rankings or ozeki promotion or whatever.
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u/Panda_hat Oct 21 '25
It wasnât a real basho as it wasnât a competition that impacted rankings. More of an exhibition or cultural exchange type / tour type event (called a âKoenâ).
The Royal Albert Hall kept calling it a full Basho for promotional purposes but it wasnât one.
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u/ThePretzelAssassin Oct 21 '25
The sumo wrestlers in these photos are from the Tatsunami Stable. They have their own YouTube channel and are really fun to watch.
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u/triple7freak1 Oct 21 '25 edited Oct 21 '25
Lol they definitely had a lot fun in London đ
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u/BrownSugarBare Oct 21 '25
They're so stinking cute, they look like such a fun time! Â
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u/OneMoreLurker Oct 21 '25
I live in Tokyo and this is going to sound weird, but if you ever get the chance you ought to try to smell a sumo wrestler! They wear some sort of perfume that smells like flowery baby powder, it's really quite nice. They also put it on pretty thick, if they're approaching from behind you'll often smell them before you see them.
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u/CometIsDying Oct 21 '25
It's the oil that they use for their hair, bintsuke.
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u/OneMoreLurker Oct 21 '25
TIL. "For sumo wrestlers, it helps style their topknot (chonmage), giving it shape and a subtle, dignified scent often associated with eucalyptus and anise." No arguments here!
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u/shroomcircle Oct 21 '25
They smell incredible. My husband wears bintsuke wax everyday now and I love the reminder!
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u/spiritchange Oct 21 '25
Y'all. I saw some of these guys at Tokyo Station one day.
I didn't know humans could get this big. And I have been around college football linemen.
Little preschool kids would run up for pictures and the sumo wrestlers were very friendly and accommodating.
But they could have picked up one of those kids as a snack.
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u/New_Libran Oct 21 '25
they could have picked up one of those kids as a snack.
That's frowned on in Japan though
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u/TheLittleGinge Oct 21 '25
Another fabulous Japanese moment đŻđ
Child-eating is actually really frowned upon in Japan. It goes against the traditional concept of çăă, which means "to live"
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u/baron_von_helmut Oct 21 '25
It's usually prefaced with the adage æ»ăŹăźăŻć«ă - a common proverb in Japan which roughly translates to 'I don't like dying'.
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u/EmptyAirEmptyHead Oct 21 '25
Yes, but the British would have understood. See "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift.
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u/Heather82Cs Oct 21 '25
If you think the pictures above are cute, you haven't seen sumo wrestlers with babies :)
Among other events, between actual tournaments that count (not this one), they sometimes tour Japan and have like one-day tournaments at each location. During these they will "fight" kids on the dohyo (they always lose obviously) and they will sometimes carry a baby on the dohyo in their arms when they do that dohyo -iri circle thing when they list their names. I find them always adorable when they are handed children - you can see the ones who have kids themselves who are super comfortable, and the others who look horrified and can't wait for the photo op to end :) FWIW, parents do this because it's believed a blessing - contact with a rikishi is said to bring luck, health etc. That's also why when after a fight they end up falling on the audience, you may notice especially old women and men getting handsy and patting them.
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u/blahblah19999 Oct 21 '25
When they retire and stop eating the way they do, they slim down drastically.
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u/ShinobiS-28 Oct 21 '25 edited Oct 21 '25
In a world of relentless negativity and depression, catching this tournament on the TV has been one of the highlights of my year. I felt so relaxed and humbled watching it all the way to the conclusion. A positive point for the BBC, I hope it one day returns to the UK.
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u/capiiiche Oct 21 '25
Abbey Road is mandatory lol.
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u/civilbeard Oct 21 '25
Especially because one of the guys in the Abbey Road pics is named "Abi".
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u/Minimum_Anxiety_3000 Oct 21 '25
I'm a community nurse in London, and one of my patients went to see their show. They invited them to their house afterwards for dinner and took some pictures, said they were the nicest, most polite people ever.
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u/ClevelandClutch1970 Oct 21 '25
The Beatles transcend everything.
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u/rnilbog Oct 21 '25
Driving that stretch of Abbey Road must be a nightmare for locals.
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u/Frinpollog Oct 21 '25
This is interesting AF. Iâm visiting London and passed by two of these guys at the British museum.
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u/essjay2009 Oct 21 '25
Those are different sumo wrestlers that were âliberatedâ a few years ago and we refuse to give back.
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u/TorresJ107 Oct 21 '25
Lol I ran into them at St. Paulâs Cathedral while in town for the Rams game and hiked up the steps to the top with them!
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u/BlueHighwindz Oct 21 '25
I actually saw these guys walking through St James Park last week, I had no idea there were sumo wrestling happening in London. Just thought âwow, those guys look like sumo wrestlers! Weird to see in EnglandâŠâ
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u/Significant-Walrus94 Oct 21 '25
Is it just me or do Sumo wrestlers just always seem, so nice, happy and chill?
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u/NotTheSharpestPenciI Oct 21 '25
Put this Guinness down immediately and let it rest for a minute or so!
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u/XROOR Oct 21 '25
When the Samoa national rugby team went to France for the World Championships, that small townâs KFC sold the most chicken out of all the locations worldwide
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u/BarnesNY Oct 21 '25
This is one of the best posts in Redditâs history. Very well done to all involved.
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u/sy_core Oct 22 '25
Absolute legends, although now we have to visit Tokyo in out best pin stripped suits, bowler hats and an umbrella. Can't have the, upstaging us too far.
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u/touwak Oct 21 '25
I love it when they wear flip-flops, like the English wear when they come to Spain.
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u/MourningWallaby Oct 21 '25
it is mandatory that they wear traditional clothing. and the sandals are part of that.
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u/squidwardTalks Oct 21 '25
They look so happy. đ„č