Dating back over 2,000 years, the Japanese sport of Sumo wrestling is unlike any other. There’s more emphasis and action on the pre-bout ceremonies which are steeped in Shinto tradition, than the actual wrestling match which is usually over quite quickly.

The idea of course is to move your opponent outside of the ring, which requires any piece of their body to touch the ground over the perimeter. That’s the basic, but the story behind the sport is what’s truly fascinating.

Shinto is Japan’s native religion, literally translated it means ‘way of the gods’. The art of the preparation for a match is enormously symbolic. For instance the sand that covers the clay of the dohyo is a symbol of purity, and the canopy (yakata) represents the roof a Shinto shrine.

On each corner of the ring are tassels which represent the four seasons and the referee (gyoji) wears traditional robes of a Shinto priest. You’ll often see kelp, cuttlefish and chestnuts in the ring as prayers for safety.

The salt you see the wrestlers scattering about the ring represents purity. The long, twisted strings tucked into the wrestler’s belts are called sagari, representing the sacred ropes in front of shrines.

Each match day is kicked off with a number of ceremonies. Two groups, east and west, take turn entering the ring with the lowest ranking entering first. They complete a circle of the ring in order of rank, turn inwards and clap their hands. Hailing back to Samurai days it’s shows that the wrestlers are unarmed.

Lifting their legs and stamping loudly in the ring prior to match in order to frighten off any demons. More salt is spread around the wrestler to ward off injury.

Without any weight restrictions or matches based on size, the larger you are the better in terms of strength and power to get your opponent outside of the ring.

Sumo is passionately enjoyed by the Japanese and often you’ll find tournaments sold out in advance, so it’s best to book ahead. The energy in an arena is incredible, and the honour and tradition associated with the sport extremely unique.

Many of the large tournaments are held inside huge arenas and you can spend an entire day watching the junior watches, leading up to the exciting main events. There are restaurants and shops inside the big arenas, so it’s a comfortable and fascinating insight into the events.

You can also get a little closer by attending a Sumo training camp. There are a number available in the larger cities where the art and craft of sumo wrestling is explained in full and see how the athletes prepare for tournaments.

Anita Duffin for BeMyGuest