Japan’s sumo association turns 100 – but the sport’s rituals have a much older role shaping ideas about the country

By: Jessamyn R. Abel, Penn State

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: October 23, 2025

Words: 1,402

Last Updated: 1 month ago

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By Jessamyn R. Abel, Penn State

A visitor to Japan who wanders into a sumo tournament might be forgiven for thinking they had intruded upon a religious ceremony.

Tournaments begin with a line of burly men wearing little more than elaborately decorated aprons walking in a line onto a raised earthen stage. Their names are called as they circle around a ring made of partially buried bales of rice straw. Turning toward the center, …

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