In this post, I’ll share some photos I took during the Sumo Grand Tournament 2019 in Osaka, Japan and share my experience.
If you ask me what is the best experience that you had in Japan, I can tell you that the Sumo Grand Tournament in Osaka is in my Top 3 for sure, if not my favorite experience so far.
I bought the tickets to the Sumo Grand Tournament 2019 in Osaka ahead of time, before I even got there. The tickets run out pretty quickly, so it’s better to buy them the moment they start selling it.
Although once I was there, there was a line for tickets, so apparently, at least for the early days in the tournament, you might find available sits on-locations. What I mean is that if you can’t find tickets online, you might go and see if you can buy them in the arena itself.
Photo Gallery
This is the first Sumo tournament I attended in my entire life. I didn’t know what to expect. As always, I will start with some pictures I’ve taken and share more of my experience next. Keep in mind that some of the pictures are of low quality, as I used digital zoom using my OnePlus 6 smartphone. Hopefully, soon I’ll be able to afford a digital SLR and take better pictures when the zoom is needed.
My Sumo Experience
Sumo is the most entertaining sports events I ever experienced. I love watching soccer from time to time, but I am not usually into watching sports. That changed since I attended the sumo tournament.
When I entered the arena, there weren’t many people there because I came very early. Usually, it feels up later on when the higher-ranked wrestlers start fighting. By that I mean, those who are ranked Maegashira, Komusubi, Sekiwake, Ozeki and of course, the Yokozuna.
The Yokozuna is the highest rank. I was so happy that I was able to see Hakuhō Shō fighting. I didn’t know who he was, only, later on, I understood who I am actually seeing. There was a Japanese guy there that explained what’s happening and he told me that this is a Yokozuna. I didn’t know what was that ritual that the sumo wrestler was performing, and he replied that this is ‘dohyō-iri’, a ring entrance ceremony of the Yokozuna. You can see Hakuho performing the ceremony in one of the pictures above.
It’s the first time I was seeing such heavyweight people fighting against each other. At first, it was kind of weird and even amusing, seeing how the fall like bricks on the floor or floor. The more I watched and the more I learned about Sumo, the more I learned to appreciate it.
Since then, I follow Sumo frequently and know much more about the sport and the wrestlers themselves.
The fights were very exciting, short, but exciting to watch. The arena, especially once filled up, is packed with excitement and it’s amazing hearing the crowd throwing different words and cheer their favorite fighter.
The rituals are amazing as well, both the ones that are performed by the wrestlers when they enter the stage for the bout and the one done by the referee on the stage. There is a great order in the way the sumo wrestlers enter the arena, sitting down near the stage and the way they enter it, start the fight and finish it. Sometimes it takes a few minutes until a bout begins.
You can feel the importance of the rituals and the maintenance of the culture that surrounds this old Japanese wrestling sport. In fact, Sumo began as a professional sport in the early Edo period (1600-1868).
Did I enjoy seeing sumo? – absolutely. I am not saying this is for everyone, but for me, this was one of my most exciting attractions in Japan ever. I am so happy that I bought the tickets and went to see it. Now, I spend a lot of time on YouTube following other tournament and reading news about sumo on related websites.
If you are in Japan, even if there isn’t any official sumo tournament, I recommend attending sumo practice viewing in Tokyo or Osaka. There are various stables where you can watch sumo wrestlers practicing. I remember passing by one when I was in Tokyo, but I arrived too late. A year later I came to Osaka and attended the Osaka 2019 Grand Tournament.