Sumo Wrestlers Took Over London & Grand Champion Hoshoryu Was Awarded a Gigantic Inflatable Bottle of Soy Sauce

Sumo wrestlers are delightful. I definitely overuse the word "delightful" to describe things when I write, but sumo wrestlers are the genuine article. They are the embodiment of the word delightful. Everything about them. They're fat. They're jolly. They're oozing with respect. Whenever I see a video of sumo wrestlers in the wild, the energy surrounding them is nothing but positive. 

That's my favorite thing about sumo wrestlers. Sumo wrestlers are sumo wrestlers 24/7. Sumo wrestling is more than just a career for these gentlemen. It's a lifestyle. They live together in "stables". Which honestly kinda sounds offensive (like they're prized hogs or something), but that's literally what they're called. 

Web Japan – All sumo wrestlers belong to a stable, which is where they live and train while they are young. A stable is managed by a stablemaster, a retired sumo wrestler who was a good wrestler in his prime. There are currently 44 stables as of March 2021. Referees, ushers, and hairdressers called tokoyamaalso live in the stables. The stablemaster is referred to as oyakata, and his wife, who is called okamisan, plays an important supporting role behind the scenes.

They eat, sleep, breathe sumo. From the time they wake up, to the time they go to bed. Their lives are dedicated to the craft. Just give a quick scroll through this 7-minute long video and you'll see what I'm talking about. It's a nice little look into a day in the life of a sumo wrestler. 

What a life. Just you and the boys, honing your craft, wrestling in the mud, eating 20,000 calories of delicious Asian cuisine (with schedule naps immediately following each meal). Does that not seem like a delightful way to live?

And when sumo wrestlers travel to tournaments, they always dress the part. When the Grand Sumo Tournament comes to London, you know the Grand Sumo Tournament is in London.

The event itself is equally intriguing. I'm not sure I'd ever sit down on my couch for 12-hours of wall-to-wall sumo the way I do for football. But to attend a sumo wrestling event in person… the Grand Sumo Tournament puts on one hell of a show. Shoutout to Royal Albert Hall in London for making the necessary accommodations to host 40 of the world's greatest sumo wrestlers (i.e. installing reinforced toilets). 

The 5-day tournament concluded this weekend. Congratulations are in order for all the competitors. But a special congratulations to Hoshoryu, who won the tournament with a perfect 5-0 record. And what does a Sumo Grand Champion want more than anything else in the world? A gigantic inflatable bottle of soy sauce. Obviously.