Sumo Practice

Tomozuma Sumo Stable Sumo wrestling is an ancient part of Japanese culture with its origins dating back to the 8th century. Sumo is still a very popular sport in Japan, with roughly 700 professional wrestlers competing. Typically, Sumo bouts only last a few seconds with the loser being pushed out of the ring or toppled by their opponent. In the early hours of the morning, these Sumo Wrestlers in Tokyo, Japan commence a gruelling training session. After several hours of stretches and exercises, they enter into a fast paced “King of the Ring” session where one Sumo wrestler fights the others, one after the other, until he is defeated. The victor then takes over and fights all challengers until he himself is defeated. With around five wrestlers rotating at a time, it is an exhausting exercise and you realise that these guys are impressively fit! Gradually the smaller, more junior wrestlers drop out and they are replaced by more senior wrestlers. This shot is off two of the mid-sized wrestlers colliding.

Equipment: Canon EOS 1D Mk II