[Wrestlers Kitanowaka Daisuke (left) and Fukutsuumi Akira (right) putting on a Sumo demonstration]
[Daisuke preparing for the demonstration]
James Ainscough (interview): “It’s really exciting. The first time it came in ‘91, it was the first ever Basho outside Japan and now it’s coming back, 34 years later, it will be the second official Basho outside Japan. So it’s a real honour to have them. And it’s such a different culture. The tradition and the ritual in sumo as well as the sport itself, there’s a huge amount for us to learn from it and to experience and to inspire us and to challenge us to think differently. So can’t wait to have it here.
We’ve got a great history of hosting sport here. We’ve had wrestling since 1904 and boxing since 1918. We have tennis, and basketball, and football, and whatever else. So we’ve got a strong sporting tradition. Secondly, just the shape of the auditorium, with the spectators wrapped right around the central ring, actually has a resonance with how sumo takes place in Japan. So even though we are uniquely British and Victorian, in our luck, actually there is some similarity for them.
We live in such a divided world at the moment, and whenever we get even just a small opportunity to bring two very different cultures together and show that we can enjoy a common moment and that there’s more that joins us together than the forces us apart. I think symbolically that might be actually the biggest message of sumo.”
Kitanowaka Daisuke (interview): “So it is an international exchange with the people in the UK, but also the people who come to see our event. So it is an opportunity for me to introduce sumo and to attract and win the popularity of sumo towards the public who will attend the events at the Royal Albert Hall.”
Nobuyoshi Hakkaku (interview): “It’s because I was a champion in 1991 and I love London, so that’s why we decided to come to London!
The audience was extremely excited and there was lots of cheering and clapping. So there was a great atmosphere and actually the structure (here) is very similar to the Japanese Kokugikan (National Sumo Arena) in Tokyo.
It is extremely difficult because we have to construct a dojo as well as finding the right earth as well. The Rikishi wrestlers have to bring their costumes and all the attire that is associated with presenting a sumo tournament. So it is a very big physical work to bring this scope outside of Japan.”
Kitanowaka Daisuke (interview): “Hearing that he has won the tournament back in ‘91 and that he is a big fan of London, I am already a fan without winning the tournament! So I will work trying really hard to win the championship next time.”
Hiroshi Suzuki (interview): “Sumo is more than just a sport. It is a synthesis of Japanese culture and tradition. With over a thousand years of history, sumo showcases the strength, skill, concentration and discipline of the wrestlers, making it the national sport of Japan. So I hope that many people will feel the unique charm of sumo. Its blend of mental and physical power.”
[First day of the first official sumo tournament to be held outside of Japan, also at the Royal Albert Hall]
[Auditorium at the Royal Albert Hall]
[Exterior of the Royal Albert Hall]
This script was provided by The Associated Press.