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

  • Written by Jessamyn R. Abel, Professor of Asian Studies and History, Penn State
Japan’s sumo association turns 100 – but the sport’s rituals have a much older role shaping ideas about the countrySumo wrestlers Daieisho and Roga compete in a Grand Sumo Tournament bout at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Oct. 19, 2025.AP Photo/Frank Augstein

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...

Read more: Japan’s sumo association turns 100 – but the sport’s rituals have a much older role shaping ideas...

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