While many sumo tournaments across Japan have been forced to throw in the towel amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, a sumo federation in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture has organized a unique video contest to showcase the hard work of young sumo wrestlers who have continued to hone their skills in an era of social-distancing -- a term not typically associated with the full-contact sport.
Dubbed the National Sumo Kata Competition, the contest will be conducted out of the ring and in the digital arena. Hopefuls have been asked to submit home videos of their performances in three categories to be judged by a panel of professional sumo stablemasters and wrestlers.
The three categories are Shiko (up to 60-seconds to show off the deceptively strenuous maneuver, where wrestlers lift each leg high into the air then bring it down with a mighty stomp); Air Sumo (up to 90-seconds to mime a match against an imaginary opponent); and Sumo Club PR (up to 90-seconds to promote your sumo club, winner is the group with the most inventive video). According to the Japan Sumo Federation, which oversees amateur sumo organizations, this is the first time shiko and air sumo have ever been the subject of a national contest.
Akiyoshi Nagai, 38, competition chairman and president of the Kashiwa City sumo federation, came up with the idea after speaking with a junior member of his alma mater's sumo club. Nagai also coaches at the prestigious Kashiwa Sumo Junior Club. The club has produced its fair share of notable graduates including Takanosho, who attained the rank of sekiwake in November last year. Yet as the pandemic caused a spate of tournament cancellations, Nagai noticed that many of the children seemed to have lost interest in their training and even lost sight of their future goals.
Nagai said he hoped there would be a large pool of contenders at the tele-tournament, and pointing to the open-ended potential of air sumo, added, "Some kids might even narrate their own performances, or enlist the help of family members for extra color commentary. The process of making submissions should be a fun experience in and of itself."
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