The harder they come...
This week I had the opportunity to take some shots at the Grand Sumo event in Tokyo.
Looking at sumo from the outside, it seems like a very strange sport – two fat dudes in nappies trying to push each other out of a ring. If you think like this then your vision of sumo is simply a cellulite and butt crack bonanza, and not really something to be taken seriously. But when you look a little further into sumo you realise that there is much more to it.
In sumo, like any sport, there are techniques to win and this is where the skill comes in. When one wrestler is substantially bigger/fatter than another then it seems on the surface that he will head for an easy win, but when you take into account the agility, speed, strength, posturing and general trickery of these wrestlers then it becomes far less easy to predict the winner. This is the hook of sumo, you can never predict which way it will go and all too often it’s that bigger/fatter wrestler that goes flying out of the ring into the audience.
Each grand sumo event lasts for about 2 weeks, and even though there are bouts throughout each day, people usually skip the lower level bouts which happen in the morning and early afternoon, and come only to see the higher level ‘Ozeki’ wrestlers. Although the top level wrestlers are impressive you don’t really realise how impressive they are until you watch lower levels, it is only then you really appreciate how fast, strong, and skillful those high level wrestlers are.
In photography terms too there is a great advantage to watching the lower level bouts. Generally few people come to these bouts so you can get very close to the action without restrictions – right up to the edge of the ring which can make for some great shots. I used my 135mm f2 for this and it really came into its own. I definitely recommend a fast lens if you ever photograph sumo. Once it’s time for the high level wrestlers, then security appears and you are shoved back into the cheap seats, which for me meant adding a 1.4x extender. With a slower lens you will most likely be forced to use a tripod to get any usable shots especially if you are getting into the 300mm range.
Below are some shots from the event and you can find more of my shots here
or use the link from the top right menu on this blog page.
Preparing the ring before the start.
At the early part of the day the junior bouts take place, even the referee is a junior.
Getting to grips - the bigger man does not always win. This complete unpredictability is one of the hooks of sumo.
A competitor for the next bout watches from the ringside.
The winner is not always clear, in those situations the judge gather to decide the result.
Later in the day the pro's work their magic, after watching the younger wrestlers you begin to understand how good these guys really are.
Hakuho - currently the undisputed number 1 in sumo.
