Sumo sees fewer new recruits despite growing popularity

2026-03-18 - 05:50

Sumo wrestlers take the stage before the Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London. (EPA Images pic) TOKYO: Despite sumo’s growing popularity, the number of people who took its entry exam ahead of the March tournament fell to a record low, underlining a serious shortage of talent in Japan’s national sport. Only 20 would-be wrestlers gathered for the test, a physical and medical examination, for the ongoing Spring Grand Sumo Tournament, according to Kyodo news agency. It was the lowest figure since a rule requiring aspirants to have completed their compulsory education – through junior high school in Japan – took effect in 1973. To become a sumo wrestler, applicants must be healthy men who meet the minimum requirements of 167cm in height and 67kg in weight, and be under 23 years old. They must also pass medical checkups. Although entry tests are held before each of sumo’s six annual tournaments, March typically draws the most applicants as Japan’s fiscal year starts in April. The latest figure is sharply down from the record high of 160 for the same month in 1992, when sumo’s popularity boomed partly due to the draw of the Wakahanada and Takahanada brothers, who were among the sport’s biggest stars at the time. The plunge came even though tickets for all 90 official sumo match days of the year were sold out for the second consecutive year in 2025. Describing the decline as “shocking,” a stablemaster said young people “tend to choose other sports such as baseball or football, and they don’t seem to be attracted to professional sumo.” The number of students in junior high school sumo clubs stood at 733 nationwide, while those in high school clubs totaled 752 in the current fiscal year through the end of this month, down about 34% and 22%, respectively, from 10 years earlier, according to official data. Stablemaster Ajigawa, former sekiwake Aminishiki, who trains Ukrainian ozeki and yokozuna hopeful Aonishiki, said stables try to scout young talent from childhood as the pool of sumo athletes is limited. “We’d like to widen the scope of professional sumo by turning our eyes to other sports,” he said. Ajigawa stable held a joint workout session ahead of the July Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament with the American football club of Aichi Gakuin University, where it is based during the meet, describing it as “a treasure trove.” Stablemaster Hidenoyama, a former ozeki who wrestled under the name Kotoshogiku and opened his stable in October 2024, succeeded in recruiting two newcomers for the March tournament. In an attempt to cater to the younger generation, the stable uses social media to share information. “We have made our training open to the public,” Hidenoyama said.