New sumo show in Tokyo offers lighter experience of heavyweight tradition
At a new entertainment venue in Tokyo’s Ginza district, the stage is set for an evening of fine dining and an after-dinner show. The stage, however, is a replica of a “dohyo,” or sumo ring, and the show’s central cast are all former “rikishi,” professional sumo wrestlers.
The Sumo Live Restaurant Hirakuza Ginza Tokyo opened its doors in January, with operator Hanshin Contents Link Corp. offering largely foreign audiences a lighter experience of Japan’s heavyweight sumo tradition.
Ahead of an evening show on January 19, audience members gathered at the venue’s sake bar and souvenir shop before taking their places around the sumo ring in the 150-seat venue.
The two-hour sumo restaurant experience, designed to reflect the mood and popular culture of the Edo Period, starts with dinner. The traditional “kaiseki” multi-course menu includes tempura and the hot pot dish “chanko nabe,” a staple of the sumo wrestler’s diet.
Ticket prices, including dinner and the show, range from 17,000 yen ($110) for standard seats to 27,000 yen ($174) for VIP ringside seats.
As audience members grappled with their chopsticks, wrestlers entered the ring to give demonstrations of sumo’s pre-bout rituals and warm-up techniques, including “chirichozu” hand washing and the impressive “matawari” full leg split.
The venue operator says the performance is designed around the Japanese interpretation of spirit, skill, and strength.
“The emphasis is on helping the audience to understand the rules, learn about the techniques and forms, and get a grasp of the mentality and spirit that underpin sumo,” Airi Hosokawa, from the Inbound Sales Division of Hanshin Contents Link, told Japan Wire after the show.
With the dinner plates almost empty, the show host, speaking English throughout, introduced the evening’s four wrestlers one-by-one amid a show of sound and light.
Wrestler and performer Masahiko Kikuchi competed as a rikishi under the ring name Itadaki Sennosuke for 14 years before injury forced him to retire from competition. The 31-year-old, introduced during the show as Kiku, said that the moves and techniques are the real thing.
“I want people to appreciate the beauty of these movements. Sumo is a serious competition, and I hope that even a little of its intensity comes across during the show,” he said.
Another of the evening’s wrestlers, Yutaka Matsumoto, retired from professional sumo in 2022 after 15 years as a rikishi. Introduced as Matsu, the 33-year-old said that while taking the stage for the early shows was a challenge, he has gradually learned how to interact with his new audience.
“I want people to come here and have a great time. After that, if they were to go and watch a professional tournament, that would make me really happy,” he said.
For the climax, Matsu, Kiku and the other wrestlers competed in elimination bouts to determine the evening’s champion. Volunteers from the audience were then invited to enter the ring and challenge wrestlers to a bout. Thankfully for the volunteers, this was one of the less authentic parts of the show.
Jemima Smith, 18, was in the audience with her family while visiting from Australia. Her father found the venue after searching online for a sumo experience in Tokyo.
“It was definitely something different,” she said. “It was fun. I recommend it if you ever get the chance.”
The Sumo Live Restaurant Hirakuza Ginza Tokyo experience draws on the success of a similar venue -- The Sumo Hall Hirakuza Osaka -- which Hanshin Contents Link opened in Osaka in May 2024. Located in the city’s Namba district, the 180-seat venue has since welcomed over 65,000 visitors from around 120 countries and regions.
Hanshin Contents Link says that the increasing number of foreign visitors to Japan highlights the lack of opportunity they have to experience sumo, particularly as professional tournaments are limited to specific times and locations during the year.
“We believe this experience, which foreign visitors can enjoy easily at any time, has a role to play in helping them get a deeper understanding of sumo culture,” Hosokawa said.
In Ginza she thinks they have found the perfect place for the new sumo restaurant.
“Ginza is a place that embraces tradition and innovation, so it’s the ideal location for us to pursue something new but rooted in something with a long history.”
This article was submitted by a contributing writer in collaboration with LIVE JAPAN PERFECT GUIDE
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