This is a scene you’d expect to see in Tokyo.
But the stomp of bare feet and the thump of bodies on the mat in Belfast Stadium marked an unlikely first – Japan’s ancient sumo tradition has arrived in Northern Ireland.
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Sumo Na hÉireann is believed to be the first sumo wrestling club on the island of Ireland and its members are keen to make their mark.
Among them was Toraigh Mallon, who believed she was Ireland’s first female sumo wrestler.
She said sumo was “definitely growing” with “new members joining every week”.
“Grudge Match”
Sumo Na hÉireann club founder Johnny Templeton said interest was growing following October’s Professional Grand Sumo Championship at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Unlike professional sumo in Japan, which does not allow women to compete, amateur sumo does have female competitions.
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Determined to reach the top, Ms Mullen is training hard to prepare for the inaugural British Isles Sumo Championships at the University of Ulster in January, where she is expected to face off against her Norwegian opponent.
An ad on Instagram drew her into the world of sumo and she never looked back.
“I’ll do anything to get out of the house because I don’t like sitting at home, I like to be active.”
For Toraigh, training takes place every night of the week, including in the gym, boxing and the dohō (sumo ring) in preparation for the January competition.
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She said she saw sumo flourishing in Ireland.
“There are new people coming here every night, there’s a new club in Dublin and it’s definitely growing,” she added.
Johnny Templeton, founder of Sumo na hÉireann, said more and more people are taking up the sport every week [BBC]
In amateur competition, size and weight are not as important as in professional competition.
Mr Templeton told BBC News NI: “In the amateur competition we compete in, there are weight classes so you never have to fight someone above your weight class unless you want to.”
“The pros you see on TV, there are no weight classes, so they can go as heavy as they want,” he said.
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Mr Templeton said Sumo Na hÉireann was born after he represented Team GB at the World Championships and amateur events across the UK.
He competed in other types of martial arts and wrestling for most of his life, and after achieving success with sumo in the UK, he decided to bring sumo to Ireland.
Just over a year old, Sumo Na hÉireann expanded to Dublin last month.
Similarities to traditional Irish wrestling
Mr Templeton believes sumo wrestling has found a home in Ireland and believes there are some interesting similarities to older Irish forms of wrestling.
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“Sumo is a traditional wrestling native to Japan, and it is also practiced in Ireland, but its practice has been lost over the years.”
Traditional Irish wrestling is known as neck and elbow wrestling.
“It focuses mainly on foot sweeps and is a jacket style of wrestling, but the goal is very similar to sumo.
“The similarity is striking,” he added.
Belfast’s Matt Wilson hopes to compete in Sumo World Championships next year [BBC]
Rising sumo star Matt Wilson has been competing in the UK with an eye on next year’s world championships.
Sumo is his passion and he said in addition to his weekly matches, he trains hard in the gym and watches his diet.
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“I used to eat a lot to gain weight so I could wrestle some heavier guys,” he said.
Now he stays at “maintenance weight” so he can fight faster while still maintaining weight.
Mr Wilson said he could “definitely see sumo exploding in the UK and Ireland”, especially following the Sumo Grand Prix in London.
What is sumo wrestling?
Yokozuna Onusato and Yokozuna Hoshoryu will compete in the Grand Sumo Championship at the Royal Albert Hall in London in October 2025 [PA Media]
From stomping your feet to ward off evil spirits, to spreading salt to cleanse the ring (or gong), and burying food as offerings, sumo wrestling has a long tradition, and sumo wrestlers (or rikishi) live highly regimented lives.
Most sumo wrestlers in Japan are required to live in public sumo training stables, and every aspect of their daily lives – from diet to dress code – is governed by tradition.
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Although Sumo Na hÉireann recognizes and respects ancient Japanese customs, the focus is on wrestling and all are welcome.
The basic principle of sumo wrestling is that a match is won or lost by the fighter being forced to either leave the circular ice (ring) or contact the ground within the ring with any part of the body except the soles of the feet.
