, Columnist
Japan’s National Sport Wrestles With a Generational Change
As one legend departs, another star is rising. In a new era, sumo is grappling with its future.
Japan’s new sumo hero, Onosato.
Photographer: Richard A. Brooks/AFP/Getty
Like a wrestler entering the ring, sumo is straddling the brink of a new era.
Japan’s national sport seems more popular than ever. Attendance has bounced back from the pandemic; all 90 days of bouts in 2024 were sold out. The Japan Sumo Association, which oversees the sport, is enjoying record revenues. This autumn, it will hold a tournament in London’s Royal Albert Hall, the first outside Japan in 20 years.