Sumo is a demanding sport requiring strength, flexibility, short bursts of power and a lack of shame in wearing brightly coloured fabrics which accentuate your massive dimpled hind quarters.
Sumo wrestlers wear wooden sandals to improve their height to weight ratio.
Most of the match involves ceremony and various poses. Barry hates it when his belly overhangs his belt, but here it is encouraged.
The goal is to push your oponent out of the rope ring, or onto the ground.
Let us pause for more ceremony, this time throwing salt into the ring.
The referees wear fantastic robes and hats to indicate supreme authority. Here you can see him ruling on a clear win.
When there is a difficult call, there is no replay, instead the judge calls upon 4 wise men. When not judging, the wise men sit ringside, with attendants who cover them in blankets, presumably to avoid getting sand up their robes. Wise men don't like that.
The stadium provides ample seating, with a notable lack of big TV screens and advertising.
We calculated that you get about 15 seconds of wrestling for every 4 minutes of ceremony. Here is some which led to a front row man being crushed flat. Note the expressions of astonishment.
The famous bow ceremony performed by the current champion.
Sumo wrestlers intimidate each other through the following leg lifting maneuver. No really, imagine seeing this in a dark alley - scary, right?
The stars gather in a sumo circle to allow for comparison of heights, weights, and colourful aprons.
The 22 cheeks ceremony is also important.
Ok, how about another action shot.
On the street, sumo wrestlers are harder to spot, but if you look carefully, you can tell by their hairdos.
Finally, this is what losing looks like.
Sumo wrestlers wear wooden sandals to improve their height to weight ratio.
The referees wear fantastic robes and hats to indicate supreme authority. Here you can see him ruling on a clear win.
The stadium provides ample seating, with a notable lack of big TV screens and advertising.
The stars gather in a sumo circle to allow for comparison of heights, weights, and colourful aprons.
The 22 cheeks ceremony is also important.
Ok, how about another action shot.
On the street, sumo wrestlers are harder to spot, but if you look carefully, you can tell by their hairdos.
Finally, this is what losing looks like.