ACN Film Review: SUMODO: Every day is a traffic accident – when you’re a sumo wrestler

Japanese Film Festival Online 2022 by Japan Foundation, New Delhi

REVIEW by Sunil Kumar & Nikita Yadav 

Sumodo: The Successors of Samurai（相撲道〜サムライを継ぐ者たち）

NEW DELHI/INDIA: Moving and insightful, Eiji Sakata’s documentary offers an eye-opening look into the intimate workings of what it means to be a professional sumo wrestler in modern Japan. Filmed over the course of six months, Sumodo follows the lives of two wrestlers, Gōeidō Gōtarō and Ryūden Gōshi, as they prepare to battle it out on the legendary stage of Ryōgoku Kokugikan.

Considered to be descendants of samurai, these ‘gentlemen of strength’ dedicate their entire lives to sumo, priming themselves both mentally and physically for the sport. From grueling, rigorous training sessions to flesh on flesh clashes in the ring, they are required to overcome both physical and emotional challenges in the process.

Director Sakata unveils the prowess, personalities, fears, and joys of these dedicated athletes, and offers a touching documentary that will capture the hearts of anyone wanting to learn more about this revered piece of Japanese culture.

Sumo is the national sport of Japan. Japan has a lot of traditional sports, sumo is one the most widely recognized, fascinating, and interesting sports but also one that is little known about. Eiji Sakata’s documentary offers a look into the inner workings of the professional sport, to those who know very little about Sumo, this provides an easy introduction, respects the practice, and educates an audience on its intricacy.

IN A SNAPSSHOT:

GENRE: Documentary

CAST: SAKAIGAWA Hideaki, TAKADAGAWA Katsumi, GOEIDO Gotaro

DIRECTOR: SAKATA Eiji

WRITERS: SAKATA Eiji

RUNNING TIME: 01hrs 44min (104 minutes)

RELEASED: Year 2020

SCREENING @: Japanese Film Festival Online 2022 (Feb 14-27) 

DIALOGUES: Japanese

SUBTITLES: English

CLASSIFICATION RATING: All ages

Sumo is bigger than ever before, in many ways. This film takes us to the behind-the-scenes of sumo training, at the very heart of ‘stable’, where the audience can learn the practice, hard work which goes inside the sport, and the player’s flexibility, physicality, and endurance.

“No matter how significantly the world evolves, the spirit of sumo never changes.”

This athlete documentary shows training and fights in tournaments based on two successful wrestlers. Sumodo follows two stables from January 2019 through May: Sakaigawa first, home of Goeido, Myogiryu, and Sadonoumi; and later Takadagawa, home of Ryuden and kagayaki. Goiedo Gotaro is already an accomplished champion fighting to maintain his status; Ryuden Goshi is a younger competitor looking to make a name for himself. This gets you to meet sumo wrestlers, their stable masters, and fellow stablemates through training sessions, tournaments, and a few personal lives.

Following two wrestlers for six months by examining the lifestyle, motivation, intentions, and aspirations of these sumo wrestlers also gives air to the tradition, heritage, and connection of the sport to Japan, its country of origin. This will lead you to know about the life of sumo wrestlers and the communal sumo training stables known in Japanese as heya, where all the aspects of their daily lives – from meal to dress are traditional.

Above all, the focus is on motivation and discipline – especially on dealing with the pain and injuries and wow, after the documentary you wonder how they do it without face or body protection.

The traditional training practices contrasted with Myogiryu’s modern strength-building. A stable master who still puts on the mawashi and joins his men in training. Very special and maybe a perfect film for sumo beginners who want to feel motivated and ambitious. The emotional identification with the wrestlers is where the director Eiji Sakata excels at. The time gripping look at wrestlers’ personal lives, training, and tournaments is very entertaining and informative about the sport’s history and tradition.

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