A project to promote the traditional Japanese culture “Sumo” to the next generation and to spread its appeal to the world.

They are working on the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai Co-Creation Challenge to carry on sumo culture, one of the most important Japanese traditions. Sumo is a sport that can be enjoyed by all generations, from children to seniors, regardless of gender. The rules are simple: the winner is the one who can get his or her opponent out of the ring, or the one who can get all but the soles of his or her feet on the ground. However, in order to win, one must have the “mind, technique, and body” to train the mind, cultivate the technique, and prepare the body. Sumo wrestling can train all of these.

Active Square Daito,” located on the site of a former elementary school, is a center for community exchange and is visited by many people and has a sumo ring attached to it. There, we offer a sumo experience for foreign visitors and children. Visitors learn about sumo’s gestures and history, enjoy chanko-nabe, and experience sumo through all five senses.

Project Inauguration

Traditions” are essentially spun from parents to their children. However, the history and culture that have been spun out are gradually being lost. In the old days, children used to wrestle in the park to decide who would win the match, but these days you don’t see sumo wrestling much anymore. I believe that sumo, a traditional Japanese culture, has become distant from our daily lives. We have started to organize events to experience sumo together with the Sumo Club of the Settsu Warehouse.

During the Sumo Experience, participants will actually wrap up their loincloths and engage in the wrestling match, while learning the significance of cupping their hands and stepping on the four-legged stools. Of course, women and wheelchair users are welcome to step into the ring. This is because our motto is “Sumo for all. At the end of the event, everyone eats chanko-nabe together. Chanko-nabe is made with chicken broth, which is meant to be a good luck charm, as the chicken never touches it. In this way, we aim to create an event where people can experience for themselves the history and culture that has been spun through sumo.

Project Activities

Our hands-on sumo events have been experienced by many customers. In addition to the ring experience at Active Square Daito, we have also held traveling demonstrations at hotels in Kyoto, and at the “Umekita Place” held at Grand Front Osaka, they held a participatory tug-of-war between the Sumo Club and the audience and sold chanko-nabe. Because we are amateurs, we have the flexibility to create opportunities for people to experience sumo through such and such means!

Future Prospects for the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai

The “ma” (pause) is the most important factor in winning or losing a match. The yotsumata is a ritual to unify the spirit of the wrestlers in order to bring out the experience they have cultivated through practice and training, and the act of sprinkling salt. The shikata is a ritual to unify the spirit of the wrestlers in order to bring out the experience they have gained through practice and practice. The way they hold each other’s eyes and take each other’s stance, not letting up on a single breath, fascinates people in that space. In today’s society, where it is difficult to feel the other person’s breath, valuing the “ma” (pause) can be a hint for building new relationships and business opportunities.

Through sumo, we hope to pass on “history” and “culture” to the next generation, while cherishing encounters and connections with people. We also hope to use the Expo, which will be held in Osaka and attract people from all over the world, as an opportunity to communicate the depth of sumo, a wonderful culture, to the rest of the world.