Can sumo avoid becoming another soulless corporate sport?

For decades, one of sumo’s most unique selling points has been its accessibility.

Contrary to foreign media’s ubiquitous framing of Japan’s national sport as a “secret world,” interaction between fans and wrestlers or stables has long been free, easy and commonplace.

However, a massive surge in inbound tourism over the past few years, sumo’s rapidly growing international fan base and the business realities of modern sport are putting pressure on long-held practices and norms.