Entertainment · Film · 15 hrs ago
Documentary takes viewers inside the rituals and sacrifices of Japanese sumo
Erik Shirai’s documentary “Sumo: Spirit Weighs Nothing” takes viewers inside the private world of professional sumo in Japan.
It follows four wrestlers over a year, including Terunofuji Haruo, who holds sumo’s highest rank, called yokozuna.
The film shows their demanding training, rituals, pain and personal sacrifices.
Sumo is an ancient Japanese sport, but its traditions can be unfamiliar to viewers outside Japan.
Shirai says the film explores a view of strength that emphasizes humility rather than boasting.
It premiered at the Venice Film Festival and begins screening at the BFI London Film Festival on Oct.
13.
The film offers audiences a closer look at the sport and the lives shaped by it.
Erik Shirai’s documentary Sumo: Spirit Weighs Nothing takes viewers inside the private world of Japanese sumo.
The film follows four wrestlers at different stages of their careers over the course of a year.
It explores training, rituals, pain and sacrifice, as well as the sport’s spiritual dimension.
The documentary premiered at Venice and is screening at the BFI London Film Festival starting Oct. 13.
Shirai says he wanted to address misconceptions about sumo and Japanese culture.
- Who
- Filmmaker Erik Shirai and sumo wrestlers Terunofuji Haruo, Hiradoumi Yuki, Yonezawaryu Daiki and Kosei Motomura.
- What
- Sumo: Spirit Weighs Nothing is a documentary about sumo’s rituals, training and sacrifices.
- When
- It follows the wrestlers over the course of a year. It screens at the BFI London Film Festival starting Oct. 13; the year is not stated.
- Where
- The film focuses on sumo in Japan and is screening at the BFI London Film Festival in London.
- Why
- Shirai wanted to explore sumo’s traditions and spiritual dimension and address misconceptions about the sport and Japanese culture.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The documentary world-premiered at Venice; the date is not stated.
The film is scheduled to begin screening at the 70th BFI London Film Festival; the year is not stated.
- Film
- Sumo: Spirit Weighs Nothing
- Director
- Erik Shirai
- Wrestlers followed
- Terunofuji Haruo, Hiradoumi Yuki, Yonezawaryu Daiki and Kosei Motomura
- Period covered
- One year
- London screening
- BFI London Film Festival, starting Oct. 13
What people are saying
I think that partly why I gravitated towards it was because growing up Japanese in America, I felt like there were a lot of misconceptions about Japanese culture and traditions.
The idea of strength, especially in America, is about men pounding their chests and saying, ‘I’m the best. I’m the greatest. I’m the GOAT.’
In Japan, and in particular with sumo, strength is completely built differently. There’s humility built into it.
True strength is measured not in flesh, but in the refining of the spirit.
Sources
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