Is Sumo Wrestling On Its Last Legs?

Sumo Confidential (2009): Despite its iconic status, sumo is rapidly decreasing in popularity. Has the sport had its time in the sun? For similar stories, see: Japan s Geisha Erasure https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTLLUFuI34Y Thai Adults Are Gambling On Child Kickboxing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQJx4OXaV0A Thai Prisoners Boxing To Freedom https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2LnFhnhe3I Subscribe to journeyman for daily uploads: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=journeymanpictures For downloads and more information visit: http://www.journeyman.tv/film/4484 Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/journeymanpictures Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JourneymanVOD https://twitter.com/JourneymanNews Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/journeymanpictures Sumo is in crisis. The gruelling training and relentless discipline can be too much to take for young trainees. We follow the daily routine of two wrestlers and wonder if the ancient sport can survive. A young sumo is pushed off the ring and made to get up again and again. We are inside a training stable. ‘"It s like going to boot camp 365 days a year"’ says this commentator. "‘They re the dirt on the floor and they ve just got to work their way up’." Cooking, cleaning and endless training, Shohei’ s life is typical of a junior sumo. "‘If you are the youngest disciple you have to do twice the duties compared with your seniors’," says popular Estonian wrestler Baruto. Sumo increasingly relies on ambitious foreign imports like him. For Shohei however, the discipline proves too much and he absconds - a disgrace for his stable. Although the stable owner is concerned about the future, the age-old training won’t change: "‘I have never thought I have pushed them too far. I feel I am still spoiling them’." ABC Australia – Ref. 4484 Journeyman Pictures is your independent source for the world s most powerful films, exploring the burning issues of today. We represent stories from the world s top producers, with brand new content coming in all the time. On our channel you ll find outstanding and controversial journalism covering any global subject you can imagine wanting to know about.