New Osaka sumo hall show lets spectators step into ring, learn sport’s history from pros

OSAKA — A sumo hall dedicated to conveying the appeal of sumo, Japan’s unofficial national sport with an over 1,500-year history, opened on May 30 in this city’s Naniwa Ward. Foreign visitors can experience the full impact of the sport at shows featuring head-on bouts between veteran former sumo wrestlers who’ve set foot in major rings.

The Sumo Hall Hirakuza Osaka, on the eighth floor of the Namba Parks shopping center, is an entertainment facility that hosts, among other things, the sumo shows where visitors are seated at tables and chairs set around three sides of the “dohyo” ring, allowing them to view matches while enjoying boxed “bento” meals in a traditional Japanese fashion. The shows are divided into two parts, starting with an act portraying the legend of sumo’s origins. The second part features a “keiko” training session, a breakdown of the sport’s rules, a tournament among the rikishi and a chance for visitors to square off against the wrestlers themselves. English narration is provided, along with the opportunity to take photos with the rikishi afterwards.

The wrestlers who appear are not current competitors, but all are true former sumo pros and include those with experience at the “sekitori” level — or in the second-tier “juryo” or higher divisions. Yoshinori Tashiro, who goes by “Tashi” and wrestled competitively in the third-tier “makushita” division under the name Tooyama, is also an actor who has appeared in films including America’s “John Wick: Chapter 4” and the India-produced “Sumo.” Others include Matsu, whose real name is Yutaka Matsumoto and who competed professionally as the juryo-level Irodori; Waka, real name Masayuki Okamoto, a fellow former juryo-rank competitor known as Kirinowaka; and Toma, or Tsuguto Toma by real name, a former fourth-tier “sandanme” division competitor who weighs in at over 200 kilograms.

Hirakuza is operated by Hanshin Electric Railway Co. subsidiary Hanshin Contents Link Corp., an entertainment-oriented company that runs Billboard Live halls for music shows and dining in Tokyo, Yokohama and Osaka. A representative said, “Many visitors to Japan come to the Kansai region, but there are very few places where they can enjoy themselves at night. We’d like to try to establish Hirakuza as a must-visit night spot for foreign visitors to Osaka and convey the appeal of sumo to people around the world.”

Admission is 16,000 yen (approx. $102) for an S-class ticket that includes a meal and drink, 12,500 yen (roughly $79.50) for an A-class ticket and 9,500 yen (about $60.50) for a B-class ticket. Tickets for children can be bought in A and B classes at 9,000 yen (around $58) and 7,000 yen (some $44.50), respectively. Meal options like a “luxury” boxed lunch, halal and vegan are available. Performances are twice daily at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., except Tuesdays, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

Reservations can be made at the sumo hall’s website.

(Japanese original by Hiroaki Hama, Osaka General Affairs Department)