*Klik på billederne og se dem i en større udgave

Sumodrenge Many Japanese parents see sumo as a school of life. Like ballet, sumo wrestling is a niche among children's sports and it is predominantly a middle class phenomenon. Around 50.000 boys ranging from four to fourteen years take lessons after regular school and although obesity is not structured as part of the training programme at this point, being heavy comes an advantage in a competition without weight class. The boys in Hiragaya and Sagawa sumo club train because they love the game, the idea of belonging to a club. Acceptance, helping the weak and gaining confidence inside as well as outside the club walls. Pushing hard until the tears burst and the skin goes crack is all part of the spirit. As a spectator sport it has seen a fall in popularity for more than a decade and the 54 professional sumo stables are desperate recruiting overweight teens in public, such as in schools and restaurants, to secure the future of the sport. A recent crisis involving a beer bottle and a metal baseball bat questioned the excessive methods of training when a 17 year old sumo boy died from his injuries in a professional sumo stable. There is much money at stake with 12 million viewers, or one in every ten Japanese, who make the young men celebrities. The 1500-year-old sport is highly respected for the thousands of painful hours the young athlete must go through before he can call himself a champion wrestler. Being a sumo wrestler also goes hand in hand with a lower life expectancy. A wrestler lives 10 years less than the average for a Japanese person and is likely to get injured, become diabetic, or get stricken with a heart attack. All this as a consequence of a lifestyle with deliberate body growth to proportions over what is commonly considered obesity. The risk is over shined by the emperor-like status these young men and their families aspire to reach. Like ballet, sumo wrestling is a niche among children's sports and is seen by parents as a school of life. it is predominantly a middle class phenomenon and around 50.000 Japanese boys take lessons after regular school and although obesity is not structured as part of the training programme at this point, being heavy comes an advantage in a competition without weight class. Kindergarten students help each other with stretching exercises. Being limber helps a sumo wrestler keep his center of gravity close to the ground. Sagawa sumo club – Tachigawa, Japan. (Tokyo) Passing down knowledge is a tradition in sumo wrestling - two senior sumo wrestlers prepare six year old Shunsuke for the Tokyo prefecture competition. Helping is common in Japan and the word "sumo" is built up by two words. "Su" means catch and "mo" means together which is how everything that is Japanese should be viewed - taking into consideration the people around you. Hiragaya sumo club, Hakusan - Tokyo, Japan. (Tokyo) As a spectator sport sumo wrestling has seen a fall in popularity now for more than a decade and the 54 professional sumo stables are desperate recruiting overweight teens in public, such as in schools and restaurants, to secure the future of the sport. A recent crisis involving a beer bottle and a metal baseball bat questioned the excessive methods of training when a 17 year old sumo boy died from his injuries in a professional sumo stable. Also ordinary boys are seen training from the age of four. The boys are trained to be respectful, help the weak and push hard until the tears burst and the skin goes crack. Gho, 9 years old. Hakusan - Tokyo, Japan. (Tokyo) "The best thing about sumo is that I get to throw people to the ground. Now I'm big and strong, before I was just big." Kenta, 11 years old and silver medalist first hesitated on joining a club because of the minimal uniform, but that doesn't seem to bother the proud youngster anymore. "It would be so cool to on stage in the sumo hall of Tokyo in front of thousands. Just like my idol." Hakusan - Tokyo, Japan. (Tokyo) Protein. His mother makes sure that he gets his vegetables among the four daily meals along with 1-2 kg meat, 5 eggs and 4 large rice bowls. 14 year old Daiki's strength and weight is unusual for a boy his age. 183 cm/132 kg. Following grandpa's orders, Daiki now sleeps on the floor after his bed broke under his weight. The picture shows one meal. (Tokyo) After school activities are carefully planned for Japanese children in the race to get the best head start in life. This way many parents see sumo as a school of life. 11 year old silver medalist Kenta doesn't have much time to see his friends in the weekdays when private lessons sometimes end the day after it gets dark outside. Nakanoku, Japan. (Tokyo) Teen dreams. In the living room Daiki lifts weights when he doesn't start his Playstation up with a game and go head to head with his sumo idols. The teenager is announced as a future Yokozuna by former champion wrestler Takahanohana and with these words follows much expectation and strong pressure. 10 high schools have already offers him a scholarship so he continues to work for results in the national children's sumo competition where he is up against the best of 50.000 boys. (Tokyo) Eager to start living in a professional sumo school 14-year-old Satoshi is a typical example of a sumo boy on the verge of a whole new life, but has to finish a university degree first because of the wish of his parents. They are very supportive of his goal and up to tournaments his mother helps by videotaping his opponent, then mother and son go frame by frame finding the weak points. At restaurants the sumo boy is approached by talent scouts who want to get their fingers on him. Hoya, Japan. (Tokyo)