A rare overseas sumo tournament was recently held at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Before it began I attended a demonstration of sumo hairdressing hosted by Japan House out of curiosity.
The presenter was sumo commentator Hiro Morita, the tokoyama (sumo hairdresser) was Tokoami, highly skilled with over 2 decades of experience and his model, a rising star of sumo wrestling Hakuōhō Tetsuya.
20 minutes is the average amount of time it takes Tokoami to style the hair.
He first combed a scented pomade through the hair to straighten it and make it solid.
He then tied it with string
before teasing the hair at the back with what looked like a fine metal chopstick.
Once done the rest of the hair was laid forward.
The final touch was making the gingko fan shape at the front.
Sumo wrestlers wear this hairstyle and have to learn to sleep on a special pillow to keep the style in place.
Hair is freshly styled before a fight which takes place in the dōjō, the sacred space, the sumo wrestling ring made from clay.
The whole tournament was shown on BBC iPlayer and was fascinating. It is, I think, still available to watch.
