What is sumo?

Sumo bouts take place in a circular ring called the dohyō, about 4.55 metres across, and often last only a few seconds. A wrestler loses if any part of his body other than the soles of his feet touches the ground, or if he steps out of the ring. The sport has roots in Shinto rituals going back more than 1,500 years, and ceremonies such as salt-throwing remain part of every match. Professional wrestlers, called rikishi, live and train in communal stables called heya. The highest rank is yokozuna, a title held by only around 75 men in history.