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Only a handful of competitions can keep viewers enthralled through 45 minutes of ceremony before the first point is even contested.

Yet the detailed ceremonies unfolding in a small clay ring - largely unaltered for generations - accomplished exactly that.

Discover the Prestigious Rikishi Event

This five-day event at the iconic London venue features numerous elite sumo wrestlers showcasing a sport whose initial documentation dates back to the first century BC.

London's renowned auditorium has been totally redesigned, complete with a six-tonne Japanese temple roof hanging above the competition area.

Historical Ceremonies Meet Contemporary Displays

It is here the wrestlers, known as sumo professionals, perform their shiko exercises to banish dark forces, and where they strike their hands to summon the gods.

Above all this ancient ceremony, a massive rotating display - which wouldn't look out of place at an American basketball game - offers the spectators all the statistics and footage they could want.

Worldwide Followers Embrace Sumo

For an enthusiastic follower, it was a "random video" that first caught her attention a couple of years ago.

This was quickly followed by the discovery of dedicated YouTube channels for rikishi houses, where wrestlers live and train, rising before dawn to train, followed by a protein-rich meal and then an midday rest - all in the effort toward bulking up.

From Edinburgh, Different Experience

Julia and her partner Cezar discovered sumo through a established path: a journey to Asia six years ago.

"We approached it as a common sightseeing event, but we actually developed passion for the sport," notes the enthusiast.

"After that, we tried to discover networks, information, just to deepen our understanding about it," the other fan explains.

Unique Chance

Visiting the homeland is typically the sole method to see a major championship.

This week's event marks only the second time the tournament has come to London - the first time was in over three decades ago.

Even going to Japan doesn't ensure of securing tickets, with the past period seeing sold-out events.

Live Observation

For many attendees, the UK competition represents the premier chance they have experienced the sport directly - and it doesn't disappoint.

"Watching nearby, you get a sense of the speed and the force which you don't get on TV," explains an attendee. "Their size is impressive."

The Competition

To achieve victory, one rikishi needs to force his opponent off the clay or to the ground using brute strength.

The most use one of dual approaches to achieve this, often in moments - thrusting, or grappling.

Either way, the sound of the two wrestlers crashing together in the first moment of the match echoes around the auditorium.

Premium Seating

The positions right next to the dohyō are of course highly prized - but also, somewhat dangerous.

During one specific contest, a tall wrestler fell into the audience - perhaps making those in less expensive positions breathe a sigh of relief.

Internal Challenges

Of course, the dimensions of the rikishi is one of the primary elements most people imagine when they contemplate wrestling.

The venue's management revealed they "had to source and acquire reinforced furniture which can withstand 200kg in weight."

But sumo - for all its successful competitions - is not without its challenges behind the scenes.

Potential Issues

Perhaps the strict life of a rikishi doesn't look as attractive as it once might have.

Its appeal among the younger generation is also being competed with by other sports, while Japan's falling birthrate will not help.

Global Community

Not that any of this has concerned enthusiasts in London.

"Seeing all this custom and formality that goes with sumo is quite special," one enthusiast notes. "Currently, observing it directly, you experience being you are more engaged."

For other enthusiastic fans, the excitement "made it so incredible" - as did meeting the fellow enthusiasts.

"Leaving a particularly focused online community and being able to see all these sumo fans directly and being able to speak to other people who are similarly enthusiastic as we are - it was completely valuable."