Sumo wrestling from Japan is among the world’s oldest sports, dating back at least 1,500 years. The rules are simple: square off with an opponent, in a ring lined with sand, then try to push the other ...

But what went on inside the ring turned out to be as exciting as ever. Spring tourney roundup -- Sumo wrestlers rock empty stadium | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News Spring tourney roundup -- Sumo wrestlers ...

Stadiums were half empty and television ratings plummeted to single digits. Then came Wakanohana. He was Japan's 66th yokozuna -- sumo's top rank -- and he was an instant success.

Sumo's spring tournament began behind closed doors on Sunday, the latest big event in Japan to be hit by the coronavirus less than five months before the Tokyo Olympics.

Sumo tournaments take place on a raised ring called a dohyo. The kanji characters for dohyo (土俵) literally translate as clay and rice straw bales — the two materials the ring is made of.