When I lived in China, we had limited television options so I ended up watching a lot of sumo wrestling on NHK, a Japanese, english language television station. I soon discovered that Sumo definitely was not just a wrestling match. The ancient significance of the opening ceremonies is for the sumo wrestlers internal purification and I loved the push and pull of these giant opposing forces. The sumo bout symbolizes the internal struggle between the part in a person striving for awakening and the lower self, in which the steward tries to purify the heart. Referees,“Gyoji” wear robes and hats closely resembling those of Shinto priests, and the wrestlers, the rikishi, spend most of their time performing pre-bout ceremonies steeped in Shinto tradition. I painted it in oils using loose brush strokes to convey the strength of their movements.

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