Sumo has been reserved for gods and men since the 7th century. The most codified of sports is finally opening up to diversity.
In Tokyo, meet these sumotori girls who have fought so hard to live their dream. “When Rio joined the club, I had to create a changing room for her,” says Fumihiko Nara, the chairman of the Japanese Sumo Federation. In the center of the room, a young woman with ebony eyes is warming up, almost squatting, raising horizontally.