A sand-covered loincloth, or mawashi, worn by a sumo wrestler is seen during a training session at Ganjoji Yakushido temple in Nagoya, Japan, July 5, 2017. The temple is used by sumo wrestlers belonging to the Tomozuna stable as a temporary base for the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament. REUTERS/Issei Kato
NAGOYA, Japan (Reuters) - The sound of bodies slapping against each other rocks the stifling sumo "stable" in the Japanese city of Nagoya, as 11 gigantic wrestlers wearing only loincloths take turns throwing each other out of a ring of sand.
The wrestlers, or 'rikishi', at the prestigious Tomozuna stable spend more than three hours each morning practicing holds in Japan's 15-century-old national sport, with defeat facing the first to fall or be forced out of the ring.
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