Japanese Women Prepare For The Sumo World Championships In Bangkok

For centuries, sumo’s deep links with the Shinto religion barred women from entering the ring, let alone allowing them to participate. While women remain excluded from professional sumo, more than 600 now compete at the amateur level. The Associated Press documented some of them in training, including wrestlers preparing for the Sumo World Championships this weekend in Bangkok, Thailand. Since 2016, girls from across Japan have traveled to Tottori Jōhoku High School, about 600 kilometers (370 miles) west of Tokyo, to attend weeklong training camps at the nation’s largest girls’ sumo club.

Photo Webdesk

Updated on: 11 September 2025 3:26 pm

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Japan Women's Sumo | Photo: AP/Louise Delmotte

Wrestlers train during a practice session at a sumo camp in Tottori Johoku High School in Tottori, Japan.

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Japan Womens Sumo Photo Gallery_sumo camp in Tottori Johoku High School in Tottori_2

Japan Women's Sumo | Photo: AP/Louise Delmotte

Wrestlers train during a practice session at a sumo camp in Tottori Johoku High School in Tottori, Japan.

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Japan Womens Sumo Photo Gallery_sumo camp in Tottori Johoku High School in Tottori_3

Japan Women's Sumo | Photo: AP/Louise Delmotte

Wrestlers train during a practice session at a sumo camp in Tottori Johoku High School in Tottori, Japan.

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Japan Womens Sumo Photo Gallery_sumo camp in Tottori Johoku High School in Tottori_4

Japan Women's Sumo | Photo: AP/Louise Delmotte

Wrestlers train during a practice session at a sumo camp in Tottori Johoku High School in Tottori, Japan.

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Japan Womens Sumo Photo Gallery_sumo camp in Tottori Johoku High School in Tottori_5

Japan Women's Sumo | Photo: AP/Louise Delmotte

Wrestlers train during a practice session at a sumo camp in Tottori Johoku High School in Tottori, Japan.

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Japan Women's Sumo | Photo: AP/Louise Delmotte

Airi Hisano and coach Toyonoshima Daiki train during a practice session at the Tachihi Holdings Women's sumo club in Tokyo.

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Japan Women's Sumo | Photo: AP/Louise Delmotte

Wrestlers sweep the clay ring with brooms during a practice session at a sumo camp in Tottori Johoku High School in Tottori, Japan.

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Japan Women's Sumo | Photo: AP/Louise Delmotte

Straps are applied to a wrestler's face as pictures of male wrestlers are hung on the wall prior to a practice session at a sumo camp in Tottori Johoku High School in Tottori, Japan.

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