A loud thud broke the silence and a victorious wrestler lifted his sweat-drenched body as the scorching summer sun rose out of the ocean at a summer training camp in an oceanside area of Soma, devastated by the March 11 tsunami-disaster.
The wrestlers wanted both to give back to the community, some 270 km northeast of Tokyo, that has hosted their summer training for 20 years — and also redeem their ancient sport, tainted by recent scandals.
“I’m still scared of aftershocks, but I want to fight my heart out for my family and make people in Soma smile again,” said winning wrestler Oazuma, 21, wiping his wide forehead.
A metal roof was the only thing left of the sumo summer gym, or “stable”, after the massive 9.0 quake triggered a tsunami that left parts of Soma a pile of rubble and set off the world’s worst nuclear crisis in 25 years at a nuclear plant just 50 km away.
Some 80,000 have been forced to leave their homes near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which continues to leak radiation — including the family of wrestler Oazuma. “My dad and mum lost their jobs, and although I'm just a sumo beginner I ended up as the sole family breadwinner,” he added.
Having the wrestlers return as if it was any other summer is seen by many as a vital step to lift morale as survivors make fragile attempts to rebuild their shattered lives.
{{/usCountry}}Having the wrestlers return as if it was any other summer is seen by many as a vital step to lift morale as survivors make fragile attempts to rebuild their shattered lives.
{{/usCountry}}“We live in the shadow of Fukushima. Many people have left this area,” said Hiroko Mori, who loves sumo wrestling. “It’s great to have them back.”