1
Sumo is the sport of the gods.
In the old days, only men practiced sumo.
Because of this tradition, some people
don't like us.
My name is Hiyori Kon.
I started sumo in Year One
of elementary school.
For the first few years I beat everyone,
even the boys.
Boys can aspire to be
professional wrestlers.
They can easily see a future in sumo.
After elementary school, girls tend
to quit.
There weren't that many wrestlers
little girls could look up to.
I have the same body percentage fat
as him.
He's a chubby mover.
Hiyori, you're a chubby Sumo wrestler.
I'm a chubby swimmer too.
I can swim!
The most common sumo injury is
in the knee, isn't it?
Yes, the knee, technically speaking.
Because we're too fat?
Weight is definitely one of the reasons.
Apparently female wrestlers peak
when they're 20 years old.
So I'm at my peak right now.
But there are professional male sumo
wrestlers who are over 30.
For women's physical strength,
the peak is actually 25-26 years old.
Women's sumo is limited
to when they're students
because the environment
forces them out after that.
So they only say 20 is the peak?
Yes, that's probably why.
Watch your head!
Sumo is fought with bare feet and you try
to grip the ground.
You lose if any of your body, except for
the soles of your feet,
touches the ground.
You also lose if your feet go
outside the ring.
Because of sumo traditions,
women are banned
from competing professionally.
So women's sumo is
not a professional sport.
I think if women's sumo becomes
more popular
it will be permitted in the future.
That's one of the reasons
why I'm working hard.
I think we can overturn this ban on women.
-Hiyori, come here.
-Yes, sir.
Who is this?
My picture is here.
-Your team?
-Right.
Who is this?
That's me!
Was this taken in Aomori?
It was taken here.
Here?
I study gender theory.
We learned about many women fighting
gender issues all over the world,
but there weren't many Japanese women.
Japanese people don't ask
for radical change.
The 'ideal' woman is modest and walks
three steps behind the man.
We even have a term for this.
She's not supposed to be visible.
That's what it means.
Last year, I couldn't celebrate New Year
with my family
so I'm glad I can this year.
Why are you wearing sandals?
You're turning me into a snowman!
JANUARY 1, 2018
Three, two, one...Happy New Year.
This is Hiyori.
You look skinnier.
But my face looks the same.
It's the fat face!
I've been shoveling snow
since I was a kid!
You went out alone and shoveled snow.
I did it alone?
My father said, "Women's sumo? No way!
Quit!"
But I told him, "Let her do it."
If she's in a magazine,
I'm excited and buy it even
if it's very expensive.
This is me, right?
A lot of famous professional wrestlers
are from Aomori.
Aomori is called 'the land of sumo' and
is the best place for training.
I can convince myself that I will be okay
and that I'll never lose to anyone in sumo
because I grew up here.
I'm always striving towards a goal,
not just because it's New Year.
This year, I want to become
World Number 1.
I'll train hard every day
to make it happen.
I'm scared the plane might crash because
we're too heavy.
Have you ever weighed your loin cloth?
No, never.
His loin cloth must be really heavy.
I want to try those kinds of clothes.
Maybe when I retire from sumo.
We're all shuffling.
I'm scared.
Shoulders up like this.
Don't tense up your shoulders. Relax.
If you're slow in sumo, you
can't win against foreigners.
You have to be quick.
You can't fight without speed.
Fight!
I felt I brought more than 100%
of my strength to each match
and that I could do more and more.
My body moves without thinking at all.
Look at this, almost every wrestler
left is from Russia or Ukraine.
I'm sure I didn't have
this much here before.
Your opponent is almost two meters tall
so be careful, okay?
You've come all this way.
You are the strongest.
You've trained so hard,
it's going to be a great match.
Believe in yourself and don't stop moving.
The moment I put my foot
on that first step,
I feel like I'm on my own.
Hiyori, you can do it! Trust yourself!
Oh my god, so close!
That was the greatest match.
It's very frustrating!
Even if you've worked so hard,
for so long...
you can lose in a flash.
No one could fight better than you did.
I fight with opponents
from other countries,
but once we're in the ring,
there's no difference between us.
I believe that as a result
of my hard work,
women's sumo will stop
facing discrimination.
I will continue to strive for it,
with that belief.
If we each raise our voice while
also spreading sumo across the world,
then I believe there will be more people
willing to fight gender inequality
with us.
It's time for women's sumo to take action.
Subtitle translation by Emily Noguchi