Anyone following the Japan Sumo Association’s various social media feeds over the past couple of days will know that the tearing down and rebuilding of the ring in Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan has already begun.
Requiring several days and dozens of yobidashi (ring-announcers) to complete, the process is labor intensive and almost entirely manual.
Once the new ring has been built, and the 40 tons of clay has fully dried, the final touches will come on Saturday morning during the dohyō matsuri, or ring purification ceremony.
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