Filmmaker Mari Shibata turns her lens on the strict hierarchy of sumo wrestling in this portrait of the bashoiri—the arrival of wrestlers at a tournament venue. Here, Shibata offers some insight into her Tokyo-based film: 

“This documentary is focused on the varying body language, attitudes and reception of high-ranking wrestlers, whilst those of lower rank walk through crowds unnoticed. 


"In this film, you see many aspects of the bashoiri,” continues Shibata. “You see the range of Japanese kimonos on display, vehicles they arrive in, as well as the relationships between the sumos and their tsukibitos—a trainee wrestler who serves as a personal attendant.”