REACH FOR THE SUMMIT

About the Work The Kanazawa High School Sumo Tournament serves as the pinnacle stage for high school sumo, drawing athletes from across Japan who aim for the summit. This year marked the first in-person event in four years, navigating the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and coinciding with renovations to the sumo arena. In an era where online streaming has become the norm for all forms of spectating and theatrical events, it was crucial to reiterate to the local residents, who had distanced themselves due to the pandemic, the unique thrill of witnessing the grand battles the athletes unfold on-site. This tournament is the summit showdown to determine the best in Japan, with the athletes' sculpted, colossal bodies exuding a majestic aura. Symbolically, we envisioned the pairing of two wrestlers as "grand mountains," drawing inspiration from Chinese landscape paintings and mist-covered high mountain photographs. Monochrome photographs capturing swirling dust create a sense of tension fitting for the summit showdown. In contrast to the distant perspective of Chinese landscape paintings, close-up shots looking up at the wrestlers authentically reproduce the unique sense of presence and the grandeur of the mountains, providing a sensation that online broadcasts cannot convey. As a result, on the day of the tournament, the newspaper coverage reached approximately 300,000 people, mainly among the local residents, and the venue was almost full. The number of attendees increased by about 125% from the previous in-person event, reaching approximately 10,000 people.