Discipline and Order

• Prize
  Gold in Editorial/Photo Essay
• Photographer
  Ben Weller
• Photo Date
  October 2017

The Kaiyo High School Sumo Club in Nou, a small fishing village in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, consistently turns out some of the top sumo wrestlers in the country. Students come from around the country to join the wrestling club for a shot at becoming a rikishi, or professional sumo wrestler. Living together in a dormitory just off campus, they eat their meals together, wash clothes together, attend classes, and undergo grueling training for hours each day. Over three days in October, 2017, I photographed this incredible group of young people pursuing their dream.

Ben Weller is a commercial and editorial photographer based in Nagoya, Japan. His work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Think:Act, Lufthansa Exclusive, and numerous other publications.