Clash of Souls

• Prize
  Silver in People/Event
• Photographer
  Tetsuya Okubo
• Technical Info
  F2.8 1/250 Iso1000 Aps-c 140mm
• Photo Date
  2025/09/23

A sacred tradition, centuries old, under the night sky. This photo captures a tense moment from the Karatoyama Shinji Sumo in Hakui, Ishikawa. It is a wild, open-air ceremony with a 2,000-year history, following the strict rule: "no water, no salt, no breaks." Illuminated by spotlights, the rikishi (wrestlers) are stripped of all distraction, their powerful bodies becoming vessels for a pure "clash of souls." The dramatic contrast of light and shadow emphasizes the solemnity of the ritual and the extreme mental and physical commitment in this single moment.