They rinse their mouths, sprinkle some salt, clap their hands, stamp their feet – and then, once the niceties are over, they charge at their opponent in a fast-paced, powerful and near-naked clash that is often over in seconds.

Attending a sumo match has long featured high on the to-do lists of many Japan visitors (along with eating as much sushi as possible, riding on a Shinkansen bullet train and sipping sunset cocktails from a cloud-brushing skyscraper) – and with good reason.

There are few more compelling sights than watching two oversized sumo wrestlers in action, as they launch into a turbo-charged attempt to force their opponent out of a circular ring, with only their feet touching the...