Punishment and humiliation are intrinsic parts of stable life and juniors who are not thought to be working hard enough are routinely hit with bamboo poles and even metal shovels. Wrestlers have also been found guilty of fixing matches and taking part in illegal gambling organised by the Yakuza, the Japanese mafia. As a result, sumo has never been less popular. Last year, the Japan Sumo Association, the game’s governing body, received just 56 applications, the lowest number since 1958. As Harumafuji, one of sumo’s current grand champions, observed at the time, children today would rather be athletes or footballers. “People,” he said, “feel there is no need to put themselves through such hardship in an age of convenience.”