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Only a handful of competitions can hold spectators spellbound through an extended period of ritual before the opening contest is even contested.

Yet the intricate traditions unfolding in a compact earthen circle - largely unaltered for hundreds of years - succeeded in doing so.

Experience the Major Sumo Competition

This five-day event at the Royal Albert Hall features numerous elite rikishi showcasing a sport whose first mention dates back to the first century BC.

London's Victorian concert venue has been totally redesigned, complete with a six-tonne Japanese temple roof hanging above the ring.

Ancient Traditions Meet Current Innovations

It is here the wrestlers, known as rikishi, perform their shiko exercises to banish dark forces, and where they applaud to get the attention of the deities.

Above all this ancient ceremony, a giant, revolving LED screen - that appears natural at an professional sports event - offers the audience all the statistics and footage they could want.

Worldwide Followers Find Sumo

For Sian Spencer, it was a "random video" that first caught her attention a couple of years ago.

This was rapidly enhanced by the discovery of focused video platforms for rikishi houses, where athletes reside and practice, rising before dawn to train, followed by a nutritious chankonabe and then an midday rest - all in the service of increasing mass.

From Edinburgh, Alternative View

Another couple discovered sumo through a conventional method: a trip to Japan six years ago.

"We considered it a common sightseeing event, but we actually ended up loving the sport," explains the fan.

"After that, we tried to discover networks, materials, just to expand our knowledge about it," adds Cezar.

Unique Chance

Traveling to Asia is generally the primary approach to see a top-flight sumo tournament.

This current tournament marks only the second time the tournament has appeared in the capital - the previous visit was in the early nineties.

Even visiting the country isn't a guarantee of securing tickets, with the past period seeing sold-out events.

First-Hand Experience

For many attendees, the current event represents the first time they have seen live sumo - and it lives up to the hype.

"Watching nearby, you get a sense of the speed and the force which you can't experience on TV," says Caspar Eliot. "Their stature is remarkable."

The Bouts

To achieve victory, one wrestler needs to force his opponent off the clay or to the ground using physical force.

The majority use one of pair of techniques to accomplish this, often in split seconds - pushing, or grappling.

Either way, the sound of the two athletes meeting in the opening second of the match resounds around the venue.

Prime Locations

The seats right next to the ring are of course greatly valued - but also, potentially hazardous.

During one particular match, a 191cm wrestler fell into the audience - perhaps making those in slightly cheaper seats experience comfort.

Organizational Issues

Of course, the size of the rikishi is one of the initial aspects most people consider when they consider the sport.

The facility's operators revealed they "needed to find and acquire reinforced furniture which can take up to 200kg in weight."

But sumo - for all its sell-out events - is not without its troubles behind the scenes.

Potential Issues

Perhaps the strict life of a professional athlete doesn't look as attractive as it once might have.

Its following among youth in Japan is also being threatened by alternative competitions, while Japan's falling birthrate will create further complications.

Worldwide Following

Not that any of this has concerned enthusiasts in London.

"Experiencing the tradition and practice that is part of sumo is particularly meaningful," fan Sian says. "Today, watching it in person, you feel like you are more engaged."

For other dedicated followers, the excitement "made it so incredible" - as did interacting with the fellow enthusiasts.

"Emerging from a very niche online community and being able to observe numerous sumo fans in person and being able to converse with other people who are just as into this as we are - it was completely valuable."