#Female sumo wrestlers professional#

She ended up in Tokyo to study at Nippon Photography Institute and continued to photograph dance. She grew up in Moscow and frequently went to see ballet.

#Female sumo wrestlers professional#

Skogoreva, who has lived in Japan for over 10 years, understands the dream of professional athleticism, and her goal is to capture movement and space in a still image. I hope that my project will help these girls to get more attention and reach their goal one day.” “At the moment even in Japan very few people know that female sumo exists. “I wish that these girls could have the opportunity to continue their career,” says Skogoreva. Female sumo wrestlers at the club level are passionate about the sport and give their sweat and tears to prove that they deserve to compete. But there’s also the question of gender equality, and can we figure out a way to have both?”Ībe’s dream is to continue her career as a professional, but right now there is no way for women to continue after graduation from university in the current system. “When people come and visit the country, this is part of why they love it so much, because so much of that tradition is still intact. “The traditions in Japan are complicated,” says Skogoreva. Tokyo-based photographer Yulia Skogoreva has been photographing girls and young women who practice sumo for years. Sumo - a historical Japanese martial art and longtime favorite sport in the country - is open solely to men at the professional level, but that doesn’t stop some girls from practicing it as a club sport. In Japan, club sports are a large part of adolescence and how many students bond with their classmates. Nana Abe, 12, is a true sumo champion: She has been practicing since she was 8 years old and has rarely lost a competition.