Many Years Ago,

when I lived in the UK,

there was a television channel that followed the the top sumo division, until today I had always thought the sport was so formalised and serious, 

 but looking at these choreographed clips there is a lighter side to the sport, it is called shokkiri, (初っ切り, a comic sumo performance), it is like a fun, anything-goes style bout in which the wrestlers perform typically forbidden moves, much to everyone’s delight,

even the referee is in on the act!