PARIS – This weekend Paris is hosting a spectacular demonstration of Japan’s national sport, but an unheralded star of a major two-day sumo tournament will be 100% French: the 200 kilograms of customized Guerande salt ordered by organizers.
“It’s an essential part of sumo wrestling. The tournament cannot take place without salt,” said David Rothschild, the chief organizer of the Paris event, a rarity outside of Japan.
Salt does indeed play a central role in sumo wrestling, a sport that also has a sacred dimension rooted in the Shinto religion.
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