Bronze in Press/Sports / 2026 / Press / Sports

• Prize
  Bronze in Press/Sports
• Photographer
  Shigeki Nakashoji, Japan
• Date of Photograph
  2025.11.20
• Studio
  Free
• Instagram
  https://www.instagram.com/shigeki_nakashoji/

Sumo is often perceived as a sport defined by ritual and competition.
Yet beyond the tournaments lies another world—one built through endless training, silent perseverance, physical pain, and mutual trust.
For four years, I documented daily practice inside a sumo stable, photographing exclusively in black and white.
My focus was never victory or defeat, but the invisible relationship between body and mind revealed through repeated collisions, exhaustion, and moments of quiet humanity.
These photographs explore the universal condition of people pushing themselves beyond their limits, where stre

I am a Japanese documentary and sports photographer whose work explores the relationship between the human body, the mind, and culture through sport.
For more than a decade, he has documented athletes competing and training in extreme environments, with long-term projects focusing on sumo, CrossFit, and lifesaving. His photography goes beyond competition to reveal the emotions, rituals, discipline, and humanity that define each sport.
In 2026, he held his solo exhibition "ULTIMATE" at the Canon Gallery Ginza and Canon Gallery Osaka, presenting a documentary series on CrossFit.

Awards ・Gold Winner, PX3 – Prix de la Photographie Paris
・Finalist, World Sports Photography Awards (Martial Arts Category)
・Honorable Mention, International Photography Awards (IPA)
・Excellence Award, Number Sports Photo Award