sumo stamp top

Who knew listening to hypnotic hand-prints could be so relaxing?

If you’re not a die-hard sumo wrestling fan, then you may not know of Hakuho Sho. He attained sumo’s highest rank of yokozuna in 2007, and ever since then he’s been a fan favorite, possibly because he is an absolute beast, with the current record for most undefeated tournament championships.

And when you’re a national sumo celebrity, you have to be prepared to interact with the fans. But sumo wrestlers typically don’t sign things with a little autograph — instead, they give a giant handprint to show off how, well, giant they are.

Thanks to Japanese Twitter user @azechiazechi we recently got a sneak peek into what it looks like when the sumo hand-stamping factory is working full-force. Take a look at it here:

▼ “Miyaginobeya sumo house teamwork. Helping make Hakuho’s tegata (hand prints). Taking it nice and slow today, and using the rare red ink.”

I don’t know about you, but there’s just something… oddly satisfying about watching that. Maybe it’s the rhythmic “clicking” sounds of the hand going from ink to paper, or maybe it’s the sliding of the prints across the table, or maybe it’s just the beautiful efficiency of it all.

Is sumo-therapy a thing? Because I imagine a session of listening to those calming hand-beats followed by a few giant sumo-hugs would do wonders for the soul.

Here’s what Japanese netizens had to say about the hand-stamp factory:

“They’re just like a printing machine.”
“Actually, I think they’re way faster than a printer would be.”
“How is that ink not drying out?!”
“That’s a pretty nice beat. Someone should remix it.”
“I could watch this forever.”

If you want more sumo hand-printing to soothe your life, then check out this video of Hakuho Sho doing the same thing… but with black ink. Believe us, it makes all the difference.

Source: Twitter/@azechiazechi via Hachima Kiko
Featured/top image: Twitter/@azechiazechi