You win Sumo, you lose some: Busker Gocchanko wrestles with onlookers, red tape

The City of Melbourne confirmed it cancelled Gocchanko’s busking permit “due to non-compliance with the relevant busking permit conditions”.

Gocchanko’s Sumo journey began when he was six years old with his father’s support, and he turned pro at 22 after graduating from university. He retired from professional wrestling at 25.

He began busking by singing while in his sumo outfit, wearing his mawashi – a traditional Sumo loincloth – and using it as percussion while singing and rapping.

“It was a very popular performance, and I felt I could make a living from busking donations,” he said.

“After that I started doing Sumo fights in the street … I found I enjoyed it more than singing, and I was able to continue doing it without getting bored.

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“Once I started putting on my Sumo belt and stood on the street and put up a sign saying, ‘Anyone can try out Sumo’, the crowd immediately got excited.”

Gocchanko, now 32, said he had given thousands of people around the world their first direct experience with Japan’s national sport.

He’s back for his second stint in Melbourne, which he says is a special place for him. During his first time here in 2020, he was able to sustain himself busking on the city’s street for two months.

This time around, he’s attracted even more excitement.

“Maybe because there are many university and working holiday students here, and young men?” he said. “And [there’s a big] art culture.”

Monty Callan is one of the many Melburnians to have wrestled Gocchanko, and described him as a “patient teacher”.

“Then all of a sudden we started the match and it was over before I knew it,” Callan said.

“At first he was gentle and I thought I had a chance – but before I knew it both my feet were off the ground.

“That was something I’ll tell my grandkids about.”

A condition of obtaining a busking permit in the City of Melbourne is that the performer doesn’t obstruct pedestrian flow or allow their audience to.

This has certainly been the case for Gocchanko’s shows, which prompted another relocation this weekend, to Flagstaff Gardens.

And he’s got some handy advice for anyone who wants to take him on.

“It’s important to have respect,” he said. “But the most important thing is to have fun and do it safely, you have to be careful not to push yourself and have a kind heart.”

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