PARIS — Paris will be the setting next weekend for one of Japan’s oldest martial art forms, sumo wrestling, but an unheralded star of the major two-day tournament will be 100 percent French: the 200 kilogrammes of customised Guerande salt ordered by organisers.

“It’s an essential part of sumo wrestling. The tournament cannot take place without salt,” David Rothschild — the chief organiser of the Paris event, a rarity outside of Japan — told AFP.

Salt does indeed play a central role in sumo wrestling, a sport that also has a sacred dimension rooted in the Shinto religion.

Sumo competitions are punctuated by different ritual elements.“When the wrestler claps his hands, it is to call upon the gods. When he stamps his feet, it is to drive away demons. And the salt is to purify the space,” Rothschild explained.

“It is there to ward off anything that might cause trouble: injuries, curses, that sort of thing.”

Before each bout, wrestlers throw a generous handful of salt onto the dohyo — the 4.55-metre-diameter wrestling ring — in a gesture intended to drive away evil spirits, which is often one of the sport’s most iconic images.

During the bouts, the wrestlers, known as rikishi, compete on a clay surface covered with a thin layer of salt, which is swept from time to time by the yobidashi (announcers).

Over the course of the Paris tournament, 200kg (440 pounds) of salt will be required for these ancient rituals.