Paris Sumo Tournament Uses 200kg of Sacred French Salt

When French salt producers Meredith and Gautier Ferard got a call asking for 200 kilograms of custom-ground sea salt for a sumo tournament, they didn't quite know what to expect.

But they said yes anyway. And now their handcrafted fleur de sel from Le Croisic is playing a starring role in Paris's first major sumo tournament since 1995.

"It's an essential part of sumo wrestling," says David Rothschild, the tournament's chief organizer. "The tournament cannot take place without salt."

In sumo, salt does far more than season food. The sport has deep roots in Shinto religion, and salt serves as a sacred purifier. Before each bout, wrestlers throw generous handfuls onto the dohyo, the 4.55-meter wrestling ring, to drive away evil spirits and prevent injuries.

"When the wrestler claps his hands, it is to call upon the gods," Rothschild explains. "When he stamps his feet, it is to drive away demons. And the salt is to purify the space."

The Ferards received highly precise specifications for the tournament. The salt needed to be bright white and ground to an exceptionally fine texture. Sharp salt crystals could cut the wrestlers' feet when 200 kilograms of body weight presses down during matches.

"The sodium chloride molecule, as it occurs in nature, is rather cubic in shape," Meredith notes. "And if they have soft skin with 200 kg on top of it, that can hurt!"

The couple harvested the fleur de sel last summer, then stored, dried, dehumidified, sieved, and finally ground it by hand. The meticulous process transformed rough sea salt into a powder gentle enough for sacred rituals.

The Ripple Effect

The collaboration connects two ancient traditions separated by thousands of miles. French salt harvesting methods in Guérande have remained unchanged for 2,000 years, with workers shaping salt marshes by hand through generations.

"We have a space that has been shaped by human hands for 2,000 years, a product that is entirely natural, entirely handmade," Meredith says from her office overlooking the salt marshes. The reverence Japanese culture holds for salt mirrors the respect French artisans have for their craft.

Salt holds sacred significance across many cultures, sometimes called "white gold" for its preservative and purifying properties. What seems unusual at first glance actually makes perfect sense.

"I just hope it lives up to expectations, that the sumo wrestlers are happy to use our salt and that our salt does what it needs to do for their bouts," Meredith says. Her handcrafted French sea salt will help purify every match, honoring a tradition that has shaped sumo wrestling for centuries.