About This Festival
The Grand Sumo Tournament (Ozumo Honbasho) is Japan's premier sumo competition, featuring 15-day official tournaments held six times throughout the year. This prestigious sporting event represents over 1,400 years of sumo tradition while continuing to be beloved by countless Japanese people as a cultural spectacle that bridges ancient customs with modern times.
The origins of this sport trace back to ancient Shinto rituals, beginning as ceremonies for praying for good harvests and warding off evil spirits. During the Edo period, professional sumo developed and became systematized, with the establishment of formal traditions including the wrestling ring (dohyo) and the ranking system (banzuke). Wrestlers compete within the rigid "banzuke" ranking hierarchy, striving for excellence in a hierarchical society crowned by the yokozuna (grand champion).
The tournaments follow an annual schedule: January's New Year Tournament (Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan), March's Spring Tournament (Osaka), May's Summer Tournament (Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan), July's Nagoya Tournament, September's Autumn Tournament (Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan), and November's Kyushu Tournament (Fukuoka). During each 15-day tournament, wrestlers from the lowest jonokuchi division to the highest yokozuna rank engage in fierce competition, with wins and losses determining rankings for the following tournament.
Tournament Schedule
・January Tournament: Tokyo (Ryogoku Kokugikan)
・March Tournament: Osaka (Edion Arena Osaka)
・May Tournament: Tokyo (Ryogoku Kokugikan)
・July Tournament: Nagoya (IG Arena)
・September Tournament: Tokyo (Ryogoku Kokugikan)
・November Tournament: Fukuoka (Fukuoka International Center)
The true appeal of watching sumo extends far beyond mere competition results, encompassing the solemn ring-entering ceremonies (dohyo-iri), the wrestlers' beautiful decorative aprons (kesho-mawashi), the referees' elegant traditional attire, and the resonant sound of taiko drums throughout the venue - all offering a feast for the five senses steeped in Japanese traditional culture. The yokozuna ring-entering ceremony, performed with sword bearer (tachimochi) and dew sweeper (tsuyuharai) attendants, is a dignified ritual that moves spectators deeply. The pre-match salt throwing and stomping (shiko) rituals carry purification meanings, demonstrating that sumo is not merely a sport but possesses sacred, ceremonial aspects.
At the venue, visitors can experience the traditional "masu-seki" box seating where guests remove their shoes and sit in seiza position while watching. Additionally, while savoring Kokugikan specialties like yakitori and chanko nabe hot pot, spectators can enjoy the gradually building excitement and energy from morning lower-division matches to evening yokozuna bouts throughout the entire day. In recent years, foreign-born wrestlers have been active participants, developing the sport into an internationally diverse competition while maintaining its traditional ceremonies and spiritual essence unchanged.
