Sumo Guide

The gyoji officiates each bout on the dohyo, dressed in ornate feudal-era court robes (kariginu) and carrying a war fan (gunbai) to signal the winner.

Rank is visible at a glance from cord color — the highest-ranking tate-gyoji wears purple. As a symbol of accountability for their calls, gyoji traditionally carry a short blade (today, purely ceremonial). Only two gyoji in the entire sport, Kimura Shonosuke and Shikimori Inosuke, are ranked to officiate the top Makuuchi bouts.

Yobidashi announce each wrestler's ring name (shikona) before a bout in a distinctive melodic chant — the moment that sound rings out, the whole arena locks into tournament mode.

Their job goes far beyond announcing: they prepare and maintain the dohyo, replenish salt, carry sponsorship banners (kensho-bata) in procession around the ring, and call the winner's name after each match. Yobidashi even have their own ranking ladder, topped by the tate-yobidashi.

Tokoyama are the specialized hairdressers who maintain wrestlers' traditional topknots (mage). Lower-division wrestlers wear a simple chonmage, while Juryo and above sport the elaborate oicho-mage, shaped like a ginkgo leaf using hair oil and pomade.

Tokoyama have their own ranking system too, topped by the tate-tokoyama. Working quietly the night before or early on match day, they practice one of sumo's most overlooked yet essential crafts.

Five former wrestlers (oyakata, stable masters) sit around the dohyo as judges — the only people with the authority to challenge the gyoji's call, by raising a mono-ii, a formal conference.

When that happens, all five convene on the dohyo, often reviewing video footage, before delivering the final word: either upholding the gyoji's decision ("gunbai-dori") or overturning it ("sashichigae"). The entire arena holds its breath until the verdict comes down.

Just before stepping onto the dohyo, a wrestler rinses his mouth with "chikara-mizu" — power water. It's a Shinto purification rite: cleanse the body and spirit before entering sacred ground.

By tradition, the winner of the previous bout hands the water to the next wrestler using a ladle. Newer wrestlers are often given this honor, a quiet moment of hierarchy and connection that says as much about sumo's culture as any bout does. Even the way the ladle is held — handle turned toward the giver — follows careful etiquette.

Just before a bout, wrestlers hurl handfuls of salt across the ring — one of sumo's most recognizable images. In Shinto belief, salt wards off evil spirits, so wrestlers purify the ground before battle begins.

How much salt gets thrown varies wildly by personality — some wrestlers fling huge, theatrical clouds of it, others toss a modest pinch. Across a single 15-day tournament, around 45 kg of salt is used in total. It's a small ritual, but the crowd always notices.

Raise one leg high, stomp it down with full power — shiko is sumo's most fundamental movement and one of its most symbolic rituals in one. Rooted in Shinto belief, it's said to stamp out evil spirits lurking beneath the earth.

It's also the sport's most basic conditioning exercise: new wrestlers perform hundreds of shiko a day to build the legs, hips, and core that sumo demands. When a Yokozuna performs shiko during his ring-entering ceremony, the entire arena falls silent — a single motion that somehow captures a wrestler's whole presence.

Every day's bouts open with the ring-entering ceremony. Makuuchi wrestlers circle the dohyo together, each wearing an elaborately embroidered apron (keshomawashi) — a burst of color and spectacle before the fighting even begins.

The Yokozuna's version is something else entirely: performed solo, flanked by an attendant (tsuyuharai) and a sword bearer (tachimochi), in one of two recognized styles — Unryu or Shiranui — distinguished by the final pose. It closes with a round of shiko, symbolically settling the ground before the day's real battles begin.

Before the clash, wrestlers crouch in the sonkyo position, fists on the starting lines, reading each other's breathing. This repeats within a time limit — four minutes for Makuuchi, three for Juryo — and it's a hidden highlight of watching sumo live.

It looks still, but it's a psychological duel: timing, breath, and eye contact, all building tension. If the two don't rise together, it's ruled a "matta" (false start) and they reset. All that mounting silence exists for one reason — to set up a collision that's over in a heartbeat.

Sumo is Japan's national sport, with roots stretching back into ancient history. Two wrestlers, wearing nothing but a belt, collide inside a clay ring just 4.55 meters across. On paper, that's the whole sport. In practice, it's one of the most intense contests you'll ever watch.

A bout is usually decided in seconds — the average lasts around four. But that handful of seconds is the payoff for years of brutal training, discipline, and ritual. The rules are almost childishly simple; what happens within them is anything but. Speed, leverage, mental warfare, and centuries of Shinto tradition are all packed into that one explosive clash.

Let's start with the rules that make it all possible.

Every sumo battle plays out on the dohyo — a circular ring only 4.55 meters in diameter, smaller than a boxing ring, where wrestlers well over 100kg collide at full force.

Built from packed clay bales and raised on a platform roughly 34–60 cm high, the dohyo features two white "shikiri-sen" lines where wrestlers set their fists before the clash. A shrine-like roof (yakata) hangs above it, giving the ring the solemn air of sacred ground.

A bout is decided the instant one of these happens:

• A wrestler forces his opponent outside the ring
• A wrestler causes any part of his opponent's body other than the soles of the feet to touch the ground
• A wrestler's opponent commits a foul (kinjite)
• A wrestler's opponent withdraws due to injury

That's the entire rulebook in a nutshell — and it's exactly this simplicity that makes every bout a razor-sharp battle of timing, leverage, and nerve.

For all its raw power, sumo has 8 clearly defined forbidden moves (kinjite), set by the Japan Sumo Association:

• Striking with a closed fist
• Grabbing the opponent's hair
• Poking the eyes or other vital points
• Slapping both ears simultaneously with both palms
• Grabbing the front vertical strap of the mawashi (maetate-mitsu)
• Grabbing the throat
• Kicking the chest or belly
• Bending back the fingers

Knowing what's banned makes it clear just how narrow a toolkit wrestlers actually have — push, grip, throw, trip. Every winning technique you'll see is squeezed out of that limited arsenal, which is exactly why the skill involved is so impressive.

A few minutes before the bout, the yobidashi calls the wrestler's ring name in a distinctive melodic chant. Once called, the wrestler makes his way from the hanamichi walkway to the dohyo, throws salt, and rinses his mouth with power water to purify himself.

For Makuuchi and above, this is followed by shikiri — a tense pre-bout stand-off repeated within a time limit. Every one of these small gestures is already part of the bout itself; the contest begins long before the two wrestlers actually collide. See the "Ring Rituals" tab for more on each step.

After repeated shikiri, both wrestlers spring up and collide the instant their breathing and timing align — this is the tachiai. There's no starting signal from the gyoji or judges; uniquely in sumo, the two wrestlers themselves decide when the bout begins.

Rise too early, or fail to sync with your opponent, and it's ruled a "matta" (false start), sending both wrestlers back to the lines. Conversely, gain even a slight edge in balance or footing at the tachiai, and a bout can be over in a single push. It's often said that "sumo is decided at the tachiai" — every ounce of a wrestler's skill and experience is compressed into that one instant.

From the tachiai to the finish, most sumo bouts are decided within seconds — a minute is already considered a long one. Wrestlers instantly choose from pushing, gripping, throwing, and tripping techniques as the action unfolds.

What makes sumo so compelling is that skill and balance can overturn even a large size difference. There are currently 82 official winning techniques (kimarite), and seeing exactly which one decides the bout is one of the sport's great pleasures (see the "Kimarite" tab for details).

The instant a wrestler forces his opponent outside the ring, or causes any part of him other than the soles of his feet to touch the ground, the bout is over. The decision lands in a heartbeat, and the arena erupts in cheers and gasps all at once.

When a call is close, the gyoji first raises his fan to indicate the winner, but if the ringside judges disagree, they call a "mono-ii" and confer on the dohyo before delivering a final ruling (see the Shimpan entry under the "Officials" tab for more).

Once the bout is decided, the gyoji points his fan toward the winner and calls out his ring name — this is the "kachi-nanori." The winner receives the fan with a ceremonial hand gesture at the center of the ring, and if there's prize money on the bout, he collects the envelopes right there.

Wild celebrations or shouts of triumph run against sumo's code of conduct — wrestlers traditionally receive the kachi-nanori with a quiet bow instead. That restraint is itself treasured as part of sumo's distinct sense of dignity.

After receiving the kachi-nanori, the winner bows and steps down from the dohyo, returning to the dressing room via the hanamichi walkway. The loser, too, bows without any show of frustration and quietly leaves the ring — that's tradition.

After the final bout of the day (musubi-no-ichiban), a bow-twirling ceremony called "yumitori-shiki" closes out the day's action. A bout that began amid roaring cheers ends, remarkably, in quiet composure — clearing the stage for the next pair of wrestlers.

Yokozuna is sumo's highest rank. The usual benchmark is two consecutive tournament championships, or something close to it, and even then the Yokozuna Deliberation Council scrutinizes the case closely.

What makes Yokozuna different from every other rank: there's no demotion. A wrestler who can no longer perform at that level is expected to retire rather than be lowered — an unwritten code that says everything about what the title demands. During the ring-entering ceremony, a Yokozuna wears a thick rope belt (shimenawa) found nowhere else in sumo.

Ozeki

The second-highest rank. The benchmark is roughly 33 wins across three consecutive tournaments. A losing record puts an Ozeki on "kadoban" — one bad tournament away from demotion to Sekiwake. A winning record while kadoban lifts the pressure; another losing one ends it.

Sekiwake

Third highest. There's no kadoban safety net here — a losing record simply means dropping down — but the reward is a steady diet of bouts against Yokozuna and Ozeki. Sustained excellence at this rank is the only route to Ozeki.

Komusubi

Fourth highest, the entry point to San'yaku. The moment a wrestler reaches this rank, he's fighting the very best, every single tournament. Sanyaku bouts are scheduled late in the day, exactly when the arena's energy peaks.

Makuuchi is the top division, home to roughly 42 wrestlers spanning Yokozuna, Ozeki, Sanyaku, and Maegashira. Simply reaching this division is a career milestone in itself.

Over 15 days, each wrestler fights 15 bouts against opponents matched by rank and record. Finish 8-7 or better and you rise (kachi-koshi); finish 7-8 or worse and you fall (make-koshi). One single win can swing an entire tournament's outcome — and a losing record at the very bottom of Makuuchi can mean demotion all the way to Juryo.

Juryo

One rung below Makuuchi, this is the second official professional division — and the moment a wrestler is promoted here, he earns the title "sekitori" and a full salary for the first time. It's the last step before Makuuchi.

Makushita

A brutally competitive tier just below Juryo. There's still no salary here, only per-tournament allowances — strong results at the top of Makushita are the only ticket up.

Sandanme · Jonidan · Jonokuchi

Where every professional wrestler begins. Life in the stable — training, cleaning, cooking, all of it — is itself part of the apprenticeship, and it only gets harder the lower you rank. Every one of these wrestlers is chasing the same two words: "sekitori." That long, grinding climb is the foundation the entire pyramid of sumo rests on.

Held: 2nd Sunday of January, 15 days
Venue: Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo (capacity ~10,000)

The tournament that kicks off sumo's entire year, wrapped in a festive New Year atmosphere that draws crowds of visitors from overseas. Its results set the tone for the year's Yokozuna and Ozeki rankings. Fans eagerly await the official banzuke, published in late November.

Held: 2nd Sunday of March, 15 days
Venue: Edion Arena Osaka

Also known as the Osaka Basho, this tournament is held in a city with its own deep sumo history — an independent Osaka-based organization existed before merging with Tokyo's in 1925. Falling during cherry blossom season, it draws fans eager to combine sumo with sightseeing, and Osaka's crowds are famously passionate.

Held: 2nd Sunday of May, 15 days
Venue: Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo

Held just after Japan's Golden Week holidays, this is the second of Tokyo's two annual tournaments, backed by the capital's loyal fanbase. Warmer weather is said to bring out faster, more aggressive sumo.

Held: 2nd Sunday of July, 15 days
Venue: IG Arena, Nagoya

Widely considered the most physically punishing tournament, held in Nagoya's brutal midsummer heat and humidity. Both training and bouts push wrestlers to their limits — yet Nagoya's fervent local fans routinely pack the arena to capacity.

Held: 2nd Sunday of September, 15 days
Venue: Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo

With summer's heat finally easing, September is considered ideal wrestling weather. As the year's second half gets underway, this tournament often becomes a turning point for wrestlers chasing the year's best overall record — every bout here carries a little extra weight.

Held: 2nd Sunday of November, 15 days
Venue: Fukuoka Convention Center

The final tournament of the year, with major stakes for the following January's rankings across Yokozuna, Ozeki, and Sanyaku. Kyushu has deep sumo roots, and its enthusiastic crowds bring an intimate energy to one of the tour's more compact venues, where nearly every seat feels close to the action.

Drive both hands into the opponent's body and shove him straight out — the simplest and most common technique family in sumo, deciding around 30–40% of Makuuchi bouts.

• Oshidashi — push out with both hands (the single most frequent technique)
• Tsukidashi — thrust out with sharp strikes
• Oshitaoshi — push down inside the ring
• Tsukitaoshi — thrust down

Speed and explosive power rule here — big, long-armed wrestlers often make this style their weapon of choice.

Grip the opponent's belt (mawashi), stay glued to his body, and drive him out — this is the technique family most people picture when they imagine sumo.

• Yorikiri — force out while gripping the belt (the quintessential sumo technique)
• Uwatenage — outer-arm belt throw
• Shitatenage — inner-arm belt throw
• Yoritaoshi — force down while clinching

Which side of the belt each wrestler grips — and with which arm — often decides the entire bout before the real fighting even starts.

Lift or rotate the opponent and send him crashing down — when this happens between two big wrestlers, the arena erupts.

• Uwatedashinage — pulling the outer grip to throw forward
• Sukuinage — scooping throw under the arm
• Sotogake — outer leg trip combined with a throw
• Uchimuso — inner arm-entanglement throw

It looks like raw strength, but these throws actually live and die on timing — landing the move in the exact instant the opponent's balance breaks.

Techniques that use the leg to unbalance and trip the opponent. Since timing and agility matter more than raw size, smaller and quicker wrestlers often favor this style.

• Uchigake — inner leg trip
• Sotogake — outer leg trip
• Ashitori — grabbing and lifting the opponent's leg
• Kirikaeshi — leg entanglement reversal

Watching a much smaller wrestler topple a giant with nothing but footwork is one of sumo's great surprises — and fans love it for exactly that reason.

Among sumo's 82 official techniques, a handful are so rare that witnessing one live is a once-in-a-career moment — and when they land, the arena roars and it often makes the news.

• Kawazugake — hooking one leg around the opponent's thigh and falling back — a legendary technique that even features in kabuki theater.
• Kannuki — pinning both the opponent's arms from behind.
• Izori — leaning forward to grab the opponent's thigh and throw backward.
• Chongake — hooking the ankle forward to trip.

Want to see these in action? The Kimarite Encyclopedia has real footage.

Sumo's origins reach all the way into Japanese mythology. The Kojiki and Nihon Shoki record a strength contest between the gods Takemikazuchi and Takeminakata, considered sumo's mythological starting point.

The oldest documented match dates to 23 CE — a bout between Nomi no Sukune and Taimano Kehaya. Nomi no Sukune, the winner, is still venerated today as sumo's patron deity. By the Nara period (710–794 CE), sumo had become a formal court ritual (Sumai no Sechie), performed to pray for a good harvest and a peaceful nation.

Professional sumo (Ozumo) truly flourished during the Edo period, with wrestling organizations in Edo (Tokyo), Osaka, and Kyoto each running their own circuits — Edo eventually becoming the dominant center.

Much of what feels timeless about sumo actually dates from this era: the raised clay dohyo (mid-1700s), the official banzuke ranking sheet, the gyoji's formal costume and fan, and the time-limit system. Ukiyo-e artists like Utagawa Kuniyoshi immortalized wrestlers in woodblock prints now treasured as art. Legendary Yokozuna such as Tanikaze and Onogawa defined this golden age.

During the Meiji era, sumo was formally recognized as Japan's "national sport" (kokugigi). In 1909, the Ryogoku Kokugikan opened its doors — sumo's first true home arena.

In 1925, the previously separate Tokyo and Osaka sumo organizations merged, forming the predecessor of today's Japan Sumo Association. The number of annual tournaments crept up from two, finally settling into the current six-tournament calendar in 1958. Pre-war legends like Miyagiyama, Terukuni, and Haguroyama carried the sport through this era.

After the six-tournament system was locked in during 1958, NHK's nationwide TV coverage turned sumo into a fixture of everyday Japanese life.

From the 1990s on, standout wrestlers from Mongolia, Bulgaria, Georgia, and beyond reshaped the sport. International Yokozuna — Akebono and Musashimaru from Hawaii, Asashoryu and Hakuho from Mongolia — rewrote what dominance looked like on the dohyo. Today, fans around the world follow every bout live via streaming. A tradition centuries in the making is still very much being written.