At the suggestion of a former co-worker, who is an experienced Japan traveller, (thanks Jeff) we purchased tickets to the 2025 May Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo. What a great decision.
We had to extend our stay in Tokyo to be able to attend the second day as the first day was already sold out 3 months in advance. We chose to do it as part of a tour just so we could get a better understanding of what we were getting into. It was worth it. There is a lot of culture and history wrapped up in this sport.
These tournaments occur 6 times a year around Japan, and each one lasts 15 days. All competitors compete every day (no sissy rest or injury days for these guys). Over 600 rikishi (wrestlers) compete in each tournament. Most spectators only show up to watch when the best ranked (Makunouchi) are scheduled to compete in the last 3 hours of the day.
The excitement starts outside when the sumo wrestlers start to arrive before the match. The lower ranking competitors arrive by public transit, however the Makunouchi (senior ranked) tend to arrive by taxi. They all do the walk to the stadium so their fans can cheer them on.The best ranked wrestlers parade on in two batches with their ceremonial aprons and are greeted with enthusiastic cheers from their fans. The interaction of the fans is a significant part of the excitement.The last wrestler to enter is the Yokozuna. He is the highest ranking sumo and extended a significant amount of reverence. He preforms a special dance before the final matches occur.However, before we get down to the action it was vital to stop by the concessions and pick up some snacks. There may have been some beer and saki in the order as well. It is important to acknowledge all aspects of the culture.
In North America it is probably fair to say there is no real understanding of sumo. We tend to think it is just a bunch of fat guys pushing each other around. This is simply not true. These guys are impressive. Yes, they are huge, but as I saw when taking these photos, they are incredibly strong and fast.
We got to watch 21 matches, and each one started with a very specific ceremony. They drank water served by the winner of the previous match, salt was thrown onto the ground (that is the white you see in the photos) to cleanse the area and they stamp their feet to ward off evil beings. We may chuckle, but have you ever watched pro athletes or religious ceremonies? Too many similarities.The actual matches usually only last a matter of seconds. A long one would be 30 – 45 seconds. But the intensity and aggressiveness is awesome.When you consider that the lightest rikishi weigh 114kg (251lbs) and the heaviest come in at 191kg (421 lbs) you realize these dudes are incredibly strong. For the record the 114kg fellow lost and the 191kg fellow won the day we watched.The intensity of these fellow was awesome.And their commitment to winning was unrelenting. Bear in mind, no padding, no timeout, the match ends when one of them touches the ground outside the ring or any part of their body other than their feet touches the ground. There are a total of 5 judges watching over this and they do use video replay to confirm the winners.Here is the pay scale of the wrestlers based on their standing at the beginning of this match. The Yokozuna is the top ranked sumo wrestler. Much to the Japanese’s irritation this fellow is from Mongolia.This is a series of shots of the final match of the tournament where the Yokozuna (the top ranked sumo) goes against another highly ranked sumo. Spoiler alert, The Yokozuna won.That is one of the judges underneath the 297kg (655lbs) of sumo coming at him. Sometimes front row seats have their drawbacks.
For those of you that prefer video. This gives a bit of a glimpse of the mind games that occur at the beginning of each match.The other interesting aspect of each match is the banners that get walked around the dohyo before each match. Some wrestlers get none. But most of the high ranking ones get around 15. The Yokozuna at the final match had 40 banners. Each one costs the sponsor 7000 yen. The winner takes the bonus prize money.At the end of the competition a wrestler is presented a bow and he preforms a dance to acknowledge the elation of victory.
The whole experience of being at the sumo competition was awesome. If you are ever planning a trip to Japan I would highly recommend getting tickets. The upper level is a great option as it lets you take in the whole atmosphere while still being able to see the action. Truly a great experience.
excellent write up and pics. there will be a new yokozuna . Onosato will be promoted after this tournament. he has won the tournament with 2 days still left to go.
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