Sumo Wrestler Tournaments in Tokyo

Want To Buy Your Sumo Wrestlers Tickets In Advance?

Here's an easy, hassle free way, to Buy tickets for Sumo Wrestler Tournaments in Tokyo.

This page also has some greatSumo wrestler pictures.

Coming for a Tokyo vacation?Enjoy Japanese Sumo Wrestling, one of the Coolest Tokyo Attractions.

Sumo is the national sport in Japan. It's an Authentic peek into Japan, dating back to Ancient Japanese Culture.

While planning your time in Tokyo, why don't you combine a visit to the Sumo museum with participating in this Traditional Japan sports.

The Japanese Sumo Wrestling Museum is Located in Ryogoku, the sumo stadium.

But first, you need to check if dates of your visit fall on…

Sumo Wrestlers Tournaments

Professional Sumo Tournaments take place six times a year. Each tournament begins on Sunday and lasts 15 days.

During January, May and September tournaments are held in Tokyo, in Osaka Tournaments are held in March, in Nagoya in July, and in Fukuoka during November.

The Sumo Arena in Tokyo is called Ryogoku Kokugikan.

The competition begins at 9:00 AM every day with the amateurs.

The professional wrestlers start around 2:30 PM.

But the real excitement begins at 3:50 PM, when the top ranked competitors enter the ring.

I recommend you Buy Sumo Tickets in Advance. Sumo is the national sport in Japan. During Sumo tournaments in Tokyo, tickets for the upper division's matches are hard to find.

Also, the first rows in the Arena are tiny cabins. The Japanese sit there on their knees for hours, but it's unlikely that you can do that too. So you need specific tickets.

Part of the fun is taking the Tokyo subway with fellow Sumo fans to the Sumo Amphitheater and enjoying the atmosphere.

That's why I like this Sumo Afternoon Tour which combines all 4 Fun elements – Riding with the fans on the subway, sitting in the back rows for comfortable seats, arriving in the Arena for the more advanced Matches and checking in on the Sumo museum to get some background on the origins of Sumo.

To complete the Sumo adventure, you need to know these amazingly simple...

Sumo Wrestling Rules

Most Rikishi - Sumo wrestlers - are professional competitors weighing between 160 - 250 kg, like the Sumo image to your right.

Sumo is Japan's national sport. It's Japanese wrestling which dates back to to Ancient Japanese culture.

The rules of Sumo are very simple: A Wrestler loses when he is forced out of the wrestling ring, or if any part of his body, except the sole of the feet, touches the ground.

At the center of the ring there are two white lines, behind which the wrestlers position themselves at the start of the bout.

The wrestlers are called Rikishi- 'strong man'.

Every Wrestler wears a thick silk belt (more like a small diaper…) to their waist which can be grabbed by the opponent and used to throw the Wrestler out of the ring.

The wrestler performs a number of rituals when entering the ring.

He claps his hands and then does some leg-stomping to drive away evil spirits.

Then both Sumo wrestlers squat facing each other and spread their hands wide (to show they have no weapons).

Returning to their corners, they pick up a handful of salt which they toss onto the ring to purify it.

Finally the wrestlers crouch down at the starting lines, staring each other in the eye.

Then they spring from their crouch and start the fight.

In the upper divisions, they typically do a few rounds of this mental preparation.

In the lower divisions they are expected to start more or less immediately.

In contrast to the time of preparation, Matches usually last only seconds, as one Sumo wrestler is quickly thrown out of the circle or onto the clay and sand floor.

Around the ring there is finely brushed sand, which is used to determine if a Sumo wrestler has touched with his feet, or other parts of his body

There are no weight classes in Sumo, meaning that wrestlers can easily find themselves fighting against someone many times their size.

That's why weight gain is an important part of …

Life In The Japanese Sumo Wrestling Stables

Professional Sumo wrestlers live together in 'stables', where all aspects of life – sleeping, eating, training and free time, are strictly controlled by the stable master.

Wrestlers train from a very young age of 13.

They eat a special diet to put on as much body-weight as possible while building up their muscles.

A wrestler's day begins around 5am with morning training. Working out on an empty stomach helps slow down the body's metabolism.

Lunch is typically 'chanko-nabe' – a heavy dish of made from fish, meat, and vegetables. It is usually eaten with rice and washed down with beer.

After lunch the wrestlers take a long nap. This system helps the wrestlers put on weight quickly.

Junior wrestlers not only have to train and attend school, but also serve the whims of the senior Sumo. Sumo wrestling is very strict hierarchy.

All wrestlers are given wrestling names by their trainer, stable master or supporter.

Can You Identify A Professional Sumo Wrestler?

The Sumo wear traditional Japanese dress in public.

They also have to grow their hair long and make a topknot, similar to the samurai hairstyles of the Edo Period. They wear wooden sandals in public.

Search TokyoTopGuide.com

Return from Sumo Wrestler to Tokyo Attractions

Return from Sumo Wrestler to Japan Sport