Watching Grand Sumo: The Basics

• Ringside seats (tamari-seki)

  The front-row seats right below the ring, where each person sits on their own floor cushion. Because wrestlers can come flying off the ring, these seats are limited to ages 16 and up, and eating, drinking, taking photos and using mobile phones are not allowed.

• Box seats (masu-seki)

  Traditional seating where you sit on cushions in a square section of floor divided by metal pipes. Each box (1 masu) is shared by several people (4 people, according to the English information), and boxes are graded S, A, B, C and so on from front to back.

• Chair seats (isu-seki)

  Stadium-style chairs, located on the 2nd floor at Ryogoku Kokugikan. They are graded S, A, B, C and so on from the front, and since you can buy them for just 1 person at a time, they work well for travelers in small groups.

• Wheelchair seats

  These are limited in number and, as a rule, must be reserved in advance by phone. Each wheelchair user must be accompanied by 1 companion.

• Kids' seats and senior seats

  These seats require that a child (ages 4–15) or someone aged 60 or over be part of your group. Conditions may vary by tournament, and the number of people is checked when you enter on the day.

1. 1The official ticket site is Ticket Oosumo (チケット大相撲), which also has an English version (TICKET OOSUMO ENGLISH). Choose your date and seat type and apply online.
2. 2Within Japan, you can also buy tickets through Ticket Pia, by phone (Ticket Oosumo's dedicated reservation line) or at the in-store terminals in 7-Eleven. Tickets bought online are printed out at a 7-Eleven.
3. 3General sales open on each tournament's advance-sale start date, and online and at 7-Eleven you can buy any remaining seats until 17:00 on the day you attend.
4. 4Seats that sell out in advance are not released as same-day tickets. How same-day tickets are handled at the venue box office is announced separately for each tournament, so check the ticket information for that tournament on the official website.
5. 5The Japan Sumo Association asks fans not to buy tickets from resale sites such as viagogo, or from flea-market and auction apps. Tickets bought outside official channels may be refused at the entrance.
6. 6Everyone aged 4 and over needs 1 ticket per person. If you forget or lose your ticket you cannot get in, so make sure to bring it.

1. around 9:00
   Doors open
2. around 9:25
   Bouts begin, from the lowest division (jonokuchi) up to the third division (makushita). Pre-tournament entry bouts (maezumo) are also held from Day 3; from Day 13 onward, bouts start around 11:00
3. around 13:00
   Shinjo shusse hiro, the introduction of newly promoted wrestlers (only on certain days, such as the middle day)
4. around 14:15
   Ring-entering ceremony of the second division (juryo dohyo-iri)
5. around 14:35
   Juryo (second division) bouts
6. around 15:40
   Ring-entering ceremony of the top division (makuuchi dohyo-iri)
7. around 15:55
   Yokozuna ring-entering ceremony (a yokozuna, wearing an ornate ceremonial apron called a kesho-mawashi, performs alone in the ring)
8. around 16:10
   Makuuchi (top division) bouts. From just after 17:00, the komusubi, sekiwake, ozeki and yokozuna take the ring
9. around 17:15
   Sanyaku soroibumi, a ceremonial stomp by the top-ranked wrestlers (final day only)
10. around 17:55
    Bow-twirling ceremony (yumitori-shiki), after the day's final bout
11. around 18:00
    Close of the day (uchidashi). On the final day, the awards ceremony follows

Times are approximate and may vary by day.

• •Don't forget your ticket, either the QR ticket on your smartphone or a paper ticket. At Ryogoku Kokugikan you can re-enter once per day, and you show your ticket when you do.
• •In box seats, you put your shoes and umbrella in the storage space behind your seat, so shoes that are easy to slip on and off are handy.
• •Large suitcases and any bags that won't fit at your seat cannot be brought in. At Ryogoku Kokugikan you can use the coin lockers or the paid cloakroom.
• •Bottles, cans, cooler boxes and floor chairs (zaisu) are not allowed. Drinks and food can be bought at the shops inside the venue.
• •Spending the whole day makes for a long session, so it helps to plan your meals around the venue's food stands, or the chanko nabe (sumo wrestlers' hot pot) at Ryogoku Kokugikan.

Honbasho (official tournament)

The official tournaments that determine rankings and records, held 6 times a year for 15 days each.

Banzuke (ranking list)

The chart showing each wrestler's rank. Wrestlers move up or down according to their tournament results, and a new banzuke is announced before each tournament.

Yokozuna (grand champion)

The highest rank on the banzuke. Only a yokozuna wears the thick rope (tsuna) and performs his own ring-entering ceremony.

Ozeki, sekiwake, komusubi

The upper ranks just below yokozuna. Sekiwake and komusubi are also referred to together as sanyaku.

Makuuchi and juryo

Makuuchi is the top division and juryo is the division below it; their bouts take place in the late afternoon and early evening.

Makushita, sandanme, jonidan, jonokuchi

The divisions below juryo, whose bouts take place from the morning into the afternoon.

Shonichi, nakabi, senshuraku

The 1st day of a tournament is shonichi (opening day), the 8th day is nakabi (middle day), and the 15th and final day is senshuraku.

Dohyo-iri (ring-entering ceremony)

A ceremony in which juryo and makuuchi wrestlers enter the ring wearing ornate ceremonial aprons (kesho-mawashi); a yokozuna performs it alone.

Yumitori-shiki (bow-twirling ceremony)

A ceremony performed by a wrestler with a bow after the last bout of the day.

Kensho (prize money)

Prize money that companies and others put up on top-division bouts. Sponsor banners are paraded around the ring before the bout, and the winner receives the prize.

Tachiai (initial charge)

The moment at the start of a bout when the two wrestlers synchronize their breathing, rise and crash into each other.

Dates, venues and directions are based on official information from the Japan Sumo Association, the venues, railway companies and local governments. Check each official site for the latest details.