Sumo@Ryogoku : Jan. 15, 2012

The most popular sports in Japan may be football and baseball. But if you ask which is the national sport in the country, it is probably sumo.

It is because of the long history of sumo. It originated in Japan’s ancient myth, developed in the Edo era and was widely accepted as the country’s national sport in the Meiji era.


Six tournaments (15 days par tournament) are held every year and they are broadcast through NHK, a public TV station. Watching sumo in the TV program is a nationwide passtime for old people.


I visited Kokugikan, the home ground of sumo in Ryogoku, Sumida ward in eastern Tokyo.

Vivid flags, in which sumo wrestlers’ names were printed, were deployed along the way from the nearest railroad station to Kokugikan. There were many visitors walking to Kokugikan.


There were more than 10 thousands seats in the building. Spectators can enjoy not only watching the matches but also eating and drinking in their seats. They looked relaxed.

People made “yoisho” calls when Yokozuna Hakuho made performances in his ring entering ceremony. It was a collaboration between sumo wrestlers and audiences.


I enjoyed the mood as well as the matches.

The sumo association, the organizer of sumo tournaments, was involved in various scandals in the past several years. They are now trying to recover the support from public.


I do not know whether they have improves their services, but their responces were good at ticket office, lunch box sales corner, information counter and othe places.

I walked around Ryogoku area before entering into Kokugikan. I found many sumo stables (where sumo wrestlers live) and sumo-related “chnkonabe” restaurants.