May 2026– date –

The mawashi is the thick, heavy belt a sumo wrestler wears in the ring, and it is far more than clothing. Wound tightly around the waist and between the legs, it is the only thing a wrestler wears in competition, and it doubles as the si...

A honbasho is an official grand sumo tournament, the only kind that counts toward a wrestler's ranking. Six are held each year, one in every odd-numbered month — January, March, May, July, September, and November. Each runs fifteen days,...

In sumo, toshiyori-kabu — often called "elder stock" — is the share that lets a retired wrestler stay inside the sport as an oyakata, a coach and elder of the Japan Sumo Association. Each share is tied to one of a fixed set of traditiona...

In sumo, an ozeki is the second-highest rank a wrestler can reach, sitting directly below the grand champion, or yokozuna. Reaching it is a career landmark: promotion is customarily granted to a wrestler who wins around 33 bouts across t...

Sumo Ichimon: The Stable Families That Run Sumo Sumo Ichimon: The Stable Families That Run Sumo An ichimon is a family-style grouping of sumo stables (heya, also pronounced -beya in compounds) that trace back to a shared root. Each wrest...

Zensho Yusho: Sumo's Perfect 15-0 Championships Zensho Yusho: Sumo's Perfect 15-0 Championships A zensho yusho is a championship won without a single loss. In today's 15-day format that means a flawless 15-0; in earlier eras, when tourna...

2026 Natsu Basho Results: Wakatakakage Wins His Second Title in a Playoff at the May Tournament At the 2026 Natsu Basho, the May tournament held in Tokyo, komusubi Wakatakakage took the Emperor's Cup for the second time in his career. He...

In sumo, Asanoyama is a rikishi who has just been promoted to ozeki, the second-highest rank. His promotion was formally decided at the rankings-editing meeting and an extraordinary board meeting of the Japan Sumo Association. He fights ...

In sumo, Takayasu is a wrestler who climbed to ozeki on the back of a sudden surge in form. He was never tipped early on as a future ozeki — his rise came only recently, after a run of strong tournaments in the sekiwake and komusubi rank...

In sumo, Daieisho is a pushing-and-thrusting specialist out of Oitekaze stable, run by the former Daishoyama. A product of the powerhouse Saitama Sakae High School sumo club, he climbed steadily through the ranks before breaking through ...