2026– date –
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Honbasho: Sumo’s Six Grand Tournaments
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,... -
Toshiyori Kabu: How Wrestlers Become Sumo Stablemasters
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... -
Ozeki: Sumo’s Second-Highest Rank Explained
An ozeki is the second-highest rank in professional sumo, sitting directly below the grand champion, or yokozuna. Promotion customarily needs around 33 wins across three consecutive tournaments at the rank just below. Unlike a yokozuna, ... -
Sumo Ichimon: The Five Stable Lineages 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. There are five main ichimon: Dewanoumi, Nishonoseki, Tokitsukaze, Isegahama, and Takasago. Each wrestler b... -
Zensho Yusho: Sumo’s Perfect Championships Explained
A zensho yusho (zensho = "all wins," yusho = "championship") is winning every bout of a tournament to take the Emperor's Cup with no losses. The yusho alone is the top-division (makuuchi) championship; adding zensho makes it a flawless r... -
2026 Natsu Basho (May Tournament): Results and Story
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... -
Asanoyama: The Rise and Fall and Rise of an Ozeki
In sumo, Asanoyama is a former ozeki from Takasago stable who fell further than any ozeki of the modern era and climbed back twice. He was promoted to the rank in 2020 and held it for seven tournaments. He did not lose it to a losing rec... -
Takayasu: The Star-Crossed Ozeki Chasing a Title
In sumo, Takayasu is a former ozeki from Tagonoura stable and the oldest man in the top division. He held ozeki for fifteen tournaments between 2017 and 2019 and has been a maegashira ever since. He has never won a championship: three pl... -
Daieisho: The Explosive Pusher and His Championship
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, won the January 2021 ch... -
Oho: Taiho’s Grandson and Otake Stable Sumo Wrestler
\n\nOho is a sumo wrestler of Otake stable and a grandson of the legendary yokozuna Taiho, and he has never missed a day in 51 tournaments. The third of the four Naya brothers, he debuted under his birth name Naya, took a gold star off y...
