The Sumo is an independent English-language journal exploring Japan through sumo, drawing on the reporting and photographic archive of Dohyo no Mokugekisha (Witness of the Ring), the Japanese sumo publication by Michihiro Taguchi.
What you can find here
Start with Japanese culture through sumo: rituals, clothes, skilled workers, food and places. Our photo stories pair original photographs with the Japanese articles in which they appeared. The beginner’s reading guide, wrestler profiles, current banzuke and tournament guides help readers follow the sport and plan a visit. Where we compare records, we give the scope and distinguish our own counts from published records. A ranking from one tournament is not a permanent description of a wrestler.
Japanese reporting and the English edition
Michihiro Taguchi writes and photographs the Japanese publication. His archive provides a perspective built through attending tournaments and following wrestlers over time. You can read more about him on his Japanese profile.
The Sumo is responsible for English editing, translation and explanatory material; Taguchi is credited for his Japanese reporting and photographs. English articles are not presented as having been personally written or reviewed by him in English. The English edition adapts and organizes material for readers who may be new to sumo. We explain Japanese terms and consult official sources for records, rules and dates. English explanatory text is not itself evidence that its writer witnessed an event. Firsthand observations should be attributed to the underlying reporting, and official information to the organization that published it.
AI tools assist the English edition with drafting, translation and technical work. That assistance does not turn research into firsthand experience. The new culture and photo collections link the material used for each selection; factual claims and captions are checked against that material. The older-article review described in our editorial policy remains an ongoing task.
Our source policy and the review of older material are described in the editorial policy. The Japan Sumo Association is the official source for tournament announcements and current competition information. The Sumo is an independent publication and is not affiliated with the Association.
Photographs and illustrations
The original tournament photographs in our archive were taken by Taguchi. They document particular people and events; they should not be treated as a photograph of every subject discussed on the same page. Some pages use computer-generated ink-style illustrations. Those are illustrations, not documentary photographs, and are not credited as photographs by Taguchi.
For permission to reuse a photograph, please include the page URL and the image you want to use in a message through our contact page.
Corrections and responsibility
If you find a wrong name, date, translation or record, please contact us with the page URL, the passage in question and a source where possible. We check corrections against the cited reporting or records. We do not publish invented quotations, experiences or results.
Read our editorial policy, privacy policy and disclaimer for more about how this site works.