Guide– category –

The banzuke is sumo's official ranking sheet: the ordered list of every wrestler in the sport, published before each grand tournament and arranged from the champions at the top to the lowest entrants at the bottom. It tells you who is ra...

A kimarite is the officially named technique or decision by which a sumo bout is won. Each result is announced as one of the recognized kimarite, from a straightforward push-out to an intricate throw or a trip. The Japan Sumo Association...

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...

To watch sumo live in Japan, plan around one of the six honbasho (grand tournaments) held each year. Three take place in Tokyo at the Ryogoku Kokugikan (January, May and September), with the others in Osaka (March), Nagoya (July) and Fuk...

The rules of sumo wrestling come down to one short contest with one simple goal: force your opponent out of the ring, or make any part of his body other than the soles of his feet touch the ground. Whoever does that first wins. The bouts...