We’ve gone into detail about the process of a sumo match here, but know that you’ll be watching lots of very short matches. When the referees start wearing floor-length robes and socks, then you know things are getting serious. Referees, ushers, and even hairdressers also have ranks, so low-ranked bouts will be judged by low-ranked referees. Yokozuna can never be demoted, and currently there are two: Hakuho and Kakuryu. They’re introduced with a great deal of ceremony near the end of the day, so you’re unlikely to miss them! As well as kesho-mawashi, they wear a white tsuna rope, similar to what you see in Shinto shrines. The yokozuna get far more time to show off during their entrance ceremony
Lower-ranking ones can only wear regular mawashi loincloths. High-ranking sumo wrestlers ( mukuchi and juryo rank) can wear richly embroidered aprons called kesho-mawashi. Eight wins or more in a tournament means you go up the hierarchy, while those with eight or more losses will be demoted. These ranks (called banzuke) are pretty complicated, but you can read up on them here. Each lasts 15 days, and are the only chance for a sumo wrestler ( rikishi in Japanese) to change their rank. There are six Grand Tournaments every year. Luckily, we’re here to bring you some tips to make sure you’re well-prepared for that surprise winning kozumatori in the final match of the day. But how can you enjoy the experience to the fullest? Sumo can seem pretty arcane to an outsider.
You’ve probably heard of sumo, and might even have had the foresight to buy your tickets. It also means that you (yes, you!) have a chance to watch those very same half-naked men at Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Stadium, from now until January 26. The Tokyo Grand Sumo Tournament is underway, which means that there’ll be a good deal of enormous, half-naked men wrestling each other in Japan’s capital.
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