Sumo is an ancient sport, and although its exact origin date is unknown, sumo figurines have been uncovered that date back to the Kofun Period (between the third and seventh centuries). Sumo evolved into its present form during the Edo Period (1603–1868).
Today, sumo is recognized as Japan’s national sport and retains much of its traditional roots, making it a unique and insightful Japanese event to observe.
The next Grand Sumo Tournament is January 12–26, 2025. Tickets will go on sale from December 7, 2024 at 10:00am JST.
Grand Sumo Tournaments
Every year, the Japan Sumo Association hosts six Grand Sumo Tournaments, or honbasho, and each competition lasts 15 days. Tokyo hosts three of these tournaments, and the remaining three are held in Osaka, Nagoya, and Fukuoka. The rankings of the sumo wrestlers (rikishi) are recorded on a banzuke, or ranking chart, and a group of sumo judges adjusts the list after every tournament in accordance with the wrestlers’ performances. There are six sumo divisions, with the top division being Makuuchi and the second division being Juryo. By winning bouts at the Grand Sumo Tournaments, sumo wrestlers can rise through the ranks.
Grand Sumo Tournaments schedule
The six annual sumo tournaments are listed below — for events that have passed, we show the dates for the following year's edition.
| Tournament | Venue | Tickets available from | Sumo ranking announced |
| Kokugikan (Tokyo) | Dec 7, 2024 | Dec 23, 2024 | |
| EDION Arena Osaka (Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium) | Feb 8, 2025 | Feb 25, 2025 | |
| Kokugikan (Tokyo) | Apr 5, 2025 | Apr 28, 2025 | |
| Dolphins Arena (Nagoya) | May 17, 2025 | Jun 30, 2025 | |
| Kokugikan (Tokyo) | Aug 9, 2025 | Sep 1, 2025 | |
| Fukuoka Kokusai Center (Fukuoka) | Sep 20, 2025 | Oct 27, 2025 |
If you would like to witness these Grand Sumo Tournaments yourself, you can easily purchase tickets online. Just remember that you can only buy tickets after the pre-sale date in the table listed above.
See Grand Sumo Tournaments schedules for 2025 and 2026.
