Ryogoku Kokugikan: The Cathedral of Grand Sumo

Why is it significant?

Behold the immense, green-tiled hip-and-gable roof of Ryogoku Kokugikan, the undisputed holy cathedral of Japanese Grand Sumo wrestling.

Key Facts

Open the walk

Behold the immense, green-tiled hip-and-gable roof of Ryogoku Kokugikan, the undisputed holy cathedral of Japanese Grand Sumo wrestling. Opened in nineteen eighty-five, this eleven-thousand-seat stadium is where three of Japan's six annual fifteen-day Grand Sumo tournaments take place in January, May, and September. Flanked by towering wooden banner poles fluttering with colorful calligraphy banners bearing the names of competing rikishi wrestlers, the arena radiates athletic power and ancient Shinto ritual.

Sumo is far more than a physical sport; it is a sacred Shinto religious rite that originated over fifteen hundred years ago as agricultural divination to ensure bountiful rice harvests. At the center of the arena floor sits the dohyo, a sacred ring made of specially packed clay mixed with boiled rice straw bales and purified with sacred salt, saké, washed rice, and kelp buried in the center. During tournament seasons, the resonant booms of the yagura-daiko tower drums summon thousands of eager spectators to the stadium.

Suspended directly above the clay ring hangs the Tsuriyane, a colossal six-ton wooden roof constructed in the ancient Shinmei-zukuri style of the Ise Grand Shrine. Giant purple curtains and four colored tassels dangle from the corners, representing the four cardinal directions and the four seasons of heaven, framing the epic clashes of the grand champions, or Yokozuna. Spectators in traditional tatami box seats cheer passionately as heavyweight champions clash with explosive power in the clay ring.

In the basement beneath the arena floor sits a massive commercial chicken yakitori production factory: over fifty thousand skewers are grilled daily during tournaments, because tradition dictates that rikishi eat chicken rather than beef or pork, as chickens stand on two legs like victorious sumo wrestlers.

Walk south around the arena concourse into the historic ticket building of Ryogoku Station Edo Noren.