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Aki Basho · Ryōgoku Kokugikan · Tokyo
connecting…
The basho,
made playable.
Follow every bout. Call every winner. Earn cards whose stats move with real results — fifteen days, six times a year.
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Last basho · Nagoya
安青錦 AONISHIKI
12–3 · won a three-way playoff over Atamifuji & Kirishima · reclaims Ōzeki
Final standings番付
Nagoya 2026, day fifteen. As on the real banzuke, the size of a name is its rank. White stars are wins, black are losses.
Call the bouts取組
During a basho, these are the day's real top matchups. Between tournaments, a fresh training card (keiko) drops every day. The salt is real either way.
0/4
Make your calls, then lock them. Every correct call earns a pinch of salt — 塩 — the only currency here. Salt buys packs. It's earned by playing, never sold. A game, not a casino.
The collection力士札
The pool is all of professional sumo — 600+ rikishi across six divisions. Most pulls are lower-division commons, exactly like the real banzuke; a yokozuna is a 1-in-100 tier. When the real wrestler wins, your card gets stronger.
Pure typography and silk — original designs, no likenesses. The kanji is the wrestler's shikona, the colors are his silks, the stats derive from real rank and results. Duplicate pulls level a card up (+1 to every stat).
Your collection所蔵
No cards yet — you start with 6 salt, enough for two packs. Open one above.
Legends of the dohyō伝説
Six original DOHYŌ characters — our own mythology, never found in packs. Each one is earned by a feat. Foil by birthright.
Trading post取引
The bout勝負
Pick three of your cards, then fight. Each round compares one discipline — power, technique, or balance — with a little chaos, the way real sumo works. Win the majority, take 2 salt.
Your stable — tap cards in your collection to select
Slot 1
Slot 2
Slot 3
対
Challenger stable
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Select three cards from your collection above. The challenger stable is drawn from the full banzuke.
The chaya茶屋
News, talk, and streams — the teahouse outside the arena. What the sumo world is arguing about today.
Watch together生放送
Creators who stream and talk sumo. Watching a basho with a crowd beats watching alone.
Asher Elias
Live sumo watch-alongs and talk on Twitch — pull up a zabuton.
▶ Watch here · Twitch
MidnightSumo
Sumo through the small hours — live basho energy on Twitch.
▶ Watch here · Twitch
NHK World — Grand Sumo
The official free English highlights, every day of every basho.
Official · free
Live sumo streams
Whoever's live on Twitch under the sumo tag right now.
Twitch · browse
The news stand新聞
Tachiai
The essential English sumo blog — daily coverage, banzuke analysis, podcasts.
Blog
The Japan Times — Sumo
Professional sumo journalism in English, straight from Tokyo.
Press
Sumo Stomp
Sharp basho previews, recaps, and storylines, delivered as a newsletter.
Newsletter
r/Sumo
The English-speaking fanbase in one room — results threads, GIFs, arguments.
Community
Combat Press — Sumo
Tournament results and analysis from the combat-sports desk.
Press
Japan Sumo Association
The official source — schedules, tickets, and announcements.
Official
Learn sumo相撲道
Everything a new fan needs, from your first bout to arguing about ōzeki promotion math. No gatekeeping on the dohyō.
Sumo 1019 lessons · start here
What exactly is sumo?
Japan's national sport and one of the world's oldest organized contests — a wrestling form with roots in Shinto ritual going back well over a thousand years. Professional sumo (ōzumō) is run by the Japan Sumo Association. Two wrestlers (rikishi) meet on a raised clay ring (dohyō). The rules fit in one sentence: force your opponent out of the ring, or make any part of his body other than the soles of his feet touch the ground. Most bouts last under ten seconds, and that brevity is the point — everything is decided in the explosive first charge and the seconds after it.
How do tournaments work?
Six grand tournaments (honbasho) a year, each 15 days: January (Hatsu, Tokyo) · March (Haru, Osaka) · May (Natsu, Tokyo) · July (Nagoya) · September (Aki, Tokyo) · November (Kyūshū, Fukuoka). Top-division wrestlers fight once a day, so a perfect tournament is 15–0. Best record wins the Emperor's Cup (yūshō); ties are settled by playoff on the final day — like Aonishiki's three-way playoff win at Nagoya. A winning record (8+ wins, kachi-koshi) moves you up the rankings; a losing one (make-koshi) moves you down. There are no weight classes and no seeding by size — a 110 kg technician can and does fight a 200 kg giant.
The banzuke: how the ranking pyramid works
Every wrestler in professional sumo is ranked on one list, the banzuke, rewritten after every tournament — your name literally gets bigger as you climb. From the top: Yokozuna (grand champion) · Ōzeki · Sekiwake · Komusubi — together the san'yaku — then the rank-and-file Maegashira. Those (~42 men) form the top division, makuuchi. Below sit five more divisions: Jūryō (the second division — from here up you're a salaried sekitori), then Makushita, Sandanme, Jonidan, and Jonokuchi, where teenagers scrub floors and dream. Everyone from yokozuna down once started at the bottom of that list.
What makes yokozuna and ōzeki special?
Ōzeki is earned with sustained excellence — the working guideline is around 33 wins across three straight tournaments in san'yaku. An ōzeki with a losing record goes kadoban: lose again next basho and he's demoted, though 10 wins in the tournament right after demotion wins the rank straight back (exactly the road Aonishiki just took). Yokozuna is different — it's not just a rank but a sacred status, usually requiring back-to-back championships. A yokozuna can never be demoted; when he can no longer perform at the summit, he is expected to retire. There have been only 75 yokozuna in recorded history — Hōshōryū is the 74th, Ōnosato the 75th.
What's legal in a bout — and what isn't?
Legal: pushing, thrusting, open-hand slaps (harite), throws, trips, lifting your opponent out by his belt, and grabbing the mawashi almost anywhere. Illegal: punching with a closed fist, hair-pulling, choking, kicking the chest or stomach, and grabbing the vertical part of the mawashi over the groin. Sidestepping the initial charge (henka) is legal but considered poor form — win with one and the crowd will let you know. If a finish is too close to call, the ringside judges (shimpan) climb up for a conference (mono-ii), with video review; they can reverse the referee or order a rematch (torinaoshi). There are no draws in modern sumo — someone wins.
Why the stomping, salt-throwing, and squatting?
Sumo kept its Shinto ceremony, and the pre-bout ritual is half the theater. The leg-stomp (shiko — the pose our mascot is holding) drives evil spirits from the ring. The thrown salt purifies the dohyō — yes, that's why salt (塩) is the currency on this site. Wrestlers rinse with chikara-mizu, "power water," passed from the previous winner. The staredown cycle of squatting and returning to the corner can last minutes for top bouts, and it's psychological warfare — by the time they charge, the bout is often already half-decided. The referee (gyōji) in his silk robes carries a war fan and, by tradition, a blade — symbolizing the seriousness of his calls.
Kimarite: the 82 ways to win
Every victory is recorded with an official winning technique — there are 82 recognized kimarite. You'll see a handful constantly: yorikiri (frontal force-out by the belt — the most common), oshidashi (push-out, no belt), hatakikomi (slap-down), tsukiotoshi (thrust-down), uwatenage and shitatenage (over- and under-arm throws), okuridashi (rear push-out), tsuridashi (the crowd-pleaser: lifting a man clean out of the ring), and katasukashi (shoulder-pull). Deep cuts like ipponzeoi or the ultra-rare izori appear a few times a decade and cause a stir when they do. Each card on this site carries its wrestler's signature technique.
Prizes, envelopes, and gold stars
Beyond the Emperor's Cup: three special prizes (sanshō) can be awarded on the final day — Shukun-shō (Outstanding Performance, typically for beating champions), Kantō-shō (Fighting Spirit), and Ginō-shō (Technique). A maegashira who defeats a yokozuna earns a kinboshi, a "gold star" that permanently raises his pay. And those envelopes the winner scoops up after big bouts? Kenshō — sponsor prize money stacked on the line for marquee matchups, handed over in cash on the spot.
Life in the heya: how wrestlers actually live
Every rikishi belongs to a stable (heya) — he lives there, trains there, and can never fight a stablemate in a regular bout. Life is strictly hierarchical: juniors cook, clean, and attend to seniors; the day starts with dawn practice on an empty stomach, followed by the famous protein-rich stew chanko-nabe. Wrestlers fight under a ring name (shikona), wear the topknot (chonmage; the ginkgo-leaf ōichō-mage for sekitori), and must wear traditional dress in public. Only from jūryō up do you draw a real salary — roughly ¥1.1M+ a month, more as you climb — which is why the jump to sekitori is the biggest single moment in a career. When a wrestler retires, his topknot is cut off snip by snip in a formal ceremony, danpatsu-shiki, that leaves grown men and whole arenas in tears.
History & records1,500 years · the greats
A short history of sumo — 1,500 years in five minutes
Sumo begins in myth: Japan's oldest chronicles tell of the god-wrestler Nomi no Sukune, credited as the sport's ancestor, and for centuries sumo lived at shrines as a harvest ritual performed for the gods. It professionalized in the Edo period — the banzuke ranking sheet has been printed since 1757, and Edo-era stars like the terrifying Raiden were celebrities on woodblock prints. The first permanent Kokugikan arena opened in Tokyo in 1909, radio then television made basho a national ritual, and the postwar decades produced golden eras: Futabayama's untouchable streak in the late 1930s, the Taihō era of the 60s, Chiyonofuji's wolf-eyed dominance in the 80s, and the Waka/Taka boom of the 90s. In 1993 Akebono of Hawaii became the first foreign-born yokozuna, opening the door to two decades of Mongolian supremacy under Asashōryū and then Hakuhō, statistically the greatest wrestler who ever lived. Today a new generation — Ōnosato, Hōshōryū, Aonishiki — is writing the next chapter, and you're watching it live.
The all-time records
- Most championships
- Hakuhō — 45 yūshō. Nobody else has 33. Likely the safest record in sports.
- Most career wins
- Hakuhō — 1,187
- Longest win streak
- Futabayama — 69 straight (1936–39), a number spoken with reverence
- The untouchable ratio
- Edo legend Raiden: 254–10 lifetime — a .962 career, before weight rooms existed
- The 60s dynasty
- Taihō — 32 yūshō, the record for half a century
- The Wolf
- Chiyonofuji — 31 titles and 1,045 wins at barely 120 kg
- First foreign yokozuna
- Akebono (Hawaii, USA), promoted 1993
- Heaviest sekitori ever
- Konishiki, around 285 kg at peak
- Total yokozuna in history
- 75 — Hōshōryū is No. 74, Ōnosato No. 75
- Greatest comeback
- Terunofuji — knees ruined, fell from ōzeki to the fifth division, climbed all the way back to yokozuna
Legends every fan should know
Raiden (1767–1825) — so strong that several techniques were reportedly banned to him; never promoted to yokozuna, which remains sumo's favorite argument. Futabayama — the wartime god of sumo; when his 69-bout streak finally ended, the radio call became one of Japan's most famous broadcasts. Taihō — the postwar idol; "children love Taihō, fried eggs, and the Giants," went the saying. Chiyonofuji — small, chiseled, merciless; redefined what a light wrestler could do. Takanohana — the 90s prodigy whose bouts with foreign giants drew the biggest TV audiences in sumo history. Akebono — the Hawaiian pioneer who proved the top rank had no passport. Asashōryū — genius and chaos in one body; won everything, scandalized everyone, changed the sport forever (and yes — his nephew Hōshōryū is in your card packs). Hakuhō — the GOAT, full stop: 45 championships across 14 years of dominance. Terunofuji — proof that the banzuke is a mountain you can climb twice.
New fan FAQ8 questions · no judgment
There are really no weight classes?
Really. David-versus-Goliath is a daily feature, and it's why technique matters so much — top-division wrestlers average around 160 kg, but skilled smaller men routinely topple giants with angles, belt grips, and timing. It's also why upsets (and kinboshi) are the sport's heartbeat.
Can foreigners become sumo wrestlers?
Yes — and they've reached the very top: Hawaiians, Mongolians, Georgians, Bulgarians, and now Ukrainians like Aonishiki and Shishi. Stables are limited to one foreign-born wrestler each, which keeps the pipeline narrow and makes every foreign success story remarkable. Mongolian wrestlers in particular have dominated recent decades.
What happens if a wrestler is 7–7 on the final day?
Everything is on the line in one bout: win and he's kachi-koshi (promoted), lose and he's make-koshi (demoted). Day 15 is full of these do-or-die matches, and they produce some of the most desperate sumo of the year — and, historically, the occasional raised eyebrow about a friendly opponent easing off. Watch a 7–7 man's bout and you'll understand the banzuke's gravity instantly.
What if a wrestler gets injured?
He can sit out (kyūjō), but absences count as losses for ranking purposes, so injured wrestlers tumble down the banzuke — the record shows it as wins–losses–absences, like Hōshōryū's 7–7–1 at Nagoya. Comebacks from injury-driven falls, like former ōzeki Terunofuji's legendary climb from the fifth division back to yokozuna, are the sport's greatest sagas.
Why can't women compete on the dohyō?
Professional sumo's governing tradition holds the dohyō as a sacred, men-only space — a rule dating to its Shinto ritual origins that extends even to award ceremonies, and it remains genuinely controversial in Japan. Women's sumo does exist and thrives at the amateur and international level, with world championships and a push for Olympic recognition.
How do I actually watch tournaments in English?
NHK World-Japan airs free English "Grand Sumo Highlights" daily during every basho (online and via its apps) — the standard on-ramp for international fans. Full live coverage runs on NHK domestically, with various international streaming options by region. Top-division action runs roughly 4–6 pm Japan time; that's around 2–4 am US Central, which is why the highlights show and this site's daily results exist. Follow along here, watch the highlights after work, and you're a fan.
Can I see a basho in person?
Yes, and it's worth the trip — the Kokugikan in Tokyo hosts three tournaments a year (September's Aki basho among them). Tickets go on sale roughly a month in advance through official channels and sell out fast, especially weekends. Go early: the day runs from lower-division bouts in a quiet arena to the top-division ring-entering ceremonies and a roaring final hour.
Glossary — the words you'll hear constantly
- banzuke
- the official ranking sheet, rewritten after every tournament
- basho
- tournament; honbasho = the six that count
- dohyō
- the raised clay ring, rebuilt by hand for every basho
- gyōji
- the referee in ceremonial silk
- heya
- the stable where wrestlers live and train
- kachi-koshi
- winning record (8+ of 15) — promotion
- make-koshi
- losing record — demotion
- kimarite
- the official winning technique of a bout
- kinboshi
- "gold star" — a maegashira defeating a yokozuna
- mawashi
- the silk belt; the only equipment in sumo
- mono-ii
- judges' conference over a close call
- rikishi
- a professional sumo wrestler
- sekitori
- salaried wrestler — jūryō division and above
- shikona
- a wrestler's ring name
- shiko
- the ceremonial leg stomp
- tachiai
- the initial charge — where bouts are won
- torikumi
- the daily bout schedule
- yūshō
- the tournament championship
- zabuton
- the seat cushions famously thrown after huge upsets
How DOHYŌ workssalt · cards · odds
What is salt (塩) and why can't I buy it?
Salt is DOHYŌ's only currency, named for the purification ritual. You earn it by playing — correct pick'em calls, battle wins — and spend it on card packs. It is deliberately never for sale: that keeps the game a game. Your skill at reading the basho is the only wallet here.
How rare are the good cards, really?
Brutally, on purpose — the odds mirror the sport. Most of professional sumo's 600+ wrestlers toil in the lower divisions, so 70% of pulls are commons from those ranks. Jūryō men are uncommon (18%), top-division maegashira are rare (8%), san'yaku are epic (3%), and an ōzeki or yokozuna card is a 1% pull. Foils land on 8% of any pull. Duplicates are never wasted — they level the card (+1 to every stat), which is how a beloved common becomes a monster.
Why don't the cards show wrestlers' faces?
Respect and rights. Wrestlers own their likenesses, so our cards are pure typography and silk — shikona kanji, rank, real results, signature technique. The stats are computed from actual rank and records, and cards get stronger when the real wrestler wins. The design is ours; the glory is theirs.
How does the daily rhythm work here?
During a basho (next: Aki, Sept 13–27), everything runs on the real tournament: the banzuke updates daily, Pick'em carries the day's actual top matchups, wrestler profiles show live opponents and results, and correct calls pay salt. Between tournaments, a fresh keiko training card drops every day — new matchups drawn from the banzuke, with results that favor the stronger wrestler the way real training does. Either way, there's salt to earn every single day.
The ranks番付表
Every signed-in player, ranked by salt. Your collection size rides along. New banzuke, new season — bragging rights reset never.