Cultural Snapshots
Guideto Japan
Sports
Culture
Nov 7, 2025
Honbasho are Japan’s six Grand Sumō Tournaments. Featuring the top wrestlers, they are the most prestigious events in the sport.
Facing Off
Ōzumō or Grand Sumō is the professional branch of Japan’s iconic traditional sport. It is overseen by the Japan Sumō Association, which holds six annual tournaments or honbasho lasting for 15 days each. Three are held at the Ryōgoku Sumō Hall in Tokyo and take place in January, May, and September, while one each is held in Osaka (March), Nagoya (July), and Fukuoka (November). The tournaments are aired on television and radio by Japan’s public broadcaster NHK.
Results in the six honbasho determine the rankings and salaries of wrestlers. While lower-graded rikishi tussle earlier in the day, interest centers on the afternoon bouts involving the highest ranked wrestlers, including yokozuna and ōzeki. These top wrestlers face off against each other, competing in one bout a day, over the course of the tournament, with the rikishi boasting the best record being crowned champion.
Japan’s Grand Sumō Tournaments
- Hatsu Basho (First Tournament): Tokyo (January)
- Haru Basho (Spring Tournament)/Osaka Basho (Osaka Tournament): Osaka (March)
- Natsu Basho (Summer Tournament): Tokyo (May)
- Nagoya Basho (Nagoya Tournament): Nagoya (July)
- Aki Basho (Autumn Tournament): Tokyo (September)
- Kyūshū Basho (Kyūshū Tournament): Fukuoka (November)
(Originally written in English. Banner photo: Two sumō wrestlers face off during the Tokyo tournament at the Ryōgoku Sumō Hall in Tokyo on May 21, 2024. © Arthur Perset/Hans Lucas via Reuters Connect.)
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