Editing Sumo (section)

==Professional sumo tournaments==
{{Main|Honbasho}}
[[File:Ryogoku_Kokugikan_Tsuriyane_05212006.jpg|thumb|left|The sumo hall of [[Ryōgoku]] in Tokyo during the May 2006 tournament]]

Since 1958, six Grand Sumo tournaments or ''honbasho'' have been held each year: three at the [[Ryōgoku Kokugikan|Kokugikan]] in Tokyo (January, May, and September), and one each in [[Osaka]] (March), [[Nagoya]] (July), and [[Fukuoka]] (November). Until the end of 1984, the Kokugikan was located in [[Kuramae Kokugikan|Kuramae]], Tokyo, but moved in 1985 to the newly built venue at [[Ryōgoku]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://visit-sumida.jp/spot/6080/ | title=すみだスポット - 国技館 &#124; 一般社団法人 墨田区観光協会【本物が生きる街 すみだ観光サイト】 | date=July 5, 2015 }}</ref> Each tournament begins on a Sunday and runs for 15 days, ending also on a Sunday, roughly in the middle of the month.<ref name="NHKQA"/><ref>An exception to this rule occurred when [[Hirohito]], the former [[Emperor of Japan]], died on Saturday, January 7, 1989. The tournament that was to start on the following day was postponed to start on Monday, January 9 and finish on Monday, January 24.</ref> The tournaments are organized in a manner akin to a [[McMahon system tournament]]; each wrestler in the top two divisions (''sekitori'') has one match per day, while the lower-ranked wrestlers compete in seven bouts, about one every two days.

Each day is structured so that the highest-ranked contestants compete at the end of the day. Thus, wrestling starts in the morning with the ''[[Professional sumo divisions#Jonokuchi|jonokuchi]]'' wrestlers and ends at around six o'clock in the evening with bouts involving the ''yokozuna''. The wrestler who wins the most matches over the 15 days wins the tournament championship (''[[yūshō]]'') for his division. If two wrestlers are tied for the top, they wrestle each other and the winner takes the title. Three-way ties for a championship are rare, at least in the top division. In these cases, the three wrestle each other in pairs with the first to win two in a row take the tournament. More complex systems for championship playoffs involving four or more wrestlers also exist, but these are usually only seen in determining the winner of one of the lower divisions.

[[File:Sumo Nobori flags.jpg|thumb|upright|Sumo [[nobori]] flags in Fukuoka, 2006]]

The matchups for each day of the tournament are determined by the sumo elders who are members of the judging division of the [[Japan Sumo Association]]. They meet every morning at 11 am and announce the following day's matchups around 12&nbsp;pm. An exception are the final day 15 matchups, which are announced much later on day 14.<ref name="NHKQA"/> Each wrestler only competes against a selection of opponents from the same division, though small overlaps can occur between two divisions. The first bouts of a tournament tend to be between wrestlers who are within a few ranks of each other.<ref name="NHKQA"/> Afterwards, the selection of opponents takes into account a wrestler's prior performance. For example, in the lower divisions, wrestlers with the same record in a tournament are generally matched up with each other and the last matchups often involve undefeated wrestlers competing against each other, even if they are from opposite ends of the division. In the top division, in the last few days, wrestlers with exceptional records often have matches against much more highly ranked opponents, including ''san'yaku'' wrestlers, especially if they are still in the running for the top division championship. Similarly, more highly ranked wrestlers with very poor records may find themselves fighting wrestlers much further down the division.

An official sumo tournament has only been held outside Japan once: in 1991 at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] in London, which [[Hokutoumi Nobuyoshi]] won. A return appearance is currently scheduled for October 2025.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Grand Sumo Tournament to be the second elite five-day Basho tournament outside of Japan in the sport's 1500-year history |url=https://www.royalalberthall.com/about-the-hall/news/the-grand-sumo-tournament/ |publisher=Royal Albert Hall |access-date=10 December 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Fancy watching sumo wrestling in the historic Royal Albert Hall? Yes, really (ITV News) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VCLBoIZcHo |access-date=10 December 2024 |work=ITV |date=4 December 2024 |via=[[YouTube]]}}</ref>

For the ''yokozuna'' and ''ōzeki'', the first week and a half of the tournament tends to be taken up with bouts against the top ''[[Makuuchi#Maegashira|maegashira]]'', ''komusubi'', and ''sekiwake'', with the bouts within these ranks being concentrated into the last five days or so of the tournament (depending on the number of top-ranked wrestlers competing). Traditionally, on the final day, the last three bouts of the tournament are between the top six ranked wrestlers, with the top two competing in the final matchup, unless injuries during the tournament prevent this.

Certain match-ups are prohibited in regular tournament play. Wrestlers who are from the same training stable cannot compete against each other, nor can wrestlers who are brothers, even if they join different stables. The one exception to this rule is that training stable partners and brothers can face each other in a championship-deciding playoff match.

The last day of the tournament is called ''senshūraku'', which literally means "the pleasure of a thousand autumns". This colorful name for the culmination of the tournament echoes the words of the playwright [[Zeami Motokiyo|Zeami]] to represent the excitement of the decisive bouts and the celebration of the victor. The Emperor's Cup is presented to the wrestler who wins the top-division ''makuuchi'' championship. Numerous other (mostly sponsored) prizes are also awarded to him. These prizes are often rather elaborate, ornate gifts, such as giant cups, decorative plates, and statuettes. Others are quite commercial, such as one trophy shaped like a giant Coca-Cola bottle.

Promotion and relegation for the next tournament are determined by a wrestler's score over the 15 days. In the top division, the term ''[[Glossary of sumo terms#K|kachikoshi]]'' means a score of 8–7 or better, as opposed to ''[[Glossary of sumo terms#M|makekoshi]]'', which indicates a score of 7–8 or worse. A wrestler who achieves ''kachikoshi'' almost always is promoted further up the ladder, the level of promotion being higher for better scores.<ref name="NHKQA"/> See the ''[[makuuchi]]'' article for more details on promotion and relegation.

A top-division wrestler who is not an ''ōzeki'' or ''yokozuna'' and who finishes the tournament with ''kachikoshi'' is also eligible to be considered for one of the three prizes awarded for "technique", "fighting spirit", and defeating the most ''[[Makuuchi#Yokozuna|yokozuna]]'' and ''ōzeki'' the "outstanding performance" prize.  For more information see ''[[sanshō (sumo)|sanshō]]''.

For the list of upper divisions champions since 1909, refer to the [[list of sumo tournament top division champions|list of top division champions]] and [[list of sumo tournament second division champions|the list of second division champions]].

===A professional sumo bout===
[[File:2006 March Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka.jpg|thumb|left|Sumo wrestlers at the Grand Tournament in [[Osaka]], March 2006]]
At the initial charge, both wrestlers must jump up from the [[Squatting position|crouch]] simultaneously after touching the surface of the ring with two fists at the start of the bout. The referee (''gyōji'') can restart the bout if this simultaneous touch does not occur.<ref name="NHKQA"/>

Upon completion of the bout, the referee must immediately designate his decision by pointing his ''[[gunbai]]'' or war-fan towards the winning side. The winning technique (''[[kimarite]]'') used by the winner would then be announced to the audience. The wrestlers then return to their starting positions and bow to each other before retiring.

[[File:Sumo.webm|thumb|thumbtime=9|300px|Sumo fight at the Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan, September 2014]]
The referee's decision is not final and may be disputed by the five [[judge (sumo)|judges]] seated around the ring. If this happens, they meet in the center of the ring to hold a ''mono-ii'' (a talk about things). After reaching a consensus, they can uphold or reverse the referee's decision or order a rematch, known as a ''[[torinaoshi]]''.

A winning wrestler in the top division may receive additional prize money in envelopes from the referee if the matchup has been sponsored. If a ''[[Makuuchi#Yokozuna|yokozuna]] ''is defeated by a lower-ranked wrestler, it is common and expected for audience members to throw their seat cushions into the ring (and onto the wrestlers), though this practice is technically prohibited.

In contrast to the time in bout preparation, bouts are typically very short, usually less than a minute (most of the time only a few seconds). Extremely rarely, a bout can go on for several minutes.