FUKUOKA TOUR 2024

SUMO

FUKUOKA CONVENTION CENTER OOZUMO Tournament
Viewing dates: November 20th-21st

Tour to see the great national sport of sumo

◆ Sumo is Japan's national sport. Its wrestlers are not just fat people.
Beneath the fat are well-trained, amazing muscles. And despite their large size, they have incredible flexibility, with legs as strong as tree trunks. Their physical abilities are truly acrobatic, making sumo wrestlers the ultimate athletes, with bodies built for fighting.
I hope you will come and see the clash with your own eyes!
Travel cost (per person)…
12,000 yen ~ 12,000 yen

Grand Sumo Tournament Tour

Viewing image

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[Kyushu Tournament] November Grand Sumo Tournament Tour with A-seat and fun sumo goods

Chair A
FUKUOKA CONVENTION CENTER gathering
Date: [11/20, 21]

[Included] Sumo viewing ticket, sumo goods

Travel fee: per person
12,000 yen
Learn More

Enjoy sumo!
Highlights and viewing points

November Tournament Schedule

1st
11/10 (Sun)
2nd
11/11 (Mon)
3rd
11/12 (Tue)
Day 4
11/13 (Wed)
Day 5
11/14 (Thu)
Day 6
11/15 (Fri)
Day 7
11/16 (Sat)
Day 8
11/17 (Sun)
Day 9
11/18 (Mon)
Day 10
11/19 (Tue)
Day 11
11/20 (Wed)
Day 12
11/21 (Thu)
Day 13
11/22 (Fri)
Day 14
11/23 (Sat)
Final
11/24 (Sun)

Viewing points

More than 1,500 years of sumo history

Sumo, Japan's national sport, dates back to the age of mythology, and is said to have started as a contest of strength. It continued as an imperial court event for about 300 years, including an annual festival ritual to predict the year's harvest, and then during the Sengoku period, sumo was used as training for samurai. Later, in the Edo period, sumo became a commercial sport, with kanjin sumo becoming popular, and the foundations of modern-day OOZUMO were established. Today, OOZUMO has taken on a formal form as a sport, and is loved by many people. At the venue, you can experience sumo's long history and one aspect of traditional culture up close.

Yokozuna's ring-entering ceremony

The sumo wrestlers step onto the ring and enter, which also serves as a show-off ceremony. The "yokozuna dohyo-iri" is held separately from the juryo and makuuchi dohyo-iri, and is a slightly different, sacred ritual to be witnessed. Accompanied by two other wrestlers, the "tsuyuharai" (a person who carries out the dew) and "tachimochi" (a person who carries out the sword), the yokozuna steps onto the ring through the runway, clapping his hands before lifting his leg high and stomping his feet. As he stomps his feet, the spectators shout "Yoisho!" loudly throughout the venue. The yokozuna's mawashi and white rope are also highlights.

Popular and noteworthy wrestlers

Yokozuna Terunofuji

He is currently the only Yokozuna from Mongolia. He was promoted to Ozeki at the age of 23, but later dropped to Jonidan due to knee injuries and illness. With an indomitable spirit, he climbed his way back up and was promoted to the 73rd Yokozuna after the July 2021 tournament. As the new Yokozuna, he won the September tournament of the same year. Recently, he has been struggling with injuries and has been absent more often, but in the January 2024 tournament, his first tournament in three tournaments, he defeated Kotonowaka in the championship match to win his ninth Makuuchi title, making him a leading figure in the sumo world.

Ozeki Kotozakura

He is a thoroughbred who grew up in a sumo family, with his grandfather being a former Yokozuna Kotosakura, nicknamed "Fierce Bull," and his biological father being a former Sekiwake and his master, the first Kotonowaka. He has steadily risen through the ranks and will be promoted to Ozeki after the January 2024 tournament. He has announced his intention to take on his grandfather's shikona, "Kotosakura," from the May tournament of the same year. He is a popular wrestler who is expected to become the first Japanese Yokozuna to become Yokozuna since the 72nd Yokozuna, Kisenosato.

Sekiwake Oonosato

He started out as a student sumo wrestler and won his first makuuchi championship in the first tournament of the Reiwa era in May 2019. He was the first wrestler to receive the United States President's Cup from then-President of the United States, Donald Trump, who was visiting Japan at the time. He was promoted to ozeki after the March 2020 tournament, and expectations were high that he would become a yokozuna, but in the May 2021 tournament he was suspended for six tournaments for violating COVID-19 guidelines and dropped to sandanme, but he has now returned to the upper ranks of the makuuchi division and is expected to return to sanyaku and ozeki.

Maegashira Asanoyama

He will be promoted to the top division in the March 2024 tournament. From the first day, he won 11 straight matches, tying him with former yokozuna Taiho for the most wins of all time. Despite being injured in his match against Asanoyama on the 14th day, he stepped onto the ring on the final day with an indomitable spirit and won brilliantly, becoming the first newcomer to win a top division title in 10 tournaments since his debut, 110 years ago at Ryogoku in the May tournament of 1914. He is a young wrestler who is attracting a lot of attention right now.

access

Access

For those arriving by train

・About 12 minutes walk from the subway "Gofuku Station"

For those arriving by bus

・Hakata Station (Hakata Exit) → Hakata Station Nishi-Nippon City Bank Front F Platform (No. 99) approx. 11 minutes → Get off in front of International Center Sunpalace, a short walk

・Hakata Station (Hakata Exit) → Hakata Station Nishi-Nippon City Bank Front F Platform (No. 88, BRT) approx. 11 mins → Get off at Kokusai Kaigijo Sunpalace Front, short walk

FAQ

Q&A

  • Q. Can I eat or drink while watching OOZUMO?

    You can eat and drink at your seat. You cannot bring in bottles, cans, or food from outside, but the venue will be selling soft drinks such as tea and juice, as well as alcoholic beverages such as beer and chuhai.

  • Q. What souvenirs and foods should I buy when I go to watch OOZUMO?

    Popular items include "cheering towels" with the wrestlers' names printed on them and "sumo wrestler cookies" with cute designs.

  • Q. What is the etiquette when watching OOZUMO?

    Sumo bouts often end in just a few seconds, so please try not to move seats during the bout, as people behind you may miss the moment of victory or defeat.
    You may take photos from the seating area, but please refrain from using strong flash.

  • Q. Are there any dress codes when watching OOZUMO?

    Dress code is optional and there are no particular regulations.
    Please avoid wearing large hats that may block the view of other spectators.