“Ura! It’s Ura!” Up in the nosebleed seats of Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo’s packed-to-the-gills sumo arena, I’m cheering for my favorite wrestler with a skewer of grilled chicken. It’s not that I’m ...

SAKAI, Japan >> If the Ryogoku Kokugikan arena in Tokyo is considered the holy ground of professional sumo, the Ohama Sumo Stadium in Sakai is regarded the same way for amateur sumo. The stadium ...

TOKYO >> Japan’s lengthy summer vacation is in full swing. Despite the heat, the energetic voices of children playing outside are likely echoing throughout neighborhoods. The Japan Sumo Association ...

The first sumo matches date back 1,500 years as a ritual dedicated to the kami, with prayers for bountiful harvests, dancing and other performances at shrines. The dohyo where sumo takes place is an ...