Osaka March Grand Sumo Tournament

Held every March, this is the second of Japan’s six annual Sumo Tournaments, known as honbasho. With the sumo rankings released a few weeks before, it’s a chance to see the traditional sport up close and personal. While the fights are broadcast on NHK, nothing beats the atmosphere of the tense final matches of the day, complete with cushion-throwing and cheers.

Tickets

Seating is divided into box seating — tatami areas seating four people, which start at about ¥40,000 and arena seats, which start from around ¥3,500. Most seats are cheaper on weekdays and slightly more expensive on weekends.

Tickets can be purchased online in advance from February 6 but you can get them earlier if you book through Klook, JTB Sunrise Tours, or Viator. Sumo matches take place throughout the day, and you can leave to grab food before returning. The busiest times are, as you may expect, weekends and towards the end of the tournament.

Sumo tournament dates

There are six Grand Sumo Tournaments throughout the year. Not here during a big tournament? Fear not. Here are other ways to see sumo in Tokyo.

2027 sumo dates

• January Sumo Tournament in Tokyo: Jan. 10–24 (tickets on sale from Dec. 5, 2026)
• March Sumo Tournament in Osaka: Mar. 14–28 (tickets on sale from Feb. 6, 2027)
• May Sumo Tournament in Tokyo: May 9–23 (tickets on sale from April 10, 2027)
• July Sumo Tournament in Nagoya: Jul. 11–25 (tickets on sale from May 15, 2027)
• September Sumo Tournament in Tokyo: Sept. 12–26 (tickets on sale from Aug. 7, 2027)
• November Sumo Tournament in Fukuoka: Nov. 14–28 (ticket sale date to be announced)

What to expect

Sumo is a massive — pardon the pun — deal in Japan, and the thrill of the audience during tournaments is contagious. You’ll look down (or up if you’re lucky enough to bag a ring-side seat), on the dohyō (sumo ring) as two sumo wrestlers try to push each other out of the circle by grappling, pushing, and throwing.

Each bout is usually pretty quick, but there are still grip-locked matches that get the heart pounding and the fans rowdy as they cheer on their favorite side.

Daily schedule: What time should I go?

Sumo matches take place throughout the day, and you can leave to grab food and return when you like.

Generally, doors open at 9 a.m. on the first to the 12th day, 10:30 a.m. on the 13th and 14th days, and 10 a.m. on the last day. Note that the morning bouts are reserved for unranked or lower-ranking wrestlers, and so the arena can seem a bit deserted.

Most of the excitement starts in the afternoon around 2 p.m. when the second-highest ranked division (Jūryō) enters the ring. The highest-ranked wrestlers, the Makuuchi, then enter just before 3 p.m. in preparation for their fights. The current top dog, the Yokozuna, enters the stadium around 4 p.m. and is greeted with calls of “Yoisho!” (an exclamation of effort) from the crowd as he stomps.

Everything comes to a close just before 6 p.m. when a ceremony featuring bow twirling is performed.

The busiest days are, as you may expect, weekends and towards the end of the tournament.

How do the sumo rankings work?

Getting to Yokozuna doesn’t happen overnight.

There are six main sumo divisions: Makuuchi, Jūryō, Makushita, Sandanme, Jonidan, and Jonokuchi (from highest to lowest). Within the divisions, there are also rankings. The one to watch is the Makuuchi division as the order here decides the next Yokozuna — the highest sumo rank. The rank order goes Yokozuna, Ōzeki, Sekiwake, Komusubi, and Maegashira. Only the Makuuchi and Jūryō divisions have fights every day across the 15-day tournament. The others compete for 7 days.

How do sumo wrestlers move up?

Sumo wrestlers can’t jump several ranks in one go. They must climb up the table.

If you have a good record, i.e., win more matches than you lose in the tournament, you will usually move up a rank or division. Although, as the higher ranks have limited spaces, this might not always be the case. The one who wins the most bouts is crowned the winner of their division. For the Makuuchi, this means you win the whole tournament.

If an Ōzeki wins two consecutive tournaments, they will usually be promoted to Yokozuna. Alternatively, they can get the rank with a run of near-championship records at Ōzeki. Once a sumo wrestler becomes a Yokozuna, they can not be demoted and remain so until they retire. This means there can be more than one Yokozuna at one time.

Who will be the next Yokozuna?

As of October 2026, there are still two yokozuna — Hōshōryū and Ōnosato — but only one of them has been fighting. Hōshōryū had surgery on his right knee in July and sat out the September tournament — the third tournament in a row he has missed time through injury. His stablemaster says he is keen to return at the November tournament in Fukuoka, but has also warned that another poor showing could bring talk of retirement.

Ōnosato, meanwhile, carried the September tournament alone and won it, beating Aonishiki in a final-day showdown to take his sixth title with a 12–3 record — his first championship in a year.

As for who’s next, the most likely candidates hold the Ōzeki rank. Aonishiki’s March bid for promotion fell apart through injury (more on that below), and although he finished runner-up in September, the head of the Japan Sumo Association’s judging division said that 11 wins would be a tough sell as a championship-level result. Kirishima, who won in March and reached the playoff in July, had a shot of his own in September but could only manage 8–7. For either of them, a title in Fukuoka (Nov. 8–22) would be the first step toward a fresh bid in 2027.

The March 2026 tournament

Kirishima won the March 2026 tournament in Osaka as a Sekiwake with a 12–3 record — his third title, and his first since November 2023 — which earned him a return to the Ōzeki rank. Aonishiki, chasing promotion to yokozuna, finished 7–8 after injuring his toe. The official rankings (banzuke) for March 2027 will be released on March 1, 2027.

Wrestler to watch: Aonishiki Arata — Ukrainian-born November tournament champion

Aonishiki Arata, whose real name is Danilo Yavhushyshyn, is turning heads with his rapid rise through the rankings. The 22-year-old is a member of the Ajigawa Stable in Tokyo’s Koto Ward, and officially entered professional sumo in 2023. His win in November 2025 made him the first Ukrainian to claim the Emperor’s Cup, and, with his promotion to Ozeki confirmed shortly after the November tournament, he became the fastest wrestler to earn that rank since the current system was established in 1958.

Arata says he is aiming for the top.

Aonishiki won back-to-back championships in January 2026 after defeating maegashira Atamifuji in the tie-breaking match for the Emperor’s Cup. Joining the New Year Tournament with a recent promotion, he became the first freshly minted ozeki to win a tournament since 2006 and the ninth wrestler overall to do so. He also became the first to win consecutive tournaments at the ranks of sekiwake and ozeki since 1937.

The rest of 2026 has been a roller coaster. A left toe injury derailed his yokozuna bid in March, where he finished with his first losing record (7–8), and an ankle injury kept him out of the May tournament entirely, costing him his Ōzeki rank. He bounced straight back in July, beating Kirishima and Atamifuji in a three-way playoff for his third title and winning back his Ōzeki rank in one go. In September, he took the title race to the final day before losing to Ōnosato.

Fun facts: Arata is 182 cm tall, weighs in at 142 kg, and can bench press a whopping 210 kg. Keep an eye out for him!

How to get there

The Osaka sumo tournament is held at the Edion Arena Osaka. It’s around a 5-minute walk from Namba Station.

Organizers may cancel events, alter schedules, or change admission requirements without notice. Always check official sites before heading to an event.