In sumo, a rikishi wins a bout by forcing his opponent out of the inner circle of the ring or throwing him down, and he loses the moment any part of his body other than the soles of his feet touches the ground. There are no weight limits and no points: one bout, one winner, fought in a clay ring called the dohyo.
This page follows the Japan Sumo Association introduction booklet in English, published by the Nihon Sumo Kyokai, as of November 2026. The booklet carries no edition date, so treat what follows as the association's own plain-language summary of professional sumo rather than a referee's manual.
The dohyo, the bales and the mawashi
The ring takes its name from the straw rice bags that mark out its parts. Most of each bale is buried firmly in the earth. Here's how the booklet describes the ring and the one piece of kit a rikishi wears:
| What | What the booklet says |
|---|---|
| Dohyo | 6.7 m square and 60 cm high, built of a special clay with a hard surface covered by a thin layer of sand |
| Fighting area | An inner circle a little over 4.55 m in diameter |
| Boundary | Straw rice bales marking the circle |
| Roof | Hung from the ceiling by cables, shaped like a Shinto shrine roof, with a giant tassel at each corner for the seasons of the year |
| Mawashi | Heavy silk, about 9 m long and 80 cm wide, folded in six and wrapped round the waist four to seven times |
The mawashi is all a rikishi wears in a bout. The booklet says there are 82 winning techniques, many of them achieved by moving the opponent around with a grip on his mawashi. The stiffened front strings are only ornamental, and if they come off during a match they can be discarded.
Four ways a sumo bout is lost
- Being forced out of the inner circle.
- Being thrown or toppled inside the ring.
- Touching the ground with any part of your body other than the soles of your feet. The booklet's examples are a knee, the tip of a finger or even the topknot.
- Putting one toe or your heel over the straw bales that mark the circle, even if nobody pushed you there.
Numbers three and four are the catches. A rikishi can be winning the shove and still lose because a fingertip brushed the clay, or because a heel slipped over the bales while he was backing up.
There's no scoring inside a bout and nothing to add up. The first rikishi to break one of those conditions loses, and the other wins.
What sumo bans
- Striking with fists.
- Pulling hair.
- Gouging the eyes.
- Choking.
- Kicking in the stomach or chest.
- Seizing the part of the mawashi that covers the vital organs.
That's the whole list in the booklet, and it's short. Gripping the rest of the mawashi is central to the sport rather than a foul.
There are no weight limits either. The booklet points out that, unlike boxing or Western wrestling, a rikishi can find himself facing an opponent twice his weight. For anyone used to sports with weight classes, that's the biggest surprise.
Before the bout: salt, shikiri and the charge
- The gyoji, or referee, enters with the two rikishi and calls out their names, using each one's shikona, his sumo name.
- Each rikishi goes through a series of symbolic movements. He rinses his mouth with water and wipes his body with a paper towel to cleanse mind and body.
- He scatters a handful of salt to purify the ring. Salt throwing is the privilege of makuuchi and juryo rikishi, and on some occasions makushita.
- The pair squat and face each other in the centre, then crouch forward in a get-set position, supporting themselves with their fists on the ground. This is the shikiri.
- They don't start straight away. They go back to their corners, scatter more salt and return to face each other, again and again, usually for the full four minutes the rules allow. Juryo rikishi have only three minutes, and the lowest ranks must begin almost immediately.
- When it's time, the gyoji gives the signal with his fan, and the pair charge into each other at the tachiai, the moment they're both ready.
The booklet notes that the bout itself is usually over quickly, in less time than the warm-up took. So if you're watching for the first time, the minutes of salt and staring are the build-up, not a delay before the real thing.
Who settles a close call
The gyoji signals the start and watches over the bout, and his decision stands unless the judges step in. Around the four sides of the dohyo sit the shimpan, judges in formal black kimono, all of them former rikishi chosen by the elders. If there's any doubt about the referee's decision, they climb into the ring and settle it among themselves. They can overrule the referee or order a rematch, and there are five shimpan for every match whatever the rank.
Grand Tournaments and the Emperor's Cup
There are six Grand Tournaments a year: three in Tokyo and one each in Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka.
| Month | City |
|---|---|
| January | Tokyo |
| March | Osaka |
| May | Tokyo |
| July | Nagoya |
| September | Tokyo |
| November | Fukuoka |
Each tournament lasts 15 days. Rikishi in the two top divisions fight once every day, each day against a different opponent, while the lower divisions compete on only seven days. The rikishi with the best record of wins over losses is awarded the Emperor's Cup on the final day, after the last match.
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There are three extra prizes: the shukunsho for upsetting the most yokozuna and ozeki, the kantosho for fighting spirit and the ginosho for technique. To be eligible for any of them, a rikishi also has to win at least eight of his fifteen bouts.
Sumo ranks in brief
There are about 700 rikishi in professional sumo, according to the booklet, from trainees up to the yokozuna. The top group, makuuchi, has up to 42 rikishi, ranked yokozuna, ozeki, sekiwake, komusubi and maegashira. A new ranking list called the banzuke is issued after each Grand Tournament, moving rikishi up or down on their results.
The yokozuna is the exception to that. He can never be demoted, though if he keeps posting poor records he's expected to retire. Only 72 rikishi have held the rank, according to the booklet.
What I'd watch for first
I'd learn the two ways to lose that aren't obvious, a knee or fingertip touching the clay and a toe or heel over the bales, because they're the rules a newcomer is least likely to guess. Then I'd learn the banned list, which takes about ten seconds. With those, you can follow almost any bout.
I'd skip the ranks below makuuchi and the special prize names until you've watched a full tournament. The Emperor's Cup and the 15-day record are enough to follow who's winning. If you usually follow team contact sports such as rugby union or American football, the big adjustment is that it's one against one, with no weight limits and a result decided in a single bout.
Frequently asked questions
How do you win a sumo bout?
By forcing the opponent out of the inner circle or throwing him down in the dohyo. He also loses if anything but the soles of his feet touches the ground.
How big is a sumo ring?
The dohyo is 6.7 m square and 60 cm high, and bouts take place in an inner circle a little over 4.55 m in diameter.
Are there weight classes in sumo?
No. There are no weight limits, so a rikishi can face an opponent twice his weight.
How long is a sumo tournament?
Each Grand Tournament lasts 15 days, and there are six of them each year.
What moves are banned in sumo?
Striking with fists, hair pulling, eye gouging, choking, kicking the stomach or chest, and seizing the part of the mawashi over the vital organs.
