Nagoya Grand Sumo July Tournament

Sumo is lauded as the national sport of Japan and six times every year, around Japan, tournaments (honbasho) are held in various parts of the country. The Nagoya-basho is held in July at the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium, located right next to Nagoya Castle. Each honbasho lasts 15 days. During this period, wrestlers fight in a round-robin style organized by the sumo guilds. It’s a chance to see some of the best Japanese sportsmanship the country has to offer! Event Report Sumo’s first tournament of the new Reiwa era saw a number of fascinating stories, but perhaps none more so than the surprise victory by the young wrestler, Asanoyama. The first rank-and-file wrestler in almost 60 years to win a tournament, Asanoyama will be looking to justify his success with more of the same in the Nagoya tournament in July. Freshly promoted ozeki, Takakeisho, is on the rebound from his injury-forced withdrawal in Tokyo while the ever-popular Georgian wrestler Tochinoshin will be breathing a sigh of relief after overcoming some controversial judging in his successful bid to reclaim sumo’s second-highest ozeki rank. Along with newly energized wrestlers like Abi and Ryuden who have surged up the rankings, the ever enigmatic behemoth Ichinojo and Hakuho, the greatest sumo wrestler of all time, July’s Nagoya tournament is shaping up to be another must-see event in Japan. Check the official website for ticketing information.