From the morning hours until six in the evening, Sumo matches (Torikumi) are conducted, with referees and judges: every bout counts in a rikishi's climb up the banzuke. For the first half of the day, young, thin men often with their hair loose climb upon the dohyo in an almost empty and dark arena and clash. The bright lights for television start coming on at about three in the afternoon, and the seats fill during the Juryo bouts until the climax of the misubi-no-ichiban (final match of the day) which features one of the higher ranked sekitori.
In the morning of a tournament day, the schedule of bouts (also called Torikumi) for tomorrow's action is determined and distributed. Many rikishi have lost their impending contest because they were thinking about their bout the next day.
Hatsu Basho, January Location: Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo
Haru Basho, March Location: Osaka City Gymnasium, Osaka
Natsu Basho, May Location: Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo
Nagoya Basho, July Location: Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium, Nagoya
Aki Basho, September Location: Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo
Kyushu Basho, November Location: Fukuoka International Center, Fukuoka
Even the fighting area of Grand Sumo is interesting. It is made of hard packed sandy clay from Arakida, Ibaragi Prefecture. In the center of the dohyo are buried six things: torreya nuts, washed rice, chestnuts, kelp, squid and salt. A Shinto priest blesses the ring, and it is considered holy ground. No woman may stand upon a dohyo. The current dohyo size was set in 1931.
Here is an ASCII diagram of all the terminology related to the dohyo. - Masumi Abe
Higashi Hanamichi Mukou-Jomen Nishi Hanamichi
\ Jikan-gakari Minami-kata /
\ Shimpan Gyoji-damari Shimpan /
\ (Timer) /
Akabusa-shita------------Minami-------------Shirobusa-shita
| (South) |
| |
| |
Higashi-kata | | Nishi-kata
Hikae-rikishi | | Hikae-rikishi
| |
Higashi-kata Higashi Nishi Nishi-kata
Shimpan (East) (West) Shimpan
| |
Higashi-kata | | Nishi-kata
Hikae-rikishi | | Hikae-rikishi
| |
| |
| Kita |
Aobusa-shita-------------(North)-----------Kurobusa-shita
Kita-kata Shimpan
Shomen Terminology
Fusa (Busa): Tassel Gyoji: Referee Hanamichi: Approaching Path Hikae: Waiting Jikan-gakari: Time Keeper Kata: Side Shimpan: Judge Shita: Under Shomen (Jomen): The Facing Side Tamari (Damari): Waiting Area Mukou: opposite
Size of Dohyo
Platform Side View:
(18'8")
_==================top 570 cm==================_
/ \
/ [===] [===] [===] \ height 34-60 cm
/ step step step \
---------------------bottom 670 cm---------------------
(22')
Shomen side has only the middle step for Shomen Shimpan.
toku-dawara
__
-- --
/ \
/ \
toku-dawara| |toku-dawara
\ /
\ /
-- __ --
toku-dawara (these were originally designed for drainage)
Dohyo Circle: 455 cm (about 15 feet) diameter
Janome (the sand area right outside of the Circle) 25 cm wide
Starting Lines (Shikiri-sen):
Width: 6 cm
Length: 90 cm
Distance between two lines: 70 cm
Hatsu Basho: Shonichi (first day) is second Sunday of January.
Haru Basho: Shonichi is second Sunday of March.
Natsu Basho: Shonichi is second Sunday of May.
Nagoya Basho: Shonichi is first Sunday of July.
Aki Basho: Shonichi is second Sunday of September.
Kyushu Basho: Shonichi is second Sunday of November.
Keeping the sport in the public eye between basho is important, and there are a series of regional exhibitions held all around Japan, as well as sumo tours overseas. Sumo held at the invitation of a foreign government are called koen. Jungyo are sponsored by TV networks, for charity, and to allow more people to see live Sumo without having to travel great distances. The summer route takes them to Hokkaido in the cool north. In winter Kyushu is the warm destination, and in the milder seasons Jungyo is held throughout the Kanto and Kansai regions. Nowadays held in gymnasiums, Jungyo of the past were grand outdoor events with lower ranked deshi cooking chanko-nabe, displays of comic sumo, and traditional sumo songfests.
The Torikumi of who fights who every day of the basho is devised by mysterious honchos dressed in sinister black kimono. A rikishi generally faces those ranked closely around him; on the first day, for example, east and west side rikishi of the same numerical rank meet each other. Yokozuna traditionally fight Komusubi ranked rikishi on shonichi. As the tournament progresses, lower ranked men with good records may be brought up to face much higher ranked opponents. Clashes between Yokozuna and Ozeki are confined to the last few days. Adding to the complexity of matching up the combatants is the rule (heya-betsu so-atari) that men from the same heya cannot face each other in regular matches.