Sumo explained
Sumo explained →Rules and basics
How a bout is won, what the dohyo is, and why salt gets thrown. Everything you need for your first basho.
Learn →The banzuke explained
From Yokozuna at the summit to Jonokuchi at the base — how sumo's ranking system works.
Learn →Kimarite — the 82 winning moves
Every official winning technique in sumo, from the common yorikiri to the rarely-seen nichonage.
Learn →Ritual and ceremony
The Shinto roots, the salt, the gyoji, the kesho-mawashi. The traditions that frame every bout.
Learn →Predictions league
How to play →Predict the basho
Pick the yusho winner, the best of the rest, and more across five games every basho, then see how you rank.
Analysis and opinion
All articles →New in the beya
An honest introduction to Maemichi Sumo — what it is, where it is, and what it is trying to become.
Read →Kotozakura is learning to use his feet
The Ozeki's evolving footwork and lower body movement is quietly transforming his sumo ahead of Nagoya 2026.
Read →The Tachiai Arms Race and the Rising Value of the Henka
Because the opening charge has become sumo's most decisive moment, side-stepping it has become one of the sport's most valuable — and most resented — tactics.
Read →Nagoya 2026 — More storylines than fifteen days can resolve
A potential new yokozuna, a reigning champion with Ozeki ambitions, and two dominant forces back to make a statement.
Read →From the archive
All history →The ancient roots of sumo
From Shinto creation myth and the legend of Nomi no Sukune to the birth of professional sumo in Edo-period Japan.
Read the history →Dynasties and dominance — the rikishi who defined their age
From Futabayama's 69-bout winning streak to Hakuho's 45 tournament championships — the competitive eras of sumo.
Read more →