Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Arena

The green, copper-plated roof of the Ryogoku Kokugikan rises above the Sumida neighborhood like a massive, inverted bowl. This arena serves as the cathedral of professional sumo, housing the Japan Sumo Association and hosting three of the six annual grand tournaments. Construction finished in nineteen eighty-four to replace an older, smaller venue nearby. During the winter tournament, the air inside stays thick with the scent of clay and cedar as wrestlers collide on the raised ring, their heavy bodies shaking the floorboards.