Highlights
- **New Year opener**: the first of six honbasho, held over 15 straight days from Jan 10–24, 2027 at Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo.
- **Full-day drama building to the top division**: lower-division bouts from ~8:30, juryo ring-entering ~14:15, and makuuchi (top division) from ~16:00, ending with the bow-twirling ceremony (yumitori-shiki) ~18:00.
- **Three ways to sit**: ringside tamari-seki cushions (closest, 16+, no food/drink), tatami masu-seki boxes for up to 4 (ekiben allowed), or Western-style isu-seki chair seats (cheapest, most accessible).
- **Just 2 minutes from the station**: Ryogoku Kokugikan is a ~2-min walk from JR Ryogoku West Exit — pair it with a bowl of chanko-nabe in the Ryogoku sumo district.
Background & story
Hatsu Basho (初場所, literally "first tournament") is the New Year grand sumo tournament and the opening act of the professional calendar's six honbasho. Held every January at the sport's spiritual home, Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, it sets the tone for the wrestling year and carries the celebratory air of a fresh start. Each of the fifteen days climbs from the newest recruits in the morning to the top-division makuuchi wrestlers — and any yokozuna — in the late afternoon.
The Grand Sumo January Tournament (Hatsu Basho) 2027 is sumo's New Year tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, running 15 days from January 10 to 24, 2027. Tickets are required, from around ¥3,800, and sell out fast. This page has the dates, venue and how tickets work.
2027 dates
- Tournament: January 10 (Sun) – January 24 (Sun), 2027 — 15 straight days.
- Doors open in the morning; top-division (Makuuchi) bouts and the closing ceremonies run in the late afternoon (until ~18:00).
Venue & access
- Where: Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo.
- Nearest: 2 min from the West Exit of Ryogoku Station (JR Sobu Line / Toei Oedo Line).
Tickets
- Chair seats from around ¥3,800; box (masu) and ringside seats cost more.
- General sale typically opens early December. Buy through the official Japan Sumo Association ticket site; weekend and final-day tickets go first.
Tips for visitors
Come for the late-afternoon Makuuchi bouts and the dohyo-iri ring-entering ceremony, but arrive earlier to soak up the historic Ryogoku district and the wrestlers walking in.
Official: sumo.or.jp. Dates are set; confirm the exact on-sale date and seat prices on the official ticket site.
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Planning around the sumo calendar? All six 2027 tournaments, seat types and how ticket sales work: Grand Sumo 2027 — full schedule & tickets.
Good to know for visitors
- Getting there
- 2 min from West Exit of Ryogoku Station (JR Sobu / Toei Oedo). Open directions in Google Maps ↗
- Booking & entry
- Check tickets and details on the official page (button above).
- Paying
- Tickets required (no free entry). Prices vary by day and seat tier; 2027 prices are released with the tournament — confirm on sumo.or.jp. As a rough guide (approximate 2026 prices, as of July 2026): ringside tamari-seki ~¥20,000/person; masu-seki tatami boxes ~¥9,000–15,000/person by tier and day; Western chair seats from ~¥3,500 (tier C, weekday) up to ~¥11,000+ (SS). On-sale is typically 5–8 weeks before — check the official site for the exact 2027 date.. Smaller venues in Japan are often cash-first — carry some yen (cards/IC not guaranteed).
- Language
- Mostly in Japanese — a translation app on your phone helps.
- Good for
- culture seekers, families, groups of friends
Good to know
Advance tickets go on sale Saturday 5 December 2026 (JSA annual schedule, as of 16 August 2026). Weekends, holidays and the closing days sell out first, so buy on the opening day of sales. The official channel is the JSA ticket site — sumo.or.jp/EnTicket in English, which accepts cards issued outside Japan. Resale is prohibited under the association's spectator contract terms. If it is sold out, a limited number of same-day chair seats are sold at the venue each morning, first-come. For the top division, arrive around 14:00–15:00; it finishes by about 18:00.
Frequently asked questions
- When is the Grand Sumo Hatsu Basho 2027?
- 10–24 January 2027, fifteen straight days, at Ryogoku Kokugikan. Day two, Monday 11 January, falls on the Coming-of-Age Day public holiday.
- When do tickets go on sale?
- Advance sales open on Saturday 5 December 2026 (Japan Sumo Association annual schedule, as of 16 August 2026). The banzuke — the ranking sheet listing which wrestlers fight — is published on Monday 21 December 2026. Weekends, public holidays and the closing days sell out first, so buying on the opening day of sales is the reliable approach.
- Can I buy from a resale site?
- Reselling tickets is prohibited under the Japan Sumo Association's spectator contract terms. The official routes are the JSA ticket site — sumo.or.jp/EnTicket in English, which accepts cards issued outside Japan — and its official ticket agents. If advance tickets are gone, a limited number of same-day chair seats (tojitsu-ken) go on sale at the venue box office on the morning of each day, first-come, when seats remain.
- What time should I arrive?
- The top-division (makuuchi) bouts run from about 16:00 and finish around 18:00 with the bow-twirling ceremony (yumitori-shiki), so arriving between 14:00 and 15:00 is enough if you only want the headline matches. Doors open far earlier — the lowest divisions start from around 08:30 if you want the full day.
Getting there
Ryogoku Kokugikan — 1-3-28 Yokoami, Sumida-ku, Tokyo