Ryōgoku Kokugikan
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| Location |  Sumida, Tokyo, Japan |
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| Coordinates | 35°41′49″N 139°47′36″E / 35.69694°N 139.79333°E |
| Opened | January, 1985 |
| Owner | Japan Sumo Association |
| Capacity | 13,000 |
Ryōgoku Kokugikan (両国国技館 Ryōgoku Kokugi-kan), also known as Sumo Hall, is an indoor sporting arena located in the Ryōgoku neighborhood of Sumida, one of the 23 wards of Tokyo in Japan, next to the Edo-Tokyo Museum. It is the third building built in Tokyo associated with the name kokugikan. The current building was opened in 1985 and has a capacity of 13,000 people. It is mainly used for sumo wrestling tournaments (honbasho) and hosts the hatsu (new year) basho in January, the natsu (summer) basho in May, and the aki (autumn) basho in September. It also houses a museum about sumo.[1] The venue is also used for other indoor events, such as boxing, pro wrestling, and music concerts. In past years, it has hosted the G-1 Climax, an annual tournament in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
[edit] History
The growing popularity of Sumo during the Meiji period led to the building of the original Kokugikan in Ryōgoku in 1909. The Japanese army appropriated the facility in the World War II, and some tournaments were held outdoor at a baseball stadium. During the occupation of Japan, SCAP saw sumo as less threatening than other martial arts, and allowed a tournament there in November 1945. The occupation forces subsequently took over the area, however, and turned it partially into a skating rink. One more tournament was held in November 1946, but tournaments were thereafter held on the grounds of the Meiji Shrine until 1954. Tournaments were subsequently held in the Kuramae Kokugikan, which opened in 1954, until it was replaced by the current Ryōgoku Kokugikan in 1985.[2]
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ryogoku Kokugikan |
35°41′49″N 139°47′36″E / 35.69694°N 139.79333°E
[edit] References
- ^ (Hardcover) Japan, An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Tokyo, Japan: Kodansha. 1993. p. 817. ISBN 4-06-205938-X.
- ^ (Hardcover) With God on Their Side: Sport in the Service of Religion. London and New York: Routeledge. 2002. pp. 151–2. ISBN 0415259606.
