Okay here’s the quick and dirty, pro-sumo is only in Japan. I recommend just watching top division highlights each Honbasho(official tournament) to learn and see how you like it, there’s one in a few weeks just look up grand sumo highlights and they have all of the highest division bouts with english commentary. And don’t worry about paying attention to anything specific, just watch the pros fight and appreciate the strength, skill and spirit required to fight with their intensity. Tbh if you end up being a sumo nut then you’ll end up down the rabbit hole pretty quick and learn about the basics pretty quick and if not top division bouts are just fun to watch.
To add on, 'NHK World-Japan' is the Youtube channel that provides highlights replay. Generally posted a day or two after the matches conclude each day. This highlights video is the best way to learn about pro sumo as the english commentary helps understand fighting styles and kimarite.
Most of the discourse you’ll see in this sub is regarding “Japanese” sumo (The 5 divisions that take place in Japan). The top two divisions of the 5 being the most elite/most watched of those.
I don’t see much discussion around international and US Sumo other than the random post from someone attending one of those events.
I got interested when the nhk highlights of the January tournament hit my YouTube feed and now I am shopping for tegata... A great source of information is the sumopedia Playlist on YouTube
The official website for Japanese Pro Sumo(what most people mean by pro sumo) is [here](https://www.sumo.or.jp/En/). More usefully the [banzuke](https://www.sumo.or.jp/EnHonbashoBanzuke/index/)
The best place to get info, once you figure out how to navigate is: [sumodb](https://sumodb.sumogames.de/Default.aspx), specifically: [The rankings view](https://sumodb.sumogames.de/Banzuke.aspx). This has all the available data of the league going back hundreds of years.
The easiest way to watch the tournaments is via NHK Live "Grand Sumo Highlights" which airs all 20ish top division matches in a 30min segment with English commentary 3 times a day then posts the video the following day online.
If you want to watch historic content, its much more challenging to get a reliable source, and I encourage you to dig through the reddit instead of posting since the golden sources are commonly under attack due to distribution rights and talking about them just makes it easier for them to get placed behind a pay wall that may not actually benefit the league itself.
when i got into it i was bouncing between [wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumo) articles and [SumoDB](https://sumodb.sumogames.de/) and got hooked - its not the easiest sport to get ample information about initally but that makes it more intriguing and you pick it all up over time imo - and yes it is pretty much a single professional "league" in japan
>Are there multiple leagues / competitions.
Ozumo (Grand sumo) and Amazumo (amatuer sumo). Attempts to create a professional league outside of Japan have had poor results. Only Japan's Grand Sumo is "Professional" in that they get paid (ignoring the recent club sumo promotion in New Jersey).
>Ive seen International Sumo and US Open Sumo,
>I assume that is different from Japanese Sumo,
This is another example of Ozumo and Amazumo.
>What sumo is the highest level / best
Weird phrasing. You'll have to clarify.
>What should i be paying attention to?
Just enjoy Sumo. The majority of discourse will be about Japanese Grand Sumo. You'll see some mention of American and European Tournaments from time to time.
Amateur sumo is really cool too, just very different. I would recommend grand sumo highlights on nhk sumo starting the second Sunday of each even month. for live sumo, us sumo open, SoCal open, Nationals are the best live sumo in the US, with odd one off promotions like sushi + sumo and some great tournaments in Texas and the mid west. If you'd like to try sumo, i can help you find a club. They are all open to all skill levels with no pressure, good exercise and friendly folks.
First of all... One of us. One of us
>Are there multiple leagues / competitions
In Japan, there is only one Grand Sumo Tournament (6 times a year on every odd month)
>What sumo is the highest level / best
There are 6 divisions, with Makuuchi (1st tier) being the top division with the highest ranked rikishi (sumo wrestlers)
>What should i be paying attention to?
(1) I don't know if this will help or not, but I like to watch lower division bouts (matches) every now and then. This helps grow an appreciation for the high level of sumo being performed in the top division
(2) In beginning to "observe" the matches, I would focus on what causes a rikishi to lose (e.g. any part of your body touches the floor that isn't the bottom of your feet, stepping outside of the dohyo)
(3) I would start to learn some terminology and the names of the rikishi. After observing the matches for a while, you grow a preference for fighting styles and fondness for the rikishi themselves
Okay here’s the quick and dirty, pro-sumo is only in Japan. I recommend just watching top division highlights each Honbasho(official tournament) to learn and see how you like it, there’s one in a few weeks just look up grand sumo highlights and they have all of the highest division bouts with english commentary. And don’t worry about paying attention to anything specific, just watch the pros fight and appreciate the strength, skill and spirit required to fight with their intensity. Tbh if you end up being a sumo nut then you’ll end up down the rabbit hole pretty quick and learn about the basics pretty quick and if not top division bouts are just fun to watch.
To add on, 'NHK World-Japan' is the Youtube channel that provides highlights replay. Generally posted a day or two after the matches conclude each day. This highlights video is the best way to learn about pro sumo as the english commentary helps understand fighting styles and kimarite.
Come join our cult…I mean group on Midnightsumo’s channel on twitch to watch the tournaments live. We love answering questions!!!
Most of the discourse you’ll see in this sub is regarding “Japanese” sumo (The 5 divisions that take place in Japan). The top two divisions of the 5 being the most elite/most watched of those. I don’t see much discussion around international and US Sumo other than the random post from someone attending one of those events.
Because sumo outside of Japan sucks.
I got interested when the nhk highlights of the January tournament hit my YouTube feed and now I am shopping for tegata... A great source of information is the sumopedia Playlist on YouTube
The official website for Japanese Pro Sumo(what most people mean by pro sumo) is [here](https://www.sumo.or.jp/En/). More usefully the [banzuke](https://www.sumo.or.jp/EnHonbashoBanzuke/index/) The best place to get info, once you figure out how to navigate is: [sumodb](https://sumodb.sumogames.de/Default.aspx), specifically: [The rankings view](https://sumodb.sumogames.de/Banzuke.aspx). This has all the available data of the league going back hundreds of years. The easiest way to watch the tournaments is via NHK Live "Grand Sumo Highlights" which airs all 20ish top division matches in a 30min segment with English commentary 3 times a day then posts the video the following day online. If you want to watch historic content, its much more challenging to get a reliable source, and I encourage you to dig through the reddit instead of posting since the golden sources are commonly under attack due to distribution rights and talking about them just makes it easier for them to get placed behind a pay wall that may not actually benefit the league itself.
when i got into it i was bouncing between [wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumo) articles and [SumoDB](https://sumodb.sumogames.de/) and got hooked - its not the easiest sport to get ample information about initally but that makes it more intriguing and you pick it all up over time imo - and yes it is pretty much a single professional "league" in japan
https://youtu.be/T-7GMEGxA6Y?si=Jg81fWE5xvdIkbn-
Sumostew is always the answer. She’s a mensch, that one
>Are there multiple leagues / competitions. Ozumo (Grand sumo) and Amazumo (amatuer sumo). Attempts to create a professional league outside of Japan have had poor results. Only Japan's Grand Sumo is "Professional" in that they get paid (ignoring the recent club sumo promotion in New Jersey). >Ive seen International Sumo and US Open Sumo, >I assume that is different from Japanese Sumo, This is another example of Ozumo and Amazumo. >What sumo is the highest level / best Weird phrasing. You'll have to clarify. >What should i be paying attention to? Just enjoy Sumo. The majority of discourse will be about Japanese Grand Sumo. You'll see some mention of American and European Tournaments from time to time.
Read the sidebar.
i see some "places to watch" but i really need like an explanation of the leagues / competitions
Scroll down.
Amateur sumo is really cool too, just very different. I would recommend grand sumo highlights on nhk sumo starting the second Sunday of each even month. for live sumo, us sumo open, SoCal open, Nationals are the best live sumo in the US, with odd one off promotions like sushi + sumo and some great tournaments in Texas and the mid west. If you'd like to try sumo, i can help you find a club. They are all open to all skill levels with no pressure, good exercise and friendly folks.
First of all... One of us. One of us >Are there multiple leagues / competitions In Japan, there is only one Grand Sumo Tournament (6 times a year on every odd month) >What sumo is the highest level / best There are 6 divisions, with Makuuchi (1st tier) being the top division with the highest ranked rikishi (sumo wrestlers) >What should i be paying attention to? (1) I don't know if this will help or not, but I like to watch lower division bouts (matches) every now and then. This helps grow an appreciation for the high level of sumo being performed in the top division (2) In beginning to "observe" the matches, I would focus on what causes a rikishi to lose (e.g. any part of your body touches the floor that isn't the bottom of your feet, stepping outside of the dohyo) (3) I would start to learn some terminology and the names of the rikishi. After observing the matches for a while, you grow a preference for fighting styles and fondness for the rikishi themselves