Ryogoku Kokugikan

Lore & Background

The first Kokugikan was Japan's first dome-shaped steel framed building, nicknamed "big iron umbrella" (大鉄傘, Daitetsusan). It burned down in 1917, was rebuilt, destroyed again in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, requisitioned as a balloon bomb factory in 1944, damaged by an air raid in 1945, and occupied by Allied forces after the war. The last sumo tournament there was in November 1946. The building was later used for roller skating, professional boxing, professional wrestling, and the All Japan Judo Championships. In 1958 it was purchased by Nihon University and renamed Nihon University Auditorium. It was dismantled in 1983. The second Kokugikan was built on the site of a defunct freight rail yard next to Ryōgoku Station. Construction began in April 1983 and the arena opened in January 1985.

In Their Own Story

The lights dim and the ring crew is already in position, the canvas freshly taped, the turnbuckles gleaming under the halogens. There is no opening video, no stadium-wide countdown. Just the low hum of ten thousand people settling into their seats, the rustle of programmes, the smell of fresh canvas and the faint sweetness of the konbini snacks someone is sharing with a neighbour. Then the first wrestler walks out—not to a stadium anthem, but to a single taiko drum that seems to come from the floor itself. The crowd inhales as one. A man in the front row, maybe fifty, maybe sixty, starts the kaihan. It ripples outward like a stone dropped in still water, and by the third match the whole bowl is a single, breathing organism. The ring feels smaller here. The ropes feel closer. And when the final bell rings, the silence before the applause is the loudest sound in the building.

Reader's Guide

The second Ryōgoku Kokugikan has three floors above ground and two underground, with a total floor area of 35,700 m² and a seating capacity of 11,098. The ring and square seats on the first floor are movable for multi-purpose use. The roof area is 8,360 m², and rainwater is stored in a 1,000 m³ underground tank, covering 70% of miscellaneous water use. The ring is illuminated by 124 lights for TV broadcasts. The venue houses the Japan Sumo Association offices and the Sumo School for new recruits.

Did You Know?

• The first Kokugikan was originally proposed to be called Shobukan (Home of Martial Arts) but was named Kokugikan (National Sports Hall) thanks to committee member Suiin Emi.
• Japan's first public wrestling match was held at the first Kokugikan on September 30, 1951.
• The second Kokugikan's construction cost 15 billion yen, including a 500 million yen subsidy from the Ministry of Education.
• The location of the dohyō of the former Kokugikan is marked by a circle on the ground in the Ryogoku City Core complex.