60 free Sumo trivia questions with answers — sports quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This sumo trivia quiz covers Japan's national sport from its mythical origins to the current yokozuna. The history section runs from a wrestling match between gods in the Kojiki, through Oda Nobunaga's 1,500-man tournament that invented the ring, to Commodore Perry's disgust and the Meiji revival. Then the rules and rituals: how a bout is won, the 82 winning techniques, salt throwing, the referee's war fan, cushions flying after an upset, and why the last day is called 'the pleasure of a thousand autumns'. The life questions cover the stable system, chankonabe stew, the ban on breakfast and on driving, the 30-foot mawashi, and what a yokozuna actually earns. The champions range from Taihō and Chiyonofuji to Akebono, Konishiki, Asashōryū, Hakuhō's 45 titles, Terunofuji's comeback from the second-lowest division and Ōnosato's rise to 75th yokozuna. Every answer has been checked against the Wikipedia articles on sumo, its ranks, ring, referees, tournaments and individual wrestlers, and each explanation adds one detail worth remembering. BrainPickle has separate quizzes on judo, karate, wrestling and Japan.
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Q 01In sumo, a wrestler loses if any part of his body other than what touches the ground inside the ring?
The soles of his feet
The other route to victory is simply forcing the opponent out of the circle, which is why so many bouts end in a few seconds of shoving.
Q 02What is a sumo wrestler called in Japanese?
Rikishi
The word is often translated as 'strong man'; the top two divisions are more specifically known as sekitori.
Q 03Which country is the only one where sumo is practised professionally?
Japan
It is regarded as Japan's national sport and classified as a gendai budō, a modern martial art, despite roots going back many centuries.
Q 04What do wrestlers throw into the ring before a bout as a symbolic purification?
Salt
The ritual comes from Shinto; wrestlers also rinse their mouths with 'power water' before fighting.
Q 05What is the training stable that most sumo wrestlers must live in called?
Heya
Everything from meals to dress is dictated by tradition inside the stable, and each is run by an elder who is himself a former wrestler.
Q 06Which 8th-century chronicle contains the first mention of sumo, in a wrestling match between two gods?
The Kojiki
The bout between Takemikazuchi and Takeminakata supposedly decided possession of the Japanese islands.
Q 07Which warlord held a tournament of 1,500 wrestlers in 1578, an event credited with inventing the ring?
Oda Nobunaga
Because several bouts ran at once inside his castle, circular arenas were marked out for speed and spectator safety.
Q 08Which American naval commander was shown sumo during his 1853 expedition and found it distasteful?
Matthew C. Perry
He responded by arranging a military showcase to demonstrate what he saw as the merits of Western organisation.
Q 09How many kimarite has the Japan Sumo Association recognised since its 2001 revision?
82
Only about a dozen are used regularly, and a bout can also be won without one if the opponent commits a foul.
Q 10What is the diameter of the sumo ring?
4.55 metres
That is 15 shaku, up from 13 shaku before 1931; the circle is marked with partially buried rice-straw bales.
Q 11What is a mono-ii?
A conference of the ring judges to review a decision
The five shimpan can uphold the referee, overturn him, or order a rematch called a torinaoshi.
Q 12When was the last drawn bout, or hikiwake, called in top-level sumo?
1974
A draw only comes after two four-minute periods with water breaks, and bouts almost never last that long.
Q 13Which of these is NOT among sumo's illegal moves, or kinjite?
Slapping with an open hand
Open-hand slaps and thrusts are perfectly legal; the ban list also covers eye-poking, kicking and striking both ears at once.
Q 21Which Japanese wrestler's 2017 promotion ended a 19-year wait for a home-grown yokozuna?
Kisenosato
Foreign-born wrestlers, mostly Mongolian, had dominated the top ranks since Musashimaru and Asashōryū.
Q 22What is the maximum number of foreign-born wrestlers a stable may have?
One
The cap was the Sumo Association's response to foreigners filling the top ranks in the 2000s.
Q 23What is the last day of a tournament, senshūraku, said to mean?
The pleasure of a thousand autumns
The name echoes the words of the playwright Zeami and captures the drama of the deciding bouts.
Q 14How many weight divisions does professional sumo use?
None
A wrestler can face an opponent twice his own weight, which is why bulk became so prized in the 20th century.
Q 15What is a wrestler's ring name called?
Shikona
Names are often assigned by the stablemaster rather than chosen, especially for foreign recruits, and can change several times in a career.
Q 16How many official grand tournaments, or honbasho, are held each year?
Six
Three are in Tokyo and one each in Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka; the schedule has been fixed since 1958.
Q 17What is the ranking sheet published two weeks before each tournament called?
Banzuke
The document dates back in form to the Edo period and is drafted by the referees, the gyōji.
Q 18What is the lowest of sumo's six divisions, where every wrestler starts?
Jonokuchi
From there the climb runs through jonidan, sandanme, makushita and jūryō to the top division, makuuchi.
Q 19Which rank sits directly below yokozuna?
Ōzeki
The four titled ranks together are called san'yaku, and an ōzeki normally needs two straight championships to be promoted.
Q 20What are the two sides of the ranking sheet called?
East and West
Two wrestlers share each numbered rank, with the east side considered slightly higher than the west.
Q 24Which trophy goes to the winner of the top-division championship?
The Emperor's Cup
Sponsored extras alongside it have included a trophy shaped like a giant Coca-Cola bottle.
Q 25What score is a kachi-koshi over a 15-day tournament?
8-7 or better
A winning record nearly guarantees promotion; its opposite, make-koshi, brings demotion.
Q 26What does the referee point his war-fan, or gunbai, towards at the end of a bout?
The winning side
Kimura-lineage referees point with the back of the fist up, Shikimori referees with the palm up.
Q 27What do fans traditionally hurl into the ring when a lower-ranked wrestler beats a yokozuna?
Seat cushions
The practice is technically prohibited but remains a beloved sign of an upset.
Q 28Which everyday activity does the Sumo Association forbid wrestlers from doing?
Driving cars
The rule is partly practical: many wrestlers are simply too big to fit behind a steering wheel.
Q 29What samurai-style hairstyle must wrestlers grow?
The chonmage topknot
On formal occasions top-ranked wrestlers wear a fancier version called the ōichō, or big ginkgo leaf.
Q 30Which meal are sumo wrestlers normally not allowed to eat?
Breakfast
The regimen of a huge lunch followed by a long nap is designed to pile on weight.