Honbasho

Honbasho (本場所) refers to a professional sumo tournament. These are the only tournaments that count towards a wrestler's official record and ranking. Six honbasho are held annually in Japan.

Each honbasho lasts 15 days, during which wrestlers in the top two divisions (Makuuchi and Juryo) wrestle every day. Wrestlers in lower divisions wrestle only seven bouts, generally one every other day.

The six honbasho are held in the following locations:

• Hatsu Basho (初場所): Tokyo (January)
• Haru Basho (春場所): Osaka (March)
• Natsu Basho (夏場所): Tokyo (May)
• Nagoya Basho (名古屋場所): Nagoya (July)
• Aki Basho (秋場所): Tokyo (September)
• Kyushu Basho (九州場所): Fukuoka (November)

The wrestler with the best record in each division at the end of the 15 days wins the championship for that division. These tournaments are a major cultural event in Japan, attracting significant media attention and large crowds. A wrestler's performance in a honbasho directly impacts their ranking in the subsequent tournament.