Ryōgoku Kokugikan

両国国技館Sumida, Tokyo

Culture

What makes this place special?

At a Glance

Ryōgoku Kokugikan is the indoor arena for professional grand sumo in Yokoami, Sumida ward, Tokyo. It is owned by the Japan Sumo Association, and the current building opened in 1985. The arena also hosts pro wrestling, boxing, other sports and pop concerts.

The name means National Sports Hall and was first used for an earlier hall that opened in 1909 in the grounds of Ekōin temple. That hall, designed by Tatsuno Kingo and Kasai Manji, was Japan's first domed steel-frame building and was nicknamed the Big Iron Umbrella for its vast roof. It held about 13,000 people and was damaged or destroyed by fires, the 1923 earthquake and air raids. A sign near Ekōin now marks where it stood.