Sumo Museum
Ryogoku, Tokyo
- Mon to Fri
- 10:00 to 16:30
- Sat, Sun
- Closed
Last entry 16:00. Closed on public holidays and over the New Year, and opens on some weekend days. During the Tokyo tournaments it opens daily 12:30 to 16:00 and you need a tournament ticket.
Source: sumo.or.jp, checked 9 Oct 2026.
The Sumo Museum is a one-room museum inside the Ryogoku Kokugikan stadium that traces sumo history through rotating exhibits of woodblock prints, banzuke ranking sheets and ceremonial kesho-mawashi aprons. Free to enter outside tournament periods.
Insider tip
Visit on a weekday. It's closed at weekends and on holidays, and during the January, May and September tournaments you need a tournament ticket to get in.
What the guides say about Sumo Museum
The Sumo Museum is inside the Kokugikan, and during tournaments you'll need a ticket for that day to get in. Next door, the Edo-Tokyo Museum reopened in March 2026 after a four-year renovation. Kyu-Yasuda Garden, a free stroll garden a minute from the hall, is the quiet counterpoint to a loud afternoon, and the Sumida Hokusai Museum is a ten-minute walk east. Many fans also gather by the hall entrance in the afternoon to watch the top wrestlers arrive. The Ryogoku neighbourhood guide covers the district in full.
Ryogoku Edo Noren, in the 1929 station building next to the JR platform, is the easiest place to try chanko nabe without a booking. Beer Club Popeye has around 70 Japanese craft beers on tap a few minutes from the hall, with happy hour from 3pm, Monday to Saturday. The Sumo Museum inside the Kokugikan is free on weekdays outside tournaments, and Yokoamicho Park, the 1923 earthquake memorial, is a six-minute walk east of the hall.
What's on at Sumo Museum
Upcoming events at Sumo Museum, from the weekly Tokyo events calendar.
Chiyonoyama and His Disciples (Sumo Museum)
生誕100年 千代の山とその弟子
Time 10:00 to 16:30 (last entry 16:00), closed Saturdays, Sundays and holidays (some open days) Station Ryogoku (JR Sobu Line, Toei Oedo Line), 2 min walk
The Sumo Museum marks the centenary of the 41st yokozuna Chiyonoyama with his ceremonial aprons, yokozuna certificate and handprints, plus items from his rivals and his disciples Kitanofuji and Chiyonofuji.
sodai gomi, CC BY 2.0 DDT Pro-Wrestling Ultimate Party 2026
Ultimate Party 2026
Time Doors 12:30, start 14:00 Station Ryogoku Station (JR Sobu Line, Toei Oedo Line)
DDT Pro-Wrestling holds its Ultimate Party show at Ryogoku Kokugikan, with doors at 12:30 and the first bout at 14:00.
nakashi, CC BY-SA 2.0 January Grand Sumo Tournament 2027
令和9年 一月場所(初場所)
Station Ryogoku (JR Chuo-Sobu Line), 1 min walk
The Hatsu Basho is the first of the year's six Grand Sumo tournaments and runs for 15 days at the Ryogoku Kokugikan. It opens on a Sunday and ends on a Sunday, with advance tickets going on sale on December 5, 2026.
Gregg Tavares, CC BY 2.0 Endo retirement ceremony (Endo Intai Kitajin Shumei Hiro Ozumo)
遠藤引退北陣襲名披露大相撲
Time Doors 10:00, bouts from 11:30, ends about 16:00 Station Ryogoku (JR Sobu Line, Toei Oedo Line), 2 min walk
A day of exhibition sumo at the Kokugikan marking Endo's retirement and his new elder name, Kitajin. Ticket sales open later on the organiser's site.
nakashi, CC BY-SA 2.0 NHK Fukushi Ozumo (charity sumo)
NHK福祉大相撲
Time About 13:00 to 17:30 (2026) Station Ryogoku (JR Sobu Line, Toei Oedo Line), 2 min walk
NHK's yearly charity sumo day at the Kokugikan with top-division wrestlers in exhibition bouts and songs.
nakashi, CC BY-SA 2.0 Smaller local events nearby
Ukiyo-e Techniques: Technical Progress and Expressive Ingenuity Exhibition
On now, until 25 Oct · Edo-Tokyo Museum, Ryogoku
A feature display on ukiyo-e techniques inside the fifth-floor permanent exhibition room.
Map · Source: Edo-Tokyo Museum · 特集展示 浮世絵のわざ - 技術進歩と表現の工夫
Sumida Craftspeople photo exhibition Exhibition
On now, until 1 Nov · Pictorico Shop & Gallery, Ryogoku
Twenty-four photographs of Sumida's craftspeople at work, on show at the Pictorico gallery opposite the Kokugikan, closed Mondays.
11:00 to 18:00 · Map · Source: Sumida 3M Movement PR Committee · 「すみだ 職人たちの群像2026」 写真展
Nearby
Around Ryogoku
Sumo town on the Sumida, with Hokusai and a tidal garden next door
Ryogoku is sumo's home. The national stadium is beside the station, the stables are in the side streets, and you'll see wrestlers in yukata on the platform. Around the Kokugikan sit the newly reopened Edo-Tokyo Museum, a Hokusai museum in the district where he was born, and a small garden built to follow the river tides. It's one of the easiest half-days in east Tokyo.
Ryogoku has 11 places on the Roam Tokyo map: 4 museums, 2 parks and gardens, 2 bathhouses, 1 landmark, 1 bar and 1 restaurant. Read the Ryogoku guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Sumo Museum?
- Inside Ryogoku Kokugikan, 1-3-28 Yokoami, Sumida-ku, Tokyo (in Japanese: 東京都墨田区横網1-3-28 両国国技館内).
- What are the opening hours of Sumo Museum?
- Mon to Fri 10:00 to 16:30; Closed Sat, Sun. Last entry 16:00. Closed on public holidays and over the New Year, and opens on some weekend days. During the Tokyo tournaments it opens daily 12:30 to 16:00 and you need a tournament ticket.
- How do I get to Sumo Museum?
- The nearest station is Ryogoku (JR Sobu Line). Sumo Museum is in Ryogoku, Tokyo.
- How much does Sumo Museum cost?
- Nothing. Sumo Museum is free to visit.
- How long do you need at Sumo Museum?
- Plan for 30 min.
- When is the best time to visit Sumo Museum?
- Weekdays outside tournament months.
Stay near Sumo Museum
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