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CHAPTER 4

Grand Tournaments

The basho or grand tournaments are the World Series of Sumo. Currently there are staged six grand tournaments a year-the New Year tournament, held in Tokyo, the spring tournament in Osaka, the summer and autumn tournaments in Tokyo, the July tournament in Nagoya, and the November tournament down in Kyushu at the city of Fukuoka. The two last-named are recent additions.

These joustings have a long history-and few would ever guess where the first one on record was held. It was in the precincts of a temple on the outskirts of the ancient city of Kyoto, a former capital of Japan. That was way back in the Kansei era (1789-1800). Only one tournament was held a year, and it could hardly be called official. And they wrestled only five days. Still, it was a beginning.