How a Basho Works
Six grand tournaments (honbasho) are held every year. Each one runs for fifteen straight days and determines everything from championship glory to next tournament's rankings.
Fifteen Days, One Bout a Day
Every wrestler in the top two divisions (Makuuchi and Juryo) fights exactly one bout per day for all fifteen days — win or lose, the tournament doesn't stop for anyone. Lower divisions (Makushita and below) wrestle only seven bouts across the fifteen days, roughly every other day.
The Daily Running Order
Each day's broadcast runs in ascending order of rank, building to the most prestigious bouts:
| Order | Division |
|---|---|
| 1st | Jonokuchi (lowest division) |
| 2nd | Jonidan |
| 3rd | Sandanme |
| 4th | Makushita |
| 5th | Juryo |
| 6th (final) | Makuuchi, ending with the Yokozuna's bout — the musubi-no-ichiban, or "final tie" |
Kachi-koshi & Make-koshi
With 15 bouts on the line, a majority record decides everything:
Kachi-koshi ("winning record") typically earns a wrestler a promotion up the banzuke for the next basho. Make-koshi ("losing record") typically results in demotion. For Ozeki, two consecutive make-koshi tournaments trigger demotion from the rank entirely — see the Ranking & Banzuke guide for the full promotion system.
Deciding the Yusho (Championship)
The wrestler with the best record in the top division at the end of Day 15 is crowned Yusho (tournament champion). If two or more wrestlers finish tied with the tournament's best record, they face off in a same-day playoff (tomoe-sen or a simple sudden-death bout) immediately after the final scheduled match.
Special Prizes (Sansho)
Awarded only to Maegashira-ranked wrestlers with a kachi-koshi record: Shukun-sho (Outstanding Performance, for beating top-ranked wrestlers), Kanto-sho (Fighting Spirit, for an exceptional overall effort), and Gino-sho (Technique Prize, for skillful technique).
Absences (Kyujo)
A wrestler who cannot compete due to injury or illness is marked kyujo (absent). Each missed bout counts as an automatic loss toward their record for that basho — see a wrestler's current status on their profile page.
Curious what today's bouts looked like? Check the live results for the current basho.