Sumo Scene / Giant Sumo Champion Portraits Worth Looking up to; Portraits of Amazing Wrestlers Fly High in Ryogoku Kokugikan

By Kuniyuki Kamimura / Yomiuri Shimbun Senior Writer

12:33 JST, May 28, 2025

Many visitors to the Ryogoku Kokugikan arena, the iconic venue for grand sumo tournaments in Tokyo, have no doubt looked up and seen the giant portraits of victorious wrestlers hanging from the rafters.

In total, there are 32 portraits on display, with eight lining each of the four sides of the arena. Prior to each of the three annual tournaments held in the arena, the two oldest portraits are removed and replaced with those of the two most recent winners. At the recently completed Summer tourney, the newly added portraits were of Hoshoryu, victor of the New Year tournament in January, and Onosato, who prevailed in the Spring tournament in March.

Seen up close, the size of these portraits is staggering. Each measures about 3.2 meters in height and about 2.3 meters in width, and weigh in at around 60 kilograms. According to the Japan Sumo Association, hanging portraits has been an ongoing tradition dating back to when the original Kokugikan was built in 1909.

In the past, a master artist created color portraits using oil paints on a black-and-white photograph base. However, due to lack of suitable successors and other reasons, color photos are used for the portraits these days.

After being removed, the portrait is given to the depicted wrestler. However, the pictures are too large to be displayed at home, so many wrestlers reportedly offer them as presents to a school they attended or another entity in their hometown.

Those who become stablemasters after retiring often hang their portraits in the tatami seating area of the training hall, but barring the building of a memorial hall or other such facility, storing the oversized pieces is not easy.

Interestingly, portraits of five legendary wrestlers — Mienoumi, Wakanohana II, Chiyonofuji, Musashimaru and Hakuho — hang in the concourse of JR Ryogoku Station, which is on the Kokugikan’s doorstep. The portraits enhance the atmosphere of the entryway to the sumo district.

The unveiling ceremony for the newest portraits is conducted on the tournament’s first day during the intermission between the juryo division and makuuchi division bouts. There is a bit of fanfare as the pictures are revealed to spectators.

It is also a glorious moment for the victorious wrestler. Yokozuna Hoshoryu remembers coming face-to-face with his second portrait, which was created after his triumph as an ozeki that secured his promotion to sumo’s highest rank. “It was my first and last portrait as an ozeki,” recalled Hoshoryu.

The next time two new portraits are revealed will be at the Autumn tournament in September. Seeing them will give fans yet another thrill as they soak in the excitement at the arena.

— Kamimura is a sumo expert.