Sumo

Overview

Two competitors try to force each other out of a circular ring (the dohyo) or onto the ground. This page covers the International Sumo Federation (IFS) Regulations on Refereeing, which apply to international competition. It does not cover professional sumo in Japan, which has its own rulebook, and it doesn't cover ring dimensions, weight classes or tournament formats, none of which is in this document.

Checked against the IFS Regulations on Refereeing, in force from 6 September 2024. Article numbers below refer to it.

1. Winning a bout

Unless the rules say otherwise, the winner is the competitor who (Article 8):

1. moves the opponent out of the shobu-dawara, the straw bales forming the circle; or
2. forces any part of the opponent's body other than the soles of the feet to touch the ground before the opponent does the same to them.

A bout that reaches three minutes without a result is stopped and restarted (a torinaoshi, Article 22).

2. Starting a bout

• The gyoji (referee) signals the tachiai, the jump-off, by calling "Hakkeyoi!". Both competitors' hands must touch down behind the shikiri-sen (starting lines) (Article 6).
• A tachiai where the hands touch the ground for only a moment isn't permitted.
• If a competitor jumps off before the call, the gyoji calls "Matta!" (wait) and the tachiai starts again. The head judge can also stop a bout and restart the tachiai if he considers it incomplete (Article 7).

3. Close finishes

• "Dead body" (shinitai). If the opponent is falling and has completely lost balance, you don't lose by touching a hand down a moment before they land (kabaite) or by stepping out a moment ahead of them (kabaiashi) (Article 9).
• Carrying an opponent out. If you lift them clear of the ground and carry them forward, it's not a loss if your foot goes out first. Stepping out backwards is a loss (Article 10).
• The mawashi's front fold touching the ground isn't a loss (Article 11).
• Throws. The thrower doesn't lose if their instep turns over and touches the ground before the opponent lands (Article 12).

4. Prohibited moves (kinjite)

The bout is stopped immediately for any of these (Article 15):

• punching with a closed fist, or poking with the fingers
• kicking the opponent's chest or abdomen
• taking hold of the opponent's hair or throat
• taking hold of clothing other than the mawashi, twice or more
• taking hold of the front pouch or front vertical part of the mawashi, or sticking fingers in at the side and pulling
• bending back one or two of the opponent's fingers, or biting
• slapping the opponent's face with an arm outstretched more than a shoulder width

Using a kinjite can lose you the bout after the judges deliberate (Article 13). Other grounds include being unable to continue through injury, deliberately not jumping off, not following the judges' instructions, or the front pouch of the mawashi coming undone and falling away.

5. Officials and decisions

• A panel is a head judge, a gyoji and four judges (Article 2). The head judge is responsible for determining the result of a bout.
• The gyoji must decide the winner the instant the bout is over, calling "Shobu atta!" and pointing to the east or west side (Articles 16 and 29).
• The head judge or any judge can raise a right hand to object to the gyoji's decision. Video from equipment under the dohyo is in principle viewed (Article 17).
• The panel then meets in the centre of the ring. The decision is by majority vote of the judges, excluding the gyoji, and the head judge announces it (Article 19).
• Once the gyoji has made the formal announcement of the winner (kachi-nanori), the decision is final (Article 17).

Commonly argued

• Touching down first isn't always losing. A competitor whose opponent is already falling out of balance can be safe (Article 9).
• Slaps. The only slap listed as prohibited is one to the face with an arm outstretched more than a shoulder width (Article 15).
• The gyoji doesn't have the last word until the announcement. Judges can object, and the video can be viewed.
• A bout that runs past three minutes is re-fought, not scored (Article 22).