Ryōgoku Kokugikan, Indoor arena in Yokoami, Tokyo, Japan
Ryōgoku Kokugikan is an indoor arena in Yokoami, Sumida ward, opened in 1985 as the second hall of that name. Its broad, dark green hipped roof sits above a band of dark glass and pale grey concrete walls. Inside, a raised square ring with a pale surface stands in a large hall, overhung by a suspended gabled roof with a brown timber frame, dark underside and four thick ropes angling down to the ring.
The first hall was built in 1909 in the nearby Ryōgoku district and destroyed by fire, after which a successor structure appeared in Kuramae during the fifties. The current building opened in 1985 and brought competitions back to the historic sumo neighborhood.
The name Kokugikan was proposed at the last minute by committee member and writer Suiin Emi, after he read the line "sumo is Japan's national sport" in a ceremonial text. The building's popular nickname, Daitetsusan ("big iron umbrella"), came from its huge roof. On tournament days spectators sit on floor cushions in box seats and eat bento meals.
The hall stands beside Ryōgoku Station and the Edo-Tokyo Museum, so the concourse exit leads directly to it. The arena has two seating levels, with box seats on the lower floor and chair rows above; the upper tier gives a view over the suspended roof to the ring below. The building is entered from the wide concrete steps at the front-right corner, with a ramp along the right edge.
Two shrines at the main entrance greet wrestlers and visitors who leave small offerings there before and after competitions. The sacred sites follow old rituals meant to ask for protection and success for everyone involved.
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