The following are the events in professional

sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a '' rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring ('' dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by t ...

during 2002.

Tournaments

*Hatsu basho, Ryogoku Kokugikan,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...

, 13 January – 27 January *Haru basho,

Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium is an indoor sporting arena located in Namba, Osaka, Japan. It first opened in 1952 and the current building was constructed in 1987. It is the venue of a professional sumo tournament ( honbasho) held in March every year. The capacity of the ...

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

, 10 March – 24 March *Natsu basho, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, 12 May – 26 May *Nagoya basho,

Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium , also known as , is a multi-purpose gymnasium in Nagoya, Japan, built in 1964. Overview Located on the site of the secondary enclosure of Nagoya Castle, it is host to numerous concerts and events. The gymnasium has 4,375 fixed seats, and can ...

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...

, 7 July – 21 July *Aki basho, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, 8 September – 22 September *Kyushu basho, Fukuoka International Centre,

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surround ...

, 10 November – 24 November

News

January

*13–27: At the Hatsu basho in Tokyo, ozeki Tochiazuma wins his first top

makuuchi , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers ('' rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the o ...

division championship in his debut tournament at the rank, exactly 30 years after his father won his only championship. He is the first ozeki to win the yusho in his debut since Kiyokuni in 1969, and is the first wrestler since Haguroyama to win a championship in all six

professional sumo divisions Professional sumo as administered by the Japan Sumo Association is divided into six ranked divisions. Wrestlers are promoted and demoted within and between these divisions based on the merit of their win–loss records in official tournaments. F ...

. He defeats fellow ozeki Chiyotaikai in a playoff after both men finish on 13–2.

Yokozuna , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (''rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the on ...

Takanohana is missing for the fourth straight basho, and Musashimaru pulls out early through injury. Special prizes are awarded to Kotomitsuki and Tokitsuumi for Technique, and to Buyuzan for Fighting Spirit. The juryo division championship is won by Takamisakari after a playoff with Shimotori. As a result, Takamisakari returns to the top division for the first time since being injured in the September 2000 tournament. The

makushita Professional sumo as administered by the Japan Sumo Association is divided into six ranked divisions. Wrestlers are promoted and demoted within and between these divisions based on the merit of their win–loss records in official tournaments. Fo ...

championship goes to

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

's Kasugao. Former

maegashira , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers ('' rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the o ...

Asanosho retires after falling into the fourth

sandanme Professional sumo as administered by the Japan Sumo Association is divided into six ranked divisions. Wrestlers are promoted and demoted within and between these divisions based on the merit of their win–loss records in official tournaments. For ...

division.

February

*1: Former Yokozuna

Kitanoumi , born , was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. He was the dominant wrestler in the sport during the 1970s. Kitanoumi was promoted to '' yokozuna'' at the age of 21, becoming the youngest ever to achieve sumo's top rank. He won 24 tournament ...

takes over as chairman of the

Japan Sumo Association The is the body that operates and controls professional sumo wrestling (called ''Ōzumō'', 大相撲) in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). '' Rikishi'' (active ...

from Tokitsukaze Oyakata (the former ozeki Yutakayama), who will be reaching the mandatory retirement age of 65 in August. *5: Takasago Oyakata, the former komusubi

Fujinishiki Fujinishiki Akira (born Akira Watanabe, also known as Akira Ichimiya, 18 March 1937 – 17 December 2003) was a sumo wrestler from Kofu, Yamanashi, Japan. His highest rank was ''komusubi,'' which he held on ten occasions. He won the top ''makuu ...

, and Wakamatsu Oyakata, the former ozeki Asashio, swap

toshiyori A is a sumo elder of the Japan Sumo Association (JSA). Also known as , former wrestlers who reached a sufficiently high rank are the only people eligible. The benefits are considerable, as only ''toshiyori'' are allowed to run and coach in su ...

names. Due to Fujinishiki's poor health, the

Takasago stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Takasago group of stables. It is correctly written in Japanese as "髙砂部屋", but the first of these ''kanji'' is rare, and is more commonly written as "高砂部屋". History The stable was establi ...

is absorbed into Wakamatsu stable with Asashio continuing as the head.

March

*10–24: Musashimaru comes back to win his tenth championship with a 13–2 score. Runner-up is ozeki Kaio. Sekiwake Asashoryu scores 11–4 and wins the Outstanding Performance Award. Takanowaka also finishes on 11–4 and is awarded the Fighting Spirit prize. Aminishiki receives the Technique prize. Tochiazuma wins ten bouts while Chiyotaikai records a

make-koshi The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. A B C D E F G H ...

7–8. Former maegashira Kotoryu and Gojoro win the juryo and makushita division championships. Another former maegashira, Daishi, announces his retirement.

May

*12–26: Musashimaru wins his second tournament in a row, and 11th overall, again scoring 13–2. Kaio, Chiyotaikai and Asashoryu all finish as runners-up on 11–4. Asashoryu receives the Fighting Spirit prize, as does Hokutoriki, who also wins eleven in his debut top division tournament. Kyokushuzan wins his second Technique Award, five years after his first. Takanohana is absent for the sixth straight tournament. The juryo championship goes to Iwakiyama, and the makushita yusho to Toyozakura, who returns to the

sekitori A ''sekitori'' (関取) is a '' rikishi'' (力士, sumo wrestler) who is ranked in one of the top two professional divisions: '' makuuchi'' and ''jūryō''. The name literally translates to having taken the barrier, as only a relatively small fra ...

ranks for the first time in over a year. Joining him is Kasugao, who becomes the first sekitori to officially represent South Korea.

June

*1: Arashio Oyakata, the former komusubi Oyutaka, branches out from

Tokitsukaze stable The is a stable of sumo wrestlers in Japan, one of the Tokitsukaze group of stables. It was founded in 1769 and was dominant during the Taishō period. In its modern form it dates from 1941 when it was established by Futabayama, who was still ...

and opens his own

Arashio stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tokitsukaze '' ichimon'' or group of stables. It was set up in June 2002 by former ''komusubi'' Ōyutaka, who branched off from Tokitsukaze stable. At the end of 2009 the stable produced its first ''s ...

July

*7–21: Takanohana, who had been expected to make his long-awaited comeback from knee surgery in this tournament, pulls out yet again. The

Sumo Association The is the body that operates and controls professional sumo wrestling (called ''Ōzumō'', 大相撲) in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). '' Rikishi'' (activ ...

respond by saying if he does not compete in September, he will be obliged to retire. Musashimaru and Chiyotaikai are the only men ranked above sekiwake who make it through the whole 15 days—Kaio pulls out on Day 3, Tochiazuma on Day 4 and Musoyama is missing altogether. Chiyotaikai takes advantage to win his second championship with a 14–1 record. It is his first yusho since the January 1999 triumph that saw him promoted to ozeki. Musashimaru finishes with a below par 10–5 score. Asashoryu is runner-up with a fine 12–3 record and is promoted to ozeki after the tournament. He also shares the Outstanding Performance Award along with Tosanoumi. Takamisakari wins the Technique Prize and Shimotori gets the Fighting Spirit Award. Ushiomaru wins the juryo yusho while the makushita title goes to former maegashira Kinkaiyama.

August

*18: Tokitsukaze Oyakata turns 65 and retires. He passes on control of the

to former komusubi Futatsuryu.

September

*8–22: After an unprecedented seven tournaments in a row out injured, Takanohana returns to the dohyo. Understandably rusty, he is defeated twice inside the first five days by Kyokutenho and Kotoryu but then wins nine in a row, including a memorable victory over new ozeki Asashoryu by a powerful

uwatenage ''Kimarite'' ( ja, 決まり手) is the technique used in sumo by a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) to win a match. It is officially decided or announced by the ''gyōji'' (referee) at the end of the match, though judges can modify this decision. The re ...

outer-arm throw. He and Musashimaru both enter the final day level on 12–2. Musashimaru wins the yusho decider to claim his 12th (and final) championship. Kaio and Kotomitsuki are also runner-up on 12–3, while Asashoryu and Chiyotaikai finish on 10–5. Musoyama returns to eke out an 8–7 record, but Tochiazuma misses the tournament and will be in danger of demotion in November. Only one special prize is given out, to Kotomitsuki for Fighting Spirit. In the juryo division, two veteran former sekiwake announce their retirements: Terao, whose 1795 career matches are the second highest in history, and Takatoriki, who did not miss a single bout in his career. Former maegashira

Minatofuji is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler from Annaka, Gunma. He made his professional debut in March 1984, and his highest rank was ''maegashira'' 2. He retired in 2002, and in 2010 became the head coach of Minato stable. Career At junio ...

also retires. The juryo championship goes to Tamarikido.

November

*10–24: At the

tournament, Musashimaru withdraws on the fifth day after injuring his wrist. Kaio and Chiyotaikai also withdraw early, while Takanohana is missing from the start after a recurrence of his knee problem. In their absence, Asashoryu takes his first championship with a 14–1 record. In the juryo division, Kasugao wins the yusho, making it the first time in history that championships in the top two divisions have both been won by foreigners in the same tournament. Komusubi Takanowaka finishes as runner-up to Asashoryu on 11–4. Tochiazuma keeps his rank with an 8–7 record. Three wrestlers share the Fighting Spirit Prize: Takanowaka, former ozeki Takanonami, and Iwakiyama.

December

*1: Former sekiwake

Mitoizumi Mitoizumi Masayuki (born 2 September 1962 as Masato Koizumi) is a former sumo wrestler from Mito, Ibaraki, Japan. His professional career spanned 22 years, from 1978 until 2000. The highest rank he reached was ''sekiwake''. He won over 800 career ...

leaves Takasago stable to open his own

Nishikido stable Nishikido stable (Japanese: 錦戸部屋, ''Nishikido-beya'') is a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Takasago group of stables. It was founded in 2002 by Mitoizumi of the Takasago stable. It was home to the only Kazakh wrestler in professio ...

. As Takasago stable now uses Wakamatsu stable's facilities, he uses the old Takasago premises. *10: Following the success of the

2002 World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial football world championship for men's national teams organized by FIFA. It was held from 31 May to 30 June 2002 at sites in South Korea an ...

which was jointly held by Japan and

, The Sumo Association announces plans to hold an exhibition tournament there next year, which will be the first trip to Asia since a tour of China in 1973. Korean Kasugaō is currently in the

jūryō Professional sumo as administered by the Japan Sumo Association is divided into six ranked divisions. Wrestlers are promoted and demoted within and between these divisions based on the merit of their win–loss records in official tournaments. F ...

division. *24: Kabutoyama stable, which opened in 1989, shuts down. Its head coach, former maegashira Daiyu, moves to

Minato stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers, formerly part of the Tokitsukaze ''ichimon'' or group of stables. It was founded in 1982 by former ''komusubi'' Yutakayama, who branched off from Tokitsukaze stable. Minato-''oyakata'' studied at the Tokyo Univer ...

Deaths

*Former sekiwake Kitanonada (also former Takekuma Oyakata), aged 78.

References

{{Years in sumo Sumo by year

Sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a '' rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring ('' dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by t ...