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Sumo teahouses in Osaka with wakaishu attendants
A sumo teahouse (相撲茶屋, sumo chaya) is a store that acts as an intermediary for the sale of tickets for the honbasho, and also serves as a customer service and information point. It is also sometimes called ochaya (tea shop). Its official name is Sumo Information Center (相撲案内所, sumo annaisho) but it is less popularly used.
Sometimes, chankonabe restaurants will also be called sumo chaya, but they have no relation to the Sumo Information Centers.
Overview[]
As of 2025, there are 20 sumo teahouses in Tokyo, 8 in Osaka, and 3 in Nagoya, which operate alongside the tournaments held in the Kokugikan, Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium and IG Arena, respectively. For the Kyushu tournament, which is held at the Fukuoka Kokusai Center, there are no Sumo Information Centers, but the Sumo Concession Stand Kikuya (喜久家) operates in a very similar way.
All 20 sumo teahouses in Tokyo are run by the Kokugikan Service Company (国技館サービス株式会社), which is headquartered inside the Kokugikan. In Osaka and Nagoya, each teahouse is run by an independent company. The eight teahouses in Osaka also form the "Osaka Sumo Information Center Association" (大阪相撲案内所組合).
Sumo teahouses have a proprietor or owner who is in charge of the estabilishment, alongside a manager serving as chief clerk. Additionally, they have employees known as dekata (出方, ushers/attendants). The dekata are usually men, and they wear yukata and tatebakama, similar to the yobidashi. In Osaka, the term wakaishu (若い衆, lit. young man) is used instead of dekata. Many proprietors have connections to former sekitori wrestlers. More than half of the Tokyo teahouses are affiliated with the Dewanoumi-ichimon, forming the foundation for this ichimon's dominance as the mainstream group of the Japan Sumo Association.
Work of a Sumo Teahouse[]
Ticket sales and intermediary services[]
Sumo teahouses are entrusted by the Japan Sumo Association with the right to sell tickets for premium seats such as box seats. Their allocation is determined by convention, with each teahouse having a designated area of seats to sell. For example, the Kokugikan currently has approximately 1500 box seats, of which 70%-80% are sold as the teahouses' share (up to 1200 seats). Furthermore, over ten per cent of these are "held" by the largest store, Yotsuman. Allocations are determined by old custom but also through discussions between the teahouses themselves.
Tickets held by sumo teahouses are typically sold as part of a package including boxed lunches, souvenirs, and refreshments for the day, and although it is ostensibly optional, it has become customary for customers to tip the usher. This results in a total amount spent being considerably higher than the ticket price itself. In most cases, tickets are sold preferentially to clients of sumo teahouses or customers with personal connections to sumo, but are sometimes available at general ticket agencies.
Reception at the venue[]
During a tournament, temporary stalls for each sumo teahouse are set up at the venue entrances. Tickets sold under the sales rights of each sumo teahouse, even those purchased by telephone or through ticket agencies, carry "hospitality rights". Therefore, attendees must register at the relevant sumo teahouse when arriving. At the Kokugikan, the name of the sumo teahouse with the convention to the seat is stamped on the back of the admission ticket.
After registration, an attendant guides the guest to their seat by an attendant. The seat is prepared with hot tea, a boxed lunch, the bout schedule, and souvenirs. Additionally, the attendant provides food and drink upon the guest's request throughout the event.
Evolution of the Sumo Teahouse[]
The origins of the sumo teahouse lie in the fact that spectators of Edo kanjin-sumo, in the late 1700s, would procure seat tickets and food and drink from each other. Between 1789 and 1801, businesses called "sanshikikata" (桟敷方), predecessors to the sumo teahouse, were organized. Between the 1830s and 1840s, 14 sanshikikata were commissioned by the Tokyo Sumo Association to sell seat tickets and serve spectators.
When the first Ryogoku Kokugikan was built in 1909, the then 20 sanshikikata estabilished waiting tea rooms (待合茶屋, machiai-chaya) at the entrance to carry out their duties, and these establishments subsequently came to be called sumo teahouses.
During a systematic reform in 1957, the Japan Sumo Association renamed the 20 "sumo teahouses" that existed at the Kuramae Kokugikan to "sumo information centers", removing their original store names and renaming them "Ichiban" (number one) through "Nijuban" (number twenty). The Association then established a new company called the "Sumo Service Company" and incorporated the information centers under it. When the Kokugikan was relocated to the current location in the Sumida ward in 1985, the original company name was already registered there, so the name was changed to "Kokugikan Service Company".
However, these establishments are rarely referred to by their official name of "sumo information centers" and are generally referred to as "sumo teahouses" or "ochaya". The information center numbers, from Number 1 "Ichiban (一番)" to Number 20 "Nijuban (二十番)", have become largely unused, and each teahouse still proeminently displays its traditional shop name. The teacups, teapots (and ashtrays, back when smoking was permitted in the box seats) and the bags used by the attendants to carry purchases include the number of the store who owns the box seat.
Relationship with the JSA[]
The Sumo Information Centers and the Japan Sumo Association have a long-standing, mutually supportive relationship.
When sumo's popularity is in decline, the existence of the Sumo Information Centers, who purchase large quantities of tickets and use their connections to sell them, contributes significantly to the Association's finances. Conversely, when sumo's popularity rises due to the success of popular wrestlers, it becomes difficult for the general public to obtain tickets, the Sumo Information Center system is criticized.
List of Sumo Information Centers[]
Ryogoku Kokugikan (Tokyo)[]
| Information Center. | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ichiban (一番) | Takasagoya (高砂家) |
It is the most prestigious teahouse. Estabilished in 1887 by the wife of a sandanme wrestler called Hanashobu. The current owner is a descendant of yokozuna Hitachiyama (the 5th Dewanoumi stablemaster) |
| Niban (二番) | Kinokuniya (紀の国家) |
|
| Sanban (三番) | Yamatoya (大和家) |
|
| Yonban (四番) | Yoshikawa (吉可和) |
|
| Goban (五番) | Minokyu (みの久) |
Owner is a descendant of gyoji Kimura Kazugaku |
| Rokuban (六番) | Nakabashiya (中橋家) |
|
| Nanaban (七番) | Wakashima (和歌島) |
|
| Hachiban (八番) | Joshuya (上州家) |
|
| Kyuban (九番) | Nishikawaya (西川家) |
Oldest teahouse still open, having been estabilished in 1818 |
| Juban (十番) | Mikawaya (三河屋) |
|
| Juichiban (十一番) | Jyosho (上庄) |
|
| Juniban (十二番) | Yotsuman (四ツ万) |
|
| Jusanban (十三番) | Musashiya (武蔵屋) |
|
| Juyonban (十四番) | Shiratoyo (白豊) |
Owner is the grandson of yokozuna Tsunenohana (the 7th Dewanoumi stablemaster) |
| Jugoban (十五番) | Hasegawaya (長谷川家) |
Owner is a descendant of yobidashi Kantaro |
| Jurokuban (十六番) | Kawahei (河平) |
Owner is the son of yokozuna Tamanishiki (the 6th Nishonoseki stablemaster) |
| Junanaban (十七番) | Fujishimaya (藤しま家) |
Owner is the great-grandson of yokozuna Tsunenohana (the 7th Dewanoumi stablemaster) |
| Juhachiban (十八番) | Isefuku (伊勢福) |
|
| Jukyuban (十九番) | Tatekawa (竪川) |
|
| Nijuban (二十番) | Chidoriya (千鳥屋) |
Owner also runs a sumo teahouse in Osaka of the same name. It was previously known as Hashiya (林家) |
Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium[]
| Name | Notes |
|---|---|
| Shimizu (清水) |
Took over from the former Yagura (やぐら) teahouse in 2023 |
| Honke (本家) |
|
| Katsuemi (勝恵美) |
Owner is a descendant of yokozuna Hitachiyama |
| Izumi (いづみ) |
|
| Futaba (二葉) |
Owner is a descendant of gyoji Kimura Kazugaku |
| Amano (天野) |
|
| Chidoriya (千鳥屋) |
Owner also runs a sumo teahouse in Tokyo of the same name. |
| Ikomaya (いこま屋) |
IG Arena (Nagoya)[]
| Name | Notes |
|---|---|
| Kanehide (かね秀) |
Took over from the former Yagura (やぐら) teahouse in 2023 |
| Kotobuki (寿) |
|
| Asuka (あすか) |