Judo vs. Sumo
Quick answer
Judo and sumo are both Japanese grappling arts without punches, and some sumo kimarite come from judo. Judo is fought in a jacket and continues on the ground with joint locks and chokes, while in sumo the loser is the one who steps out of the ring or touches the ground. Judo has been Olympic since 1964, sumo is not Olympic, and in its professional form women do not compete.
At a glance
| Judo | Sumo | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | Japan | Japan |
| Origin | 1882 | Early modern (present form) |
| Founder | Kano Jigoro | – |
| Contact | Full contact | Full contact |
| Sparring | Full contact | Full contact |
| Competition format | Point fighting | Full contact |
| Olympic status | Current Olympic sport | Not Olympic |
| Ranks | Yes (belts) | Yes (titles) |
| Rank recognition | by federation | no ranks |
| Attire | Gi required | Traditional dress |
| Weapons | No weapons | No weapons |
| Forms | Forms optional | No forms |
| Relative cost | low | low |
| Katas and forms in the encyclopedia | 5 | – |
| Techniques in the encyclopedia | 104 | – |
Scales 1–5
Rated for the typical training of an adult beginner in an ordinary club, calibrated across all arts.
What each art is built from
Editorial rating 0–3: how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
History and relationship
Judo was founded by Jigoro Kano in 1882 in Tokyo. Sumo has no founder, and the first historically documented bouts date from 642. Some of the kimarite recognized by the Japan Sumo Association come from judo. We have not found a source showing that Kano or the Kodokan took techniques from sumo.
- 712 and 720: the chronicles Kojiki and Nihon Shoki describe legendary bouts.
- 1578: Oda Nobunaga holds a tournament in circular rings.
- 1757: Edo sumo kaisho is formed, the predecessor of the Japan Sumo Association.
- 1882: Jigoro Kano founds the Kodokan, and judo has been Olympic since 1964.
- 1992: the International Sumo Federation (IFS) is formed and the first world championship is held, with women competing in it since 2001.
Technique
- Throws (nage-waza) and groundwork (katame-waza) in a judogi, with a grip on the jacket.
- Ippon, two waza-ari or a 20-second hold, joint locks only on the elbow, chokes allowed.
- A grip below the belt and grabbing the leg are penalized by the IJF with a shido.
- Pushing out, throws and leg trips in a ring 4.55 m in diameter, with a grip on the mawashi belt.
- The loser is the one who steps out of the ring or touches the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet.
- 82 kimarite, about a dozen are commonly used, and yorikiri decides 32.4% of professional bouts.
- Kinjite forbid, among other things, chokes, punches, kicks and hair pulling.
Ipponzeoi, the one-arm shoulder throw known from judo, is also among the kimarite. In judo the thrower may put a knee on the mat, whereas in sumo a touch of the knee would mean defeat. Kaio, who had previously practised judo, defeated Musashimaru with this throw in November 2000.
Training
| Judo | Sumo | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it is trained | in a club or dojo, with the Kodokan in Tokyo as the centre | professionals in a heya stable led by an oyakata |
| Main form | randori at various intensities, uchi-komi, falls (ukemi) | morning training on an empty stomach, meals and sleep subordinated to gaining weight |
| Beginning | we have not found a description of the first lessons | novices six months, foreigners a year, at the sumo school in the Kokugikan |
We have not been able to document the ratio of technique, sparring and conditioning for either of the two, and we have not found sources on training in amateur sumo clubs. Judo also practises kata forms, while sumo has none.
Progression and ranks
| Judo | Sumo | |
|---|---|---|
| Grades | 6 kyu (white to brown belt), 10 dan | we have not found amateur grades |
| Professional ranks | none | six divisions, the highest being makuuchi (at most 42 places) and juryo (28), whose wrestlers are sekitori |
| Peak | 10th dan | yokozuna: recommended by a council, decided by the board of the Japan Sumo Association, never demoted, but retirement is expected when unable to compete permanently |
| Age | shodan from age 15 in the United Kingdom, usually 16 in the USA | entry after compulsory schooling, usually up to age 23 |
A judoka advances through the kyu and dan grades, while a professional sumo wrestler advances according to results in six tournaments a year on the banzuke ranking.
Physical load and risks
- Olympics 2008–2016: 9.6 injuries per 1,000 minutes of competition (BJSM 2021).
- Pocecco et al. (2013): most often the knee, shoulder and fingers, about 70% of injuries when throwing an opponent.
- Tsuchiya, cited in a letter by Shimakawa and Tateishi (Aspetar 2016): among 4,849 injured professionals in 1982–2007, 51.2% of injuries involved the lower limbs, 26.3% the trunk and 21.3% the upper limbs, 7.2% the neck and head.
- Shimizu et al.: most often strained hamstrings, then quadriceps and adductors.
- Kinoshita et al.: among 890 novices, left ventricular hypertrophy was more common than in the general population.
Who it suits
| Judo | Sumo | |
|---|---|---|
| Women | compete separately from men, at the Olympic Games since 1992 | do not compete in professional sumo or enter the dohyo, compete in the IFS since 2001 |
| Weight categories | seven weight classes for men and seven for women | professionals without weight classes, IFS three weight classes and an open class for both men and women |
| Age | IJF events from age 15, veterans from 55 to over 70 | professionals after compulsory schooling, usually up to age 23, foreigners need two guarantors and a work visa |
Children
| Judo | Sumo | |
|---|---|---|
| Children’s competitions | for example Judo Victoria in Australia from age 6, IJF events from age 15 | Hakuho Cup since 2010 for children aged roughly 5–15, girls since 2026, a national girls’ championship in wanpaku sumo (Japan Times 2019) |
| What is forbidden for children | Judo Victoria: up to age 15 joint locks, chokes and headlocks, up to age 9 also sutemi-waza | we have not found children’s rules |
| Bout length | Judo Victoria 2–3 minutes | we have not found the rule |
| Protection | we have not found mandatory protectors in the IJF rules | girls in wanpaku sumo: mawashi over shorts and a T-shirt, helpers around the dohyo against hard falls |
| Study | Polish study 1977–1980: injuries in 5.7% of young people aged 10–17 | we have not found a study of injuries in children |
Self-defence
- Randori against full resistance standing and on the ground.
- Throws, holds, elbow locks and chokes.
- Strikes only in kata, the self-defence kata being Kodokan goshinjutsu and Joshi-goshinho.
- Full resistance in the clinch and when pushing out.
- No punches, kicks or chokes, the bout ends by stepping out of the ring or touching the ground.
- Ground fighting is not covered by the rules.
Both sports train against real resistance without punches. Sumo covers the clinch distance and pushing out, while judo adds work on the ground and self-defence kata. We have not found a source that evaluates self-defence in sumo.
Practical use
| Judo | Sumo | |
|---|---|---|
| Older age | a review of 23 studies (Sports 2023): in some, less fear of falling, IJF veterans from age 60 without chokes | we have not found veteran categories or a study |
| Health study | 10 advanced judoka, randori: heart rate 174–183 per minute | Kanda et al. (J Sports Sci Med 2009): among 146 wrestlers of the top division from 1926–1989, a higher BMI was a predictor of death |
| Weight | weight categories | top division average 125 kg (1969), 166 kg (January 2019) |
| Self-defence forms | kata Kodokan goshinjutsu and Joshi-goshinho | we have not found a self-defence programme |
Studies on sumo describe professionals who deliberately gain weight, while studies on judo describe advanced athletes or older practitioners. We have not found a recreational programme or a fitness study of amateur sumo. No general conclusion about suitability for adult beginners can be drawn from them.
Competition
| Judo | Sumo | |
|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | since 1964, except 1968, women since 1992 | sumo is not Olympic, Olympic status is a goal of the IFS |
| Main competitions | Olympic Games, seven weight classes for men and seven for women | six professional tournaments a year of 15 days each, IFS world championship since 1992 |
| Bout length | 4 minutes | in the top professional division at most 4 minutes, then a mizu-iri break and a new round, we have not found the amateur length |
| Decision | ippon, two waza-ari, a 20 s hold | stepping out of the ring or touching the ground, the gyoji’s ruling may be reviewed by the shimpan (mono-ii) |
After two inconclusive rounds, the professional rules of sumo recognize a draw, hikiwake, last seen in September 1974. We have not found the scoring of amateur bouts under the IFS.
Gear and costs
| Judo | Sumo | |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing | judogi: a heavy cotton jacket, trousers and belt, white and blue in IJF competition | mawashi, a belt about 9 m long, higher-ranked professionals wear silk ones in tournaments, lower-ranked black cotton ones |
| Amateurs | – | men may wear shorts under the mawashi, women wear a leotard |
| Surface | tatami | dohyo: made of clay, in amateur sumo also of sheeting laid on mats |
| Protectors | we have not found them mandatory in the IJF rules | we have not found them mandatory |
| Relative costs | low | low |
Availability and organisations
| Judo | Sumo | |
|---|---|---|
| World federation | International Judo Federation since 1951, Budapest | International Sumo Federation (IFS) since 1992, Tokyo, recognized by the IOC |
| Other organizations | Kodokan in Tokyo | professional sumo is run by the Japan Sumo Association, novices may be trained only by an oyakata holding a kabu share (105 shares) |
| Recognition of level | the Kodokan awards grades to judoka from all over the world, otherwise according to the federation | professional rank is valid on the banzuke ranking, we have not found amateur grades |
Switching and combining
- Throws and grip work against resistance carry over.
- The grip moves from the jacket to the mawashi belt.
- Getting used to the fact that touching the ground with a knee or hand means defeat.
- Unlearning chokes, which the kinjite forbid, and ground fighting.
- Clinch work and pushing out against resistance carry over.
- Learning grips on the judogi and falls (ukemi).
- Learning ground fighting: holds, elbow locks and chokes.
- Unlearning grabbing the leg, which the IJF penalizes.
The left column describes the transition from judo to sumo, the right one the opposite direction. Kaisei Ichiro, a professional since 2006 with the highest rank of sekiwake, practised judo for some time, and Ryuko Go, who moved to sumo at 16, took it up in his youth. We have not found sumo wrestlers who moved to judo.
Training culture
- The centre is the Kodokan in Tokyo with five main dojo, including a women’s and a boys’ one.
- The principles of seiryoku zenyo and jita kyoei, that is efficient use of energy and mutual benefit.
- Professionals live in heya stables, and lower-ranked wrestlers get up around 4 to 5 o’clock to do chores and prepare meals.
- At the entrance ceremony a yokozuna wears the tsuna rope, and the first ceremony of a new yokozuna is held at the Meiji shrine in Tokyo.
- According to Sumo Fan Magazine, amateur sumo puts less emphasis on religious elements.
Which to choose
Frequently asked questions
Does judo come from sumo?
The sources do not document it. We have not found any adoption of techniques from sumo into judo, and the opposite direction is documented: some kimarite come from judo, for example ipponzeoi.
May women wrestle in sumo?
Not in professional sumo, where women neither compete nor enter the dohyo. The IFS has admitted them to competitions since 2001 and has three weight classes and an open class for them.
Does sumo have weight categories?
Professional sumo does not. Amateur sumo under the IFS does, for men up to 85, up to 115, over 115 kg and open. Judo has seven weight classes for each sex at the Olympic Games.