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Sumo
Stadium, Kokugikan, is located just next to Ryogoku station.
Three of six annual Sumo tournaments are held here (January, May and September).
Former Kokugikan at Ryogoku had been standing in the near south until the
end of the war.
After the US military requisitioned
the old Kokugikan,
Sumo association built a temporary stadium near Kurame bridge.
The current stadium has been in use since 1985.
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There
are many Sumo stables, Sumo-beya, around Ryogoku.
Sumo wrestlers, Rikishi, live and train in the stables.
Many of them start their Sumo lives at the beginning of teens.
(left) Dewanoumi-beya, the oldest and most prosperous stable
from which many Sumo champions, Yokozuna, came out.
(right) Tatsunami-beya, also one of the oldest stables.
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(left) Nishonoseki-beya brought up Taiho, one of the strongest Yokozuna
ever played.
(right)
Tokitsukaze-beya was opened by Futabayama who made the great record of 69
straight victories.
Takasago-beya
was the first stable that invited and brought up foreigners as Rikishi.
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Many Chanko restaurants are run by ex-Sumo wrestlers and their families.
Chanko-nabe
is a kind of hot pot dish that contains vegetables, seafood and meat.
In
the Sumo stables, lower ranked Rikishis are imposed to cook the dishes for
their upper ranked colleagues.
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Eco-in temple was founded to be dedicated to the spirits of those who died
in the great fire of Meireki.
Since
then, many people who died in disasters or executed for crimes have been buried
here.
Later,
Eco-in became the place where Sumo tournaments were held.
The
old Kokugikan had been located next to the temple.
The
stone, Chikara-zuka, is dedicated to the spirits of Sumo power.
There
is a tomb of Nezumi-kozo, Kiddy Rat, the famous burglar in Edo or Japanese Robin Hood.
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Yasuda teien(left) is a pretty Japanese garden with a tidewater pond.
The Earthquake Memorial(right) was built to mourn the spirits of those
who died in disasters of the great earthquake in 1923.
The quake destroyed the greater part of Tokyo by sparking fires that
claimed 140000 lives.
More
than 40000 people were burned to death in the place where the memorial stands.
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Edo Tokyo Museum is standing up high
elevated by enormous pillars behind the Sumo stadium.
You
can learn there the history of Edo and Tokyo beginning with construction of Nihombashi bridge
and featuring virtually every aspect of Edo culture.
The right is a pocket park presenting Kira mansion
where the famous drama was played in Genroku ages of Tokugawa era.
47 ronin of Ako clan chopped off their enemyfs head in this place and
marched to
Sengakuji temple in Shinagawa with the head shown to the spectators
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