Ryōgoku Station and the surrounding area, with the Ryōgoku Kokugikan sumo stadium in the foreground
Ryōgoku (両国) is a district in Sumida, Tokyo. It is surrounded by various districts in Sumida, Chūō, and Taitō wards: Yokoami, Midori, Chitose, Higashi Nihonbashi, and Yanagibashi.
The Forty-seven rōnin avenged the death of their lord, Asano Naganori, by breaking into the mansion of his enemy, Kira Yoshinaka, in 1703. Part of the mansion has been preserved in a public park in Ryōgoku.
Ryōgoku Station in the neighboring Yokoami district was opened in 1904, bringing rail transportation to the area.
Because the Ryōgoku bridge was developed in the region, during the Edo period this part of Tokyo became as significant as Ueno and Asakusa. Sumo wrestling began to grow very popular due to the Kanjin sumo, which were championships organized to raise money for the construction of temples. These tournaments were held at the Eko-in temple.
Ryōgoku is regarded as the heartland of professional sumo. Most training stables or heya are based there.
The first Ryōgoku Kokugikan stadium for sumo was completed in 1909. The present one was built in 1985 in the Yokoami district north of Ryōgoku.[1] Three of professional sumo's six annual official tournaments take place there in January, May and September at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan.
Famous people connected with Ryōgoku include Katsu Kaishū, statesman and naval engineer, who was born there in 1823.[3] Novelist Ryūnosuke Akutagawa was raised in the district. Television personality and former member of the House of CouncillorsKyosen Ōhashi was born there.
