This article is about the neighborhood. For the sumo wrestlers, see Ryōgoku Yūjirō

Ryogoku Yujiro

Ryogoku Yujiro was a Japanese sumo wrestler. His highest rank was sekiwake.-Career:He made a debut in June 1909. He reached the top makuuchi division in May 1914 and won the championship with a 9-0-1 record. He is the only wrestler since 1909 to win the top division championship at his first attempt...

 and Ryōgoku Kajinosuke

Ryogoku Kajinosuke

Ryōgoku Kajinosuke is a former sumo wrestler from Nagasaki, Japan. His highest rank was komusubi. He is now a sumo coach.-Career:...

.

is a neighborhood in Sumida, Tokyo

Sumida, Tokyo

is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It calls itself Sumida City in English.As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population of 240,296 and a density of 17,480 persons per km²...

. It is surrounded by various neighborhoods in Sumida, Chūō

Chuo, Tokyo

is one of the 23 special wards that form the heart of Tokyo, Japan. The ward refers to itself as Chūō City in English.Its Japanese name literally means "Central Ward," and it is historically the main commercial center of Tokyo, although Shinjuku has risen to challenge it since the end of World War II...

, and Taitō

Taito, Tokyo

is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself Taito City.As of April 1, 2011, the ward has an estimated population of 168,909, with 94,908 households, and a population density of 16,745.86 persons per km². The total area is 10.08 km².-History:The ward was founded...

 wards: Yokoami, Midori, Chitose, Higashi Nihonbashi

Nihonbashi

, or Nihombashi, is a business district of Chūō, Tokyo, Japan which grew up around the bridge of the same name which has linked two sides of the Nihonbashi River at this site since the 17th century. The first wooden bridge was completed in 1603, and the current bridge made of stone dates from 1911...

, and Yanagibashi.

In 1659, the Ryōgoku Bridge

Ryōgoku Bridge

The is a bridge in Tokyo built in 1659 spanning the Sumida River just upstream of its confluence with the Kanda River. Its name, meaning "two provinces," came from its joining Edo and Shimōsa Province. The neighborhood at the east end of the bridge, Ryōgoku, derived its name from that of the...

 was built, spanning the Sumida River

Sumida River

The is a river which flows through Tokyo, Japan. It branches from the Arakawa River at Iwabuchi and flows into Tokyo Bay. Its tributaries include the Kanda and Shakujii rivers....

 just upstream of its confluence with the Kanda River

Kanda River

The stretches 24.6 km from Inokashira Park in Mitaka to the Sumida River under the Ryōgoku Bridge at the boundary of Taitō, Chūō, and Sumida. Its entire length lies within Tokyo, Japan. It drains an area of 105.0 km². The government of Japan classifies it as a Class I river.-Tributaries...

. Its name, meaning "two provinces," came from its joining Edo

Edo

, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...

 (the forerunner of Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

 in Musashi Province

Musashi Province

was a province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo Prefecture, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki and Yokohama...

) and Shimōsa Province. The neighborhood derived its name from that of the bridge.

The Forty-seven Ronin

Forty-seven Ronin

The revenge of the , also known as the Forty-seven Samurai, the Akō vendetta, or the took place in Japan at the start of the 18th century...

 avenged the death of their lord, Asano Naganori

Asano Naganori

was the daimyo of the Akō Domain in Japan . His title was Takumi no Kami . He is known as the person who triggered a series of incidents retold in a story known as Chushingura, one of the favourite themes of kabuki, joruri and Japanese books and films.He was born in Edo as the eldest son of Asano...

, by breaking in to the mansion of his enemy, Kira Yoshinaka

Kira Yoshinaka

was a kōke . His court title was Kōzuke no suke. He is famous as the adversary of Asano Naganori in the events of the Forty-seven Ronin...

, in 1703. Part of the mansion has been preserved in a public park in Ryōgoku.

Ryōgoku Station

Ryogoku Station

is a railway station in Yokoami, Sumida, Tokyo, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company and Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation .-Lines:...

 opened in 1904, bringing rail transportation to the area.

It is regarded as the heartland of professional sumo

Sumo

is a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...

. Most training stables or heya

Heya

In sumo wrestling, a heya , usually translated into English as stable, is an organization of sumo wrestlers where they train and live. All wrestlers in professional sumo must belong to one. There are currently 49 heya , all but four of which belong to one of five ichimon...

 are based there. The first Ryōgoku Kokugikan

Ryogoku Kokugikan

, also known as Sumo Hall, is an indoor sporting arena located in the Ryōgoku neighborhood of Sumida, one of the 23 wards of Tokyo in Japan, next to the Edo-Tokyo Museum. It is the third building built in Tokyo associated with the name kokugikan. The current building was opened in 1985 and has a...

 stadium for sumo was completed in 1909, and the present one in 1985. Three of professional sumo's six annual official tournaments take place there.

Notable people from Ryōgoku

Famous people connected with Ryōgoku include Katsu Kaishū

Katsu Kaishu

was a Japanese statesman, naval engineer during the Late Tokugawa shogunate and early Meiji period. Kaishū was a nickname which he took from a piece of calligraphy by Sakuma Shōzan. He went through a series of given names throughout his life; his childhood name was and his real name was...

, who was born there in 1823. Novelist Ryūnosuke Akutagawa

Ryunosuke Akutagawa

was a Japanese writer active in the Taishō period in Japan. He is regarded as the "Father of the Japanese short story". He committed suicide at age of 35 through an overdose of barbital.-Early life:...

 was raised in the neighborhood. Television personality and former member of the House of Councillors

House of Councillors

The is the upper house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers. If the two houses disagree on matters of the budget, treaties, or designation of the prime minister, the House of Representatives...

 Kyosen Ōhashi

Kyosen Ohashi

is a TV host and writer. He also served briefly as a member of the House of Councillors in the Diet of Japan. His real name is Ōhashi Katsumi .Born in Sumida, Tokyo, he grew up in Chiba prefecture and dropped out of the Waseda University...

 was born there.

Ryōgoku is home to the Edo-Tokyo Museum

Edo-Tokyo Museum

The is a museum of the history of Tokyo, established in 1993. The main features of the permanent exhibitions are the life-size replica of the Nihonbashi, which was the bridge leading into Edo; the Nakamuraza theatre; scale models of town; and buildings from the Edo, Meiji and Shōwa periods.The...

.