With the epoch-making schedule befitting the decisive stage of the war, the summer main tournament of the Dai Nippon Professional Sumo Association will be held for 10 days from May 7 at the Korakuen stadium, Koishikawa, Tokyo, instead of the familiar Kokugikan, according to an announcement made by the association on April 12. The rankings for the coming tourney will be published on May 2.
    To have the spectators avoid rush hours in their visit to and retirement from the stadium, the open contests will commence daily at 11 a.m. and finish at 4 p.m. as a rule, the participating wrestlers being limited to those of the "juryo" rank and higher.
    Matches of the low-ranking contestants will not be open to the public.
    With no box seats, the admission fees will consist of six classes with ¥4.90 as the top.
    This will be the first time since 1909 in which the sumo tournament will be a 10-day affair.
    From 1778 up to that year, the tourney was held semi-annually within the compounds of the Ekoin temple, Tokyo, for 10 days each.
    Beginning with the summer tourney of 1909, the arena was shifted to the Kokugikan, which since has continually remained the Mecca of sumodom except in 1918 and 1919, when the edifice was under construction after a fire, and in the post Great Earthquake year of 1924, when the spring main tourney was held on Nagoya.
    Though sumo fans may feel sorrowful over the separation of sumo from the time-honored Kokugikan, the fact that contests in this national art will be held in invigorating air under the blue sky will certainly be an inspiring phenomenon suitable to wartime.