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Pro Sumo Is Coming Back to Honolulu: Konishiki’s SUPERSUMO Hits the Blaisdell Feb. 6, and Tickets Go On Sale This Week

By Oahu Local Published 2 min read

A red-and-cream poster shows two cartoon sumo wrestlers grappling under the words Super Sumo, with Japanese text and 02.06.2027 Blaisdell Arena along the bottom.
SUPERSUMO comes to the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena on Feb. 6, 2027. Image: SUPERSUMO (via KITV)

If you grew up watching Konishiki, Akebono and Musashimaru on Japanese TV, mark your calendar. Professional sumo is coming back to Hawaiʻi for the first time in nearly two decades, KITV reported. SUPERSUMO, a one-day tournament, takes over the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2027.

The event will put 19 professional rikishi (sumo wrestlers) from Japan in the ring, “including some from the highest levels,” according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Tickets: presale today, general sale Friday

Don’t wait on this one if you want good seats.

  • BAMP presale: Thursday, Nov. 12, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. HST, per KITV. KITV also says the code “KITV” unlocks early presale tickets on Ticketmaster.
  • General sale: Friday, Nov. 13, at 10 a.m. Hawaiʻi time on Ticketmaster, according to Hawaii News Now.
  • Prices: $39.50 to $295, at Ticketmaster.com and the Blaisdell Box Office, according to promoter BAMP Project.

What the night looks like

Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m., and all ages are welcome, per BAMP. KITV called it a family-friendly event built for both newcomers and longtime fans.

Konishiki presents the tournament, and former Hawaiʻi radio personality Kamasami Kong hosts. Along with the bouts, Konishiki “will share stories from his remarkable career, provide insight into the rules and traditions of the sport, and offer fans a closer look at the world of professional sumo,” according to the promoter’s release, as quoted by the Star-Advertiser. The release also promises “ceremonial pageantry,” and SUPERSUMO is billed as a celebration of Hawaiʻi’s place in sumo history.

Why Hawaiʻi cares so much about sumo

Few places outside Japan have a sumo story like ours.

  • Takamiyama (Jesse Kuhaulua of Maui) became the first foreign-born wrestler to win a top-division championship in July 1972. He later trained Akebono, per Wikipedia.
  • Konishiki (Salevaa Atisanoe of Nānākuli) was the first wrestler born outside Japan to reach ōzeki, sumo’s second-highest rank, as Hawaii News Now noted. He won three top-division championships, per Wikipedia.
  • Akebono (Chad Rowan of Waimānalo) made history in 1993 as the first non-Japanese-born yokozuna, the sport’s top rank, per Wikipedia.
  • Musashimaru (Fiamalu Penitani), who moved to Hawaiʻi at 10, became the second foreign-born yokozuna in 1999, per Wikipedia.

That history is why a sumo night at the Blaisdell feels like a homecoming. None of the announcements we checked named the 19 wrestlers yet, so watch supersumo.org for the lineup.

Know before you go

  • When: Saturday, Feb. 6, 2027. Doors 6 p.m., show 7 p.m.
  • Where: Neal S. Blaisdell Arena, 777 Ward Ave., Honolulu
  • Tickets: $39.50–$295, Ticketmaster and the Blaisdell Box Office. Presale Nov. 12, general sale Nov. 13 at 10 a.m.
  • Ages: All ages
  • More info: supersumo.org

Looking for something to do sooner? Check our things to do on Oʻahu this week and the Oʻahu holiday events calendar.

Sources

Filed under West Oahu

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