Sumo matches always take place indoors and follow Shinto rituals and specific arrangements. The area where the sumo wrestling matches occur is called Dohyo (土俵). The base of Dohyo is usually made entirely out of clay and covered with a thin spread of special salt on top to imprint the footprints of the wrestlers in order for the judge to determine the movements and specify the winner.  The clay is built in a circular shape with a diameter of 4.5m or 15 feet and elevated around 34–60 cm (1–2 feet) above the ground. Additionally, Sumo wrestling is a rigorous sport that only permits wrestlers to wear a restricted set of clothes known as Mawashi, which is a thick, heavy-duty belt made of cotton or silk that is wrapped around the wrestler's waist and crotch. This provides a gripping space for wrestlers to grab and performing the techniques Wrestlers with higher ranks usually wear colorful Mawashi  whereas lower ranks wrestler wear only black or white . 

The match takes place inside a Dohyo ring where two Rikishi (sumo wrestler) stand opposite each other. Before each match, Rikishi will perform list of rituals, including throwing the salt to the Dohyo ring, squatting down and doing a serious of movement called chiri-chozu. This movement shows respect to the other opponents, the audiences as well as indicate that they don't carry any weapons. 

Different from other sports, sumo wrestling only have a single set or a "bout" rather than many small sets per match. One bout usually takes around 4 seconds to 4 minutes, as long as one of the wrestler fells down the ground or being throw out of the ring. 

The match will begin when the referee or gyōji signal to fight and both of the wrestlers touch the ground with their fists. Rules for sumo wrestling is easy to follow: wrestlers could either throw or push the opponents out of the Dohyo ring or make them touch the floor with anything other than sole of their feet. At the end of a bout, the referee will point to the winner as soon as one of the wrestler fall or being pushed to the outside of the ring.  If both wrestlers fell at the same time, the referee will pronounce a rebound. One of the special thing about the rules in sumo wrestling is that there are 5 judges dressed in black kimono. These judges are former Rikishi and they are allowed to dispute the call made by the referee.