Makuuchi - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

or is the top division 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...

. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (rikishi), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments.

This is the only division that is featured on NHK

NHK

NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....

's standard live coverage of sumo tournaments. The lower divisions are shown on their satellite coverage, with only makuuchi broadcast having bilingual commentary.

Makuuchi literally means "inside the curtain", a reference to the early period of professional sumo, when there was a curtained-off area reserved for the top ranked wrestlers to sit prior to appearing for their bouts.

Wrestlers are considered for promotion or demotion

Promotion and relegation

In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...

in rank prior to each grand tournament according to their performance in the one previous. Generally, a greater number of wins than losses (kachikoshi) results in a promotion, and the reverse (makekoshi) results in demotion. There are stricter criteria for promotion to the top two ranks, which are also privileged when considered for demotion.

Overview

At the top of the division are the "titleholder" or san'yaku ranks of yokozuna, ōzeki, sekiwake and komusubi. There are typically 8–12 san'yaku wrestlers, with the remainder, called maegashira, ranked in numerical order from 1 downwards.

literally means "the three ranks", even though it actually comprises four ranks. The discrepancy arose because the yokozuna was traditionally regarded as an ōzeki with a special license to wear a particular rope around his waist and perform a distinctive ring entry ceremony. In modern use san'yaku has a somewhat flexible definition, sometimes not including yokozuna — thus resulting in three san'yaku ranks — and sometimes even ōzeki is not regarded as part of san'yaku.

There are normally two wrestlers each in sekiwake and komusubi, although there may be more and there must be at least one. Although there is usually a yokozuna there is no requirement for one, and it has sometimes happened that no active yokozuna are listed in the ranks. If there is more than one yokozuna but only one ōzeki, the lower rank will be filled out by designating one of the yokozuna as yokozuna-ōzeki. There is no recorded instance of there being fewer than two yokozuna and ōzeki in total.

There are a number of privileges and responsibilities associated with the san'yaku ranks. Any wrestler who reaches one of them is entitled to purchase one of the membership shares in the Japan Sumo Association

Japan Sumo Association

The is the body that operates and controls professional sumo wrestling in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Rikishi , gyōji , tokoyama , and yobidashi , are all on the Association's payroll, but the organisation is run...

, regardless of the total number of tournaments they have spent in the top makuuchi division. They may be called on to represent all sumo wrestlers on certain occasions. For example, when the president of the Sumo Association makes a formal speech on the opening and closing days of a tournament, he is flanked by all the san'yaku wrestlers in their mawashi

Mawashi

In sumo, a mawashi is the belt that the rikishi wears during training or in competition. Upper ranked professional wrestlers wear a keshō-mawashi as part of the ring entry ceremony or dohyo-iri.-Mawashi:...

. Similarly they may be called to assist in welcoming a VIP, such as the Emperor

Emperor of Japan

The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...

, to the arena.

The san'yaku can be split into two groups: The senior yokozuna and ozeki, and junior sekiwake and komusubi.

The former group have special promotion criteria and higher salaries, and have additional perks such as a higher number of junior wrestlers to assist them, an entitlement to park in the Sumo Association compound and voting rights in the election for Association directors. Senior yokozuna and ozeki also have added responsibilities. They are expected to represent wrestler views to the Association, assist in advertising events and meet event sponsors.

The latter group, sekiwake and komusubi, have lesser responsibilities and are still eligible for one of the three special prizes, or sansho

Sansho

Sanshō can refer to:*Sanshō , three special prizes awarded at sumo tournaments*Sanshō , the Japanese name for Sichuan pepper*Sansho the Bailiff , a 1954 film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi...

that are awarded for exceptional performance at the end of each tournament.

Yokozuna

is the highest rank in sumo

Sumo

. The name literally means "horizontal rope" and comes from the most visible symbol of their rank, the rope (tsuna) worn around the waist. The rope is similar to the shimenawa

Shimenawa

Shimenawa are lengths of braided rice straw rope used for ritual purification in the Shinto religion. They can vary in diameter from a few centimetres to several metres, and are often seen festooned with shide...

used to mark off sacred areas in Shinto

Shinto

or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...

, and like shimenawa serves to purify and mark off its content. The rope, which may weigh up to 20 kilograms, is not used during the matches themselves, but is worn during the yokozunas dohyo-iri ring entrance ceremony.

History of yokozuna

The birth of the rank of yokozuna is unclear, and there are two competing legends. According to one, a 9th-century wrestler named Hajikami tied a shimenawa

Shimenawa

around his waist as a handicap and dared any to touch it, creating sumo as we know it in the process. According to the other, legendary wrestler Akashi Shiganosuke

Akashi Shiganosuke

Akashi Shiganosuke was officially acknowledged as the first sumo wrestler to hold the title of yokozuna. A legendary figure, his historical existence is disputed. He is said to have been active in the Kan'ei era...

tied the shimenawa around his waist in 1630 as a sign of respect when visiting the Emperor, and was posthumously awarded the title for the first time. There is little supporting evidence for either theory—in fact, it is not even certain that Akashi actually existed—but it is known that by November 1789, yokozuna starting from the fourth yokozuna Tanikaze Kajinosuke

Tanikaze Kajinosuke

was a sumo wrestler in Japan in the Tokugawa era, and the first to be awarded the title of Yokozuna within his own lifetime. He achieved great fame and won 21 tournament championships. He was also the coach of Raiden Tameemon.- Early career :...

and the fifth yokozuna Onogawa Kisaburō

Onogawa Kisaburo

Onogawa Kisaburō was a sumo wrestler from Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. He was the sport's 5th Yokozuna. Along with Tanikaze he was the first to be given a yokozuna licence by the House of Yoshida Tsukasa and the first to perform the dohyō-iri to promote sumo tournaments.-Career:Onogawa was...

were depicted in ukiyo-e

Ukiyo-e

' is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints and paintings produced between the 17th and the 20th centuries, featuring motifs of landscapes, tales from history, the theatre, and pleasure quarters...

prints as wearing the shimenawa. These two wrestlers were both awarded yokozuna licences by the prominent Yoshida family.

Prior to the Meiji Era, the title yokozuna was conferred on ōzeki who performed sumo in front of the Shogun

Shogun

A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...

. This privilege was more often determined by a wrestler's patron having sufficient influence rather than purely on the ability and dignity of the wrestler. Thus there are a number of early wrestlers who were, by modern standards, yokozuna in name only. In these early days yokozuna was also not regarded as a separate rank in the listings, but as an ozeki with special dispensation to perform his own ring entering ceremony.

At first, the Yoshida family and a rival family, Gojo, fought for the right to award a wrestler a yokozuna licence. The Yoshida family won this dispute, because the 15th yokozuna Umegatani Tōtarō I

Umegatani Totaro I

Umegatani Tōtarō was a sumo wrestler from Asakura, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. He was the sport's 15th Yokozuna. He was generally regarded as the strongest wrestler to emerge since the era of Tanikaze and Raiden.-Career:...

, one of the strongest wrestlers, expressed his wish that he be awarded a licence by the Yoshida family in February 1884, and Gojo licences are no longer recognized officially.

In May 1890, the name yokozuna was written on the banzuke for the first time due to the 16th yokozuna Nishinoumi Kajirō I

Nishinoumi Kajiro I

Nishinoumi Kajirō I was a sumo wrestler from Sendai, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. He was the sport's 16th Yokozuna, and the first to be officially listed as such on the banzuke ranking sheets, an act which strengthened the prestige of yokozuna as the highest level of achievement in professional...

's insistence that his yokozuna status be recorded. In February 1909, during the reigns of the 19th yokozuna, Hitachiyama Taniemon

Hitachiyama Taniemon

Hitachiyama Taniemon was a sumo wrestler from Mito, Ibaragi Prefecture, Japan. He was the sport's 19th Yokozuna from 1903 till 1914. His great rivalry with Umegatani Tōtarō II created the "Ume-Hitachi Era" and did much to popularise sumo...

, and the 20th, Umegatani Tōtarō II

Umegatani Totaro II

Umegatani Tōtarō II was a sumo wrestler from Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture, Japan. He was the sport's 20th Yokozuna. Umegatani had a great rivalry with yokozuna Hitachiyama Taniemon...

, it was officially recognized as the highest rank. Since the establishment of the on April 21, 1950, wrestlers have been promoted to yokozuna by the Japan Sumo Association

Japan Sumo Association

. The first yokozuna promoted by the Sumo Association was the 41st yokozuna Chiyonoyama Masanobu

Chiyonoyama Masanobu

Chiyonoyama Masanobu was a sumo wrestler from Fukushima, Hokkaidō, Japan. He was the sport's 41st Yokozuna. He was also the founder of Kokonoe stable.-Career:...

Criteria for promotion to yokozuna

In modern sumo, the qualifications that an ōzeki must satisfy to be promoted are that he has enough power, skill and dignity/grace (品格 hinkaku) to qualify. There are no absolute criteria, nor is there a set quota: there have been periods with no wrestlers at yokozuna rank, and there have been periods with up to four simultaneously.

The power and skill aspects are usually considered with reference to recent tournament performance. The de facto

De facto

De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...

standard is to win two consecutive championships as ozeki or an equivalent performance. In the case where the "equivalent performance" criterion is used the wrestler's record over the previous three tournaments is taken into account with an expectation of at least one tournament victory and two runner up performances, with none of the three records falling below twelve wins. Thus a consistent high level of performance is required. Winning two tournaments with a poor performance between them is not usually sufficient. The rules are not set in stone and hence the Yokozuna Deliberation Council and Sumo Association can interpret the criteria more leniently or strictly and also take into account other factors, such as total number of tournament victories, and the quality of the wins and whether the losses show any bad vulnerabilities in reaching their conclusion.

The issue of hinkaku (dignity and grace) is more contentious, as it is essentially a subjective issue. For example Hawaiian born ozeki Konishiki, in particular, was felt by many to be unfairly kept from yokozuna status due to his non Japanese origin, and many Sumo Association members even openly said that foreigners (gaijin

Gaijin

is a Japanese word meaning "non-Japanese", or "alien". This word is a short form of gaikokujin , which literally means "person from outside of the country". The word is composed of two kanji: , meaning "outside"; and , meaning "person". Thus, the word technically means "outsider"...

) could never achieve the hinkaku needed to be a yokozuna. In the case of Konishiki, other issues such as his weight were also cited. Other wrestlers in the past have also been held back. For example Chiyonoyama

Chiyonoyama Masanobu

Chiyonoyama Masanobu was a sumo wrestler from Fukushima, Hokkaidō, Japan. He was the sport's 41st Yokozuna. He was also the founder of Kokonoe stable.-Career:...

in the 1950s was not immediately promoted due to his relative youth despite winning consecutive tournaments, although he later achieved the top rank. On the other hand, Futahaguro was given the title of yokozuna in 1986, despite immaturity being cited in opposition to his promotion. After being promoted, he was involved in several misbehaviors that embarrassed the Sumo Association such as hitting one of his tsukebitos (manservant or personal assistant) over a trivial matter in a scandal that had all of his six tsukebitos decide to leave him. The promotion again proved to be a total fiasco when it was later revealed that he had a heated argument with his stable boss, Tatsunami, and stormed out of the 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...

, allegedly striking Tatsunami's wife on the way. Futahaguro eventually retired after only one and a half years at the top rank and became the only yokozuna in sumo history ever to retire without having won at least one top division championship.

The debate concerning foreigners having the dignity to be a yokozuna was finally laid to rest on January 27, 1993, when ozeki Akebono

Akebono Taro

is a retired American born-Japanese sumo wrestler from Waimānalo, Hawaii. Joining the professional sport in Japan in 1988, he was trained by pioneering Hawaiian sumo wrestler Takamiyama and rose swiftly up the rankings, reaching the top division in 1990...

was formally promoted to yokozuna after only 8 months as an ozeki. Since then three other overseas wrestlers have also achieved sumo's ultimate rank: Musashimaru

Musashimaru Kōyō

, is a former sumo wrestler. He was the second foreign-born wrestler in history to reach the rank of yokozuna. He won over 700 top division bouts and took twelve top division tournament championships during his career. Musashimaru's sheer bulk combined with of height made him a formidable...

, Asashōryū

Asashōryū Akinori

is a former sumo wrestler from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. He was the 68th yokozuna in the history of the sport in Japan and became the first Mongol to reach sumo's highest rank in January 2003. He was one of the most successful yokozuna ever. In 2005 he became the first man to win all six official...

, and Hakuhō

Hakuho Sho

is a professional sumo wrestler from Ulan Bator, Mongolia. Making his debut in March 2001, he reached the top makuuchi division in May 2004. On May 30, 2007 at the age of 22 he became the second native of Mongolia, and the fourth non-Japanese overall, to be promoted to the highest rank in sumo,...

Becoming a yokozuna

Elevation to yokozuna rank is a multi-stage process. After a tournament, the Yokozuna Deliberation Council, a body of "lay people" (that is, not former sumo wrestlers) who are appointed by the Japan Sumo Association

Japan Sumo Association

to provide an independent quality control on Yokozuna promotion, meet and discuss the performance of the top-ranked wrestlers. Usually at the instigation of the Japan Sumo Association they can make a recommendation that a particular ozeki-ranked wrestler has the necessary attributes to be promoted. Their recommendation is then passed to the Judging division and then the Board of Directors of the Sumo Association who make the final decision.

If a wrestler is deemed to have met the criteria then he will be formally visited in his training stable by a member of the Sumo Association Board of Directors who will formally give him the news. In the following days a yokozuna hawser will then be made in his stable and he will practice the ring entrance ceremony with advice from a previous or current yokozuna. Finally he will have his inaugural ceremonial ring entry ceremony held at Meiji Jingu

Meiji Shrine

', located in Shibuya, Tokyo, is the Shinto shrine that is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken.-History:...

in 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...

, which is usually completed within a couple of weeks after the tournament ends.

In competition in each tournament for the championship he can never be relegated

Promotion and relegation

. A yokozuna is expected to retire if he is no longer able to compete at the peak of the sport. As a result of this, the system for promotion is quite strict.

Yokozuna ceremonies and traditions

The formal birth of the rank from Tanikaze's time appears to have in part come from a desire to let the very best have a separate ring entry ceremony (dohyō-iri) from the remaining top division wrestlers. The dohyō-iri is a ceremonial presentation of all the top division wrestlers which is held prior to the competitive bouts of the day. The normal ceremony for top division wrestlers is to be introduced and form a circle around the wrestling ring (dohyō) wearing specially decorated heavy silk "aprons", called kesho mawashi. A brief symbolic "dance" is carried out before filing off to change into their fighting mawashi

Mawashi

and prepare for their bouts.

A yokozuna, however, is introduced after the lower ranked wrestlers and is flanked by two other top division wrestler "assistants". The "dewsweeper" or tsuyuharai

Tsuyuharai

In professional sumo, the tsuyuharai is one of the two attendants that accompany a yokozuna when he performs his dohyo-iri or ring entrance ceremony. The other attendant is called the tachimochi....

precedes the Yokozuna, while the "sword bearer" or tachimochi

Tachimochi

In professional sumo, the tachimochi is one of the two attendants that accompany a yokozuna when he performs his dohyo-iri or ring entrance ceremony. The other attendant is called the tsuyuharai....

follows him into the arena. The sword is a Japanese katana

Katana

A Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...

and symbolises the samurai

Samurai

is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...

status of the yokozuna. The tachimochi will always be the more highly ranked of the assisting wrestlers. As indicated above, during the ceremony the yokozuna will wear his tsuna around his waist. The ceremonial aprons of all three form a matching set.

Once in the ring the yokozuna takes centre stage and performs a much more complex ritual dance. The dance can take one of two forms, one of which the yokozuna usually chooses when he is first promoted. In addition to the slightly different routine the choice of the yokozuna's ritual can also be determined by the knot used to tie the rope around his waist. The currently more popular "Unryū" style has only one loop at the back, while the "Shiranui" style has two. The styles are named after 10th yokozuna Unryū Kyūkichi

Unryu Kyukichi

Unryū Kyūkichi was a sumo wrestler from Yanagawa, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. He was the sport's 10th Yokozuna.-Career:...

and 11th yokozuna Shiranui Kōemon

Shiranui Koemon

Shiranui Kōemon was a sumo wrestler from Kikuchi, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. He was the sport's 11th Yokozuna.-Career:...

of the Edo period

Edo period

The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....

, although there is no historical proof that they actually carried out the dances that have been attributed to them. Indeed there are some scholars who believe that in fact the two concerned have had their ring entering rituals mixed up.

If a former yokozuna reaches the age of sixty, he usually performs a special ring-entering ceremony known as kanreki dohyō-iri

Kanreki dohyo-iri

In sumo wrestling, a kanreki dohyō-iri is a ring-entering ceremony performed by a former yokozuna in celebration of his 60th birthday . If he is a toshiyori , the ceremony is usually held at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan, the main sumo hall in Tokyo. Otherwise, if retired, at another location...

, in celebration of his longevity.

If a yokozuna is defeated by a maegashira ranked wrestler, it is common and expected for audience members to throw their seat cushions into the ring (and onto the wrestlers).

As of June 2007, there have been a grand total of 69 yokozuna, although formal record keeping only started with Tanikaze

Tanikaze Kajinosuke

and Onogawa

Onogawa Kisaburo

in 1789. For a list of all the yokozuna recorded through history, see here.

Active yokozuna

The one currently active yokozuna is:

Hakuhō
Hakuho Sho
is a professional sumo wrestler from Ulan Bator, Mongolia. Making his debut in March 2001, he reached the top makuuchi division in May 2004. On May 30, 2007 at the age of 22 he became the second native of Mongolia, and the fourth non-Japanese overall, to be promoted to the highest rank in sumo,...

(白鵬), the 69th yokozuna, from Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...

, promoted May 2007

Ōzeki

The ōzeki , or champion rank, is immediately below yokozuna, in the ranking system. Until the yokozuna rank was introduced, ōzeki was the highest rank attainable.

Promotion to ōzeki

The promotion of a wrestler to ōzeki is a multi-tournament process. A wrestler at the rank of sekiwake will be considered for promotion if he has achieved a total of at least 30 wins over the three most recent tournaments

Honbasho

A is an official professional sumo tournament. There are six held each year, a system established in 1958. Only honbasho results matter in determining promotion and relegation for rikishi ....

, including 10 or more wins in the tournament just completed. Promotion is discretionary and there are no hard-and-fast rules, though a three-tournament record of 33 wins is considered a near-guarantee. Other factors toward promotion will include tangibles such as winning a tournament

Yusho

A Yūshō is a tournament championship in sumo. It is awarded in each of the six annual honbasho or official tournaments, to the wrestler who wins the most number of bouts. Yūshō are awarded in all six professional sumo divisions...

or defeating yokozuna, as well as the rikishi's overall consistency, prowess, and quality of sumo—for example, a record of illegal maneuvers or reliance on certain dodging techniques would count against the dignity expected of an ōzeki.

Promotions are recommended by the Judging Division to the Board of Directors of the Japan Sumo Association

Japan Sumo Association

. If it is a first promotion to the rank a member of the Board of Directors will formally visit the wrestler's stable

Heya

to inform the new ōzeki of his promotion. The ōzeki will usually make a speech on this occasion promising to do his best to uphold the dignity of the rank.

During the Edo period

Edo period

The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....

, wrestlers often made their debuts as ōzeki based on size alone, though their real competitiveness hadn't been tested yet. The system was called Guest ōzeki . Of course, most of them vanished from the banzuke soon after, but a few wrestlers, notably Tanikaze Kajinosuke

Tanikaze Kajinosuke

, remained as real wrestlers.

Relegation from ōzeki

Like the other san'yaku ranks, but unlike a yokozuna, an ozeki may be relegated

Promotion and relegation

. For an ozeki, relegation is a two-step procedure. First, the ozeki must lose more bouts than he wins in a tournament; losing a majority of bouts is called makekoshi. At this point, the ozeki is called kadoban. If he wins a majority of bouts in the next tournament (which is called kachikoshi), he is restored to regular ozeki status. If, on the other hand, he loses a majority of bouts while kadoban, he is relegated to sekiwake.

In the tournament immediately following his relegation from ozeki, if a wrestler wins ten or more bouts, he is immediately restored to ozeki status. However, if he fails to win ten or more matches in his first tournament back as sekiwake, he is treated just like any other wrestler in further attempts at being promoted back to ozeki. This system has been in place since the Nagoya Tournament of 1969. Since that time, four wrestlers have managed an immediate return to ozeki: Mienoumi, Takanonami, Musoyama and Tochiazuma (who managed it on two separate occasions).

Benefits of being an ozeki

In addition to a salary increase there are a number of perks associated with reaching ozeki rank:

He is guaranteed a higher rank in the Sumo Association when he first retires
He will be given a three year temporary membership of the Sumo Association on his retirement if he does not yet own a share.
He will receive a special merit payment on his retirement (the amount decided by his strength and longevity as an ozeki)
He has a parking space in the Sumo Association headquarters
He can vote in the election of the Sumo Association Directors
Normally he will receive additional support from his stable in terms of junior wrestlers to act as his manservants.
He can wear purple fringed ceremonial aprons (kesho-mawashi
Mawashi
In sumo, a mawashi is the belt that the rikishi wears during training or in competition. Upper ranked professional wrestlers wear a keshō-mawashi as part of the ring entry ceremony or dohyo-iri.-Mawashi:...

)
An ozeki can normally act as a dewsweeper or swordbearer for a yokozuna ring entrance ceremony.
He may be called on to represent the wrestlers on formal occasions such as when VIPs visit a Sumo Tournament, or on formal visits to Shinto
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...

Shrines.

List of active ōzeki

Kotoōshū Katsunori
Kotooshu Katsunori
Kotoōshū Katsunori is a professional sumo wrestler or rikishi. He made his debut in 2002, reaching the top division just two years later...

: Since November 2005
Harumafuji Kōhei: Since November 2008
Baruto Kaito
Baruto Kaito
Baruto Kaito is a professional sumo wrestler from Estonia. Making his debut in May 2004, he is one of only two Estonians ever to join the sport in Japan, and the first to reach the top division, in May 2006...

: Since March 2010
Kotoshōgiku Kazuhiro
Kotoshogiku Kazuhiro
Kotoshōgiku Kazuhiro , is a sumo wrestler. He made his professional debut in 2002, reaching the top division in 2005. He has earned seven special prizes in his career and been runner-up in two tournaments. He wrestles for Sadogatake stable...

: Since September 2011
Kisenosato Yutaka
Kisenosato Yutaka
Kisenosato Yutaka is a sumo wrestler from Ibaraki, Japan. He made his professional debut in 2002, and reached the top makuuchi division in 2004 at the age of just 18. His highest rank to date is sekiwake, which he reached in March 2009...

: Since November 2011

Sekiwake

is the third highest rank in professional sumo

Sumo

wrestling, and is one of the san'yaku ranks. It is believed to come from guarding the ozeki (大関 or 関) at his side (脇).

It represents the highest rank a wrestler can achieve by continuously making a kachikoshi (majority of wins) in tournaments. Promotion to sekiwake depends on either a space being available, which is quite common, or having a record in the previous tournament that is very convincing, typically 10–5 or better as a komusubi. There are special promotion criteria for the next highest rank of ozeki. Unlike the higher ranks of ozeki and yokozuna, one will lose the rank immediately after having a makekoshi tournament (more losses than wins).

For many purposes this and the komusubi rank are treated together as the junior san'yaku ranks, as opposed to ozeki and yokozuna. For example records of number of tournaments ranked in junior san'yaku are often referred to in sumo publications.

For wrestlers reaching this rank the benefits are similar to that for a komusubi. The salary is higher than for a maegashira and also the wrestler is usually called to appear to flank the chairman of the Sumo Association

Japan Sumo Association

during the speeches he makes on opening and closing days of the fifteen day tournaments that are held six times a year. He may also be called on to represent the wrestlers on behalf of the Sumo Association at other events, especially if the number of ozeki and yokozuna is low. If this is the highest rank a wrestler reaches, even if it is only for one tournament, he will always be referred to as "former sekiwake (ring name)" after his retirement, which is an indicator of a successful sumo career, whilst not achieving the exceptional standards of the highest two ranks.

At any time there must be a minimum of two wrestlers ranked at sekiwake. If circumstances require, this can rise typically to three or four. The minimum of two requirement means that a certain amount of luck can lead to wrestlers achieving this rank on occasion, if the performance of other wrestlers leaves no obvious candidates to fill the rank. This luck factor is less common than it is for komusubi promotions.

Komusubi

literally means "the little knot", the knot referring to the match up between two wrestlers. It is the fourth highest rank in sumo

Sumo

wrestling and is the lowest of the so called titleholder ranks, or san'yaku.

It is also the lowest rank where achieving a kachikoshi (or majority of wins) is no longer sufficient to guarantee promotion to a higher rank. Promotion to the next highest rank, sekiwake, depends on either a space being available, which is quite common, or having a record in the previous tournament that is very convincing, typically 10–5 or better.

For many purposes this and the sekiwake rank are treated together as the junior san'yaku ranks, as opposed to ozeki and yokozuna, where extremely stringent promotion criteria exist. Records of number of tournaments ranked in junior san'yaku are often referred to in sumo publications because these two ranks are so difficult to retain.

For wrestlers reaching this rank the benefits are a salary increase and also appearing to flank the chairman of the Sumo Association

Japan Sumo Association

during the speeches he makes on opening and closing days of the official tournaments, held six times a year. He may also be called on to represent the wrestlers on behalf of the Sumo Association at other events, especially if the number of ozeki and yokozuna are low. If this is the highest rank a wrestler reaches, even if it is only for one tournament, he will always be referred to as "former komusubi (ring name)" after his retirement, which is an indicator of a fairly successful sumo career.

At any time there must be a minimum of two wrestlers ranked as komusubi. If circumstances require this can rise, typically to three or four. The minimum of two requirement means that a certain amount of luck can lead to wrestlers achieving this rank on occasion, if the performance of other wrestlers leaves no obvious candidates to fill the rank.

Komusubi is widely regarded as a difficult rank to maintain, as wrestlers at this rank are likely to face all the ozeki and yokozuna in the first week of a tournament, with a yokozuna normally scheduled for the opening day. Komusubi face mainly maegashira in the second week, but often wrestlers new to the rank are so demoralised by this point that they lose these matches too. Few men making their komusubi debut return a kachi-koshi or winning score.

Before World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

there were several instances of komusubi immediately advancing to ozeki after nearly winning a tournament, but there have been no instances of this since then.

Maegashira

Maegashira (前頭) is the lowest of five ranks in the top makuuchi division.

All the makuuchi wrestlers who are not ranked in san'yaku are ranked as maegashira, from one at the top downwards. In each rank there are two wrestlers, the higher ranked is designated as "east" and the other as "west".

The number of wrestlers in makuuchi is fixed (at 42 since 2004) but the number in san'yaku is not. Thus the number of maegashira ranks can vary, but is typically between 15 and 17. (This gives a makuuchi division split of around 10 san'yaku and 32 maegashira).

Movement within the maegashira ranks can be minor or extreme, depending on a wrestler's score in the previous 15-bout tournament. For example, a maegashira-2 who has an 8–7 record might only be promoted one level to maegashira-1 for the next tournament. Conversely, a maegashira-14 that wins the division championship could be promoted as high as komusubi. Indeed, this happened in March 2000 when Takatoriki

Takatoriki Tadashige

Takatōriki Tadashige is a former sumo wrestler from Kobe, Japan. He made his professional debut in 1983, reaching the top division in 1990...

of the Futagoyama stable

Takanohana stable

is a stable of sumo wrestlers, formerly one of the Nishonoseki group of stables. It was known as Futagoyama stable until 2004.-History:Futagoyama stable was established in 1962 by former Yokozuna Wakanohana Kanji I, who branched off from Hanakago stable and converted his home near the Minami...

won the championship with a 13–2 record.

Maegashira ranked 5 or below are likely to only fight amongst themselves (unless their winning record in the middle of a tournament prompts their scheduling with higher-ranked wrestlers) while those ranked maegashira 4 or above are likely to have several matches against sanyaku wrestlers, including ozeki and yokozuna. When a maegashira defeats a yokozuna, it is called a kinboshi

Kinboshi

Kinboshi is a notation used in professional sumo wrestling to record a lower-ranked wrestler's victory over a yokozuna....

and he is rewarded monetarily for the victory for the remainder of his career.

Overview

Yokozuna

History of yokozuna

Criteria for promotion to yokozuna

Becoming a yokozuna

Yokozuna ceremonies and traditions

Active yokozuna

Ōzeki

Promotion to ōzeki

Relegation from ōzeki

Benefits of being an ozeki

List of active ōzeki

Sekiwake

Komusubi

Maegashira

See also