Makuuchi (幕内) or makunouchi (幕の内), is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (rikishi), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments.
Taihō Kōki was the 48th yokozuna in the Japanese sport of sumo wrestling. He became a yokozuna in 1961 at the age of 21, the youngest ever at the time. He won 32 tournament championships between 1960 and 1971, a record that was unequalled until 2014. His dominance was such that he won six tournaments in a row on two separate occasions. He is the only wrestler to win at least one championship every year of his top division career, and he won 45 consecutive matches between 1968 and 1969, which at the time the best winning streak since Futabayama in the 1930s. He was a popular grand champion, especially amongst women and children. After retiring from active competition he became a sumo coach, although health problems meant he had limited success. When he died in January 2013 he was widely cited as the greatest sumo wrestler of the post-war period. Since then Hakuhō, who regarded Taihō as a mentor, surpassed his record by winning his 33rd championship in January 2015.
Kotoōshū Katsunori is a former professional sumo wrestler or rikishi. He made his debut in 2002, reaching the top division just two years later. In 2005 he reached the rank of ōzeki or 'champion', the second-highest level in the sumo ranking system behind only yokozuna. On May 24, 2008, Kotoōshū made history by becoming the first European sumo wrestler to win an Emperor's Cup. He was one of the longest serving ōzeki in sumo history, holding the rank for 47 consecutive tournaments until November 2013. In January 2014 Kotoōshū obtained Japanese citizenship, a requirement of becoming an elder in the Japan Sumo Association, and he announced his retirement during the following tournament in March. In April 2017 he opened his own training stable, Naruto.
Baruto Kaito is a former professional sumo wrestler from Estonia. Making his debut in May 2004, he was one of only two Estonians ever to join sumo in Japan. He reached the top division after just two years in sumo in May 2006. After suffering a number of injury problems in 2007 which delayed his progress, he reached the third-highest rank of sekiwake in November 2008, and was promoted to ōzeki rank after finishing the March 2010 tournament with a score of 14–1. He was a tournament runner-up four times before recording a top division championship in the 2012 January tournament. During his career Baruto also earned five special prizes for Fighting Spirit, one for Outstanding Performance and one for Technique. He lost his ōzeki rank after more injury problems at the end of 2012, and having fallen greatly in rank after withdrawing from the May 2013 tournament, he announced his retirement in September of that year at the age of 28.
Kyokutenhō Masaru in Nalaikh, Ulan Bator, Mongolia is a former professional sumo wrestler. He made his debut in March 1992 out of Ōshima stable, with the first group of Mongolians ever to join the sport in Japan, reaching the top makuuchi division in January 1998. In his exceptionally long career he received seven special prizes for Fighting Spirit, and won one yūshō, in May 2012 from the maegashira ranks, which made him at 37 the oldest first–time yūshō winner in sumo history, and he was runner-up in one other tournament. His highest rank was sekiwake, which he held on three occasions. He was the first wrestler since the 1950s to be ranked in the top division after the age of 40. He made more appearances in the top division than any other wrestler at 1470, and only Ōshio fought more than his 1870 career bouts. He announced his retirement in July 2015 and declared his intention to stay in sumo as an elder, having acquired Japanese citizenship in 2005. In 2017 he became the head coach of Tomozuna stable and he is known as Tomozuna-oyakata.
Takeshi Inoue, known by his stage name Takeshi Rikiō, born December 20, 1972, is a Japanese retired professional wrestler, who worked for Pro Wrestling Noah. He is also a former sumo wrestler.
Ōnokuni Yasushi is a former sumo wrestler from Hokkaidō, Japan. Making his professional debut in 1978, he reached the top division in 1983. In 1987 he won his first yūshō or tournament championship with a perfect score and became the sport's 62nd yokozuna. However, he was able to win only one more championship before his retirement in 1991. He has remained in sumo as a coach and in 1999 became the head of Shibatayama stable. He was elected to the Japan Sumo Association's board of directors in 2018. His peak weight was 210 kg (463 lbs) in May 1989.
Hanakago stable was a stable of sumo wrestlers, one of the Nishonoseki group of stables. Its most recent incarnation dated from 1992 when it was revived by Daijuyama of the Futagoyama stable. The previous version of the stable had been wound up in 1985 when former yokozuna Wajima was forced to leave the Japan Sumo Association. The Mongolian rikishi Kōryū became the revived Hanakago's first sekitori in January 2007 and in July 2008 reached the top makuuchi division. The stable closed after the May 2012 tournament, with its wrestlers moving to Minezaki stable.
Hidenoyama Raigorō was a sumo wrestler from Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. He was the sport's 9th yokozuna. He was also known as Amatsukaze Kumoemon, Tatsugami Kumoemon and Iwamigata Jōemon.
Professional sumo is divided into six ranked divisions. Wrestlers are promoted and demoted within and between these divisions based on the merit of their win/loss records in official tournaments. For more information see kachi-koshi and make-koshi. Wrestlers are also ranked within each division. The higher a wrestler's rank within a division is, the stronger the general level of opponents he will have to face becomes. According to tradition, each rank is further subdivided into East and West, with East being slightly more prestigious, and ranked slightly higher than its West counterpart. The divisions, ranked in order of hierarchy from highest to lowest, are as follows:
Hoshitango Imachi is an Argentine-born Japanese former professional sumo wrestler and current professional wrestler. His highest rank was Jūryō 3.
Musashimaru Kōyō is a former sumo wrestler. He made his professional debut in 1989, and reached the top makuuchi division in 1991. After reaching ozeki rank in 1994 his progress seemed to stall, but in 1999 he became 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 235 kg (518 lb) bulk combined with 1.92 m of height made him a formidable opponent, and he was remarkably consistent and injury-free for most of his career. An amiable personality, his fan base was helped by a surprising facial resemblance to Japanese warrior hero Saigō Takamori. After retiring in 2003, he became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association and founded the Musashigawa stable in 2013.
Sōkokurai Eikichi is a professional sumo wrestler from Inner Mongolia, China. He is the only Chinese national to reach the top makuuchi division. Sōkokurai is of Mongolian descent. He made his professional debut in 2003 and was promoted to the top division in September, 2010. In April 2011 he was ordered to retire by the Japan Sumo Association after being found guilty of involvement in match-fixing. Refusing to do so, he was dismissed. However, in March 2013 his dismissal was nullified by the Tokyo District Court and after the Sumo Association decided not to appeal the decision he reappeared on the banzuke in July 2013 at the Nagoya Basho, ranked as a maegashira 15, the rank he was at when he was expelled. His highest rank to date of maegashira 2 was achieved in March 2017. He has won one special prize for Technique and one gold star for beating a yokozuna.
Gagamaru Masaru is a professional sumo wrestler from Georgia. The third Georgian national after Kokkai and Tochinoshin to make the top makuuchi division, he made his professional debut in November 2005, reaching the jūryō division in November 2009 and makuuchi in July 2010. Originally from Kise stable, he briefly competed for the Kitanoumi stable before moving back to the Kise stable after it was re-established. His highest rank has been komusubi. He has won two special prizes for Fighting Spirit and has been runner-up in one tournament.
Tochiakagi Takanori was a sumo wrestler from Numata, Gunma, Japan. He made his professional debut in January 1973, and reached the top division in May 1977. His highest rank was sekiwake, which he first reached in May 1979. Unusually he kept the rank for the following tournament even though he had a majority of losses (7–8), because there were few wrestlers below him with good enough records to replace him. This was the first such occurrence since the establishment of the six tournaments per year system in 1958. He beat three yokozuna, Wajima, Wakanohana and Mienoumi, in one tournament in November 1979, and was to win eight kinboshi in total during his top division career. He won four Outstanding Performance and four Fighting Spirit prizes. He was one of the few wrestlers to employ the rare foot sweep technique of susohari. In 1980 he was tipped alongside Kotokaze and Asashio as a possible ozeki candidate, but never achieved his potential due to an apparent aversion to hard training, and a smoking habit. He missed the November 1980 tournament because of a leg injury and thereafter had chronic problems with both his ankles. In addition he had a poor diet and suffered from diabetes towards the end of his career. He fought in the unsalaried makushita division for 27 tournaments after being demoted from the jūryō division in 1985, longer than any other former sekiwake. He decided to retire when his stable master, former yokozuna Tochinishiki died in January 1990, although his name remained on the banzuke for the following tournament in the sandanme division, making him the first former sanyaku wrestler to fall this low since Ōyutaka in November 1985. He left the sumo world upon retirement. He died of a heart attack in 1997.
Kiyonomori Masao is a former sumo wrestler from Ōmori, Akita, Japan. He made his professional debut in January 1953 and reached the top division in March 1959. His highest rank was maegashira 9. Upon retirement from active competition he became an elder in the Japan Sumo Association and took charge of Kise stable from his father-in-law Katsuragawa. He reached the Sumo Association's mandatory retirement age in April 2000.
Endō Shōta, is a professional sumo wrestler from Anamizu, Ishikawa, Japan. After a successful amateur career, he turned professional in March 2013, making the top makuuchi division that September. His highest rank has been komusubi. He has been awarded one special prize for Fighting Spirit and two for Technique, and four gold stars for defeating yokozuna. He was runner-up in the September 2016 tournament. He wrestles for Oitekaze stable. He is extremely popular with Japanese sumo fans and has been regarded as one of the most promising home-grown wrestlers in sumo.
Ichinojō Takashi is a sumo wrestler from Arkhangai, Mongolia. He is notable as being the second foreign-born wrestler, and the first of non-Japanese descent allowed to debut at an elevated rank in the third makushita division due to his amateur sumo success. In only his third professional tournament he took the second division jūryō championship. In his fifth professional tournament, his first in the top makuuchi division, he was the runner-up and promoted all the way to sekiwake, his highest rank to date. He is the heaviest man in the top division as of September 2018.
