Buyūzan Takeyoshi is a former sumo wrestler. His highest rank was maegashira 1. He is now a sumo coach.
Tosanoumi Toshio, is a former sumo wrestler. He first reached the top division of professional sumo in 1995, winning 13 special prizes and earning 11 kinboshi or gold stars for defeating yokozuna over his long career. The highest rank he reached was sekiwake. He retired in 2010 to become a coach at his stable, Isenoumi stable under the name of Tatekawa.
Kakizoe Tōru, is a former sumo wrestler. A former amateur champion, he turned professional in 2001 and reached the top division in 2003. His highest rank was komusubi, which he held for just one tournament. He won one special prize, for Technique. After injury problems he fell to the third makushita division in 2011 and retired in April 2012, becoming a sumo coach. He was part of ex-yokozuna Musashimaru's Musashigawa stable from 2013 until 2020, when he moved to Irumagawa stable. He is now a sumo elder, under the name Ikazuchi (雷).
Ōtsukasa Nobuhide is a former sumo wrestler from Miki, Hyōgo, Japan. A former amateur champion, he made his professional debut in 1993. The highest rank he reached was maegashira 4. He retired in March 2009 and is now a sumo coach.
Professional sumo as administered by the Japan Sumo Association 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:
Takekaze Akira is a former professional sumo wrestler from Akita Prefecture, Japan. A former amateur sumo champion, he turned professional in 2002, reaching the top makuuchi division the following year. He was a runner-up in one tournament, earned two special prizes for Fighting Spirit, and one gold star for defeating a yokozuna. Takekaze is in first place for the slowest promotion from makuuchi debut to the third highest sekiwake rank in history. Aged 35 years and two months, he is in first place for the eldest to make his sekiwake debut post World War II. He was a member of Oguruma stable. He retired in January 2019 to become an elder of the Japan Sumo Association under the name Oshiogawa-oyakata.
Satoyama Kōsaku is a retired professional sumo wrestler from Ōshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. A former amateur sumo champion at Nihon University, he entered professional sumo in 2004 and first reached the top makuuchi division in 2007. His highest rank was maegashira 12. He spent much of his career in the jūryō and makushita divisions, and won a yusho or tournament championship in each. He won promotion back to the top division in 2014 after a seven-year and 37-tournament absence, the longest ever. He was a member of Onoe stable. He retired in November 2018 and is an elder of the Japan Sumo Association under the name of Chiganoura.
Hōchiyama Kōkan is a former sumo wrestler from Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. He joined professional sumo in 2000. His highest rank was maegashira 14, achieved in 2006. After illness saw him demoted to the third makushita division in 2008, he returned to the second highest jūryō division in 2010 and the top makuuchi division in September 2011. After winning the sandanme division he had just been demoted to in November 2013, he chose to retire. He is now a coach at Sakaigawa stable under the name of Tatsutagawa (立田川).
Jūmonji Tomokazu is a former sumo wrestler from Aomori, Japan. Joining the professional ranks in 1992, he reached the top division in 2000 and was ranked there for 34 tournaments until 2007. His highest rank was maegashira 6. He was forced to retire in April 2011 after an investigation by the Japan Sumo Association found him guilty of match-fixing.
Ryūhō Masayoshi is a former sumo wrestler from Nakagami, Okinawa, Japan. His highest rank was maegashira 16.
Towanoyama Yoshimitsu is a former sumo wrestler from Toshima, Tokyo, Japan. He made his professional debut in 1993. His highest rank was maegashira 13, achieved in March 2002. He had many injury problems and had perhaps the unluckiest top makuuchi division career of any wrestler in sumo, being injured before even fighting a match in the division. He is the only wrestler since the beginning of the Shōwa era in 1926 to have been ranked in the top division without winning any bouts there.
Tamaasuka Daisuke is a former sumo wrestler from Atsuta-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. He made his professional debut in March 1998. His highest rank was maegashira 9. He was well known for moving between the top makuuchi division and the second jūryō division on several occasions. He won two makushita and two jūryō division championships. He retired in September 2016 and is now a sumo coach.
Bushūyama Takashi is a Japanese former sumo wrestler from Aomori, Aomori Prefecture. He made his professional debut in January 1999. At the age of 32, he was promoted to the top makuuchi division in the November 2008 tournament. His highest rank was maegashira 3. He is now a sumo coach.
Chiyohakuhō Daiki is a former sumo wrestler from Yamaga, Kumamoto, Japan. He made his professional debut in 1999 and broke into the top makuuchi division nine years later in 2008. His highest rank was maegashira 6. He wrestled for Kokonoe stable. After admitting his involvement in match-fixing, he retired from the sport in 2011 following an investigation by the Japan Sumo Association.
Shōtenrō Taishi is a former sumo wrestler from Khovd Province, Mongolia. He joined professional sumo in 2001 and was known as Musashiryū Taishi until 2007. He made the top makuuchi division for the first time in 2009 and his highest rank was maegashira 2. He wrestled for Fujishima stable. He acquired Japanese citizenship in 2017 and retired shortly before the January 2018 tournament to become an elder of the Japan Sumo Association. As of June 2022 he is known as Nishikijima Oyakata.
Kimurayama Mamoru was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler. His highest rank was maegashira 7. He was a coach at Kasugano stable. He was the only wrestler in the elite ranks in his time from Wakayama Prefecture.
Daidō Kenji is a former professional sumo wrestler (rikishi) from Katsushika, Tokyo, Japan. He made his debut in 2005, reaching the top division six years later, debuting in the July, 2011 tournament. His highest rank was maegashira #8. He is now a sumo coach.
Amakaze Kōichi is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Kotohira, Kagawa. He made his professional debut in March 2007, joining Oguruma stable, and reached the top makuuchi division in September 2016. His highest rank has been maegashira 13. He has one jūryō division championship or yūshō.
Azumaryū Tsuyoshi is a retired Mongolian professional sumo wrestler from Govi-Altai Province. His highest rank has been maegashira 11. After an amateur sumo career at the Kyushu Institute of Information Sciences, he turned professional in November 2008, reaching sekitori status in January 2013 upon promotion to the jūryō division. He was ranked in the top makuuchi division on nine occasions without earning a winning record before finally achieving it on his tenth attempt in January 2023. He was demoted to the makushita division in 2015, but won promotion back to jūryō in November 2015 and the top division in September 2019. He has one jūryō division championship. He wrestled for Tamanoi stable.
Yago Takanori is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Memuro, Hokkaido. He was an amateur champion at Chuo University and won the Amateur Yokozuna title at the All-Japan Sumo Championships in December 2016. He made his professional debut in May 2017, joining Oguruma stable. He reached the jūryō division in September 2017 and the top makuuchi division in January 2019. His highest rank has been maegashira 10.
