Sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a rikishi (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (dohyō) or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet.
A rikishi (力士), sumōtori (相撲取り) or, more colloquially, osumōsan (お相撲さん), is a professional sumo wrestler. Rikishi follow and live by the centuries-old rules of the sumo profession, with most coming from Japan, the only country where sumo is practiced professionally. Participation in official tournaments is the only means of marking achievement in sumo, with the rank of an individual rikishi based solely on official wins. The number of active rikishi peaked at 943 in May 1994, at the height of the "Waka-Taka boom," but had declined to 665 by January 2022.
A sekitori (関取) is a rikishi who is ranked in one of the top two professional divisions: makuuchi and jūryō. The name literally translates to having taken the barrier, as only a relatively small fraction of those who enter professional sumo achieve sekitori status.
The chonmage (丁髷) is a type of traditional Japanese topknot haircut worn by men. It is most commonly associated with the Edo period (1603–1867) and samurai, and in recent times with sumo wrestlers. It was originally a method of using hair to hold a samurai kabuto helmet steady atop the head in battle, and became a status symbol among Japanese society.
A bun is a type of hairstyle in which the hair is pulled back from the face, twisted or plaited, and wrapped in a circular coil around itself, typically on top or back of the head or just above the neck. A bun can be secured with a hair tie, barrette, bobby pins, one or more hair sticks, a hairnet, or a pen or pencil. Hair may also be wrapped around a piece called a "rat". Alternatively, hair bun inserts, or sometimes rolled up socks, may also be used to create donut-shaped buns. Buns may be tightly gathered, or loose and more informal.
Hakkaku stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Takasago ichimon or group of stables. It was established in September 1993 by former yokozuna Hokutoumi, who took with him four wrestlers from Kokonoe stable. The stable has so far produced nine sekitori, four of whom have reached the makuuchi division. As of January 2023, it had 21 wrestlers.
Izutsu stable was a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tokitsukaze group of stables. Its last incarnation was in existence from 1972 until 2019.
Mitoizumi Masayuki is a former sumo wrestler from Mito, Ibaraki, Japan. His professional career spanned 22 years, from 1978 until 2000. The highest rank he reached was sekiwake. He won over 800 career bouts and took the yūshō or championship in the top makuuchi division in 1992. Mitoizumi was nicknamed the "Salt Shaker", due to his habit of throwing enormous quantities of purifying salt onto the ring (dohyō) during the pre-match preliminaries. He is now a coach, and is known as Nishikido Oyakata.
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:
The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan.
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.
Nihongami is the term used for a number of traditional Japanese hairstyles considered to be distinctive in their construction and societal role.
The Tokitsukaze stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers in Japan, one of the Tokitsukaze group of stables. It was founded in 1769 and was dominant during the Taishō period.
A banzuke (番付), officially called banzuke-hyō (番付表) is a document listing the rankings of professional sumo wrestlers published before each official tournament (honbasho). The term can also refer to the rankings themselves. The document is normally released about two weeks before the tournament begins.
The Michinoku stable is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Tokitsukaze ichimon or group of stables. It was established in 1974 by former maegashira Hoshikabuto, who branched off from Izutsu stable. Former ōzeki Kirishima became the current head coach in December 1997. It absorbed Tatsutagawa stable in November 2000 upon the retirement of the stablemaster there. It lost four top members in April 2011, who were forced to retire after being found guilty of match-fixing. The retirement of Ryūhō in 2012 left it with no sekitori until Kiribayama reached the jūryō division in 2019. Kiribayama reached the top makuuchi division in January 2020, the first for the stable since Hakuba in 2008.
Kotoinazuma Yoshihiro is a former sumo wrestler from Niiharu, Gunma, Japan. He made his professional debut in 1978, and reached the top division in 1987. His highest rank was komusubi and he earned two special prizes. After retirement he became an elder in the Japan Sumo Association and as of 2016 he is a coach at Sadogatake stable under the name Kumegawa.
Shinji Hamada, better known as Toyonoumi Shinji, was a Japanese sumo wrestler from Buzen, Fukuoka. He made his professional debut in March 1981 and reached the top division in November 1988. He was known by the shikona Takanohama until 1990. His highest rank was maegashira 1. He did not miss a single bout in his 19-year professional career. Upon retirement from active competition he became an elder in the Japan Sumo Association, under the name Yamahibiki. He left the Sumo Association in June 2002.
Secular laws regulating hairstyles exist in various countries and institutions.
Shōnanzakura Sōta is a Japanese former sumo wrestler from Chigasaki, Kanagawa. He made his professional debut in September 2015 and was first known as Hattorizakura Futoshi. He retired after the July 2021 tournament at the age of 23. His highest rank was jonokuchi 9. He was notable for having an exceptionally poor record in sumo, having won only 3 of his 238 career bouts, and set an all-time record of 104 consecutive losses. At times he was criticized for appearing to make deliberate attempts to lose and thus avoid competing. He was a member of Shikihide stable, which is well known for taking on any aspiring wrestler regardless of ability.
