Ozeki

The ozeki (大関), or champion rank, is immediately below yokozuna in the ranking system. Until the yokozuna rank was introduced, ozeki was the highest rank attainable. Technically there must always be a minimum of two ozeki on the banzuke, one on the east side and one on the west. If there are fewer than two regular ozeki in practice, then one or more yokozuna will be designated "yokozuna-ozeki". This was seen for five tournaments from May 1981 to January 1982, when three yokozuna (Wakanohana, Chiyonofuji and Kitanoumi) fulfilled this role at various times. The designation would not be used again until the March 2020 banzuke, when only Takakeisho held the ozeki rank and Kakuryu was designated yokozuna-ozeki.

## **Promotion to Ozeki**

The promotion of a wrestler to ozeki 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 33 wins over the three most recent tournaments, including ten 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 or defeating yokozuna, as well as the wrestler'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 ozeki.

Promotions are recommended by the Judging Division to the Board of Directors of the 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 to inform the new ozeki of his promotion. The ozeki will usually make a speech on this occasion, promising to do his best to uphold the dignity of the rank.

During the Edo period, wrestlers often made their debuts as ozeki based on size alone, though their real competitiveness had not been tested. The system was called "guest ozeki" (看板大関(kanban ozeki)). Most of these vanished from the banzuke soon after, but a few wrestlers, notably Tanikaze Kajinosuke, remained as real wrestlers.

## **Demotion from Ozeki**

Like the other san'yaku ranks, but unlike a yokozuna, an ozeki may be relegated. For an ozeki, relegation is a two-step procedure. First, the ozeki must have a losing record in a tournament (7-8 or worse), known as a make-koshi. At this point, the ozeki is called kadoban. If he makes a winning record (8-7 or better) in the next tournament (which is called kachi-koshi), he is restored to regular ozeki status. If, on the other hand, he suffers another losing record in the next tournament while kadoban, he is relegated to sekiwake in the following tournament. (No matter how badly he does, he will not fall lower than sekiwake.)

If he wins ten or more bouts in this tournament, he is restored to ozeki for the following tournament. However, if he fails to win ten or more bouts, he is treated just like any other wrestler in any further attempts at being promoted back to ozeki. This system has been in place since the Nagoya Tournament of 1969. Since that time, six wrestlers have managed an immediate return to ozeki: Mienoumi, Takanonami, Musoyama, Tochiazuma (who managed it on two separate occasions),  Tochinoshin and Takakeisho.

## **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).
* Have a parking space at 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)
* 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 shrines.

## **List of Active Ozeki**

* Takakeisho, since November 2019
* Kirishima, since July 2023
* Hoshoryu, since September 2023

## **See Also**

* List of Ozeki
* Yokozuna
* Sekiwake
* Komusubi
* Maegashira