In Japan, Sumo Is Dominated by Foreigners - The New York Times The New York Times Sports |In Japan, Sumo Is Dominated by Foreigners Search In Japan, Sumo Is Dominated by Foreigners By DANIEL KRIEGER Continue reading the main story Photo The sumo wrestler Baruto, who is from Estonia, was thrown to the ground by Kaio during a match in Osaka in 2009. Credit Kyodo News, via Associated Press TOKYO — On the first day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament, Japanese fans were hopeful that 2013 might bring some change: an end to the protracted losing streak by Japanese wrestlers. But if anyone needed a reminder of how unlikely that was, all they had to do was look up at the giant portraits hanging around the upper part of the Ryogoku Kokugikan arena, showing the winners of the past 32 tournaments around the country. Not one of those portraits was of a Japanese. Just four Mongolians, an Estonian and a Bulgarian account for all 32 of those victories, which date to 2007. The last time a Japanese wrestler won was in January 2006.

But some observers say it is just a matter of time before the current wave of foreign dominance passes and a Japanese wrestler gets promoted to the rank of grand champion once again. The first foreign-born wrestler to break through to the top was Chad Rowan, who left his native Hawaii to enter the world of professional sumo at 18. At the time, he was not thought to have great promise. It was his more athletically endowed younger brother that recruiters had their eye on. But five years later, in January 1993, Rowan became the first non-Japanese sumo wrestler to reach the sport’s highest rank — yokozuna, or grand champion. Advertisement Continue reading the main story In 1999, another Hawaiian claimed that title, followed in 2003 and 2007 by two Mongolians, who also are among the top five all-time championship winners. In 2012, one more Mongolian became yokozuna, the 70th in history.

(There can be multiple yokozuna at a time, or none.) During Rowan’s heyday, two Japanese brothers from a prominent sumo family each became yokozuna, which helped fuel a sumo boom, but now it has been 10 years since the last Japanese grand champion retired and seven years since a Japanese wrestler won a grand championship, for which there are competitions six times a year. At the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament, foreign-born wrestlers made up one-third of the 42 rikishi who occupy the top division, yet they make up just seven percent of the 613 total wrestlers in the sport. Though the media and fans make much of what some characterize as the disgrace of foreign dominance — the two current yokozuna are both Mongolian — those in the sumo community do not typically acknowledge any Japanese versus non-Japanese rivalry.

“When I was wrestling,” said Rowan, who is known in sumo as Akebono, “I wasn’t thinking, ‘I’m an American, I’m going to go out there, plant my flag in the middle of the ring and take on the Japanese.”’ He said he always considered himself a sumo wrestler first and foremost, the product of the Japan Sumo Association, the governing body of the pro sport. Nevertheless, the persistent drought does put pressure on Japanese wrestlers. Standing at 2.03 meters, or 6-foot-8, Rowan, now 43, attributes his success in part to being able to overpower his smaller Japanese opponents. (He once tipped the scales at more than 225 kilograms, or 500 pounds.) “We were just brute strength,” he said, speaking of himself and a few other top-ranked Hawaiians in the 1990s. “We won fast or we lost fast. We weren’t too technical.” But now, he said, foreign wrestlers, who mostly hail from Mongolia and Eastern Europe, are employing more advanced techniques to give them an edge.

Advertisement The foreigners come from countries with long traditions of other forms of wrestling, said Mark Buckton, sumo columnist for the Japan Times, and some of the techniques they implement, like leg sweeps and lateral movement, throw Japanese opponents off. Video A Slump for Japanese Sumo Wrestlers It’s been seven years since a Japanese wrestler has won a grand championship. Sumo is dominated by foreign-born athletes today. By Daniel Krieger on Publish Date January 24, 2013. . Watch in Times Video » embed “For Japanese, sumo is just about going forward,” he said. “That’s the honorable way to win. But they are stuck in the old way, and the Mongolians and Eastern Europeans have really developed the sport more.” Another reason why the Japanese have lost their grip on sumo has to do with shifts in Japanese society, observers say. There was a time when sumo offered a way for disadvantaged teenage boys, especially those from big rural families, to escape poverty and make something of themselves, much as basketball once did in the United States. But with Japan’s declining birth rate and greater affluence, the number of annual sumo applicants has been steadily falling.

(Last year, it hit an all-time low of 56; at its peak in 1992, there were more than 200.) And while many schools used to offer sumo, few do now. Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up “There’s a lot more competition from ‘cooler’ sports,” like baseball and soccer, said John Gunning, a sumo writer and commentator. “Sumo is seen as old-fashioned.” Non-Japanese wrestlers, however, still see it as a ticket to a brighter future. “Most of the guys who come to Japan to take up sumo come from poor families,” said Hiroshi Morita, a sumo announcer for NHK. “So they have a big hungry spirit to succeed and support the family back home.” One attempt to level the playing field, initiated by the Japan Sumo Association, which declined to be interviewed for this story, came about more than a decade ago when the association implemented an unspoken rule to limit the growing number of non-Japanese wrestlers.

“The sumo elders saw that there was a danger of this Japanese sport being invaded by foreigners,” said Morita, “so they were saying, ‘enough is enough.”’ The rule, which allows just one foreign wrestler per stable, resulted in much more careful vetting of foreign recruits, whereas in the days of Rowan, who had many foreigners in his stable, they were hauled in by the bunch and sometimes stuck together. Advertisement Continue reading the main story It remains to be seen what effect their reduced numbers will have on the sport in the long run. “The peak has passed for foreign wrestlers,” Gunning said, noting that some promising Japanese talent was coming up through the ranks. For Japanese wrestlers and their fans, it is just a matter of riding out the Mongolian wave. Morita, though, is not as sanguine about the prospects of Japanese wrestlers’ reclaiming the top tier in the foreseeable future. “I think Mongolian dominance will continue for a very long time,” he said.

(Of the 43 foreign-born wrestlers now, 27 are Mongolian.) At the New Year Grand Tournament in Tokyo, some Japanese fans, who have been awaiting the next homegrown sumo star, were bracing themselves for what could be the 41st consecutive loss. (The tournament runs through Sunday.) Spectators ran the gamut from the merely curious to diehard fans, like Sayori Gloster, 35, who had come with her husband and sister. An avid sumo fan since childhood, she lamented the current state of affairs. “It’s so unfortunate that Japanese wrestlers haven’t been winning,” she said. “Considering that sumo is the national sport, it’s a bit embarrassing.” Hiroko Ito, who never misses a grand championship, said she admired foreign-born wrestlers for their drive. “Wrestlers who come from abroad really work hard,” she said, sitting in her kimono as two rikishi geared up for a bout in the ring behind her. “They’re determined to move up. But Japanese wrestlers seem satisfied with just getting by.

I think it would be nice if they pushed themselves harder.” A version of this article appears in print on January 25, 2013, in The International Herald Tribune. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe Yokozuna: the highest rank in Sumo | Japan Info Yokozuna: the highest rank in Sumo Yokozuna: the highest rank in Sumo Pinterest Yokozuna is the highest rank in Sumo Wrestling. Only a few people have become Yokozunas. There are merely some 71 recorded Yokozunas in the history until now since its inception. There is a famous WWF (World Wrestling Federation) wrestler named ‘Yokozuna’ but he is not the original Yokozuna. Yokozuna is a traditional and exclusive Japanese title which is held by only a few in the entire history. WWF Wrestler Yokozuna jto.s3.amazonaws.com/ Inception of Yokozuna is unclear. In ancient times, the Shoguns used to enjoy Sumo Wrestling like the Romans did with the Gladiator shows. The first Yokozuna, Akashi Shiganosuke, was awarded the title posthumously.

He lived somewhere around the end of 17th century A.D. There used to be strict laws on who can become a Yokozuna. In the last few decades, due to its increasing popularity across the world, the rules have been eased. The current Yokozuna is Kakuryu Rikisaburo who is the 71st Yokozuna and he is from Sukh Baatar, Mongolia. After winning 14 tournaments consequentially, he has been promoted to the highest rank of Yokozuna. The Mongols are being awarded the title for the last 12 years. Japanese Sumo Association blogs.voanews.com/ Becoming a Yokozuna is not easy. It is a gradual process where you attain the tile by training for years from childhood and by participating and winning each tournament conducted by the Japanese Sumo Association. This organization is responsible for operating Sumo Wrestling in Japan and is managed by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Its headquarters is located in Sumida, Tokyo. Apart from the active wrestlers, there are a group of experienced elders, referees, hairdressers and ushers who constitute a Sumo Association.

The ‘International Sumo Federation’ was formed in 1992 with 87 member countries which hold international tournaments. This Federation strives to make Sumo Wrestling a more-popular Olympic Sport. The last World Championship took place in Taiwan and the next championship will be held in Osaka, Japan on August 29th and 30th, 2015. So, do not miss it when you are in Japan in the coming August. TAGS Origin of the Yokozuna Rank in Sumo | Far Outliers Origin of the Yokozuna Rank in Sumo On the occasion of the opening of the November Grand Sumo Tournament , here’s an account of the origin of the highest rank, yokozuna, usually translated ‘grand champion’ to distinguish it from the former highest rank, ozeki ‘champion’. The conventional genealogy of yokozuna begins with Akashi Shiganosuke in the early seventeenth century, but there is no record that such a wrestler ever existed, much less that he was made a yokozuna.

Instead, the institution of the yokozuna has its origins in the licenses Yoshida Zenzaemon granted to two wrestlers–Tanikaze Kajinosuke and Onokawa Kisaburo. In November 1789 he authorized each of them to perform a solo ring-entering ceremony while wearing a white rope (the yokozuna) around their waists. This innovation was part. of the efforts by Yoshida and the other leaders of professional sumo in Edo to increase the status of the sport, efforts that culminated with the 1791 sumo performance before Shogun Tokugawa Ienari. [Sumo was previously considered too low-brow for noble tastes.] Yoshida’s innovation was not immediately adopted as standard practice. In fact, for nearly forty years, no further licenses to perform the solo ring-entering ceremony while wearing the decorative rope were granted. The license was revived in 1828, but by the end of the Tokugawa shogunate only nine such licenses had been awarded.

The institutionalization of the practice in the early twentieth century involved a series of innovations beginning in the late nineteenth century and culminating in the official recognition of the yokozuna as the highest rank in sumo. For a century after Yoshida’s grant to Tanikaze and Onokawa, the highest sumo rank continued to be ozeki [‘champion’]. During this time, the word “yokozuna ” still referred merely to the rope worn by the wrestler licensed to perform a solo ring-entering ceremony. In fact, Tanikaze did not even hold the highest rank of Ozeki in the tournament after which he was awarded the yokozuna license; he was at the second-highest rank of sekiwake. Shiranui Dakuemon, awarded the license in 1840, was subsequently demoted to sekiwake for a tournament. It was not until May 1890 that the word “yokozuna” appeared in the banzuke (the table of rankings printed before each tournament). Ironically, the motive for printing the term was to placate rather than to reward, and the consequences were entirely unintended.

For the first time there were more than two ozeki listed on the banzuke. Two new ozeki had just been promoted, but the two reigning ozeki were left in place. This unprecedented situation was dealt with by writing the two extra names on tabs protruding from the top sides of the printed banzuke. The ozeki with the weakest record in the previous tournament, Nishinoumi, was one of those listed on the tabs. Since he had just been awarded a yokozuna license, he felt slighted and complained to the Sumo Association that a wrestler as honored as he deserved better treatment. To pacify him, the association put the characters for yokozuna next to his name. Once the precedent was established, it became the custom to write these characters alongside the names of ozeki with the license, but there was still no official yokozuna rank. Shortly after the term “yokozuna” entered the banzuke rankings, a private campaign was started to distinguish ozeki with the yokozuna license from those without it. Jimmaku Kyiigoro had received a license, the ninth issued, in 1867.

In 1895, he started a campaign to erect a monument to wrestlers who had been honored with the license. The monument was erected in 1900 without the involvement of the Sumo Association or the Yoshida family (which still claimed sole authority to issue the yokozuna license). The Sumo Association finally recognized yokozuna as an official rank in 1909, the pivotal year in which the Kokugikan was opened, the referee’s costume was redesigned, and the newspaper Jiji shinpo started regularly designating tournament champions. The Yoshida house, however, which continued to award the yokozuna license, refused to accept the association’s interpretation of the yokozuna as a rank. It was not until 1951 that the Yoshida family finally agreed that the yokozuna was indeed a rank. In short, the lofty status that is now widely perceived as the very symbol of sumo’s “two-thousand-year history” emerged only in the nineteenth century and was finally accepted as an official rank around fifty years ago. SOURCE: Japanese Sports: A History , by Allen Guttmann and Lee Thompson (U. Hawai‘i Press, 2001), pp.

143-145 Share this: Sumo - Sports - The Japan Times Yokozuna Kakuryu secures title Kakuryu capitalized on a slip-up by fellow Mongolian yokozuna Harumafuji to clinch his third career championship with a day to spare at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament on Saturday. Harumafuji crashed to his third defeat at the hands of Hakuho in the day’s penultimate ... Kakuryu outmuscles rival Hakuho Kakuryu claimed yokozuna bragging rights and closed in on the title by defeating fellow Mongolian Hakuho at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament on Friday. After an early exchange of slaps and thrusts, Kakuryu seized control and got both arms around Hakuho before bellying him ... Yokozuna Kakuryu back atop standings Yokozuna Kakuryu got back on the winning track on Thursday, the 12th day of the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament, where he regained his sole lead with an 11-1 record. A day after suffering his only loss of the 15-day tournament at Fukuoka Kokusai Center, ...

Sumo Nov 23, 2016 Kakuryu suffers first loss as race heats up Yokozuna Kakuryu crashed to his first defeat on Wednesday, the 11th day of the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament. A day after handing yokozuna Hakuho his second defeat, ozeki Kisenosato turned the affair at Fukuoka Kokusai Center on it’s ear with his 31st career win ... Kisenosato hands Hakuho second loss Returning yokozuna Hakuho saw his title hopes dented after nemesis Kisenosato sentenced him to a second defeat at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament on Tuesday. The result saw Hakuho (8-2), who missed the last tournament through injury, fall two wins behind sole leader and ... Free-falling Goeido slumps to third defeat Ozeki Goeido’s dream of reaching the highest rank of yokozuna fell back to the drawing board after he suffered his third defeat Monday at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament, where yokozuna Kakuryu remained perfect. Goeido (6-3), whose chance was hit severely with his loss ...

Sumo Nov 20, 2016 Narrow defeat harms Goeido's promotion push Ozeki Goeido’s chance of getting promoted to yokozuna was dealt a blow on Sunday, in a narrow loss to sekiwake Okinoumi for his second defeat at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament. After a false start, Goeido’s tame charge was sharply countered by Okinoumi (2-6), ... Goeido, Hakuho bounce back from defeats Ozeki Goeido dodged a bullet and got his bid for promotion to sumo’s highest rank back on track, while Mongolian yokozuna Hakuho also rebounded from his first defeat at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament on Saturday. The wins kept the pair within striking distance ... Goeido, Hakuho fall; Kakuryu still unbeaten Goeido’s hopes of promotion to yokozuna suffered a blow when Tamawashi sentenced the ozeki to his first defeat of the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament on Friday. Returning yokozuna and joint overnight leader Hakuho also suffered an upset, leaving Mongolian yokozuna Kakuryu in sole possession ...

Goeido outmuscles Aoiyama, now 5-0 Yokozuna hopeful Goeido kept his eyes on the prize and muscled out winless No. 1 maegashira Aoiyama on Thursday to preserve his share of the lead a third of the way through the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament. After chants of “Goeido” reverberated around Fukuoka ... Sumo Nov 16, 2016 Goeido, Hakuho remain unbeaten in Kyushu Ozeki Goeido continued on course for a possible promotion to yokozuna with an easy win Wednesday, keeping him among four wrestlers with perfect records after four days at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament. Goeido carried the day against 23-year-old komusubi Mitakeumi with a terrific ... Legend Hakuho earns 1,000th career victory Yokozuna Hakuho reached a milestone Tuesday, picking up his 1,000th career win by defeating No. 2 maegashira Kaisei on the third day of the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament.

Ozeki Goeido also kept the pace, thrusting second-ranked maegashira Yoshikaze down onto his knees with a ... Mongolian Kakuryu promoted to rank of yokozuna ‹ Japan Today: Japan News and Discussion Mar. 27, 2014 - 07:57AM JST after he crashed through his opponents with a 14-1 record at the most recent tournament While I welcome his promotion, his bouts with fellow yokozuna Mongolians Hakuho and Harumafuji were hardly honest bouts, with both of the yokozuna clearly not giving 100 percent against Kakuryu, nor with their bouts with ozeki Kotoshogiku in order to hand the Japanese ozeki his kachikoshi before he faced Kakuryu on the last day. 2 GalapagosnoGairaishu Mar. 27, 2014 - 08:58AM JST If Kakuryu were not a sumo wrestler, I would hire him as my bookkeeper. They guy is so steady that even when he loses, it's seldom due to a mistake.

(Most of his bouts, whether victories or losses, end with him still standing.) That makes him less exciting (or more predictable) than the other two yokozuna, but he's a very competent practitioner of the sport. 3 Mar. 27, 2014 - 09:22AM JST @Daijoboots both yokozuna were injured, i'll bet next basho it will be not so easy for kakuryu. 3 Mar. 27, 2014 - 09:28AM JST Congratulations to Kakuryu for a well deserved yokozuna promotion. Still I wonder whether the 'Japan Sumo Association' should change to 'Mongolian Sumo Association' or for a starter have at least one annual tournament in Ulaan Baatar. 3 rickyvee Mar. 27, 2014 - 09:43AM JST i think sumo is going to continue to lose its popularity until there is a japanese yokozuna. but it seems there is a fat chance of that happening anytime soon.

as asashoryu wisely said, the mongols are just hungrier for the battles, while the japanese sumo wrestlers are too soft. it seems like their great hope is placed in Endo. 1 kwatt Mar. 27, 2014 - 09:47AM JST Almost all Mongolian's faces are like Japanese, not much difference but Japanese really don't have guts. Probably very hard harsh trainings until retire. 6 Mar. 27, 2014 - 10:41AM JST What does the fact that Mongolia is land-locked have to do with Sumo? 0 Mar. 27, 2014 - 11:09AM JST @Daijoboots both yokozuna were injured, i'll bet next basho it will be not so easy for kakuryu. @Dennis Bauer yes there will be no need for special favours then either. 0 Mar. 27, 2014 - 11:43AM JST that was such an exciting match agains Hakuho. All the best to Kakuryu's future 4 Mar.

27, 2014 - 12:27PM JST Congratulations to Kakuryu! No-one has yet commented though that Kakuryu is ironically a beneficiary of a relaxation in the rules introduced to try and conjure a Japanese yokozuna to keep punters in their seats. Previously, one basically had to win two consecutive tournaments to gain promotion to yokozuna although there was a provision for counting a non-win as a win by invoking the "a performance equivalent to victory" (yusho ni junzuru seiseki) rule. With the sumo association desperate for a Japanese yokozuna, Kisenosato was deemed to have achieved "a performance equivalent to victory" even though he has never achieved a better record than 13-2 and has never even won a single tournament. Suddenly, doubtless at the behest of the sumo association publicity machine, sumo reports were discussing promoting someone without a prior championship as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Having relaxed the criteria for Kisenosato and announced in advance that he would be promoted if he won just once (ignoring the fact that the deliberation committee is supposed to meet and decide), the association were forced to extend the same privilege to Kakuryu when he caught then by surprise by coming from nowhere. His record in 2013 was 8-7, 8-7, 10-5, 10-5, 9-6 and 9-6 so, as you can see, when association relaxed the criteria, the last thing they were expecting was three Mongolian yokozuna. Personally, I do not care about the nationality of the yokozuna, but there is a lesson here for the sumo association - when you bend the rules you never know when it will come back and bite you. The lack of media commentary on the above narrative (which is quite clear to anyone following the sport) is also revealing. -2 toshiko Mar. 27, 2014 - 02:11PM JST Congratulations to Kakuryu! You make Sumo as an international sport now. Maybe Sumo will spread like Karate, Judou.

Baseball and many other international sports soon. 0 Kurobune Mar. 27, 2014 - 03:14PM JST Sumo has been an "international" sport for quite a while now. Since the Hawaiian 'invasion" and the birth of the first foreign passport holding yokozuna, the great Akebono ! Hakkeyoi ! Omedetou, Kakuryu ! -1 toshiko Mar. 27, 2014 - 09:46PM JST @kurobuneL Not in Las Vegas area. Never Sumo matches in any arenas in Vegas. Sport game promoters this area don't know what sumo is. This means you have to omit USA in your definition ot International. 0 Mar. 27, 2014 - 10:03PM JST Bout time for another yokozuna besides old Hakuho! And finally some sumo news on JT! I bet this is the last sumo news on JT for a while... 0 BurakuminDes Mar.

28, 2014 - 12:38AM JST @ Jpn_guy - thanks for the info. Interesting - I didn't realise Kakuryu's recent record was so ordinary. If they had brought in those rule changes a few years ago, Kotooshu wouldve been promoted to Yokozuna too. 1 Kurobune Mar. 28, 2014 - 02:41PM JST toshiko - With all due respect, you are completely wrong ! Sumo last visited Las Vegas in 2005 as part of the city's Centennial Celebration ! I am almost sure there was another time, about twenty years or so before that, but I cannot recall exactly ! Also, Hawaii is a state included in the union of the United States last time I checked. This means we have to include the USA in our definition of international ! HAKKEYOI ! 0 lucabrasi Mar. 28, 2014 - 02:51PM JST of course it's international. Sumo's just a form of wrestling, if you ignore the religious aspect.

We have Cumberland wrestling in England, they have Glima in Iceland; it's all wrestling and has been practised everywhere since the dark ages. 1 Kurobune Mar. 29, 2014 - 01:49AM JST I will limit my comments on this matter to this final post.. I lived in Japan for more than twenty years. I was fortunate enough to have several great friendships in the Sumo Association and because of that have been able to attend both "hon-basho" and "jungyo" tours throughout Japan. I even attended the sumo tour of Hawaii 1993. There have been exhibition tours and trips to Hawaii, (at least twice) Spain, England, Paris, New York, Brazil and others in Asia that I am forgetting, I am sure. Some of the broadcasts in Japan on NHK were even broadcast in English during the early '90s, though they were very few and far between. I am sure there are others out there who have been in Japan for lengthy periods who can recall this.

The Sumo "BOOM" that occurred during the Ake - Taka -Waka period (the rivalry between the three yokozunas, Akebono, Takahanada and his elder brother Wakahanada) in the early to mid 90's went a long way in making sumo an international sport. I guess it depends on your perspective and perception of what international is ! I know one thing for sure ! I miss the sport and the people involved in the sport extremely ! That is one of the reasons I am so thankful for this particular forum. I am able to keep up with "things Japanese" ! Arigatou, JT ! -2 toshiko Mar. 29, 2014 - 03:54AM JST Even they research history of Sumo, etc. Sumo will not be in USA states too fast. They said the match of extremely fat perons and another one will not appeal to USA people.

Kakuryu promoted to yokozuna | The Japan Times Kakuryu promoted to yokozuna SHARE OSAKA – The Japan Sumo Association on Wednesday formally promoted Mongolian-born ozeki Kakuryu to sumo’s highest rank in a unanimous vote to become the 71st yokozuna. His promotion was confirmed after the rankings for the summer basho in May were decided followed by a meeting of the JSA’s executive board. Kakuryu, whose birth name is Mangaljalav Anand, is the first to attain the top rank since Harumafuji did so at the 2012 Autumn basho. “I am determined to focus all my efforts to train even harder and be certain to give all my strength not to defile the yokozuna name,” Kakuryu said at the ceremony held at Hoganji Temple in Osaka. The 28-year-old Kakuryu posted a 14-1 record in his second consecutive tournament en route to winning his first career title at the recently concluded Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka. He received the green light for yokozuna promotion after a meeting of the JSA’s Yokozuna Deliberation Council on Monday.

“I am really determined that I have to give my utmost. I have to become a wrestler who is respected,” he added. His stablemaster Izutsu said, “It’s great that he made it this far. As a yokozuna I want him to wrestle as long as he possibly can.” Kakuryu is the sixth foreign-born wrestler to be promoted to sumo’s highest rank. Three Mongolian-born rikishi, including Hakuho and Harumafuji, currently sit at the top rank. The Structure of Sumo Wrestling Glossary The Structure of Sumo Professional sumo consists of approximately 550 rikishi divided into 6 divisions. The top division, called Makuuchi, includes the top 42 wrestlers in the sport. The Makuuchi rank receives the most attention and media coverage. Because Makuuchi showcases the best of the best, Sumotalk.com focuses primarily on the rikishi in this division. The second highest division is called Juryo. Juryo consists of 28 rikishi.

Rikishi in the top two divisions--Makuuchi and Juryo--are called "sekitori." Sekitori are easily distinguished by their colorful mawashi (belts) and the topknot of their hair, which is fanned out into the shape of a ginkgo leaf. Sekitori are also assigned a tsuke-bito, a lower-ranked wrestler that acts as a servant performing such acts as carrying the sekitori's belongings, toweling him off during practice, and answering his every beck and call. Reaching sekitori status is the first major goal of any rikishi. The third division is called Makushita. This division consists of 120 rikishi all fighting to be promoted to Juryo, thus becoming a sekitori. The fourth division is Sandanme, which consists of approximately 200 rikishi. The fifth division is Jonidan, which consists of approximately 260 rikishi. The sixth and final division is Jonokuchi, which consists of approximately 80 rikishi. When a new rikishi enters professional sumo, he will usually enter the sport at the age of 16 ranked as a low Jonokuchi.

Some aspiring rikishi choose not to become professionals at 16, rather they develop their sumo technique during junior high, high school, and college. Once graduating from college, they can begin their professional careers at the Makushita 15 level if their accomplishments during their amateur days prove them worthy of this rank. There is only one method whereby a rikishi can rise through the sumo ranks: win a majority of his bouts at the major tournaments. Major tournaments, called hon-basho (or basho for short), occur six times a year in the odd months. A hon-basho lasts 15 days spanning the two middle weeks of the month. It begins on a Sunday and ends on the Sunday two weeks later. Rikishi from the top two divisions compete everyday of the tournament; whereas, the rikishi in the four lower divisions compete seven of the 15 days. Rikishi in the four lower divisions will wrestle an opponent who has the same record as himself. For example, if rikishi A is 2-3 after his first five bouts, his next opponent will also have the same record.

In this way, a rikishi cannot rise to the top of his division by consistently beating up on lesser opponents. Each division produces an eventual champion for the tournament. In order to be crowned champion for the four lower ranks, a rikishi usually has to win all seven of his bouts. If two or more rikishi are tied at the end of the tournament, they will have a playoff to determine the winner. As for the two top divisions, the rikishi with the best record at the end of the tournament is crowned the winner. If two or more rikishi are tied at the end of 15 days, they will have a playoff to determine the winner. It is extremely difficult to go 15-0 in the top two divisions, although it has been done. Makuuchi, the top division in the sport, consists of different levels. The highest level a rikishi can achieve is called Yokozuna, or Grand Champion. In order to attain this rank, a rikishi must win two major tournaments in a row. On the average, only 1 in every 1,000 rikishi will ever achieve this rank.

In fact, there have only been 69 rikishi crowned Yokozuna in the entire history of the sport. Yokozuna is the ultimate goal in sumo and is a rank greatly respected by everyone associated with the sport. Below the Yokozuna are the Ozeki. A general rule in attaining Ozeki status is winning 33 bouts over three consecutive tournaments while ranked from the sanyaku (see graphic below). There are usually 3-5 Ozeki at any given time, and an Ozeki usually has at least one tournament championship under his belt. Below the Ozeki are the Sekiwake and Komusubi ranks respectively. These two ranks are called the sanyaku, which literally means three upper tiers (the Ozeki have been classified as sanyaku in the past). There are usually 2 Sekiwake and 2 Komusubi each for every major tournament. The remaining rikishi in the Makuuchi division are all called Maegashira and are all ranked from 1 to 15 or 16 depending on their performance at the previous tournament. It should be noted here that all ranks and divisions in sumo are divided into the East group and the West group.

For example, in the Juryo rank there are 28 rikishi. Instead of ranking these rikishi 1 through 28, they are divided into two groups, East and West, and the rikishi in each group are ranked 1 through 14 with the East rank being the most prestigious. The top two rikishi in Juryo will be ranked 1 East and 1 West respectively. The East-West aspect of sumo is rather meaningless; it mainly determines from which side the rikishi will enter the ring before his bout. Each rikishi belongs to a stable, or sumo-beya. A stable can consist of anywhere from three to 20 rikishi (there is no set rule) of all different ranks. The lower rikishi live at the stable full-time, and here is where they will practice and receive their training. Each stable has a master, or shisho, who is a former rikishi himself. The shisho is in charge of the daily operations of the stable and usually keeps a sharp eye on the progress of each rikishi in his stable. Rikishi who belong to the same stable do not fight each other at major tournaments.

Question: What sport's highest rank is Yokozuna?
Answer: Sumo