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47-538: The reason the Council was created is because of a scandal at the beginning of 1950. All of the three yokozuna of the time ( Azumafuji , Terukuni and Haguroyama ) were absent for most of the January tournament, driving intense criticism. The Sumo Association even began to think about a demotion system applied to yokozuna but the idea was later dropped under pressure from sumo purists and traditionalists. To maintain

94-672: A VIP, such as the Emperor , to the arena. The san'yaku can be split into two groups: The senior yokozuna and ōzeki , and junior sekiwake and komusubi . The former group have special promotion criteria and higher salaries, and have additional perks such as a higher number of junior wrestlers to assist them, an entitlement to park in the Sumo Association compound and voting rights in the election for Association directors. Senior yokozuna and ōzeki also have added responsibilities. They are expected to represent wrestler views to

141-637: A former count and member of the House of Peers . Its ten members were all distinguished members in fields unrelated to sumo; they include scholars, sociologists or writers. In January 1951 the Sumo Association declared that the yokozuna licenses would be, from that moment on, entirely under the control of the Yokozuna Deliberation Council and the directors of the Association, transforming the traditional recommendation and approval of

188-439: A large part of the reason that the promotion criteria for yokozuna are so strict in the first place. In extremely rare instances the Yokozuna Deliberation Council can, with over two-thirds of the members in favor, issue notices to yokozuna whose performance as well as poise and character are contrary to what is expected of the rank. These notices are, in increasing level of severity: Notices have been issued three times since

235-524: A licence by the Yoshida family in February 1884, and Gojo licences are no longer recognized officially. In May 1890, the name yokozuna was written on the banzuke for the first time due to the 16th yokozuna Nishinoumi Kajirō I 's insistence that his yokozuna status be recorded. In February 1909, during the reigns of the 19th yokozuna , Hitachiyama Taniemon , and the 20th, Umegatani Tōtarō II , it

282-592: A promotion, and the reverse ( make-koshi ) results in demotion. There are stricter criteria for promotion to the top two ranks, which are also privileged when considered for demotion. At the top fixed positions of the division are the, "titleholder" or san'yaku ranks of yokozuna , ōzeki , sekiwake and komusubi . There are typically 8–12 san'yaku wrestlers, with the remainder, called maegashira , ranked in numerical order from 1 downwards. San'yaku ( 三役 ) literally means "the three ranks", even though it actually comprises four ranks. The discrepancy arose because

329-435: A row. Today, the Sumo Association seems to consider that results "equivalent to a tournament victory" can also be considered sufficient for promotion to the sumo supreme title. When recommending a wrestler with similar results, two-thirds or more of the attending Council members must agree. The Council also report on the second highest rank of sumo because ōzeki are at the gateway of the yokozuna rank. Therefore, in 2022,

376-429: Is deemed to have not upheld the dignity of the rank. Expectations are so high that, even in the course of one tournament, a yokozuna who early on appears to be headed for a losing tournament will feel the pressure to retire. It is common and expected for a yokozuna to withdraw from a tournament with a real or imagined injury to avoid a make-koshi (a losing record) and the expectation to retire. These expectations are

423-415: Is fixed at 42 wrestlers ( rikishi ), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the only division that is featured on NHK 's standard live coverage of sumo tournaments. The lower divisions are shown on their satellite coverage, with only the makuuchi broadcast having bilingual English commentary. Makuuchi literally means "inside

470-473: Is more contentious, as it is essentially a subjective issue. For example, Hawaiian-born ōzeki Konishiki , in particular, was felt by many to be unfairly kept from yokozuna status due to his non-Japanese origin, and many Sumo Association members even openly said that foreigners ( gaijin ) could never achieve the hinkaku needed to be a yokozuna . In the case of Konishiki, other issues such as his weight were also cited. The debate concerning foreigners having

517-468: Is not sufficient, with example being Ozeki Kisenosato in 2013 and 2016. The rules are not set in stone and hence in reaching their conclusion the Yokozuna Deliberation Council and Sumo Association can interpret the criteria more leniently or strictly and also take into account other factors, such as total number of tournament victories, the quality of the wins, and whether the losses show any serious vulnerabilities. The issue of hinkaku (dignity and grace)

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564-466: Is the highest rank in sumo . The name literally means "horizontal rope" and comes from the most visible symbol of their rank, the rope ( 綱 , tsuna ) worn around the waist. The rope is similar to the shimenawa used to mark off sacred areas in Shinto , and like the shimenawa it serves to purify and mark off its content. The rope, which may weigh up to 20 kilograms (44 lb), is not used during

611-412: Is there a set quota: there have been periods with no wrestlers at yokozuna rank, and there have been periods with as many as four simultaneously. The power and skill aspects are usually considered with reference to recent tournament performance. The de facto standard is to win two consecutive championships as ōzeki or an equivalent performance. In the case where the "equivalent performance" criterion

658-457: Is to be introduced and form a circle around the wrestling ring ( dohyō ) wearing specially decorated heavy silk "aprons", called keshō-mawashi . A brief symbolic "dance" is carried out before filing off to change into their fighting mawashi and prepare for their bouts. A yokozuna , however, is introduced after the lower ranked wrestlers and is flanked by two other top division wrestler "assistants". The "dewsweeper" or tsuyuharai precedes

705-450: Is used, the wrestler's record over the previous three tournaments is taken into account with an expectation of at least one tournament victory and one runner-up performances, with none of the three records falling below twelve wins. Thus, a consistent high level of performance is required. Winning two tournaments with a poor performance between them is not usually sufficient. Also, achieving runner-up performance in three consecutive tournaments

752-458: Is usually completed within a couple of weeks of the tournament end. As opposed to all other sumo ranks, a yokozuna cannot be demoted. However, during tournaments, expectations are very high for yokozuna . A yokozuna is expected to win or at least be a serious contender for championships on a regular basis. A yokozuna is expected to retire if he can no longer compete at the peak of the sport, or in some cases (such as Futahaguro or Harumafuji )

799-572: The Yokoshin decided to move the training to the sumo school rings with a limited attendance. In September 2023, it was decided that the sōken would once again be open to the public. This event, the first public one in four years, also marked the first time that a Yokozuna Deliberation Council event coincided with a kanreki dohyō-iri , the chairman of the Japan Sumo Association, Hakkaku , having celebrated his sixtieth birthday on

846-434: The yokozuna was traditionally regarded as an ōzeki with a special license to wear a particular rope around his waist and perform a distinctive ring entry ceremony. In modern use san'yaku has a somewhat flexible definition. This is largely because the top two ranks of yokozuna and ōzeki have distinctive differences from the lower two ranks and from each other. Therefore, a reference to san'yaku can sometimes mean only

893-478: The yokozuna , while the "sword bearer" or tachimochi follows him into the arena. The sword is a Japanese katana and symbolises the samurai status of the yokozuna. The tachimochi will always be the more highly ranked of the assisting wrestlers. As indicated above, during the ceremony the yokozuna will wear his tsuna around his waist. The ceremonial aprons of all three form a matching set. Wakatakakage Too Many Requests If you report this error to

940-491: The Association decided to promote him to yokozuna before he had actually won an Emperor's Cup. However, Futahaguro's results never matched his rank and his attitude problems led to his forced retirement in 1988. From that day on the association decided to organise a more efficient filtering of wrestlers eligible for the rank of yokozuna by unofficially requiring two tournaments won in a row. Since Asahifuji in 1990, every yokozuna promoted until Kakuryū won two tournaments in

987-1646: The Association, assist in advertising events and meet event sponsors. The latter group, sekiwake and komusubi , have lesser responsibilities and are still eligible for one of the three special prizes, or sanshō that are awarded for exceptional performance at the end of each tournament. [REDACTED] Terunofuji [REDACTED] Kotozakura [REDACTED] Hōshōryū [REDACTED] Ōnosato [REDACTED] Kirishima [REDACTED] Daieishō [REDACTED] Wakamotoharu [REDACTED] Shōdai [REDACTED] Ōhō [REDACTED] Hiradoumi [REDACTED] Wakatakakage [REDACTED] Ura [REDACTED] Abi [REDACTED] Atamifuji [REDACTED] Churanoumi [REDACTED] Ōshōma [REDACTED] Tobizaru [REDACTED] Kotoshōhō [REDACTED] Takanoshō [REDACTED] Nishikigi [REDACTED] Endō [REDACTED] Mitakeumi [REDACTED] Rōga [REDACTED] Gōnoyama [REDACTED] Midorifuji [REDACTED] Takayasu [REDACTED] Ichiyamamoto [REDACTED] Takarafuji [REDACTED] Tamawashi [REDACTED] Meisei [REDACTED] Hokutofuji [REDACTED] Sadanoumi [REDACTED] Ryūden [REDACTED] Shōnannoumi [REDACTED] Chiyoshōma [REDACTED] Nishikifuji [REDACTED] Ōnokatsu [REDACTED] Tokihayate [REDACTED] Shishi [REDACTED] Takerufuji [REDACTED] Asakōryū [REDACTED] Bushōzan Yokozuna ( 横綱 , IPA: [jo̞ko̞d͡zɯᵝna] )

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1034-520: The Emperor, and was posthumously awarded the title for the first time. There is little supporting evidence for either theory—in fact, it is not even certain that Akashi actually existed—but it is known that by November 1789, yokozuna starting from the fourth yokozuna , Tanikaze Kajinosuke , and the fifth yokozuna , Onogawa Kisaburō , were depicted in ukiyo-e prints as wearing the shimenawa . These two wrestlers were both awarded yokozuna licences by

1081-456: The House of Yoshida Tsukasa into a pure ceremony. The Yokozuna Deliberation Council is constituted on the basis of Article 52 of the Japan Sumo Association statutes. The Council is composed of experts from various fields who are said to share a passion for sumo and have a deep understanding of it. Sumo Association members cannot be appointed in the Council and its members are unpaid. Since 1997, it

1128-608: The United States and Asashōryū , Hakuhō , Harumafuji , Kakuryū , and Terunofuji all in Mongolia. Other wrestlers have also been held back. For example, Chiyonoyama in the 1950s was not immediately promoted due to his relative youth despite winning consecutive tournaments, although he later achieved the top rank. On the other hand, Futahaguro was given the title of yokozuna in 1986, despite immaturity being cited in opposition to his promotion. After being promoted, he

1175-461: The Yokozuna Deliberation Council delivered harsh comments on the attitude and performances of the three ōzeki at that time ( Takakeisho , Shodai and Mitakeumi ), even going as far as proposing a harsher system in case of an ōzeki demotion. In the meantime, the Council also gives praises to promising talents. For example, during the same period, the Council praised sekiwake Wakatakakage and maegashira Tamawashi on their tournament. Finally,

1222-424: The already existing yokozuna it examin: For the yokozuna promotion process, the internal rule is that an ōzeki wins two tournaments in a row in principle. This rule was established following the promotion of the yokozuna Futahaguro in 1986. The Association was looking for an opponent to Chiyonofuji who was a dominant yokozuna . Futahaguro's performance suggested that he would win tournaments quickly, and

1269-431: The bottom three ranks, or in other cases only sekiwake and komusubi . There must be at least one sekiwake and komusubi on each side of the banzuke , normally two total, but there may be more. Although there is usually a yokozuna there is no requirement for one, and it has sometimes happened that no active yokozuna or no ōzeki were listed in the ranks. If there is more than one yokozuna but only one ōzeki ,

1316-529: The council also hold an open keiko session (called sōken , 総見) at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan , in front of a considerable number of oyakata , as well as many members of the sports and mainstream media. The event is also filmed by at least six different entities. The sōken was opened to the general public and held in the main area of the Kokugikan, but in 2023 the Japan Sumo Association and

1363-422: The council's inception in 1950: The formal birth of the rank from Tanikaze's time appears to have in part come from a desire to let the very best have a separate ring entry ceremony ( dohyō-iri ) from the remaining top division wrestlers. The dohyō-iri is a ceremonial presentation of all the top division wrestlers which is held before the competitive bouts of the day. The normal ceremony for top division wrestlers

1410-569: The criteria, then he will be visited in his training stable by a member of the Sumo Association Board of Directors who will formally give him the news. In the following days, a tsuna or ceremonial rope will then be made in his stable, and he will practice the ring entrance ceremony with advice from a previous or current yokozuna . Finally, he will have his inaugural ceremonial ring entry ceremony held at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, which

1457-404: The curtain", a reference to the early period of professional sumo, when there was a curtained-off area reserved for the top ranked wrestlers, to sit before appearing for their bouts. Wrestlers are considered for promotion or demotion in rank before each grand tournament according to their performance in the one previous. Generally, a greater number of wins than losses ( kachi-koshi ) results in

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1504-467: The dignity of the rank, it was instead decided that yokozuna should be recommended by experts with a deep knowledge of sumo, like the House of Yoshida Tsukasa (who controlled the world of sumo during the Edo period). The Yokozuna Deliberation Council was established on April 21, 1950 as an advisory body to the Japan Sumo Association. The first chairman of the Council was Sakai Tadamasa  [ ja ] ,

1551-479: The dignity to be a yokozuna was finally laid to rest on 27 January 1993, when Hawaiian-born ōzeki Akebono was formally promoted to yokozuna after only eight months as an ōzeki . Since then, the issue of whether foreigners have the necessary dignity has become a moot point as six of the nine wrestlers to achieve sumo's ultimate rank following Akebono in 1993 were not born in Japan: Musashimaru in

1598-489: The lower rank will be filled out by designating one of the yokozuna as yokozuna-ōzeki . There is no recorded instance of there being fewer than two yokozuna and ōzeki in total. There are a number of privileges and responsibilities associated with the san'yaku ranks. Any wrestler who reaches one of them is entitled to purchase one of the membership shares in the Japan Sumo Association , regardless of

1645-429: The matches themselves, but is worn during the yokozuna 's dohyō-iri ring entrance ceremony. As the sport's biggest stars, yokozuna are in many ways the grandmasters and the public face of sumo. As such, the way they conduct themselves is highly scrutinized, as it is seen as reflecting on the image of sumo as a whole. As of July 2021, a total of 73 sumo wrestlers have earned the rank of yokozuna. The birth of

1692-539: The meeting. The meeting of the Council is held after the announcement of each tournament ranking and before the final ranking organization meeting. It is also held the day after each tournament's senshūraku . At the request of the Association, the Council will report to the Association's consultation on yokozuna recommendation based on the wrestler's hinkaku (品格, dignity) and other yokozuna -related matters, or make recommendations based on its suggestions. The Council also usually provides three types of advice to

1739-513: The performance of the top-ranked wrestlers. Usually, at the instigation of the Japan Sumo Association, they can make a recommendation that a particular ōzeki -ranked wrestler has the necessary attributes to be promoted. Their recommendation is then passed to the Judging division and then the Board of Directors of the Sumo Association who make the final decision. If a wrestler is deemed to have met

1786-491: The prominent Yoshida family. Before the Meiji Era , the title yokozuna was conferred on ōzeki who performed sumo in front of the shōgun . This privilege was more often determined by a wrestler's patron having sufficient influence rather than purely on the ability and dignity of the wrestler. Thus, there are a number of early wrestlers who were, by modern standards, yokozuna in name only. In these early days, yokozuna

1833-403: The rank of yokozuna is unclear, and there are two competing legends. According to one, a 9th-century wrestler named Hajikami tied a shimenawa around his waist as a handicap and dared anyone to touch it, creating sumo as it is now known in the process. According to the other, legendary wrestler Akashi Shiganosuke tied the shimenawa around his waist in 1630 as a sign of respect when visiting

1880-458: The same date. In 2000, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology appointed Makiko Uchidate  [ ja ] as a member of the council. It was the first time a woman was made a member of the yokoshin . In 2022, the Ministry appointed Konno Misako and Ikenobō Yasuko as members of the Yokozuna Deliberation Council and, for the first time, two women became members at

1927-495: The same time of an organization linked to the Japanese Sumo Association. Notices have been issued three times since the council's inception in 1950: As of February 2024. Since its foundation in 1950, the Yokozuna Deliberation Council had 18 chairmen. Yokozuna Makuuchi ( 幕内 ) , or makunouchi ( 幕の内 ) , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo . Its size

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1974-402: The total number of tournaments they have spent in the top makuuchi division. They may be called on to represent all sumo wrestlers on certain occasions. For example, when the president of the Sumo Association makes a formal speech on the opening and closing days of a tournament, he is flanked by all the san'yaku wrestlers in their mawashi . Similarly they may be called to assist in welcoming

2021-511: The way. Futahaguro eventually retired after only one and a half years at the top rank and became the only yokozuna in sumo history ever to retire without having won at least one top division championship. Elevation to yokozuna rank is a multi-stage process. After a tournament, the Yokozuna Deliberation Council, a body of lay people (that is, not former sumo wrestlers) who are appointed by the Japan Sumo Association to provide an independent quality control on yokozuna promotion, meet and discuss

2068-421: Was also not regarded as a separate rank in the listings, but as an ōzeki with special dispensation to perform his own ring entering ceremony. At first, the Yoshida family and a rival family, Gojo, fought for the right to award a wrestler a yokozuna licence. The Yoshida family won this dispute, because the 15th yokozuna Umegatani Tōtarō I , one of the strongest wrestlers, expressed his wish that he be awarded

2115-432: Was decided that members would serve terms of two years, with a maximum of five terms. The number of members is limited to 15 and there is currently 8 members on the Council. The Council is directed by a chairman elected by mutual vote of members. The chairman's term of office is 2 years, up to 2 terms. Association members can also attend and take part at the meeting, the Association's chairman and other directors usually attend

2162-449: Was involved in several misbehaviors that embarrassed the Sumo Association such as hitting one of his tsukebito (manservant or personal assistant) over a trivial matter in a scandal that had six of his seven tsukebito decide to leave him. The promotion again proved to be a fiasco when it was later revealed that he had a heated argument with his stable boss, Tatsunami, and stormed out of the heya , allegedly striking Tatsunami's wife on

2209-631: Was officially recognized as the highest rank. Since the establishment of the Yokozuna Deliberation Council ( 横綱審議委員会 , Yokozuna-shingi-iinkai ) on 21 April 1950, wrestlers have been promoted to yokozuna by the Japan Sumo Association . The first yokozuna promoted by the Sumo Association was the 41st yokozuna Chiyonoyama Masanobu . In modern sumo, the qualifications that an ōzeki must satisfy to be promoted are that he has enough power, skill and dignity/grace (品格 hinkaku ) to qualify. There are no absolute criteria, nor

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