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Makuuchi
, or , is the top division of Professional sumo divisions, the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size 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 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 and relegation, 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 a promotion, and the reverse (''makekoshi ...
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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 (usually by throwing, shoving or pushing him down). Sumo originated in Japan, the only country where it is practised professionally and where it is considered the national sport. It is considered a ''gendai budō'', which refers to modern Japanese martial arts, but the sport has a history spanning many centuries. Many ancient traditions have been preserved in sumo, and even today the sport includes many ritual elements, such as the use of salt purification, from Shinto. Life as a wrestler is highly regimented, with rules regulated by the Japan Sumo Association. Most sumo wrestlers are required to live in communal sumo training stables, known in Japanese as ''Heya (sumo), heya'', where all aspects of their daily livesfrom meals to their manner of dressa ...
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Rikishi
A , or, more colloquially, , is a sumo wrestler. Although used to define all wrestlers participating in sumo wrestling matches, the term is more commonly used to refer to professional wrestlers, employed by the Japan Sumo Association, who participate in professional sumo tournaments (called ) in Japan, the only country where sumo is practiced professionally. Professional follow traditions dating back to the Edo period, and therefore follow a number of codes and customs in their daily lives that distinguish them from other martial artists. Their life as professionals revolves around the observance of traditional rules that apply both to their life in the community and to the way they dress, the latter rules evolving according to the rank a wrestler has reached during his career. Coming from many different nationalities, are the only employees of the Japan Sumo Association who can run the organization once they have chosen to retire. However, only a tiny fraction of wrestl ...
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Professional Sumo Divisions
Professional sumo as administered by the Japan Sumo Association is divided into six ranked divisions. Wrestlers are promotion and relegation, 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 general level of opponents he will have to face becomes stronger. 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: ''Makuuchi'' , or , is the top division. It is fixed at 42 wrestlers who are ranked according to their performance in previous tournaments. At the top of the division are the four ranks of "titleholders", or "champions" called the '' ...
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Kachi-koshi
The following words are terms used in 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 (usually by th ... wrestling in Japan. A B C D E F G H I J K M N O R S T ...
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Makekoshi
The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. A B C D E F G H I J K M N O R S T W Y Z References External links Glossary of Sumo TermsSumopediaat NHK World-Japan {{Glossaries of s ...
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Japan Sumo Association
The , officially the ; sometimes abbreviated JSA or NSK, and more usually called Sumo Kyōkai, is the governing body that operates and controls Professional sports, professional sumo wrestling, called , in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). Concretely, the association maintains and develops sumo traditions and integrity by holding honbasho, tournaments and . The purposes of the association are also to develop the means dedicated to the sport and maintain, manage and operate the facilities necessary for these activities. Therefore, the JSA operates subsidiaries such as the Kokugikan Service Company to organize its economic aspects, the Sumo School to organize training and instruction or the Sumo Museum to preserve and utilize sumo wrestling records and artefacts. Though professionals, such as rikishi, active wrestlers, gyōji, referees, ...
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Onogawa Kisaburō
was a Japanese sumo wrestler from Ōtsu, Ōmi Province (now Shiga Prefecture). He was the sport's 5th ''yokozuna''. Along with Tanikaze, Onogawa was the first to be given a ''yokozuna'' licence during his lifetime. He is described as a leading figure of sumo during the Kansei era. Career His real name was . When he was 14 years old, he became a pupil of Kusazuri Iwanosuke (草摺岩之助) in Osaka-sumo, and took the ''shikona'', or ring name, . The following year, he was adopted by his master, Onogawa Saisuke (小野川才助), and stepped in the ring for the first time in May of 1772. He later changed his ring name to and moved to Edo-sumo in 1779. Onogawa was promoted to the top ''makuuchi'' division in March 1781 and began to wrestle for the Kurume Domain. In February 1782, he defeated '' ōzeki'' Tanikaze. The victory surprised people in Edo as it brought to an end Tanikaze's 63 consecutive victories, after four years and seven unbeaten seasons in Edo. Since then, the m ...
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Umegatani Tōtarō II
was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture. He was the sport's 20th ''yokozuna''. Umegatani had a great rivalry with fellow ''yokozuna'' Hitachiyama Taniemon. Their era was known as the Ume-Hitachi Era and it brought sumo to heights of popularity never before seen in the Meiji period. Career He was born , but later changed his name to . In 1891, he was spotted by a touring troupe of wrestlers led by '' ōzeki'' Tsurugizan. Because he scouted him, the ''ōzeki'' asked his master to recruit him into their stable. Oshida was later adopted by the 15th ''yokozuna'' Umegatani and joined his Ikazuchi stable in June 1892 at the age of 14. His father was initially reluctant to let him join at such a young age but Umegatani Tōtarō I personally guaranteed his well-being. In the stable, he was trained by Onigatani. He rose through the ranks quickly, making his ''jūryō'' debut in January 1897 and reaching the top ''makuuchi'' division in January ...
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Hitachiyama Taniemon
was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture. He was the sport's 19th ''yokozuna'' from 1903 till 1914. His great rivalry with Umegatani Tōtarō II created the "Ume-Hitachi Era" and did much to popularise sumo. He is remembered as much for his exploits in promoting the sport as for his strength on the ''dohyō.'' In his later years as head coach of Dewanoumi stable he trained hundreds of wrestlers, including three ''yokozuna''. Many consider him the most honorable ''yokozuna'' in sumo history, which earned him the nickname , or "sumo saint". Early career Hitachiyama was born as , on January 19, 1874, to a samurai family which belonged to the Mito Domain. His family was dismissed by the Meiji restoration authorities and was ruined financially. He moved to Tokyo and became dependent on his uncle. He attempted to enter Waseda University where his uncle was employed. At around this time, however, his uncle observed that he was able to lift a rock weigh ...
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Konishiki
Saleva'a Fuauli Atisano'e (born December 31, 1963), better known by his stage name, , is an American-born Japanese former professional sumo wrestler. Franz LidzMeat Bomb, 05.18.92 - ''Sports Illustrated'' He was the first non-Japanese-born wrestler to reach '' ōzeki'', the second-highest possible rank in the sport. During his career, he won the top division championship on three occasions and came very close to becoming the first foreign-born grand champion, or ''yokozuna'', prompting a social debate in Japan as to whether a foreigner could have the necessary cultural understanding to be deemed acceptable in sumo's ultimate rank. At a peak weight of he was also at the time the heaviest wrestler ever in sumo, earning him the nicknames "Meat Bomb" and, most famously, "The Dump Truck". Franz LidzMeat Bomb, 05.18.92 - ''Sports Illustrated'' Born in 1963 in Hawai'i to Vaa Atisanoe and Fala of Tula, American Sāmoa, Yasokichi became the first foreigner to earn the prestigious titl ...
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Kisenosato
is a Japanese sumo elder from Ibaraki Prefecture, Ibaraki. As a wrestler, he made his professional debut in 2002 and reached the top ''makuuchi'' division in 2004 at the age of just 18. After many years in the junior ''san'yaku'' ranks, he reached the second highest rank of ''Makuuchi#Ōzeki, ōzeki'' in January 2012. He earned three ''kinboshi'' or gold stars by defeating ''yokozuna'' in his career leading up to ''ōzeki'' and nine Sanshō (sumo), special prizes. He scored more than 20 double-digit kachi-koshi, winning records at the ''ōzeki'' rank. In 2016, he secured the most wins in the calendar year, the first wrestler to do so without winning a tournament in that year. After being a runner-up in a tournament on twelve occasions, he broke through at the January 2017 tournament, winning his first top division championship or ''yūshō'' with a record and subsequently was promoted to ''yokozuna'', the first Japanese-born wrestler to reach sumo's highest rank since Wakanohan ...
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