B
Banzuke
番付
The official ranking sheet published before each tournament, listing every professional wrestler in order of rank. Printed in traditional calligraphic style. The word also refers informally to the ranking system itself.
Basho
場所
A sumo tournament. Six basho are held each year, each lasting fifteen days. The word literally means "place" or "location."
Bökh
—
Traditional Mongolian wrestling — a different sport from sumo but one whose emphasis on balance and leverage transfers well. Many Mongolian sumo wrestlers trained in bökh before entering the Japanese professional system.
C
Chanko-nabe
ちゃんこ鍋
The protein-rich hot-pot stew that is the staple diet of sumo wrestlers. Prepared by lower-ranked wrestlers in the beya and eaten communally after morning training. The word chanko specifically refers to food prepared and eaten in a sumo beya context.
D
Dohyo
土俵
The raised clay platform on which sumo is contested. Approximately 55cm high, with a circular contest area 4.55m in diameter marked by tawara (rice straw bales). Consecrated as sacred space before each tournament.
Dohyo-iri
土俵入り
The ring-entering ceremony performed by all Makuuchi wrestlers before the day's top-division bouts begin. Wrestlers enter in their kesho-mawashi and perform a group purification ritual. The Yokozuna performs an extended individual dohyo-iri.
Dohyo-matsuri
土俵祭
The Shinto consecration ceremony performed before the first day of each tournament. A priest buries offerings beneath the dohyo clay and purifies the space.
G
Gohei
御幣
The zigzag paper streamers attached to the Yokozuna's tsuna (rope belt). The same form is used in Shinto shrines to mark sacred space.
Gunbai
軍配
The military fan carried by the gyoji (referee). Derived from military command fans used by generals. The gyoji points the gunbai toward the winning side to signal the result.
Gyoji
行司
The referee. Dressed in elaborate Heian court-derived robes, the gyoji directs pre-bout ritual, starts the match, and announces the result. Gyoji have their own ranking system. Senior gyoji carry a short sword as a symbol of responsibility.
H
Hatakikomi
叩き込み
Slap-down. A kimarite in which the wrestler slaps down on the opponent's shoulder or back as they charge forward, using their own momentum against them. One of the most common techniques in modern sumo.
Heya
部屋
A sumo training stable. More than a gym — a heya is a home, school, and social institution. Lower-ranked wrestlers live here full time. Each beya is managed by an oyakata (master), and trains wrestlers across all divisions. Note: "heya" is the base Japanese term; "beya" is the form it takes when compounded after a stable name (e.g., Sadogatake beya), through a sound shift called rendaku. Maemichi uses "beya" throughout the site, including standalone, for consistency and easier reading.
I
Ichimon
一門
A grouping of sumo beya that share a historical lineage or alliance. Beya within the same ichimon cooperate in certain administrative matters and do not typically schedule their wrestlers to fight each other until late in a tournament.
J
Jonidan
序二段
The fifth of six professional divisions, above Jonokuchi and below Sandanme. Wrestlers in Jonidan compete in seven bouts per tournament.
Jonokuchi
序ノ口
The lowest of the six professional divisions — the entry point for all new wrestlers. The word means "beginning of the sequence."
Juryo
十両
The second-highest division and the lower of the two paid divisions. Reaching Juryo is considered "turning professional" in sumo. Juryo wrestlers receive a monthly salary and participate in formal ceremony.
K
Kachi-koshi
勝ち越し
A winning record — eight or more wins from fifteen bouts in Makuuchi and Juryo. Kachi-koshi means a wrestler will rise in the rankings for the next tournament. The critical threshold.
Keiko
稽古
Training. Sumo training takes place in the morning before dawn and follows a strict hierarchical order — junior wrestlers practice first, seniors arrive later. Keiko is the physical and technical foundation of a wrestler's career.
Kensho
懸賞
Sponsor prize money. Companies pay to have their names displayed on banners carried around the ring before high-profile bouts. The winner collects the kensho envelopes from the gyoji after the match.
Kesho-mawashi
化粧廻し
The elaborately embroidered ceremonial apron worn by Makuuchi and Juryo wrestlers during the dohyo-iri ring-entering ceremony. Gifts from sponsors, often extremely valuable. Not worn in competition.
Kimarite
決まり手
The official winning technique of a sumo bout. 82 kimarite are officially recognized. The gyoji announces the kimarite after each bout. See the kimarite guide for full details.
Komusubi
小結
The fourth-highest rank in sumo, the lowest of the sanyaku (upper ranks). Komusubi wrestlers face opponents from the very top of the division from the first day of a tournament.
M
Maegashira
前頭
The rank-and-file of the Makuuchi division — all wrestlers not in the sanyaku ranks. Numbered from 1 (highest) downward to approximately 17 or 18. Maegashira 1 wrestlers — called "joi" — regularly face sanyaku opponents.
Make-koshi
負け越し
A losing record — fewer than eight wins from fifteen bouts. Make-koshi means a wrestler will fall in the rankings. For Ozeki, two consecutive make-koshi results in demotion.
Makuuchi
幕内
The top division of professional sumo. Contains 42 wrestlers. The division broadcast on NHK. Includes the sanyaku ranks (Yokozuna, Ozeki, Sekiwake, Komusubi) and Maegashira.
Makushita
幕下
The third division — the highest of the unpaid divisions. Makushita is the last rung before reaching Juryo and the paid professional ranks. Competition here is intense; the top positions (Makushita 1–5) are watched closely.
Mawashi
廻し
The belt worn in competition. In Makuuchi and Juryo, made of stiff silk, approximately nine metres long. In training and lower divisions, cotton is used. The primary tool of belt wrestling (yotsu-zumo).
Mono-ii
物言い
A judges' consultation called when the result of a bout is unclear. Five ringside judges (shimpan) confer on the dohyo. They may uphold the original decision, reverse it, or call a torinaoshi (rematch).
N
Nodowa
喉輪
A throat push — driving the palm or forearm into the opponent's throat to push them backward. A common oshi-zumo attacking move, particularly effective against wrestlers who fight upright.
O
Oicho
大銀杏
The ginkgo-leaf topknot hairstyle worn by Makuuchi wrestlers. The hair is oiled, swept back, and folded forward into a flat fan shape above the forehead. Juryo wrestlers wear a simpler topknot style (chonmage). The oicho is one of sumo's most distinctive visual elements.
Oshi-zumo
押し相撲
Pushing sumo — fighting style that relies on open-hand thrusts and pushes to the opponent's body without gripping the belt. Contrasted with yotsu-zumo (belt wrestling). See Evolution of technique.
Oyakata
親方
A sumo stable master. A retired wrestler who holds a JSA elder share and manages a beya — responsible for recruiting, training, and managing the careers of all wrestlers in the beya.
Ozeki
大関
The second-highest rank in sumo. The highest rank achievable through performance criteria alone. An Ozeki demoted after two consecutive make-koshi records becomes "Kadoban Ozeki" — on probation.
R
Rikishi
力士
A professional sumo wrestler. The word means "strong man" or "man of strength." The characters literally translate as "power" (力) and "samurai/person" (士).
S
Sandanme
三段目
The fourth of six professional divisions, above Jonidan and below Makushita.
Sanyaku
三役
The collective term for the upper ranks of Makuuchi — Yokozuna, Ozeki, Sekiwake, and Komusubi. Literally "three roles," though there are four ranks; the term predates the separation of Sekiwake and Komusubi as distinct positions.
Sekiwake
関脇
The third-highest rank in sumo, below Ozeki and above Komusubi. A competitive position that wrestlers can move in and out of based on tournament performance.
Senshuraku
千秋楽
The final day of a tournament — day fifteen. The word means "the last pleasure of a thousand autumns." The atmosphere at the Kokugikan on senshuraku, when the yusho is decided, is unlike any other day of the basho.
Shikiri
仕切り
The pre-bout ritual in which wrestlers repeatedly approach and withdraw from the starting lines — throwing salt, stomping, and crouching — before finally charging. Can last up to four minutes for top-ranked wrestlers.
Shikiri-sen
仕切り線
The two white lines at the centre of the dohyo marking the starting positions of each wrestler. Wrestlers must place both fists behind these lines at the moment of the tachiai.
Shiko
四股
The leg-stomping exercise performed during pre-bout ritual and in training. Each leg is raised as high as possible and driven into the clay. Serves as both Shinto purification and physical warm-up.
Shimpan
審判
The five ringside judges — all former wrestlers — who monitor bouts for infractions and can call a mono-ii (consultation) to review the gyoji's ruling.
T
Tachiai
立合い
The opening charge — the moment both wrestlers simultaneously launch themselves at each other from their starting positions. Often decisive: a wrestler who gains superiority at the tachiai wins a high proportion of bouts. The most critical single moment in sumo.
Tawara
俵
The rice straw bales that mark the boundary of the dohyo's contest circle. Wrestlers who step on or outside the tawara lose the bout. A small section of tawara is recessed at four points around the circle to allow for the possibility of a recovery step without automatic loss.
Tokoyama
床山
A sumo hairdresser — the craftsman who styles wrestlers' hair into the chonmage and oicho topknots. Tokoyama are JSA members with their own ranking system and serve specific beya.
Torinaoshi
取り直し
A rematch ordered by the judges after a mono-ii consultation when the result is too close to determine. Both wrestlers return to their starting positions and the bout is contested again from scratch.
Tsuna
綱
The thick white hemp rope belt worn by a Yokozuna during their individual dohyo-iri ceremony, and the origin of the rank's name. Weighs 25–35 kilograms. A new tsuna is made for each tournament.
Tsuppari
突っ張り
Rapid, alternating open-hand thrusts to the opponent's face and upper body — a distinctive oshi-zumo attacking pattern. Wrestlers known for tsuppari are called tsuppari specialists.
U
Uwatenage
上手投げ
Overarm throw. A kimarite in which the wrestler grips the opponent's belt from above (outer grip) and pivots to throw them. One of the most visually spectacular techniques in sumo. See kimarite.
W
Waza-ari
技あり
Not a sumo term — this is a judo concept sometimes confused with sumo by newcomers. Sumo has no partial scores; every bout produces a clean winner and loser.
Y
Yobidashi
呼出し
The tournament announcer who calls wrestlers' names before each bout in a distinctive chanted style. Also responsible for maintaining the dohyo surface between bouts and carrying kensho sponsor banners.
Yokozuna
横綱
The highest rank in sumo. Cannot be demoted — a Yokozuna whose performance declines is expected to retire voluntarily. Named for the tsuna (horizontal rope) worn in the dohyo-iri ceremony. 73 wrestlers have held the rank in recorded history.
Yorikiri
寄り切り
Frontal force-out. The most common kimarite in sumo — approximately 30% of all Makuuchi victories. The wrestler grips the belt and drives the opponent cleanly out of the ring. The definitive technique of belt wrestling.
Yotsu-zumo
四つ相撲
Belt wrestling — fighting style that relies on gripping the opponent's mawashi at close range, using leverage and positioning to force them out or throw them. The classical sumo tradition. Contrasted with oshi-zumo. See Evolution of technique.
Yusho
優勝
The tournament championship — won by the wrestler with the best record across the fifteen days of a basho. If two or more wrestlers are tied, a playoff is held immediately after senshuraku (the final day).