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| Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| Sport | Sumo |
| Promotion and relegation | Yes |
| National system | |
| Federation | Japan Sumo Association |
| Top division | Makuuchi |
| Second division | Jūryō |
| Sumo in Japan | |
Professionalsumo as administered by theJapan Sumo Association is divided intosix ranked divisions. Wrestlers arepromoted and demoted within and between these divisions based on the merit of their win–loss records in official tournaments. For more information, seekachi-koshi andmake-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 (幕内), ormakunouchi (幕の内), 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 thesan'yaku, comprisingyokozuna,ōzeki,sekiwake andkomusubi. There are typically 8–12 wrestlers in these ranks with the remainder, calledmaegashira, ranked in numerical order from 1 downwards.This is the only division that is featured on standardNHK's live coverage of sumo tournaments and is broadcast bilingually. The lower divisions are covered only on streaming services likeAbema.
The namemakuuchi literally means "inside the curtain", a reference to the early period of professional sumo, when the top rankedwrestlers were able to sit in a curtained off area prior to appearing for their bouts.Makuuchi can also refer to the top two divisionsmakuuchi andjūryō as a whole, as the wrestlers in these divisions are fully salaried professionals as opposed to "in training."
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Jūryō (十両) is the second highest division, and is fixed at 28 wrestlers. The name literally means "tenryō"', which was at one time the income a wrestler ranked in this division could expect to receive. The official name of the second division is actuallyjūmaime (十枚目), meaning "tenth placing" and can be heard in official announcements and seen in some publications, but within and outside the sumo world it is almost universally known asjūryō. Wrestlers in thejūryō and themakuuchi division above are known assekitori.Jūryō wrestlers, like those in the topmakuuchi division, receive a regular monthly salary as well as other perks associated with having become asekitori, or a member of the two upper divisions in sumo. Sumo wrestlers ranked in the divisions belowjūryō are considered to be in training and receive a small allowance instead of a salary.
Jūryō wrestlers, along with theirmakuuchi counterparts, are the only professional sumo wrestlers who compete in a full fifteen bouts per official tournament. In the case of injuries withmakuuchi wrestlers pulling out,jūryō wrestlers near the top of the division may find themselves in the occasional matchup with a top-division wrestler. Suchjūryō-makuuchi matchups are also not uncommon towards the end of a sumo tournament, in order to better establish promotion and relegation of individuals between the two divisions.
Once a wrestler is promoted tojūryō, he is considered a professional with significant salary and privileges. As such, promotions tojūryō are announced just a few days after a preceding tournament, whereas other rankings are not announced for several weeks.
Makushita (幕下) is the third highest division. Prior to the creation of thejūryō division, this division was only one below the topmostmakuuchi division (meaning inside the curtain).Makushita literally means "below (shita) the curtain (maku)."
In the current system, there are 120 wrestlers in the division (60 ranked on the East and 60 on the West side of thebanzuke). Unlike thesekitori ranks above them, wrestlers compete only seven times during a tournament.
It is often considered that holding the rank ofmakushita is the first step toward becoming a professional (sekitori ranked)sumo wrestler. Furthermore, it can be regarded as the most heavily contested division, with younger sumo wrestlers on their way up competing with those older sumo wrestlers who have dropped fromjūryō and are determined to regain the higher rank. A key incentive is the difference between being ranked in the topmostmakushita slot versus the lowestjūryō rank, which has been likened to being that between heaven and hell: a wrestler ranked atmakushita or lower is expected to carry out chores for thestable and anysekitori within it, whereas thejūryō wrestler will be served upon. Similarly, thejūryō wrestler receives a comfortable monthly salary, whereas a wrestler belowmakushita still only receives a small living allowance.
Winning all seven matches in a tournament grants an unconditional advance to thejūryō division if one is ranked within the top thirty wrestlers of the division. For any other member of the division, a 7–0 record will guarantee promotion to within the top thirty members, so two successive 7–0 records will allow amakushita wrestler to advance tojūryō.
Those in the uppermost ranks of the division, and thus slated for a possible advancement, may have a match with those injūryō, either as one of the seven matches they are expected to compete in, or occasionally in addition to the matches they have already had. This eighth match is sometimes required as a result of tournament withdrawals due to injury ofsekitori, and is usually given tomakushita wrestlers who have achieved a 3–4 or worse record in their regular seven bouts. It is ignored if one loses and counted if one wins, making it a true bonus bout for amakushita wrestler. In such a match-up, themakushita wrestler will have his hair fashioned into a fulloicho-mage assekitori do but continues to wear his plain cottonmawashi.
The termmakushita can also be used to refer to all four divisions as a whole that are belowjūryō, as these four divisions are considered wrestlers that are still in training.[citation needed]
Sandanme (三段目) is the fourth highest division. This level represents the first break point in the treatment a wrestler receives as he rises up the ranks. Fromsandanme, he is allowed a better quality of dress; for instance, he no longer needs to weargeta on his feet and can wear a form of overcoat over hisyukata. However, the wrestlers are still considered to be in training, receiving only an allowance rather than a salary. As with the other divisions belowjūryō, wrestlers only compete in seven bouts, held roughly every other day.
The number ofsandanme wrestlers per tournament is 160 (reduced from 180 before the January 2025 tournament.[1] It had previously been 200 before March 2022).[2]
Jonidan (序二段) is the fifth highest division. Unlike the divisions above it, there is no fixed number of wrestlers in the division although it is usually the largest division in any given tournament, with commonly around 200–250 wrestlers ranked within it. As a result of the numbers, and the fact that, as with the other lower divisions, the wrestlers fight only seven times during a tournament, a play-off tournament on the last day is normally required to determine the division champion.
Wrestlers in this division are forbidden from wearing overcoats over their thin cottonyukata, even in winter, and must weargeta on their feet. They often also pick up many of the more mundane chores within the training stable in which they live.
Jonokuchi (序ノ口 or 序の口) is the lowest division. All wrestlers, apart from those who have had successful amateur careers and are given special dispensation to entermakushita orsandanme directly, start in this division. In addition to the new wrestlers, the division tends to consist of other recent recruits to sumo wrestling as well as some older wrestlers who have fallen to the bottom of the ranks due to prolonged injury.
A new wrestler's initial position in thejonokuchi division is determined by his performance inmaezumō, a tournament held among new wrestlers at the time of the grand tournament before they are ranked for the first time. Thejonokuchi division varies in size and typically includes between 40 and 90 wrestlers, with the high mark being reached for each May tournament as the number of recruits appearing inmaezumō is generally largest during the preceding March tournament, when the Japanese school year ends. As with the other lower divisions, wrestlers only compete in seven bouts over the course of the tournament.Jonokuchi is the only division in which wrestlers are semi-regularly promoted even with a losing record; promotions to the next highestjonidan division with a losing record are especially common for the May tournament when there is the large influx of new recruits.
The wordjonokuchi is also used as an expression to describe when something has just begun.
