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Yokozuna (横綱) is the highest rank in sumo wrestling. The name comes from the most visible symbol of their rank, the wide (yoko) rope (tsuna) worn around the waist. The rope bears a marked similarity to the Shinto shimekazari rope often attached to torii temple gates and sacred trees, and like them serves to purify and mark off its content. The rope, which may weigh up to 20 kilograms, is not used during the matches themselves, but is worn during the yokozuna's dohyo-iri ring entrance ceremony.
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2 Yokuzuna in History 3 Related topics 4 External Links |
Elevation to yokozuna rank is decided by the Japan Sumo Association,
who decide that a ozeki-rank wrestler has enough power, skill and
dignity/grace (品格 hinkaku) to qualify. Winning two consecutive champsionships as ozeki is a rule of thumb for qualification, but there are no absolute criteria, and neither is there a set quota: there have been periods with no wrestlers
at yokozuna rank, and there have been periods with up to three
simultaneously. The rank, once awarded, is permanent, although
yokozuna are expected to retire once no longer at the top of their
form.
The flexible qualification criteria, especially the requirement of
hinkaku, has been the source of much controversy over the
years, especially with the recent entry of very successful
Hawaiian wrestlers into the ring. Ozeki Konishiki (小錦), in
particular, was felt by many to be unfairly kept from yokozuna status due to
his foreignness, and many Sumo Association members even openly said
that gaijin can never achieve the hinkaku needed to be a
yokozuna. However, this debate was finally laid to rest on
January 27, 1993, when ozeki Akebono (曙) was formally promoted
to yokozuna after only 8 months at ozeki rank.
The birth of the rank of yokozuna is unclean, 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 any to touch it, creating sumo as we know it 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 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 was a historical figure -- but it is known that by 1789, yokozuna starting from Tanikaze Kajinosuke were depicted in ukiyo-e prints as wearing the shimenawa.
As of January 2004, there have been a grand total of 68 yokozuna, although formal recordkeeping only started with Tanikaze in 1789. A selected list:
Becoming a Yokozuna
Yokuzuna in History
There is currently only one active yokozuna:
Related topics
External Links