Wakanohana Masaru
is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler. As an active wrestler he was known as , and his rise through the ranks alongside his younger brother Takanohana Kōji saw a boom in sumo's popularity in the early 1990s. He is the elder son of the former '' ōzeki'' Takanohana Kenshi, who was also his stablemaster, and the nephew of Wakanohana Kanji I, a famous ''yokozuna'' of the 1950s. Wakanohana was a long serving ''ōzeki'' who won five tournament championships, and eventually joined his brother at ''yokozuna'' rank in 1998, creating the first ever sibling grand champions. After a brief and injury plagued ''yokozuna'' career he retired in 2000, becoming a television personality and restaurant owner. The death of his father in 2005 saw a very public falling out with his brother. Sumo career Early career He entered sumo in March 1988, at the same time as his younger brother Takanohana, and joined his father's training stable, then known as Fujishima stable. The two brothers ...
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Shikona
A is a sumo wrestler's ring name. The tradition of ring names in sumo dates back to the Edo period, where they were used as a means to attract customers and hide the identities of the ''rikishi''. Like standard Japanese names, a ''shikona'' consists of a surname and a personal, or given name, and the full name is written surname first. However, the personal name is rarely used outside formal or ceremonial occasions. Thus, the former ''yokozuna'' is usually referred to as simply ''Asashōryū''. When addressing a sumo wrestler of the ''makuuchi'' or ''jūryō'' divisions, the suffix is used instead of the usual . The given name is often, but not always, the wrestler's original name, and may be changed at the whim of the individual wrestler. Foreign wrestlers always adopt a new, Japanese given name. Often, on first joining professional sumo, a wrestler's ''shikona'' is the same as his family name. As a wrestler rises through the ranks of sumo, he is expected to change his ''shi ...
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Japan Sumo Association
The is the body that operates and controls professional sumo wrestling (called ''Ōzumō'', 大相撲) in Japan under the jurisdiction of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). ''Rikishi'' (active wrestlers), ''gyōji'' (referees), ''tokoyama'' (hairdressers), and ''yobidashi'' (ushers/handymen), are all on the Association's payroll, but the organisation is run entirely by ''toshiyori'' (elders). The organization has its headquarters in Yokoami, Sumida, Tokyo. History The precursor to a full-fledged organization began in the Edo period with sumo bouts that were often held to raise funds for new construction or repair of bridges, temples, shrines and other public buildings. ''Shōgun'' Tokugawa Ieyasu specifically, wanted "street" sumo prohibited and determined sumo should only be held for charitable purposes, and it was known as ''kanjin'' sumo. The wrestlers were also paid with extra revenue from these events. This is when the fi ...
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Ōnokuni Yasushi
is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler from Hokkaidō. Making his professional debut in 1978, he reached the top division in 1983. In 1987 he won his first ''yūshō'' or tournament championship with a perfect record and became the sport's 62nd ''yokozuna''. However, he was only able to win one more championship before his retirement in 1991. He has remained in sumo as a coach and in 1999 became the head of Shibatayama stable. He was elected to the Japan Sumo Association's board of directors in 2018. Early life Aoki was born in Memuro, Hokkaidō. At school he did judo, but after a sumo tournament in the area, he was recruited to Hanakago stable by Kaiketsu Masateru and fought his first bout in March 1978, aged 15. He took on the ''shikona'', or ring name, of in the following tournament. When Kaiketsu set up his Hanaregoma stable in 1981, he took Ōnokuni with him. ''Makuuchi'' Ōnokuni reached the second ''jūryō'' division in March 1982, and the top ''makuuchi'' d ...
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Judge (sumo)
:''This article about a judge in sumo. For a kind of a feudal domain in the Edo period, see Shinpan (daimyo).'' or Shinpan are the ring-side judges of a professional sumo bout. In a sumo ''honbasho'' tournament five ''shimpan'' sit around the ring to observe which wrestler wins the matchup. When judging tournament bouts they wear formal Japanese dress of '' otokomono'', ''haori'' with '' mon'', and ''hakama''. At the end of each bout an initial decision is given by the ''gyōji'' (the ring referee), which is usually correct and no action is taken by the ''shimpan''. Five ''shimpan'' sit around the ring during the tournament. The order of importance of the ''shimpan'' is determined by where they sit. The order of importance goes North, East, South East, South West, West. They will rotate where they sit every day to maintain equality. However, during the top division only the chief ''shimpan'' and his two deputies may sit in the North. The South East ''shimpan'' also acts as the ti ...
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Wakanohana 3 Handmold
Wakanohana may refer to: *Wakanohana Kanji I (1928–2010), sumo wrestler, the 45th ''Yokozuna'' *Wakanohana Kanji II (1953–2022), sumo wrestler, the 56th ''Yokozuna'' *Wakanohana Masaru is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler. As an active wrestler he was known as , and his rise through the ranks alongside his younger brother Takanohana Kōji saw a boom in sumo's popularity in the early 1990s. He is the elder son of th ...

Wakanohana III Tegata
Wakanohana may refer to: *Wakanohana Kanji I (1928–2010), sumo wrestler, the 45th ''Yokozuna'' *Wakanohana Kanji II (1953–2022), sumo wrestler, the 56th ''Yokozuna'' *Wakanohana Masaru is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler. As an active wrestler he was known as , and his rise through the ranks alongside his younger brother Takanohana Kōji saw a boom in sumo's popularity in the early 1990s. He is the elder son of th ...

Akinoshima
Akinoshima Katsumi (born 16 March 1967 as Katsumi Yamanaka) is a former sumo wrestler from Akitsu, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. He made his professional debut in 1982, and after reaching the top division in 1988 he remained there for 15 years. His highest rank was ''sekiwake.'' He was known as the "giant killer" having defeated more ''yokozuna'' than any other untitled wrestler (''maegashira'') in the history of sumo, earning himself 16 ''gold stars'' or ''kinboshi'' over his career, four more than his nearest ''kinboshi'' earning rivals, Takamiyama and Tochinonada. He also has received 19 performance prizes ('' sanshō''), another record in sumo history. Akinoshima was a member of Futagoyama stable and was a stablemate of the wrestling brothers Takanohana II and Wakanohana III during their rise in sumo and subsequent ''yokozuna'' reigns. Akinoshima was a wrestler always capable of surprise wins, but lacked consistency, spending most of his career as a ''maegashira''. After ...
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Takanonami
Takanonami Sadahiro (born Sadahiro Namioka October 27, 1971 – June 20, 2015) was a Japanese sumo wrestler and coach from Aomori. He held sumo's second highest rank of '' ōzeki'' from 1994 until 2000. He won two tournament championships, and was a runner-up in eight others. He was a sumo coach from his retirement in 2004 until his death in 2015 at the age of 43. Career Born in Misawa, Aomori, the young Namioka did sumo at elementary school, but did not initially consider it as a profession, intending to follow his father and work in local government. However, he was introduced to Fujishima Oyakata (the former Takanohana Kenshi) who was in Misawa to give a speech, and was persuaded to join Fujishima Stable. Takanonami made his professional debut in 1987. He became an elite ''sekitori'' ranked wrestler in March 1991 when he was promoted to the second highest ''jūryō'' division, and he reached the top ''makuuchi'' division in November 1991. He led the race for the championship i ...
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Yūshō
is the term for a championship in Japanese. This article focuses on championships in the sport of professional sumo. It is awarded in each of the six annual ''honbasho'' or official tournaments, to the wrestler who wins the most bouts. ''Yūshō'' are awarded in all six professional sumo divisions Professional sumo as administered by the Japan Sumo Association is divided into six ranked divisions. Wrestlers are promoted and demoted within and between these divisions based on the merit of their win–loss records in official tournaments. Fo .... The prize money for a top ''makuuchi'' division championship is currently 10 million yen, while for the lowest ''jonokuchi'' division the prize is 100,000 yen. A runner-up is referred to as a ''jun-yūshō.'' Perhaps surprisingly, considering that most of the interest in tournaments today revolves around who will win the ''yūshō'', the concept of a prize for a wrestler's individual performance is a relatively recent one. Legendary ...
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Maegashira
, or , is the top division of 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 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 (''make-koshi'') results in demotion. There are stricter criteria ...
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