sumo wrestling 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 thr ...

, a ''kanreki dohyō-iri'' (Japanese: 還暦土俵入り) is a ring-entering ceremony (''

dohyō-iri The following words are terms used in sumo wrestling in Japan. A B C D E F G H ...

'') performed by a former ''

yokozuna , 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 on ...

'' in celebration of his 60th birthday (called ''kanreki'' in Japanese). If he is a ''

toshiyori A is a sumo elder of the Japan Sumo Association (JSA). Also known as , former wrestlers who reached a sufficiently high rank are the only people eligible. The benefits are considerable, as only ''toshiyori'' are allowed to run and coach in su ...

'' (a sumo elder), the ceremony is usually held at the

Ryōgoku Kokugikan , also known as Ryōgoku Sumo Hall or Kokugikan Arena, is the name bestowed to two different indoor sporting arenas located in Tokyo. The fist ''Ryōgoku Kokugikan'' opened its doors in 1909 and was located on the lands of the Ekōin temple in Ry ...

, the main sumo hall in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

. Those who are not current members of the

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 ...

must hold it at another location. A special red '' tsuna'' is created and worn, instead of the usual white ''tsuna''. Reaching your 60th birthday is an important occasion in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

and is celebrated by wearing a red item. This is commonly known as an ''akatsuna'' (赤綱) but this term is unofficial. If the dew-sweeper or sword-bearer is a former ''yokozuna'', he wears his own ''tsuna''.

Kanreki performed at Kokugikan

Hwangab Kanreki Dohyo-iri from Tsunenohana 1956 Scan10058

Wrestlers are listed using their ring name, followed by their then ''toshiyori'' name in brackets if they were retired at the time of the ceremony.

Kanreki performed at other locations

Tachiyama's was the first ''kanreki-dohyo-iri'' and the only one to use the ''

shiranui is an atmospheric ghost lights, atmospheric ghost light told about in Kyushu. They are said to appear on days of the noon moon such the (29th or 30th day) of the seventh month of the lunisolar Japanese calendar when the wind is weak, in the ...

'' style until Asahifuji's in 2021. Mienoumi performed an early ''kanreki dohyō-iri'' seven months before his 60th birthday, on the 25th anniversary of the founding of

Musashigawa stable The is a stable of sumo wrestlers, part of the Dewanoumi ''ichimon'' or group of stables. It is an off-shoot of the better known stable of the same name set up by former ''yokozuna'' Mienoumi in 1981, which is currently known as Fujishima stable ...

Other eligible Yokozuna

Minanogawa Tōzō , also known as , was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Tsukuba, Ibaraki. He was the sport's 34th ''Yokozuna (sumo), yokozuna''. Career He was born . He had lost his father in the Russo-Japanese War at the age of two, and worked as a l ...

Akinoumi Setsuo , born , was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Hiroshima. He was the sport's 37th ''yokozuna''. Career Akinoumi made his professional debut in February 1932 and reached the top ''makuuchi'' division in January 1938. He was the man who ...

and

Wajima Hiroshi was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Nanao, Ishikawa. He was the sport's 54th ''yokozuna'' and remains the only wrestler with a collegiate background to reach its highest rank. Entering professional sumo in 1970, he won a total of 14 ...

also reached the age of sixty years whilst retired, but did not perform a ''kanreki dohyō-iri'' (all three had left the sumo world many years before).

Kagamisato Kiyoji was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Aomori Prefecture. He was the sport's 42nd ''yokozuna''. Career He was born in a small fishing village in Sannohe District. He came from a poor family as his father had died when he was very you ...

(Tatsutagawa), Tochinoumi Teruyoshi (Kasugano),

Sadanoyama Shinmatsu was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Nagasaki Prefecture. He was the sport's 50th ''yokozuna''. After his retirement he was the head coach of Dewanoumi stable and served as head of the Japan Sumo Association. Career Born in Arikawa, ...

(Sakaigawa) and Kotozakura Masakatsu (Sadogatake) received red ''tsuna'' but did not perform ''dohyō-iri''. Kagamisato and Kotozakura did not perform due to poor health. Similarly Tochinoumi did not perform due to muscle problems in his right arm dating back to his active days. Sadanoyama declined because at the time he had just lost the chairmanship of the Sumo Association in controversial circumstances. Asashio Tarō (Takasago) had a red ''tsuna'' made, but died aged 58 without performing the ceremony.

Asahifuji is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler from Aomori. He joined professional sumo in 1981, reaching the top ''makuuchi'' division just two years later. He reached the second highest rank of '' ōzeki'' in 1987 and became the 63rd ''yokoz ...

was scheduled to perform the kanreki ceremony on 30 May 2020 but the event was postponed owing to the

COVID-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. It was eventually held on 3 October 2021 at the Kokugikan.

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 sp ...

reached 60 years of age in October of 2022, however, no plans for a ''dohyō-iri'' were reported.

References

External links

Article with images of kanreki dohyō-iri (Japanese)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanreki, Dohyo-Iri Sumo terminology

Kanreki performed at Kokugikan

Kanreki performed at other locations

Other eligible Yokozuna

See also

References

External links