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
dohyoiri ring entrance ceremony.
Becoming a Yokozuna
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.
Two consecutive grand tournament victories are considered
to be sufficient proof, but there are no set
criteria for qualification, 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 four
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.
Yokuzuna Through Time and Space
To date, there have been a grand total of 68
yokozuna, although formal recordkeeping only started in 1800 or so.
A select list of more famous fellows:
- Tachiyama (立山), superstar of the Meiji era
- Taiho (大鵬), reckoned by many to be the greatest of all time,
with a record 32 tournament victories and over 1000 match victories
- Chiyonofuji (千代の富士), the dominant wrestler until his
retirement in 1991, with one tournament victory less than Taiho
- Kitanoumi (北の湖), not far behind either
- Akebono (曙), first non-Japanese yokozuna
There are
currently two active yokozuna:
References
http://www.sumo.or.jp/
Constant sumo exposure in Japan, esp. when sick, stuck in front of
TV and unable to move from couch