ja (幕内), or ja (幕の内), is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Since 2004 its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (ja), 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 ja broadcast having bilingual English commentary.

ja 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 previous one. Generally, a greater number of wins than losses (ja) results in a promotion, and the reverse (ja) results in demotion. There are stricter criteria for promotion to the top two ranks, which are also privileged when considered for demotion.

Overview

At the top fixed positions of the division are the "titleholder" or ja ranks of ja, ja, ja and ja. There are typically 8–12 ja wrestlers, with the remainder, called ja, ranked in numerical order from 1 downwards.

ja (三役) literally means "the three ranks", even though it actually comprises four ranks. The discrepancy arose because the ja was traditionally regarded as an ja with a special license to wear a particular rope around his waist and perform a distinctive ring-entry ceremony. In modern use ja has a somewhat flexible definition. This is largely because the top two ranks of ja and ja have significant differences from the lower two ranks and from each other. Therefore, a reference to ja can sometimes mean only the bottom three ranks, or in other cases only ja and ja.

For each ja, here must be at least one ja and ja on each side, east and west, normally two of each rank, but there may be more. Although there is usually a ja there is no requirement for one, and it has sometimes happened that no active ja or no ja were listed in the ranks. If there is more than one ja but only one ja, the lower rank will be filled out by designating one of the ja as ja. There is no recorded instance of there being fewer than two ja and ja in total.

There are a number of privileges and responsibilities associated with the ja ranks. Any wrestler who reaches one of them is entitled to purchase one of the membership shares in the Japan Sumo Association, regardless of the total number of tournaments they have spent in the top ja division. They may be called on to represent all sumo wrestlers on certain occasions. For example, when the president of the Sumo Association makes a formal speech on the opening and closing days of a tournament, he is flanked by all the ja wrestlers in their ja. Similarly they may be called to assist in welcoming a VIP, such as members of the Imperial Family, to the arena.

The ja can be split into two groups: the senior ja and ja, and the junior ja and ja.

The former group have special promotion criteria and higher salaries, and have additional perks such as a higher number of junior wrestlers to assist them, an entitlement to park in the Sumo Association compound and voting rights in the election for Association directors. Senior ja and ja also have added responsibilities. They are expected to represent wrestler views to the Association, assist in advertising events and meet event sponsors.

The latter group, ja and ja, have lesser responsibilities and just like ja are still eligible for one of the three special prizes (ja), that are awarded for exceptional performance of lower ranking wrestlers at the end of each tournament.

ja

"Yokozuna" redirects here. For the Samoan American professional wrestler, see Yokozuna (wrestler).
See also: List of yokozuna and List of sumo record holders#Most tournaments

ja (横綱, jo̞ko̞d͡zɯᵝna) is the highest rank in sumo. The name literally means 'horizontal rope' and comes from the most visible symbol of their rank, the rope (綱, tsuna) worn around the waist.[1] The rope is similar to the ja used to mark off sacred areas in Shinto, and like the ja it serves to purify and mark off its content.[1] The rope, which may weigh up to 20 kilograms (44 lb), is not used during the matches themselves, but is worn during the ja's ja ring entrance ceremony.

As of May 2025, a total of 75 sumo wrestlers are officially recognized by the Japan Sumo Association to have earned the rank of yokozuna; considering that formal record-keeping only began with Tanikaze Kajinosuke and Onogawa Kisaburō in 1789, this roughly averages out to one every three years.

History

There are two competing legends regarding the origin of the ja rank. According to one, a 9th-century wrestler named Hajikami tied a ja around his waist as a handicap and dared anyone to touch it, creating sumo as it is now known in the process. According to the other, legendary wrestler Akashi Shiganosuke tied the ja 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 actually existed—but it is known that by November 1789, ja starting from the fourth ja, Tanikaze Kajinosuke, and the fifth ja, Onogawa Kisaburō, were depicted in ja prints as wearing the ja. These two wrestlers were both awarded ja licences by the prominent Yoshida family.[2]

Before the Meiji era, the title ja was conferred on ja who performed sumo in front of the ja. This privilege was more often determined by a wrestler's patron having sufficient influence rather than purely on the ability and dignity of the wrestler. Thus, there are a number of early wrestlers who were, by modern standards, ja in name only. In these early days, ja was also not regarded as a separate rank in the listings, but as an ja with special dispensation to perform his own ring entering ceremony.

At first, the Yoshida family and the rival Gōjō family fought for the right to award a wrestler a ja license. The Yoshida family won this dispute, because the 15th ja Umegatani Tōtarō I, one of the strongest wrestlers of his time, expressed his wish that he be awarded a license by the Yoshida family in February 1884, and consequently Gōjō family licenses were no longer officially recognized.

In May 1890, the name ja was written on the ja for the first time due to the 16th ja Nishinoumi Kajirō I's insistence that his ja status be recorded. In February 1909, during the reigns of the 19th ja, Hitachiyama Taniemon, and the 20th, Umegatani Tōtarō II, it was officially recognized as the highest rank. Since the establishment of the Yokozuna Deliberation Council (横綱審議委員会, Yokozuna-shingi-iinkai) on 21 April 1950, wrestlers have been promoted to ja by the Japan Sumo Association. The first ja promoted by the Sumo Association was the 41st ja Chiyonoyama Masanobu.

Criteria for promotion

In modern sumo, the qualifications that an ja must satisfy to be promoted are that he has enough power, skill and dignity/grace (品格 ja) to qualify. There are no absolute criteria, nor is there a set quota: there have been periods with no wrestlers at ja rank, and there have been periods with as many as four simultaneously.

The power and skill aspects are usually considered with reference to recent tournament performance. The de facto standard is to win two consecutive championships as ja or an equivalent performance. In the case where the "equivalent performance" criterion is used, the wrestler's record over the previous three tournaments is taken into account with an expectation of at least one tournament victory and one runner-up performance, with none of the three records falling below twelve wins. Thus, a consistent high level of performance is required. Winning two tournaments with a poor performance between them is not usually sufficient. Also, achieving runner-up performance in three consecutive tournaments is not sufficient: an example is ja Kisenosato in 2013 and 2016. The rules are not set in stone; hence, in reaching their conclusion the Yokozuna Deliberation Council and Sumo Association can interpret the criteria more leniently or strictly and also take into account other factors, such as total number of tournament victories, the quality of the wins, and whether the losses show any serious vulnerabilities.

The issue of ja (dignity and grace) is more contentious, as it is essentially a subjective issue. For example, Hawaiian-born ja Konishiki, in particular, was felt by many to be unfairly kept from ja status due to his non-Japanese origin, and many Sumo Association members even openly said that foreigners (ja) could never achieve the ja needed to be a ja. In the case of Konishiki, other issues such as his weight were also cited.[3] The debate concerning foreigners having the dignity to be a ja was finally laid to rest on 27 January 1993, when Hawaiian-born ja Akebono was formally promoted to ja after only eight months as an ja. Since then, the issue of whether foreigners have the necessary dignity has become irrelevant as seven of the ten wrestlers to achieve sumo's ultimate rank following Akebono in 1993 were not born in Japan: Musashimaru in the United States and Asashōryū, Hakuhō, Harumafuji, Kakuryū, Terunofuji, and Hōshōryū all in Mongolia.

Other wrestlers have also been held back. For example, Chiyonoyama in the 1950s was not immediately promoted due to his relative youth despite winning consecutive tournaments, although he later achieved the top rank.[4] On the other hand, Futahaguro was given the title of ja in 1986, despite immaturity being cited in opposition to his promotion.[5] After being promoted, he was involved in several misbehaviors that embarrassed the Sumo Association such as hitting one of his ja (manservant or personal assistant) over a trivial matter in a scandal that had six of his seven ja decide to leave him.[6] The promotion again proved to be a fiasco when it was later revealed that he had a heated argument with his stable boss, Tatsunami, and stormed out of the ja, allegedly striking Tatsunami's wife on the way. Futahaguro eventually retired after only one and a half years at the top rank and became the only ja in sumo history ever to retire without having won at least one top division championship.

Becoming

Elevation to ja rank is a multi-stage process. After a tournament, the Yokozuna Deliberation Council, a body of lay people (that is, not former sumo wrestlers) who are appointed by the Japan Sumo Association to provide an independent quality control on ja promotion, meet and discuss the performance of the top-ranked wrestlers. Usually, at the instigation of the Japan Sumo Association, they can make a recommendation that a particular ja-ranked wrestler has the necessary attributes to be promoted. Their recommendation is then passed to the Judging division and then the Board of Directors of the Sumo Association who make the final decision.

If a wrestler is deemed to have met the criteria, then he will be visited in his training stable by a member of the Sumo Association Board of Directors who will formally give him the news. In the following days, a ja or ceremonial rope will then be made in his stable, and he will practice the ring entrance ceremony with advice from a previous or current ja. Finally, he will have his inaugural ceremonial ring entry ceremony held at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, which is usually completed within a couple of weeks of the tournament end.

Retiring

Unlike other sumo ranks, a ja cannot be demoted, but in exchange their performance is held to a very high standard. A ja is expected to regularly win championships, or at least be a serious contender for them, and even a single ja (losing record) can pose concerns. It is common for a ja to withdraw from a tournament for health reasons, even after the tournament has started, if they find themselves unable to perform at the expected level. A ja who is consistently unable to compete at the peak of the sport is expected to retire from competition altogether. The strength and informal nature of these expectations are a major reason that the promotion criteria for ja are so strict in the first place.

Retirement can also in some cases (such as Futahaguro, Asashōryū, or Harumafuji) be prompted by a judgment that the ja has not upheld the dignity of the rank, independent of tournament performance.

Notices

In extremely rare instances the Yokozuna Deliberation Council can, with over two-thirds of the members in favor, issue notices to ja whose performance as well as poise and character are contrary to what is expected of the rank.[7] These notices are, in increasing level of severity:

  • Encouragement (激励, gekirei)
  • Warning (注意, chūi)
  • Recommendation to Retire (引退勧告, intai kankoku)

Notices have been issued three times since the council's inception in 1950:

  • January 2010: Recommendation to Retire issued to Asashōryū.[7]
    The recommendation was issued following allegations that Asashōryū punched and injured an acquaintance in a drunken brawl at a nightclub during the January 2010 tournament. It has been suggested in the media that Asashōryū chose to retire before the Sumo Association could follow through on the council's recommendation.[8]
  • November 2018: Encouragement issued to Kisenosato.[7]
    Kisenosato lost his first five matches in the November 2018 tournament before withdrawing. Prior to that, he had withdrawn (either partially or fully) without a winning record in eight out of ten tournaments as ja. The withdrawals were due in part to injuries suffered at the end of his winning tournament run in March 2017. He eventually retired from the sport after three consecutive defeats in the January 2019 ja.
  • November 2020: Warning issued to two ja, Hakuhō and Kakuryū.[9]
    According to the council, both wrestlers did not perform to the level required of the ja rank between November 2019 and November 2020. In that timeframe, Hakuhō sufficiently performed three times (ja in November 2019 and March 2020, plus a 10-win performance in July 2020) while Kakuryū sufficiently performed just once (runner-up in March 2020 with 12 wins). Both of them sat out of the September 2020 and November 2020 tournaments due to injury.
    The warning to Hakuhō and Kakuryū was upheld in March 2021.[10] Kakuryū sat out for two additional tournaments since the warning was first issued, eventually retiring during the March 2021 ja.[11] After sitting out of the January 2021 tournament due to COVID-19, Hakuhō won two matches in March before withdrawing when doctors told him that he would require kneecap surgery.[10] Hakuhō returned to win the July 2021 tournament with a perfect record before retiring.

ja ceremonies and traditions

The formal establishment of the rank from Tanikaze's time appears to have in part come from a desire to let the very best have a separate ring entry ceremony (ja) from the remaining top division wrestlers. The ja is a ceremonial presentation of all the top-division wrestlers that is held before the competitive bouts of the day. The normal ceremony for top-division wrestlers is to be introduced and form a circle around the wrestling ring (ja) wearing specially decorated heavy silk "aprons", called ja. A brief symbolic "dance" is carried out before filing off to change into their fighting ja and prepare for their bouts.

A ja, however, is introduced after the lower-ranked wrestlers and is flanked by two other top-division wrestler "assistants". The "dewsweeper" or ja precedes the ja, while the "sword bearer" or ja follows him into the arena. The sword is a Japanese katana and symbolises the samurai status of the ja. The ja will always be the more highly ranked of the assisting wrestlers. As indicated above, during the ceremony the ja will wear his ja around his waist.[1] The ceremonial aprons of all three form a matching set.

Once in the ring, the ja takes centre stage and performs a much more complex ritual dance. The dance can take one of two forms, one of which the ja usually chooses when he is first promoted. In addition to the slightly different routine, the choice of the ja's ritual can also be determined by the knot used to tie the rope around his waist: the "ja" style has only one loop at the back, while the "ja" style has two. The styles are named after 10th ja Unryū Kyūkichi and 11th ja Shiranui Kōemon of the Edo period, although there is no historical proof that they actually carried out the dances that have been attributed to them. Indeed, some scholars[who?] believe that earlier historians have confused the ring-entering rituals of these two ja.

When a former ja reaches the age of 60, he usually performs a special ring-entering ceremony known as ja, wearing a red ja, in celebration of his longevity. This ceremony first took place with the former ja Tachiyama in 1937.

Active ja

ja

See also: List of ōzeki and List of sumo record holders#Most tournaments

ja (大関), or champion rank, is immediately below ja in the ranking system. Until the ja rank was introduced, ja was the highest rank attainable. Technically, there must always be a minimum of two ja on the ja, one on the east side and one on the west. If there are fewer than two regular ja in practice, then one or more ja will be designated "ja". This was seen for five tournaments from May 1981 to January 1982, when three ja (Wakanohana, Chiyonofuji and Kitanoumi) fulfilled this role at various times.[12] The designation would not be used again until the March 2020 ja, when only Takakeishō held the ja rank and Kakuryū was designated ja.[13] In the first three tournaments of 2023, Takakeishō again was the only ja and the ja designation was given to Terunofuji.[14][15] The promotion of Ōnosato to yokozuna in May 2025 left Kotozakura as the lone ōzeki, and so Ōnosato was given the special designation.[16]

There is no strict limit to the number of ja. In 2012, the ja listed a record-high six ja for the May, July, and September tournaments.

Promotion to ōzeki

The promotion of a wrestler to ōzeki is a multi-tournament process. A wrestler typically will be considered for promotion if he has achieved a total of at least 33 wins over the three most recent tournaments at the rank of either komusubi or sekiwake,[17] including ten or more wins as a sekiwake in the last completed tournament. Promotion is discretionary and there are no hard-and-fast rules, though a three-tournament record of 33 wins while ranked ja throughout is considered a near-guarantee. Starting an ōzeki run from the rank of ja is possible as well, but an even higher standard will be applied, such as winning a ja and securing 34 wins or more. Other factors toward promotion will include tangibles such as defeating the yokozuna and fellow ōzeki, and the wrestler's overall consistency, prowess, and quality of sumo — for example, a record of illegal maneuvers or reliance on certain dodging techniques would count against the dignity expected of an ōzeki.

Promotions are recommended by the Judging Division to the board of directors of the Japan Sumo Association. If it is a first promotion to the rank, a member of the Board of Directors will formally visit the wrestler's stable to inform the new ōzeki of his promotion. The ōzeki will usually make a speech on this occasion, promising to do his best to uphold the dignity of the rank.

During the Edo period, wrestlers often made their debuts as ōzeki based on size alone, though their real competitiveness had not been tested. The system was called "guest ōzeki" (看板大関 (kanban ōzeki)). Most of these vanished from the banzuke soon after, but a few wrestlers, notably Tanikaze Kajinosuke, remained as real wrestlers.

Demotion from ōzeki

Like the other san'yaku ranks, but unlike a yokozuna, an ōzeki may be relegated. For an ōzeki, relegation is a two-step procedure. First, the ōzeki must have a losing record in a tournament ( or worse), known as a make-koshi. At this point, the ōzeki is called kadoban. If he makes a winning record ( or better) in the next tournament (which is called kachi-koshi), he is restored to regular ōzeki status. If, on the other hand, he suffers another losing record in the next tournament while kadoban, he is relegated to sekiwake in the following tournament. (No matter how badly he does, he will not fall lower than sekiwake.)

If he wins ten or more bouts in this tournament, he is restored to ōzeki for the following tournament. However, if he fails to win ten or more bouts, he is treated just like any other wrestler in any further attempts at being promoted back to ōzeki. This system has been in place since the Nagoya Tournament of 1969. Since that time, six wrestlers have managed an immediate return to ōzeki: Mienoumi, Takanonami, Musōyama, Tochiazuma (who managed it on two occasions), Tochinoshin and Takakeishō. Three others–Kaiketsu, Terunofuji and Kirishima–failed to secure ten wins after their first ōzeki demotion, but eventually returned to the ōzeki rank.[18]

Mitakeumi is the only wrestler to be demoted from ōzeki after three consecutive losing records instead of two. He entered the July 2022 basho at kadoban status, but withdrew in the middle of the tournament after a stablemate tested positive for COVID-19. Under the Sumo Association's COVID protocols at the time, Mitakeumi's ōzeki rank and kadoban status were extended to the following tournament in September,[19] where he sustained another losing record and was subsequently demoted.

Benefits of being an ja

In addition to a salary increase, there are a number of perks associated with reaching ja rank:[citation needed]

  • He is guaranteed a higher rank in the Sumo Association when he first retires.
  • He will be given a three-year temporary membership of the Sumo Association on his retirement if he does not yet own a share.
  • He will receive a special merit payment on his retirement (the amount decided by his strength and longevity as an ja).
  • He is given a parking space at the Sumo Association headquarters.
  • He can vote in the election of the Sumo Association directors.
  • Normally, he will receive additional support from his stable in terms of junior wrestlers to act as his manservants.
  • He can wear purple fringed ceremonial aprons (ja).
  • He may be called on to represent the wrestlers on formal occasions such as when VIPs visit a sumo tournament, or on formal visits to Shinto shrines.

List of active ja

List of active former ja

ja

See also: List of sekiwake and List of sumo record holders#Most tournaments

ja (関脇) is the third-highest rank in professional sumo wrestling, and is one of the ja ranks. The term is believed to derive from guarding the ja (大関 or 関) at his side (脇).

It represents the highest rank a wrestler can achieve by continuously making a ja (a winning record in the tournament) in tournaments. Promotion to ja depends on either a space being available, which is quite common, or having a record in the previous tournament that is very convincing. Typically or better as a ja is sufficient for promotion to ja even with no normal space available; lower ranks need progressively more wins. There are special promotion criteria, typically a minimum of 33 wins over three tournaments, for advancement from ja to ja; merely recording consecutive winning records while at the ja rank is not enough to advance. In the 1980s, Sakahoko stayed at ja for nine consecutive tournaments without even getting close to ja consideration, and Goeidō was stuck at the rank for fourteen consecutive tournaments, a modern-day record, between May 2012 and July 2014, before being promoted to ja in September 2014.

Unlike the higher ranks of ja and ja, a wrestler will nearly always lose the rank immediately after having a ja tournament (a losing record during a tournament). Very occasionally, however, a lucky ja might keep his rank even with a record if there are no obvious candidates to replace him, as when the ja and the upper ja have also had losing records. This has happened five times since the six-tournaments-a-year era began in 1958, most recently with Gōeidō in July 2013. In each case, the wrestler was merely moved from the ja East rank to the less prestigious West side.

For many purposes, ja and the ja rank are treated together as the junior ja ranks, as opposed to ja and ja. For example, records of number of tournaments ranked in junior ja are often referred to collectively in sumo publications.

For wrestlers reaching this rank, the benefits are similar to that for a ja. The salary is higher than for a ja and also the wrestler is usually called to appear to flank the chairman of the Sumo Association during the speeches he makes on opening and closing days of the 15-day tournaments that are held six times a year. He may also be called on to represent the wrestlers on behalf of the Sumo Association at other events, especially if the number of ja and ja is low. If this is the highest rank a wrestler reaches, even if it is only for one tournament, he will always be referred to as "former sekiwake (ring name)" after his retirement, an indicator of a successful sumo career, even if not achieving the exceptional standards of the two highest ranks.

Any ja must have a minimum of two wrestlers ranked at ja. If circumstances require this can rise to three or four, for example if both ja have winning records and an ja has been demoted. However, this is relatively rare. The minimum of two requirement means that a certain amount of luck can lead to wrestlers achieving this rank on occasion, if the performance of other wrestlers leaves no obvious candidates to fill the rank. This luck factor is less common than it is for ja promotions.

List of active ja

  • Atamifuji, since May 2026 (previous rank: komusubi)
  • Kotoshōhō, since May 2026 (previous rank: maegashira 5)

Wrestlers with most ja appearances in history

Names in bold indicate a still active wrestler.

NameTotalFirstLastHighest rank
1Tamagaki25October 1797November 1811ja
2Kotomitsuki22January 2001July 2007ja
3Hasegawa21January 1969January 1974ja
Kaiō21January 1995July 2000ja
Kotonishiki21November 1990January 1997ja
6Musōyama20March 1994March 2000ja
7Mitakeumi19November 2016November 2022ja
8Tochiazuma17September 1997November 2001ja
Wakanosato17January 2001September 2005ja
9Nayoroiwa15May 1938March 1953ja
Takatōriki15July 1991November 1998ja
Gōeidō15May 2009July 2014ja

ja

See also: List of komusubi and List of sumo record holders#Most tournaments

ja (小結, komusubi) literally means "the little knot", the knot referring to the match-up between two wrestlers. It is the fourth highest rank in sumo wrestling and is the lowest of the titleholder ranks, or ja.

At ja, achieving ja ( or better) is not sufficient to guarantee promotion to a higher rank. Promotion to the next highest rank, ja, depends on either a space being available, which is quite common, or having at least 11 wins in the previous tournament if no normal ja slot is available. This general requirement can be seen by the promotion of Tochiōzan to a third ja slot for March 2014 with 11 wins when the other two ja had winning records, while Tochinoshin was not promoted with 10 wins for November 2015 in a similar situation.

For many purposes, this and the ja rank are treated together as the junior ja ranks, as opposed to ja and ja, where extremely stringent promotion criteria exist. For example, records of number of tournaments ranked in junior ja are often referred to collectively in sumo publications.

For wrestlers reaching this rank, the benefits are a salary increase and also appearing to flank the chairman of the Sumo Association during the speeches he makes on opening and closing days of the official tournaments, held six times a year. He may also be called on to represent the wrestlers on behalf of the Sumo Association at other events, especially if the number of ja and ja are low. If this is the highest rank a wrestler reaches, even if it is only for one tournament, he will always be referred to as "former ja (ring name)" after his retirement, an indicator of a successful sumo career, even if not achieving the exceptional standards of the two highest ranks.

Any ja must have a minimum of two wrestlers ranked at ja. If circumstances require this can rise to three or four, for example if both ja have winning records and an upper ja produces such a good score that he cannot reasonably be denied a promotion. However, this is relatively rare. The minimum of two requirement means that a certain amount of luck can lead to wrestlers achieving this rank on occasion, if the performance of other wrestlers leaves no obvious candidates to fill the rank.

ja is widely regarded as a difficult rank to maintain, as wrestlers at this rank are likely to face all the ja and ja in the first week of a tournament, with a ja normally scheduled for the opening day. ja face mainly ja in the second week, but often by this time wrestlers new to the rank are exhausted and demoralized such that they lose these matches too. Few men making their ja debut return a ja or winning record in the ensuing tournament, and those that do are likely to promote even higher.

Before World War II, when there were fewer tournaments per year and more weight was placed on the performance at each tournament, there were several instances of ja immediately advancing to ja after nearly winning a tournament, but there have been no instances of this since then. Today being currently ranked at ja is a necessary condition for any further promotion in addition to exceptional performance.

List of active ja

  • Wakatakakage, since May 2026 (previous rank: maegashira 1)
  • Takayasu, since May 2026 (previous rank: sekiwake)

Wrestlers with most ja appearances in history

Names in bold indicate a still active wrestler.

NameTotalFirstLastHighest rank
1Miyagino23October 1818January 1834ja
2Takamiyama19November 1969January 1979ja
3Akinoshima15November 1988September 2000ja
4Dewanishiki14May 1950May 1962ja
Takayasu14September 2013May 2026ja
Tochiōzan14May 2009September 2017ja
6Amatsukaze13March 1765March 1778ja
Kotonishiki13September 1990January 1999ja
Tosanoumi13January 1996September 2003ja
Wakabayama13January 1925May 1933ja

ja

ja (前頭) is the lowest of five ranks in the top ja division.

All the ja wrestlers who are not ranked in ja are ranked as ja, numbered from one at the top downwards. In each rank there are two wrestlers, the higher ranked is designated as "east" and the lower as "west", so No. 1 east is treated as a higher rank than No. 1 west, and so on.[20]

The number of wrestlers in ja is fixed (at 42 since 2004) but the number in ja is not. Thus, the number of ja ranks can vary, but is typically between 15 and 17. (This gives a ja division split of around 10 ja and 32 ja).

Movement within the ja ranks can be minor or extreme, depending on a wrestler's score in the previous 15-bout tournament. For example, a ja 2 who has an record might only be promoted one level to ja 1 for the next tournament. Conversely, a ja 14 who wins the division championship could be promoted as high as ja. Indeed, this happened in March 2000 when Takatōriki won the championship with a record.

ja ranked five or below are likely to only fight amongst themselves (unless their winning record in the middle of a tournament prompts their scheduling with higher-ranked wrestlers) while those ranked ja four or above (ja) are likely to have several matches against ja wrestlers, including ja and ja. Wrestlers at ja 1 and 2 will usually face everybody in the ja (outside of their own stable and family), and these are therefore considered very difficult ranks to maintain. If a lower-ranked ja has a score which puts them in contention for the title in the second week of the tournament, it is common for them to be matched against increasingly higher-ranked opponents later in the ja; for instance, in January 2020, the lowest-ranked wrestler in the tournament, ja 17 Tokushōryū, was in contention for the title having only faced opponents in the lower half of the ja and was matched against ja Takakeisho, the highest-ranked ja participating in the tournament, on the final day, clinching the ja with his victory.

When a ja defeats a ja, it is called a gold star or ja and he is rewarded monetarily for the victory for the remainder of his career. A bout where a wrestler earns a ja by defeating a ja generally causes great excitement at a sumo venue and it used to be common for audience members to throw their seat cushions into the ring (and onto the wrestlers) after such a bout, though this is technically prohibited and has significantly decreased in recent times.

Wrestlers with most ja appearances without a ja title

Names in bold indicate a still active wrestler.

TotalWrestlerFirstLastHighest rank
60SadanoumiMay 2014November 2025Maegashira 1
53HigonoumiMarch 1993November 2001Maegashira 1
52AsanowakaMarch 1994May 2004Maegashira 1
ToyohibikiJuly 2007May 2017Maegashira 2
51KotoryūJuly 1996March 2005Maegashira 1
50TokitsuumiSeptember 1998September 2007Maegashira 3
49KitakachidokiJanuary 1989May 1998Maegashira 1
46MinatofujiJuly 1993July 2001Maegashira 2
44NarutoumiOctober 1949November 1960Maegashira 1
43DaiyūMay 1963September 1972Maegashira 1
HirosegawaJanuary 1943May 1958Maegashira 3

See also

References

  1. ^ Klein, Barbara Ann. "Sumo 101: Making the Tsuna". sumofanmag.com. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
  2. ^ Joya (2017-07-12). Japan And Things Japanese. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-22186-6.
  3. ^ Gould, Chris (April 2007). "Konishiki". sumofanmag.com. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
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