Makuuchi

Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers (rikishi), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments.

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.

The discrepancy arose because the yokozuna was traditionally regarded as an ōzeki with a special license to wear a particular rope around his waist and perform a distinctive ring-entry ceremony.

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 makuuchi division.

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 san'yaku wrestlers in their mawashi.

The latter group, sekiwake and komusubi, have lesser responsibilities and are still eligible for one of the three special prizes, or sanshō that are awarded for exceptional performance at the end of each tournament.

Terunofuji (retired) Kotozakura Hōshōryū Ōnosato Wakamotoharu Daieishō Abi Wakatakakage Takanoshō Kirishima Tobizaru Atamifuji Gōnoyama Ōhō Shōdai Ura Hiradoumi Chiyoshōma Takayasu Ichiyamamoto Endō Mitakeumi Rōga Takarafuji Churanoumi Ōshōma Tamawashi Meisei Midorifuji Takerufuji Nishikigi Ōnokatsu Shōnannoumi Kotoshōhō Hokutofuji Kinbōzan Hakuōhō Kitanowaka Tamashōhō Kagayaki Nishikifuji Tokihayate Yokozuna (横綱, IPA: [jo̞ko̞d͡zɯᵝna]) is the highest rank in sumo.

[1] The rope, which may weigh up to 20 kilograms (44 lb), is not used during the matches themselves, but is worn during the yokozuna's dohyō-iri ring entrance ceremony.

As of January 2025, a total of 74 sumo wrestlers have earned the rank of yokozuna; considering that formal record-keeping only began with Tanikaze and Onogawa in 1789, this roughly averages out to one every three years.

According to one, a 9th-century wrestler named Hajikami tied a shimenawa 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 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.

In these early days, yokozuna was also not regarded as a separate rank in the listings, but as an ōzeki with special dispensation to perform his own ring entering ceremony.

In February 1909, during the reigns of the 19th yokozuna, Hitachiyama Taniemon, and the 20th, Umegatani Tōtarō II, it was officially recognized as the highest rank.

In modern sumo, the qualifications that an ōzeki must satisfy to be promoted are that he has enough power, skill and dignity/grace (品格 hinkaku) to qualify.

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.

Since then, the issue of whether foreigners have the necessary dignity has become a moot point 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.

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.

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.

A yokozuna is expected to retire if he can no longer compete at the peak of the sport, or in some cases (such as Futahaguro, Asashōryū, or Harumafuji) is deemed to have not upheld the dignity of the rank.

The normal ceremony for top-division wrestlers is to be introduced and form a circle around the wrestling ring (dohyō) wearing specially decorated heavy silk "aprons", called keshō-mawashi.

When a former yokozuna reaches the age of 60, he usually performs a special ring-entering ceremony known as kanreki dohyō-iri, wearing a red tsuna, in celebration of his longevity.

Other factors toward promotion will include tangibles such as winning a tournament or defeating yokozuna, as well as 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.

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,[16] where he sustained another losing record and was subsequently demoted.

Typically 11–4 or better as a komusubi is sufficient for promotion to sekiwake even with no normal space available; lower ranks need progressively more wins.

The salary is higher than for a maegashira 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.

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.

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 komusubi (ring name)" after his retirement, which is an indicator of a fairly successful sumo career.

If circumstances require this can rise to three or four, for example if both komusubi have winning records and an upper maegashira produces such a good score that he cannot reasonably be denied a promotion.

When a maegashira defeats a yokozuna, it is called a gold star or kinboshi and he is rewarded monetarily for the victory for the remainder of his career.