Yokozuna (rank)

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Asashōryū with his yokozuna dohyo-iri

Yokozuna ( Japanese 横綱 ) is the highest of sanyaku -Ränge and the highest rank in sumo rings. The title has been around for about 300 years, and only 72 fighters have reached this rank since then. In contrast to all other ranks, a yokozuna cannot be demoted. However, if his performance at tournaments is repeatedly poor, he is expected to resign voluntarily. This step always includes saying goodbye to active wrestling.

conditions

In order for a sumo wrestler to become a yokozuna, he must show a special fighting strength. Specifically, this means that as a Ōzeki (master) he has won two tournaments ( basho ) in a row or at least must have achieved a result that is roughly equivalent to a yusho (tournament victory). However, this requirement is by no means set in stone, but needs to be interpreted by the association , which takes various factors such as the continuity of service into account. In addition, the candidate must have a special dignity ( 品格 , Hinkaku ). This criterion has caused annoyance on several occasions in history. For example, Chiyonoyama's promotion in the 1950s had been delayed because he was denied maturity due to his youthful age. When Konishiki later fought for promotion to yokozuna, the discussion arose as to whether foreigners were even suitable for the highest title in sumo. That debate was resolved with Akebono's promotion .

Ceremonial features

The 19th yokozuna Hitachiyama Taniemon in the Meiji period

The outer sign of Yokozuna dignity is the tsuna , a wide rope that the title holder wears around his waist during ceremonies. On it hang in a special way folded paper strips, which are a well-known religious symbol in Japanese Shinto . This makes it similar to the Shimenawa that can be found at shrines and religious sites of this religion. There are several legends about the origin of the Tsuna. On the one hand, Akashi Shiganosuke , the legendary first yokozuna, is considered to be the inventor; another story claims that a wrestler named Hajikami first wore it in the 9th century. The fact that depictions of yokozuna with tsuna did not appear before the late 18th century makes both versions seem more legendary than historical. The first yokozuna to be portrayed with rope was Tanikaze Kajinosuke . A tsuna is made anew for each tournament.

The yokozuna does not participate in the ring entry ceremony of the rest of the rikishi at the beginning of a fight day. He celebrates his own yokozuna dohyo-iri with two assistants , in which he tries to attract the attention of the gods by clapping his hands and symbolically clearing the ring of "evil spirits" by stamping his feet. A distinction is made in this ceremony between the Unryu and Shiranui styles, which are named after their alleged inventors, the 10th yokozuna Unryu Hisakichi and the 11th yokozuna Shiranui Koemon . The two styles differ in the body movements during the ceremony and in the binding of the tsuna.

history

A yokozuna dohyo-iri was first performed by Tanikaze in Hachiman Shrine in Edo in 1789 , after he was the first yokozuna to be allowed to practice a yokozuna dohyo-iri . The background was disputes between the Yoshida and Gojo clans for supremacy in sumo. In order to outperform his competitors, Yoshida Oikaze had obtained permission from the authorities to issue a license for a special yokozuna ceremony. Until the Meiji period , the yokozuna continued to be considered Ōzeki with special ceremonial rights. It was not until 1890 that the term yokozuna first appeared on a ranking list; at that time he referred to Nishinoumi Kajirō . However, this was still an honorary title as an addition to the ozeki rank (master), only from 1909 did the yokozuna function as an independent rank bearer (grand master).

The composition of yokozuna used today was not created until the 20th century. In 1895, the former twelfth yokozuna Jinmaku Kyugoro decided to compile such a list. However, he died a few years later before his list was officially published. The order of the yokozuna and the selection of the 17 candidates that Jinmaku made were the subject of long discussions in the decades that followed. The problem was that there were several sumo associations at the time, each of which had appointed their own grandmasters. But it was also controversial who should actually be considered the first yokozuna. It was not until 1926 that a list was published on the occasion of the establishment of the Dai Nihon Ōzumō Kyōkai, the predecessor organization of today's association.

After Kisenosato Yutaka's resignation, there are still two active yokozuna in January 2019: Hakuhō Shō and Kakuryū Rikisaburō .

See also

Web links

Commons : Yokozuna  - Collection of images, videos and audio files