Professional sumo divisions

Professional sumo is divided into 6 ranked divisions. Wrestlers are promoted and demoted within and between these divisions based on the merit of their win/loss records in official tournaments. For more information see kachikoshi and makekoshi. Wrestlers are also ranked within each division. The higher a wrestler's rank within a division is, the stronger the general level of opponents he will have to face becomes. According to tradition, each rank is further subdivided into East and West, with East being slightly more prestigious, and ranked slightly higher than its West counterpart. The divisions, ranked in order of hierarchy from highest to lowest, are as follows:

Makuuchi

Main article: Makuuchi

Makuuchi dohyo-iri

Makuuchi (幕内), or makunouchi (幕の内), is the top division. It is fixed at 42 wrestlers who are ranked according to their ability, as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. At the top of the division are the "titleholders", or "champions" called the sanyaku comprising yokozuna, ozeki, sekiwake and komusubi. There are typically 8-12 wrestlers in these ranks with the remainder, called maegashira, ranked in numerical order from 1 downwards. This is the only division that is featured on standard NHK's live coverage of sumo tournaments. The lower divisions are shown on BS satellite coverage, with only the makuuchi being broadcast bilingually.

The name makuuchi literally means "inside the curtain", a reference to the early period of professional sumo, when the top ranked wrestlers were able to sit in a curtained off area prior to appearing for their bouts. Possibly confusingly, makuuchi can also refer to the top two divisions makuuchi and jūryō as a whole, as the wrestlers in these divisions are salaried and considered professionals as opposed to "in training".

Jūryō

Jūryō dohyo-iri

Jūryō (十両), is the second highest division, and is fixed at 28 wrestlers. Jūryō can also be referred to as jumaime (十枚目). The name is derived from ten ryō, which was previously the income a wrestler ranked in this division could expect to receive.

Jūryō wrestlers, like those in the top makuuchi division, receive a regular monthly salary as well as other perks associated with having become a sekitori, or a member of the two upper divisions in sumo. Sumo wrestlers ranked in the divisions below jūryō are considered to be in training and receive a small allowance instead of a salary.

Jūryō wrestlers, along with their makuuchi counterparts, are the only professional sumo wrestlers who compete in a full fifteen bouts per official tournament. In the case of injuries with makuuchi wrestlers pulling out, jūryō wrestlers near the top of the division may find themselves in the occasional matchup with a top-division wrestler. Such jūryō-makuuchi matchups are also not uncommon towards the end of a sumo tournament, in order to better establish promotion and relegation of individuals between the two divisions.

Jūryō matches, along with the rest of the lower-ranked divisions, can be viewed starting at 2pm on NHK's satellite channels.

Makushita

Makushita bout

Makushita (幕下) is the third highest division. Prior to the creation of the jūryō division, this division was only one below the topmost makuuchi division (meaning inside the curtain). Hence makushita, literally meaning "below (shita) the curtain (maku)".

In the current system, there are 120 wrestlers in the division (60 ranked on the East and 60 on the West side of the banzuke). Unlike the sekitori ranks above them, wrestlers compete only seven times during a tournament.

It is often considered that holding the rank of makushita is the first step toward becoming a professional (sekitori ranked) sumo wrestler. Furthermore it can be regarded as the most heavily contested division, with younger sumo wrestlers on their way up competing with those older sumo wrestlers who have dropped from jūryō and are determined to regain the higher rank. A key incentive is the difference between being ranked in the topmost makushita slot versus the lowest jūryō rank, which has been likened to being that between heaven and hell: A makushita wrestler is expected to carry out chores for the stable and any sekitori within it, whereas the jūryō wrestler will be served upon. Similarly the jūryō wrestler receives a comfortable monthly salary, whereas the makushita wrestler still only receives a small living allowance.

Winning all seven matches in a tournament grants an unconditional advance to the jūryō division if one is ranked within the top thirty members of the division. For any other member of the division a 7-0 record will guarantee promotion to within the top thirty members, so two successive 7-0 records will allow a makushita wrestler to advance to jūryō.

Those in the uppermost ranks of the division and thus slated for a possible advancement may have a match with those in jūryō, either as one of the seven matches they are expected to compete in, or occasionally in addition to the matches they have already had. This eighth match is sometimes required as a result of tournament withdrawals due to injury of sekitori, and is usually given to makushita wrestler who have achieved only a makekoshi record in their regular seven bouts. It is ignored if one loses and counted if one wins, making it a true bonus bout for a makushita wrestler.

The term makushita, can also be used to refer to all four divisions below jūryō as a whole, as these four division are considered wrestlers that are still in training.

Sandanme

Sandanme bout

Sandanme (三段目) is the fourth highest division. This level represents the first break point in the treatment a wrestler receives as he rises up the ranks. From sandanme he is allowed a better quality of dress, most notably he no longer needs to wear geta on his feet and can wear a form of overcoat over his yukata. However, the wrestlers are still considered to be in training, receiving only an allowance rather than a salary.

There are typically 200 wrestlers in sandanme.

Jonidan

Jonidan bout

Jonidan (序二段) is the fifth highest division. Unlike the divisions above it, there is no fixed number of wrestlers in the division although it is the largest division with commonly around 250 ranked within it. As a result of the numbers, and the fact that the wrestlers fight only seven times during a tournament, play-off tournament on the last day is normally required to determine the division champion.

Wrestlers in this division are forbidden from wearing overcoats over their thin cotton yukata, even in winter and must wear geta on their feet. They often also pick up many of the more mundane chores within the training stable in which they live.

Jonokuchi

Jonokuchi bout

Jonokuchi (序ノ口) is the lowest division. All wrestlers, apart from those who have had successful amateur careers and are given special dispensation to enter makushita directly, start in this division. In addition to the new wrestlers the division tends to consist of other recent recruits to sumo wrestling as well as some older wrestlers who have fallen to the bottom of the ranks due to injury.

A new wrestler's initial position in the Jonokuchi division is determined by his performance in mae-zumo, a tournament held among new wrestlers at the time of the grand tournament before they are ranked for the first time. The Jonokuchi division varies in size and typically includes between 60 and 90 rikishi, with the high mark being reached for each May tournament as the number of recruits appearing in mae-zumo is generally largest during the preceding March tournament, when the Japanese school year ends. The word jonokuchi is also used as an expression to describe when something has just begun.

Source

http://sumo.goo.ne.jp/eng/ozumo_joho_kyoku/shiru/kiso_chishiki/beginners_guide/banzuke.html