The levels of professional sumo wrestling reveal much about this time-honored and insular Japanese martial art. All progression through the ranks is decided internally by a board of former wrestlers named oyakata. Professional wrestlers -- rikishi in Japanese -- hone their techniques in schools called stables, all of which are run by members of the oyakata. The wrestlers' dress, eating habits, training, pay and prestige all depend on their rank and only one in 10 ever make it to professional status. Those who do make it can know that their accomplishment is sanctified by the samurai of centuries past.
Hierarchy
Japanese sumo wrestling consists of six core levels. Ranging from most senior downward, they are the Makuuchi, Juryo, Makushita, Sandanme, Jonidan and Jonokuchi. All wrestlers enter as Jonokuchi. The first four levels -- Jonokuchi through Makushita -- are regarded as training levels, so members are given subsistence allowances, not salaries. The top divisions, Makuuchi and Juryo, are referred to as sekitori, or, "those that have taken the barrier." These elites are subdivided into rankings ranging from one to 17 that are then split between eastern and western divisions. The east, traditionally more renowned, often outweighs equivalent ranks in the west. Above the levels Makuuchi and Juryo are ranks generally held for title recipients. These are, from lowest to highest, the Komusubi, Sekiwake, Ozeki, and, finally, the Yokozuna; those who have earned the title of grand champion.
Advancement
Advancement is based entirely on the merit exhibited by the individual wrestler -- and merit means winning. Win/loss ratios are settled in 15-day tournament competitions. The lowest ranks -- those below Juryo -- must win the best of seven to be considered for promotion; Juryo and above must win best of 15. Still more wins in succeeding tournaments allow the wrestler to progress through Sekiwake. To achieve Ozeki, he must take 33 matches in three tournaments, for Yokozuna, 27 wins in two. Once a wrestler reaches Yokozuna, the honor is never revoked. However, if he ceases winning or loses his edge, he is expected to retire promptly and voluntarily.
Stable Life
A wrestler's rank exerts great influence in stable life. Trainees wake at five in the morning, two hours before their seniors. They're usually prohibited from eating breakfast. At lunch, trainees consume a protein-rich stew called chankonabe and beer -- sumo wrestlers sometimes drink six pints of beer per meal. For maximum caloric intake and weight gain, trainees nap after lunch. In return for their allowance, trainees spend many hours working around the stable and acting as attendants to senior wrestlers and teachers. All wrestlers Jonidan and below must wear wooden sandals and a light cotton kimono called a yukata whenever in public -- even in colder months. Makushita and Sandanme can add short overcoats and straw sandals. Further amenities such as silk robes are available at higher levels.
Hazing & Controversy
When new trainees enter the stables, hazing by seniors is commonplace. The rational behind this often teacher-sanctioned -- and supervised -- activity is that it makes men tougher. However, in 2007, the death of 17-year old wrestler Takashi Saito, a Jonokuchi, appalled the Japanese public and enraged then prime minister Yasuo Fukuda. Saito's postmortem examination revealed that he had been assaulted with a baseball bat and beer bottle. The stable director, Junichi Yamomoto, was subsequently removed from his position in the oyakata and given six years in prison. Senior wrestlers involved in the incident received suspended sentences as they were acting under the authority of Yamamoto. This incident and others have, to some degree, brought the secretive practices of sumo training under greater public scrutiny.
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