Rules and Structure

Professional sumo holds six official tournaments (honbasho) per year, each lasting 15 days. The tournaments are held in odd-numbered months and rotate among four cities:

Professional sumo is divided into six divisions. From highest to lowest they are: Makuuchi, Juryo, Makushita, Sandanme, Jonidan, and Jonokuchi. Wrestlers in the top two divisions (Makuuchi and Juryo) are called sekitori and compete in 15 bouts per tournament. Those in the lower four divisions wrestle seven bouts each.

The banzuke is the official ranking list, redrawn before each tournament by the Japan Sumo Association. Every wrestler has a rank and a designated side: East or West. East positions are traditionally considered slightly more prestigious than the equivalent West positions.

Rankings are adjusted after each tournament based on a wrestler's win-loss record. Wrestlers who achieve a winning record (kachi-koshi) generally rise in rank, while those with a losing record (make-koshi) fall. The exact amount of promotion or demotion depends on the margin of wins or losses and the performance of other wrestlers around the same rank.

A wrestler's tournament performance is measured by their win-loss record. The key thresholds differ by division:

Promotion and demotion between divisions is also possible. A strong record at the top of a lower division can earn promotion to the next division up, and a poor record at the bottom of a division can lead to demotion.

At the end of each tournament, up to three special prizes may be awarded to wrestlers in the Makuuchi division who are ranked below ozeki and have achieved a winning record. The prizes are:

Any of the three prizes may be withheld if no wrestler is deemed worthy, and multiple wrestlers may share the same prize in a given tournament.