What is a yokozuna in sumo?
The yokozuna is the top rank in sumo and the only one a wrestler cannot be demoted from. Promotion is rare: an ozeki generally needs two consecutive top-division championships, or a clearly equivalent record, and the Japan Sumo Association and its Yokozuna Deliberation Council must agree. As of the September 2026 tournament there are two, Onosato in the East and Hoshoryu in the West - check the current ranking sheet, since this changes.
Rankings are reissued before every tournament, and how many yokozuna there are changes over time. Confirm the current ranking sheet with the Japan Sumo Association. Japan Sumo Association ↗
What you are seeing
- A yokozuna performs his own ring-entering ceremony before the top-division bouts, wearing a thick white rope (tsuna) around his waist.
- He always fights in the last handful of bouts of the day, against the other highest-ranked wrestlers.
- The crowd is loudest for his entrance and his bouts; a loss to a much lower-ranked wrestler brings a roar and, historically, cushions thrown in the air.
What to watch next
- Watch the rope ceremony: the yokozuna is flanked by two attendants and performs a leg-stamping routine the other divisions' ceremonies do not include.
- In his bouts, notice that opponents often attack immediately and hard - beating a yokozuna is the highlight of a lower-ranked wrestler's tournament.
- Track whether the yokozuna is carrying an injury; one who cannot perform is expected to sit out or retire, not drop in rank.
A common first-timer mistake
Assuming a yokozuna always wins. Upsets happen most days somewhere on the card, and a yokozuna having a poor tournament is a running storyline, not a fluke.
Words you may hear
- Yokozuna
- the highest rank; a grand champion who cannot be demoted
- Tsuna
- the thick white rope worn by a yokozuna for his ring-entering ceremony
- Dohyo-iri
- the ring-entering ceremony; the yokozuna performs his own version
Sources and review
Created and photographed in Ryogoku by a Tokyo-based spectator. Facts reviewed against Japan Sumo Association materials on 25 August 2026.