Vocabulary

head judge

five ringside judges

ginkgo-leaf top-knot worn by makuuchi and juryo division wrestlers

pushing sumo; classic way of wrestling without using the belt

second highest referee

referee officiating bouts of san'yaku ranked wrestlers

referee officiating at bouts of rank-and-file wrestlers in the highest division

referee officiating the second highest division

referee officiating the third highest division

referee officiating the third lowest sumo division

referee officiating the second lowest division

referee officiating the lowest division

referee's waiting place

second highest usher

highest ranked usher

judge timing the matches

ringside judge

change of judges

last day of a tournament

consecutive tournament victories

luggage trunk for wrestlers and referees; wicker basket for a wrestler's belt, apron, etc.

amateur sumo

last five matches of makushita division wrestlers

Osaka (March) tournament

Nagoya Tournament (held in July)

Kyushu Tournament (held in Fukuoka in November)

provincial tournament, held outside Tokyo

being the runner-up; finishing second

paper used in pre-bout rituals

sitting; sitting down

wrestlers from the same stable

first tournament for a wrestler

first championship win (esp. sumo)

slapping the opponent with the open hand

outside the rankings

pomade; pomatum; hair oil

loss by default; default

highest ranked wrestler in a stable

chart used to keep track of a wrestler's records during the tournament

waiting wrestler's sitting cushion