Ranking & Banzuke
The banzuke is sumo's official ranking sheet, re-issued roughly two weeks before every basho. It's the single most important document in the sport — where a wrestler sits on it determines pay, privilege, and prestige.
The Hierarchy, Top to Bottom
| Rank | Division | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Yokozuna | Makuuchi | Grand champion. Never demoted — a Yokozuna who can no longer compete at the top level is expected to retire. |
| Ozeki | Makuuchi | Champion rank. Demoted after two consecutive make-koshi tournaments. |
| Sekiwake | Makuuchi | Highest of the three "junior sanyaku" ranks. |
| Komusubi | Makuuchi | Entry point to the sanyaku ranks. |
| Maegashira 1–17ish | Makuuchi | The rank-and-file of the top division, each numbered rank split into an East and West slot. |
| Juryo 1–14 | Juryo | The second-highest division — the first fully salaried rank ("sekitori" status begins here). |
| Makushita | Makushita | Highest unsalaried division; wrestlers here fight only 7 bouts per basho. |
| Sandanme | Sandanme | |
| Jonidan | Jonidan | |
| Jonokuchi | Jonokuchi | Entry division for newly recruited wrestlers. |
Sekitori: the salaried elite
Only wrestlers ranked Juryo or above are "sekitori" — salaried professionals with their own attendants, silk belts, and the right to wear their hair in the elaborate oicho-mage topknot for official events. Everyone below Juryo receives only a small allowance and performs stable chores.
East and West
Every rank except Yokozuna and Ozeki (and the very top of the banzuke) is split into East and West — for example, "Maegashira 4 East" and "Maegashira 4 West." East is considered marginally more prestigious than West at the same numbered rank, a distinction that traces back to the ceremonial seating of the two sides in the old fixed tournament format.
How Promotion & Demotion Work
The banzuke committee resets rankings after every basho based on each wrestler's record:
- Kachi-koshi (majority wins) generally moves a wrestler up.
- Make-koshi (majority losses) generally moves a wrestler down.
- The size of the move roughly scales with how lopsided the record was — a 12-3 record moves a wrestler up much further than an 8-7 squeaker.
- Ozeki promotion requires sustained excellence — traditionally around 33 wins across three consecutive basho at Sekiwake or above.
- Yokozuna promotion requires winning (or a very strong runner-up finish in) two consecutive top-division tournaments, typically as a reigning Ozeki, followed by review and formal recommendation from the Yokozuna Deliberation Council.
Full details on how a single tournament's record is built up day by day are covered in How a Basho Works.