The topmost makuuchi division receives the most attention
from fans and has the most complex hierarchy.
I have been uploading the sumo wrestlers on my channel
below.
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The majority of wrestlers are maegashira and are numbered
from one (at the top) down to about sixteen or seventeen.
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In each rank there
are two wrestlers, the higher ranked is designated as "east" and the
lower as "west” Above the maegashira are the three champion or titleholder
ranks, called the san'yaku. These are, in ascending order, komusubi, sekiwake,
and ōzeki. At the pinnacle of the ranking system is the rank of yokozuna.
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Yokozuna, or grand champions, are generally expected to
compete for and to win the top division tournament title on a regular basis.
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Hence the promotion criteria for yokozuna are very strict.
In general, a ōzeki must win the championship for two consecutive tournaments
or an "equivalent performance" to be considered for promotion to
yokozuna.
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More than one
wrestler can hold the rank of yokozuna at the same time. Since the 1900s, the
number of foreign-born sumo wrestlers has gradually increased.
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In the beginning of this period, these few foreign wrestlers
were listed as Japanese, but particularly since the 1960s, a number of high
profile foreign-born wrestlers became well-known and in more recent years have
even come to dominate in the highest ranks.
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Half of the last six wrestlers promoted to ōzeki have been
foreign born and there has not been a Japanese yokozuna since 2003.
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