Australia and the World Past and Present

揚座敷 – agari zashiki – a raised area in the main training room of a sumo stable. The oyakata and guests sit here to observe training.

鬢付け – bintsuke – hair oil used in sumo

力水 – chikara mizu – water from a ladle, used by wrestlers ranked jyuuryou and above to ritually cleanse themselves before a bout. It is given to the wrestler by the winner of the previous fight.

断髪式 – danpatsushiki – a retirement ceremony for a successful wrestler in which their chonmage (topknot) is cut off. One has to have been a sekitori for a minimum of 30 tournaments to be eligible.

御免札 – gomenfuda – a wooden sign placed at the entrance to the arena. In the Edo period, it was used to show that the tournament was sanctioned by the approprate authorities.

部屋頭 – heya gashira – the wrestler of a stable with the highest rank still competing.

一門 – ichimon – a group of stables that maintain a relationship with one another. Each ichimon has at least 1 representative on the board of directors of the Japan Sumo Association.

上位陣 – jyou i jin – highly-ranked wrestlers who can be expected to fight a yokozuna at a gathering.

角番 – kadoban – a ouzeki wrestler with a make-koshi (more losses than wins) from his last competition. If he fails to get a minimum of 8 wins this time around he will face being dropped to a lower rank.

幕内 – makuuchi – sumo’s top division with 42 wrestlers.

根岸流 – negisghi ryuu – a style of Shodou (Japanese calligraphy) which used to write the banzuke (fight list).

大銀杏髷 – ooichou mage – ‘ginko-leaf’ top knot. A hairstyle worn by wrestlers of juuryou and makuuchi rank. It is recognisable by its fan-like appearance.

関取 – sekitori – sekitori are wrestlers who are ranked jyuuryou and above.

立ち合い – tachiai – The moment when wrestlers first engage each other in a bout.

八百長 – yaochou – a fixed / rigged bout.

ざんばら髪 – zanbara gami – messy hair. It sometimes seen when relatively new wrestlers have a meteoric rise and haven’t had sufficient time to grow their hair long enough for a secure chonmage (topknot).