Shikona

Japanese sumo wrestler Toshimitsu Obata was known by his Kitanoumi Toshimitsu, and he was generally referred to simply as Kitanoumi.

A is a sumo wrestler's ring name. The use of ring names in sumo dates back to the Muromachi period and developed further in the Edo period, when ring names were used to hide the identities of early , many of whom were masterless samurai called Template:Translit. By the 20th century, use of ring names became governed by customs within the Japan Sumo Association.

Traditionally, a wrestler's is given to him by his master; the wrestler may influence the decision. Inspiration for the ring name is frequently drawn from characters associated with the wrester's family, sumo stable, or master. Other common sources include place names, mythology, and natural phenomena. While unusual, it is also possible for a Template:Translit to wrestle under his legal name.

The general public is expected to refer to an active wrestler by his ring name. A wrestler may use either his or birth name in private settings, including at his stable. Retired wrestlers who become Template:Translit give up their and adopt the name associated with their elder share. Special rules applied to exceptionally successful Template:Translit, who until 2021 were sometimes permitted to use their ring name as their coaching name.

History

Sources attesting to the use of pseudonyms by sumo wrestlers and other martial artists date back to the mid-1500s, during the Muromachi period. The archaic spelling of the term used the kanji for and had a meaning associated with humility. During the Edo period, the spelling of Template:Translit changed to incorporate the kanji for , the sumo leg-stomping ritual, which had phonetic similarity to the kanji for ugliness. In this period, Template:Translit came to refer exclusively to the ring names of sumo wrestlers.

The period of peace established under the Tokugawa shogunate reduced the Template:Translit's demand for samurai military service, resulting in an increase in the number of masterless samurai, called Template:Translit. Due to the rigid social hierarchies of the period, many Template:Translit struggled to find alternative employment. Some such Template:Translit leveraged their martial skills in street sumo tournaments, called , for the entertainment of passers-by. The shame associated with their loss of status led these samurai to adopt Template:Translit to hide their true identities.

As street sumo increased in popularity, cases of violence began to be reported in the pleasure districts where many matches took place. The Edo authorities addressed the public disorder by implementing restrictions on public sumo, including a ban on the use of Template:Translit by wrestlers. These restrictions culminated in 1661 with a total prohibition against sumo. The practice of sumo continued illegally until 1684, when a named Ikazuchi Gondaiyū obtained permission from the Edo authorities to hold an official tournament, making sumo and its customs legal again under a new organization. During the Hōreki era, wrestlers who retired and established themselves as coaches began to inherit and assume the names of their predecessors.

From 1941 to 2021, there was a way for exceptional wrestlers to become Template:Translit within the Japan Sumo Association under their Template:Translit, on condition that the ring name disappeared after the owner's final retirement.

Assuming a Template:Translit

General use

In professional sumo, a proverb says that a wrestler has three names: his birth name, his ring name and the name he takes when he can retire and train younger wrestlers. The Template:Translit itself is made up of a family name, which in the traditional presentation of Japanese names comes before the first name, and a given name.

All active wrestlers must have a Template:Translit; in the case the wrestler fights under their birth name, this is considered the Template:Translit. It is common to see new recruits fighting under their birth name before later choosing a pseudonym, while others adopt a new name from their professional debut. Wrestlers who start their career using their birth name typically change their ring name by the time they achieve promotion to the Template:Translit or Template:Translit divisions. While unusual, some choose to wrestle their entire career under their real name, with this becoming more common in the 21st century. Template:Translit making this choice include Takayasu, Shōdai, Endō, Ura, Dejima and Wajima, the only Template:Translit to have used his real name throughout his career.

Traditionally, wrestlers have no say in the choice of their Template:Translit. The selection may be made by the wrestler's master, the master's wife (the Template:Translit) or even a sponsor; the name is communicated to the wrester by his master. Informally, however, the master often listens to the opinion of the wrestler who is to inherit the Template:Translit.

It is possible for a wrestler to change his Template:Translit during his career, with some keeping a name throughout their career and others going through multiple changes. A common occasion for adopting a new Template:Translit is in recognition of an important promotion. Other reasons can apply, such as a master changing a wrestler's name in order to inspire him to progress through the ranks.

The history and tradition associated with specific Template:Translit can increase expectations on their bearers. According to the Japan Sumo Association, it is expected that the general public refer to active wrestlers by their Template:Translit. In private, either can be used, with masters often using their wrestlers' birth names during training and wrestlers' relatives continuing to call them by their birth names.

After retirement

Both Template:Translit Takanohana and Kitanoumi were granted the privilege of using their ring names as "lifetime" elder shares.

Specific rules exist for ring names after the retirement of the wrestlers bearing them. For Template:Translit, these names are referred to as which are not to be inherited, with the exception of direct disciples of the last holder. Exceptions to the normal acquisition of Template:Translit were also made for the most successful , with certain being offered a "single generation" or "lifetime" elder share, called . This process allowed a wrestler to stay as an elder without having to use a traditional share in the association and enter his retirement duties with his ring name. Only wrestlers with extraordinary careers were eligible for this privilege. In October 2021, Hakuhō, the wrestler with the most top-division championships, retired, and it was expected that he would earn the right to inherit a Hakuhō share in view of his sporting exploits. Hakuhō was however denied the and Masayuki Yamauchi (a Yokozuna Deliberation Council member) declared in a press conference that "no such system exists" under the new Template:Interlanguage link statutes of the association, implying that the system would no longer be used.

When they retire, not all wrestlers are eligible to become Template:Translit. Some wrestlers may find official roles within the Japan Sumo Association in subordinate positions as [[Japan Sumo Association#Other personnel|Template:Translit]] or [[Japan Sumo Association#Other personnel|Template:Translit]]. These positions are limited, but former wrestlers who are selected for them retain their Template:Translit as their professional name even though they are no longer active. Other retired wrestlers give up their ring names and are subsequently referred to by their birth names.

Inspirations

Although Template:Translit are written with characters that evoke words or ideas, there is usually no literal meaning to the full name.

Early in the Edo period it was common for ring names to refer to places of origin or natural features such as mountains and rivers. Later in the period, ring names became more promotional, with wrestlers often choosing Template:Translit designed to appeal to spectators. Such ring names often incorporated references to storms, wild animals, weapons or gods to present the wrester as strong or fierce. During the Meiji Restoration, wrestlers adopted names referring to their places of birth. With the westernization of Japan, many wrestlers took Template:Translit that reflected new innovations in Japanese life; examples from the period include or .

It is customary for Template:Translit to be influenced by naming traditions associated with the wrestler's stable. Examples of characters frequently re-used within certain stables include that of , within Kasugano stable, or , within Sadogatake stable. The Isegahama and now-defunct Miyagino stables include for tradition the characters for and , respectively, of which the latter was inspired by their stable master, Hakuhō Shō.

It is also common for a wrestler to inherit the Template:Translit of a family member who had previously been a wrestler. An example of family transmission would be Kotozakura II, who began his career under his father's Template:Translit before inheriting his grandfather's upon promotion to Template:Translit. If a wrestler from outside the family also wishes to inherit the Template:Translit of a former wrestler, it is traditionally required that the master ask permission from the family of the wrestler in question.

Wrestlers often incorporate a character from their master's name into their own name. Sometimes, a master may even propose that one of his wrestlers inherit his own ring name. In 2023, then-Template:Translit Kiribayama changed his name to Kirishima when he was promoted to the rank of Template:Translit, so that he would evoke his master.

Kanji may be chosen to inspire wrestlers bearing the Template:Translit. For example, in 2023, Ōshōma changed the first name of his Template:Translit, , with the kanji for , with the same pronunciation, to ward off the risk of injury after a series of setbacks. Although any characters can be used for ring names, certain kanji are often found in Template:Translit. These include:

Characters		Observations
Translation	Japanese
Mountain
Rice field
Great
Youth
Dragon
River
Sea
Koto		Character used consistently within Sadogatake stable.
Mount Fuji
Wisteria
Brocade
Field
Flower
Wave
Noble
Country
Morning
North
Island
Japanese horse-chestnut		Character used consistently within Kasugano stable.
Power
Rising sun
Cherry blossom
Abundance
Heaven

Examples

Inspired by geographical locations

Template:Translit		Origins and observations
transliteration	Japanese
Umegatani		The name is that of a village in present-day Fukushima Prefecture.
Shiranui		The name of a sea bordering Kumamoto Prefecture.
Hitachiyama		Both names are taken from mountains located in the old Etchū Province.
Tachiyama
Musashiyama		The former name of Saitama Prefecture.
Tochigiyama		Inspired by Tochigi Prefecture.
Kurohimeyama		Inspired by Mount Kurohime in Nagano Prefecture.
Sentoryū		Transliteration of Sentoryū's hometown name: St. Louis.
Kotoōshū		Ring name combining characters from both the Sadogatake stable and for , since Kotoōshū is originally from Bulgaria.
Baruto		Ring name chosen by transliteration to evoke the Baltic Sea, bordering the wrestler's native Estonia.
Shōnanzakura		Name given to evoke the Shōnan region in Kanagawa Prefecture. However, the first kanji of has been replaced by the kanji meaning , with the same pronunciation, to encourage the eponymous wrestler to win matches.

Inspired by a stable tradition

Template:Translit		Origins and observations
transliteration	Japanese
Kashiwado		A lineage name within Isenoumi stable, this dated from the mid-Edo era and was only given to wrestlers seen as future champions.
Takamiyama		Original name of the founder of Takasago stable (Takasago Uragorō), since inherited by wrestlers of this stable.

Inspired by patrons

Template:Translit		Origins and observations
transliteration	Japanese
Futabayama		Inspired by the name of one of his patrons (Futaba).
Yoshibayama		Inspired by the names of doctors who operated on them (Shosaku Yoshiba, Wasaburo Maeda).
Maedayama

Other inspirations

Template:Translit		Origins and observations
transliteration	Japanese
Moriurara		Ring name of former Morikawa of Ōtake stable, chosen after he suffered a string of 38 consecutive losses to link him to the horse Haru Urara, also known for her long string of consecutive losses.
Asahanshin Torakichi		Ring name chosen by the wrestler to evoke the Hanshin Tigers baseball team in his native Osaka, with both the part of his surname and the kanji for in his given name.

See also

• Glossary of sumo terms
• Japanese name
• Alter ego
• Art name