00:00Yokozuna is the highest rank, not level, that a sumo wrestler can achieve.
00:04Once promoted, the Yokozuna can no longer lose his title.
00:07But he is expected to step down if he can no longer achieve results worthy of his position.
00:11rank.
00:12The term Yokozuna comes from the most visible symbol of their rank,
00:15a thick rope, tsuna, horizontal, yoko,
00:18similar to the shimekazari of Shinto shrines,
00:21worn around the waist during the Oyo-iri ring entry ceremony.
00:25History
00:26The origin of the Yokozuna rank remains unclear, and two different legends clash.
00:30According to one account, a 9th-century wrestler named Haji Kami hooked a Shimenawa,
00:35He used his waist as a handicap and challenged his opponents to touch him.
00:39creating sumo wrestling as we know it in the 21st century.
00:42According to another legend, the legendary wrestler Shiganosuke Akashi hung a Shimenawa around his waist in 1630.
00:49as a sign of respect during a visit to the emperor and is said to have received the first title of Yokozuna at
00:53posthumous title.
00:54There is very little evidence to prove that either of the two legends is true.
00:58but we know that since 1789, the Yokozuna, since Tanikaze Kajinosuke, have been represented in Ukiyo and wearing the Shimenawa.
01:05Before the Meiji period, the title of Yokozuna was given to the Oseki clan.
01:09currently the second highest rank, who fought in front of the Shogun.
01:13This privilege was often granted depending on the influence of the wrestler's protector.
01:17rather than according to the wrestler's abilities and dignity.
01:19At the time, the title of Yokozuna did not designate a distinct rank in the rankings.
01:24The Yokozuna being an Oseki, having the privilege of performing his own ring entrance ceremony.
01:30The Yokozuna rank was born, among other things, from the desire to leave the best champions
01:33to enter the ring separately from the other wrestlers.
01:36The Doyohiri is a ceremony to present all the wrestlers who are going to fight.
01:40For the regular ceremony, the wrestlers, adorned in Keshomawashi, a type of richly decorated apron,
01:47form a circle around the doyo ring and perform a short dance.
01:50The Yokozuna, who does not participate in the normal ceremony,
01:53He appears separately, accompanied by two wrestlers who assist him.
01:57He wears the thick rope symbolizing his rank around his waist and performs a more elaborate dance.
02:02Becoming a Yokozuna
02:03A Yokozuna cannot lose his title.
02:05The promotion system is very strict and takes place in several stages.
02:09After a tournament, a council meets to discuss the performances of the best sumo wrestlers.
02:13and possibly recommend one of the oseki who meets the promotion criteria.
02:17The recommendation then goes through the division of judges.
02:20and by the management of the sub-engineers' association which makes the final decision.
02:24Once the decision is made, a member of the association goes to the wrestler's stable.
02:28to officially inform him of the news.
02:30In the days that follow, a thick rope, a symbol of Yokozuna rank, will be made by the stable.
02:35and the newly promoted athlete will train for the ceremony of entering the doyo-iri
02:38with the help of the Yokozuna who preceded him.
02:41The promotion ceremony takes place a few weeks after the end of the tournament at the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo.
02:47Promotion criteria
02:48In modern sumo wrestling, an oseki must demonstrate sufficient power, technique, and dignity.
02:53thanks, in order to be promoted to the rank of Yokozuna.
02:56There are no absolute criteria, nor any quotas.
02:58There have been periods without Yokozuna and periods with up to 4 Yokozuna.
03:03Power and technique are usually determined by the results of the last tournament.
03:07Although there is no precise rule, you generally need to win 11 out of 15 matches.
03:11during two consecutive tournaments as oseki or achieve an equivalent performance.
03:15The sumo wrestlers' association may consider other criteria such as the total number of tournament wins,
03:21the quality of the fights, the consistency of the results, etc.
03:24The notion of dignity, grace is more debatable and rests on more subjective criteria.
03:29For example, many people felt that oseki Konishiki could not have reached the rank of Yokozuna
03:35because he wasn't Japanese, and several members of the sumo wrestlers' association said openly
03:39that a foreigner could never meet Inkaku's criteria.
03:42The debate over foreign fighters ended in 1993.
03:46when oseki Akebono Taro received the rank of Yokozuna.
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