chonmage 丁髷
The topknot. Lower-ranked wrestlers wear a plain one.
The chonmage is the topknot. Lower-ranked wrestlers wear it plain, tied with paper string, while sekitori wear the fan-shaped ōichō-mage in tournaments. The style comes from the Edo period, and the JSA says it has survived partly because it cushions the head in a fall. Pulling an opponent's topknot is a foul.
Related words
- ōichō-mage 大銀杏髷
- The ginkgo-leaf topknot sekitori wear in tournaments.
- tokoyama 床山
- A hairdresser employed by the association to tie the wrestlers' topknots.
- danpatsu-shiki 断髪式
- The retirement ceremony where a wrestler's topknot is cut off.