yokozuna 横綱
Grand champion, the top rank. A yokozuna can't be demoted.
Yokozuna is the top rank, usually translated as grand champion. Promotion generally needs two tournament wins in a row as ōzeki, or results judged equal to that. A yokozuna can never be demoted, but he's expected to retire once his results fall away. The name means horizontal rope, after the rope he wears for ceremonies, and there had been 75 by October 2026.
Related words
- ōzeki 大関
- Champion, the second-highest rank.
- tsuna 綱
- The thick braided rope a yokozuna wears for ceremonies.
- Yokozuna Shingi Iinkai 横綱審議委員会
- The Yokozuna Deliberation Council, which recommends promotions to yokozuna.
- kinboshi 金星
- A gold star: a maegashira's win over a yokozuna.