Making a comprehensive list of sumo terminology

[Sumo Spiffy 579]

One of the video projects I want to work on is making a list of sumo terms for people who don't know what's being said when the Japanese words for various things are used. For one reason, there aren't any videos about this, but two, and more importantly, the online lists I can find are either very short or alphabetical. I want to group terms by their importance in being able to understand sumo and the conversations that happen around the sport.

At the moment, I'm planning to split the terms into four basic categories:

• Essential knowledge (dohyo, rikishi, kimarite, etc.—terms the English commentator is likely to use; the most important ranks; terms even a new fan is likely going to see sooner rather than later)
• Highly useful knowledge (nakabi, shimpan, arasoi, heya—terms which are important to the sport, and which the English commentator may use on occasion, but not necessary for comprehending what's going on during matches)
• Fun knowledge that might help with appreciation of the sport (tegata, degeiko, amazumo)
• More rarely-used terms that might only be used in places like this (amongst English-speaking sumo fans), and which aren't critical for understanding the sport but are likely to require someone to define them if you don't know them—difficult to figure out in context

Realistically, there's also a fifth category—terms which are outdated, very rarely used, or not at all important for understanding the sport such that a new sumo fan will likely never need to know them (e.g. knowing that "fudadome" means "sold out" probably doesn't help anyone very much in grasping sumo)

If you're willing to help, I would appreciate learning any terms I don't have here (the longest lists available are missing terms even I know), as well as comments on where some terms should go, thoughts on how to organize it, or anything else you might have to add.

Thank you in advance for any help you can offer!

Here's what I have:

Essential

• Banzuke
• Basho (by extension, honbasho)
  • Basho names and what they refer to
• Dohyo
• Fusen/fusenpai/fusensho
• Gyoji
• Hakkeyoi
• Henka
• Heya (by extension, beya)
• Joi/joi-jin
• Jun-yusho
• Juryo
• Kachi-koshi
• Kimarite (the term itself; I plan to handle the separate kimarite outside of this list)
• Komusubi
• Kyujo
• Maegashira
• Make-koshi
• Makuuchi
• Matta
• Mawashi
• Mono-ii
• Oyakata
• Ozeki
• Rikishi
• San'yaku
• Sekitori
• Sekiwake
• Shikona
• Tachi-ai
• Tawara
• Torikumi
• Torinaoshi
• Yokozuna
• Yusho

Useful

• Arasoi (by extension, yusho arasoi)
• Danpatsu-shiki
• Degeiko
• Dohyo-iri
• Gunbai
• Gunbai-dori
• Hansoku
• Hanamichi
• Ichimon
• Intai
• Jonidan
• Jonokuchi
• Jungyo
• Kadoban
• Keiko
• Kensho
• Kesho-mawashi
• Kettei-sen
• Kinboshi
• Kuroboshi
• Maezumo
• Makushita
• Nokotta
• Sansho (by extension, the different special prizes)
• Sashi-chigae
• Shikiri-sen
• Shiko
• Shimpan
• Shini-tai
• Shiroboshi
• Shisho
• Sumotori
• Te wo tsuite
• Yobidashi
• Zensho

Fun

• Amazumo
• Banzuke-gai
• Butsukari
• Chanko/chankonabe
• Chikara-mizu/chikara-gami
• Gambarize/Gambarimasu
• Jinku
• Kachi-nokori
• Koenkai
• Mage (by extension, different types)
• Mochikyukin
• Moshi-ai
• Musubi no ichiban
• Nakabi
• Nirami-ai
• Okamisan
• Sagari
• Senshuraku
• Shikiri
• Shimekomi
• Shokkiri
• Shonichi
• Shusshin
• Suna-kaburi
• Tanimachi
• Tate-gyoji
• Tegata
• Tokoyama
• Tsuna
• Wanpaku-zumo
• Zabuton

Side/Other (this is where I need the most help, determining what might be reasonably useful and what doesn't much matter)

• Dohyo matsuri
• Haridashi (HD)
• Kabu
• Shin-deshi
• Sumo-ji
• Tsukedashi (TD)
• Teppo
• Toriteki
• Yaocho

Edited April 8, 2023 by Sumo Spiffy

[Churaumi 745]

You could also have a list for sumo culture terms, like the stuff that adds the texture to sumo life. Things like sumoji, dohyomatsuri, jinku, koenkai, and the like.

[ryafuji 815]

Yikes, I've been watching sumo for over 30 years and don't know what "Te wo tsuite" means. At least I recognize all the others on the "Essentials" list. I'm curious as to why rikishi is essential but sumotori is just useful, as I had thought they were interchangeable terms. 

[Akinomaki 40,771]

Yaocho is a very important term, some people think sumo is all about yaocho, in the category Other you could instead put the term mukiryoku-zumo, but it is rather group 5.

Te wo tsuite is nothing important, except to the gyoji and shimpan (higashi and nishi are more important terms), Nokotta is just as important as Hakkeyoi - and then again less important Shobu ari, sashi-chigae, shini-tai - tokoyama should be in

Edited April 7, 2023 by Akinomaki

[Katooshu 3,332]

I would add toriteki (non-sekitori rikishi) 

[Churaumi 745]

Shikiri, shokiri, nirami-ai, hanamichi, tanimachi, shimekomi, the different levels of riji at the rijikai, it just goes on. I bet the YDC has a slew of words around it. Gambarize?

Edited April 7, 2023 by Churaumi

[Octofuji 368]

I would put heya and possibly oyakata in the top category, and move fusenpai and fusensho down (I can work out what they mean but I don't remember coming across them before).

I would also say shiko is pretty essential, although I suppose it depends whether you're just talking about the bouts or sumo in general.

But in general I think your classification is very good.

[Fashiritētā 184]

I didn’t see slippiotoshi on your list.

[Sumo Spiffy 579]

3 hours ago, ryafuji said:

Yikes, I've been watching sumo for over 30 years and don't know what "Te wo tsuite" means. At least I recognize all the others on the "Essentials" list. I'm curious as to why rikishi is essential but sumotori is just useful, as I had thought they were interchangeable terms. 

I keep seeing "Te wo tsuite" as the thing the gyoji says before they fight. Since it happens before every match, that seemed like a pretty common question ("what does he say?").

The rikishi/sumotori thing is essentially my brain making this list. I see "rikishi" constantly and "sumotori" fairly rarely. I'm open to the idea it's used much more than I realize.

3 hours ago, Akinomaki said:

Yaocho is a very important term, some people think sumo is all about yaocho, in the category Other you could instead put the term mukiryoku-zumo, but it is rather group 5.

Te wo tsuite is nothing important, except to the gyoji and shimpan (higashi and nishi are more important terms), Nokotta is just as important as Hakkeyoi - and then again less important Shobu ari, sashi-chigae, shini-tai - tokoyama should be in

I really don't want to overemphasize "yaocho". I'm game to bump it up, but without any particularly recent scandals, I don't think it's essential.

I don't know what shobu ari means (I'm looking it up, but I can only find it in relation to other sports or games). I can add the others; they're mostly terms I looked past because I always see them referred to by English comparisons, but that last group needs to be filled out some.

1 hour ago, Churaumi said:

Shikiri, shokiri, nirami-ai, hanamichi, tanimachi, shimekomi, the different levels of riji at the rijikai, it just goes on. I bet the YDC has a slew of words around it. Gambarize?

I thought of adding hanamichi and tanimachi before the sheer length of the list melted my brain. I'll find room for all of those. And gambarize, definitely gambarize.

I don't know anything about the rijikai, though. Like, I can define it as the board of directors, but I would need some kind of a guide to how it works, the levels, etc.

1 hour ago, Octofuji said:

I would put heya and possibly oyakata in the top category, and move fusenpai and fusensho down (I can work out what they mean but I don't remember coming across them before).

I would also say shiko is pretty essential, although I suppose it depends whether you're just talking about the bouts or sumo in general.

But in general I think your classification is very good.

I had heya and oyakata in the top list, but moved them down... could definitely go either way with those. I have fusenpai and fusensho at the top simply because it makes the most sense to define them alongside "fusen".

Shiko is essential for the wrestlers, and I think it's good to know, but I don't think it's essential for understanding the sport.

[Benihana 1,937]

3 hours ago, ryafuji said:

Yikes, I've been watching sumo for over 30 years and don't know what "Te wo tsuite" means. At least I recognize all the others on the "Essentials" list. I'm curious as to why rikishi is essential but sumotori is just useful, as I had thought they were interchangeable terms. 

PUT YER DANG HANDS DOWN!

To this day, it always sounds "Yoshite" to me.

[Sumo Spiffy 579]

4 hours ago, Churaumi said:

You could also have a list for sumo culture terms, like the stuff that adds the texture to sumo life. Things like sumoji, dohyomatsuri, jinku, koenkai, and the like.

I would need some ideas of what's most useful for people to know—to me, that means, what are the most common cultural things a person might hear about and wonder what it is, or what might they not know about and it would add a lot to their understanding of sumo to learn about it? I don't know much about them, though.

Just now, Benihana said:

PUT YER DANG HANDS DOWN!

To this day, it always sounds "Yoshite" to me.

Same, but I'll go with whatever the common description is unless I hear something different. I can't make out words in English half the time, so I'm hardly going to try and figure out Japanese ones that aren't super clear.

Edited April 7, 2023 by Sumo Spiffy

[Yamanashi 3,903]

46 minutes ago, Sumo Spiffy said:

I keep seeing "Te wo tsuite" as the thing the gyoji says before they fight.

To me, it always sounds like "Yo, CK!"

[Akinomaki 40,771]

1 hour ago, Sumo Spiffy said:

I keep seeing "Te wo tsuite" as the thing the gyoji says before they fight. Since it happens before every match, that seemed like a pretty common question ("what does he say?").

Gyoji and yobidashi say higashi and nishi before each bout, shobu ari when the bout is decided and the rikishi are still engaged, nokotta on average 10 times a bout - it doesn't make Te wo tsuite more important that it is used for every preparation, people hardly pay attention to that (Japanese fans wouldn't care as well), especially since only Konosuke emphasizes it that much - jikan desu and matta nashi are also standard phrases - more important ones

Edited April 7, 2023 by Akinomaki

[Katooshu 3,332]

To me it always sounds like 'Yong see day' 

[Seiyashi 4,108]

Your reference to alphabetical makes me think you've already gone to the glossary on this forum, which is excellent if a bit dated. 

I'd also suggest that if possible, try not to have it in video form, or at least not only in video form. Firstly, it's not very searchable, and second, someone needs to guess at your categorisation if they want to look it up. Maybe something like a GSheets that can be filtered or rearranged at the users' will for people to head to after they see your video?

Edited April 8, 2023 by Seiyashi

[Yamanashi 3,903]

Pardon if I didn't see this, but will you refer to the Sumo 101 videos put out by the NHK?

[Jabbamaru 167]

Gachinko, kanroko, tsukebito, kintamayama...

[sumojoann 1,268]

This is a great idea!  For the most part, I like how you have organized the words into the various categories. 

Over the 10 years I have been a sumo fan, I have tried to recruit new fans without much success.  It is so difficult to overcome the stereotypes.  However, in the process, I have been asked a lot of questions by those who have expressed curiosity, if not outright interest.  A list like this would be very helpful to new fans and potential new fans.

I'd like to make some suggestions based on the questions I have been asked.  These questions all result from what they see, hear and notice, but don't understand.

I think the following should be moved to "ESSENTIAL" ----

1) Kensho --- The first thing I noticed from watching sumo which drove me to Google it, which ultimately sucked me down the rabbit hole of Ozumo.  (Some friends thought people were placing bets on the bouts!)

2) Gunbai --- Lots of questions about the gunbai from friends!  A shopkeeper in Tokyo once teasingly told me that the referee used the gunbai to spank the wrestlers when they were bad!

3) Nokotta --- Everyone wants to know what he's saying and why.  More important than "Te wo suite" (imo).

4) Sagari --- Lot of questions about what they are & their purpose.

5) Shiko --- This image is so associated with sumo by people all over the world, even those who know nothing else about sumo.

6) Shimpan --- My husband called them "The Death Squad" before he understood the correct term!

7) Yobidashi --- They are so visible, there are so many of them, they do so many different things and their clothing is so "different".  I get a lot of questions about them.

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In the "USEFUL" category, there should be "Gunbaidori" in addition to "Sashi-chigae" that you've already listed.

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Should "KADOBAN" be moved to "ESSENTIAL"?  Nowadays it's used during EVERY basho, it seems!

Edited April 8, 2023 by sumojoann

[sumojoann 1,268]

I noticed you've listed "Chikara-mizu/chikara-mizu."  Did you mean "Chikara-mizu/chikara-gami"?

[sumojoann 1,268]

I suggest adding "Kettei-sen" to "USEFUL."  "Kettei-sen is often discussed as a possibility and often occurs in at least one of the 6 divisions during a honbasho.

Also, in "USEFUL", I would add "Keiko", either by itself, or before "Degeiko" ("Keiko/degeiko") because they both refer to training, just different types.

In "ESSENTIAL", "Heya" could be listed as "Heya/beya" because there is confusion among some people as to what the difference is.

In "FUN", I would add "Gambarimasu" after "Gambarize" ("Gambarize/gambarimasu") because "Gambarimasu" is THE most common phrase out of the mouth of the rikishi during interviews.

Also under "FUN", I would add the various training exercises (you've already listed "Butsukari").  I would add "Suriashi", "Matawari", "Teppo" and I'm sure there are others.  (I would remove "Teppo" from "SIDE/OTHER").

Under "SIDE/OTHER", you might consider adding the various types of arena seating (if you think this would be useful for choosing the type of tickets to purchase even though it doesn't have anything to do with understanding sumo itself).  Example --- "Masu-seki", other types of box seats and whatever Western-style seats are called in Japanese.

Keep up the good work, @Sumo Spiffy!

[Octofuji 368]

8 minutes ago, sumojoann said:

Also under "FUN", I would add the various training exercises (you've already listed "Butsukari").

You must be watching a different sumo to me ;)

[sumojoann 1,268]

18 minutes ago, Octofuji said:

You must be watching a different sumo to me ;)

I think Sumo Spiffy means information that is FUN to know about.  It DOES sound funny (and a little strange) to categorize the various sumo exercises as "fun" if you're literal-minded! lol

Edited April 8, 2023 by sumojoann

[RabidJohn 1,855]

16 hours ago, Akinomaki said:

Te wo tsuite is nothing important, except to the gyoji and shimpan ...

I would have said "te wo tsuite" varies in importance from irrelevant to crucial.

Hand contact with the dohyo is supposed to occur before the tachi-ai, but as anyone who has watched sumo for any time knows, there is no predicting how this rule will be applied from basho to basho, or even from bout to bout.

I'd have put te wo tsuite, hakke yoi, nokkota and shobu ari all in the same category, as they're all things the gyoji say (or shout/scream) during a bout.

[Akinomaki 40,771]

Te wo tsuite is exactly what only is fun to know, but not important - most of all because it is no sumo term, but a phrase. You could have Te in important and as details e.g Te wo tsuite, te ga tsuku from the shimpan explanation, kimarite, kabaite, tsukite ... - like for sansho the 3 actual ones - and with Matta the gyoji phrase Matta nashi

2 hours ago, sumojoann said:

In "FUN", I would add "Gambarimasu" after "Gambarize" ("Gambarize/gambarimasu") because "Gambarimasu" is THE most common phrase out of the mouth of the rikishi during interviews.

Gambarize doesn't even belong in fun, because it is no Japanese word - Gambarimasu would be proper, plus gambatte

Edited April 8, 2023 by Akinomaki

[Akinomaki 40,771]

A side note to Te wo tsuite:

they should abolish that nonsense, because it is exactly what causes a loss, thus after Te wo tsuite for the start of the bout, te ga tsuita means it's over, te ga tsuku, te ga tsuite ori is what the shimpan use to explain their decision.

Even more fun is Ashi ga deru: Ashi ga dete inai in the shimpan explanation means the foot was not out and he didn't lose, in a comment by e.g. an oyakata it means that his legs didn't move forward properly, meaning bad sumo and being the reason for the loss

Edited April 8, 2023 by Akinomaki