Banzuke
There are at present about 800 rikisi in professional sumo from the lowly trainee to the yokozuna at the top. After each Grand Tournament the banzuke are revised with rikishi being either promoted or demoted depending on their performance during the fifteen days. A new official ranking list called the banzuke is issued by the Nihon Sumo Kyokai printed in an ancient, stylized calligraphy.
Ranks
The rikishi are first arbitrarily divided into east and west teams although they do not compete as teams nor is a rikishi from one team necessarily matched against one of the other. Heading the banzuke in large, bold characters are the names of the upper division rikishi, the maku-uchi. The maku-uchi group includes the five top ranks: Yokozuna, Ozeki, Sekiwake, Komusbi, and Maegashira.
The number of the maku-uchi are within 40. The remainder of the upper division rikishi or approximately a quarter of their total number are distributed among the top four grades.
Listed below these on the banzuke, in progressively smaller characters, appear the name of the juryo and makushita, and below these the san-dan-me, jo-ni-dan lastly thejo-no-kuchi. Below the makushita do not get to wrestle on each day of a tournament. The matches start in the morning with those of the lowest ranking rikishi, followed by those of progressively higher and higher rank, building up a climax toward the end of the day with the bouts featuring the yokozuna.
The position of the yokozuna is unique. In the past three hundred years since the title was created only sixty-eight rikishi have been so honored. The yokozuna, alone of all the ranks can never be demoted even if he makes a poor showing during a tournament. Instead should he continue with a bad record, he is expected to retire. Before a rikishi can even be considered for promotion to yokozuna, he must have won two consecutively tournaments while holding the rank of ozeki. He must have proven himself capable of turning in consistent performances and in the critical eyes of the Sumo Kyokai be a man of character worthy to hold such an exalted postion.
Mage
The rank of a rikishi determines the style in which his long hair is dressed. The style worn by juryo and maku-uchi is the more elaborate and is called the o-icho-mage after the ginko leaf which the top-knot is supposed to resemble. The lower ranks wear the chon-mage, a plainer style tied with paper strings. The hair styles are adopted from those fashionable in the Edo Period and have been preserved not merely because of tradition but also because they serve as a head protection in the event of falls.
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