相撲SUMO DUEL

取組 · Fight

土俵と儀式 · The ring and the ritual

土俵dohyōthe ring

A raised clay platform with a circle of straw bales, 4.55 m across. Step out, or touch the clay with anything but the soles of your feet, and you lose.

仕切り線shikiri-senthe white lines

Two short white lines in the centre of the ring that the wrestlers crouch behind.

塩shiosalt

Thrown over the ring before a bout to purify it.

四股shikothe leg stomp

Lifting one leg high and stamping it down to drive evil spirits out of the ring. Also a basic leg exercise every rikishi drills daily.

塵手水chiri-chōzuthe opening gesture

Squatting, clapping, then spreading the arms with palms up and turning them down: an old way of showing you carry no weapon.

仕切りshikirithe crouch

The face-off at the lines before the charge. Real wrestlers repeat it several times to unsettle each other.

立ち合いtachiaithe initial charge

The explosive start of a bout. In real sumo both wrestlers start it together without a signal; in this game the gyoji gives it.

待ったmatta"wait!"

A mistimed charge that has to be restarted. The game's fake 待て! signals play on this.

吊り屋根 · 房tsuriyane · fusahanging roof · tassels

The shrine-style roof over the ring. Its four tassels mark the seasons and directions: green east spring, red south summer, white west autumn, black north winter.

土俵入りdohyō-iriring-entering ceremony

Before their division's bouts the sekitori parade into the ring in keshō-mawashi. In this game, your walkout.

手刀 · 勝ち名乗りtegatana · kachi-nanorihand chop · victory call

The winner squats and is named by the gyōji; taking prize envelopes he cuts the air with his hand, left, right, centre, to thank three gods. In this game, the default victory pose.

弓取り式yumitori-shikibow-twirling ceremony

A lower-ranked wrestler twirls a bow in the ring after the last bout of each day, accepting it on behalf of the winner. In this game, the rarest victory pose.

福引fukubikilottery drum

The hand-cranked octagonal drum at Japanese festivals and shopping streets: turn it and a coloured ball drops out, its colour naming the prize, gold the top one. In this game, the draw for drum-only items.

千秋楽senshūrakufinal day

The last day of a tournament, when the championship is decided.

人 · People

力士rikishisumo wrestler

A professional wrestler. They live and train together in a stable.

四股名shikonaring name

The name a wrestler fights under, often built from his stable's characters plus words like mountain, sea or dragon.

行司gyōjireferee

Starts and judges the bout. His rank shows in his tassel colour, footwear and, for the top two, a dagger.

軍配gunbaiwar fan

The referee's lacquered fan. After a bout he points it at the winner's side.

行司の格gyōji no kakureferee ranks

Each referee works the bouts of his own division, and his rank shows in his gunbai tassel: black or green in the lower divisions, green and white for Jūryō, red and white for Makuuchi, red for san'yaku, purple and white for 式守伊之助 Shikimori Inosuke, solid purple for the head referee 木村庄之助 Kimura Shōnosuke. The lowest ranks go barefoot, Jūryō referees wear tabi socks, san'yaku add zōri sandals.

短刀tantōdagger

Worn by the two highest gyōji: a symbol of their readiness to atone for a wrong call.

呼出yobidashiring attendant

Sings out each wrestler's name before a bout, beats the drum and sweeps the ring.

審判shimpanringside judges

Five judges in black around the ring who can overrule the gyōji.

部屋 · 稽古heya · keikostable · practice

The stable where wrestlers live and train, and the daily practice in its ring.

ちゃんこ鍋chanko-nabethe wrestlers' stew

The big hot pot of meat, fish and vegetables that feeds a stable, cooked by the wrestlers themselves. In this game, the best value for stamina in your stable's kitchen.

東 · 西higashi · nishieast · west

The two sides of the ring and of the banzuke. East is the slightly higher-ranked side.

装い · Dress

廻しmawashithe belt

The belt worn in bouts. Wrestlers from Jūryō up wear coloured silk; lower divisions wear black cotton.

下がりsagarifringe strings

The stiffened strings tucked into the front of the mawashi.

髷 · 大銀杏mage · ōichōtopknot

The oiled topknot. Jūryō and above wear the fan-shaped ginkgo-leaf style for bouts.

化粧廻しkeshō-mawashiceremonial apron

An embroidered silk apron hanging to the ankles, worn by sekitori walking into the ring for the dohyō-iri, often a gift from supporters and worth a fortune. In this game you wear it during the ring entry and take it off for the bout.

ざんばら · 坊主zanbara · bōzuloose hair · shaved head

A new recruit's hair is often too short to tie, so it hangs loose (zanbara). A shaved head is what's left after the topknot is cut at retirement (danpatsu-shiki).

サポーターsapōtāknee tape

Bandages and supports for knees and elbows, common on veteran wrestlers.

支度部屋shitaku-beyadressing room

Where wrestlers get ready before their bouts. In this game, where you dress your rikishi.

番付と場所 · Ranks and tournaments

番付banzukeranking sheet

The official ranking list, rewritten after every tournament.

本場所honbashogrand tournament

Six a year: Hatsu (Jan, Tokyo), Haru (Mar, Osaka), Natsu (May, Tokyo), Nagoya (Jul), Aki (Sep, Tokyo), Kyūshū (Nov, Fukuoka). Top wrestlers fight 15 bouts, lower divisions 7.

取組torikumia bout

A single match between two wrestlers.

序ノ口 · 序二段 · 三段目 · 幕下Jonokuchi · Jonidan · Sandanme · Makushitalower divisions

Where every wrestler starts and climbs. Unpaid, black cotton mawashi.

十両Jūryōsecond division

The first salaried division. Reaching it makes you a sekitori.

両 · 給金ryō · kyūkingold coin · salary

The old gold coin: Jūryō is named for the ten ryō its wrestlers were once paid, and to this day only sekitori draw a real salary. In this game, the money: bouts and basho pay it, more the higher you rank, and the shop takes it.

関取sekitorisalaried wrestler

A wrestler in Jūryō or above, with attendants, a silk mawashi and the ginkgo-leaf topknot.

幕内 · 前頭Makuuchi · Maegashiratop division · rank and file

Makuuchi is the top division; Maegashira are its ranks below san'yaku.

三役san'yakuthe titled ranks

小結 Komusubi, 関脇 Sekiwake and 大関 Ōzeki, just below the top.

横綱Yokozunagrand champion

The highest rank, reached by winning a tournament as Ōzeki, or two strong ones in a row (綱取り tsunatori, "taking the rope"). A Yokozuna is never demoted: when results fail, he retires. He wears a white rope (tsuna) at the ring-entering ceremony.

勝ち越し · 負け越しkachi-koshi · make-koshiwinning · losing record

More wins than losses moves you up the banzuke; more losses moves you down. That's 4 wins of 7 in the lower divisions, 8 of 15 for sekitori.

優勝yūshōchampionship

Winning the tournament: the best record in the division. In this game: 7–0 below Jūryō, 14 or more wins of 15 from Jūryō up (real top-division champions usually finish 13–2 or 14–1).

星取表hoshitori-hyōresults chart

The record of a tournament: ○ a white star is a win, ● a black star a loss.

出世shusserising up

Climbing the ranks. The name of this game's campaign.

入門nyūmonjoining

Entering a stable to start a sumo career. Here, creating your account.

国技館 · 奉納相撲Kokugikan · hōnō-zumothe national hall · shrine sumo

Tokyo's sumo arena, and sumo performed at a shrine as an offering to the gods.

開催地kaisaichitournament cities

Three basho a year are held at the Kokugikan in Tokyo; the others travel: Haru to Osaka in March, Nagoya in July, Kyūshū to Fukuoka in November. In the campaign each basho is fought in its own city, and reaching it unlocks that arena.

明治神宮Meiji JingūMeiji Shrine

Tokyo's great shrine, where a newly promoted Yokozuna performs his first ring-entering ceremony. Unlocked when you reach Yokozuna.

技と結果 · Techniques and results

決まり手kimaritewinning technique

How a bout was won. There are 82 official ones.

押し出し · 寄り切りoshidashi · yorikiripush out · force out

Pushing the opponent out with hands on his body, or driving him out while holding his mawashi.

突き出し · 押し倒しtsukidashi · oshitaoshithrust out · push down

Thrusting him out with open-hand strikes, or pushing him over onto his back.

不戦勝fusenshōwin by default

A win because the opponent didn't come, or walked out.

完勝kanshōsweep

A complete victory. In this game: winning a bout without losing a single round, never taking a step back. Ranked gives 50% more MMR for it.

大逆転dai-gyakutenreverse sweep

A great turnaround. In this game: being one step from going out, then winning every round until your opponent is out. Ranked gives 25% more MMR for it.

三賞sanshōspecial prizes

Prizes awarded after a basho for outstanding performance, technique or fighting spirit. In the campaign, three sweeps in one basho (six in a 15-bout basho) earn the 技能賞 Ginō-shō (technique), and a reverse sweep the 敢闘賞 Kantō-shō (fighting spirit).

太鼓 · 跳ね太鼓taiko · hane-daikodrum · closing drum

Sumo's big drums. Yose-daiko is beaten in the morning to call the crowd; hane-daiko after the last bout sends everyone home and invites them back tomorrow.

はっけよい · のこったhakkeyoi · nokottathe gyōji's calls

"Put your spirit in!" and "Still in!" shouted during the bout.

構え · 押せkamae · oseready · push!

The two calls on the gyōji's fan in this game: get set, and go.

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