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Shikona
Ring name of a sumo wrestler From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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A shikona (Japanese: 四股名 or 醜名) is a sumo wrestler's ring name. The tradition of ring names in sumo dates back to the Muromachi period but became more widespread and codified as a sporting tradition during the Edo period, associated with the new sumo etiquette where ring names were used as a means to hide the identities of the rikishi.
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The use of shikona is left to the discretion of the wrestlers or people who gravitate around them. Traditionally the name is given by the master to his disciple, with the shikona inspiration often being drawn from characters from the wrestler's own choices or from his family, from the history of his stable or from the master's own name. At the same time, it is also possible for wrestlers to continue wrestling under their legal names. Although wrestlers who take a shikona assume a new name, it is common for their real names to remain the names by which their family and coaches call them. Although the management of ring names is fairly unrestricted, special rules dictate the use of names that belonged to yokozuna, who until 2021 were able to use their own names as their coaching names.
When choosing their shikona, wrestlers draw inspiration from weather phenomena or animals (both real and mythological), often using characters widely represented in the choice of names. Wrestlers sometimes inherit the same name from a parent who was a wrestler before them.
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History
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Sources attesting to the use of pseudonyms by sumo wrestlers and other martial artists date back to the mid-1500s, during the Muromachi period.[1][2][3] Before this usage, the term "shikona" referred to simple nicknames or was used as a synonym for self-deprecation before taking on a more martial meaning. Thus, the archaic spelling of the term was written with the kanji for ugliness or disgrace (醜).[3] With its widespread use in sumo, the term "shikona" gained respectability and its spelling changed to incorporate the term shiko (四股), the sumo leg-stomping ritual, a term chosen for its phonetic similarity to the kanji for ugliness.[3][4]
During the period of peace established under the Tokugawa shogunate, Japan experienced an unprecedented period of vagrancy of masterless samurai, called rōnins. Samurai could not engage in any activity under their social category under threat of punishment, and with the period of peace, it had become almost impossible to be recruited by local lords who no longer needed to build up a sizeable military retinue.[5] A number of rōnin had no choice but to put their martial art skills to good use in street sumo tournaments, called tsuji-sumo (辻相撲; lit. 'street-corner wrestling'), for the entertainment of passers-by.[6] Similarly, a number of street entertainment wrestling groups formed and began touring, sometimes with the support of shrines.[7] Since these samurai only became wrestlers through the loss of their previous status, they felt ashamed, and this shame led them to adopt performance names to hide their true identity.[8][9]
As street sumo became more and more popular, several cases of violence were reported in the pleasure districts where matches took place. Because of the betting and pride involved, it became common for fights to break out, some ending in sword duels and the death of an opponent.[10] To remedy these public order problems, the Edo authorities banned sumo matches outright, launching a campaign to supervise former samurai in the municipality's territory.[10] The latter continued in 1651, with the ban on the use of shikona by wrestlers, after a plot by former samurai to overthrow the shogunate was foiled.[2] The practice of sumo and its customs such as ring names continued illegally for two decades, however, until 1684, when a rōnin named Ikazuchi Gondaiyū obtained permission from the Edo authorities to hold an official tournament, making sumo customs legal again under a new organization.[11] During the Hōreki era, wrestlers who retired and established themselves as coaches began to inherit and assume the names of their predecessors, each coaching license being attached to the ring name of the wrestler who had established himself as a trainer and passed on his license to one of his apprentices.[12][13]
From 1941 to 2021, there was a way for exceptional wrestlers to become toshiyori within the Japan Sumo Association under their shikona, on condition that the ring name disappeared after the owner's final retirement.[14][15]
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Assuming a shikona
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General use
In professional sumo, a proverb says that a wrestler has three names: his birth name, his ring name and the name he takes when he can retire and train younger wrestlers.[16] The shikona itself is made up of a family name, which in the traditional presentation of Japanese names comes before the first name, and a given name.[17][18]
The use of a shikona is not mandatory.[19] It is common to see new recruits fighting under their birth name before later choosing a pseudonym, while others adopt a shikona from their professional debut.[20] Some wrestlers who started their career without a shikona often assume one upon promotion to the makushita, jūryō or makuuchi divisions.[21][22]
Traditionally, wrestlers have no say in the choice of their shikona. The selection may be made by the wrestler's master, the master's wife (the okamisan) or even a sponsor; the name is communicated to the wrester by his master.[1][23] Informally, however, the master often listens to the opinion of the wrestler who is to inherit the shikona.[18]
The use of a shikona does not mean that the chosen name is final. It is possible for a wrestler to change them during his career, with some keeping a name throughout their career and others going through multiple changes.[18] In fact, masters can change their wrestlers' names in order to inspire them to progress through the ranks.[1] It is also customary for wrestlers to be given a new shikona in recognition of important promotions.[18][24]
The history and tradition associated with specific shikona can increase expectations on their bearers.[23] Ring names are not used as much on a day-to-day basis, masters often using their wrestlers' birth names during training and wrestlers relatives continuing to call them by their first names.[18]
Although most wrestlers adopt a shikona, some choose to wrestle their entire career under their real name, and an increasing number of wrestlers are now making this choice.[17][25] This is notably the case for Takayasu, Shōdai, Endō, Ura, Dejima and Wajima, the only yokozuna to have used his real name throughout his career.[18][25][26]
After retirement
Specific rules exist for ring names after the retirement of the wrestlers bearing them. For yokozuna, these names are referred to as tomena (止め名; lit. 'stopped name') which are not to be inherited, with the exception of direct disciples of the last holder.[19] Exceptions to the normal acquisition of toshiyori were also made for the most successful rikishi, with era-defining yokozuna being offered a "single generation" or "lifetime" elder share, called ichidai toshiyori kabu (一代年寄株).[27][28] This process allowed a wrestler to stay as an elder without having to use a traditional share in the association, and enter his retirement duties with his ring name.[27][29] Only wrestlers with extraordinary careers were eligible for this privilege.[27] In October 2021, yokozuna Hakuhō, the wrestler with the most top-division championships, retired and it was expected that he would earn the right to inherit a Hakuhō share in view of his sporting exploits.[30] Hakuhō was however denied the ichidai toshiyori kabu and Masayuki Yamauchi (a Yokozuna Deliberation Council member) declared in a press conference that "no such system exists" under the new Public Interest Incorporated Foundation statutes of the association, implying that the system would no longer be used.[31][15]
When they retire, not all wrestlers are eligible to become toshiyori. Some still find roles within the Japan Sumo Association in subordinate positions (wakaimonogashira and sewanin). In doing so, these former wrestlers retain their shikona as their professional name even though they are no longer active.[32]
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Inspirations
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Although shikona are written with characters that evoke words or ideas, there is usually no literal meaning to the full name.[33]
In the Edo period it was common to refer to places of origin, mountains and rivers in ring names. Later, the use of names to create an effect of fierceness became more widespread, with references to lightning, storms and tempests.[9] In keeping with these customs, shikona also referred to animals, weapons or gods in order to convey a strong image of the wrestlers bearing these names,[9] but also to attract paying spectators.[17][18] Dunring the Meiji Restoration, wrestlers adopted names referring to their places of birth.[9] With the westernization of Japan, many wrestlers took shikona that reflected new innovations in Japanese life; examples from the period include Shinkeihō Genshichi (新刑法 源七; New penal code) or Denkitō Kōnosuke (電気燈 光之介; Electric light).[34] It is also customary for wrestlers to incorporate a character from their master's name into their own name.[35]
It is also common for a wrestler to inherit the shikona of a family member who had previously been a wrestler.[1] An example of family transmission would be Kotozakura II, who began his career under his father's shikona before inheriting his grandfather's upon promotion to ōzeki.[36] If a wrestler from outside the family also wishes to inherit the shikona of a former wrestler, it is traditionally required that the master ask permission from the family of the wrestler in question.[37] Sometimes, a master may propose that one of his wrestlers inherit his own ring name. In 2023, then-sekiwake Kiribayama changed his name to Kirishima when he was promoted to the rank of ōzeki, so that he would evoke his master.[38]
Kanji may be chosen to inspire wrestlers bearing the shikona. For example, in 2023, Ōshōma changed the first name of his shikona, Degi (出喜), with the kanji for energy (出気), with the same pronunciation, to ward off the risk of injury after a series of setbacks.[39]
Although any characters can be used for ring names, certain kanji are often found in shikona.[40] These include:[40][33][41]
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Examples
Inspired by geographical locations
Inspired by a stable tradition
Inspired by patrons
Other inspirations
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See also
References
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