What are the requirements to become a sumo wrestler?

The Japan Sumo Association requires healthy men who have finished compulsory education and are under 23 (under 25 with certain amateur results). The size standard is at least 167 cm and 67 kg; those below it can still take a physical ability test.

How many professional sumo wrestlers are there?

598 as of December 31, 2025, according to the Japan Sumo Association.

Do all sumo wrestlers get a salary?

No. Only wrestlers in juryo and above (sekitori) receive a salary. Those in makushita and below receive only tournament allowances and incentives.

How to become a sumo wrestler in Japan, and what the life is really like

Sumo is one of the most searched-for parts of Japanese culture. Behind the televised bouts is a steep pyramid: hundreds of young men live and train in stables, and only a small number ever earn a salary. Here is how it works, using official figures from the Japan Sumo Association.

Joining a stable

To become a professional, you join a sumo stable (heya) and pass the recruit exam. According to the Japan Sumo Association, applicants must be healthy men who have finished compulsory education and are under 23, or under 25 with qualifying amateur results. The size standard is at least 167 cm and 67 kg (165 cm and 65 kg for junior high graduates in the March tournament). Applicants below it can sit a physical ability test instead.

The ranking pyramid

Every wrestler appears on the banzuke, the ranking sheet issued before each tournament. On the November 2025 banzuke there were:

Yokozuna 2 · Ozeki 1 · Sekiwake and komusubi 4 · Maegashira 35 (42 in the top makuuchi division)
Juryo 28 · Makushita 119 · Sandanme 160 · Jonidan 204 · Jonokuchi 44

The Japan Sumo Association counted 598 wrestlers at the end of 2025. Only the 70 in juryo and makuuchi are sekitori.

Why most wrestlers are not paid a salary

Sekitori, those in juryo and above, receive a salary and other payments. Wrestlers in makushita and below receive no salary, only allowances for each tournament and incentives. Reaching juryo is the moment life changes: the formal hairstyle, the ceremonial apron, assistants of your own, and a salary.

Injury, retirement and the 105 elder names

Careers end early and often through injury. After retirement a wrestler can stay in sumo as a coach and stablemaster only by holding one of the elder names (toshiyori); the association lists 105. Others open restaurants, join companies or build entirely new careers.

What the simulator assumes

In the special edition, the requirements, the ranking structure and the no-salary rule below juryo follow the official figures above. The odds of promotion and injury, retirement timing, sekitori income levels and post-retirement paths are game assumptions, marked as such on the explainer page.

Sources: Japan Sumo Association, "How to become a rikishi" (sumo.or.jp) and FY2025 business report.

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