Shikona
Encyclopedia
A shikona is a sumo
wrestler's ring name
.
As with standard Japanese names, a shikona consists of a 'surname' and a 'given' name, and the full name is written surname first. However, the given name is rarely used outside formal or ceremonial occasions. Thus, the former yokozuna Asashōryū Akinori
is usually referred to as simply Asashōryū. When addressing a sumo wrestler of the makuuchi
or jūryō divisions, the suffix -zeki (関) should be used instead of the usual Japanese -san. The given name is often the wrestler's actual name, although foreign wrestlers are invariably given a Japanese name.
While a shikona can be the wrestler's own surname, most upper-division rikishi have a shikona different from their surname. A typical shikona consists of one, two or three kanji
. Often, part of the name comes from the wrestler's master, a place name (such as the name of a province, a river, or a sea), the name of a weapon, an item identified with Japanese tradition (like a koto
(琴) or nishiki (錦)), or a term indicating superiority. Often, waka (若, "young") indicates a wrestler whose father was also in sumo; in this case, the meaning is junior.
Wrestlers can change their shikona, often to mark significant rise in rank, but sometimes in the hope of a change in fortune after poor performance. Takahanada, son of former ōzeki Takanohana
(貴乃花), changed his name to Takanohana
(貴ノ花) when he himself was promoted to ōzeki, and subsequently changed the characters to 貴乃花. More recently Kotoōshū
, whose performance has been disappointing since promotion to ōzeki, subtly changed the last character of his name, 琴欧州 becoming 琴欧洲, in a bid for better results. Veteran ōzeki Kaiō
(魁皇) was originally called Kaikō, but changed the pronunciation to Kaiō as it was felt to be a stronger-sounding name.
Many foreign rikishi are given shikona that give a clue as to their origin: the names of Russian brothers Rohō (露鵬) and Hakurozan
(白露山) both contained the character 露, which is an abbreviation for Russia; Kotoōshū
(琴欧州), a Bulgarian, the first European to reach makuuchi (top) division, contains the characters 欧州, meaning Europe. Another notable example is the American Henry Armstrong Miller
, who wrestled under the shikona Sentoryū (戦闘竜), which means fighting war dragon but is also homophonous with St. Louis, his city of origin.
Sumo
is a competitive full-contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...
wrestler's ring name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
.
As with standard Japanese names, a shikona consists of a 'surname' and a 'given' name, and the full name is written surname first. However, the given name is rarely used outside formal or ceremonial occasions. Thus, the former yokozuna Asashōryū Akinori
Asashōryū Akinori
is a former sumo wrestler from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. He was the 68th yokozuna in the history of the sport in Japan and became the first Mongol to reach sumo's highest rank in January 2003. He was one of the most successful yokozuna ever. In 2005 he became the first man to win all six official...
is usually referred to as simply Asashōryū. When addressing a sumo wrestler of the makuuchi
Makuuchi
or is the top division of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers , ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments....
or jūryō divisions, the suffix -zeki (関) should be used instead of the usual Japanese -san. The given name is often the wrestler's actual name, although foreign wrestlers are invariably given a Japanese name.
While a shikona can be the wrestler's own surname, most upper-division rikishi have a shikona different from their surname. A typical shikona consists of one, two or three kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
. Often, part of the name comes from the wrestler's master, a place name (such as the name of a province, a river, or a sea), the name of a weapon, an item identified with Japanese tradition (like a koto
Koto (musical instrument)
The koto is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument, similar to the Chinese guzheng, the Mongolian yatga, the Korean gayageum and the Vietnamese đàn tranh. The koto is the national instrument of Japan. Koto are about length, and made from kiri wood...
(琴) or nishiki (錦)), or a term indicating superiority. Often, waka (若, "young") indicates a wrestler whose father was also in sumo; in this case, the meaning is junior.
Wrestlers can change their shikona, often to mark significant rise in rank, but sometimes in the hope of a change in fortune after poor performance. Takahanada, son of former ōzeki Takanohana
Takanohana Kenshi
Takanohana Kenshi 貴ノ花健士 was a sumo wrestler from Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. His highest rank was ozeki, which he held for fifty tournaments. As an active rikishi he was extremely popular and was nicknamed the "prince of sumo" due to his good looks and relatively slim build...
(貴乃花), changed his name to Takanohana
Takanohana Koji
is a former sumo wrestler from Suginami, Tokyo, Japan. He was the 65th man in history to reach sumo's highest rank of yokozuna, and he won 22 tournament championships between 1992 and 2001, the fifth highest total ever...
(貴ノ花) when he himself was promoted to ōzeki, and subsequently changed the characters to 貴乃花. More recently Kotoōshū
Kotooshu Katsunori
Kotoōshū Katsunori is a professional sumo wrestler or rikishi. He made his debut in 2002, reaching the top division just two years later...
, whose performance has been disappointing since promotion to ōzeki, subtly changed the last character of his name, 琴欧州 becoming 琴欧洲, in a bid for better results. Veteran ōzeki Kaiō
Kaio Hiroyuki
Kaiō Hiroyuki is a former professional sumo wrestler from Nōgata, Fukuoka, Japan.He made his debut in 1988, reaching the top makuuchi division in 1993. He held the second highest rank of ōzeki or champion for eleven years from 2000 to 2011, and is the longest-serving ozeki of all time in terms of...
(魁皇) was originally called Kaikō, but changed the pronunciation to Kaiō as it was felt to be a stronger-sounding name.
Many foreign rikishi are given shikona that give a clue as to their origin: the names of Russian brothers Rohō (露鵬) and Hakurozan
Hakurozan Yuta
Hakurozan Yūta is a former sumo wrestler. The highest rank he reached was maegashira 2. His older brother is also a former sumo wrestler, under the name of Rohō of Ōtake stable...
(白露山) both contained the character 露, which is an abbreviation for Russia; Kotoōshū
Kotooshu Katsunori
Kotoōshū Katsunori is a professional sumo wrestler or rikishi. He made his debut in 2002, reaching the top division just two years later...
(琴欧州), a Bulgarian, the first European to reach makuuchi (top) division, contains the characters 欧州, meaning Europe. Another notable example is the American Henry Armstrong Miller
Henry Armstrong Miller
Since his retirement from sumo, Sentoryu has tried his luck at mixed martial arts. His debut was for PRIDE in April 2004.He has six wins and nine losses in his sixteen fights to date. He styles himself Henry "Sentoryu" Miller. He made an agreement with World Victory Road and recently fought...
, who wrestled under the shikona Sentoryū (戦闘竜), which means fighting war dragon but is also homophonous with St. Louis, his city of origin.