Learning the Lingo: Episode One

Hello sumo fans! Here is a new series that I hope will be a helpful resource for new sumo followers and a good refresher for longtime fans of the sport of giants. Sumo is a very complex sport it can be easy to get overwhelmed and confused by all the vocabulary. In episode one of Learning the Lingo, I briefly go over and break down five sumo terms including sekitori, hanamichi, and sagari.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to see more of the series, please let me know. As always, thanks so much for watching!

15 thoughts on “Learning the Lingo: Episode One

  1. This is a good idea. An archive of this series will be a “visual dictionary” (avoiding trademarks) of these terms, and I hope it’s available for years to come. Congratulations!

  2. Nice, informative video. Here are a couple of nitpicks:

    • Sekitori can move into their own apartment regardless of their marital state. Terunofuji has (or had) his own apartment, and so did Takanoiwa. Takakeisho recently moved to his own apartment. It’s more a matter of rank and length of service.

    • Deshi is any rikishi in a stable, including sekitori. It can be thought of as “disciple”. For example, the press may call Aminishiki “Terutsuyoshi’s ani-deshi” (meaning his big-brother-deshi, a term similar to sempai). The group term for non-sekitori rikishi in a heya is “wakashu”.

  3. Thanks Liam – would love one of your future Learning the Lingo sessions to focus on the officiating side (Gyoji, Shimpan and the hierarchies / backgrounds and things like the mono-ii.
    Thanks for your active work in educating and growing the international sumo fan base.

    • Thank you for your kind words, they mean a lot to me! Also, are you by chance a mind reader? Those topics are literally on my list for future episodes!

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