Salary and Payment

As of March 2001, the monthly salary figures (for sekitori) and allowance figures (for lower ranked fighters) were as follows (in Japanese Yen):

• Yokozuna: 2,820,000 (£14,000)
• Ozeki: 2,350,000 (£11,800)
• Sanyaku: 1,700,000 (£8,500)
• Maegashira: 1,300,000 (£6,500)
• Juryo: 1,030,000 (£5,000)

In addition, championships, special prizes, and kinboshi (an upset of the Yokozuna by a Maegashira) receive additional monetary rewards. The yuusho (winner of a tournament) receives anywhere from 100,000 yen (£500) for winning in a lower division, to 10,000,000 yen (£50,000) for winning the makuuchi division. In addition, after each bout not decided by a fusensho (forfeit victory), the winner receives half the prize money provided by the sponsor (typically 60,000 yen (£300) per sponsor).

In the case of a kinboshi, the Maegashira is rewarded an extra 15,000 yen (£75) per month for the rest of his career. This award is cumulative. The wrestler with the most kinboshi, Akinoshima, defeated the Yokozuna 15 times for a monthly bonus of 225,000 yen (£1,125). One of the three special prizes will also net an award of 2,000,000 yen (£10,000).

Due to the amount of money changing hands depending on rank, and prize money, there have been many accusations of yaocho (corruption, bout-fixing) in sumo. A economic study in 2000 on corruption focused on sumo as a closed system in which to study corruption. The authors of the study found that 70% of rikishi with 7-7 records on the final day of the tournament won. The percentage was found to rise the more times the two rikishi had met, and decrease when the rikishi was due to retire, or during times when bout-fixing had a large media focus.