Kagamisato participating in the "Dohyo-iri" ceremony	"Dohyo-iri" ceremony by the top "Makuuchi" wrestlers
Futatsuryu having his hair set in the dressing room	Referee Inosuke Shikimori

    It is always interesting to know what another man is earning, and this never fails to arouse one's curiosity although in many cases it ends up in disappointment when you find that his purse heavily outweighs yours.
    For instance, news like Yogi Berra of the New York Yankees signing his contract for so much for the coming baseball season and other earned income reports Hollywood actors and actresses are always welcomed by the public.
    The more famous a person is, the more the people want to know how much he earns.
    The income of Sumo wrestlers has always been a matter of great curiosity to the Japanese people.
    How much are the “giants” getting? How is their pay system? These are some of the questions asked.
    Sumo is considered the national sport of Japan with a long history and tradition. Strong traces of the latter still appear in the hairdo of the wrestlers but also in many other manners and customs.
    Besides, Sumo is recognized as the “barometer” of the peaceful state of the nation. It is said that whenever it receives the support of the people, the social setup of the nation is stabilized.
    As in most cases the pay scale of wrestlers is very hard to compute because it is so complex and covered by the thick veil of old tradition.
    As a whole, the pay scale in Sumo-dom is roughly divided into five categories; grand champion “yokozuna,” “ozeki,” “makuuchi,” “juryo” and “makushita.”
    Sumo men down from Yokozuna to Juryo rank are considered regular wrestlers and they are entitled to receive many advantages, like keeping a few apprentices, etc.
    The most noticeable thing is their hair style.
    Wrestlers above Juryo rank can tie their hair in the “butterfly” style which has been called “Oicho.”
    It usually takes seven years to become a Makuuchi wrestler “above Maegashira rank.” Al least four to five years at the earliest are required to enter the Makuuchi group.
    In olden days there were only two tournaments a year and a single tournament lasted only 10 days.
    The fastest promotion on record was made by retired “Yokozuna,” now Tatsunami Club leader Haguroyama, who became Makuuchi in five tournaments. It took 32 tourneys for Makuuchi Tamanoumi to enter the Maegashira rank.
    Sumo club leaders must always be retired wrestlers and they have to support over 1,000 apprentices to produce 25 to 30 regular wrestlers, although sometimes they are unable to hold that many.
    The major difference between professional Sumo and any other sports is that in baseball and tennis and other sports, for instance, an amateur may get quick recognition in professional circles as soon as he turns to money making, but in Sumo things do not always turn out that way.
    Yoshiyama, who once was well known as the All Japan Collegiate sumo champion, turned professional but he has since been in the lower position of Maegashira even though he received the advantage to enter the Makushita rank without going through the labors of a lower ranker.
    Now, let us continue on the subject of money earning.
    Every person belonging to the Japan Sumo Association which includes wrestlers, club leaders, referees and many others, receive their pay from the proceeds of the four official tournaments held in a year.
    But besides this, their source of income also depends on the local tourneys and many other club exhibitions.
    As indicated before, wrestlers are divided into four categories in their pay scale – Juryo ¥40, Makuuchi, ¥60, Ozeki ¥100 and Yokozuna ¥150 – but without any question it is evident that they can not make their living from the above wages.
    By their showing in the championship tourney, wrestlers get a boost in pay which amazes most people.
    If a wrestler has one more win than defeats, he is entitled to get a 25 sen increase in his basic wage from the next tournament. Just imagine, 25 sen is a quarter of a yen.
    If one wins 9 and loses 6 bouts in the 15 day tourney, it means his pay will swell by ¥1.
    In case a wrestler has more losses than wins he does not get his pay cut but his rank will go down accordingly.
    This is the main reason why a wrestler tries to keep himself in top shape for the official main matches.
    Should a Makuuchi wrestler defeat a grand champion, he will receive a ¥10 raise as a “gold star” for his triumph.
    A championship winner will receive ¥30 and a 15 days’ straight winner will get a ¥50 raise.
    Of course wrestlers cannot make their living from the figures indicated so far.
    Let us see how much present Yokozuna Azumafuji is making.
    Azumafuji receives a basic wage of a Yokozuna plus ¥30 (six times championship winner). His winnings during his 10 years as Makuuchi including four “gold star” for defeating a Yokozuna when he was in the Makuuchi rank adds up to approximately ¥430.
    Actually he earns somewhere around 30 times as much in one tournament.
    Furthermore, he gets more by appearing in local tournaments and club exhibitions and usually all this amounts to 300 times his basic income.
    Roughly, Azumafuji earned ¥1,200,000 last year and Yokozuna Chiyonoyama and Kagamisato around ¥1,000,000.
    Each month Azumafuji makes somewhere around ¥100,000.
    Newly promoted grand champion Yoshibayama’s basic wage is approximately ¥300 which is far better than Yokozuna Kagamisato’s ¥172. The reason for this is Yoshibayama copped the championship at the Tokyo tournament without defeat and by the overwhelming triumph his basic pay jumped by ¥57.
    Another champ Chiyonoyama draws about ¥307. And sometimes lower ranking wrestlers’ basic wares are better than those of higher ranking wrestlers.
    For instance, Shimizugawa’s basic wage (¥128) is better than Komusubi Asashio’s (¥97) because Shimizugawa has a longer ring career and defeated more Yokozunas in his Maegashira days.
    On top of this there are unknown incomes which come from a patron or patrons.
    It has been said that famous Ozeki Tochinishiki and Komusubi Kotonishiki received approximately ¥1 million each from the Shinryu financial organization in Osaka just as a gift.
    Wrestlers have another source of income called Bukata which is something like a bonus in local companies. This allowance is only received from the official tournaments held four times a year. In the last Tokyo tourney Makuuchi wrestlers got approximately ¥60,000 each.
    In good matches prizes are always offered. Prizes amounting to ¥10,000 are usually given to the winner, especially in bouts between grand champions wherein amounts range from five to 10 prizes.
    By the usual income method, famous wrestlers like Yokozuna Yoshibayama and Ozeki Tochinishiki get 30 to 40 money prizes in a 15-day tournament.
    The wrestlers’ apprentices do not get anything until they advance to ranks higher than Makushita.
    They only receive small amounts from the club leaders.