Members of the Nishonoseki Ichimon take part in exclusive intra-ichimon training
In Sumo wrestling, all wrestlers, coaches and other personnel are attached to a sumo stable (heya). In turn, all heya are attached to a wider group of stables, called Ichimon (一門) (lit. family, clan).
There are 5 active ichimon in Sumo, each bears a name from the leading stable within the group. In the past, ichimon had a more active role in the organisation of Sumo, but in modern times they serve as quasi-political groups[1].
History[]
Sumo, as a traditional cultural martial art and performing exhibition, follows the logic of other Japanese performing arts (such as kabuki), of its members being part of pseudo-families or pseudo-clans. Mainly, the principle is that workers (in this case: rikishi, oyakata, gyoji, yobidashi, tokoyama, wakaimonogashira and sewanin) belong to a heya which then must belong to an ichimon. Although in the past, unaffiliated membership was also permitted, under the current system, belonging to an ichimon is mandatory.
Up until the Showa period, ichimon existed as an organisational entity. Except for championship playoffs, the tournament system was based on a round-robin system according to stable lineages within the ichimon, and matches between wrestlers within the same family of stables were not permitted. Tournaments were also generally organised by each ichimon. Wrestlers did not communicate with each other beyond their own clans, and as much information as possible was kept secret from other ichimon.
Due to their organisation and function, until the pre-Showa period, ichimon were called "kumiai" (組合), standing for "touring union" (巡業組合). This is due to regional tours across Japan being organised by each ichimon independently. As the monthly salary system did not exist at that time, most of the economic basis for rikishi and oyakata originated from tours, festival celebrations and regional tournaments.
Reformation[]
On March 2, 1957, member of the Japanese House of Representatives Hiroichi Tsujihara, questioned the House of Representatives Budget Committee about many issues regarding the (then-called) Great Japan Sumo Association (大日本相撲協会), including conflicts of interest between Association board members in the sumo teahouses (相撲茶屋) and the low income of wrestlers.
This led to a series of reforms which then constituted the change into the current Japan Sumo Association (日本相撲協会) and the role of tournament organisation began to be organised uniquely by the Association and not the ichimons.
Starting with the January 1965 tournament, the tournament system was changed to be a all-against-all system for each stable, marking another shift in phasing away from the ichimon organisations. Although the clans of stables' power has waned, personnel decisions, especially election into the JSA Board of Directors, are still made within the ichimon divisions, with a minimum of 1 director per ichimon.
Current Organisation[]
The main roles and characteristics of modern ichimon:[]
- The Association's personnel decisions, particularly the selection of directors (riji), are made within the framework of the clan, and when director elections are held in each ichimon, the number of seats allocated to each clan is determined based on the number of member elders, and there is often no voting.
- The Association provides grants to each ichimon yearly, which are then distributed by the clan's head to each stable under them.
- The ichimon are organized in associations (ichimon-kai, 一門会), which can decide stable moves and other administral matters before submitting requests for sanction by the Sumo Association, which may approve or deny requests.
- The Elders' Association (Toshiyori-kai), which is made up of elders other than the riji, elects a director or vice-director from each clan.
- Formal weddings, funerals and seasonal events are conducted on a ichimon-by-ichimon basis. However, even within the same ichimon, a stable that has been transferred from another clan and has no original association with it may not participate in certain events depending on each case.
- It is considered preferable for elder names to be inherited within the same ichimon. The amount of money exchanged when acquiring a name is generally 10 to 20 percent higher when inheriting from another clan than when inheriting from within the same clan.
The main purpose of the ichimon system is to adjust the interests of elders, and if conflicts within a ichimon escalate, some stables may be expelled from the ichimon (excommunicated). Excommunicated stables could join another ichimon, and in the past could set up their own ichimon, or become independent, but when the Takanohana Ichimon collapsed in 2018, the Association decided not to allow the formation of new ichimon or the existence of independent stables. As such, it is unknown if formation of new ichimons is explicitly disallowed, but at a minimun, a strong status-quo against it is expected to exist.
Wrestlers of the same ichimon are able to take part in exclusive tranings prior to each basho called ichimon rengo-geiko (一門連合稽古). In these practice sessions, wrestlers from all or most stables within an ichimon will converge, preferably at the ichimon leader's stable, and have a practice session. This is especially valuable as wrestlers can test their skills against wrestlers who they rarely are able to train with or who they might face in a tournament, as well as receiving guidance from multiple stablemasters and coaches. In some occasions, top-division wrestlers from outside the group of stables are invited and partake in these sessions.
Election into the Board of Directions (riji and fuku-riji ranks), done by all sumo elders (toshiyori) assembled in a board of trustees (評議員会) every 2 years on an even-numbered year. Currently, votes are usually organised by the quasi-political ichimon, with ichimon with more stables and, therefore, more elders, being able to elect more directors from within their ranks. As of 2024, the ratio of elected directors by ichimon is: 3 Dewanoumi-ichimon, 3 Nishonoseki-ichimon, 2 Tokitsukaze-ichimon, 1 Takasago-ichimon and 1 Isegahama-ichimon.
All sumo teahouses (or officially, sumo information centers) while connected to the JSA, only the 20 teahouses in Tokyo are managed semi-directly by the Association. These two dozen centers are connected to and handled by people related to the various ichimon.
List of Ichimon[]
| Ichimon Name | No. of Heya | No. of Elders | Ichimon Leader | Elected Directors (JSA Chairman in bold) |
Highest Ranked Active Wrestlers (Current rank in bold) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dewanoumi Ichimon | 14 | 35 | 11th Dewanoumi (former maegashira Oginohana) |
- 13th Sakaigawa (former komusubi Ryogoku) - 11th Kasugano (former sekiwake Tochinowaka) - 11th Dewanoumi (former maegashira Oginohana) |
- Yokozuna Hoshoryu |
| Nishonoseki Ichimon | 17 | 28 | 13th Nishonoseki (the 72nd yokozuna Kisenosato) |
- 12th Shibatayama (the 62nd yokozuna Onokuni) - 13th Sadogatake (former sekiwake Kotonowaka) - 9th Takadagawa (former sekiwake Akinoshima) |
- Yokozuna Onosato |
| Tokitsukaze Ichimon | 5 | 16 | 17th Tokitsukaze (former maegashira Tosayutaka) |
- 12th Isenoumi (former maegashira Kitakachidoki) - 13th Katsunoura (former maegashira Kirinishiki) |
- Ozeki Shodai - Ozeki Kirishima |
| Takasago Ichimon | 4 | 12 | 8th Takasago (former sekiwake Asasekiryu) |
- 8th Hakkaku (the 61st yokozuna Hokutoumi) | - Ozeki Asanoyama |
| Isegahama Ichimon | 5 | 11 | 10th Isegahama (the 73rd yokozuna Terunofuji) |
- 15th Asakayama (former ozeki Kaio) | - Sekiwake Takarafuji |
Defunct Ichimon[]
Since the Meiji period, there have been multiple ichimon that once existed and have since stopped to exist, with stables and elder names being taken up by other ichimon, until only the modern five remained. These include:
- Ikazuchi-ichimon (defunct in the Meiji period)
- Ikazuchi-ichimon (defunct in the Showa period)
- Sakaigawa-ichimon
- Isenoumi-ichimon
- Tamagaki-ichimon
- Izutsu-ichimon
- Tomozuna-ichimon
- Oguruma-ichimon
- Takanohana-ichimon