Oyakata

Oyakata is a Japanese term most commonly used in professional sumo to denote an elder or stablemaster of the Japan Sumo Association. Literally meaning "parent" or "master," an oyakata is typically a retired wrestler who holds an elder stock (toshiyori-kabu) and serves in a leadership, coaching, and administrative capacity within the sumo world.

Responsibilities of an oyakata include running a training stable (heya), overseeing the daily training, welfare, and discipline of wrestlers, recruiting new talent, and managing the stable’s finances and living arrangements. Oyakata may also perform duties at tournaments and association meetings, such as serving on judging panels, arranging match lineups, and participating in governance of the sport. Many keep alive traditional rituals and etiquette, passing on technical knowledge and cultural practices to younger rikishi.

Becoming an oyakata generally requires retirement from active competition and acquisition of one of the limited elder names, which can be purchased, inherited, or borrowed under set rules. Oyakata use their elder name professionally, which often differs from their ring name. The role is embedded in sumo’s hierarchical and lifetime career structure; holders are subject to association regulations, including age-related retirement policies and other membership requirements.

The term occasionally appears more broadly in Japanese to refer to masters or heads in other traditional arts, but its primary and most recognized use remains within the institutional framework of professional sumo.