Sumo people

A , or, more colloquially, , is a sumo wrestler. Although used to define all wrestlers participating in sumo wrestling matches, the term is more commonly used to refer to professional wrestlers, employed by the Japan Sumo Association, who participate in professional sumo tournaments (called ) in Japan, the only country where sumo is practiced professionally.

thumb|200px|A sumo , the , in full traditional dress

thumb|upright|A dressing the hair of professional sumo wrestler Takayasu Akira|Takayasu A is a traditional Japanese hairdresser specializing in the theatrical arts (kabuki and ) and professional sumo. The trade is the result of a slow evolution from the traditional Japanese barbers of the Edo period, some of whom gradually started to specialize in hairstyles of actors, puppets, and . The word uses a Japanese character meaning 'floor', because in the Edo period barbers had shops on simple raised floors.

Ringside judges in sumo

thumb|150px|Hideo, at the May 2008 tournament A , often translated in English as "usher", "ring attendant", or "ring announcer", is an employee of the Japan Sumo Association, responsible for various tasks essential to the traditional running of professional sumo tournaments () in Japan. The are involved in building the (wrestling ring) or calling wrestlers () to the ring when it is their turn to fight. They are also entrusted with other roles, both administrative and artistic, in the service of the stable to which they are attached.