Yokozuna Stone, Stone monument at Tomioka Hachiman Shrine, Japan.
Yokozuna Stone is a memorial stele at Tomioka Hachiman Shrine in Tomioka, Tokyo, Japan, engraved with the names of every sumo wrestler who has ever held the rank of yokozuna, the sport's highest title. The stele is made of dark stone, stands upright in the shrine grounds, and is large enough to accommodate the full list of names accumulated over the centuries.
Tomioka Hachiman Shrine began hosting sumo tournaments on its grounds in the 1600s, which helped shape the sport into its modern form. The stone itself was erected in 1900 to honor every wrestler who had ever reached the rank of yokozuna since the title was formally established.
Tomioka Hachiman Shrine is widely regarded as the birthplace of organized sumo, and the stone stands as a physical sign of that connection. Visitors often pause here to trace the names carved into the surface, each one marking a wrestler who reached the sport's highest rank.
The stone stands in the open grounds of Tomioka Hachiman Shrine and can be visited at any time without an entrance fee. Going early in the morning gives you the best chance to read the inscriptions at a comfortable pace, as the shrine tends to attract more visitors later in the day.
The yokozuna rank was only officially recognized in the 1700s, but the stone also lists wrestlers from earlier periods who were granted the title retroactively. This means the stone carries names of men who competed long before the rank they are recorded under even existed.
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