User:NicheSports/ShikonaGA: Difference between revisions – Wikipedia

Criteria 1.a , 1.b , and 4

Note: I am not very familiar with the MOS – I will assess 1.b after reviewing.

The tradition of ring names in sumo dates back to the Muromachi period and established itself during the Edo period: “established itself” has ambiguous meaning and is passive – by who? through what process?

Note: the following is potentially a better fit for Criteria 3, but I will keep it here: As a reader I would also like to know what the distinction was between the origin in the Muromachi period and the establishment in the Edo period.

this pseudonym doesn’t follow any fixed rules, but is chosen in accordance with numerous influences… could this be reworded? Something like “There are no firm rules for selecting the shikona; inspiration is often drawn from (x, y, z)”

the wrestler’s inspiration or family It is unclear what “inspiration” refers to here.

or even from the master’s own name “even” is editorializing

Skipping this as I think more substantive changes are needed in this section (see Criteria 3).

In the world of professional sumo, there’s a saying that a wrestler has three names… can this be reworded? In particular “In the world of” and “there’s a saying”

The use of a shikona is left fairly open-ended. Not clear what this means

Shikona are not definitive… what does “definitive” mean here?

In fact, masters do not hesitate to change their wrestlers’ names in order to give them a boost that will give them the strength to progress through the ranks. “do not hesitate” is editorializing and the rest of the sentence could be more succinct.

Conversely, ring names, while an integral part of professional sumo culture, are not used as much on a day-to-day basis as one might expect… Can this be rewritten? “Conversely” is not necessary. “while an integral part of professional sumo culture” gives me OR vibes – I tried to verify by checking the source but it was paywalled and I couldn’t find a way around. “As one might expect” is editorialization.

In the past, exceptions to the normal acquisition of toshiyori…: “In the past” is against MOS:RELTIME.

the Emperor’s Cup number record holder This phrasing is a bit awkward. Reword to something like “the wrestler with the most top-division championships”?

certain kanji enjoy great popularity in shikona. “great popularity” is non-neutral and not really supported by the source, which describes “popular” shikona, where the connotation of “popular” is closer to “common”.

Criteria 2.a

Will need to read up on the MOS before assessing.

Criteria 2.b , 2.c

Given by the master to his disciple: This is not always the case, see [1] which states that Endo and Takayasu use their birth names as their shikona. Also, as you note in the body, wrestlers do occasionally have some influence on their shikona. This statement should be rephrased to account for this important nuance.

Popular Shikona (section name). “Popular” appears to be OR.

Wrestlers who start their career without a shikona often assume one upon promotion to the makushita or jūryō division. The source [2] actually states “Eventually, most make the swich to a fighting name, usually by the time they reach the makushita or juryo divisions”. Which has a slightly different meaning. This statement could use a second, and more recent, source.

Since names are important, their historical and traditional weight, as well as the expectations they place on their bearers, can make wrestlers bear a heavy burden. Some of this is OR, in particular the “Since names are important” claim that should be attributed to the source instead of stated in Wikivoice. It can probably just be removed. Something like “The history and tradition associated with specific shikona can increase expectations on their bearers” would be an improvement here.

Criteria 2.d

Earwig looks good and did not find any issues while spot checking.

Criteria 3.a, 3.b

While I am a first-time reviewer and will ask for a 2nd opinion before giving an overall assessment for the GA review, I am tentatively giving a fail for this criteria, primarily due to Criteria 3.a.

Probably too short.

More substantial updates would be needed.

• This section does not cover any developments between 1684 and 1941
• This feels sparse. The article states that shikona originated in the Muromachi period but this is only covered by one sentence in the body. The Edo period is covered in more detail, but much of this detail may be unnecessary (see below). Additional relevant details from this period may be beneficial. For example, Heya (sumo)#History is well-sourced and there is information there that may be relevant here; for example, when the heya system was established, with transmission of the master’s name within the heya. There is nothing on the Meiji Restoration period, despite you mentioning in Shikona#Inspirations that With the Meiji Restoration, wrestlers were more inclined to adopt names referring to their places of birth. It could be relevant to the History section to mention this and why it became more common. There is also no coverage of the late 19th/early 20th century which saw the establishment of the Japan Sumo Association and the rank of Yokozuna. Is there nothing on this period that is due for inclusion? What about implications or changes associated with the entry and growth of foreigners in sumo in the 70s-90s?
• The second paragraph goes into too much detail about the history of samurai during the Edo period. This should be cut down. Also noting that some of this is copy and pasted from Japan Sumo Association#History. Example: during the period of peace established under the Tokugawa shogunate, Japan experienced an unprecedented period of vagrancy for many samurai who had lost their social standing…

Reorganization and expansion recommended, which while difficult, could be done in the GA nomination window.

There is good information here but I think the section would be broader in coverage with the following four sub-sections (names not final).

• Adopting a shikona
• Changing a shikona

• More detail can be added here. Many recent wrestlers who have changed their shikona did so on making Makuuchi for the first time (Kusano -> Yoshinofuji Naoya, Wakaikari -> Fujinokawa Seigō) or on making ozeki (Kiribayama -> Kirishima Tetsuo, Kotonowaka -> Kotozakura Masakatsu II). While I am wary of recency bias, these patterns (change on entry to Makuuchi or promotion to Ozeki) may be DUE if supported by a source. Certainly what I have mentioned here is SYNTH 🙂 but I suspect a source exists for this

• More detail can be added here. What is the relation between wrestling names and retirement names – are names in retirement considered shikona? If not, what is the distinction? How is the retirement name chosen/assigned? Are there differences in inspiration or transmission? How does this differ between retired wrestlers who become sumo elders and wrestlers who stay in the JSA as non-elders?

• Could potentially rename this to refer to Yokozuna, as most of this section relates to that rank

Looks good for Criteria 3, assuming the change below is incorporated.

The sample kanji table has a column called “Romaji transliteration” but I don’t think that is the correct name, given what is covered here is the meaning of the character, not its romanized spelling. Can this be fixed? We should also add a column for the Romaji transliteration, so non-English speakers know both how the character is pronounced and what it means.

For the most part looks good. Some ideas/suggestions below.

• As noted above “Popular” seems to be OR. Could this instead be called “Examples” or something similar?
• Could this be merged with the Shikona#Inspiration section?
• Could you add a table showing an example of how certain characters are widely reused within a particular heya? For example, Isegahama stable wrestlers who incorporate 富士 (read: fuji) in their shikona [3]

Criterion 5

Criteria 6.a, 6.b

Kitanoumi Toshimitsu looks good (tags and captions ) but is the only picture. I think further images could be added. A few ideas below; these do not have to be implemented for GA status, the point is just that more could be done here

• Picture of a wrestler who changed their shikona at some point during their career
• Picture of Asahifuji, the inspiration for many Isegahama stable wrestlers incorporating the 富士 (read: fuji) character into their shikona [4]