In Japanese sumo, what does the term “shikona” refer to?

In Japanese sumo, the term shikona refers to a wrestler’s ring name.

Professional wrestlers generally compete under a shikona rather than their birth name. A stablemaster may select or approve the name, and many shikona contain kanji associated with the wrestler’s stable, hometown, aspirations, or traditional naming lines.

Some wrestlers keep a form of their personal name, while others adopt a completely distinctive ring identity. Names can also change during a career, although many famous wrestlers become strongly identified with one shikona.

Shikona is often confused with heya, the Japanese word for a training stable, or with kimarite, the term for a winning technique. These words describe different parts of the sumo system.