The formal Japanese name for a professional sumo wrestler is rikishi.
Rikishi literally means a person of strength and is the standard term for participants in professional sumo. Wrestlers may also be called sumotori, although rikishi is the more formal and widely used designation in Japanese sumo writing.
Not every rikishi is a sekitori. Sekitori is a status reserved for wrestlers in the jūryō or makuuchi divisions, where they receive salaries and additional privileges. Wrestlers in makushita and the lower divisions are still rikishi but are not sekitori.
A rikishi competes under a shikona, or ring name, which is often chosen by the wrestler’s stablemaster. Many names use traditional elements connected with the stable, place of origin, or respected earlier wrestlers.