Banzuke is the Japanese name for the sumo ranking list published before each tournament.
The banzuke places wrestlers into the sport’s divisions and ranks, from yokozuna and ōzeki through the lower professional levels. It also lists the names of referees, ring announcers, and other tournament personnel in their official order.
A wrestler’s position changes according to tournament performance. Winning records generally lead to promotion, while losing records can cause demotion, although the detailed rules differ by rank. The banzuke is therefore both a competition ranking and an official document of the sumo world.
The word is also used outside sumo for ranking lists in traditional Japanese arts. It should not be confused with kimarite, which means the winning technique used to decide a bout.