List of sumo record holders

This is a list of records held by wrestlers of professional sumo. Only performances in official tournaments or honbasho are included here. Since 1958, six honbasho have been held every year, giving wrestlers from the modern era more opportunities to accumulate championships and wins. Before this, tournaments were held less frequently; sometimes only once or twice per year.

Names in bold indicate a still active wrestler. The tables are up to date as of the end of the March 2024 tournament.

Most career championships
+ Raiden is said to have had the best record in 28 tournaments between 1790 and 1810, Tanikaze 21 between 1772 and 1793, and Kashiwado 16 between 1812 and 1822. Tachiyama won two unofficial championships and nine official, giving him a total of 11.

Most undefeated championships
+ Tournaments have been consistently fifteen days long since May 1949. Before that date there were a number of different lengths, including ten, eleven, twelve, and thirteen days. The records of Tachiyama, Tochigiyama and Tsunenohana also include some draws, holds and rest days.

Most consecutive championships
+ Four of these titles were in perfect tournaments (zenshō-yūshō) and were part of Hakuhō's second-place streak of 63 consecutive wins. † Includes a sweep of all six tournaments in 2005. Asashōryū remains the only wrestler to have won all tournaments in a six-tournament calendar year (post-1949). ‡ All of Futabayama's victories in this streak were in perfect tournaments and were part of Futabayama's record setting 69 consecutive wins. ÷ Raiden is said to have had the best record in nine consecutive tournaments between 1806 and 1810

All time
The list includes yokozuna and ōzeki (the highest rank before the yokozuna rank was introduced), but excludes so-called kanban or "guest ōzeki" (usually big men drawn from local crowds to promote a tournament who would never appear on the banzuke again) and wrestlers for which insufficient data is available.

Modern era
In 1927, the Tokyo Sumo Association merged with the Osaka Sumo Association to form the Japan Sumo Association, and most of the sumo systems were changed, so any pre-1927 records are disregarded. The list excludes active wrestlers.

Most bouts
Losses by default are excluded.

Most consecutive career bouts
* No bouts missed in career/career to date

Most tournaments
The March 2011 and May 2020 tournaments were cancelled and are not included in these totals.

Most career tournaments
''As of May 2024 tournament. Tournaments in banzuke-gai (out of banzuke) status are not included''

Progress to top division
The table for the fastest progress shows wrestlers with the fewest tournaments from their professional debut to their top division debut since the six tournaments a year system was introduced in 1958. It excludes makushita tsukedashi and sandanme tsukedashi entrants who made their debut in the third makushita division and the fourth sandanme division.

Most special prizes
Special prizes or sanshō were first awarded in 1947. They can only be given to wrestlers ranked at sekiwake or below. For the current list of active special prize winners, see here.

Most gold stars
Gold stars or kinboshi are awarded to maegashira ranked wrestlers who defeat a yokozuna. For a list of current kinboshi earners, see here.