Talk:Shikona

No references/citations

How has this article managed to remain totally unreferenced for nearly a decade? (I suppose the fact that it's had barely more than 50 edits since it was created hasn't helped.) V2Blast (talk) 06:20, 20 October 2017 (UTC)

You are aware that there are over 200,000 articles in the “without sources” category? Wikipedia is a big place. In my limited time here I tend to prioritize referencing BLPs, but I will see if I can get to this one in the next couple of days. Pawnkingthree (talk) 22:22, 21 October 2017 (UTC)

GA review

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

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This review is transcluded from Talk:Shikona/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Nominator: OtharLuin (talk · contribs) 09:14, 1 May 2025 (UTC)

Reviewer: NicheSports (talk · contribs) 00:34, 2 December 2025 (UTC)

Template

Reference

GA review – see WP:WIAGA for criteria

1. Is it well written?

   A. The prose is clear and concise, and the spelling and grammar are correct: {{GAList/check}}

   B. It complies with the manual of style guidelines for lead sections, layout, words to watch, fiction, and list incorporation:

2. Is it verifiable with no original research, as shown by a source spot-check?

   A. It contains a list of all references (sources of information), presented in accordance with the layout style guideline:

   B. Reliable sources are cited inline. All content that could reasonably be challenged, except for plot summaries and that which summarizes cited content elsewhere in the article, must be cited no later than the end of the paragraph (or line if the content is not in prose):

   C. It contains no original research:

   D. It contains no copyright violations nor plagiarism:

3. Is it broad in its coverage?

   A. It addresses the main aspects of the topic:

   B. It stays focused on the topic without going into unnecessary detail (see summary style):

4. Is it neutral?

   It represents viewpoints fairly and without editorial bias, giving due weight to each:

5. Is it stable?

   It does not change significantly from day to day because of an ongoing edit war or content dispute:

6. Is it illustrated, if possible, by images?

   A. Images are tagged with their copyright status, and valid non-free use rationales are provided for non-free content:

   B. Images are relevant to the topic, and have suitable captions:

7. Overall:

   Pass or Fail:

Prose

Round #1

Criteria 1.a , 1.b , and 4

Note: I am not very familiar with the MOS - I would appreciate a second look, especially for anything related to sectioning/formatting.

Criteria 1.a, 1.b, 4. Extensively copy-edited (ex-History section), but more work could be required. Defer to GA mentor IAWW. NicheSports (talk) 22:15, 24 December 2025 (UTC)

Lead

Round #1

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?

• Rephrased

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.

• I have clarified the sentence. Let me know if it is clearer now.

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)"

•  Done

the wrestler's inspiration or family It is unclear what "inspiration" refers to here.

•  Done

or even from the master's own name "even" is editorializing

•  Done

I copy-edited this. However, I have some comments on this section re: Criteria 2 (especially potential SYNTH that I may have added) NicheSports (talk) 22:15, 24 December 2025 (UTC)

History

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

• Same comment in Round #2 of review. I did not copy edit this section. NicheSports (talk) 22:05, 24 December 2025 (UTC)

Assuming a shikona

Round #1

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"

•  Done

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

• Clarified. Let me know if it's ok now.

Shikona are not definitive... what does "definitive" mean here?

•  Done

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.

•  Done

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.

•  Done

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

•  Done

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"?

•  Done Definitely a better phrasing than mine.

In range of a pass NicheSports (talk) 22:14, 24 December 2025 (UTC)

Inspiration

Round #1

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".

•  Done

Each character used is a reference in itself.. I'm not sure what this means. It did not seem supported by the source, but potentially with rewording it would be.

•  Done

The Edo period led to the practice... Reword to something like "Early in the Edo period it was common to..."?

•  Done

Later, the trend also affirmed the use of names for effect,... Not sure what this means - can you rephrase?

•  Done

In keeping with these customs, shikona also referred to animals, weapons or gods in order to convey a strong image of the wrestlers bearing these names, but also to attract paying spectators. Can this be combined with the previous sentence in some way? Doing so is supported by

• I didn't combine them because of concerns about sentence length and the fact that it serves as a link to the second part and its references.

With the Meiji Restoration, wrestlers were more inclined to Instead of "With" could say "Starting with" "During" "Beginning with" etc. Also "more inclined" is probably a MOS vio. Something more neutral like "began to" or "more frequently" would better reflect the source.

•  Done

Today, it is also customary for wrestlers "Today" is a MOS:RELTIME vio.

•  Done

A telling example of family transmission would be Kotozakura II, who began his career under his father's shikona before inheriting his grandfather's upon promotion to ōzeki. "A telling example" is a little non-neutral. Also, this sentence doesn't seem to support the sentence that came before, which refers to wrestler's requiring permission to take the shikona of a non-family member.

•  Done

A recent example included the change of Sekiwake... MOS:RELTIME vio. Instead could say "In 2023, then-sekiwake..."

•  Done

A recent example includes Ōshōma... MOS:RELTIME

•  Done

that was then plaguing his career. "plaguing" is not the most neutral word here

•  Done

In range of a pass. I did a round of copy-editing in this section in addition to what was covered in Round 1 of the review. NicheSports (talk) 22:14, 24 December 2025 (UTC)

Sources

Basics

Criteria 2.a

Will need to read up on the MOS before assessing.

• Same comment in Round #2 of review. Defer to IAWW NicheSports (talk) 22:10, 24 December 2025 (UTC)

Verification

Round #1

Criteria 2.b , 2.c

Given by the master to his disciple: This is not always the case, see 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.

•  Done expanded on that

Popular Shikona (section name). "Popular" appears to be OR.

•  Done

Wrestlers who start their career without a shikona often assume one upon promotion to the makushita or jūryō division. The source 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.

• I'm having a little trouble seeing how what I said takes liberties with the sources, but I've reworded it (English isn't my native language, so I may have missed a nuance :)). I've also added a 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.

•  Done better phrasing for sure

Criteria 2.b , 2.c

• Active wrestlers are almost always referred to by their ring names during tournaments and public appearances.
  • I added this sentence in the lead. It is partially supported by the source , which I paid for to check. However this is in SYNTH range. If we are going to have a sentence in the lead to the extent of The wrester may use either their shikona or birth name in private settings, including at their stable. (Something similar to this was in the lead, I copy-edited to this sentence) we should also have a sentence about how shikona are used. Can we find a source for this and make sure it is covered in the body?
    • Sources from The Japan Times are regularly archived so that the entire article is accessible. There was no need to pay to view it ;) I'm not sure what is being asked here. The introduction is supposed to summarize what is said in the article, not the other way around.
    • here is a freely accessible archived version of the page. Checking archives is one of the many ways you can often access stuff for free. I just read the source, and the sentence you added definitely is not supported by the source. Since the source does not mention that fact, it should be either removed or a suitable source needs to be found so it can be added to the body and cited there. IAWW (talk) 16:57, 28 December 2025 (UTC)

• Etymology-related sources in the Shikona#History section
  • I like the information that was added here. However, I have doubts about the reliability of these sources: . Will defer to others on whether these sources are appropriate for a GA article.
    • The sources cited are taken from encyclopedic articles, which are considered reliable secondary sources...
      • Encyclopedic articles are tertiary sources (see WP:PSTS). They may or may not be reliable. In this case the sources seem reliable enough per the bottom paragraph on the Kotobank article meaning the source has WP:USEBYOTHERS. However I am unable to verify that information because the source is in Japanese. IAWW (talk) 16:57, 28 December 2025 (UTC)

I found a Japanese language source from a seemingly reliable publication that, when translated, supports something similar. I added this information and source to the body and re-added wording to the lead that reflects the source. NicheSports (talk) 08:41, 29 December 2025 (UTC)

Other than these two points I think these Criteria are a pass. But some action may be required here. NicheSports (talk) 22:40, 24 December 2025 (UTC)

I found a minor WP:V issue in the Shikona#General use section while searching for sources today. The phrase The use of a shikona is not mandatory. is not supported by the provided source . The sources I reviewed indicate that a shikona is in fact mandatory, but that the wrestlers' birth name can be used as the shikona. A minor nuance, but one we should update the article to reflect. I can do this tomorrow. I also plan to do some minor reorganization of this section. Will let you both know when that is done. NicheSports (talk) 09:09, 29 December 2025 (UTC)

Copyvio

Criteria 2.d

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

Scope

Criteria 3.a, 3.b update to pass

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.

• My round 2 assessment is the same as above, primarily due to the Shikona#History section. NicheSports (talk) 22:53, 24 December 2025 (UTC)

To argue that this is not broad enough, you'll need to point out some specific substantial reliable sourcing that has not been integrated. IAWW (talk) 16:57, 28 December 2025 (UTC)

Two thoughts here.

• See my Round 1 comment 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? The Shikona#After retirement section makes repeated reference to yokozuna and the Japan Sumo Association, neither of which existed in the 17th century. Both articles provide sources to cover dates of establishment, etc.
• Did you see my comments about potentially excessive detail (Criteria 3.b) in the Shikona#History section?

NicheSports (talk) 09:01, 29 December 2025 (UTC)

• A quick explanation of what the yokozuna and Japan Sumo Association are could be included, though the latter one is probably quite self-explanatory. Have you found any sourcing on the history of Shikona specifically that hasn't yet been included in the article? Generally you want to avoid using sources that do not mention the subject of the article unless absolutely necessary for understanding.
• Yes, I read all your comments. I got the impression OtharLuin already responded to that specific point though. However if you still think it's an issue, you're free to raise it again.

IAWW (talk) 15:53, 29 December 2025 (UTC)

I am going to drop this particular stick as I couldn't easily find sourcing, although I found some potential Japanese language sources I couldn't translate. Now noting 3.a and 3.b. as a pass . Some copy-editing in the Shikona#History section may be required, as that was skipped due to the scope comments, but this can be addressed in Criteria 1. NicheSports (talk) 20:48, 29 December 2025 (UTC)

My answer remains the same as in the first review excerpt. There is nothing to suggest that there is anything more to say about the history of the Shikona, and I will not add anything that is not supported by reliable sources. - OtharLuin (talk) 14:17, 28 December 2025 (UTC)

Lead

Probably too short. update to pass NicheSports (talk) 20:51, 29 December 2025 (UTC)

• Expanded, let me know what you think
  •  Done I copy-edited after you expanded and think this is fine (although have comments in other review section around SYNTH - that I added) NicheSports (talk) 21:50, 24 December 2025 (UTC)

History

Round #1

More substantial updates would be needed.

• This section does not cover any developments between 1684 and 1941
  • This is a question I have asked myself, but it seems there is not much to say on the matter. Between these two periods, it appears that the usage or traditions associated with shikona did not evolve. There is nothing in the sources to suggest that there was any evolution either.

• 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?
  • You make a valid point: there's not much to say. I would also have liked to discuss more pivotal periods in the organization of professional sumo, but the sources do not cover these periods in detail as far as shikona are concerned. I assume you are making these comments partly because you are comparing it to the Japanese shikona article, and I would like to point out (if that is the case) that the latter is very poorly sourced, and I want to report only what I see in sources for the articles. I tried to keep the content of the article focused on shikona, but in doing so, it ended up being rather brief. Reading your suggestions, I think there is some confusion between what should be in the shikona article and what belongs in the toshiyori article.

• 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...
  • I tried to simplify it, but as I said above, I think it is still necessary to provide a little more context about the period to explain the choices made at the time.

update to pass NicheSports (talk) 20:50, 29 December 2025 (UTC) Most of my comments from Round 1 have not been addressed, and I think this is still a gap for the article to achieve GA status. I do think that sources are available to expand this section. I would be happy to work on it. But I think that work is outside the scope of a GA review. NicheSports (talk) 22:52, 24 December 2025 (UTC)

Further discussion on this point can continue in the scope section, to avoid duplication. IAWW (talk) 16:57, 28 December 2025 (UTC)

Assuming a shikona

Round #1

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 could 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

• Retirement

• 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?

• Special considerations

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

Update to pass NicheSports (talk) 20:44, 29 December 2025 (UTC) My instinct is that more work may be required here.

• The Shikona#General use section could use some reorganization.
• I have more substantive feedback for the Shikona#After retirement section, where several of my comments from Round 1 have not been addressed. The section focuses primarily on wrestlers who become Yokozuna or toshiyori. But this represents a very small % of rikishi. The handful of retired wrestlers who become wakaimonogashira or sewanin is even smaller in number. The vast majority of wrestlers who retire either 1) leave sumo entirely 2) remain employed in sumo on a more informal basis, such as assistant coaches. We should tell readers what happens to wrestlers in either of these two buckets. From what I have learned following sumo, such wrestlers give up their shikona and return to using their birth names, but this would be good to confirm with RS (which I was not able to find).

NicheSports (talk) 22:50, 24 December 2025 (UTC)

These are some perceptive points. They may or may not be valid depending on whether secondary sourcing supports this perspective. Per WP:BALASP, if the reliable sources on this subject mostly discuss Yokozuna or toshiyori, then so should the article, even though most wrestlers don't become them. Therefore you need to provide evidence of some secondary sourcing which discusses what the vast majority of wrestlers do with their shikona for this point to be valid. IAWW (talk) 16:57, 28 December 2025 (UTC)

I found a source that covers some of this and added it. NicheSports (talk) 08:41, 29 December 2025 (UTC)

Inspiration

Round #1

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-Japanese speakers know both how the character is pronounced and what it means.

•  Done with the exception of pronunciations, as a single character can have between two and five different pronunciations, I would not wish to delve into what would ultimately be a rather superficial analysis in relation to the information we wish to convey.

In range of a pass. We did some copy-editing in this section but I think some reorganization would still be helpful. However, I don't think that is necessary for a pass under GA Critera 3. It is something I am happy to help with in the future, but is out of scope for the review. NicheSports (talk) 22:42, 24 December 2025 (UTC)

Examples

Round #1

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?
  •  Done
• Could this be merged with the Shikona#Inspiration section?
  • It could have been, but it was a personal choice not to do so, in order to balance the length and the level of information conveyed.
• 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
  • This information has already been established above. Furthermore, between the stables that have closed and those that are changing their naming tradition according to their current stablemaster, I admit that I prefer to choose the option that requires the least maintenance.

Fine for a GA article NicheSports (talk) 22:28, 24 December 2025 (UTC)

Stable

Criterion 5

Illustrated

Round #1

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 Seiya, the inspiration for many Isegahama stable wrestlers incorporating the 富士 (read: fuji) character into their shikona
  •  Done Good suggestions. Personally, I chose ichidai toshiyori kabu with Takanohana and Kitanoumi.

More pictures added, all set NicheSports (talk) 22:25, 24 December 2025 (UTC)

Update

Hi @OtharLuin, sorry for the delay here. I will be starting the review today and completing it over the weekend. Looking forward to getting into it! NicheSports (talk) 19:53, 5 December 2025 (UTC)

Hi Niche ! Thank you for taking the time to start the review, I will be available over the weekend. Looking forward to making progress on this project ! - OtharLuin (talk) 08:26, 6 December 2025 (UTC)

Hi @OtharLuin, please see above for my initial review. The following are outstanding

• MOS: 1.b and 2.a. I am less familiar with the MOS and will get to these sub-criteria after reviewing the relevant sections of the MOS
• "Prose": I need to finish the Shikona#Inspiration section. I will get to this later today

In general, I think that too much is required for me to assess the review as on hold. My instinct is to assess as a fail at this time, but given that this is my first time doing a GA review I will instead ask for a second opinion. I hope you take this constructively; I am a big sumo fan and would love to see this article as a GA :) I believe it will get there, but it might need a separate time at GAN before making it. Please let me know if you have any questions! I'll continue filling in the gaps in the review later today. NicheSports (talk) 18:47, 7 December 2025 (UTC)

That being said, if you think you can take this on within the next two weeks or so then I am happy to put it on hold. Just seemed like a lot to me, but you may have more time on wiki! Let me know what you prefer. NicheSports (talk) 19:38, 7 December 2025 (UTC)

Ok, I finished the outstanding items and asked for a 2nd opinion at WP:GANMENTOR. Will ping you once someone volunteers there NicheSports (talk) 02:24, 8 December 2025 (UTC)

First of all, thank you for addressing all these comments and partially rewriting the article. :) I have made some changes myself and responded to comments in your review.

As for the opinion on GA status, I believe I have covered all the sources, from the available literature to press articles, and that I think the reorganization and content you proposed would only add minor or anecdotal information. I'm still giving myself time to look for other sources on the points you raise, but I honestly think I've already covered everything. - OtharLuin (talk) 12:39, 8 December 2025 (UTC)

Hi OtharLuin, thanks for addressing my comments and suggestions. A few more:

• The expanded lead can use some copyediting - is it ok if I work on that?
• I will try to do some copyediting in the 2nd paragraph of the Inspiration section

• I completely agree that you can rephrase it yourself if you wish. On the contrary, it's rather good that I'm not left alone with my personal vision of what the article should be :)

• Totally fine to not cover all of my suggestions above (not all were meant as necessary for GA status!) but there are two "bigger" updates I think are important.

• History: You said you are maxed out on sources - have you looked at more Japanese language sources? I still think there is a gap here. For example, in the lead you state The tradition of ring names in sumo dates back to the Muromachi period but became more widespread and codified as a sporting tradition during the Edo period but the body does not discuss the process of codification as far as I could see. The development of the heya system in the Edo period seems potentially relevant to the codification of shikona and the Heya (sumo)#History section is well sourced - could any information there be pulled over? Also, nice article... I wonder who brought it to GA status :)

• Haha, thanks :D I find it hard to see the point of the Heya article in particular, but I have expanded on the History section a little (see below).

• Retirement, shikona vs elder names associated with Toshiyori: You are right, I am a bit confused over some of this. But I think that represents an opportunity! I likely know more about sumo than most people who will be reading the article. If I am confused about this distinction, I expect others may be as well :) It would be good to have a section on retirement, covering what happens to wrestler names after they retire: are elder names considered shikona? If not, we should state that. We should also specify that wrestlers who retire but stay in the JSA as assistant coaches, etc., revert to using their birth names (if this is the case). This probably does not require much work - a few sentences, a few sources. It could potentially be merged into the Shikona#Notable exceptions section, which primarily covers ichidai toshiyori kabu, which is also related to retirement (of exceptional Yokozuna). I also think that section could just be renamed to Retirement.

• Without going overboard to avoid OOS and getting into what would be more relevant to the management of toshiyori shares, I added historical information in the section. I also renamed some parts.

Let me know your thoughts. Also no luck so far at WP:GAMENTOR, will ping there again. NicheSports (talk) 15:06, 9 December 2025 (UTC)

Round two plus mentor review

(Moving from article talk page) Hi @IAWW, thank you for offering to take a look at this. After @OtharLuin's updates I think this is in range of a pass after I do a second round of copyediting and verification/SYNTH checks for recently added content. I aim to complete that by Saturday. Can you hold off on your review until that is done? I will ping you and let you know. Thanks again both! NicheSports (talk) 15:48, 10 December 2025 (UTC)

Hey @NicheSports, I finally have a lot more free time in the coming weeks to take a good look over this review, but I'll wait until you are ready. Let me know when you have done the second round :) IAWW (talk) 14:25, 15 December 2025 (UTC)

Hi IAWW, had a bunch of work stuff pop up, including travel, so haven't had time to get to this yet. I will aim to complete the review and copy editing by next weekend. Will fix the review header level issue today. NicheSports (talk) 14:42, 15 December 2025 (UTC)

No worries, I also had loads of Uni assignments and work-related stuff come up, so I though I was the one holding you up! IAWW (talk) 15:15, 15 December 2025 (UTC)

Just two small things I noticed about the review and article on a 10-second scan:

• At the top of the GA review page, in an invisible comment, is the instruction: "So that the review can be kept within a single section, please do not use level 2 headers (==...==) below to break up the review. Use level 3 (===...===), level 4 and so on". Hence the level 2 headers "Update" and "Round two plus mentor review" should be downgraded to fix transclusion/TOC issues.
• There are two harv/sfn citation errors in this article. The errors can be seen with the script: User:Trappist the monk/HarvErrors.

IAWW (talk) 14:30, 15 December 2025 (UTC)

@IAWW I finished my copy-editing pass. I want to write up a "second round" of the review. How do you recommend doing that? None of my comments in the review template above will be time-stamped so will be hard to track which round of review the feedback is associated with. NicheSports (talk) 03:39, 22 December 2025 (UTC)

The way I always do it is with Template:Collapse top and and collapse bottom IAWW (talk) 10:38, 22 December 2025 (UTC)

@IAWW I completed my 2nd round of copy-editing and review above. This is ready for your confirmation round. Please let us know where you think that this lands! @OtharLuin thank you for your work developing this article. As you can hopefully tell, I am a pretty big sumo fan and I look forward to this article attaining GA status, whether now or later. NicheSports (talk) 22:55, 24 December 2025 (UTC)

Hi @NicheSports, I just went through the review and weighed in on the major points. If/when we have all reached agreement regarding those points, and if/when you think the article is ready to pass, I'll read the actual article and let you know if there's anything major you missed. Nice work! IAWW (talk) 17:00, 28 December 2025 (UTC)

Thanks IAWW. I removed the unsourced sentence from the lead pending a search for sources. I will respond to all other comments by the end of the day today. NicheSports (talk) 21:08, 28 December 2025 (UTC)

@IAWW I responded to all comments above and added a new one in Talk:Shikona#Sources. I have some work to do on the Shikona#General use section tomorrow (that I discovered during my search for sources today) and will let you know when complete so you can read the article in full. NicheSports (talk) 09:13, 29 December 2025 (UTC)

Thank you for all your responses and work on the article. Yes let me know when you're happy for me to give it a read and check for any major issues. IAWW (talk) 15:56, 29 December 2025 (UTC)

@IAWW I am going to give this a pass within the next day or two unless you have major objections. The article is ready for your review. Now that I have dropped my 3.a. and 3.b. concerns in the Shikona#History section, I do need to copy-edit that section (I had skipped it, and it alone, during previous rounds of copy-editing). But I can take care of that tonight or tomorrow. If you can read the whole article now and identify any obvious issues, we can address those and get this wrapped up. @OtharLuin I appreciate your patience with me as a first-time reviewer. I also want to thank you for the research and work getting this article to GA status. I do not think there are many editors who could do so with this topic. NicheSports (talk) 21:00, 29 December 2025 (UTC)

@IAWW I finished copy-editing the Shikona#History section and am ready to give the article a GA pass. Let me know if you have any feedback in the next day, otherwise, I'll officially close this with a pass tomorrow! Thank you for the help. NicheSports (talk) 04:44, 31 December 2025 (UTC)

Hey @NicheSports, I'm going to look through this now. I couldn't get to it yesterday as I had friends over. IAWW (talk) 15:13, 31 December 2025 (UTC)

Hi OtharLuin, this was a really interesting and enjoyable read. From the variety of high-quality sources, it appears you have researched and and presented the information really well, which is challenging for a relatively broad article like this. I don't see any major issues but have a few comments relating to the GA-criteria:

• The use of ring names in sumo dates back to the Muromachi period but became widespread and codified as a sporting tradition in the Edo period: The idea that it became more "widespread and codified as a sporting tradition" in the Edo period is not supported by the body. Note also that the contrasting "but" shouldn't be used unless the source supports a contrast. See the last paragraph of WP:EDITORIAL.  Done
• The period of peace established under the Tokugawa shogunate resulted in an increase in the number of masterless samurai, called rōnin: Is there sourcing on how this happened? The causal connection here isn't clear to me.  Done
• I suggest linking "rigid social hierarchies of the period" to Edo society#Tokugawa class system.  Done
• I added some "citation needed" tags to the captions, as they contain information that is currently not verifiable.  Done
• I fixed a few WP:CINS issues, so it'll be worth brushing up on that common grammar issue for future writings

I didn't perform a source check, but there is evidence of Niche spot checking above. Niche, it is considered basic practice to note all the citations you checked like: [1]: Y, [2a]: Y, etc., because that information can be useful for people looking to spot check the article in the future, and it also means people can see you have done the spot check properly. Once these issues are addressed, and once Niche has confirmed they have checked more references than just the ones they found issues with above, I'll be happy for this to pass. Pings: @NicheSports, @OtharLuin IAWW (talk) 16:18, 31 December 2025 (UTC)

Thanks IAWW! Your second bullet ("The period of peace...") was my fault as I over-pruned while copy editing. I'll add some information back. I'll leave the others for @OtharLuin. As for source checking, I actually checked every source for the sections I copy edited, so I think I checked every source in the History, General use, and Inspiration sections. I also checked a few, but not all, in the After retirement section. NicheSports (talk) 16:34, 31 December 2025 (UTC)

I handled two of the items above (and marked as done). @OtharLuin let me know once you have handled the others and I will pass this! NicheSports (talk) 17:07, 31 December 2025 (UTC)

Perfect. That's really good engagement with the sources. Thanks for addressing two of the points yourself. IAWW (talk) 17:40, 31 December 2025 (UTC)

@IAWW OtharLuin has been inactive for a few days so I addressed your outstanding comments and am going to pass this now. Thank you for the support!! NicheSports (talk) 17:11, 4 January 2026 (UTC)

@OtharLuin could you please look into the harv/sfn citation errors that IAWW identified? NicheSports (talk) 03:40, 22 December 2025 (UTC)

 Done ! what an incredible tool, I learn something new every day :D - OtharLuin (talk) 11:03, 22 December 2025 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.