In popular use, the term rikishi can mean any sumo wrestler and be an alternative term to sumotori (sumo practitioner) or the more colloquial sumosan. The two kanji characters that make up the word rikishi are "strength/power" and "gentleman/samurai"; consequently, and more idiomatically, the term can be defined as "a gentleman of strength".
Within the world of professional sumo, rikishi is used as a catch-all term for wrestlers who are in the lower, un-salaried divisions of jonokuchi, jonidan, sandanme and makushita. The more prestigious term sekitori refers to wrestlers who have risen to the two highest divisions of jūryō and makuuchi and who have significantly more status, privilege and salary than their lower-division counterparts.
The life of a professional sumo wrestler is strictly regimented and has detailed prescriptions and rules for rikishi that have been observed for centuries, so much so that rikishi can be seen more as a way of life than a career.

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