Kinboshi (Japanese 金星, lit: gold star) is a notation used in professional sumo wrestling to record a lower-ranked (maegashira) wrestler's victory over a yokozuna.

It is believed that the term stems from the usage of the terms shiroboshi (lit: white star) to designate a bout victory, and kuroboshi (black star) to designate a bout defeat. Thus, a "gold star" designates it as a special victory.

A kinboshi victory increases the balance in the maegashira's mochikyukin account by 10 yen. This balance is converted using a multiplier, presently 4,000, and added to the wrestler's bonus in every subsequent tournament in which he competes as a sekitori. With six tournaments a year, this one victory corresponds to a pay increase of 240,000 yen per annum for the remainder of the wrestler's sekitori career.

The kinboshi record is held by former sekiwake Akinoshima who won 16 bouts against yokozuna when ranked as a maegashira. ^[1]

[edit] List of top Kinboshi earners

^[2]

Restrictions[link]

Kinboshi are not awarded to sanyaku ranked wrestlers who defeat a yokozuna, nor is it awarded if the maegashira beats a yokozuna with a default win (or fusensho). It is also not given if the yokozuna is disqualified for using an illegal move (or hansoku). While it is not uncommon for an underperforming yokozuna to withdraw midway through a tournament giving a default win to one or more maegashira wrestlers, a hansoku yokozuna loss has only happened once when Asashoryu was disqualified for pulling Kyokushuzan's hair in the July tournament of 2003.

Other uses[link]

The term kinboshi is used outside sumo in informal language. It can mean a major victory, or (in slang) a beautiful woman.

Ginboshi (or silver star) is also used informally to denote a maegashira victory over an ōzeki. However, there is no monetary bonus for such a win, nor are official ginboshi records kept.

See also[link]

• Glossary of sumo terms
• List of sumo record holders

References[link]