What is "sansho"

n. (context sumo English) any of the three special prizes awarded at the end of a basho

Sanshō can refer to:

• Sanshō (sumo) , three special prizes awarded at sumo tournaments
• Sanshō (spice) , name of a plant, Zanthoxylum piperitum, used as "Japanese pepper" (Not to be confounded with Sichuan pepper, Zanthoxylum bungeanum).
• Sansho the Bailiff , a 1954 film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi

Sanshō are the three special prizes awarded to top ( Makuuchi) division sumo wrestlers for exceptional performance during a sumo honbasho or tournament. The prizes were first awarded in November 1947.