Sumo's New Yokozuna Onosato Celebrated in Hometown Parade; Rikishi Vows to Prepare Thoroughly for Next Tournament
TSUBATA, Ishikawa — About 37,000 people lined the streets of Onosato's hometown of Tsubata, Ishikawa Prefecture, for a parade to celebrate his promotion as the 75th yokozuna.
Onosato, who belongs to the Nishonoseki stable, rode near the town hall in a white convertible on Sunday, waving his smiling fans.
'I've returned [to Tsubata] for the first time since becoming a yokozuna. I'm glad so many people came,' Onosato said after the parade.
A 92-year-old fan watched the event with a handmade paper fan that read 'Congratulations [on becoming] a yokozuna.'
'I'm happy to see his face up close,' she said.The banzuke rankings for the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament that will start on July 13 were announced on Monday. 'After seeing my name in the rankings as a yokozuna, it felt real,' Onosato said at a press conference in Anjo, Aichi Prefecture, on the day. 'I'll prepare thoroughly, as the [next] tournament will be really important.'
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Yomiuri Shimbun
12 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Sumo's New Yokozuna Onosato Celebrated in Hometown Parade; Rikishi Vows to Prepare Thoroughly for Next Tournament
TSUBATA, Ishikawa — About 37,000 people lined the streets of Onosato's hometown of Tsubata, Ishikawa Prefecture, for a parade to celebrate his promotion as the 75th yokozuna. Onosato, who belongs to the Nishonoseki stable, rode near the town hall in a white convertible on Sunday, waving his smiling fans. 'I've returned [to Tsubata] for the first time since becoming a yokozuna. I'm glad so many people came,' Onosato said after the parade. A 92-year-old fan watched the event with a handmade paper fan that read 'Congratulations [on becoming] a yokozuna.' 'I'm happy to see his face up close,' she banzuke rankings for the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament that will start on July 13 were announced on Monday. 'After seeing my name in the rankings as a yokozuna, it felt real,' Onosato said at a press conference in Anjo, Aichi Prefecture, on the day. 'I'll prepare thoroughly, as the [next] tournament will be really important.'
Kyodo News
16 hours ago
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Sumo: Onosato aims to buck trend, win Nagoya meet in yokozuna debut
KYODO NEWS - 1 hour ago - 13:53 | Sports, All Newly promoted Onosato said Monday he aims to win the upcoming Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament as a yokozuna debutant and add his name to the small group of wrestlers to achieve the feat. The 25-year-old star will compete for the first time as a grand champion at the 15-day tournament opening July 13 at the new IG Arena. Of the 30 previous wrestlers promoted to yokozuna, just six won their first grand tournament at the sport's highest rank. "It's not something that everyone does," said Onosato, speaking at a press conference at his Nishonoseki stable's base near Nagoya. The Ishikawa Prefecture native will also be under the spotlight as the first new Japanese-born yokozuna since his stablemaster, the former Kisenosato, debuted at the top rank in March 2017. Onosato went 9-6 as a sekiwake last July in his only previous Nagoya meet as a member of the elite makuuchi division. "I don't have good memories of the Nagoya tournaments over the past two years," he said. "If I can achieve good results here, I think I'll be able to feel that I've become stronger." While his stellar performance in the ring, culminating in his yokozuna promotion, has made him the talk of the sumo world, Onosato says he has not been affected by the attention. "Nothing has changed, including my life away from sumo," he said. "I want to stay the same person I've always been." He continues to cherish his connection with Ishikawa, especially his hometown of Tsubata, which was hit hard by the Jan. 1, 2024, Noto Peninsula earthquake. The town held a parade on Sunday to celebrate his yokozuna promotion. "I got a lot of energy from it," he said. "I hope it's reflected by my performance in Nagoya. I want to energize Ishikawa Prefecture by continuing to succeed."
The Mainichi
17 hours ago
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Sumo: Onosato aims to buck trend, win Nagoya meet in yokozuna debut
ANJO, Japan (Kyodo) -- Newly promoted Onosato said Monday he aims to win the upcoming Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament as a yokozuna debutant and add his name to the small group of wrestlers to achieve the feat. The 25-year-old star will compete for the first time as a grand champion at the 15-day tournament opening July 13 at the new IG Arena. Of the 30 previous wrestlers promoted to yokozuna, just six won their first grand tournament at the sport's highest rank. "It's not something that everyone does," said Onosato, speaking at a press conference at his Nishonoseki stable's base near Nagoya. The Ishikawa Prefecture native will also be under the spotlight as the first new Japanese-born yokozuna since his stablemaster, the former Kisenosato, debuted at the top rank in March 2017. Onosato went 9-6 as a sekiwake last July in his only previous Nagoya meet as a member of the elite makuuchi division. "I don't have good memories of the Nagoya tournaments over the past two years," he said. "If I can achieve good results here, I think I'll be able to feel that I've become stronger." While his stellar performance in the ring, culminating in his yokozuna promotion, has made him the talk of the sumo world, Onosato says he has not been affected by the attention. "Nothing has changed, including my life away from sumo," he said. "I want to stay the same person I've always been." He continues to cherish his connection with Ishikawa, especially his hometown of Tsubata, which was hit hard by the Jan. 1, 2024, Noto Peninsula earthquake. The town held a parade on Sunday to celebrate his yokozuna promotion. "I got a lot of energy from it," he said. "I hope it's reflected by my performance in Nagoya. I want to energize Ishikawa Prefecture by continuing to succeed."
