09-04-2025
Takayasu's latest heartbreak creates sumo history
When Takayasu fell to Onosato in a title-deciding playoff bout on the final day of the March Grand Sumo Tournament, the former ozeki not only extended a long series of collapses in his biggest moments but also made sumo history.
With a ninth career jun-yusho, or runner-up finish, Takayasu took sole possession of first place on the leaderboard of wrestlers who have come in second but never been a champion.
The 35-year-old maegashira's name stands out even more on the overall jun-yusho list.
Among the 28 men with the most second-place finishes since the individual title came into existence near the start of the 20th century, only Takayasu has failed to win a championship.
Perhaps the most eye-opening stat is the fact that yokozuna Asashoryu — who lifted the Emperor's Cup 25 times — now has fewer second-place finishes than Takayasu.
It's a history of heartbreak that rivals some of the greatest in sport.
If Takayasu doesn't eventually change his fortunes and win a title — something that few wrestlers manage after age 35 — then he'll join a championship futility pantheon that includes athletes such as Tim Henman (tennis) and Charles Barkley (NBA) as well as the 1990s Buffalo Bills in the NFL and the French rugby and Dutch soccer teams.
But even if he fails in his quest for a top-division title, Takayasu can be proud of his achievements.
By any objective measurement, the former ozeki has had an outstanding, two-decade career that has garnered 13 special prizes and six gold stars in addition to those nine jun-yusho, not to mention reaching the sport's second-highest rank.
Perhaps further consolation can be found in the fact that the man now in second place on the aforementioned list — ozeki Yutakayama — eventually went on to become Chairman of the Japan Sumo Association under the name Tokitsukaze.
Of course the light hasn't completely faded for Takayasu yet and there is still a possibility that he could get that elusive first title before he retires.
Should he do so, it will put his career in a very different light.
Take the example of John Elway, whose remarkable achievements on NFL fields were, for most of his career, overshadowed by collapses in the Super Bowl. Two late career titles completely changed the narrative and Elway's place among the greatest quarterbacks ever to play the game is no longer disputed.
It must also be remembered that while Takayasu's place atop the list of sumo's nearly men seems increasingly set in stone, he is far from the only rikishi to have come close to glory but never gotten over the line.
Akinoshima's two career jun-yusho may not be anywhere close to Takayasu's nine, but the former sekiwake wreaked such havoc among the top rankers for so long that it's surprising he never lifted the Emperor's Cup himself on any occasion.
Akinoshima, now a stablemaster and JSA board member known as Takadagawa, still tops the career lists for special prizes and gold stars 22 years after his retirement.
His achievement of 16 gold stars, earned for defeating a yokozuna while ranked at maegashira between 1988 and 1999, is a mark that may not be approached — never mind broken — for decades.
Similarly, his total of 19 special prizes is six more than Takayasu has managed in two decades — minus two years when ranked at ozeki and therefore ineligible — and is a record likely to stand for a long time.
Another close-but-not-quite wrestler was current Nishiiwa stablemaster (former sekiwake Wakanosato) who spent 19 straight tournaments ranked at either sekiwake or komusubi between 2002 and 2005 but never won a title or made it to ozeki.
Wakanosato and Akinoshima each had stretches where they looked unbeatable, often delivering several days of excellent sumo. But they struggled to maintain that level over a full tournament — or when they did, someone else was performing even better.
The title of nearly man can also be applied to those who didn't have consistent high-level success like Akinoshima and Wakanosato but who came extremely close to winning an Emperor's Cup at some point.
Hokutoriki in May 2004 was just such a case. A single defeat to Wakanosato was the maegashira-ranked wrestler's only defeat heading into the final day.
Hokutoriki was nigh untouchable that tournament, defeating three ozeki and completely overwhelming yokozuna Asashoryu,who was on a 35-bout winning streak.
Championship glory seemed assured when all that stood between Hokutoriki and the Emperor's Cup was a 19-year-old top division debutant by the name of Hakuho.
A side step and pull-down win by the youngster forced Hokutoriki into a playoff with Asashoryu and the veteran yokozuna gained revenge for his earlier defeat.
Hokutoriki left empty-handed in his only real shot at glory, while Asashoryu and Hakuho would go on to claim a further 63 Emperor's Cups combined.
The failures of Hokutoriki, Akinoshima and Wakanosato to claim sumo's ultimate prize can partly be attributed to the high level of competition among the upper ranks as well as the depth of talent.
These days, with a dozen active wrestlers who have championship experience and several more recent retirees with just a single Emperor's Cup to their name, it's increasingly incongruous that Takayasu has failed to take the title even once.
With a newly minted yokozuna looking to bounce back and create a legacy, and a fast rising Onosato seemingly set to dominate, further chances to rectify that stat may be hard to come by for Takayasu.
As things stand right now, it appears likely his place will be sealed in sumo history as the sport's ultimate nearly man.
