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Kyodo News
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Kyodo News
Sumo: Onosato becomes yokozuna at record pace after 13 tournaments
KYODO NEWS - 23 minutes ago - 21:23 | Sports, All Onosato was promoted to sumo's highest rank of yokozuna on Wednesday, attaining the honor at a record pace after competing in just 13 professional tournaments. The 24-year-old from Ishikawa Prefecture became the 75th yokozuna and the first Japanese-born grand champion since his stablemaster Nishonoseki, who wrestled as Kisenosato and won his promotion after the New Year meet in 2017. "I'll devote myself to training in order not to bring the rank of yokozuna into disrepute, and aim for a one-of-a-kind yokozuna," Onosato said during a promotion ceremony at his Nishonoseki stable in Ami, Ibaraki Prefecture. Onosato ensured his promotion by winning the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament with two days to spare on Friday, achieving the required benchmark of back-to-back championships as an ozeki, the second-highest rank. The Japan Sumo Association officially approved Onosato's elevation at an extraordinary board meeting on Wednesday. The previous record holder under the six-tournament calendar introduced in 1958 was the late Wajima, another Ishikawa native, who secured promotion after his 21st meet in May 1973. Onosato joins 14-time winner Wajima as the only wrestler to become a grand champion after entering the professional ranks from university. The imposing 192-centimeter, 191-kilogram star, who excels both with his pushing and grappling techniques, has won four Emperor's Cups having claimed his first last May. "Since entering professional sumo, I've always thought the rank of yokozuna is something I'd absolutely aim for. I'm happy to have achieved it," Onosato said. "I think what I do from here is important." He was happy with his choice of words after receiving the news from sumo association messengers. "I thought there was no better phrase. I didn't get nervous and managed to say it commandingly," Onosato said. "I wasn't planning to include (one-of-a-kind) originally but then felt it was the perfect fit." He is set to forge a rivalry with Mongolian yokozuna Hoshoryu, who reached the rank after January's New Year meet. They will go head-to-head as yokozuna for the first time at July's Nagoya meet at the newly built IG Arena. Two wrestlers have been promoted to yokozuna in the same year for the first time since 1987 when Hokutoumi and Onokuni rose to the top. "I hope he carves out a new era," said Hokutoumi, who now goes by Hakkaku and is the current JSA president. With the sport set to hold an exhibition tour of London in October, Hakkaku said having two grand champions is a timely boost. "It's a good thing. It's not something that happens even if the association hopes for it." Onosato needed nine tournaments to reach the exalted rank since making his top-tier makuuchi division debut, setting another milestone as he eclipsed the previous record of 11 meets by 32-time Emperor's Cup-winning icon Taiho. Onosato is the first wrestler to turn yokozuna without a single losing record. "I hope he leads by example and lifts the entire world of sumo," said Nishonoseki. "It's important to be strong, but I hope he becomes a role model for other wrestlers. I hope he wrestles while being aware (of a yokozuna's responsibilities)." "He's still developing. He's been building his body properly since entering the stable, making steady efforts. Training does not lie." Onosato made his professional debut as No. 10 in the third-tier makushita division in May 2023, a head start granted to those with strong amateur records. He reached ozeki also at a record clip, earning promotion after last September's Autumn meet, his ninth as a professional. His meteoric rise saw him achieve the rank with hair still too short for the "oicho" hairstyle, named after the ginkgo leaf, worn by makuuchi and second-tier juryo wrestlers. The last Japanese wrestler to rise to yokozuna in his early 20s was Takanohana, who was 22 when he was promoted after the November 1994 Kyushu meet. "He's always smiling when he comes here. I hope he stays the way he is -- someone loved and supported by everyone," said 50-year-old Keisuke Koyama, who runs a sushi restaurant in the new yokozuna's hometown of Tsubata. Onosato said he was "able to deliver good news" with his promotion and promised to continue "energizing Ishikawa and Noto" peninsula, devastated by an earthquake on Jan. 1, 2024. Related coverage: Sumo: Onosato lifts trophy with 14-1 record after loss to Hoshoryu
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
‘Get a bed, charge it to my card': Cheerful Miley Cyrus gives blessings to surprise proposal at her TikTok event
Love was in the air at Miley Cyrus' special TikTok fan gathering at the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood, Los Angeles. A romantic proposal stole the show with the couple getting engaged, prompting Miley to chime in with a witty remark. Also read: Miley Cyrus opens up about sobriety and how it's changed her life: 'That is like my God' Social media is buzzing with videos from Miley's fan event, but one clip has captured everyone's attention. It is a proposal moment between a gay couple that stole the spotlight and warmed Miley's heart, too. In the video, the couple is seen getting engaged. 'Noooo,' Miley is seen exclaiming with happiness in the video. 'Get a bed, charge it to my card,' said Miley, which led to huge cheers. A post shared by Miley Cyrus Fan (@mjjleycyrus) At the event, Miley performed a few songs from her upcoming album Something Beautiful, and admitted that she has experimented with sounds and music in her album. She also performed some of her previous hits at the event. Miley's visual album is set for a big-screen release on June 12, shortly after her ninth studio album, Something Beautiful, which is dropping on May 30. The new film is described as 'a unique visual experience fuelled by fantasy' and a 'one of a kind pop opera". Miley recently opened up on a 'traumatic' health scare which she endured while co-hosting a show with her godmother Dolly Parton. During a recent appearance on The Zane Lowe Show, the 32-year-old revealed that she suffered an ovarian cyst rupture during a New Year's Eve special to ring in 2023. 'I had a pretty traumatic experience on a show that I was doing with Lorne [Michaels] when I was doing my New Year's show. I had a medical emergency. I had an ovarian cyst rupture. We didn't know exactly what was going on, so we did it,' Miley said. In the interview, the Wrecking ball hitmaker also addressed her vocal cord issues, saying, 'So I have this very large polyp on my vocal cord, which has given me a lot of the tone and the texture that has made me who I am, but it's extremely difficult to perform with because it's like running a marathon with ankle weights on.'
Yomiuri Shimbun
a day ago
- Sport
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Sumo Scene / Giant Sumo Champion Portraits Worth Looking up to; Portraits of Amazing Wrestlers Fly High in Ryogoku Kokugikan
Yomiuri Shimbun file photo Onosato, left, and Kotozakura pose in front of their giant portraits at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on Jan. 11. Many visitors to the Ryogoku Kokugikan arena, the iconic venue for grand sumo tournaments in Tokyo, have no doubt looked up and seen the giant portraits of victorious wrestlers hanging from the rafters. In total, there are 32 portraits on display, with eight lining each of the four sides of the arena. Prior to each of the three annual tournaments held in the arena, the two oldest portraits are removed and replaced with those of the two most recent winners. At the recently completed Summer tourney, the newly added portraits were of Hoshoryu, victor of the New Year tournament in January, and Onosato, who prevailed in the Spring tournament in March. Seen up close, the size of these portraits is staggering. Each measures about 3.2 meters in height and about 2.3 meters in width, and weigh in at around 60 kilograms. According to the Japan Sumo Association, hanging portraits has been an ongoing tradition dating back to when the original Kokugikan was built in 1909. In the past, a master artist created color portraits using oil paints on a black-and-white photograph base. However, due to lack of suitable successors and other reasons, color photos are used for the portraits these days. After being removed, the portrait is given to the depicted wrestler. However, the pictures are too large to be displayed at home, so many wrestlers reportedly offer them as presents to a school they attended or another entity in their hometown. Those who become stablemasters after retiring often hang their portraits in the tatami seating area of the training hall, but barring the building of a memorial hall or other such facility, storing the oversized pieces is not easy. Interestingly, portraits of five legendary wrestlers — Mienoumi, Wakanohana II, Chiyonofuji, Musashimaru and Hakuho — hang in the concourse of JR Ryogoku Station, which is on the Kokugikan's doorstep. The portraits enhance the atmosphere of the entryway to the sumo district. The unveiling ceremony for the newest portraits is conducted on the tournament's first day during the intermission between the juryo division and makuuchi division bouts. There is a bit of fanfare as the pictures are revealed to spectators. It is also a glorious moment for the victorious wrestler. Yokozuna Hoshoryu remembers coming face-to-face with his second portrait, which was created after his triumph as an ozeki that secured his promotion to sumo's highest rank. 'It was my first and last portrait as an ozeki,' recalled Hoshoryu. The next time two new portraits are revealed will be at the Autumn tournament in September. Seeing them will give fans yet another thrill as they soak in the excitement at the arena. — Kamimura is a sumo expert.
The Mainichi
a day ago
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Sumo: Onosato becomes yokozuna at record pace after 13 tournaments
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Onosato was promoted to sumo's highest rank of yokozuna on Wednesday, attaining the honor at a record pace after competing in just 13 professional tournaments. The 24-year-old from Ishikawa Prefecture became the 75th yokozuna and the first Japanese-born grand champion since his stablemaster Nishonoseki, the former Kisenosato, who won his promotion after the New Year meet in 2017. Onosato ensured his promotion by winning the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament with two days to spare on Friday, achieving the required benchmark of back-to-back championships as an ozeki, the second-highest rank. The Japan Sumo Association officially approved Onosato's elevation at an extraordinary board meeting on Wednesday. The previous record holder under the six-tournament calendar introduced in 1958 was the late Wajima, another Ishikawa native, who had contested 21 meets upon his promotion after the May 1973 tournament. Onosato joins 14-time winner Wajima as the only wrestler to become a grand champion after entering the professional ranks from university. The imposing 192-centimeter, 191-kilogram star, who excels both with his pushing and grappling techniques, has won four Emperor's Cups having claimed his first last May. Onosato is set to forge a rivalry with Mongolian yokozuna Hoshoryu, who reached the rank after January's New Year meet. They will go head-to-head as yokozuna for the first time at July's Nagoya meet at the newly built IG Arena.
Kyodo News
a day ago
- Sport
- Kyodo News
Sumo: Onosato becomes yokozuna at record pace after 13 tournaments
KYODO NEWS - 10 minutes ago - 09:19 | Sports, All Onosato was promoted to sumo's highest rank of yokozuna on Wednesday, attaining the honor at a record pace after competing in just 13 professional tournaments. The 24-year-old from Ishikawa Prefecture became the 75th yokozuna and the first Japanese-born grand champion since his stablemaster Nishonoseki, the former Kisenosato, who won his promotion after the New Year meet in 2017. Onosato ensured his promotion by winning the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament with two days to spare on Friday, achieving the required benchmark of back-to-back championships as an ozeki, the second-highest rank. The Japan Sumo Association officially approved Onosato's elevation at an extraordinary board meeting on Wednesday. The previous record holder under the six-tournament calendar introduced in 1958 was the late Wajima, another Ishikawa native, who had contested 21 meets upon his promotion after the May 1973 tournament. Onosato joins 14-time winner Wajima as the only wrestler to become a grand champion after entering the professional ranks from university. The imposing 192-centimeter, 191-kilogram star, who excels both with his pushing and grappling techniques, has won four Emperor's Cups having claimed his first last May. Onosato is set to forge a rivalry with Mongolian yokozuna Hoshoryu, who reached the rank after January's New Year meet. They will go head-to-head as yokozuna for the first time at July's Nagoya meet at the newly built IG Arena. Related coverage: Sumo: Onosato lifts trophy with 14-1 record after loss to Hoshoryu
