Latest news with #yokozuna
CTV News
6 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Big surprise in sumo. The sport has a new champion - and he's Japanese
Onosato receives the trophy after winning in a sumo wrestling tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan arena in Tokyo, Sunday, May 25, 2025. (Kyodo News via AP) TOKYO — Japan has a new sumo grand champion — or yokozuna — and the big news is he's Japanese. Onosato, the new grand champion, weighs 191 kilograms (421 pounds) and he is the first Japanese competitor to reach the top rank since 2017. By comparison, the average weight of an NFL lineman is about 140 kilos, or just over 300 pounds. The sport has recently been dominated by Mongolians and prior to Onosato, six of the previous seven yokozunas have been from Mongolia. 'I'll devote myself to training so that I will not disgrace the title of yokozuna,' Onosato said Wednesday, dressed in a formal kimono and bowing as he sat on the floor. 'I will aim to become a one-and-only yokozuna.' Onosato, whose real name is Daiki Nakamura, is only 24 and was promoted Wednesday to sumo's top rank by the Japan Sumo Association. Onosato was promoted by winning last week's Summer Grand Sumo Tournament, which came after he won another prestigious tournament in March. Onosato is from Ishikawa prefecture, which was hit on Jan. 1, 2024, by a devastating earthquake and tsunami that killed about 600 people in the prefecture and caused widespread damage. Much of the destruction was centered on an area known as the Noto Peninsula. 'I will work hard as a yokozuna to encourage and cheer up the Ishikawa prefecture and the Noto region,' he said. He then added: 'I determined that yokozuna should be my goal once I entered the world of sumo,' he said. 'It's not easy to achieve and I'm really delighted.' Sumo is regarded as Japan's national sport, or most sacred sport, and many of the ritual elements are connected to Shinto, Japan's indigenous religion. Sumo's origins date back more than 1,000 years, and Japan is the only country where it is contested on a professional level. The sport is highly regimented with many wrestlers living in communal training facilities where food and dress are controlled by ancient traditions. Onosato's promotion will set up an instant rivalry with Mongolia-born Hoshoryu, who is the other wrestler in Japan to hold the yokozuna title. The Japanese news agency Kyodo said the two sumo stars are due to meet in a tournament in July in the central city of Nagoya. ___ Stephen Wade, The Associated Press
New York Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Japan finally has another yokozuna atop nation's beloved sport of sumo
Sumo is Japan's beloved sport. Yokozuna is the sport's most prestigious title. And after 20 years of near-total dominance by Mongolian giants, a Japanese man once again holds the highest title in the country's national sport. Ōnosato Daiki, a 24-year-old from Japan's Ishikawa Prefecture, officially stands at 6-feet-3 and weighs just over 420 pounds. On Wednesday, he became the 75th recognized yokozuna, the sport's highest title, in sumo's more than 1,000-year-old history. Advertisement It took just six minutes for the Yokozuna Deliberation Council, an advisory group within the Japan Sumo Association (JSA), to unanimously approve Ōnosato's promotion to yokozuna on Monday. Two days later, the century-old JSA ratified his new rank in a ceremony that saw Ōnosato posing with two massive fish and toasting with a glass of beer. The historical origins of yokozunas remain wrapped in myth and mystery, but the term itself refers to the white, 44-pound rope yokozuna wear around their waists during tournaments' opening ceremonies. Winning two consecutive grand tournaments is generally considered the modern qualification for promotion to yokozuna. Ōnosato accomplished that feat with back-to-back championships in the March and May tournaments. Ōnosato won promotion after just 13 tournaments, the fastest anyone has achieved yokozuna status since the official process began in 1958. It took Wajima Hiroshi, his closet competition for that record, 21 tournaments to win his promotion in 1973. 'I am truly happy. Now, things will become more important than ever. I want to stay focused and continue to work hard,' Ōnosato said at a press conference Wednesday. 'This is a very much unknown territory for me. I want to maintain my style, be Ōnosato, and I will work hard to become a unique and unparalleled yokozuna.' Ōnosato is the first Japanese yokozuna since 2017, when his mentor, Kisenosato Yutaka, won promotion. Kisenosato was the first Japanese yokozuna since 1999, but his reign was brief as he retired in 2019 due to nagging injuries and a series of losses that reportedly made him seriously question his abilities. Every other yokozuna named since the turn of the century has been Mongolian, a changing of the guard within the sport which can be partially attributed to a dip in sumo's popularity in Japan, an increase in countries represented at sumo tournaments and Mongolia's ancient wrestling tradition of its own. Some origin stories date the first sumo match to around the time of the Roman Empire's founding, but these days, professional sumo has six divisions. Within those are five ranks, and wrestlers earn promotions and relegations based on their performance. At the top is the rank of yokozuna. Wrestlers at that level do not face demotion, so there can be, and often are, multiple yokozuna at one time. Advertisement Because so few men have ever held the top rank, yokozuna face immense pressure to perform, and are expected to retire as soon as they are unable to compete at the highest level. Once they step away, they become 'elders' and often stablemasters, a role akin to head coaches in American sports if head coaches oversaw nearly every aspect of their athletes' lives. At that point, they generally take on a new name to accompany their new identity. Yokozuna didn't become a ceremonial status until the 1700s, wasn't part of the sport's official historical record (the banzuke) until the 1890s and wouldn't become an official 'rank' until 1909. There are six 15-day Grand Sumo tournaments, or honbasho, each year. Wrestlers win their matches by either forcing their opponent to the ground or pushing them out of a central circle called a dohyo. There's a short break and reset if the wrestlers reach an impasse. The longest sumo match on record lasted 32 minutes and included two of those pauses. But on average, a match lasts under 30 seconds. Before Ōnosato's promotion this week, there was only one active yokozuna: Hōshōryū Tomokatsu of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. At 26 years old, 6-foot-2 and 331 pounds, Hōshōryū earned his white rope in January. The start to Hōshōryū's run as yokozuna has had its ups and downs. He lost his very first match after achieving the rank at the March Grand Tournament, and midway through the event, he pulled out of the competition entirely due to a shoulder injury. He ended up with a 5-5 record. The same injury contributed to a 2-2 start in this month's tournament, though he rebounded to win seven straight matches. Another loss came in round 12. But Hōshōryū finished strong with two more wins. Then, in a showdown that portends a budding rivalry between sumo's top warriors, Hōshōryū handed Ōnosato his sole loss in the May tournament finale in Tokyo. Advertisement Smashed backward by a brutal charge and throat strikes by Ōnosato, who outweighs him by about 100 pounds, Hōshōryū's foot nearly left the dohyo twice within the bout's first five seconds. But Hōshōryū managed to grab hold of Ōnosato's belt and use the leverage to hurl him toward the edge. Ōnosato reached for the yokozuna's belt but could not get hold of it. Less than a second later, Hōshōryū flipped Ōnosato into the dirt and out of the ring. Turning to the crowd, he gave a triumphant, forceful nod and stalked away from Ōnosato, who grimaced in pain and frustration. The two shared a final ceremonial bow and went their separate ways. It was a huge moment for both men. This month's competition was Hōshōryū's first full grand tournament as yokozuna, and his victory spoiled Ōnosato's undefeated streak through the most consequential honbasho of his career. Ōnosato took home the Emperor's Cup with a 14-1 record. His dream run was nearly perfect. Somewhat poetically, though, the man he now stands alongside was the one obstacle he couldn't overcome. Hōshōryū finished with a 12-3 record and rose to 6-2 against Ōnosato overall. 'You could say he's my rival or perhaps even my benchmark. I certainly see him as a hurdle I have to clear,' Ōnosato said the day after the match. As columnist John Gunning wrote for The Japan Times earlier this week, sumo could be in for a new golden age with the emergence of Hōshōryū and Ōnosato. And fans won't need to wait long to see a rematch. Sumo's next grand tournament is in Nagoya in July. When the festivities reach their conclusion, it will be the first time in nearly six years that two yokozuna face each other to close a honbosho. Each will be motivated to avenge something. For Hōshōryū, it will be another shot at his first Emperor's Cup as a yokozuna. For Ōnosato, it will be another shot at perfection. Both are looking for their first true triumph with a white rope. In a thousand-year-old sport where a split second can decide everything, two months will probably feel like an eternity.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Onosato promoted to yokozuna after record-setting ascent in sumo
Onosato has been promoted to sumo's highest rank of yokozuna, the Japan Sumo Association announced on Wednesday, completing a meteoric rise to the summit of Japan's national sport in the record span of 13 tournaments. The 24-year-old, who weighs 421lb (191kg) and stands 6ft 4in (1.92m) tall, becomes the 75th yokozuna in sumo's centuries-spanning history and the first Japan-born wrestler to hold the title since Kisenosato in 2017. His promotion comes just days after clinching the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament at Tokyo's Ryōgoku Sumo Hall with a 14-1 record, clinching his second straight championship and fourth overall. Onosato's promotion was made official after a unanimous recommendation from the JSA's advisory council on Monday and approved by the board of trustees at a special meeting on Wednesday. He is now the fastest wrestler to reach yokozuna in the modern six-tournament calendar era, which dates to 1958. The record ascent eclipses the previous mark of 21 basho set by Wajima, another Ishikawa native, in 1973. 'I am truly happy,' Onosato told reporters on Wednesday after receiving the decision from JSA envoys at his Nishonoseki stable in Ibaraki Prefecture. 'Now, things will become more important than ever. I want to stay focused and continue to work hard.' He added: 'I will devote myself to training so as not to disgrace the rank of yokozuna. I want to be the one and only grand champion.' The phrase 'one and only' echoed his remarks last September when he was promoted to ōzeki, sumo's second-highest rank. 'I didn't originally plan to say it again, but it just felt right,' he said. 'It was the only thing that came to mind.' Onosato, whose birth name is Daiki Nakamura, entered the professional ranks in May 2023 after a decorated amateur career at Toyo University. He began in the third-tier makushita division and quickly scaled the ranks without a single losing record, reaching ōzeki in his ninth tournament and before reaching the top in his 13th. He secured his latest title on day 13 of the Summer tournament – where competitors wrestle once daily and the best record after 15 days wins – by defeating fellow ōzeki Kotozakura to improve to 13-0. His only loss came on the final day to Hoshoryu, the Mongolian-born yokozuna who was promoted in January. Hoshoryu finished 12-3 and the result has only heightened anticipation for a nascent rivalry between the two. They are set to face off as yokozuna for the first time at the Nagoya tournament in July – sumo's grand tournaments are held every two months throughout the year in the odd-numbered months – the first time two grand champions will top the banzuke ranking list since 2021. It makes the first time that two rikishi have earned promotion to yokozuna in the same calendar year since 1987, when Hokutoumi and Onokuni both reached the top. 'Winning two straight tournaments as an ōzeki is an impressive feat,' said Tadamori Oshima, chairman of the Yokozuna Deliberation Council, said on Sunday. 'Above all, he remained composed and consistent under pressure.' The promotion ends a period of scarcity for Japanese-born yokozuna. Before Kisenosato in 2017, Japan had gone nearly two decades without a native wrestler at the top rank, as Mongolian wrestlers dominated the sport. Six of the last seven yokozuna before Onosato were born in Mongolia, including the record-shattering Hakuho, Harumafuji and Asashoryu. 'I hope he leads by example and lifts the entire world of sumo,' said Nishonoseki, Onosato's stablemaster, who competed as Kisenosato. 'He's still developing. He's been building his body properly since entering the stable, making steady efforts. Training does not lie.' Onosato's rise has been widely hailed both for its symbolic significance and his calm, composed style. A technical and balanced wrestler, he has been praised for his maturity in the ring and his steady temperament off it. His promotion has also been a source of pride in his home prefecture of Ishikawa, which was devastated by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake on New Year's Day in 2025. More than 600 people died in a disaster that displaced thousands and the Noto Peninsula region continues to rebuild. 'I will work hard as a yokozuna to encourage and cheer up the Ishikawa prefecture and the Noto region,' he said. He is now the third yokozuna from Ishikawa, following Wajima and Haguroyama. With the sport preparing for an international exhibition at London's Royal Albert Hall in October, his promotion comes at a time when JSA is seeking to broaden its global profile while reconnecting with fans at home. At 24, Onosato is the youngest yokozuna since Takanohana's promotion in 1994 and thought to be the first to reach the rank without a single losing record in the top division. What comes next is not only the pressure of defending the rank, but the responsibility that accompanies it both inside and outside the dohyo. 'This is unknown territory for me,' Onosato said. 'But I want to continue being myself: to wrestle my way, stay focused, and become a unique and unparalleled yokozuna.'
New York Times
6 days ago
- General
- New York Times
Japan Welcomes a New Sumo Champ. Surprise: He's Japanese.
Sumo is Japan's national sport, steeped in hundreds of years of history and tradition. But Japanese wrestlers no longer dominate sumo. So there was a sigh of relief in local sumo circles when Onosato Daiki of Japan was named on Wednesday as yokozuna, or grand champion, the highest title in the sport. He is the first Japanese yokozuna in eight years and only the second in 27 years, at least temporarily breaking Mongolian dominance of the elite levels of the sport. Yokozuna are selected by a council of elders after great achievement in the ring. There have been 75 since the 1600s, although the process was only formalized in the early 20th century. Once named a yokozuna, a wrestler can never be demoted. Traditionally, winning two consecutive top-division tournaments is enough to earn the yokozuna title; Onosato, as he is known, earned such titles in March in Osaka and on Sunday in Tokyo. He achieved the title after just 13 top-level tournaments, the quickest ascension since the current system came into effect in the 1950s. 'This is a very much unknown territory for me,' Onosato said at a news conference, as translated by Japan Today. 'I want to maintain my style, be Onosato, and I will work hard to become a unique and unparalleled yokozuna.' There is currently one other yokozuna, Hoshoryu, a Mongolian who earned that title in January in Tokyo. In the May tournament where Onosato won his second consecutive top-division title, Hoshoryu was second, with a 12-3 record to Onosato's 14-1. The rivalry will continue in Nagoya in July. That will be more than a battle between two sumo wrestlers at the top of the game. For many fans, it will be a referendum on sumo in Japan. Sumo's traditional scenes, rituals and action set it apart from other high-profile professional sports around the world. The athletes are enormous; Onosato is 420 pounds, and even his trim rivals are over 300. Rituals before the match, like bowing, foot-stomping and the tossing of salt, last far longer than the match itself, which is over in seconds, as soon as one of the big men is pushed out of the ring or drops to the ground. Athletes wrestle just once a day in the two-week major tournaments, which are held six times a year. Sumo was an all-Japanese affair for centuries. Finally in 1999, Akebono, from Hawaii, became the first non-Japanese yokozuna. The next one, Asashoryu of Mongolia in 2003, ruffled some feathers in Japan for behavior that some felt defied sumo tradition, like celebrating excessively. Asashoryu ushered in a period of Mongolian dominance. At times it seemed as if Japanese wrestlers would never again reach the pinnacle of the sport. While sumo has gained some popularity around the world — events with second-tier wrestlers have been held in the United States — it remains closely linked to Japanese tradition and culture. Japan is still where all the best sumo takes place, and the top wrestlers aspire to succeed there. But the rising popularity of other sports, notably soccer, with young people in Japan has given sumo a reputation for being old-fashioned. The previous drought for Japanese yokozuna was even longer — 19 years — until Kisenosato earned the title in 2017. Kisenosato never became dominant, however, winning just two top-level tournaments in his career. Onosato will try to do better. His rise has been predicted for years, and at age 24 he has already won four top tournaments. That could bring the weight of expectations, however: Some have already labeled him the savior of Japanese sumo.
South China Morning Post
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Onosato, 24, promoted to sumo grand champion in record time – and he's Japanese
Sumo crowned a new grand champion in record time on Wednesday as Onosato became the fastest to attain the exalted rank of yokozuna in the Japanese sport's modern era. And the big news is: he is Japanese. The 24-year-old's elevation by the Japan Sumo Association came after he appeared in just 13 professional tournaments, eight fewer than the current record holder. The wrestler, who weighs 191 kilograms (421 pounds) and is 1.92 metres (six feet three inches) tall, became the 75th grand champion in the centuries-old history of sumo. By comparison, the average weight of an NFL lineman is about 140kg, or just over 300 pounds. Onosato was the second to reach the top rank in the space of four months, following the promotion of Hoshoryu in January. Onosato won the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday to earn his fourth Emperor's Cup. Photo: Kyodo The two will go head-to-head for the first time as yokozuna in July in Nagoya.
