Only two years removed from his professional debut, 25-year-old Ōnosato Daiki has been formally installed as sumo’s 75th yokozuna, the sport’s supreme rank. The Japan Sumo Association (JSA) confirmed the promotion after a special board meeting on 28 May, citing his back-to-back Emperor’s Cup victories in March and May and an eye-popping 28-2 combined record.
“I will devote myself to hard training so as not to disgrace the rank of yokozuna,” Ōnosato told JSA envoys at his Nishonoseki stable, echoing the vow of humility traditionally required of new grand champions.
Ōnosato’s ascent took just 13 tournaments—smashing the modern-era record set by fellow Ishikawa native Wajima in 1973, who needed 21 basho to earn the rope.
The new grand champion is the first wrestler in more than half a century to parlay a collegiate sumo résumé in his case, a decorated career at Nippon Sport Science University into yokozuna status. Not since Wajima Hiroshi’s 1973 promotion has a former university star climbed all the way to the top rope.
At 192 cm and 191 kg, Ōnosato marries raw power with foot speed rarely seen in a rikishi of his size. His favoured techniques—migi-yotsu yori-kiri (right-hand inside force-out) and a thundering oshi-dashi (frontal push-out)—accounted for 18 of his 28 wins across the last two tournaments.
Ōnosato becomes the first Japan-born yokozuna since his own stablemaster, Kisenosato, earned the rope in 2017. His promotion ends an eight-year span dominated by Mongolian grand champions and injects fresh domestic star power into sumo’s marketing push ahead of the July Nagoya Basho and a planned fall exhibition in London.
Hailing from quake-struck Tsubata, Ishikawa, the young champion dedicated his triumph to “everyone still rebuilding back home,” promising to arrange charity jungyō (provincial exhibitions) once reconstruction progresses.
What’s next?
- Tsuna-uchi ceremony: Master rope-makers will weave his custom tsuna before the July tournament.
- Debut as “east yokozuna” in Nagoya: A potential first head-to-head with co-yokozuna Hoshōryū looms as the marquee bout of 2025.
- Legacy watch: With four top-division titles already, analysts speculate whether Ōnosato can challenge Hakuhō’s all-time yūshō record of 45.
