Yokozuna Onosato

[Akinomaki 41,186]

Above news video: The dohyo-iri is not open to the public because of bad weather and held within the shrine area, where there is a roof

Edit: but people could watch from the outside

Edited May 30 by Akinomaki

[Akinomaki 41,186]

Easier to watch (no eternal repeat loop) - first dohyo-iri, from the NSK

 

Edited May 30 by Akinomaki

[RabidJohn 1,944]

I think that may be the first time I've seen Onosato looking anywhere near nervous.

He needn't be. The tsuna suits him well and he didn't make any glaring mistakes that I noticed. I never expect the first dohyo-iri at the shrine to be anything but unpolished.

[Yamanashi 3,988]

2 hours ago, RabidJohn said:

I think that may be the first time I've seen Onosato looking anywhere near nervous.

He needn't be. The tsuna suits him well and he didn't make any glaring mistakes that I noticed. I never expect the first dohyo-iri at the shrine to be anything but unpolished.

There's something kind of charming about watching a new Yokozuna work through a precise yet awkward ritual like this.  Having an ex-Yokozuna training the newbie is great, too.

Frankly, it would be a little cringey for the new Yokozuna to look as if he'd been practicing the dohyo-iri in anticipation of his ascension.

[RabidJohn 1,944]

36 minutes ago, Yamanashi said:

There's something kind of charming about watching a new Yokozuna work through a precise yet awkward ritual like this.  Having an ex-Yokozuna training the newbie is great, too.

I couldn't agree more. Seeing Nishonoseki coach his deshi through the dance is literally watching the handing down of a tradition. Shibatayama, who trained Kisenosato, also chipped in, and I'm sure I saw Takayasu offering advice on how to step back from the shikiri-sen. 

[Akinomaki 41,186]

TV Asahi with the full promotion ceremony at the shrine, dohyo-iri and interviews after it

 

[hakutorizakura 673]

It still feels amazing to witness two yokozuna promotions in three basho. The last few promotions needed a gap of a few years!

[Akinomaki 41,186]

First yokozuna dohyo-iri in the kokugikan for Onosato at Kotoeko's danpatsushiki intai-zumo, tachimochi still Takayasu, but tsuyuharai Takanosho

 

[RabidJohn 1,944]

Interesting to see the contrast between two proponents of unryu-gata. They hold their left hand completely different during the shuffle (whose name I can never remember).

Got to give the style points to Hoshoryu, atm, but he's had way more practice.

[Octofuji 387]

1 hour ago, RabidJohn said:

Interesting to see the contrast between two proponents of unryu-gata. They hold their left hand completely different during the shuffle (whose name I can never remember).

Got to give the style points to Hoshoryu, atm, but he's had way more practice.

They seemed so different to me, I had to check to see if they were both unryu. I like the dynamism in Onosato's hand movements.

[Jabbamaru 169]

On 28/05/2025 at 21:31, Katooshu said:

Yes, the JSA was very proactive. They knew that 45 year old Asashoryu and 41 year old Harumafuji would stop Onosato from becoming Yokozuna, so they kicked them out before they ever got a chance. 

Same goes for the great Takanoiwa and the great Hokuseiho, Onosato would be in makushita if they were still around.

The JSA also shot Miyagino’s rikishi with invisible laser beams, to injure them and prevent their rise to Yokozuna before Kisenosato’s charge could make it.

In fact, I hear the JSA will implement a new rule requiring each stable to use the Mongolian flag as toilet paper, in an effort to kill the morale of Mongolian threats to Onosato.

Your lame jokes don't change the fact that, without the measures I mentioned, onosato would be komusubi at this point. At best.

[Seregost 139]

3 hours ago, Jabbamaru said:

Your lame jokes don't change the fact that, without the measures I mentioned, onosato would be komusubi at this point. At best.

This forum needs a broader palette of reactions...

[Bunbukuchagama 827]

On 28/05/2025 at 20:31, Katooshu said:

Yes, the JSA was very proactive. They knew that 45 year old Asashoryu and 41 year old Harumafuji would stop Onosato from becoming Yokozuna, so they kicked them out before they ever got a chance. 

Same goes for the great Takanoiwa and the great Hokuseiho, Onosato would be in makushita if they were still around.

The JSA also shot Miyagino’s rikishi with invisible laser beams, to injure them and prevent their rise to Yokozuna before Kisenosato’s charge could make it.

In fact, I hear the JSA will implement a new rule requiring each stable to use the Mongolian flag as toilet paper, in an effort to kill the morale of Mongolian threats to Onosato.

Do they also blackmail Hoshoryu into losing 2-3 bouts to random Maegashira every basho? I need to know for science! 

[Ripe 74]

7 hours ago, Jabbamaru said:

Your lame jokes don't change the fact that, without the measures I mentioned, onosato would be komusubi at this point. At best.

Nah, he'd still make it to Yokozuna... but it might took a bit longer and he possibly (probably?) wouldn't be 75th Yokozuna if they didn't introduce one foreigner limit. Kisenosato on the other hand might not get there.

On that same note, Hakuho probably doesn't get to 45 Yusho, he still get the record for most Yusho but it's a bit lower number.

[Yarimotsu 614]

1 hour ago, Ripe said:

he possibly (probably?) wouldn't be 75th Yokozuna if they didn't introduce one foreigner limit. Kisenosato on the other hand might not get there

It is of course all speculation, but I think you can quite easily consider both of those outcomes as "certain" in this alternate scenario.

[yorikiried by fate 2,035]

15 hours ago, Ripe said:

Kisenosato on the other hand might not get there.

Or so the Germans would have us believe...

[Akinomaki 41,186]

NSK: the yokozuna-birth of the fastest there - 75th yokozuna Onosato

 

[Wakawakawaka 186]

Bit of trivia that maybe puts the Onosato speedrun records vs the 'yeah but he started late' debate in a bit of context? Number of Yusho each Yokozuna (since the 6BPY era) won before their 25th birthday.

Takanohana - 17
Taiho - 16
Asashoryu - 13
Hakuho - 12
Kitanoumi - 11
Akebono - 7
Onosato - 4
Hokutoumi - 3
2 - Wakanohana (II), Sadanoyama, Kashiwado
1 - Terunofuji, Hoshoryu, Musashimru, Onokuni, Wakanohana (I), Wajima, Tamanoumi, Kitanofuji, Tochinoumi
0 - Kisenosato, Kakuryu, Harumafuji, Asahifuji, Futahaguro, Takanosato, Chiyonofuji, Mienoumi, Kotozakura

[sahaven111 188]

13 minutes ago, Wakawakawaka said:

Bit of trivia that maybe puts the Onosato speedrun records vs the 'yeah but he started late' debate in a bit of context? Number of Yusho each Yokozuna (since the 6BPY era) won before their 25th birthday.

Takanohana - 17
Taiho - 16
Asashoryu - 13
Hakuho - 12
Kitanoumi - 11
Akebono - 7
Onosato - 4
Hokutoumi - 3
2 - Wakanohana (II), Sadanoyama, Kashiwado
1 - Terunofuji, Hoshoryu, Musashimru, Onokuni, Wakanohana (I), Wajima, Tamanoumi, Kitanofuji, Tochinoumi
0 - Kisenosato, Kakuryu, Harumafuji, Asahifuji, Futahaguro, Takanosato, Chiyonofuji, Mienoumi, Kotozakura

So even still, he leads the pack compared to anyone who isn't a true dai-yokozuna or Akebono.

As an aside, it amazes me that Chiyonofuji hadn't won a single Yusho by the time he turned 25.

Perhaps we could also see how many Yusho each Yokozuna won after their 25th birthday?

Edited June 2 by sahaven111

[Bunbukuchagama 827]

1 hour ago, Wakawakawaka said:

'yeah but he started late'

Well, yeah, he did. 

[Hankegami 576]

3 hours ago, sahaven111 said:

Perhaps we could also see how many Yusho each Yokozuna won after their 25th birthday?

Easy, let's take @Wakawakawaka 's most useful post and mirror it for the rest of their careers. We get:

33 Hakuho (73% of career yusho)

31 Chiyonofuji (100%)

16 Taiho (50%)

13 Wajima (92,8%), Kitanoumi (54,16%)

12 Asashoryu (48%)

11 Musashimaru (91,6%)

9 Kitanofuji, Wakanohana I, Terunofuji ((all 90%), Harumafuji (100%)

6 Kakuryu (100%)

5 Tamanoumi (83%), Kotozakura (100%), Hokutoumi (62,5%), Takanohana (22,7%)

4 Sadanoyama (66%), Asahifuji (100%), Akebono (36%)

3 Kashiwado (60%), Mienoumi (100%), Takanosato (100%), Wakanohana III (60%)

2 Tochinoumi (66%), Wakanohana II (50%), Kisenosato (100%)

1 Onokuni, Hoshoryu* (both 50%)

0 Futahaguro

[Reonito 1,613]

7 hours ago, Hankegami said:

Easy, let's take @Wakawakawaka 's most useful post and mirror it for the rest of their careers. We get:

So a large majority (I haven't done the exact numbers) of all yokozuna yusho were won after they turned 25. The only yokozuna below 50% are Takanohana and Akebono (done in by injuries) and (just barely) Asashoryu, and only because he was kicked out.

[dingo 1,388]

That makes sense because getting to yokozuna requires reaching a physical and mental peak that takes a while to achieve for all but the most talented rikishi. Whereas once they reach that peak they stay there for some time unless they get injured or some other force majeure happens. Not even taking into account the competition from other yokozuna or ozeki.

Edited June 2 by dingo

[Reonito 1,613]

someone should make a scatter plot of yusho before vs. yusho after 25

[Chiyozakura 157]

10 hours ago, dingo said:

That makes sense because getting to yokozuna requires reaching a physical and mental peak that takes a while to achieve for all but the most talented rikishi. Whereas once they reach that peak they stay there for some time unless they get injured or some other force majeure happens. Not even taking into account the competition from other yokozuna or ozeki.

The number of Yusho in the table above is not connected to Yokozuna promotion but to age 25. If you take the number of Yusho after Yokozuna promotion some 100% guys turn into 25% (Asahifuji) or 20% (Kotozakura). For Takanohana and Akebono on the other hand the percentages will rise quite a bit as they made Yokozuna early. So I would not completely agree to your thesis as for some Yokozuna promotion is the crowning achievement of their career with not much to come later on while for others it is just a step towards dominance of the sport. I would put Onosato into the second category. Hoshoryu probably is somewhere in the middle like a Musashimaru or Kitanofuji, strong but not "the guy".