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.
Victor Mather, who has been a reporter and editor at The Times for 25 years, covers sports and breaking news.
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