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Japan celebrates first homegrown sumo grand champion in 19 years
Japan celebrated Wednesday after a sumo wrestler became the first homegrown grand champion in nearly two decades.
Kisenosato was promoted to “yokozona” status, the highest possible ranking in Japan’s national sport, during a ceremony in Tokyo after winning a grand tournament at the weekend.
A steady stream of foreign-born sumo wrestlers, many hailing from Mongolia or Hawaii, has dominated the ancient sport’s highly respected number one rank for nearly two decades.
The success of 30-year-old Kisenosato marks the first occasion that a native sumo wrestler has achieved yokozuna status since the success of fellow Japanese Wakanohana in 1998.
Kisenosato’s rise to the top will come as a welcome relief to the sumo world, which has been hit hard in recent years by a string of scandals, ranging from match fixing investigations and gambling ties to incidents of physical abuse among young trainees.
Kisenosato’s yokozona promotion ceremony was held in a Tokyo hotel rather than the sumo “stable” where he lives and trains as is normally the case, in a reflection of the intense level of media attention.
Dressed in a formal kimono with his hair tied up in a signature sumo style, Kisenosato bowed deeply as he accepted the promotion during the ceremony, saying: “I will do everything in my power and try not to bring shame to the name yokozuna.”
Speaking after the ceremony, he added: “I want to become even more focused. I have grown as a person and want to be a yokozuna that is respected.”
The new star of the sumo world, who is originally from rural Ibaraki, north of Tokyo, has now achieved celebrity status in Japan, where sumo wrestlers are widely revered.
Kisenosato, who stands an impressive 6ft 2 inches tall and weights 385lb, has been lingering in the second-highest ranking for five years, with many speculating that his nerves under pressure would preventing him from progressing.
However, on Sunday, Kisenosato defied his critics and delighted the sumo world by winning his first tournament after defeating the long-reigning Mongolian champion Hakuho.
Mark Buckton, a sumo journalist who has covered the sport for two decades, told Reuters: “For long-term sumo fans it is about the boy who entered the sport as a mid-teen ... and has always seemed to 'choke' when the title was within grasp, finally coming good.”