Sumo is the national sport of Japan, immersed in hundreds of years of history and tradition. But the Japanese fighters no longer master the sumo.
Therefore, there was a sigh of relief in the local circles of the sport when Onosato Daiki of Japan was appointed as Yokozuna, or great champion, the highest title of the sport. He is the first Japanese Yokozuna in eight years and only the second in 27 years, at least temporarily breaking the mongol rule at sports elite levels.
Yokozuna are selected by an Elder Council after great achievements in the ring. There had been 75 since the 1600s, although the process was only formalized in the early 20th century. Once named Yokozuna, a fighter can never be demoted.
Traditionally, winning two consecutive tournaments of the main division is sufficient to win the title of Yokozuna; Onosato, as he is known, won these titles in March in Osaka and May in Tokyo. He reached the title after only 13 high -level tournaments, the fastest rise since the current system came into force in the 1950s.
“This is a territory very unknown to me,” Onosato said at a press conference, as translated by Japan Today. “I want to keep my style, be onosato, and I will work hard to become a unique and incomparable Yokozuna.”
Currently, there is another Yokozuna, Hoshoryu, a Mongol who won this title in January in Tokyo. In the May Tournament, where Onosato won his second consecutive title of the main division, Hoshoryu was in second place, with a 12-3 record against 14-1 of Onosato.
Rivalry will continue in Nagoya in July. It will be more than a battle between two sumo fighters at the top of the game. For many fans, it will be a referendum on sumo in Japan.
The traditional scenes, rituals and action of Sumô differentiate him from other high -profile professional sports around the world. The athletes are huge; Onosato weighs 190 kg, and even its slender rivals exceed 135 kg.
Rituals before the fight, such as reverences, footsteps, and salt launch, last much more than the fight itself, which ends in seconds, as soon as one of the great men is pushed out of the ring or falls to the floor. Athletes fight only once a day in the big two -week tournaments, which are held six times a year.
Sumo was an exclusively Japanese sport for centuries. Finally, in 1993, Hawaii’s Akebono became the first non-Japanese Yokozuna. A few years later, another Yokozuna from outside Japan, Mongolia’s Asashoryu in 2003, annoyed some for behaviors that some considered challenging the tradition of sumo, how to celebrate excessively.
Asashoryu inaugurated a period of mongol dominance. At certain times, it seemed that Japanese fighters would never reach the sports pinnacle.
Although sumo has gained some popularity around the world – second -ranked fighters have been held in the United States – it remains closely linked to Japanese tradition and culture. Japan is still where the best sumo happens, and the best fighters aspire to succeed there.
But the growing popularity of other sports, notably football, among young people in Japan gave Sumo a reputation of old -fashioned.
Japanese Yokozuna’s previous drought was even longer —19 years – until Kisenosato won the title in 2017. Kisenosato has never become dominant, however, winning only two high -level tournaments in his career.
Onosato will try to do better. His rise has been planned for years, and at 24 he has won four main tournaments. This could bring the weight of expectations, however: some have already labeled it as the Japanese Savio Savior.
