Sekiwake Onosato Clinches Autumn Grand Sumo Title with Day to Spare

The Japan News

18:46 JST, September 21, 2024

Sekiwake Onosato clinched his second Emperor’s Cup — and almost sure promotion to ozeki — with a day to spare by beating ozeki Hoshoryu on Saturday at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan.

Onosato used two mightly shoves to send Hoshoryu out of the ring and improve to an unassailable 13-1, defeating an opponent who had beaten him in three of their four previous matches — with his lone win coming by default.

“I was focused and went for it without any hesitation,” Onosato said in a post-match interview. “I’m really happy, but I still have tomorrow’s bout. I want to fight with all my might.”

The 24-year-old Ishikawa Prefecture native also won the makuuchi division title at the Summer tournament in May, just one year after his sumo debut.

Having already exceeded the criteria of 33 wins over three tournaments needed for promotion to ozeki, he is expected to be elevated to the second-highest rank for the next tournament.