Sumo

24-year-old Onosato Promoted to 2nd-highest Sumo Rank of Ozeki

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Onosato speaks at a press conference after a ceremony to notify him of his promotion to ozeki in Ami, Ibaraki Prefecture, on Wednesday.

Jiji Press

11:41 JST, September 26, 2024

AMI, Ibaraki (Jiji Press) — The board of the Japan Sumo Association on Wednesday unanimously decided to promote sekiwake Onosato to the second-highest rank of ozeki.

The 24-year-old native of the central Japan prefecture of Ishikawa, whose real name is Daiki Nakamura, won the September grand tournament that ended on Sunday for his second grand tournament victory in the makuuchi top division of professional sumo.

After being notified of the promotion by association envoys sent to the Nishonoseki stable in the town of Ami in Ibaraki Prefecture, Onosato said, “Determined not to dishonor the rank of ozeki, I will pursue ‘sumodo’ [the way of sumo] with a goal of becoming a one-of-a-kind sumo wrestler.”

Onosato made his professional sumo debut in last year’s summer grand tournament at the No. 10 rank in the makushita third-highest division.

It has taken only nine grand tournaments from his debut for Onosato to become an ozeki, the fastest ascent up the sumo ladder since the start of the country’s Showa era (1926-1989).

Onosato is still sporting a “chonmage” topknot, because his hair is not long enough for the characteristic “oicho” hairstyle of makuuchi and second-tier juryo wrestlers. According to the association, an ozeki without the oicho hairstyle is unknown.

He will be the first ozeki among sumo wrestlers trained by stablemaster Nishonoseki, former yokozuna grand champion Kisenosato.