Grand Sumo’s 2025 natsu basho (summer tournament) is happening right now in Japan. The 15-day tournament is due to end on Sunday. However, a winner has already been determined. And that winner has made some history, too.
Onosato won last night to secure a 13-0 record. That record made it impossible for any of his rivals in the 42-man deep makuuchi (top division) to catch him. On Sunday, regardless of what happens in the last two days of the tournament, the 24-year-old will be crowned the champ for the fourth time in his young career.
Onosato, who is 6’4” and weighs 390 pounds, earned his decisive victory with a win over Kotozakura. You see that bout below:
In addition to getting to lift the giant Emperor’s Cup for a fourth time, Onosato will also earn a far more grand prize for this win. This title will earn him a promotion to become the sport’s 75th yokozuna.
Yokozuna is the highest rank in sumo (and not just the name of a 90s era WWE wrestler). Yokozuna have incredibly important roles within the sport and within Japanese society. It’s almost a spiritual role as much as a sporting one.
To become a yokozuna a rikishi (wrestler — again not just a former WWE wrestler) must first achieve the rank of ozeki (typically earned by winning 33 bouts across three consecutive tournaments). An ozeki can be promoted to yokozuna if they win two back-to-back tournaments. In addition to winning this tournament, Onosato also won the previous tournament — the 2025 haru basho (spring tournament) in March.
Onosato’s yokozuna promotion will be confirmed and announced after this current tournament is wrapped up.
Onosato gets the sport’s ultimate promotion after just 13 pro tournaments. That’s the fastest anyone has ever climbed to this rank in the modern era of the sport (since 15-day tournaments were introduced in 1958). Onosato is also the only wrestler to become yokozuna after posting nothing but winning records in all his previous tournament.
Lastly, but most importantly for many sumo fans in Japan, Onosato is also the first Japanese wrestler to become yokozuna since 2017. That last Japanese yokozuna was Kisenosato. Kisenosato is now known by his elder name Nishonoseki. He’s Onosato’s mentor and oyakata (stablemaster).
Not including Onosato, there have been only been eight men promoted to yokozuna since 1999. One of them was an American (Hawaii’s Mushashimaru), one was Japanese and the rest were Mongolians.
Mongolian wrestlers have dominated the upper ranks of grand sumo throughout the 2000s. The most notable of those wrestlers is Hakuho, sumo’s undeniable GOAT. Hakuho retired with the record for most top division championships (45), most undefeated championships (16), consecutive championships (7) and career wins (1187).
Onosato could be on pace to break all of those. On Saturday and Sunday he will attempt to win his two remaining bouts to earn his first undefeated championship (a zensho-yusho). On Saturday he will face Daieisho, a sekiwake ranked wrestler (two below yokozuna). On the final day of the tournament he will be matched with the sport’s only other yokozuna: Hoshoryu.
Hoshoryu, who is Mongolian, was promoted to become the sport’s 74th yokozuna ahead of the March tournament, after he won the January tournament.
Hoshoryu is the nephew of the 68th yokozuna Asashoryu (the so-called ‘bad boy of sumo’ and the top former nemesis of Hakuho).
Regardless if Onosato gets his 15-0 record on Sunday, sumo fans are currently thrilled with the prospect of seeing the young Onosato soar as a yokozuna and continue to evolve into what may be the greatest wrestler to ever step foot on the dohyo (ring).
If you’re interested in more sumo content, consider checking out my newsletter Sumo Stomp! I send out daily results and analysis newsletters during tournaments, so you’ll be able to find out if Onosato makes more history by just checking your inbox.
AloJapan.com