Tokyo – Japan has a new great Sumo champion, or Yokozuna, and the great news is that it is Japanese.
Onosato, the new great champion, weighs 421 pounds and is the first Japanese competitor to reach the first range since 2017. In comparison, the average weight of an NFL linus is just over 300 pounds.
The sport has been recently dominated by Mongols and before Onosato, six of the seven previous Yokozunas have been from Mongolia.
“I will dedicate myself to training so as not to dishonor Yokozuna’s title,” Onosato said on Wednesday, dressed in a formal kimono and bowing while sitting on the floor. “I will try to become a unique yokozuna.”
Onosato, whose real name is Daiki Nakamura, is only 24 years old and was promoted on Wednesday to the Sumo Association of Japan. Onosato was promoted by winning the Grand Sumo summer tournament last week, which occurred after another prestigious tournament won in March.
Onosato is from the Prefecture of Ishikawa, which was beaten on January 1, 2024, by an devastating earthquake and tsunami that killed some 600 people and caused generalized damage. Much of the destruction focused on an area known as the notice peninsula.
“I will work hard as a Yokozuna to encourage and encourage Ishikawa prefecture and the Noto region,” he said.
Then he added: “I determined that Yokozuna should be my goal once I entered the world of great,” he said. “It’s not easy to achieve and I’m really delighted.”
The Sumo is considered Japan’s national sport, or most of the sacred sport, and many of the ritual elements are connected to Tinto, the indigenous religion of Japan.
The origins of Sumo date back to more than 1,000 years, and Japan is the only country where it is disputed at a professional level.
The sport is highly regiment, with many fighters living in community training facilities where food and clothing are controlled by old traditions.
Onosate promotion will establish an instant rivalry with Hoshoryu, born in Mongolia, who is the other fighter in Japan to have the Yokozuna title.
The Japanese news agency Kyodo said that the two Sumo stars will meet in a tournament in July in the central city of Nagoya.
