Big surprise in sumo. The sport has a new champion — and he's Japanese

"I’ll devote myself to training so that I will not disgrace the title of yokozuna,” Onosato said Wednesday, dressed in a formal kimono and bowing as he sat on the floor. “I will aim to become a one-and-only yokozuna.”

Onosato, whose real name is Daiki Nakamura, is only 24 and was promoted Wednesday to sumo's top rank by the Japan Sumo Association. Onosato was promoted by winning last week's Summer Grand Sumo Tournament, which came after he won another prestigious tournament in March.

Onosato is from Ishikawa prefecture, which was hit on Jan. 1, 2024, by a devastating earthquake and tsunami that killed about 600 people in the prefecture and caused widespread damage. Much of the destruction was centered on an area known as the Noto Peninsula.

“I will work hard as a yokozuna to encourage and cheer up the Ishikawa prefecture and the Noto region,” he said.

He then added: “I determined that yokozuna should be my goal once I entered the world of sumo," he said. “It’s not easy to achieve and I’m really delighted.”

Sumo is regarded as Japan's national sport, or most sacred sport, and many of the ritual elements are connected to Shinto, Japan's indigenous religion.

Sumo's origins date back more than 1,000 years, and Japan is the only country where it is contested on a professional level.

The sport is highly regimented with many wrestlers living in communal training facilities where food and dress are controlled by ancient traditions.

Onosato’s promotion will set up an instant rivalry with Mongolia-born Hoshoryu, who is the other wrestler in Japan to hold the yokozuna title.

The Japanese news agency Kyodo said the two sumo stars are due to meet in a tournament in July in the central city of Nagoya.

___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Credit: AP