SUMO/ Rising star Onosato grapples with ‘topknot challenge’

By YUKI SATO/ Staff Writer

September 26,今日 スポーツ 2024 at 17:17 JST

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Onosato celebrates his promotion to the second-highest ozeki rank on Sept. 25 in Ami, Ibaraki Prefecture. (Masaaki Kobayashi)

Young wrestler Onosato is making history with his meteoric rise through the ranks but his next obstacle will be difficult to overcome: his hair simply isn't keeping pace. 

Onosato, 24, became the fastest wrestler to be promoted to the second-highest ozeki rank in decades when he won the Fall Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo on Sept. 22 with a 13-2 mark. 

However, his unusually rapid ascent means that his hair hasn't grown long enough to be tied into the "oicho-mage" topknot, which only rikishi belonging to the highest makuuchi division and the second-highest juryo division are allowed to wear. 

Having started in sumo at the tender age of 7, the wrestler's dedication to the sport is evident.

Inspired by his father, a retired amateur sumo wrestler, Onosato traded in his baseball glove for a loincloth.

Countless hours spent studying sumo magazines, watching classic matches and taking meticulous notes at high school tournaments have fueled his passion.

At a towering 192 centimeters and weighing a hefty 182 kilograms, the wrestler has always been physically imposing. However, he faced a setback in his later elementary school years when his size advantage no longer guaranteed victory.

Determined to improve, he left his family home in Ishikawa Prefecture to attend a school in Niigata Prefecture that offered a special sumo program.

His days started early with traditional foot stomping exercises and he often completed as many as 100 practice matches in a single day.

His relentless questioning of coaches and solo training on days off illustrated his commitment to improvement.

His hard work paid off during high school, where he claimed a national championship.

He then moved on to Nippon Sport Science University, where he further honed his skills in pushing techniques and became a student yokozuna and a two-time amateur yokozuna.

After making his professional debut in the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament last year, Onosato has achieved unprecedented success, winning two championships in the top makuuchi division within 18 months.

With a total of 34 wins in his last three tournaments--surpassing the 33 wins typically required for promotion--he secured his ozeki status after only nine tournaments, the fastest ascent to the rank since the Showa Era (1926-1989).

“I feel like I’m not keeping up with the pace of my own success,” Onosato said. “But there is a higher rank to strive for.”

Many fans are now eagerly anticipating whether he can break the record for the quickest promotion to yokozuna, the highest rank in sumo, which only 73 wrestlers in the sport's history have held.