Mongolian Hoshoryu Named 74th Yokozuna After Winning the New Year Basho

Mongolian Hoshoryu was promoted to sumo's highest rank of yokozuna on Wednesday, January 29, three days after winning his second Emperor's Cup in a grueling three-way playoff at the New Year Basho.

Hoshoryu becomes the ancient sport's 74th grand champion and the first new yokozuna since fellow Mongolian Terunofuji was promoted after the 2021 Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament.

The 25-year-old Hoshoryu won his first Emperor's Cup as a sekiwake in July 2023 and was subsequently promoted to ozeki.

Hoshoryu finished the November 2024 tournament in Kyushu with 13 wins and two losses, just missing out on the Emperor's Cup, which was won by ozeki Kotozakura.

That put Hoshoryu in position to go into the New Year Basho as a candidate for promotion to grand champion.

When he lost to three rank-and-filers over the first nine days, doubts arose as to whether he could get promoted. A championship-caliber record is widely regarded as being 13-2.

Impressive Finish for Hoshoryu

But Hoshoryu finished strongly, winning his last six bouts to close out at 12-3 and then prevailing in a three-way playoff against Oho and Kinbozan which pretty much sealed the deal.

Masayuki Yamauchi, the head of the Yokozuna Deliberation Council, said Hoshoryu had been "tried and tested" over the 17 bouts he fought at the New Year tourney.

The promotion comes at an opportune time given that injury-plagued Terunofuji retired during the first week of the New Year Basho, meaning the sport could have been without a grand champion for the first time since 1993.

A Versatile Sumo Wrestler

An explosive and technically skilled grappler, Hoshoryu has displayed a penchant over the years for relying on a variety of techniques to rack up wins.

No standard pusher-thruster, he likes to use arm throws and leg kicks to defeat his opponents.

The 6th Mongolian Yokozuna

Hoshoryu, whose real name is Sugarragchaa Byambasuren, follows in the footsteps of his famous uncle, former yokozuna Asashoryu, who won a total of 25 Emperor's Cups in a colourful and sometimes controversial career.

He becomes the sixth Mongolian to reach the rank of yokozuna following Asashoryu, Hakuho, Harumafuji, Kakuryu and Terunofuji.

"I will continue to work hard with a strong determination in order not to tarnish the title of yokozuna," Hoshoryu said, according to Kyodo News, at a promotion ceremony at Tokyo's Tatsunami stable.

He added, "This has been my dream ever since I entered the sumo world. I can't find the words to describe this happy feeling, [and] I will try to elevate myself higher and higher. No matter what happens, I will stand strong."

Sumo hasn't had a Japanese grand champion since Kisenosato retired in 2019.

At 25, Hoshoryu should have plenty of time to win multiple championship trophies. While nobody would expect him to match the record 45 won by his compatriot Hakuho, he certainly could surpass the 10 won by Terunofuji.

Author: Jim Armstrong

The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook.