In his komusubi debut, Onosato kicked off his bid for the Emperor's Cup at the Summer Basho with an impressive win over the Mongolian yokozuna.
Rising sumo star Takerufuji was forced to pull out of the 15-day Summer Basho in Tokyo with an ankle injury, and komusubi Asanoyama is also sidelined.
Hawaiian-born Akebono, the first foreign-born yokozuna, fueled a sumo boom in the 1990s with his rivalry against brothers Takanohana and Wakanohana.
The move is further punishment of former yokozuna Hakuho, whose protege Hokuseiho committed physical violence at Miyagino stable, leading to sanctions.
In the Spring Basho, Takerufuji gutted out a Day 15 win over Gonoyama to capture his first Emperor's Cup and match Ryogoku's 110-year-old feat.
Rookie Takerufuji defeated Ryuden to stay in the lead at the 15-day Spring Basho while Onosato is just one win back at the midway point.
Ozeki grapplers Kirishima and Hoshoryu also fell on Day 1 of the 15-day Spring Basho in Osaka, while Kotonowaka triumphed in his ozeki debut.
The lone yokozuna will be bidding for his 10th Emperor's Cup at the Spring Basho, but he will have to contend with new ozeki Kotonowaka.
Incidents of violence by sumo stablemasters and senior wrestlers against younger members should be dealt with harshly to eradicate the problem once and for all.
Emphasizing the stablemaster's responsibility for his wrestler's behavior, the JSA cut his pay and demoted the winningest yokozuna in sumo history by two ranks.
A growing number of women are finding their own space in the dohyo. In doing so, as sumo wrestlers, they are setting and achieving ambitious goals.
After finishing as the runner-up at the New Year Basho, Sadogatake wrestler Kotonowaka joins three others at sumo's second-highest rank.