Sumo’s only grand master Hoshoryu vowed not to “tarnish the title” after being officially promoted to the highest rank on Wednesday, 15 years after his uncle quit the sport in disgrace.
Mongolian-born Hoshoryu became the 74th yokozuna, or grand master, in the history of the ancient Japanese sport in a ceremony in Tokyo after winning the second tournament of his career on Sunday.
His promotion meant sumo avoided having no yokozuna for the first time in over 30 years, after Terunofuji announced earlier this month that he would retire.
Hoshoryu is the nephew of former yokozuna Asashoryu, who was forced to retire in 2010 after breaking a man’s nose in a drunken brawl outside a nightclub.
The 25-year-old Hoshoryu said he would do his utmost to preserve the honor of the exalted rank.
“I will continue to work hard in a determined manner so that I do not tarnish the title of yokozuna,” he said after becoming sumo’s first new grand master since 2021.
Asashoryu became sumo’s first Mongolian-born yokozuna when he was promoted to the rank in 2003.
Known as the bad boy of sumo, he frequently clashed with the sport’s authorities and was once punished for playing in a charity football game with former Japan star Hidetoshi Nakata.
Fellow Mongolian yokozuna Harumafuji was also forced to retire in 2017 to atone for a brutal assault that left a rival wrestler with a fractured skull.
Hoshoryu, whose real name is Sugarragchaa Byambasuren, won the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament in a three-way playoff after finishing with a 12-3 record.
There are no set criteria for promotion from the second-highest rank of ozeki but he was recommended for promotion by the Yokozuna Deliberation Council on Monday.