Ōnosato Daiki

, born June 7, 2000, as is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Tsubata, Ishikawa Prefecture. After a successful amateur career and defined as "the most eagerly awaited prospect to come out of collegiate sumo in decades," he joined Nishonoseki stable and began his professional career at the rank of ''makushita'' 10 via the '' makushita tsukedashi'' system. He reached the top '' makuuchi'' division in January 2024 after competing in just four tournaments. His highest rank has been .

Early life and sumo background

Daiki Nakamura was born in Tsubata, Ichikawa Prefecture. He began wrestling in a sumo club at his elementary school in first grade. As a child he was fascinated by professional sumo and admits that one of his favourite books was the magazine ' published by Baseball Magazine. In August 2014, he participated in the Openweight competition at the Sumo World Championships held in Taiwan and finished third, behind Ukrainian wrestler Oleksandr Veresiuk and Mongolian
Baasansuren Turbold, who won that year's tournament. Nakamura then attended Itoigawa City Nō Junior High School and . During his years at Itoigawa, he won the 2016 Junior High School competition at the Hakuhō Cup. At Niigata's Kaiyo High School, he took part in several training camps organised by Arashio stable, training with future ''makuuchi''-ranked Wakamotoharu.

In 2019, he entered Nippon Sport Science University, a university famous for its strong sumo club. During his first year, he first won the individual competition in the adult division of the National Athletic Meet, hence becoming the second best individual champion in the history of the competition and allowing him to become professional at the rank of '' makushita tsukedashi'' 15. He then took part in the National Student Sumo Tournament in Sakai as a freshman and won the individual tournament. This victory, over Kindai University's Koshiro Tanioka, marked the first time in 29 years that a freshman won the tournament, since Luis Gō Ikemori (who later became a professional wrestler under the '' shikona'' of Ryūkō) won in 1990. In May 2021, he participated to the 70th All Japan Sumo Championships at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan and became amateur ''yokozuna'' after defeating Kindai University's Kanzaki Taiga in the final, again qualifying for the ''makushita tsukedashi'' system. During that same tournament, he defeated Tottori Jōhoku High School's Tetsuya Ochiai during the team competition. During his university years, he also notably faced Mikiya Ishioka, facing him a total of four times and winning two of these matches, leaving Ishioka with a sense of rivalry towards him.

In January 2022, Nakamura took part in the World Games' sumo competition held that year in Birmingham, Alabama. Competing in the Openweight and Over 115kg categories, he won the former and finished runner-up in the latter. In October of the same year, he participated in the National Athletic Meet in Ōtawara and won the amateur ''yokozuna'' title for the second consecutive time in this tournament. With his victory at the 70th All Japan Sumo Championships, Nakamura became the fourth person since the introduction of this system in 2000 to be eligible to join professional sumo at the rank of ''makushita tsukedachi'' 10. This victory was also the fifth time that Nakamura had won the championship title in a tournament counting towards ''makushita tsukedashi'' status. Overall, during his time as an amateur wrestler at university level, Nakamura won no less than 13 titles, placing him ''ex aequo'' for the greatest number of amateur titles won by a wrestler. His dominance of amateur sumo in Japan was such that sumo columnist John Gunning declared that he saw in Nakamura's sumo a continuous display of "calm smooth style reminiscent of Hakuhō in his younger days."

In March 2023, Nakamura made the decision to become a professional wrestler ('' rikishi'') by joining Nishonoseki stable under the guidance of former '' yokozuna'' Kisenosato. At the time of his recruitment, he expressed his intention to achieve '' sekitori'' status as quickly as possible. Moreover, his entry into the professional world a few months after the record-breaking promotion of Hakuōhō (then known as Ochiai) did not fail to raise the interest of commentators as to the hypothesis of a rivalry between these two dominant wrestlers of the amateur world. On the subject of choosing to join this particular stable, Nakamura expressed his interest in being trained by a former ''yokozuna'' and that the stable, located in Ami, Ibaraki, offered him a healthy working environment "to eliminate any temptations and be able to concentrate on sumo." Since he turned professional in May 2023, Ōnosato was the last wrestler to be promoted to ''makushita tsukedashi'' 10 due to his amateur prowess, the system for promotion to the top of the ''makushita'' division having been abolished in September 2023.

Early career

Professional debut

In April 2023, it was announced that Nakamura would now fight under the '' shikona'', or ring name, Ōnosato (), with the kanji "大", meaning 'great', to accentuate his talent and the kanji "の里" to establish Nakamura in the line of ''Yokozuna'' Takanosato () and Kisenosato (). This name, chosen to represent his master's expectations, was chosen in particular because this ''shikona'' had been proposed to Kisenosato when he was still an active wrestler when his promotion to the rank of '' ōzeki'' had been certain. Coincidentally, the ''shikona'' has the same pronunciation as a Taishō era-''ōzeki'', Ōnosato Mansuke and Nakamura's father declared "I am deeply moved by the honor of my son being named after a former ''ōzeki'' with such a long history." Although the ''shikona'' doesn't feature exactly the same kanji (大の里/大ノ里), it has been noted that before giving Nakamura his ring name, his master (former Kisenosato) consulted a former stablemate of his, Wakanosato, so that the latter requested permission from Ōnosato Mansuke's family who still reside in Aomori Prefecture. On the announcement of his entry as a professional wrestler, his former coach at Niigata Kaiyo High (Tetsuya Tōmi) declared his satisfaction and compared him to "a Shohei Ohtani of sumo," announcing that Nakamura had the potential to become the . On the occasion of his passage to the new apprentice examination, the now-Ōnosato, obliged to comply with professional wrestlers dress rules, received an '' obi'' belt that his master had used.

Having received the Japan Sumo Association approval to compete, Ōnosato logically began his career at the rank of ''makushita tsukedashi'' 10. His first professional match was against Takasago stable wrestler Ishizaki, a senior of Ōnosato during their time at NSS University. Ishizaki however defeated Ōnosato by '' tsukiotoshi'' in what Ishizaki later describes as a "fluke match". Nonetheless, Ōnosato finished the tournament with a score of 6–1, missing out, however, on promotion directly to the '' jūryō'' division, which some observers had been expecting.

During the July tournament, Ōnosato logically competed again in the ''makushita'' division, this time ranked as ''makushita'' 3. He won his first two matches, but suffered his first defeat in his third match against Tokihayate. On the seventh day of the tournament, Ōnosato faced amateur scene rival and upper-division wrestler, Kihō. Kihō had never managed to beat Ōnosato on the amateur scene, and Ōnosato even won the college ''yokozuna'' title from him at the 2022 championships. Kihō nevertheless managed to defeat Ōnosato by '' hatakikomi'' and thus inflicted on him his second consecutive defeat. At the time, this defeat was thought to delay even further Ōnosato's promotion to ''jūryō''. Nevertheless, Ōnosato still managed to record a positive score of 4 wins by beating in his last match ''jūryō''-wrestler Hidenoumi. Because of this barely achieved '' kachi-koshi'' record, he also shared he felt sick on the last days of the tournament.

''Jūryō'' promotion

When the rankings for the September tournament were announced, however, it was confirmed that Ōnosato's score was sufficient to promote him to '' jūryō'', professional sumo's second-highest division. This promotion, acquired at the same time as stablemate and NSSU senior classmate Takahashi, allowed Nishonoseki stable to simultaneously receive two new ''sekitori'', and the first two raised by Kisenosato alone since he had become master in 2019. Furthermore, this double promotion marks the first time since July 2012 that two stablemates have gained ''sekitori'' status at the same time. After his promotion, Ōnosato went to his hometown of Tsubata, Ishikawa to officially announce his promotion to his local fans. After a conference attended by around 600 people, he was presented with a stock of of rice. During the August '' jungyō'', he took part in public training series and competed against his ''jūryō'' peers. He was also honored to be trained later by current and former '' ōzeki'' Takakeishō and Takayasu, the latter having been stablemate of Ōnosato's master, and was praised for his attitude toward training.

During his first ''jūryō'' tournament, Ōnosato first recorded seven consecutive wins in seven matches with a victory over Kihō, placing him at the top of this competition. On Day 8, Ōnosato maintained his lead with an eighth consecutive victory, making him the seventh ''jūryō'' wrestler in the history of the sport to win eight in a row from day one of the competition and the first to achieve this since Takakeishō (then known as Satō) at the May 2016 tournament. Since he also followed this up with a ninth victory in a row, Ōnosato became the ''jūryō'' wrestler to win the most victories since the first day of a competition ''ex aequo'' with at the January 1953 tournament and Shōtenrō at the November 2008 tournament. Ōnosato's winning streak ended at 9 consecutive victories, however, after he was defeated by Ichiyamamoto on the tenth day of the competition. Ōnosato managed to keep himself in the title race with Ichiyamamoto, with the championship set to be decided on the final day. Ōnosato nevertheless lost his final match to Rōga and finished just one defeat behind Ichiyamamoto, who won that month's tournament.

During the November 2023 tournament, he won his first match against a wrestler who had been ranked in the '' san'yaku'' ranks by defeating former '' sekiwake'' Aoiyama on the eighth day of the competition. Ōnosato was then able to maintain his lead throughout the tournament, recording eleven wins on day fourteen, tied with Kotoshōhō, with the championship to be decided on the final day. Although Ōnosato won his final match against Mitoryū, Kotoshōhō also kept himself in the title race by also claiming a twelfth victory. The championship was thus decided in a playoff, which Kotoshōhō won by beating Ōnosato by '' uwatenage'', causing Ōnosato to miss out on the championship for the second consecutive tournament.

''Makuuchi''

Up-and-comer

After competing in just four tournaments, Ōnosato's promotion to the top '' makuuchi'' division was announced for the January 2024 tournament. The promotion made him the first recruited by the former Kisenosato to be elevated to the top division. He is also the third-fastest to reach the top division since 1989 (after Endō and Hakuōhō), doing so in four tournaments under the old ''tsukedashi'' system. Ōnosato told reporters after his promotion that he was happy to see his name in big letters at the top of the '' banzuke'', while his stablemaster asked him to win 10 matches and the Fighting Spirit special prize in January as a reward for his arrival in the top division.

Ōnosato performed well in the first half of the tournament, however, recording a defeat on the third day against Ōnoshō. However, he maintained his position as one of the tournament's leading wrestlers by recording a sixth consecutive victory and a '' kachi-koshi'' on Day 9 against Meisei. On the tenth day, Ōnosato faced another tournament leader, Kotonowaka, however losing the match by ''yorikiri'' and leaving Kotonowaka alone in the lead in the title race. Ōnosato then suffered two consecutive defeats on Day 11 and 12, at the hands of Hōshōryū and Terunofuji, virtually eliminating him from the title race. Because he had a match against Terunofuji, Ōnosato became the first wrestler to face a ''yokozuna'' in his first ''makuuchi'' tournament in 10 years, since Ichinojō faced ''yokozuna'' Kakuryū and Hakuhō in the September 2014 tournament. For his performances, Ōnosato was however elected by popular vote Morinaga's Wrestler of the Day Award no less than four times during the tournament. For his 11 wins in his first tournament in the top division, he was also awarded the Fighting Spirit prize. After his inaugural tournament in the top division, Ōnosato commented that he was grateful to have been able to learn from the ranks despite suffering three consecutive defeats at the hands of the upper echelons.

During the March tournament of the same year, Ōnosato remained in the group of wrestlers leading the championship during the first week (tied with Takerufuji) nevertheless recording a defeat on the seventh day against Ōnoshō. Ōnosato managed to keep himself in the title race on Day 9 by beating a ''san'yaku''-ranked wrestler for the first time, defeating '' Sekiwake'' Wakamotoharu. On Day 10, Ōnosato lost his match against Takerufuji, leaving the latter alone at the top of the title race with a two-win lead over the rest of the competitors. Ōnosato continued his tournament with a notable win over ''Ōzeki'' Takakeishō on Day 11. On Day 14, he maintained his chances of winning the tournament with an eleventh victory over ''Komusubi'' Abi, the '' yūshō'' to be decided on the final day in his match against ''Ōzeki'' Hōshōryū. The latter defeated Ōnosato for the second time in a row, although the championship was not at stake because an injured Takerufuji had already won a thirteenth victory to become the champion. For his prowess at the tournament, however, it was announced that Ōnosato would receive the prizes for Technique and Fighting Spirit. His second consecutive 11-win record in the top division made him a strong contender for potential promotion in May. Regarding his rivalry with Takerufuji, the president of the Yokozuna Deliberation Council, Masayuki Yamauchi, defined it in his review of the tournament as that of the "" (), an expression drawing a parallel between the rivalry of the tiger and the dragon to designate two opponents of equal strength.

On 22 April 2024, the Sumo Association announced that they had issued a strict warning to Ōnosato and his stablemaster, after the latter reported that Ōnosato drank with an underage wrestler in his stable back in September 2023. Two days later, Ōnosato apologized for his actions. He added that he was grateful to have been allowed to wrestle for the final days of the spring regional tour, which was in progress at the time.

''San'yaku'' promotion

When the banzuke for the May 2024 tournament was announced, Ōnosato was promoted to his then-highest rank, '' komusubi'', making his debut in the '' san'yaku'' ranks in just six tournaments, the second-fastest progression to these ranks since the Shōwa era (behind the record set in five tournaments by Ichinojō). At a press conference following the publishing of the ''banzuke'', Ōnosato was seen wearing a small topknot for the first time. His stablemaster Nishonoseki commented that he never imagined Ōnosato would rise through the ranks so quickly. Both also apologized again with regard to the previous September's drinking situation, with Ōnosato stating that he caused trouble to so many people and his stablemaster, and that the most important thing was for him to keep winning.

Fighting style

Ōnosato has shown a preference for ''yotsu'' techniques which involve grasping his opponent's '' mawashi'' or belt. His most common '' kimarite'' or winning move are ''yorikiri'' force-out wins. His preferred grip is listed as ''migi-yotsu'', meaning a right arm inside and left hand outside position. He is also using significant percentage of ''oshi-sumo'' pushing and thrusting techniques.

Personal life

Ōnosato is the eldest in his family and has a little sister.

On 6 February 2024, Ōnosato was part of a delegation of wrestlers from Ishikawa Prefecture sent after the 2024 Noto earthquake (along with Endō, Kagayaki and former Tochinonada); charged with symbolically presenting Governor Hiroshi Hase with the sums raised during the January tournament and donations from the Sumo Association, since the presence of sumo wrestlers is considered a good omen. During his stay, he also paid a visit to the evacuation center that had housed his grandfather, receiving numerous messages of congratulations from the disaster victims for his recent sporting achievements.

Career record

See also

* Glossary of sumo terms
* List of active sumo wrestlers
* Active special prize winners

References

External links

*

2000 births
Japanese sumo wrestlers
Living people
Sumo people from Ishikawa Prefecture
Nippon Sport Science University alumni
World Games gold medalists for Japan
World Games medalists in sumo
Medalists at the 2022 World Games
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