sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by th ...

wrestlers have reached the second highest in the sport, the rank of '' ōzeki'', but have failed to rise to the top rank since the

modern era The modern era or the modern period is considered the current historical period of human history. It was originally applied to the history of Europe and Western history for events that came after the Middle Ages, often from around the year 1500 ...

of sumo began in 1927 with the merger of the Tokyo and Osaka organizations. By 2020, over 250 wrestlers have been promoted to the rank of ''ōzeki'' throughout the entire history of the sport. Wrestlers who went on to be promoted to ''yokozuna'' are tabulated in the ''

list of yokozuna is the highest rank of sumo wrestling. It was not recorded on the until 1890 and was not officially recognised as sumo's highest rank until 1909. Until then, was merely a licence given to certain to perform the ceremony. It was not always the ...

''. Active wrestlers (May 2025) are indicated by italics. The number of top division ''

yūshō is the term for a championship in Japanese. This article focuses on championships in the sport of professional sumo. It is awarded in each of the six annual '' honbasho'' or official tournaments, to the wrestler who wins the most bouts. ''Yūs ...

'' (championships) won by each ''ōzeki'' is also listed. There is no requirement to win a championship before promotion, but a wrestler must usually have won around 33 bouts over three consecutive tournaments. Since 1927, the longest-serving ''ōzeki'' of modern times have been Kaiō and Chiyotaikai who each held the rank for 65 tournaments. With five wins, Kaiō also holds the record for ''yūshō'' won in the modern era by a wrestler to never reach the rank of ''yokozuna''.

List

* Wrestler held the rank on more than one occasion.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:List of ozeki ōzeki Lists of sumo wrestlers Ōzeki

List

See also

Notes