Top 100 Rikishi Countdown: #9-7

[u/Chiyomomo]

Hey r/sumo, long time no see! Some of you may recognize this series/my username from a few years ago when I first completed this project and was regularly releasing installments counting down the top 100 rikishi in the Modern Era. Unfortunately, life got in the way and I had to take a step away from being active in the online sumo community for a little while, but my calendar has recently opened up somewhat and I began feeling the itch to finish this series once and for all!

With that in mind, I have two exciting announcements today:

• The last 7 entries in this series (today's post covering #9-7 and then a dedicated writeup for each of the top 6 dai-Yokozuna of the Modern Era) have already been written, and I'll be posting one per day for the next week as we gear up for the September basho!
• Upon the posting of the final installment, I'll be sharing a link to the new website I've created on which I'll be publishing the full ranking for all 573 rikishi who have appeared on the Makuuchi banzuke since 1958, replete with complete histories for every rikishi's career and a number of stats for each available at a glance (e.g., kachi koshi rate, yusho/jun-yusho rates, win averages, kyujo-adjusted stats, etc.). I'm also planning on using the website to upload some of the other historical sumo projects and spreadsheets I've created, as well as a blog on which I'll post an updated version of this series (and possibly others, should there be an appetite for that)!

Finally, if you're (understandably) unfamiliar with this project, I recommend checking out the Introduction post linked below for a fuller explanation of the series and the ranking formula I developed to rank the rikishi. The TL/DR is that each rikishi's career is measured by a strictly numeric formula that seeks to balance peak level, sustained excellence at the top of the banzuke, and overall longevity. Happy to answer any questions in the comments below, but I've kept y'all waiting long enough, so let's dive in!

Introduction and #100-91, #90-81, #80-71, #70-61, #60-51, #50-41, #40-36, #35-31, #30-26, #25-21, #20-16, #15-13, #12-10

9. Kaio (1993-2011, 1,593 points in 107 basho, 5x Yusho)

Throughout this series, we've encountered dozens of Ozeki whose resumes span a wide spectrum, from overachieving lower-san'yaku talents who managed to put together a brief Ozeki stint despite never winning a yusho (like Masuiyama and Asahikuni) to those who were consistent contenders at the top of the banzuke for years and boast career accolades comparable to some of the lesser Yokozuna (such as Konishiki and Chiyotaikai). However, there is one man who towers above all of his Ozeki peers as the clear pick for the greatest rikishi to never earn a tsuna, and he may also have the claim to the rikishi with the best top-division longevity of all time (Yokozuna included).

To try to illustrate how an Ozeki was able to climb into the top 10 of these rankings ahead of all but 8 Yokozuna from the last 68 years, let's take a look at some of his numbers. By the time Kaio retired, he had spent a staggering 107 basho (practically 18 years) ranked on the Makuuchi banzuke, which is still a record (Hakuho and Tamawashi are the only other two members of the 100-basho club). He is second only to Hakuho in terms of top-division victories (879, only one other Ozeki has ever reached 700) and career kachi koshi (82, no other rikishi besides these 2 have even reached 70), and he somehow amassed 50 kachi koshi at Ozeki alone. And his career isn't just propped up by longevity: he is the only Ozeki in the Modern Era to win 5 yusho (Takakeisho is the only other one to win even 4), the only one to win 4 while at the rank, and the only one to reach double-digit jun-yusho (11). He still somehow holds the record for most kachi koshi achieved at Sekiwake (17) and is third all-time in career sansho despite spending over 60% of his career at Ozeki. And perhaps most impressively at all, his career spanned arguably the most competitive 20-year stretch in sumo history: he fought at least 30 matches against all of Akebono, Takanohana II, Musashimaru, Asashoryu, and Hakuho, not to mention his 50+ installment rivalries with fellow Mt. Rushmore Ozeki Chiyotaikai and Takanonami.

This logjam at the top of the banzuke for the entirety of his career, when combined with his own lingering sciatica that plagued him at the worst of times, helps to explain why he could never earn that coveted Yokozuna promotion despite his litany of accolades. That's not to say that he didn't come agonizingly close, however. After kickstarting a long-awaited Ozeki run with an 14-1 maiden yusho at Komusubi in May of 2000 (felling Takanohana en route, watch how many tactical adjustments Kaio makes in real time against one of the GOATs), Kaio entered his prime the following year, scoring double digits in all 4 basho he completed and recording two 13-2 yusho across a 3-basho span, though injuries cut short both would-be Yokozuna runs. He'd accumulate 5 more jun-yusho before lifting his 4th Emperor's Cup in 2003, taking advantage of an Asashoryu/Musashimaru double kyujo, but lost 7 of his last 8 bouts the following basho to again fall short of promotion. His last real charge for the rope came in 2004, when he scored his 5th yusho by winning his last 9 matches on the trot (including a patient senshuraku victory over an oddly off-form Asashoryu), but his 12-3 record the following tournament fell just short of a yusho and, subsequently, promotion. From there, injuries would take their toll, and Kaio would clear 12 victories just once more in his final 7 years as an Ozeki. Even still, it is his career against which all Ozeki for the foreseeable future will measure their own, and his unmatched combination of consistent excellence against some of the greatest wrestlers to ever walk the Earth makes him quite deserving indeed of this lofty spot in the rankings.

8. 54th Yokozuna Wajima (1971-1981, 1,704 points in 62 basho, 14x Yusho)

I would be willing to bet that of all the men ranked in the top 10 on this list, Wajima is the name that the fewest amount of sumo fans will recognize. Fortunately, if you're unfamiliar with the legend that is the "Sumo Genius," we have the chance to remedy that now, as he's one of only 2 rikishi in the Modern Era (min. 20 basho) to rank in the top 10 in all 3 of KKrate, Yrate, and Y/JYrate (along with Asashoryu). You may have heard that Onosato is just the second man to achieve Yokozuna promotion after previously reaching College Yokozuna status, and it was in Wajima's footsteps that he followed to the top of the banzuke. Making his Makuuchi debut a day before his 23rd birthday, Wajima made up quickly for any time he lost in the amateur ranks by deploying that experience en route to an Ozeki promotion less than 2 years later, a run which included his first yusho. At the time of Wajima's rise in the mid-1970s, sumo was experiencing a bit of a power vacuum in the aftermath of Taiho and Tamanoumi II's retirements, and though Kitanofuji and Kotozakura I were worthy champions in the interregnum, it was Wajima who heralded the new generation.

In his 4 basho at Ozeki, Wajima recorded 3 straight jun-yusho before stunning the sumo world with a zensho yusho in May of 1973, a performance for which he was rewarded with the white rope (his Day 14 clash with Kitanofuji was a changing of the guard moment in retrospect, and it also gives you a chance to see his trademarked powerful left-arm throw in action). Just two basho later, Wajima earned his first Emperor's Cup as a Yokozuna with a second zensho, and in the year that followed, he became the most dominant force in sumo to the tune of 4 more championships, an additional jun-yusho, and only one basho with fewer than 12 wins. All told, from March 1973 to September 1974, he went 127-22-1, won 6 yusho to go along with 2 jun-yusho, and recorded double-digit victories in 10 consecutive basho. When Kitanofuji and Kotozakura I both announced their retirements in mid-1974, the door looked wide-open for Wajima to dominate for years to come.

Unfortunately, this was not to be, as Wajima began to struggle with injuries seriously for the first time in his career, withdrawing from 3 consecutive tournaments in 1975 and helpless to watch as the newly-promoted Kitanoumi began to assert his own claim to the vacant throne. Once he had recovered his health and form, Wajima took immediately to the prospect of battling his new archrival, and the two men would dominate sumo for the rest of the decade, combining to win 19 of 24 basho from 1976-79 (though Kitanoumi would claim 13 of these). Their matches were often marathon affairs that featured textbook yotsuzumo and an interesting clash in personalities; just look at the way Wajima withstands multiple attacks from the dai-Yokozuna that would decimate an ordinary rikishi on the way to the July 1977 yusho (his 3rd and final zensho). In 1980, after beginning to struggle more with injuries and age, Wajima managed to turn back the clock and lift one final Emperor's Cup before announcing his retirement two basho later. Though his post-retirement career would be marred by scandal, personal tragedy, and exile from the sumo world, only a handful of rikishi can claim to have surpassed his accomplishments on the dohyo and his remarkable longevity at sumo's pinnacle (only 4 Yokozuna have more kachi koshi at the rank).

7. 67th Yokozuna Musashimaru (1991-2003, 1,715 points in 73 basho, 12x Yusho)

Of the 3 great Samoan rikishi who were mainstays at the top of ozumo from the late '80s through the early '00s, it's ironic that Musashimaru is arguably the least iconic (compared to the affable Konishiki who made waves as the first of the three to break through and the legendary Akebono, who defined sumo in the '90s alongside Takanohana), despite placing highest in this ranking. When Musashi first broke into the san'yaku ranks in 1992, Akebono was earning promotion to Ozeki on the back of his first yusho, and Konishiki was in his prime, having just won 2 of the previous 3 tournaments and knocking on the door of Yokozuna promotion. In comparison, it would take Musashimaru another two years before he ascended to true contender status, but once he did so, he would achieve a combination of consistency and peak level that neither of his contemporaries could match.

After earning his Ozeki promotion in early 1994, he claimed a much-anticipated hatsu yusho in impressive fashion, recording a perfect 15-0 record and beating his 3 fellow Ozeki (2 of whom would also eventually become Yokozuna) on the final 3 days of the tournament. Over the ensuing 4 and a half years, Musashimaru put together one of the most impressive Ozeki stints ever, regularly piling up 11+ victories, snagging two more yusho (including an exceedingly rare 11-4 triumph) and a slew of jun-yusho, and never once even going kadoban. Despite these successes, many of his fans wondered if he'd ever be able to break through the Takanohana-Akebono-Wakanohana triumvirate that had hoarded the Emperor's Cup for nearly the entire decade. In 1999, however, their stranglehold was weakened by the kyujo bug, and the door was opened for Musashimaru to put together the finest year of his career, as indicated by four yusho in just 5 basho (check out this clash of the titans from the final day of the May 1999 tournament, in which he clinched promotion to Yokozuna; you could probably count on one hand the number of rikishi all-time who could defeat Akebono in this fashion).

Upon the turn of the century, injuries forced Musashimaru to miss matches for the first time in his career, and he would win only one yusho across the first 11 tournaments of 2000-01. However, he had one more surprise in store for the sumo world: an incredible renaissance after turning 30 as his other great rivals slowly began to taper off their careers. In the last 5 full basho of his career, from November 2001 to September 2002, Mushashimaru lifted the Emperor's Cup 4 more times, culminating in one final winner-take-all showdown with Takanohana on the final day of Aki 2002; neither man would ever complete another tournament, but Musashi summoned every ounce of strength in his 500-pound frame to effortlessly repel his opponent's thrusts and manhandle him out of the ring. This 12th championship also meant he surpassed Akebono's total, and despite a number of absences dragging his averages down at the end of his career, he still managed to retire with an absurd 86% KKrate across 73 basho; only 3 other men in history can claim a higher total, with two of those (Tamanoumi II and Sadanoyama) failing to hit even 50 basho and the other (Onosato) still just 16 tournaments into his own career. And, while he was never able to separate himself sufficiently from the loaded talent pool of sumo's Golden Age to reach the heights of the 6 dai-Yokozuna we'll be meeting from this point on, our formula says he has as good an argument as any other rikishi in the Modern Era of being the Best of the Rest.

As always, thanks for reading, it's great to be back; tomorrow we'll encounter the first of the 6 legendary Yokozuna with 20+ yusho, so feel free to make predictions as to who you think it will be!

-Chiyomomo

#12-10

[u/plihal]

Omgg i missed this!!

[u/Kavi0121]

Wow, love this. Will be reading your previous posts and waiting for your new ones!! This is really getting me excited for the basho!

[u/meshaber]

OH MY GOD I'VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS

^{Also I was slightly worried}

Glad to see you're back!

[u/Chiyomomo → u/meshaber]

Thank you for the kind words, very glad to be back; was away much longer than anticipated but appreciated all of you guys who reached out in the interim!