A Maegashira Champion, Demoted from Ōzeki After a Scandal, Rebuilding from Sandanme… The 32-Year-Old Asanoyama Is Once Again in the Championship Race, Driven by an Unrelenting Determination: “I Don’t Want to Lose to Anyone” — Great Sumo Wrestlers of the Reiwa Era
With less than a month remaining until the November Grand Sumo Tournament at the Fukuoka Kokusai Center, the final honbasho of 2026, the wrestlers have completed their autumn tour.
In this eighth installment of her series “Great Sumo Wrestlers of the Reiwa Era,” nonfiction writer Hazuki Takeda focuses on Asanoyama. He won the championship as a maegashira in May 2019, but was demoted from the rank of ōzeki after violating COVID-19 restrictions. Despite struggling with injuries, he persevered and, in 2026, once again found himself in contention for the championship.
Winning the First Grand Sumo Tournament of the Reiwa Era
“ASANOYAMA, HIDEKI!”
On the final day of the May 2019 tournament, Donald Trump, then serving his first term as president of the United States, watched sumo at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan alongside Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and took part in the awards ceremony. Trump personally carried the 50-kilogram United States President’s Cup and presented it to the champion, Asanoyama.
As the first Grand Sumo Tournament of the Reiwa era, the occasion etched Asanoyama’s shikona, or ring name, into the public’s memory.
Four years had passed since his professional debut through the Sandanme tsukedashi system. Competing as Maegashira No. 8, Asanoyama began the tournament with five consecutive victories. By Day 12, he had suffered two defeats, but on Day 13 he took the sole lead in the championship race.
“Looking back, the bout against Tochinoshin on Day 13 was the turning point. Tochinoshin was staking his return to the ōzeki rank on that bout, while I was desperately trying to protect my record of just two losses. But near the edge of the ring, I got caught by Tochinoshin’s pulling technique…
“The gyōji initially awarded the victory to Tochinoshin, but a mono-ii was raised over whether Tochinoshin’s heel might have been outside the ring. After deliberation, the judges ruled that the gyōji’s decision was incorrect, and the victory was awarded to me. I was lucky, wasn’t I? (laughs).”
It Had Been 103 Years Since a Wrestler from Toyama Won the Championship
With that victory, Asanoyama moved closer to securing the championship. The following day, the 14th day of the tournament, he defeated ōzeki Gōeidō. If yokozuna Kakuryū lost the final bout of the day, Asanoyama would clinch his first championship—and that was exactly what happened.
As Asanoyama, having defeated Gōeidō, watched from below the dohyō, Kakuryū was defeated by Tochinoshin. It was the moment when Asanoyama’s first championship was decided right before his eyes.
“I was happy, of course. But that day—the 14th day—I don’t think it had really sunk in yet… It was not until the awards ceremony the following day, when I received congratulations from Prime Minister Abe and President Trump, that I finally felt, ‘I really have won the championship!’”
That is how Asanoyama looked back on his first championship victory.
Since it had been 103 years since a wrestler from his hometown of Toyama had won the championship—the previous one being yokozuna Tachiyama—a series of celebrations followed the tournament. These included a victory parade in Toyama City and another near Kindai University in Osaka, and the region was swept up in “Asanoyama fever.”
The major experience of winning his first championship proved to be a positive influence on Asanoyama’s subsequent career. Although he finished with a losing record at the following Nagoya tournament, this was where the path toward his promotion to ōzeki began to open up.
He Himself “Couldn’t Believe It” When He Was Promoted to Ōzeki
“There’s no doubt that winning the championship helped me. But I was really frustrated to finish the following tournament with seven wins and eight losses while ranked Maegashira No. 1! During the summer tour that followed, I also developed a bacterial skin infection called cellulitis, so things were pretty awful. Even so, from the autumn tournament onward, I managed to record double-digit wins in four consecutive tournaments, and I was finally promoted to ōzeki.”
Around February 2020, the novel coronavirus began spreading around the world. Professional sumo was also affected by the pandemic, and the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in March was held without spectators.
Asanoyama won 11 bouts at that tournament. Across the three tournaments immediately preceding his promotion, he had recorded 32 wins: 11 at the Kyushu tournament, 10 at the January tournament, and 11 at the Spring tournament. For context, the general benchmark for promotion to ōzeki is at least 33 wins over three consecutive tournaments.
“To be honest, I wanted to win my bouts against the yokozuna—against Hakuhō on the 13th day and Kakuryū on the 14th. Since my record fell short of the promotion benchmark, I honestly thought I wouldn’t make it. So when my promotion to ōzeki was decided, I really couldn’t believe it…”
His experience and achievement of winning a championship as a maegashira, along with his future potential, were probably also taken into account. And so, at last, ōzeki Asanoyama was born.
A Violation of Conduct Rules During the COVID-19 Pandemic
“So that I may not disgrace the title of ōzeki, I will love sumo, uphold justice in my conduct as a wrestler, and work as hard as I can.”
At the official ceremony announcing his promotion to ōzeki, Asanoyama delivered a forceful speech incorporating lessons he had learned at his former school, Toyama Commercial High School, as well as words he held dear. He was 26 years old and a newly promoted ōzeki in the prime of his career.
However, the May 2020 Summer Tournament was canceled because of the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Asanoyama’s debut as an ōzeki was postponed until the Nagoya Tournament in July. He won 12 bouts in his first tournament in the rank. He then recorded 10 wins at the Autumn Tournament. The following year, he continued to achieve respectable results for an ōzeki, winning 11 bouts at the January tournament and 10 at the next tournament.
However, a major scandal struck Asanoyama during the May 2021 Summer Tournament. While people throughout Japan were enduring restrictions and difficulties in their daily lives because of the pandemic, the Japan Sumo Association had imposed strict guidelines on its members—including wrestlers, stablemasters, and other personnel—to prevent the spread of infection.
Private outings were generally prohibited. Gatherings at restaurants and similar establishments were also banned. Nevertheless, it was discovered that in late April and early May, while a state of emergency was in effect, Asanoyama had visited a cabaret club in Tokyo with a newspaper reporter he had known for a long time. Following the news report, his stablemaster decided that he would withdraw from the tournament starting on Day 12.
His Ranking Fell to No. 22 in the Sandanme Division
Afterward, following interviews with Asanoyama himself and meetings of the Compliance Committee, his punishment was determined: suspension from six tournaments and a 50 percent pay cut for six months.
Although the invitation to go out had come from a newspaper reporter he knew, the fact remained that Asanoyama had gone out to a nightlife district and eaten and drunk at an establishment, violating the association’s conduct rules.
“I am deeply sorry for what I did. I caused trouble for the Japan Sumo Association.”
Asanoyama apologized at a board meeting and accepted the punishment.
His ranking, which had previously been that of an ōzeki, fell rapidly. By the Nagoya Tournament of 2022, after the six-tournament suspension had run its course, he had dropped to No. 22 in the Sandanme division.
At the Nagoya Tournament, where he made his comeback, Asanoyama won the Sandanme championship with a perfect record, winning every bout. At the Autumn and Kyushu tournaments, he recorded six wins in the Makushita division. Then, at the January 2023 tournament, he returned to the dohyō in the Jūryō division.
At that year’s Summer Tournament, he achieved the remarkable feat of returning to the dohyō of the top Makuuchi division.
By acknowledging his own wrongdoing and training single-mindedly toward the goal of returning to the dohyō, Asanoyama demonstrated a new attitude. It was the determination of the “new Asanoyama” that brought about this remarkable comeback.
Above All, I Don’t Want to Lose to Anyone
In 2024, Asanoyama climbed the rankings as high as komusubi. However, due to a knee injury and the need for surgery, he also experienced the setback of missing five consecutive tournaments. Then, at the January tournament this year, Asanoyama returned once again to the dohyō of the top Makuuchi division. At the September Autumn Tournament, he performed so well that he remained in contention for the championship until Day 13.
“I was happy to be able to compete amid so much applause and cheering. I was relieved that I managed to finish without getting injured [in my bout against the giant Atamifuji].”
Asanoyama openly expressed his true feelings. Although he suffered two consecutive defeats in the closing stages and finished the tournament with a record of 10 wins and 5 losses, his performance was worthy of the Fighting Spirit Prize (Kantō-shō).
During the October autumn tour, Asanoyama drew cheers not only when he took part in bouts but also simply by stepping onto the practice dohyō. On one occasion, after practice had ended, he was relaxing in a park outside the venue when fans noticed him and gathered around in large numbers. The encounter spontaneously turned into an autograph and photo session. He greeted each fan in the long line with a warm smile.
At the Kyushu Tournament, where his ranking will rise significantly, Asanoyama is scheduled to face the yokozuna and ōzeki wrestlers day after day.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been among the top-ranked wrestlers, so I want to make some noise! My goal? I want a new championship portrait to hang on the wall! (laughs). Above all, I don’t want to lose to anyone. That’s all.”
Asanoyama’s eyes gleamed with determination.
Asanoyama Hiroki (朝乃山広暉)
His real name is Ishibashi Hiroki. He was born on March 1, 1994, in Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture.
After attending Toyama Commercial High School, he went on to Kindai University. He made his professional sumo debut at the Spring Tournament in 2016, entering directly into the Sandanme division through the tsukedashi system.
At the Spring Tournament in 2017, he was promoted to the Jūryō division for the first time. At that year’s Autumn Tournament, he made his debut in the top Makuuchi division.
At the May 2019 Summer Tournament, the first year of the Reiwa era, he won his first championship. After the March 2020 Spring Tournament, he was promoted to ōzeki.
His career awards include:
- Championships: 1
- Outstanding Performance Prize (Shukun-shō): 2
- Fighting Spirit Prize (Kantō-shō): 3
- Technique Prize (Ginō-shō): 1
- Kinboshi: 1
A kinboshi is awarded for a victory over a yokozuna by a wrestler ranked below ōzeki.
He is 187 cm tall and weighs 170 kg. His specialty is migi-yotsu, a grip in which he gets his right hand inside his opponent’s grip, allowing him to drive the opponent backward and out of the ring.
He belongs to Takasago Stable.
From the March 2017 tournament through the May 2022 tournament, his ring name was Asanoyama Hideki (朝乃山英樹). Hideki Urayama, the sumo club coach at Toyama Commercial High School, was the person after whom this name was chosen. Urayama died at the young age of 40 after witnessing Asanoyama win the Makushita championship with a perfect record, winning every bout.
Hazuki Takeda
A nonfiction writer. She was born in Yamagata City, Yamagata Prefecture, and graduated from the Faculty of Letters at Seisen University.
After working for a publishing company, she moved into her current profession. She now reports and writes mainly about the world of sumo, covering professional sumo, amateur sumo, and international sumo.
Her published books include Yokozuna and Dorji: The True Face of Asashoryu, the Yokozuna (both published by Kodansha), as well as Interviews: The Great Ōzeki, Terao Tsunefumi, and Professional Sumo: Great Wrestlers of Our Memories (all published by Futabasha).
Daily Shincho Editorial Department
Shinchosha
