Pop Japan

Meet the first Japanese-born yokozuna, Kisenasota Yutaka.

The 30-year old sumo wrestler is the first in a long time to gain the title of yokozuna or the highest rank in sports. The last yokozuna was Wakanohana in 1998. This is a big achievement for Japan because Kisenosato is the only Japanese-born out of the four yokozunas, three of whom are Mongolians.

Along with this designation comes honor and a high amount of expectation. Kisenasota seems to be performing his duties well as he was seen performing a dohyō-iri ring-entering ceremony at Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine. He also proved that he deserves the title as he managed to champion the Emperor's Cup, his second time in a row.

Photo by Education of Edo Village. Licensed under Creative Commons (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en).

Tags: sports, Sumo, Kisenosato, Emperor's Cup, Japan, Yokozuna, wakanohana, mongolian, japanese born, tokyo, meiji shrine