After the Japan Sumo Association was rattled by scandals earlier this year, yokozuna Hakuho performed with outstanding speed, skills and stability at the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament, showing that he is a great force in the JSA's efforts to get back people's trust in the traditional sport. He finished with a 15-0 record and grabbed his 16th Emperor's Cup.
He became the first sumo wrestler to go undefeated for four straight tournaments since 1958, when the current system of six tournaments a year was introduced. He also matched the record of eight undefeated titles held by former yokozuna Taiho and the legendary yokozuna Futabayama.
More importantly, Hakuho extended his winning streak to 62 bouts, beating the record of 53 consecutive wins under the six-tourney system held by former yokozuna Chiyonofuji. He is only seven wins from matching the great record of 69 straight wins established by Futabayama in 1936-39. In those years, there were only two tourneys a year.