confirmed Kotomitsuki as the sport's latest shooting star on Wednesday as it promoted the Sadogatake stable wrestler to sekiwake for next month's New Year tournament.
Kotomitsuki, wrestling as a No. 9 maegashira, was a surprise runnerup to grand champion Akebono at last month's Kyushu tourney with a 13-2 record, a stellar performance reflected in the new JSA rankings for the Jan. 7-21 meet at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan.
Joining Kotomitsuki -- who reached the rank in just his third tourney in sumo's elite makuuchi division -- as a first-time sekiwake is Wakanosato, who posted a strong 9-6 record as a komusubi last time round.
At the top of the tree, Hawaiian-born giant Akebono regained the prestigious east yokozuna slot after winning his 11th Emperor's Cup with a 14-1 mark in Kyushu, while Samoan-born Musashimaru switches to the west side after an 11-4 record.
Grand champion Takanohana, meanwhile, again lines up in the second east spot after fading down the stretch in Kyushu and finishing at 11-4.