A strong 13-2 title winning performance in the September tournament was enough to convince the Japan Sumo Association’s judging department to make Shodai the sport’s 251st ozeki.
Although he could still climb one more rank, the Kumamoto native has now reached what was, for much of sumo's history, the sport's highest peak.
As many fans know, yokozuna was initially a kind of honorary title — generally bestowed on ozeki with powerful patrons — before officially morphing into sumo’s highest rank only in the early 1900s.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.