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90-595: In his childhood he was active in sports such as basketball and swimming. He also lived in Indonesia for a time in his younger years. At the 2002 junior sumo tournament, he impressed then active Kyokushūzan with his ability and soon afterward he entered Araiso stable . He debuted in November of that same year in maezumō at the height of 183 centimeters (6 ft 0 in) and weighing 83 kilograms (183 lb). From his November 2002 debut, he rose slowly but steadily through

180-456: A foul for which he was disqualified ( hansoku ), the first time this had ever happened to a yokozuna (Kyokushūzan did not get a kinboshi on that occasion as they are not given for wins by hansoku ). As he succeeded in the ring, his popularity in Mongolia soared. Also, as he has contributed much to his country by establishing several foundations for the welfare of the youth and sick people, he

270-587: A maegashira , and Kisenosato is the first to earn more than one kinboshi from him, having previously upset him in September 2008. However, Hakuhō won all his remaining bouts and defeated maegashira Toyonoshima in a playoff to win the championship. He finished the year on 86 wins in regulation matches, equalling the record he set in 2009. At a press conference following his victory, he revealed that having his winning run halted before breaking Futabayama's record affected him so badly that he considered withdrawing from

360-585: A stable looking to recruit a foreign wrestler. In this regard, he was instrumental in starting the careers of younger sumo wrestlers such as Hakuhō , Tamawashi and Mōkonami . He estimates he has recruited around 25 Mongolians for professional sumo over the years. In May 2000, Kyokushūzan married a Mongolian woman who was studying in Japan. The couple have a son and a daughter. Following his retirement from his professional career, Batbayar relocated back to Mongolia. He entered into his second marriage with T. Bayasgalan,

450-469: A yokozuna was in July 2007. His 25 match winning streak was brought to an end by Kotomitsuki on the 10th day, and further losses to Kotoōshū and Chiyotaikai put him out of contention for the title. He finished the tournament with an 11–4 record. Hakuhō's first tournament championship as a yokozuna came in September 2007 with a 13–2 record, triumphing over Chiyotaikai on the last day. His second title as

540-469: A yokozuna , and fifth overall, came in the following tournament in November with a 12–3 score. He lost to Kotomitsuki on the final day but the championship had already been decided earlier in the day when his only challenger Chiyotaikai pulled out through injury. His yokozuna rival Asashōryū missed both these tournaments through suspension. In the January 2008 tournament, he faced the returning Asashōryū on

630-446: A 29th consecutive victory and a perfect 15–0 record. His winning streak of 33 bouts was brought to an end on the 5th day of the July 2016 tournament when he lost once again to Takarafuji. He finished the tournament with a mediocre 10–5 record, hampered by an injury to his right big toe. He struggled to recover from his injuries and on 8 September he announced that he would miss the whole of the upcoming tournament explaining "I’m sorry to

720-530: A 6–9 record. In the March 2017 tournament he had his third career win over a yokozuna , defeating Harumafuji . However, he had to withdraw from the tournament on Day 13 after injuring his ankle. He returned to the maegashira 2 ranking in March 2018, but scored only 2–13. After a run of poor results he was demoted to the jūryō division after the July 2018 tournament. He returned to the top division in November 2018 but after winning only one match he withdrew on Day 13 with

810-526: A child instead. However, at an early age he would be seen reading sumo magazines, and when his father asked him why he liked sumo so much, he responded by saying he wanted to be as big as a sumo wrestler one day. At that time he was considered below average in size. He went to Japan in October 2000 when he was fifteen years old, invited by pioneering Mongolian wrestler Kyokushūzan . Because he weighed only 62 kg (137 lb), no sumo training stable ( heya )

900-417: A gold star ( kinboshi ) for defeating yokozuna Asashōryū in November 2004 while still at the lowest makuuchi rank of maegashira . This tournament also saw him finish as runner-up for the first time. He achieved a rapid promotion to the rank of komusubi in January 2005 and sekiwake only one tournament later. His progress was delayed by an injury which forced him to take leave ( zen-kyu ) from

990-565: A left knee injury, sending him back to jūryō. He was demoted to the makushita division after the July 2019 tournament, and withdrew on Day 13 in September. He remained in Tokyo for treatment on his knee, missing the Kyushu tournament in November. He fell to makushita 48 in January 2020 and sat out that tournament too, announcing his retirement on Day 13. At his press conference he said he had continuing pain in his knee, and that his fondest career memory

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1080-444: A promotion to maegashira 2 for the January tournament. In this tournament he started with five straight losses but then defeated yokozuna Kakuryū on Day 6 to earn his first kinboshi . It took him 85 tournaments from his professional debut to get a kinboshi , the seventh-slowest of all time. He then defeated Hakuhō on Day 8, meaning his only two wins of the tournament at that point had come against yokozuna . He finished with

1170-601: A renowned Mongolian country singer, and they have since welcomed a son and a daughter into their family. Sanshō key: F =Fighting spirit; O =Outstanding performance; T =Technique     Also shown: ★ = Kinboshi ; P = Playoff (s) Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi Hakuh%C5%8D Sh%C5%8D Hakuhō Shō ( Japanese : 白鵬 翔 , born 11 March 1985 as Mönkhbatyn Davaajargal ( Mongolian : Мөнхбатын Даваажаргал ; IPA: [mөnxpatʰin taw̜aːt͡ʃargaɮ] ) )

1260-625: A respectable ten wins on his return to the ring. In March 2007 Hakuhō won his second championship in Osaka and a third championship in the very next tournament in May, with a perfect 15–0 ( zenshō ) record. Winning two consecutive championships satisfies the de facto requirements for promotion to the top rank in sumo. On the day following the tournament, the Yokozuna Deliberation Council unanimously recommended his promotion to yokozuna which

1350-445: A row. This was also his eighth zenshō-yūshō overall, equalling the record held jointly Futabayama and Taihō. On the first day of the November 2010 tournament, Hakuhō defeated Tochinoshin , tying the consecutive wins record of Tanikaze with 63. However, on the following day his run was finally brought to an end when he was defeated by Kisenosato. This was only the fifth time in his yokozuna career that Hakuhō has been defeated by

1440-486: A silver medal in freestyle wrestling at the 1968 Summer Olympics , his country's first ever Olympic medal, and held the highest ranking in Mongolian wrestling, "Darkhan Avarga" (meaning "Undisputed Champion"), which is the Mongolian equivalent of yokozuna . Davaajargal did not however have any formal training in Mongolian wrestling himself, as his father wished him to try other sports, and he concentrated on basketball as

1530-451: A special committee reviewing the extent of illegal gambling within sumo revealed that Hakuhō had bet several tens of thousands of yen on hanafuda Japanese card games with his fellow wrestlers twice a year or so. However, the committee said that he would not be punished as it was not considered a serious offence. He nonetheless appeared along with nearly 80 other wrestlers at a press conference and apologised to sumo fans for his actions. On

1620-475: A three-way tie for second place. His most unusual win came on day 10 when he used the rarely-seen nekodamashi ("cat trick") technique to defeat Tochiōzan . In January 2016 Hakuhō won his first ten matches but then lost to Kotoshōgiku, the eventual winner of the tournament, on Day 11. He also lost his last two bouts to Kisenosato and Harumafuji to end with a 12–3 record and a tie for second place. This result meant he had gone three tournaments without winning

1710-488: A year previously. Arawashi does not hold elder stock in the Sumo Association but is working as a coach in an unofficial capacity at Minezaki stable while deciding on his future plans. The Minezaki stable closed after the March 2021 tournament but he intends to remain in Japan. Arawashi was married in January 2017 to a 27-year-old flight attendant who he had first met in Mongolia two years previously. After pulling out of

1800-424: Is a former professional sumo wrestler ( rikishi ) from Ulaanbaatar , Mongolia . Making his debut in March 2001, he reached the top makuuchi division in May 2004. In May 2007, at age 22, he became the second native of Mongolia, and the fourth non- Japanese overall, to be promoted to the highest rank in sumo, yokozuna . He is widely considered to be the greatest sumo wrestler of all time. In 2009, he broke

1890-632: Is a former professional sumo wrestler and current politician of the Democratic Party in Mongolia. He was the first wrestler from Mongolia to reach sumo's top makuuchi division. He was a diligent practitioner of Mongolian wrestling from a young age, but had ambitions of becoming a policeman. However, in late 1991, a Japanese sumo training stable master, Ōshima-oyakata (the former ōzeki Asahikuni ) went to Mongolia to recruit promising wrestlers for sumo. The young Davaagiin Batbayar happened to notice

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1980-525: Is now regarded as one of the heroes of the country. In April 2004, he started to study on a correspondence course for an MSc in telecommunications at Waseda University in Japan. This is partly because the Mongolian president advised him to study while in Japan for his future. At the beginning of his top division career he gained great popularity with audiences due to his variety of techniques , which were influenced by Mongolian wrestling. Less often seen in sumo, they surprised many of his early opponents. He

2070-508: The Emperor's Cup or any other trophy, as the Sumo Association decided to withdraw them in response to the gambling scandal. Hakuhō commented, "I hope we will not have a tournament like this ever again." On Day 6 of the Aki basho in September he equalled the 53-bout winning streak of Chiyonofuji with a win over Kotoshōgiku , and surpassed it the following day by pushing out Kisenosato in front of

2160-533: The Japan Sumo Association 's chairman Kitanoumi saying before the tournament that he would be considered if he posted 13 wins. Hakuhō told an interviewer that he had expected to be promoted. An uncharacteristically poor 8–7 showing in September put an end to any immediate promotion hopes. An injury sustained in training prevented him from participating in the November tournament, putting him at risk for demotion ( kadoban ) in January 2007, when he scored

2250-465: The Nagoya tournament in 2005. His ōzeki promotion came in March 2006 after a 13–2 record, which included a playoff for the championship (which he lost to Asashōryū) and also earned him two special prizes for Outstanding Performance and Technique. This gave him a three tournament record of 35 wins against ten losses. His promotion was confirmed just a few weeks after his twenty-first birthday, making him

2340-663: The Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on June 2, 2007. Soon after the ceremony, on June 4, 2007, Kyokushūzan released a memorial photobook. It subsequently emerged that Kyokushūzan was the victim of an attempted extortion by gangsters, linked to the Sumiyoshi-kai crime syndicate . The gangsters were all arrested, and Kyokushūzan told police that this incident was one reason for his retirement. He moved into Mongolian politics and in June 2008

2430-432: The banzuke the same tournament that Arawashi's was added to makuuchi . Arawashi alternated between winning and losing tournaments before a calamitous 2–13 record in May 2015 saw him demoted back to the jūryō division. He returned to the top division in July 2016 and came through with a winning record. In November 2016 he produced a career-best performance as a final day win over Shōdai saw him end with an 11–4 record and

2520-459: The yūshō in both and earn promotion to yokozuna himself, Hakuhō came back to win his 23rd championship in November, losing only to Kotoōshū on Day 11. He also finished as the wrestler with the most wins in the calendar year for the sixth consecutive time, a record. His victory was also his sixth straight Kyushu tournament triumph, the best run since Chiyonofuji 's record eight in a row from 1981 to 1988. Hakuhō finished joint runner up on 12–3 in

2610-441: The 10th day, however, he lost to Ama for the fourth time in their last five meetings, injuring his ankle in the process. Subsequent losses to Kotoōshū (the eventual winner of the tournament) and Kotomitsuki put him out of contention for the championship. He finished on 11–4, losing to Asashōryū on the final day in a match that sparked scandal after the two yokozuna nearly came to blows when Asashōryū gave Hakuhō an extra shove after

2700-498: The 14th day of the Nagoya tournament he won his 46th consecutive bout, surpassing Taihō's 45, behind only Chiyonofuji 's 53 and Futabayama 's 69 as the longest winning run since the beginning of the Shōwa era . He clinched his fifteenth yūshō on the same day, and on the final day he secured his third consecutive 15–0 record, the first wrestler ever to achieve this. However, he did not receive

2790-436: The 9th day and Kisenosato on the 13th day. Kakuryū had entered the final day of the tournament one match ahead of the yokozuna but lost to Gōeidō , and Hakuhō beat Baruto to force a playoff. This marked the first time a wrestler had come from one win behind to claim the yūshō on the final day since Asashōryū defeated Hokutōriki in a playoff in May 2004. With this victory Hakuhō drew level with Takanohana in fifth place on

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2880-580: The Kyushu tournament. At the time this was thought to be because of a heart problem. A ceremony in his honour was held in Ulaanbaatar at the end of 2006, attended by the Mongolian Prime Minister, who thanked him for strengthening the ties between Mongolia and Japan. Kyokushūzan's danpatsu-shiki , the official retirement ceremony where the retired rikishi's topknot is cut off, was reportedly going to be held in Mongolia, but eventually took place at

2970-414: The March 2017 tournament through injury, he was allowed to make the marriage public only after successfully completing the May tournament. According to his Japan Sumo Association profile, Arawashi's favourite grips and techniques are migi-yotsu (a left hand outside, right hand inside hold on the opponent's mawashi ), yori kiri (force out) and uwatenage (overarm throw). He was the lightest man in

3060-500: The March tournament ( honbasho ) in Osaka in 2001 despite having no previous wrestling experience. His weight increased steadily as he rose in the ranks reaching the second highest jūryō division in January 2004, and the top makuuchi division in May of the same year. In his very first top-division tournament, he scored twelve wins against three losses and was awarded a special prize ( sanshō ) for Fighting Spirit. He also enjoyed great success in subsequent tournaments, winning

3150-408: The March tournament, Hakuhō was bested by Kakuryū and finished runner-up, tied with Gōeidō at 12–3. He returned in May to win his twenty-ninth yūshō with a record of 14–1, only losing once to Gōeidō. He then won his thirtieth yūshō with a 13–2 record in July, becoming only the third man in history to have 30 or more top division championships. On Day 14 of the September tournament, he defeated

3240-415: The May "technical examination tournament" Hakuhō notched up his 500th win in the top division, with a victory over Kitataiki on Day 5. He achieved this total with the loss of just 99 top division bouts since his debut in May 2004 – a winning percentage of 83%. He was defeated by Harumafuji on Day 13 but went on to win his seventh straight championship, equalling Asashōryū's record, despite losing to Kaiō on

3330-581: The Nagoya tournament in July, assuring himself of his 26th tournament victory with two days to spare. He was finally defeated by Kisenosato on Day 14, and also lost to Harumafuji on the final day. He won his fourth tournament in a row, and the 27th of his career, in the Aki basho in September, losing only one bout to Gōeidō . In November he went into a final day showdown with his fellow yokozuna Harumafuji, with both men tied on 13–1. Harumafuji won this bout to claim his sixth championship, with Hakuhō having to settle for his 17th second-place result. He finished

3420-429: The September 2013 tournament he begin to be more consistent, and posted two strong 6–1 consecutive tournaments to achieve promotion to jūryō for the fourth time in the January 2014 tournament. He debuted at a then career high rank of jūryō 10 and managed an 8–7 record. A 10–5 record in the following March tournament garnered him his first promotion to the makuuchi top division for the May 2014 tournament. Arawashi

3510-437: The September tournament, and expressed relief that he was "finally able to do it." Hakuhō went on to get an 11–4 record in November. In the opening tournament of 2017 Hakuhō lost on Day 8 to maegashira Arawashi (a rare example of him losing to a wrestler he had never fought before) and komusubi Takayasu on Day 9. After being defeated on the last two days by Takanoiwa and tournament winner Kisenosato , he finished in

3600-444: The September tournament, he still dominated all other opponents and secured another championship on the 14th day. He finished the tournament with a 14–1 record. In the November tournament Hakuhō was once again the sole yokozuna participating. He lost his opening bout to Aminishiki and his 12th day bout to Ama. Both Hakuhō and Ama finished with a 13–2 record and the eventual play-off was won by Hakuhō, handing him his fourth yūshō of

3690-509: The advertisement and applied along with 120 others. He was selected and went to Japan with five others, including Kyokutenhō and Kyokutenzan . They were the first Mongolians ever to join sumo. He was immediately given the shikona of Kyokushūzan, meaning "eagle mountain of the rising sun." He made his professional debut in March 1992. However six months later, due to cultural differences, language problems, and an extremely hard training regime, five of them including Kyokushūzan ran away from

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3780-399: The all-time list of most wins in the top division, behind only Kaiō. In May he lost on the opening day of a tournament for the first time in three years, to Ichinojo . He ended up finishing runner-up to Terunofuji on 11–4, thus ending his hopes of equalling his and Asashōryū's record of seven straight championships. However, he won his 35th title in Nagoya in July, finishing two wins ahead of

3870-414: The all–time list of most top division tournament championships. In the May 2012 tournament Hakuhō fractured his left index finger in an opening day loss to Aminishiki, and he dropped further matches to Toyohibiki , Gōeidō and Toyonoshima on Days 7, 8 and 9 to stand at only 5–4 after nine days. However he then won five bouts in a row and was even in with an outside chance of claiming the yūshō until it

3960-455: The best since Asashōryū's 35 in 2004, until he was defeated by Kotoōshū on Day 14. He recovered to beat Asashōryū on Day 15 to finish at 14–1, but he lost the playoff bout to Harumafuji who claimed his first championship. In July he won his eleventh championship, finishing one win ahead of Kotoōshū with another 14–1 score. He almost pulled off his twelfth championship in the following September tournament. One win behind Asashōryū for most of

4050-416: The bout was over. Both wrestlers were given a warning over their conduct by the Japan Sumo Association . In July 2008, with Asashōryū pulling out through injury he won his seventh championship without a serious challenge, securing victory by the 13th day: the first time this had been achieved since January 2005. He finished the tournament unbeaten; his second zenshō-yūshō . Although he lost on day five of

4140-443: The championship for the first time since 2012. In March he lost to Takarafuji on the first day, but won his remaining fourteen matches to take his 36th championship. His win was poorly received as he employed a henka (sidestep at the initial charge) to defeat Harumafuji on the final day and clinch the title. Speaking after the match Hakuhō said that he had never planned to win with a henka "and I feel really bad about that." On

4230-484: The championship to tie him with Taihō for the most championships in sumo history, defeating fellow yokozuna Kakuryū with a yorikiri push-out, for a 14–1 record and his 32nd Emperor's Cup. Hakuhō finally was able to fulfill a promise he had made during a visit to Taihō just two days before his death in January 2013 and equal the record, which had stood for over 40 years. After an emotional presentation ceremony Hakuhō remarked, "I could achieve this accomplishment because

4320-565: The end of September 2021, closing out a 20-year career in the sport. Sumo commentator John Gunning noted that Hakuhō left an unmatchable legacy, while a columnist for the Washington Post called him the "greatest figure in sports, maybe ever." Like many of his countrymen in professional sumo, Hakuhō belongs to a family in the Mongolian wrestling tradition. His father Jigjidiin Mönkhbat won

4410-488: The extra pressure now that he was sumo's lone yokozuna and his relief at the win. Hakuhō wrapped up his fourteenth championship in May by Day 13 (his earliest yūshō win since July 2008) and went on to record his sixth zenshō-yūshō , the first time he has achieved this in consecutive tournaments. With the win, he equalled the number of yūshō won by yokozuna Wajima , and to commemorate this he switched to wearing Wajima's trademark gold coloured mawashi . In July 2010

4500-479: The fans. I want to work on healing in time for the autumn regional tour and the Kyushu Basho". After undergoing surgery on his toe injury Hakuhō returned to action at the November tournament. On the third day he became only the third wrestler, after Chiyonofuji and Kaiō, to reach 1000 career wins. Afterwards he admitted to nerves having fallen short of his target with a 10–5 record in July and then having to sit out

4590-400: The final day with both wrestlers having a 13–1 score. In a bout lasting nearly a minute, Hakuhō defeated Asashōryū, winning his 6th championship with a 14–1 record. In the March 2008 tournament the two yokozuna met once again to decide the title and this time Asashōryū got his revenge, with Hakuhō finishing as runner-up. In the May 2008 tournament, he won his first nine consecutive bouts. On

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4680-416: The final day. Hakuhō was defeated on the eleventh day of the July 2011 tournament by sekiwake Kotoshōgiku and his quest for a record eighth straight yūshō ended on Day 14 when he was beaten by Harumafuji to drop two wins behind. He also lost his final day match to Baruto to finish on 12–3, his poorest result since January 2010. Nevertheless, it was still enough for runner-up honours, his twelfth. He

4770-399: The first sell-out crowd of the tournament so far. He said afterwards that he felt "I really repaid my debt of gratitude" to the former Chiyonofuji. He secured his fourth consecutive yūshō on the fourteenth day when rank-and-filers Yoshikaze and Takekaze suffered defeats, and he moved to 14–0 (and 61 consecutive wins) by beating Kotoōshū. Asked about Futabayama's record of 69 wins, set in

4860-409: The first wrestler ever to lose three makuuchi playoffs in one year. After the tournament he was diagnosed with ligament damage in his left elbow; however surgery was not required. On 28 November, the fourteenth day of the Kyushu basho, he clinched his twelfth tournament championship and broke Asashōryū's 2005 record for most bouts won in a calendar year, which had stood at 84. He defeated Asashōryū

4950-420: The following day to secure his fourth career zenshō-yūshō and set his 2009 record total at 86 wins. This was also his fourteenth consecutive yūshō or jun-yūshō (winner or runner-up) performance, another record. In the opening tournament of the year Hakuhō's 30 bout winning streak was ended by Baruto on Day 7, and he suffered consecutive losses to ozeki Harumafuji and Kaiō on Days 12 and 13 to concede

5040-436: The fourth youngest wrestler to reach ōzeki in modern sumo history. At his first tournament as ōzeki in May 2006, with Asashōryū absent, Hakuhō won his first championship ( yūshō ) with a 14–1 record, defeating Miyabiyama in another playoff. After another strong performance (13–2) in July, in which he finished as runner-up to Asashōryū and defeated him on the final day, Hakuhō was denied promotion to yokozuna , despite

5130-539: The list of most career championships, behind only Asashōryū with 25, Chiyonofuji with 31 and Taihō with 32. Hakuhō also recorded his 650th win in the top division in this tournament, moving him into eighth place all-time. In the May tournament he won his 25th championship, equaling Asashōryū's mark. By again recording an undefeated tournament record, his final two victories coming over Kisenosato and Harumafuji, he increased his winning streak to 30 bouts. Hakuhō extended his streak to 43 bouts by winning his first 13 matches in

5220-403: The most in the history of sumo. He holds the records for most wins in the top division , achieved in May 2016, and most career wins, achieved in July 2017. He was the longest-serving yokozuna of all-time, having surpassed Haguroyama 's record in 2019, and fought his 1000th bout as a yokozuna in July 2020. He acquired Japanese citizenship in 2019. Hakuhō retired from professional sumo at

5310-441: The opening day of the May tournament in Tokyo he equalled Kaiō's record of 879 top division wins , and surpassed it the next day by gaining revenge over Takarafuji who had defeated him in the previous tournament. He secured his 37th championship on the fourteenth day when his only challenger Kisenosato fell to his second loss, and he rounded off the tournament by defeating Kakuryū with a rare backward pivot throw ( utchari ) to ensure

5400-528: The opening tournament of 2013, giving up a kinboshi to Myōgiryū on Day 3 and also losing to Kotoōshū and Harumafuji. However he captured his 24th title in the Haru basho in March, remaining undefeated for the whole fifteen days. This was his first zenshō-yūshō since his record winning streak of 2010 and also the ninth of his career, breaking the all-time record he had shared with Taihō and Futabayama . It also drew him level with Kitanoumi in fourth place on

5490-544: The ranks over three years, recording mostly winning tournaments. However, in the January 2006 tournament he dislocated his left shoulder and had to drop out. He also missed the following tournament. After this his shoulder became prone to dislocating and upon his seventh dislocation he elected to finally have corrective surgery upon completing the May 2007 tournament. Rehabilitation from the surgery forced him to sit out three tournaments. He dropped from makushita 22 down to jonidan 22 in this period. During this time he studied

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5580-409: The ranks, recording only one or two losing tournaments a year. In the May 2011 technical tournament which was not televised due to the ramifications of widespread match-fixing he managed only a 3–4 record at makushita 3. This normally would have led to a drop in rank. However, he was one of a number of wrestlers who benefited from the dismissal of several high-ranking wrestlers for match-fixing and he

5670-413: The record for the most wins in a calendar year, winning 86 out of 90 bouts, and repeated this feat with the same record again in 2010 when he established the second longest winning streak in sumo history. He also holds the record for the most undefeated tournament championships at sixteen, which is eight more than any other sumo wrestler in history. He was the only active yokozuna from 2010, following

5760-406: The rest of the field on 14–1. In September Hakuhō lost to Okinoumi and Yoshikaze on the first two days, and then announced that he would miss the rest of the tournament owing to an injury which was diagnosed as tendinitis in the left quadriceps . After withdrawing from a tournament for the first time since 2006 Hakuhō said "I couldn’t get any power. I apologize to everyone. I can’t step into

5850-437: The retirement of his rival and fellow Mongolian Asashōryū , until 2012 with the promotion of fellow Mongolian Harumafuji . In March 2021, he became the only active yokozuna once again following the retirement of his rival and fellow Mongolian Kakuryū until the promotion of fellow Mongolian Terunofuji four months later. In January 2015, he broke Taihō 's long-standing record by winning his 33rd top division championship,

5940-410: The ring with half-hearted feelings". His withdrawal brought to an end his run of 722 consecutive matchdays competing as a yokozuna and 51 consecutive tournaments with a score of 10–5 or better, both records. On his return in November he appeared to be in dominant form and won his first twelve matches, but defeats in the last three days to Harumafuji, Terunofuji and Kakuryū saw him end the tournament in

6030-545: The season and ninth in total. In the January 2009 tournament Hakuhō defeated Asashōryū on the final day in their first meeting since May, handing his fellow yokozuna his first defeat of the tournament and leaving both men with identical 14–1 records. Hakuhō was however beaten in the subsequent playoff. Hakuhō defeated Asashōryū again in the March tournament, this time capping off an undefeated 15–0 championship, his third zenshō-yūshō and his tenth championship overall. In May he extended his winning run to 33 regulation bouts,

6120-559: The soul of the Japanese and the god of sumo gave a mandate to my efforts". Hakuhō broke Taihō's record in the opening tournament of 2015, clinching the championship on the 13th day by defeating Kisenosato , and maintaining a perfect score into the final days. Hakuhō finished the tournament with a perfect score of 15–0 while all contenders had at least four losses. Sumo Association chairman Kitanoumi commented, "Nobody can touch Hakuho... I’d like to see him go for 40 titles. If he keeps going

6210-491: The techniques of former yokozuna Chiyonofuji who long suffered from an easily dislocated shoulder. Upon his return in January 2008, his sumo was back in form and he recorded three 6–1 consecutive tournaments. However, in September of that year, Araiso stable closed upon the retirement of its owner, the former Futagodake . While the other wrestlers in the stable chose to retire, he chose to remain active and transferred to Hanakago stable . He continued his steady rise through

6300-513: The title to Asashōryū by Day 14. He gained some consolation by beating his yokozuna rival for the seventh straight time in regulation bouts on the final day to finish the tournament on 12–3. Hakuhō expressed his shock at the retirement of Asashōryū in February, following allegations his fellow yokozuna had assaulted a man in a drunken brawl outside a nightclub during the previous tournament. Fighting back tears he said, "I don't want to believe it. I

6390-590: The top division until the promotion of Ishiura in November 2016. Sanshō key: F =Fighting spirit; O =Outstanding performance; T =Technique     Also shown: ★ = Kinboshi ; P = Playoff (s) Divisions: Makuuchi — Jūryō — Makushita — Sandanme — Jonidan — Jonokuchi Kyokush%C5%ABzan Noboru Kyokushūzan Noboru ( 旭鷲山 昇 , (born March 8, 1973 as Davaagiin Batbayar ) ( Mongolian : Даваагийн Батбаяр ) in Ulaanbaatar , Mongolia )

6480-446: The tournament after giving away his first kinboshi in a year (to Shōtenrō ) he forced a playoff by beating his rival on the final day, but then lost in the succeeding playoff bout. This was a very similar scenario to his loss to Asashōryū in the preceding January tournament. Regardless of this loss, he still managed to become the first makuuchi wrestler ever to win fourteen or more bouts in five consecutive tournaments. He also became

6570-453: The tournament on 14–1, his only loss coming to Baruto on the final day. Hakuhō finished second to Baruto in the opening tournament of 2012, losing to Kakuryū , Harumafuji and Kotoōshū. He did however maintain his record of finishing runner-up or better in his last 26 tournaments. In the March basho , Hakuhō won his twenty-second yūshō after beating Kakuryū in a playoff, finishing with a 13–2 record. Hakuhō's only losses came to Kakuryū on

6660-581: The tournament. On 21 December he was awarded the Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize , receiving the Prime Minister's Trophy from Naoto Kan . In the January 2011 tournament in Tokyo he was surprisingly beaten by Kisenosato for the second time in a row but he secured his eighteenth championship on the fourteenth day. In doing so Hakuhō became only the third man after Taihō and Asashōryū to win six consecutive tournaments. During

6750-403: The training stable to the Mongolian embassy. He was eventually persuaded to return by his stablemaster's wife, and also Kyokutenzan. In March 1995, he was promoted to the jūryō division, and in September 1996 to the top makuuchi division. After his single appearance as a komusubi in March 1997 he was ranked as a maegashira for 58 tournaments in a row, a record in the sumo world. He

6840-436: The two tournament a year era from 1936 to 1939, he responded, "It is truly amazing that he was able to continue winning for almost three years." Former Sumo Association Kitanoumi estimated that Hakuhō had a possibility of "about 80 percent" of breaking the record, which he would achieve on the eighth day of the November tournament. Hakuhō wrapped up the Aki basho by defeating Harumafuji to achieve his fourth perfect record in

6930-504: The up-and-coming Ichinojō , who he was tied with at 12–1. The following day, Hakuhō clinched the championship, winning his third tournament in a row, and the 31st of his career, having lost only one bout, to Gōeidō. It also drew him level with Chiyonofuji in second place on the list of most career championships. In the next tournament in Fukuoka, he continued his dominance, again losing only one bout (against Takayasu on day six ) and taking

7020-657: The way he is, that’s a possibility." He was however criticized for turning up an hour late to his press conference the next day, having reportedly been out drinking until 7am celebrating his victory. In Osaka in March Hakuhō won his sixth consecutive championship, a feat only achieved four times previously (twice by Taihō, once by Asashōryū and once by himself). His 36 bout winning streak was brought to an end by Terunofuji on Day 13, but he won all his other matches to finish one ahead of Terunofuji on 14–1. During this tournament he also overtook Chiyonofuji to move into second place on

7110-449: The year with 82 wins out of 90 bouts, a record that has only been bettered by himself (twice) and Asashōryū. Hakuhō won the first tournament of 2014. After going undefeated in his first 14 matches, Hakuhō lost to Kakuryū on the final day. As Kakuryū had a 14–1 record, this prompted the two to again meet in a tie-breaking bout. After losing 20 minutes prior, Hakuhō won his twenty-eighth yūshō by defeating Kakuryū in this tie breaker. In

7200-805: Was elected to the Mongolian parliament on the opposition Democratic Party ticket. In the 2012 Parliamentary elections , he ran in his native Khovd Province but was not elected. He worked as an advisor on Japan to the Prime Minister of Mongolia Chimediin Saikhanbileg from 2013. He ran for the Democratic Party again in the 2020 Parliamentary elections but was once more unsuccessful. During his active career and since his retirement Kyokushūzan has been an active recruiter of Mongolian sumo wrestlers to enter professional sumo, using his connections to help fellow Mongolians interested in joining sumo to find

7290-469: Was a runner-up in two tournaments in March 2003 and September 2004, and was awarded five special prizes for his achievements in tournaments – two for Technique, two for Fighting Spirit and one for Outstanding Performance. He also earned five kinboshi or gold stars for defeating yokozuna , the last coming in May 2003 against fellow Mongolian Asashōryū . Determined to get revenge in the next tournament in July, Asashōryū pulled on Kyokushūzan's topknot ;

7380-544: Was actually promoted to the salaried jūryō division for the first time in his career in the July 2011 tournament. He only managed a 5–10 record at jūryō 13 and was demoted back to makushita 3. He repeated this same feat twice more, taking a number of tournaments to rise to jūryō and being relegated after a single losing tournament back to the unsalaried makushita division. During this period, in 2012, Hanakago stable had to close due to financial difficulties. He then transferred to his third stable, Minezaki . Starting in

7470-554: Was announced that Kotoōshū was withdrawing on the final day and giving Tochiōzan an automatic twelfth win. Hakuhō's defeat by Harumafuji on Day 15 meant he finished on 10–5, his worst ever score as a yokozuna and the first time since his debut at the rank, 29 tournaments ago, that he failed to be at least the runner–up. After losing to Harumafuji on the last day in both the July and September tournaments (as well as maegashira Tochiōzan in September) and seeing his fellow Mongolian claim

7560-452: Was defeated by Kisenosato for the third time in five meetings on Day 12 of the September tournament and then lost to Kotoshōgiku for the second time in a row the following day. However he rallied to beat Baruto on Day 14 and then Harumafuji on the final day to clinch his twentieth tournament championship. On 25 November 2011, he won his 21st tournament title in Fukuoka, moving to 13–0 with none of his rivals scoring better than 10–3. He finished

7650-596: Was formally announced by the Japan Sumo Association on 30 May 2007. He had become yokozuna at the age of 22 years and two months – only Kitanoumi and Taihō had been younger when they were promoted. He performed his inaugural ring-entering ceremony ( dohyō-iri ) at the Meiji Shrine (in the lesser-used Shiranui style) on 1 June. He performed the ceremony at the Kokugikan during Kyokushūzan's retirement ceremony ( danpatsu-shiki ) on 2 June. Hakuhō's first tournament as

7740-514: Was his Day 14 win over Tamaasuka in January 2014, which clinched his first kachi-koshi as a sekitori . His danpatsu-shiki or official retirement ceremony was scheduled to be held on May 31, 2020 but was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic . It took place on February 23, 2021, with Kakuryū and Harumafuji among the 335 guests. It was the first retirement ceremony held at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan since Oshiogawa (former sekiwake Takekaze )

7830-519: Was honoured to wrestle in the same era as him." After getting regularly beaten by Asashōryū earlier in his career, Hakuhō came to completely dominate him, winning all of their last seven regulation matches (excluding two tournament-playoff defeats) and finishing with a 14–13 record over his greatest rival. He won the Osaka tournament in March with a perfect 15–0 record, his fifth undefeated score and thirteenth championship overall. After his victory he spoke of

7920-846: Was known as the gino depato , or "department store of techniques." In the May 2002 tournament, he won his first eight bouts in a row, using eight different techniques. However, because he was in danger of injuring other wrestlers, he was eventually told by the Sumo Association to stop using some of them, and by the end of his career he had a much more defensive (and less successful) style. His most common winning kimarite overall were uwatenage (overarm throw) and yorikiri (force out), using his preferred mawashi grip of migi-yotsu (left hand outside, right hand inside). However his next most common were hatakikomi (slap down) and hikiotoshi (pull down), reflecting his change of style. In November 2006, he suddenly announced his retirement two days into

8010-515: Was prepared to accept him. Hearing this, Kyokushūzan asked heya master Miyagino- oyakata to intercede, and Davaajargal was accepted to Miyagino stable on the last day of his two-month stay in Japan, 24 December 2000. He was given the ring name ( shikona ) Hakuhō , with haku meaning "white" and hō , meaning the Chinese mythological bird Peng . His shikona also emulates that of former yokozuna Taihō . Hakuhō made his professional debut at

8100-480: Was the 21st Mongolian to make it to the top division following Terunofuji . At the beginning of his career, Arawashi had entered sumo at the same time as Kotoōshū but was soon left behind as Kotoōshū made one of the fastest-ever rises to makuuchi and ultimately ōzeki . Arawashi had stated that one of his goals was to make it to makuuchi and once again face Kotoōshū in the ring. However, he would never realize this goal, as Kotoōshū retired, his name being taken off

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