This is a list of wrestlers who have won the top division (makuuchi) championship in professional sumo since 1909, when the current championship system was established. These official tournaments are held exclusively in Japan.
The first table below lists the champions since the six-tournament system was instituted in 1958.[1] The championship is determined by the wrestler with the highest win–loss score after fifteen bouts, held at a rate of one per day over the duration of the 15-day tournament. In the event of a tie a play-off is held between the wrestlers concerned.[2]
Names in bold mark an undefeated victory (a zenshō-yūshō). Names in italics mark a victory by a maegashira. Figures in brackets mark the number of championships earned up to that tournament for wrestlers who won the championship more than once.
The following tables list the champions before the introduction of the current tournament system. The system was less regularized between years, with a different number of tournaments held at different times and in different venues, and often with a changing number of bouts fought in each tournament.
| New Year | Spring | Summer | Autumn | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | Osaka | Tokyo | Tokyo | ||
| 1956 | Kagamisato (3) | Asashio III (1) | Wakanohana I (1) | Kagamisato (4) | |
| 1955 | Chiyonoyama (4) | Chiyonoyama (5) | Tochinishiki (5) | Kagamisato (2) | |
| 1954 | Yoshibayama | Tochinishiki (3) | Tochinishiki (4) | ||
| 1953 | Kagamisato (1) | Tochinishiki (2) | Tokitsuyama | Azumafuji (6) |
| Spring | Summer | Autumn | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | Tokyo | Tokyo | ||
| 1952 | Haguroyama (7) | Azumafuji (5) | Tochinishiki (1) | |
| 1951 | Terukuni (2) | Chiyonoyama (3) | Azumafuji (4) | |
| 1950 | Chiyonoyama (2) | Azumafuji (3) | Terukuni (1) | |
| 1949 | Azumafuji (2) | Masuiyama (2) | Chiyonoyama (1) | |
| 1948 | no tournament | Azumafuji (1) | Masuiyama (1) | |
| 1947 | no tournament | Haguroyama (5) | Haguroyama (6) | |
| 1946 | no tournament | no tournament | Haguroyama (4) | |
| 1945 | no tournament | Bishūyama | Haguroyama (3) | |
| 1944 | Haguroyama (2) | Maedayama | ||
| 1943 | Futabayama (11) | Futabayama (12) | no tournament | |
| 1942 | Futabayama (9) | Futabayama (10) | no tournament | |
| 1941 | Futabayama (8) | Haguroyama (1) | no tournament | |
| 1940 | Futabayama (7) | no tournament | ||
| 1939 | Dewaminato (1) | Futabayama (6) | no tournament | |
| 1938 | Futabayama (4) | Futabayama (5) | no tournament | |
| 1937 | Futabayama (2) | Futabayama (3) | no tournament | |
| 1936 | Tamanishiki (9) | Futabayama (1) | no tournament | |
| 1935 | Tamanishiki (7) | Tamanishiki (8) | no tournament | |
| 1934 | Minanogawa (2) | Shimizugawa (3) | no tournament | |
| 1933 | Asashio
| Tamanishiki (6) | no tournament |
| Spring | March | Summer | October | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | varied | Tokyo | varied | ||
| 1932 | Shimizugawa (1) | Tamanishiki (5) | Shimizugawa (2) | ||
| 1931 | Tamanishiki (3) | Tamanishiki (4) | Ayazakura | ||
| 1930 | Toyokuni (2) | Tsunenohana (10) | Yamanishiki | Tamanishiki (2) | |
| 1929 | Tamanishiki (1) | Toyokuni (1) | Tsunenohana (8) | Tsunenohana
| |
| 1928 | Tsunenohana (7) | Miyagiyama (2) | |||
| 1927 | Miyagiyama (1) | Tsunenohana (4) | Tsunenohana (5) | Tsunenohana (6) |
| Spring | Summer | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | Tsunenohana (3) | Orochiyama | |
| 1925 | Tochigiyama (9) | Nishinoumi III (1) | |
| 1924 | Tochigiyama (7) | Tochigiyama (8) | |
| 1923 | Tochigiyama (6) | Tsunenohana (2) | |
| 1922 | Tsurugahama | Ōnishiki (5) | |
| 1921 | Ōnishiki (4) | Tsunenohana (1) | |
| 1920 | Ōnishiki (2) | Ōnishiki (3) | |
| 1919 | Tochigiyama (4) | Tochigiyama (5) | |
| 1918 | Tochigiyama (2) | Tochigiyama (3) | |
| 1917 | Ōnishiki (1) | Tochigiyama (1) | |
| 1916 | Nishinoumi II (1) | Tachiyama (9) | |
| 1915 | Ōtori (2) | Tachiyama (8) | |
| 1914 | Tachiyama (7) | Ryōgoku | |
| 1913 | Ōtori (1) | Tachiyama (6) | |
| 1912 | Tachiyama (4) | Tachiyama (5) | |
| 1911 | Tachiyama (2) | Tachiyama (3) | |
| 1910 | Hitachiyama (1) | Tachiyama (1) | |
| 1909 | see below* | Takamiyama I |
| Total | Years | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hakuhō | 45 | 2006–21 | |
| 2 | 32 | 1960–71 | ||
| 3 | 31 | 1981–90 | ||
| 4 | 25 | 2002–10 | ||
| 5 | 24 | 1974–84 | ||
| 6 | 22 | 1992–2001 | ||
| 7 | 14 | 1972–80 | ||
| 8 | 12 | 1936–43 | ||
| 12 | 1994–2002 | |||
| 10 | 11 | 1992–2000 |
| Total | Years | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 10 | 1921–30 | |
| 10 | 1952–60 | ||
| 10 | 1956–60 | ||
| 10 | 1966–73 | ||
| Terunofuji^ | 10 | 2015–24 | |
| 16 | 9*[6] | 1904–16 | |
| 9 | 1917–25 | ||
| 9 | 1929–36 | ||
| 9 | 2009–17 | ||
| 20 | 8 | 1986–91 | |
| Total | Years | Highest rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | 1790–1810 | Ōzeki | |
| 2 | 21 | 1772–93 | Yokozuna | |
| 3 | 16 | 1812–22 | Ōzeki | |
| 4 | 10 | 1824–37 | Yokozuna | |
| 5 | 9*[7] | 1899–1910 | Yokozuna | |
| 9 | 1874–84 | Yokozuna |