List of yokozuna explained

This is a list of all sumo wrestlers who have reached the sport's highest rank of . It was not recorded on the until 1890 and was not officially recognised as sumo's highest rank until 1909. Until then, was merely a licence given to certain to perform the ceremony. It was not always the strongest but those with the most influential patrons who were chosen.

The first list of (with 17 names in total) was compiled by the 12th Jinmaku Kyūgorō in 1900 but was not regarded as official until 1926 when it was published by the newly formed Japan Sumo Association and updated to 31 names. Since that time, 42 more have been promoted. The Sumo Association have overseen all promotions since Chiyonoyama's in 1951. Two consecutive tournament championships or an "equivalent performance" at level are the minimum requirement for promotion to in modern sumo.

The longest serving ever was Hakuhō, who was promoted in 2007 and retired in 2021.^[1]

The number of top division championships won by each is also listed. Those listed for active before the summer tournament of 1909 are historically conferred from the win–loss records of the time as no system of championships existed up to this time.

List

?	Information is uncertain
†	Wrestler died as
¤	Elder left their position early and quit the Sumo Association

No.	Name		Top division championships	Stable	Home town	Promoted	Retired	Ring-entering style	Elder name
	Rōmaji	Japanese
1	Akashi Shiganosuke				Utsunomiya, Tochigi ?		1649 ? †
2					Tochigi ?		1765 ? †
3	Maruyama Gondazaemon			Nanatsumori	Tome, Miyagi	1749	1749 †
4	Tanikaze Kajinosuke		21	Isenoumi	Sendai, Miyagi	1789	1795 †
5	Onogawa Kisaburō		7	Onogawa	Ōtsu, Shiga	1789	1797		Onogawa
6	Ōnomatsu Midorinosuke		5	Shikoroyama	Noto, Ishikawa	1828	1835		Onomatsu
7			10	Sadogatake	Inashiki, Ibaraki	1830	1839
8	Shiranui Dakuemon		1	Urakaze	Uto, Kumamoto	1840	1844		Minato
9	Hidenoyama Raigorō		6	Hidenoyama	Kesennuma, Miyagi	1847	1850		Hidenoyama
10			7	Jinmaku	Yanagawa, Fukuoka	1861	1865	Shiranui	Oitekaze
11			3	Sakaigawa	Ōzu, Kumamoto	1863	1869	Unryū	Minato
12			5	Hidenoyama	Matsue, Shimane	1867	1867
13			7	Takekuma	Yōrō, Gifu	1869	1870	Shiranui
14			5	Sakaigawa	Ichikawa, Chiba	1877	1881		Sakaigawa
15			9	Tamagaki	Asakura, Fukuoka	1884	1885		Ikazuchi
16			2	Takasago	Satsumasendai, Kagoshima	1890	1896		Izutsu
17			7	Takasago	Yokoshibahikari, Chiba	1896	1901		Hatachiyama
18			2	Oguruma	Shiroishi, Miyagi	1901	1908		Matsuchiyama
19			8	Dewanoumi	Mito, Ibaraki	1903	1914		Dewanoumi
20	Umegatani Tōtarō II		3	Ikazuchi	Toyama	1903	1915	Unryū	Ikazuchi
21			4	Nakamura	Ichikawa, Chiba	1905	1907		Wakashima ¤
22			11	Tomozuna	Toyama	1911	1918	Shiranui	Azumazeki ¤
23			10	Minato	Kobe, Hyōgo	1912	1914		Minato
24			2	Miyagino	Inzai, Chiba	1915	1920	Unryū	Miyagino
25	Nishinoumi Kajirō II		1	Izutsu		1916	1918	Unryū	Izutsu
26			5	Dewanoumi	Osaka	1917	1923	Unryū
27			9	Dewanoumi	Tochigi	1918	1925	Unryū	Kasugano
28	Ōnishiki Daigorō		6	Asahiyama	Yatomi, Aichi	1918	1922	Unryū
29	Miyagiyama Fukumatsu		6	Takadagawa	Ichinoseki, Iwate	1922	1931	Unryū	Shibatayama
30	Nishinoumi Kajirō III		1	Izutsu	Kirishima, Kagoshima	1923	1928	Unryū	Asakayama
31			10	Dewanoumi	Okayama	1924	1930	Unryū	Dewanoumi
32			9	Nishonoseki	Kōchi	1932	1938 †	Unryū
33			1	Dewanoumi	Yokohama, Kanagawa	1935	1939	Unryū	Dekiyama ¤
34			2	Sadogatake	Tsukuba, Ibaraki	1936	1942	Unryū	Minanogawa ¤
35			12	Tatsunami	Usa, Ōita	1937	1945	Unryū	Tokitsukaze
36	Haguroyama Masaji		7	Tatsunami	Niigata	1941	1953	Shiranui	Tatsunami
37			1	Dewanoumi	Hiroshima	1942	1946	Unryū	Fujishima ¤
38			2	Isegahama	Yuzawa, Akita	1942	1953	Unryū	Isegahama
39			1	Takasago	Yawatahama, Ehime	1947	1949	Unryū	Takasago
40			6	Takasago	Taitō, Tokyo	1948	1954	Unryū	Nishikido ¤
41			6	Dewanoumi	Fukushima, Hokkaido	1951	1959	Unryū	Kokonoe
42			4	Tokitsukaze	Sannohe, Aomori	1953	1958	Unryū	Tatsutagawa
43	Yoshibayama Junnosuke		1	Takashima	Ishikari, Hokkaido	1954	1958	Shiranui	Miyagino
44	Tochinishiki Kiyotaka		10	Kasugano		1954	1960	Unryū	Kasugano
45	Wakanohana Kanji I		10	Hanakago	Hirosaki, Aomori	1958	1962	Unryū	Futagoyama
46	Asashio Tarō III		5	Takasago	Tokunoshima, Kagoshima	1959	1962	Unryū	Takasago
47			5	Isenoumi	Tsuruoka, Yamagata	1961	1969	Unryū	Kagamiyama
48			32	Nishonoseki	Teshikaga, Hokkaido	1961	1971	Unryū	Taihō
49			3	Kasugano	Inakadate, Aomori	1964	1966	Unryū	Kasugano
50			6	Dewanoumi	Shin-Kamigotō, Nagasaki	1965	1968	Unryū	Nakadachi
51			6	Kataonami	Gamagōri, Aichi	1970	1971 †	Shiranui
52			10	Kokonoe	Asahikawa, Hokkaido	1970	1974	Unryū	Jinmaku
53	Kotozakura Masakatsu		5	Sadogatake	Kurayoshi, Tottori	1973	1974	Shiranui	Sadogatake
54			14	Hanakago	Nanao, Ishikawa	1973	1981	Unryū	Hanakago ¤
55			24	Mihogaseki	Sōbetsu, Hokkaido	1974	1985	Unryū	Kitanoumi
56			4	Futagoyama	Ōwani, Aomori	1978	1983	Unryū	Magaki
57			3	Dewanoumi	Matsusaka, Mie	1979	1980	Unryū	Musashigawa
58	Chiyonofuji Mitsugu		31	Kokonoe	Fukushima, Hokkaido	1981	1991	Unryū	Kokonoe
59	Takanosato Toshihide		4	Futagoyama	Aomori	1983	1986	Shiranui	Naruto
60	Futahaguro Kōji		0	Tatsunami	Tsu, Mie	1986	1988	Shiranui
61	Hokutoumi Nobuyoshi		8	Kokonoe		1987	1992	Unryū	Hakkaku
62	Ōnokuni Yasushi		2	Hanaregoma		1987	1991	Unryū	Shibatayama
63			4	Ōshima	Tsugaru, Aomori	1990	1992	Shiranui	Isegahama
64	Akebono Tarō		11	Azumazeki	Oahu, Hawaii, United States	1993	2001	Unryū	Akebono ¤
65	Takanohana Kōji		22	Futagoyama	Nakano, Tokyo	1994	2003	Unryū	Takanohana ¤
66			5	Futagoyama	Nakano, Tokyo	1998	2000	Shiranui	Fujishima ¤
67			12	Musashigawa	Oahu, Hawaii, United States	1999	2003	Unryū	Musashigawa
68	Asashōryū Akinori		25	Takasago	Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia	2003	2010	Unryū
69	Hakuhō Shō		45	Miyagino	Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia	2007	2021	Shiranui	Miyagino
70	Harumafuji Kōhei		9	Isegahama	Govi-Altai, Mongolia	2012	2017	Shiranui
71	Kakuryū Rikisaburō		6	Izutsu	Sükhbaatar, Mongolia	2014	2021	Unryū	Otowayama
72	Kisenosato Yutaka		2	Tagonoura	Ushiku, Ibaraki	2017	2019	Unryū	Nishonoseki
73	Terunofuji Haruo		10	Isegahama	Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia	2021	active	Shiranui

See also

• List of past sumo wrestlers
• List of sumo tournament top division champions
• List of '
• List of sekiwake
• List of komusubi

External links

• Web site: ja:歴代横綱 - 日本相撲協会公式サイト . Reigning Yokozuna - Japan Sumo Association Official Site . https://www.sumo.or.jp/Yokozuna/yokozuna/ . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240224025454/https://www.sumo.or.jp/Yokozuna/yokozuna/ . February 24, 2024 . . ja.
• Yokozuna list at the Japanese Sumo Association (English)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Hakuho: Sumo wrestling's greatest champion retires . 2021-09-27.