List of sumo record holders
This is a list of records held by wrestlers of professional sumo. Only performances in official tournaments or honbasho are included here. Since 1958 six honbasho have been held every year, giving wrestlers from the modern era more opportunities to accumulate championships and wins. Before this, tournaments were held less frequently; sometimes only once or twice per year.
Names in bold indicate a still active wrestler.
Most top division championships
Most career championships
This table does not include unofficial championships before the current yūshō system was established in 1909.[1]
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Most undefeated championships
This table lists wrestlers with the most championships achieved without a single loss, which is known as a zenshō-yūshō. Tournaments have been consistently fifteen days long since May 1949. Before that date there were a number of different lengths, including ten, eleven, twelve, and thirteen days. The records of Tachiyama, Tochigiyama and Tsunenohana also include some draws, holds and rest days.
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Most consecutive championships
+ Includes a sweep of all six tournaments in 2005. Asashōryū remains the only sumotori to have won all tournaments in a 6-tournament calendar year (post-1949).
† Four of these titles were zenshō-yūshō (undefeated championships) and were part of Hakuhō's second-place streak of 63 consecutive wins.
‡ All of Futabayama's victories in this streak were zenshō-yūshō (undefeated championships) and were part of Futabayama's record setting 69 consecutive wins.
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Most championship playoffs
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Most wins
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Most wins in a calendar year (90 bouts)
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Most consecutive wins
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Name |
Wins[2] |
Start |
End |
Duration |
Defeated by |
1 |
Futabayama | 69 | 7 January 1936 | 3 January 1939 | 2 years, 11 months and 27 days | Akinoumi |
2 |
Tanikaze | 63 | 1 October 1778 | 6 February 1782 | 3 years, 4 months and 5 days | Onogawa |
Hakuhō | 63 | 14 January 2010 | 2 November 2010 | 9 months and 19 days | Kisenosato |
4 |
Umegatani I | 58 | 1 April 1876 | 8 January 1881 | 4 years, 9 months and 7 days | Wakashima |
5 |
Tachiyama | 56 | 9 January 1912 | 7 May 1916 | 4 years, 3 months and 28 days | Tochigiyama |
6 |
Chiyonofuji | 53 | 7 May 1988 | 15 November 1988 | 6 months and 8 days | Ōnokuni |
7 |
Taihō | 45 | 2 September 1968 | 2 March 1969 | 6 months | Toda |
Most consecutive wins from entry into sumo
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Name |
Wins |
Start |
End |
Duration |
Defeated by |
Highest rank |
1 |
Jōkōryū | 27 | 2 July 2011 | 13 January 2012 | 6 months and 11 days | Senshō | Komusubi |
2 |
Itai | 26 | 1 November 1978 | 11 May 1979 | 6 months and 10 days | Ōnishiki | Komusubi |
Tochiazuma II | 26 | 8 January 1995 | 3 September 1995 | 7 months and 26 days | Dewaarashi | Ōzeki |
4 |
Tokitenkū | 22 | 1 September 2002 | 3 March 2003 | 6 months and 2 days | Furuichi | Komusubi |
5 |
Kototenta | 21 | 1 January 1986 | 1 July 1986 | 6 months | retired | Makushita 43 |
Best top division win ratios
All time
The list includes yokozuna and ōzeki (the highest rank before the yokozuna rank was introduced), but excludes so-called kanban or "guest ōzeki" (usually big men drawn from local crowds to promote a tournament who would never appear on the banzuke again) and wrestlers for which insufficient data is available.
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Modern era
In 1927, Tokyo sumo merged with Osaka sumo and most of the sumo systems were changed, so any pre-1927 records are disregarded. The list excludes active wrestlers. As of November 27, 2016, Hakuhō's ratio is 85.0%.
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Most bouts
Losses by default are excluded.
Most consecutive bouts
Most consecutive career bouts
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Most consecutive top division bouts
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Most tournaments
Most tournaments in top division
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Most tournaments at yokozuna
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Most tournaments at ōzeki
| Name | Total | First | Last | Ended by |
1 |
Chiyotaikai | 65 | March 1999 | November 2009 | Demotion |
Kaiō | 65 | September 2000 | July 2011 | Retirement |
3 |
Takanohana I | 50 | November 1972 | January 1981 | Retirement |
4 |
Kotoōshū | 47 | January 2006 | November 2013 | Demotion |
5 |
Hokuten'yū | 44 | July 1983 | September 1990 | Retirement |
6 |
Konishiki | 39 | July 1987 | November 1993 | Demotion |
7 |
Takanonami | 37 | March 1994 | May 2000 | Demotion |
8 |
Asashio | 36 | May 1983 | March 1989 | Retirement |
9 |
Yutakayama | 34 | March 1963 | September 1968 | Retirement |
10 |
Kotozakura | 32 | November 1967 | January 1973 | Promotion |
Musashimaru | 32 | March 1994 | May 1999 | Promotion |
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Most tournaments in junior san'yaku (komusubi and sekiwake ranks)
| Name | Total | First | Last | Highest rank |
1 |
Kotonishiki | 34 | September 1990 | September 1999 | Sekiwake |
2 |
Kaiō | 32 | May 1994 | July 2000 | Ōzeki |
3 |
Musōyama | 31 | March 1994 | September 2000 | Ōzeki |
4 |
Hasegawa | 30 | November 1965 | September 1974 | Sekiwake |
Kotomitsuki | 30 | January 2001 | July 2007 | Ōzeki |
6 |
Akinoshima | 27 | November 1988 | September 2000 | Sekiwake |
Takamiyama | 27 | November 1969 | September 1982 | Sekiwake |
8 |
Takatōriki | 26 | May 1991 | May 2000 | Sekiwake |
Wakanosato | 26 | November 2000 | September 2005 | Sekiwake |
10 |
Tochiōzan | 24 | May 2009 | | Sekiwake |
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Progress to top division
The table for the fastest progress shows wrestlers with the fewest tournaments from their professional debut to their top division debut since the six tournaments a year system was introduced in 1958. It excludes makushita tsukedashi and sandanme tsukedashi entrants who made their debut in the third makushita division and the fourth sandanme division.
Fastest progress to top division
| Name | Tournaments | Pro Debut | Top division debut | Highest rank |
1 |
Jōkōryū | 9 | May 2011 | November 2012 | Komusubi |
2 |
Ōsunaarashi | 10 | March 2012 | November 2013 | Maegashira 1 |
Hokutōfuji | 10 | March 2015 | November 2016 | Maegashira 11 |
4 |
Kotoōshū | 11 | November 2002 | September 2004 | Ōzeki |
Aran | 11 | January 2007 | November 2008 | Sekiwake |
Shōdai | 11 | March 2014 | January 2016 | Maegashira 2 |
7 |
Itai | 12 | September 1978 | September 1980 | Komusubi |
Konishiki | 12 | July 1982 | July 1984 | Ōzeki |
Tochiazuma II | 12 | November 1994 | November 1996 | Ōzeki |
Asashōryū | 12 | January 1999 | January 2001 | Yokozuna |
Tokitenkū | 12 | July 2002 | July 2004 | Komusubi |
Yoshikaze | 12 | January 2004 | January 2006 | Sekiwake |
Baruto | 12 | May 2004 | May 2006 | Ōzeki |
Sakaizawa | 12 | March 2006 | March 2008 | Maegashira 15 |
Yamamotoyama | 12 | January 2007 | January 2009 | Maegashira 9 |
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Slowest progress to top division
| Name | Tournaments | Pro Debut | Top division debut | Highest rank |
1 |
Hoshiiwato | 115 | May 1970 | July 1989 | Maegashira 14 |
2 |
Kyokunankai | 105 | March 1993 | September 2010 | Maegashira 16 |
3 |
Yoshiazuma | 93 | January 1996 | September 2011 | Maegashira 12 |
4 |
Kotokasuga | 91 | March 1993 | May 2008 | Maegashira 7 |
5 |
Kototsubaki | 89 | March 1976 | January 1991 | Maegashira 3 |
6 |
Toyozakura | 88 | March 1989 | November 2003 | Maegashira 5 |
7 |
Takanomine | 87 | September 1974 | March 1989 | Maegashira 12 |
8 |
Kitazakura | 86 | March 1987 | July 2001 | Maegashira 9 |
9= |
Daimanazuru | 85 | May 1992 | July 2006 | Maegashira 16 |
9= |
Kitaharima | 85 | March 2002 | July 2016 | Maegashira 15 |
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Most special prizes
Special prizes or sanshō were first awarded in 1947. They can only be given to wrestlers ranked at sekiwake or below. For a list of leading current special prize winners, see here
Most gold stars
Gold stars or kinboshi are awarded to maegashira ranked wrestlers who defeat a yokozuna. For a list of current kinboshi earners, see here.
See also
Notes
- ↑ Raiden is said to have won 28 tournaments between 1790 and 1810, Tanikaze 21 between 1772 and 1793, and Kashiwado 16 between 1812 and 1822. Tachiyama won two unofficial championships and nine official, giving him a total of 11.
- ↑ the winning streaks of Tanikaze, Umegatani, and Tachiyama were interrupted by draws and rest days. The others listed were all wins only.
References