SUMO - why isn't Terunofuji already a yokozuna?

Sticko

Sticko

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Since returning to the top division (makuuchi) in July 2020, he's participated in 6 tournaments:
3 tournament wins, 2 runner-up finishes, and a combined record of 79-19-2 (wins losses absences)

Looking particularly at his last 4 tournaments, it's runner-up, runner-up, win, win. 48-12.

At first glance that kind of streak is far beyond what it usually takes to become a yokozuna so why hasn't it happened already? Is it hesitancy because he fell to the lower divisions then climbed back up?

Or did he just lose too many matches in those tournaments?

Looking at the last 3 yokozuna and the tournament performances that got them promoted:

Kisenosato: runner-up (12-3), win (14-1), win (13-2 playoff)
Kakuryu: runner-up (14-1 playoff), win (14-1)
Harumafuji: win (15-0), win (15-0)

In all 3 cases the tournament results prior to the ones I listed ranged from solidly to slightly above average (Kisenosato 10-5, Kakuryu 9-6, Harumafuji 8-7).

Based on these examples it would seem you can rise from slightly above average to yokozuna in just 2 tournaments if you complete them both with 3 combined losses or fewer.

Terunofuji's record over his past 6 tournaments is phenomenal but maybe he's just losing a few too many matches along the way?

What happens if Terunofuji posts his third consecutive 12-3 and either wins or gets runner-up?
 
nothing's written in stone, but the criteria is usually something like winning two consecutive championships or losing the tournament in a playoff at Ozeki rank. that's basically why there's also talk of Takakeisho being up for Yokozuna promotion as he's coming off a playoff loss to Terunofuji.

so while the championships he won before being promoted to Ozeki and his consistency in the top division over the last year will probably be taken into consideration, he's got to have the good back-to-back tournaments at the Ozeki rank.
 
So the main problem for Terunofuji is that despite having back-to-back yusho (tournament wins), he was still at sekiwake rank for the first one.
 
Sticko said:
So the main problem for Terunofuji is that despite having back-to-back yusho (tournament wins), he was still at sekiwake rank for the first one.
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yeah, exactly. i'm sure they'd also like to see higher numbers than 12-3's, but even without the pre-Ozeki championships i'm sure they'd still give the promotion to him if he wins this one even with a 12-3, and the stuff before his Ozeki promotion just makes his case pretty undeniable if he wins or loses in a playoff here regardless of his record.

Takakeisho's case is on a bit shakier ground, but with something like a 14-1 championship i think promotion would be fairly likely for him. in the NHK World preview show (HERE) one commentator thought he'd be promoted with a 15-0 tournament, one though promotion was unlikely even with a championship, and the other thought a championship, no matter what the record, would see him promoted. so who knows, but at least the opportunity seems to be there.
 
I still can't believe how close he is. I remember telling my wife how awesome he was, how great his first yusho was, and how I had always hoped he would be the first guy I saw debut to reach Yokozuna. All while thinking his career was nothing but a distant memory.

I was surprised to see him even still competing at the time. Then a year or two later my wife tells me my boy is back. Bam, motherfucking yusho out the gate! Now here we are, he's made history and might finally reach that hallowed ground. I fucking love sumo.
 
Slick_36 said:
I still can't believe how close he is. I remember telling my wife how awesome he was, how great his first yusho was, and how I had always hoped he would be the first guy I saw debut to reach Yokozuna. All while thinking his career was nothing but a distant memory.

I was surprised to see him even still competing at the time. Then a year or two later my wife tells me my boy is back. Bam, motherfucking yusho out the gate! Now here we are, he's made history and might finally reach that hallowed ground. I fucking love sumo.
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Him and Ichinojou tearing through the ranks as rookies was amazing. Crazy how the overall sumo levels took a nosedive since then.
 
winterbike said:
Because he's Mongolian.
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Nope. If you dont have a clue about sumo better shut it.

I know its the fun sport nowadays to look for racists everywhere instead of trying to understand somenthing but there is no technical way Teru could have been promoted to Yokozuna.
 
listrahtes said:
Nope. If you dont have a clue about sumo better shut it.

I know its the fun sport nowadays to look for racists everywhere instead of trying to understand somenthing but there is no technical way Teru could have been promoted to Yokozuna.
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Tell me about it mate. I've just been watching cries of racism in judo because someone took a dive in a fight and got taken off his Olympic team.
 
winterbike said:
Because he's Mongolian.
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Of the last 6 yokozuna, 4 were Mongolian, 1 was from American Samoa/Hawaii, and 1 was Japanese. You have to go back 23 years to find a second Japanese-born yokozuna.
 
listrahtes said:
Nope. If you dont have a clue about sumo better shut it.

I know its the fun sport nowadays to look for racists everywhere instead of trying to understand somenthing but there is no technical way Teru could have been promoted to Yokozuna.
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The latest Hakuho debacle seems to indicate otherwise:

 
winterbike said:
The latest Hakuho debacle seems to indicate otherwise:

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See posts like that show what you are about. I tell you Teru cant be Yokozuna at this point but instead of aknowledging you were wrong, you just run around look for the next dirt to cry racism. Its not about facts but your pathetic agenda.
 
listrahtes said:
See posts like that show what you are about. I tell you Teru cant be Yokozuna at this point but instead of aknowledging you were wrong, you just run around look for the next dirt to cry racism. Its not about facts but your pathetic agenda.
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I was mostly joking with the first comment, sorry for upsetting you like this, I didn't know you were this soft and sensitive. It must be hard going through life like this.
 
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winterbike said:
I'm getting confused here. Are you calling me or him a woketard? Because I was laughing at him for being a triggered little bitch.
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Folks can be quite understandably sensitive about the matter of social death sentences (and of who gets the privileges of assigning them to whom), since their lives and or livelihoods would be on the line after all, and will tend to react just as if someone was directly threatening them along those lines.
 
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winterbike said:
I was mostly joking with the first comment, sorry for upsetting you like this, I didn't know you were this soft and sensitive. It must be hard going through life like this.
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Nowadays were people get literally canceled in real life by attributing the "racism" atribute to them its nothing to joke about sorry. The Sumo chairmen are very tough on their rikishi which seems like a journey back in time but they are also like that to their japanese rikishi. Look at Asanoyamas ban and he was THE posterboy for possible japanese Yokozuna.

The japanese opened their national sport loaded with religious meaning up for foreigners. Imo that deserves respect.

I followed a physicist world renowned I think it was 2 years ago and because of a tshirt he wore the woke people started a campaign against him and got him fired from his university teaching employment. It is a huge problem because officials are so fear driven that they will sacrifice anyone were you scream loud enough about in social media.
 
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