Photo by Michihiro Taguchi — shot ringside.
Aonishiki is a Ukrainian-born sumo wrestler who became an ozeki at age 21. He fled the war in his homeland, reached the top makuuchi division in March 2025, and at the November 2025 Fukuoka tournament won his first title and was promoted to ozeki at age 21. He has since taken back-to-back championships. On the Nagoya 2026 banzuke, announced June 29, he drops back to sekiwake — ten wins in July would restore the ozeki rank immediately. This guide explains his rise from refugee to ozeki, and the road back toward yokozuna, the highest rank in professional sumo.
Born in Ukraine. He came to Japan after the February 2022 invasion to keep wrestling, joining Ajigawa stable.
Fastest of his generation. He reached the salaried jūryō division about a year after his debut.
Back-to-back champion. He won the November 2025 and January 2026 tournaments, beating yokozuna Hoshoryu in his first title playoff.
Ozeki at 21. He earned promotion on 34 wins over three tournaments — the first wrestler since Futabayama to win as a new sekiwake and new ozeki in consecutive basho.
Stats. He stands 180 cm and weighs 136 kg, fighting from a low, right-inside grip.
From Ukraine to the dohyo
Aonishiki took up sumo at the age of seven. The sport has a surprisingly large following across Europe, and he wrestled as a boy in Ukraine. In February 2022, the Russian invasion of Ukraine changed the course of his life. He had been accepted to a national university, but instead chose to leave the war behind in search of a place where he could keep wrestling — and came to Japan. Through a connection of his school coach, he entered Ajigawa stable.
Ajigawa stable is run by the former sekiwake Aminishiki. The stablemaster has said he first thought about turning the boy down: with only one Japanese deshi, taking on a foreigner felt unbalanced for the stable. He took him in anyway, and the gamble paid off faster than anyone expected.
A meteoric rise through the ranks
He stepped onto the ring in the maezumo preliminary bouts ahead of the September 2023 tournament. What followed was a remarkable ascent:
- Jonokuchi — 7 wins, division championship
- Jonidan — 7 wins, division championship
- Sandanme — 6–1
- Makushita — three tournaments, 6–1 in each
The makushita division is where many gifted youngsters hit a wall. Aonishiki cleared it in just three tournaments with a combined 18–3, barely breaking stride. The first man to beat him on the way up was Nagamura in sandanme; in makushita he dropped only one bout per tournament.
Reaching jūryō in just one year
In November 2024, Aonishiki was promoted to jūryō — only a year after starting at the very bottom of the rankings. Wrestling all 15 days, he posted a 10–5 record, then followed it with an even stronger 12–3 the next tournament. From his arrival in jūryō, he went on to record double-digit wins for eight tournaments in a row.
Breaking into makuuchi
Aonishiki reached the top makuuchi division at the March 2025 tournament. The step up did nothing to slow him: across his first four makuuchi basho he went 11–4 every single time. He collected the Fighting Spirit Prize twice and the Technique Prize twice over that stretch, marking himself as the most consistent of the sport’s new generation.
His sumo is built on getting his head low and attacking from underneath. Standing 180 cm and weighing 136 kg, he is not the biggest man on the dohyo, so he wins from below — mainly a right-inside (migi-yotsu) force-out, backed up by pushing and throws.
A first championship and promotion to ozeki
At the November 2025 Fukuoka tournament, wrestling at sekiwake, Aonishiki went 12–3 and won his first top-division championship — in only his fifth makuuchi tournament. He beat yokozuna Hoshoryu in the championship playoff to seal it. He was 21 years old. Going into that playoff he held a clean record over Hoshoryu, having beaten him in all three of their previous meetings, and he won the deciding bout after working his way behind the yokozuna. The full account is in our report on Aonishiki’s first title.
The result earned him promotion to ozeki, on the strength of 34 wins over three tournaments in the joi, the sanyaku ranks. It was only his 13th tournament counting from jonokuchi. At his promotion ceremony he vowed not to disgrace the ozeki rank and to aim still higher.
Back-to-back titles and the Futabayama comparison
At the January 2026 tournament Aonishiki won the championship again, taking back-to-back titles. He beat ozeki Kotozakura on the final day, then defeated Atamifuji in the championship playoff with a left-arm head throw (kubinage). Winning as a new sekiwake and then as a new ozeki in consecutive tournaments was a feat not seen since Futabayama, roughly 89 years earlier — a comparison Aonishiki himself found embarrassing. The details are in our report on his back-to-back championship.
Reaching ozeki at 21 places him in rare company. The only wrestlers to make ozeki at 20 were the second Takanohana, Taiho and Kitanoumi; at 21, Hakuho and Kashiwado — and every one of them went on to become a yokozuna.
The road to yokozuna — and a setback
Aonishiki has said openly that he aims to become a yokozuna. One obstacle stands out: as of the start of 2026, he had lost all four of his bouts against fellow new-era rival Onosato, sitting at 0–4. The rivalry between the two is shaping up as the defining story of the sport’s next era.
The March 2026 tournament brought his first real setback. His run of eight straight double-digit tournaments ended and he posted a losing record, with a fracture of his left little toe found during the basho. He entered the May 2026 tournament as a kadoban ozeki — needing a winning record to keep the rank — having been away from the ring since leaving the Kobe regional tour on March 31.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Where is Aonishiki from?
Ukraine. He came to Japan after the 2022 invasion of his home country to continue wrestling.
Q. What stable does Aonishiki belong to?
Ajigawa stable, run by the former sekiwake Aminishiki. He joined through a connection of his school coach.
Q. How fast did Aonishiki become an ozeki?
He was promoted to ozeki after the November 2025 tournament — his 13th basho counting from jonokuchi — on 34 wins over three tournaments.
Q. How many championships has Aonishiki won?
Two, back to back: November 2025 and January 2026. He beat yokozuna Hoshoryu in his first title playoff.
Q. How old is Aonishiki?
He was 21 when he won his first championship and was promoted to ozeki.
Q. How tall is Aonishiki and how much does he weigh?
He stands 180 cm and weighs 136 kg, and wins with a low, right-inside style.
Photos by Michihiro Taguchi, shot ringside at the venue.
