Photo by Michihiro Taguchi — shot ringside.
Hakuho is, by the numbers, the greatest yokozuna sumo has ever seen. He won a yusho every single year for 16 straight years, strung together a 63-bout winning streak, and lifted his final championship at age 36 — the oldest yusho ever in the six-tournament era. This is a report from his retirement ceremony, alongside the records that frame his case as the all-time best.
A retirement ceremony unlike any other
Hakuho’s retirement event began in unusual fashion. Spectators entered not through the main gate but the south gate, where no ticket check was needed — the first and second floors had separate entrances, and staff stood at the box-seat doors so that only first-floor ticket holders could pass through. A bag of materials waited at every seat: a program, a fortune-bag-style thank-you pouch, a guide to original commemorative goods, a 16-page “Hakuho Newspaper,” and notice of a Hakuho television special. Leaving the bags on the seats raised a small worry that someone might walk off with another guest’s set.
The final dohyo-iri
The program opened as a ceremony, with kabuki from Ichikawa Danjuro. Hakuho then wrestled a last bout against his eldest son before performing his final dohyo-iri, the yokozuna ring-entering ritual. At his side stood two men who would go on to wear the rope themselves: Takakeisho as sword-bearer and Hoshoryu as dew-sweeper. GACKT sang both the Japanese and Mongolian national anthems.
The hair-cutting ceremony
The danpatsu-shiki, the cutting of the topknot, followed a notably long opening address. A long line of public figures took the scissors — among them Mori Yoshiro, Kobayashi Akira, Higashiyama Noriyuki, YOSHIKI, and the Giants’ manager Hara. When a Mongolian guest came forward to cut, Hakuho turned to face the far side of the arena, thick with Mongolian supporters. Former wrestlers Harumafuji, Kyokushuzan, the former Kyokukuni and the former Mienoumi each took a turn. So did the stablemasters Kakuryu, Nishonoseki (the former Kisenosato) and Asakayama (the former Kaio), and active wrestlers including Terunofuji, Hokuseiho, Enho and Takakeisho. The final cut went to his master, the former Chikubayama of Magaki stable. Hakuho bowed to all four sides, and the ceremony closed. A bouquet came from his family, his third daughter read a charming essay aloud, and Hakuho gave his closing remarks. He never showed off the new hairstyle, and the event ran well past schedule — it was already dark outside.
An unremarkable beginning
For all that followed, this great yokozuna started with a losing record. In his debut tournament he went 3–4 in the jonokuchi division — a losing start that places him alongside Showa-era yokozuna Tsunenohana (2–3), Yoshibayama (2–5) and the first Wakanohana (2–3). After that stumble he posted just one more losing tournament in the lower divisions, and reached the top makuuchi division at 19. He remains one of a short list of wrestlers to make makuuchi while still a teenager since the opening of the Ryogoku Kokugikan.
The 63-bout winning streak
Sumo fans know that Hakuho’s winning streak was stopped at 63 by Kisenosato. The streak itself is worth a closer look. Of those 63 wins, four came against Kisenosato — and four-win opponents were not rare in that run, with Baruto, Harumafuji, Kakuryu, Kotoshogiku and Tochinoshin all appearing four times each. The most was Kotooshu, with five; fittingly, the very first win of the streak came against Kotooshu.
Sixteen straight years with a yusho
From his championship at the May 2006 basho, Hakuho won at least one yusho every year for 16 consecutive years. The comparison tells the story: Taiho managed 12 straight years, Chiyonofuji 10, and Kitanoumi 9. Hakuho’s final championship, at the July 2021 basho, carried exactly this weight — it sealed the record. That last yusho also came at age 36, the oldest championship ever recorded in the six-tournaments-per-year era.
The great rivalries
Four wrestlers faced Hakuho 50 or more times — a staggering total. Fifty meetings takes at least eight years and two tournaments to reach, and only happens when two men rank near each other and rarely sit out. Measured from their first bout to their last:
- Kotoshogiku — Hakuho 56–7 (including one win by forfeit), spanning 79 tournaments
- Kisenosato — Hakuho 44–16, spanning 74 tournaments
- Kakuryu — Hakuho 44–8 (including a playoff), spanning 75 tournaments
- Harumafuji — Hakuho 37–22 (including a playoff), spanning 68 tournaments
Each of these rivalries played out over roughly 11 to 13 years.
Frequently asked questions
Q. What makes Hakuho the greatest yokozuna of all time?
The records back it up: a yusho every year for 16 straight years, a 63-bout winning streak, and his final championship at age 36 — the oldest yusho ever in the six-tournament era.
Q. How did Hakuho’s career begin?
Modestly. He went 3–4 in his debut jonokuchi tournament, a losing record, then posted only one more losing tournament in the lower divisions before reaching makuuchi as a teenager at 19.
Q. Who ended Hakuho’s 63-bout winning streak?
Kisenosato. Four of Hakuho’s 63 straight wins had come against Kisenosato himself, and the streak’s very first win was against Kotooshu.
Photos by Michihiro Taguchi, shot ringside.
