Kirishima is a Mongolian-born sumo wrestler who reached ozeki, sumo’s second-highest rank. He competed under the ring name Kiribayama before taking the name Kirishima on his promotion to ozeki. This guide explains how he rose from a judo background to the top of the rankings, lost the ozeki rank, and won it back. On the Nagoya 2026 banzuke, announced June 29, he sits at East ozeki, mounting his second bid for promotion to yokozuna.
Key facts about Kirishima
- He came to sumo from judo with no prior sumo experience, joining Mutsu stable as the second wrestler to carry the Kirishima name.
- He reached the top makuuchi division in January 2020 and won the Fighting Spirit Prize on debut with an 11-4 record at age 23.
- He earned ozeki promotion in 2023 and won his first championship that March from the rank of sekiwake.
- He later lost the ozeki rank, then won it back by taking the March 2026 tournament.
- He has won three top-division championships: March 2023, November 2023 and March 2026.
Background and early career
Kirishima was born in Mongolia and joined Mutsu stable (Mutsu-beya), whose stablemaster was the former wrestler Kirishima. That made this Kiribayama the second-generation Kirishima. The Mutsu stablemaster brought five Mongolians in for a trial entry and chose Kiribayama, who had no prior sumo experience and came from a judo background.
He climbed steadily through jonokuchi, jonidan, sandanme and makushita, winning a sandanme championship in November 2015 and later a makushita championship. Injuries slowed his rise in the lower divisions, including a partial tear of the medial collateral ligament of his left knee and surgery near the little finger of his left hand. It took him 22 tournaments from jonokuchi to reach juryo, and he then passed through juryo in five tournaments, earning promotion to new juryo in March 2019.
Style and physique
Around his makuuchi debut Kirishima was listed at 184 cm and 129 kg, relatively light by modern sumo standards. His preferred style is a left-hand-inside (hidari-yotsu) grappling game built on force-outs and throws. That grip-fighting approach, rather than sheer size, carried him up the banzuke.
Rise to the top division
He reached the top makuuchi division in January 2020, the 26th Mongolian-born wrestler to do so, and won the Fighting Spirit Prize in his debut top-division tournament with an 11-4 record at age 23. In July 2020, his first tournament ranked in the joi at the top of the division, he beat ozeki Takakeisho for his first win over an ozeki but finished 6-9.
He earned his first winning record in the joi in September 2021, beating ozeki Shodai and Takakeisho to go 9-6, which earned promotion to komusubi. He posted his first double-digit win total in the joi with 10 wins in May 2022.
Promotion to ozeki and first championship
In January 2023 he went 11-4, beating champion ozeki Takakeisho, and won the Technique Prize — the start of his ozeki run. At his next tournament in March 2023, ranked sekiwake, he won his first championship by defeating Daieisho in a playoff after a come-from-behind finish, and took the Technique Prize again. He clinched ozeki promotion with 11 wins in May 2023 and debuted as an ozeki in July 2023 at age 27.
On reaching ozeki he took his stablemaster’s active ring name, changing his shikona from Kiribayama to Kirishima. His ozeki debut in July 2023 was rough — a default loss on day one, two days off, and a 6-9 losing record — but he survived his first kadoban tournament at 9-6. An ozeki who posts a losing record becomes kadoban and is demoted if he fails to get a winning record in the following tournament. In November 2023 he won his second championship with a personal-best 13-2 record.
Stable move and loss of rank
In March 2024, when the Mutsu stablemaster reached mandatory retirement age, Kirishima transferred to Otowayama stable, run by former yokozuna Kakuryu. He held the ozeki rank for six tournaments in his first stint, with a combined record of 45 wins, 35 losses and 10 absences, before losing the rank.
After demotion he spent 11 tournaments ranked at sekiwake and below, and at one point dropped as low as maegashira 2. He kept winning through that span, taking Fighting Spirit and Technique prizes and averaging about 9.5 wins per tournament, a record of 104 wins and 61 losses over that stretch.
Return to ozeki
Kirishima returned to ozeki after winning the March 2026 tournament, capping a comeback run of 11-4, 11-4 and 12-3, with the last of those a championship. Under the current ranking system he is only the third wrestler to return to ozeki after losing the rank, the most recent prior case being Terunofuji. His March 2026 title was his third top-division championship, following his March 2023 and November 2023 wins. He was 29 at the time of his championship-sealed return and turned 30 around that comeback.
Career timeline
| Tournament | Milestone |
|---|---|
| November 2015 | Sandanme championship |
| March 2019 | Promoted to new juryo |
| January 2020 | Top-division debut, 11-4, Fighting Spirit Prize |
| September 2021 | First winning record in the joi (9-6), promoted to komusubi |
| March 2023 | First championship from sekiwake, Technique Prize |
| July 2023 | Ozeki debut, name change to Kirishima |
| November 2023 | Second championship, 13-2 (personal best) |
| March 2024 | Transfer to Otowayama stable |
| March 2026 | Third championship (12-3), return to ozeki |
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Kirishima from?
Kirishima is a Mongolian-born sumo wrestler. He came to the sport from a judo background and joined Mutsu stable with no prior sumo experience.
Why did Kiribayama change his name to Kirishima?
On his promotion to ozeki he took his stablemaster’s active ring name. His stablemaster was the former wrestler Kirishima, so the new ozeki became the second-generation Kirishima, changing his shikona from Kiribayama to Kirishima.
How many championships has Kirishima won?
He has won three top-division championships: in March 2023 from the rank of sekiwake, in November 2023 with a personal-best 13-2 record, and in March 2026 on his return to ozeki.
Did Kirishima lose and regain the ozeki rank?
Yes. He held ozeki for six tournaments in his first stint before being demoted. He then spent 11 tournaments ranked at sekiwake and below, dropping as low as maegashira 2, before winning the March 2026 tournament to return to ozeki.
Has any other wrestler returned to ozeki the way Kirishima did?
Under the current ranking system, Kirishima is only the third wrestler to return to ozeki after losing the rank. The most recent prior case was Terunofuji.
What is Kirishima’s wrestling style?
He favors a left-hand-inside (hidari-yotsu) grappling game built on force-outs and throws. Listed at 184 cm and 129 kg around his top-division debut, he was relatively light by modern sumo standards and relied on grip-fighting rather than size.
