Photo by Michihiro Taguchi — shot ringside.
In sumo, Kisenosato is a yokozuna whose career split sharply in two: an ozeki who almost never missed a day, and a grand champion who was sidelined again and again. By mid-2025 his road back to the ring had become one of the hardest comebacks in the sport — because for a yokozuna, returning means returning as a yokozuna, nothing less.
The ozeki who rarely sat out
For most of his career, up through his years at ozeki, Kisenosato was a model of durability. He simply kept showing up. His only withdrawal in that whole stretch came on the final day of the January 2014 basho, when he sat out and took a forfeit loss. That single absence ended his run of consecutive tournament appearances — counted from his days back in jonokuchi — at 69 basho.
A reversal at the top
Promotion to yokozuna flipped the script. The wrestler who once never sat out became one who could not stay on the dohyo. His withdrawals as a yokozuna stretched to seven tournaments in a row, tying Takanohana for the worst such mark. Counting forfeit losses as absences, his yokozuna withdrawal rate climbed to 63.3 percent — the second worst on record.
The numbers pointed toward an even grimmer milestone. If he were to pull out of the July tournament as well, the rate would rise to 75.8 percent, passing Musashiyama’s 72 percent and leaving him with the worst yokozuna withdrawal rate of all.
A comeback that has to be as a yokozuna
Kisenosato began training again on June 5. The session was kept away from the press — not as some secret special camp, but, it seems, because he did not want to show a body that had gone soft. That detail captures the bind he was in. Futabayama was once described as being just a touch stronger than anyone he faced. The Kisenosato of this period was, against almost anyone, even at best.
That is what made the road so steep. His return could not be a comeback as an ozeki or a sekiwake. It had to be a comeback as a yokozuna — and at that level, half-hearted training would never be enough.
Frequently asked questions
Q. What was Kisenosato like as an ozeki?
Remarkably durable. His only withdrawal up through his ozeki years came on the final day of the January 2014 basho, a forfeit loss that ended a streak of 69 consecutive tournament appearances dating back to jonokuchi.
Q. How many tournaments did Kisenosato miss as a yokozuna?
Seven in a row, tying Takanohana for the worst record. His yokozuna withdrawal rate, with forfeit losses counted as absences, reached 63.3 percent — second worst all-time.
Q. Why was Kisenosato’s comeback considered so difficult?
Because a yokozuna can only return as a yokozuna. He could not drop back to wrestling like an ozeki or sekiwake, and at that point he was, against nearly anyone, even at best.
Photos by Michihiro Taguchi, shot ringside.
