Photo by Michihiro Taguchi — shot ringside.
Kotozakura is a current ozeki in Japanese sumo, fighting out of the Sadogatake stable, and is best known as the grandson of the former yokozuna Kotozakura, whose ring name he now carries. He won his first top-division championship at the 2024 Kyushu tournament in Fukuoka with a 14-1 record, and has not finished better than 10-5 in the twenty months since. Seven of his fifteen tournaments as an ozeki have ended 8-7. He was West ozeki on the Nagoya 2026 ranking sheet, wrestling to save the rank, and saved it. This guide explains his lineage, his rise to ozeki, and what the record says about him now.
Key takeaways
- Kotozakura is a current ozeki, the second-highest rank in sumo, and belongs to the Sadogatake stable.
- He is the grandson of the former yokozuna Kotozakura and fights under the same ring name.
- His father, the former sekiwake Kotonowaka, now heads Sadogatake stable, so the wrestler’s own father is his master.
- He won his first top-division title at the 2024 November (Kyushu) tournament in Fukuoka, finishing 14-1.
- The title was sealed on the final day against fellow ozeki Hoshoryu by hatakikomi, a slap-down.
Where he stands now
Kotozakura has held ozeki since the March 2024 tournament. He is 28, stands 189 cm and weighs 178 kg, and on the Nagoya 2026 ranking sheet he was West ozeki. His career record is 450 wins, 309 losses and 18 days out over 64 tournaments; in the top division, 316–221 with 18 days out over 37.
The championship was in November 2024. What has followed is the part the record shows plainly.
| Tournament | Rank | Record |
|---|---|---|
| March 2024 | West ozeki (new) | 10–5 |
| May 2024 | West ozeki | 11–4 |
| July 2024 | East ozeki | 10–5 |
| September 2024 | East ozeki | 8–7 |
| November 2024 | East ozeki | 14–1, championship |
| January 2025 | East ozeki | 5–10 |
| March 2025 | West ozeki | 8–7 |
| May 2025 | West ozeki | 8–7 |
| July 2025 | East ozeki | 8–7 |
| September 2025 | East ozeki | 9–5, 1 day out |
| November 2025 | East ozeki | 8–7 |
| January 2026 | East ozeki | 8–7 |
| March 2026 | West ozeki | 10–5 |
| May 2026 | East ozeki | 3–9, 3 days out |
| July 2026 | West ozeki | 8–7 |
Seven of his fifteen tournaments as an ozeki have ended 8–7 (our count from the Association sheets above). The losing record in May 2026 left him kadoban, one bad fortnight from demotion, and the 8–7 in July cleared it.
Taguchi’s report card, and his verdict
Michihiro Taguchi has been counting. In September 2025 he coined a term for what Kotozakura had become: the hachi-nana ozeki, the 8–7 ozeki, a harder judgement than the older kunroku ozeki used for a man who only ever manages 9–6. By February 2026 he could point to seven straight tournaments in single figures.
On June 7, 2026 he published a full report card on the first fourteen tournaments at the rank: 120 wins, 86 losses, four days out. Five fortnights in double figures, one of nine wins, six of eight, two losing records — and not a single double-figure fortnight in the whole of 2025. He set out the head-to-head as well: 5–6 against Hoshoryu, 4–8 against Onosato, 5–6 against Kirishima, 1–5 against Aonishiki with five straight defeats, 2–6 against Takayasu. His conclusion ran to one line.
Kotozakura holds the rank of ozeki, but the substance does not go with it.
Michihiro Taguchi, Dohyo no Mokugekisha, June 7, 2026
After the 8–7 that saved his rank at Nagoya, on July 28, 2026, he was blunter still: out of the question, he wrote, and there is no expectation or interest left; the man does not have an ozeki’s underlying strength.
Two things sit against that. Taguchi himself noted in September 2025 that Kotozakura was 27 and that Musashimaru, Harumafuji and Kakuryu all reached yokozuna at 28. And there is a name in the head-to-head that keeps recurring: Oho, Taiho’s grandson, who has taken six of their thirteen meetings during Kotozakura’s ozeki years — including the single defeat in the fortnight Kotozakura won.
Lineage and the Koto- name
Kotozakura carries one of the most storied names in modern sumo. His grandfather was the former yokozuna Kotozakura, who held the same ring name, or shikona. The elder Kotozakura began the Sadogatake tradition of giving every wrestler in the stable a ring name that starts with the character “Koto,” and that custom still shapes the stable today.
The family line runs straight through the stable itself. His father is the former sekiwake Kotonowaka, who now serves as the Sadogatake stablemaster. That makes the wrestler’s own father his master in the training hall, a rare arrangement even in a sport built on family ties.
Career and rise
He attended Saitama Sakae, a school known for its sumo program, entering from junior high school and continuing into high school there. He then joined Sadogatake stable and made his ring debut under the shikona Kotokamatani. Early in his career he won the jonokuchi-division championship, the first rung of the long climb through the ranks.
On reaching the juryo division he took the ring name Kotonowaka, the same name his father had carried. He was promoted to ozeki at age 26, the same age at which his grandfather Kotozakura had reached the rank. In his first tournament as a new ozeki he finished 8-7. He competed for one tournament as an ozeki named Kotonowaka, then adopted the Kotozakura name, completing the link back to his grandfather.
First top-division title
Kotozakura won his first top-division championship at the 2024 November (Kyushu) Grand Sumo Tournament, held in Fukuoka, with a record of 14-1. The race came down to the final day, where the two co-leading ozeki, Kotozakura and Hoshoryu, met head-to-head with a single loss each. The winner would take the tournament.
In the deciding bout Hoshoryu charged hard, but suddenly fell when his overarm grip slipped. The winning technique was recorded as hatakikomi, a slap-down. A fuller account of that day, with ringside photography, sits in our report on Kotozakura’s first title.
Current status
Kotozakura competes as an ozeki, the rank just below yokozuna. A championship is the kind of result that opens the conversation about a yokozuna promotion, the summit his grandfather once reached. Readers new to following the sport can start with our guide to how to watch sumo.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Kotozakura?
Kotozakura is a current ozeki sumo wrestler in the Sadogatake stable. He is the grandson of the former yokozuna Kotozakura and fights under the same ring name.
What rank is Kotozakura?
He is an ozeki, the second-highest rank in sumo, sitting just below yokozuna, the sport’s highest rank.
Is Kotozakura related to a yokozuna?
Yes. His grandfather was the former yokozuna Kotozakura, who carried the same ring name. The elder Kotozakura started the Sadogatake tradition of “Koto-” ring names.
Why did he change his name from Kotonowaka to Kotozakura?
He first fought as Kotonowaka, the name his father had used, and spent one tournament as an ozeki under it. He then took the Kotozakura name, the shikona of his grandfather.
When did Kotozakura win his first championship?
He won his first top-division title at the 2024 November (Kyushu) Grand Sumo Tournament in Fukuoka, finishing 14-1. He sealed it on the final day against Hoshoryu by hatakikomi, a slap-down.
What stable does Kotozakura belong to?
He belongs to the Sadogatake stable, which is run by his father, the former sekiwake Kotonowaka, as stablemaster.
Reporting note: this article draws on Michihiro Taguchi’s ringside reporting and original statistical work published in Dohyo no Mokugekisha — his coinage of the “8-7 ozeki” (September 10, 2025), his count of the run of single-figure tournaments (February 21, 2026), his report card on the first fourteen tournaments at the rank (June 7, 2026) and his review of the Nagoya 2026 tournament (July 28, 2026). Rank, age, measurements, stable, career totals and per-tournament results were rechecked against the Japan Sumo Association’s wrestler profiles and tournament sheets on August 6, 2026. Figures described as our count are arithmetic on those published sheets, not the Association’s own totals.
Updated August 6, 2026.
Read next: the ozeki rank explained · kadoban: the rule that costs an ozeki his rank · Oho, Taiho’s grandson · the day he won his first title
