Who is Mitakeumi?
Mitakeumi is a former ozeki sumo wrestler from Nagano, Japan, who fights for the Dewanoumi stable. He won three top-division championships, the first as a sekiwake in July 2018, and held the second-longest streak of consecutive tournaments ranked at sekiwake or komusubi in sumo history. This guide explains his career, his fighting record, and his rise and fall at the ozeki rank.
Key takeaways
- Mitakeumi won three top-division titles: July 2018, September 2019 and January 2022.
- He debuted in March 2015 as a makushita #10 tsukedashi after winning the Student and Amateur Yokozuna titles at Toyo University.
- He held a streak of 17 straight tournaments at sekiwake or komusubi, the second-longest such run ever.
- His January 2022 title earned him promotion to ozeki, a rank he held from March to September 2022.
Career and rise
Mitakeumi belongs to the Dewanoumi stable. His real surname is Omichi. Because another wrestler already competed under the reading “Daido” for the same family-name kanji, he took the ring name Mitakeumi. He comes from Nagano.
He reached professional sumo through the college ranks. At Toyo University he won both the Student Yokozuna and the Amateur Yokozuna titles, and those amateur championships earned him a makushita #10 tsukedashi debut, a starting position reserved for the strongest collegiate wrestlers. He made his professional debut in March 2015, with his first bout against Meisei.
His climb was fast. He cleared makushita in two tournaments with matching 6-1 records, then won the championship immediately upon promotion to new-juryo and cleared the second division in two tournaments, going 11-4 and 12-3. In May 2016, his fourth top-division tournament, he won the Fighting Spirit Prize. The reigning yokozuna at that time were Hakuho, Harumafuji and Kakuryu.
In January 2017 he recorded his first wins over yokozuna, beating Harumafuji and Kakuryu for two gold-star upsets, and took the Technique Prize. That tournament also produced his best result in the upper ranks before his first title: 11-4 as maegashira #1. In July 2017 he defeated Hakuho for the first time in his career and also beat the newly promoted yokozuna Kisenosato.
The sekiwake and komusubi record
Mitakeumi defined a long stretch of his career at the titled ranks just below ozeki. He held a streak of 17 consecutive tournaments ranked at sekiwake or komusubi, 11 at sekiwake and 6 at komusubi. That run stands as the second-longest in sumo history, behind Wakanosato’s 19. Across the streak he posted a 132-90-3 record and collected two championships, five Outstanding Performance prizes and one Technique prize.
He is the only wrestler ever to record a double-digit run of consecutive sekiwake or komusubi rankings twice. At the time of his promotion to ozeki, he also held the record, tied with Terunofuji, for the most championships won while ranked at sekiwake or below, with three.
Notable results
Mitakeumi won his first top-division championship in July 2018 in Nagoya, as a sekiwake with 13 wins. It was the Dewanoumi stable’s first title since Mienoumi in January 1980, and it made him the 25th sekiwake to win a top-division championship, the previous one being Terunofuji in May 2015. The Emperor’s Cup was presented by chairman Hakkaku, the former yokozuna Hokutoumi.
| Championship | Tournament | Rank | How it was decided |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st title | July 2018 (Nagoya) | Sekiwake | 13 wins |
| 2nd title | September 2019 | Sekiwake / komusubi tier | Playoff win over Takakeisho |
| 3rd title | January 2022 | Sekiwake / komusubi tier | Final-day win over Terunofuji |
His second championship came in September 2019, when he defeated Takakeisho in a playoff. His third came in January 2022. On the final day, the two-loss Mitakeumi met the three-loss Terunofuji in the last bout and won by yorikiri, a force-out, to take the title outright and avoid a playoff. That championship secured his promotion to ozeki. He fought through this period alongside contemporaries such as Asanoyama and Takayasu.
Ozeki promotion and demotion
Mitakeumi was promoted to ozeki by unanimous decision after the January 2022 tournament, with the promotion messengers received on January 26, 2022, at age 29. His stablemaster was Dewanoumi, the former Koganohana.
His time at the rank was short. As an ozeki he posted a winning record only in his debut tournament in March 2022, followed by a run of losing tournaments. His demotion from ozeki was confirmed in September 2022 after a loss to Sadanoumi.
Current status
After leaving the ozeki rank, Mitakeumi dropped back into the maegashira ranks. By the March 2023 tournament he had fallen to maegashira #3, where he went 4-11, having turned 30. He remains a member of the Dewanoumi stable.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many championships has Mitakeumi won?
Mitakeumi has won three top-division championships: in July 2018, September 2019 and January 2022. He won the first as a sekiwake with 13 wins.
What stable does Mitakeumi belong to?
He belongs to the Dewanoumi stable. His July 2018 title was that stable’s first top-division championship since Mienoumi in January 1980.
When was Mitakeumi promoted to ozeki?
He was promoted to ozeki by unanimous decision after the January 2022 tournament, with the messengers received on January 26, 2022. He was demoted from the rank in September 2022.
What is Mitakeumi’s real name?
His real surname is Omichi. He competed under the ring name Mitakeumi because another wrestler already used the reading “Daido” for the same family-name kanji.
What is Mitakeumi’s sekiwake and komusubi record?
He held a streak of 17 consecutive tournaments ranked at sekiwake or komusubi, 11 at sekiwake and 6 at komusubi. That is the second-longest such streak in history, behind Wakanosato’s 19, and during it he went 132-90-3 and won two championships.
Which yokozuna did Mitakeumi beat?
In January 2017 he earned two gold-star upsets by beating Harumafuji and Kakuryu. In July 2017 he defeated Hakuho for the first time and also beat the newly promoted Kisenosato.
