is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler from Ibaraki. He made his professional debut in 2002 and reached the top makuuchi division in 2004 at the age of just 18. After many years in the junior san'yaku ranks, he reached the second highest rank of ōzeki in January 2012. He earned three kinboshi or gold stars by defeating yokozuna in his career leading up to ōzeki and nine special prizes. He scored more than 20 double-digit winning records at the ōzeki rank. In 2016, he secured the most wins in the calendar year, the first wrestler to do so without winning a tournament in that year.
After being a runner-up in a tournament on twelve occasions, he broke through at the January 2017 tournament, winning his first top division championship or yūshō with a record and subsequently was promoted to yokozuna, the first Japanese-born wrestler to reach sumo's highest rank since Wakanohana in 1998. He had been a candidate four times previously (July 2013, January 2014, July 2016 and September 2016), but in each case, he failed to achieve the necessary number of wins. Kisenosato won his first tournament as a yokozuna in March 2017, but suffered a left chest muscle injury in the process and was not able to complete another tournament until September 2018. His eight straight missed tournaments were a record for a yokozuna. In January 2019, he announced his retirement from sumo. He is now an elder of the Japan Sumo Association under the name of .
Early life and sumo background
Yutaka Hagiwara was born in Ashiya, Hyōgo, but moved to Ryūgasaki, Ibaraki when he was two years old. In his second year of middle school, he moved to neighbouring Ushiku but continued to attend school in Ryūgasaki. Though Hagiwara was a fan of watching sumo from a young age, he was on his school's baseball teams as a pitcher in primary and junior high school. He eventually gave up when he realized he was only excelling because of his size. On a chance meeting with the head of Naruto stable, the former yokozuna Takanosato, the stablemaster convinced Hagiwara's initially skeptical parents that he was a great candidate for sumo. Hagiwara eventually joined the stable upon finishing junior high school. The stable was known for its strict environment and the oyakata would encourage him to always use forward-moving techniques in training to better prepare him for tournament situations, rather than go for a quick win by stepping backward.
Career
He fought his first bout in March 2002 under his real name. He rose quickly through the divisions, entering the second-highest jūryō division in May 2004, aged 17 years and 9 months, the second youngest ever jūryō wrestler after Takanohana, whom Hagiwara had idolised when he was a boy. Three tournaments later, in November 2004, he entered the top makuuchi division, again the second youngest (18 years and 3 months) after Takanohana. To mark his entry into the top division his stablemaster gave him the shikona or ring surname of Kisenosato.
His first major top division result was 12 wins against three losses in the September 2005 tournament, where he was awarded the Fighting Spirit special prize. He was promoted to the rank of komusubi in July 2006, which he held until March 2007 when he fell back to maegashira 1.
Early in his top division career, Kisenosato was involved in some controversial bouts with yokozuna Asashōryū. He defeated him for the first time in September 2006 and was awarded the Outstanding Performance Prize. Shaken by this, Asashōryū responded in the next tournament by leaping to the side at the tachi-ai and employing a highly unusual leg-kicking technique called ketaguri. Afterwards, Asashōryū was criticised by the Yokozuna Deliberation Committee for using this rare move. In March 2007 Kisenosato slapped Asashōryū around the face during their match. Asashōryū was so riled by this that he gave Kisenosato a small kick in the back after the bout was over, which prompted much criticism from the Japanese media.