Welcome back everyone, very pleased to share the latest installment of my Top 100 Rikishi of the Modern Era countdown series.

12. 52nd Yokozuna Kitanofuji (1964-1974, 1,325 points in 64 basho, 10x Yusho)

Kitanofuji occupies a unique spot in sumo history as one of a handful of rikishi who reached 10 top-division championships but lack the traditional era-defining aura that delineates the top tier of dai-Yokozuna (unfortunately, this post is much too small to fully tease out the very subjective definition of dai-Yokozuna). Regardless, he was undoubtedly the best rikishi in the world for a small window of time, and his classic rivalry with Tamanoumi II has him deservedly ranked just outside the top 10 here. Cracking the top division with only the third Juryo zensho yusho in history (a feat equaled by only two men since), Kitanofuji broke through with the greatest debut in top-division history at that point: a 13-2 score that earned him his first career sansho as well. It took him no time at all to establish himself as a san’yaku regular, and by 1966, he had been promoted to Ozeki after a string of solid performances at Sekiwake.

By this point, his rivalry with Tamanoumi had begun to take shape, with Kitanofuji just beating the latter out in the race to Ozeki and in the chase for a maiden yusho. In late 1969, with the legendary Taiho’s dominance beginning to crack, both men took the next step and assumed their places atop sumo’s hierarchy. Over a two-and-a-half year stretch, the two took 12 of 14 yusho, collected 8 jun-yusho, earned simultaneous promotions to Yokozuna, and at one point combined for three consecutive zensho yusho (check out this epic struggle between the two on the final day of May 1971, Kitanofuji’s 6th yusho). Unfortunately, as detailed in my blurb for Tamanoumi, their rivalry was cut short after the sudden death of the latter in October 1971. Despite being crushed by the loss of his peer and friend, Kitanofuji admirably fought his way to the yusho in the basho the following month, but his sumo took a turn for the worse shortly thereafter.

Over the remaining two and a half years of his career, Kitanofuji was only occasionally a contender, usually outpaced by rising talents such as Kotozakura, Wajima, and Kitanoumi. Nevertheless, he managed to snag another two championships (including a third zensho) before his retirement, even as his body and his youthful contemporaries began to catch up with him. In retirement, his legend continued to grow as he coached both Chiyonofuji and Hokutoumi to their own Yokozuna promotions and a combined 39 Emperor’s Cups before beginning a career as a sumo commentator. Now 81 years old, Kitanofuji is one of the oldest surviving Yokozuna, and I hope we manage to appreciate him properly before he’s gone. After all, he’s one of only 10 men to have won 10 yusho in the Modern Era, was part of one of sumo’s most famous historic rivalries, and reigned supreme as the sport transitioned from the Taiho-Kashiwado era to the Kitanoumi-Wajima era.

11. 64th Yokozuna Akebono (1990-2001, 1,485 points in 63 basho, 11x Yusho)

One of the most influential figures in the history of the sport, Akebono is responsible for bringing an untold number of fans from around the world into the sport, as well as paving the way for foreign-born Yokozuna by becoming the first gaijin to earn the white rope. Towering over the rest of the banzuke at 6’8″ and over 500 lbs., the list of rikishi who have expressed a more menacing aura than the Hawaiian is a very short one indeed (I think there’s an argument to be made that such a list is empty). After racing through the lower ranks without once recording a losing record, Akebono broke into Makuuchi in late 1990, when the banzuke still featured 4 Yokozuna, including the legendary Chiyonofuji. Just a year and a half later, all 4 had retired, leaving ozumo without a Yokozuna for the first (and thus far, only) time in the Modern Era. Akebono quickly announced his intentions to fill this power vacuum, taking his maiden yusho in the first basho after Hokutoumi’s retirement and sealing promotion to Ozeki.

Although an injury spoiled his debut at the rank, the new Ozeki followed up his first yusho triumph with back-to-back Cup-winning efforts in the winter of 1992-93. In contrast with the controversy that had surrounded fellow Hawaiian Konishiki’s unsuccessful Yokozuna bid the year prior, Akebono’s promotion was largely well-received, at last breaking the Japanese hegemony at the top of the sumo world. If you’ve never had the chance to watch an Akebono match, check out the bout that completed his Yokozuna run against a young Takanohana II, who was quickly emerging as his chief rival; his power made him appear nigh-unbeatable when he was on. After adjusting to the pressure of the tsuna in his Yokozuna debut, Akebono terrorized the banzuke for the rest of 1993, recording 13 wins in 4 straight basho and winning 3 consecutive championships to end the year. Unfortunately, 1994 marked an end to his unchecked dominance, as he suddenly had to contend with both injuries and Takanohana coming into his prime. Although Akebono remained competitive with Takanohana in their head-to-head bouts, the latter was far more consistent against the rest of the competition, meaning the former was often left to accumulate jun-yusho rather than Emperor’s Cups.

At the turn of the century, Akebono had gone 3 years since winning his 9th yusho, with many withdrawals and absences along the way. Having just turned 30, it seemed as though his career might be in its twilight, to be supplanted by a surging Musashimaru and a new generation of rikishi. Yet, as is often the case with the truly great rikishi, he managed to triumph against all odds, accumulating a 76-14 record over the course of 2000 and clinching his long-awaited 10th (and 11th) yusho. This final victory, in the last basho of his career, saw him reach 14 wins for the first time in over 5 years, defeat 6(!) Yokozeki, and topple both of his greatest rivals in the final two days to clinch the title (here’s the senshuraku showdown with his countryman Musashimaru). Few rikishi have had a better swan song. In retirement, Akebono followed an unconventional path due to financial difficulties, fighting (rather unsuccessfully) in different disciplines and even becoming a professional wrestler before his health took a turn for the worse. Tragically, he has been absent from the public eye after a heart attack necessitated a medically-induced coma, and not much is known about his condition today. Nevertheless, his legacy on the dohyo is undoubtedly one of the greatest stories sumo has ever told, thanks to his trailblazing resume, championship pedigree, and all-time rivalry with Takanohana. The sumo world continues to send you all our best, Akebono.

10. 70th Yokozuna Harumafuji (2004-2017, 1,498 points in 78 basho, 9x Yusho)

To finish off today’s writeup, I’m pleased to introduce the first rikishi in the top 10 of the Modern Era and the third-greatest wrestler of the 21st century: Harumafuji. Born into a Mongolian wrestling family, Harumafuji (first fighting as Ama) came to Japan as a teenager and blitzed up the banzuke, attaining sekitori status shortly before his 20th birthday. Six months later, he had secured promotion to Makuuchi, and he cut his teeth in the maegashira ranks as he grew into his muscular frame and adjusted to the speed and strength of the top division. The stiff competition at the top of the banzuke early in his career (featuring the Asashoryu-Hakuho duopoly and a fearsome Ozeki corps) forced him to refine his technique, a challenge which would pay off in spades when he made his breakthrough in 2007-08. In those two years, he became a san’yaku mainstay, racked up heaps of sansho, and even began challenging for yusho as he completed an Ozeki run.

Even as his Yokozuna countrymen continued to dominate the field, the newly-christened Harumafuji made it clear that if any of the 5 Ozeki on the banzuke were to contend with Asashoryu/Hakuho, it would be him. In May of 2009, he outdueled both men in a tightly-contested yusho race to clinch his first Emperor’s Cup, downing Hakuho in a playoff after defeating Asashoryu on Day 14. In fact, during a 20-basho stretch from 2008-2011, Harumafuji was the only man besides those two to win the yusho, twice triumphing but ultimately unable to string together multiple tsuna-worthy basho. However, just when people had begun to wonder whether he’d ever break through Hakuho’s stronghold, the Ozeki put together what is likely the most impressive Yokozuna run in the Modern Era, scoring back-to-back zensho yusho in July and September of 2012. In both tournaments, he entered the final day needing to defeat Hakuho to seal the title, and on both occasions, he delivered (the second bout is an absolutely iconic match that featured both men at their best).

Now a peer to Hakuho at the top of the banzuke, Harumafuji quickly made good on his promotion by scoring a third zensho yusho in just his second tournament as a Yokozuna, his 5th championship overall. The two Mongolians oversaw a changing of the guard as a new Ozeki corps made their way up the ranks, and many a basho culminated with a senshuraku clash between the two (only one pairing surpasses their 24 final-day musubi no ichiban matches). Though injuries would begin to plague Harumafuji in 2014, he was still a consistent contender when healthy, winning 3 more championships and accumulating a slew of jun-yusho. In late 2017, however, over a year since his last triumph, it seemed as though the Yokozuna was entering the latter stages of his career. After starting the September basho a paltry 2-3, he could have hardly been blamed for pulling out and resting up. With the other 3 Yokozuna kyujo, however, he maintained the dignity of the rank and remained in the tournament, slowly but steadily creeping up the leaderboard as the favorites collapsed one by one. On the final day, he twice felled Goeido to clinch his 9th and final Emperor’s Cup in dramatic fashion. He would never mount the dohyo again. Much could and has been written about the controversy surrounding Harumafuji’s retirement in the aftermath of the Takanoiwa scandal, in which the Yokozuna assaulted the latter and inflicted serious injuries. While I don’t intend to rehash the incident here, it is unfortunately impossible to discuss his career without mentioning it, and it’s a shame that his legacy has been tarnished by his actions off the dohyo. Nevertheless, his performances as a rikishi are well-deserving of his spot among the top wrestlers of the Modern Era, and none who watched him will soon forget his clashes with the legends of the sport, his technical acuity, and his champion’s spirit.

As always, thanks for reading, and I hope you all enjoy the conclusion to the Nagoya basho!

-Chiyomomo