The latter is considered by many to be the greatest sumo wrestler of all time with 37 tournament titles. Japan?s long wait for a homegrown sumo grand champion has ended after Kisenosato became the first Japanese wrestler to reach the ancient sport?s pinnacle in almost two decades. Kisenosato joins three other wrestlers at the rank of yokozuna, all of whom were born in Mongolia: Kakuryu, Harumafuji and Hakuho. The last Japan-born wrestler to reach the top rank was Wakanohana in 1998. Earlier this week, with his promotion all but a formality, Kisenosato told reporters that the rank of yokozuna came with a special responsibility.

The promotion, by the Japan Sumo Association, was a top news story in the country on Wednesday. That changed on Wednesday, when Kisenosato became the first Japanese athlete since 1998 to receive the sumo title of yokozuna, or grand champion. At a Tokyo hotel on Wednesday, Kisenosato, 30, told officials from the Japan Sumo Association that he had accepted the designation with humility. ?The number of Japanese wrestlers is not growing, that?s for sure,? Mr. Mainoumi said. ?I hope he will do well so that his dignified character and ability are remembered by history.?Kisenosato, who weighs about 385 pounds, becomes the fourth active yokozuna in professional sumo wrestling.