Ozeki Onozato reveals the factors behind his dramatic victory in the March Grand Tournament and his “stepping stones” for the May Grand Tournament.

Triumphant return after a year of absence

Ozeki Onozato, 24, won the March Grand Sumo Tournament for the third time after a deciding match.

One week after that fierce battle, he began his spring tour with a dedication match at Ise Shrine. He toured the Kansai and Hokuriku regions, making a grand tour of Nanao City in Ishikawa Prefecture on April 5 and his hometown of Tsubata Town in Kawakita County on April 7.

When we asked him about his thoughts on the tour in his hometown after a year of absence, he replied, “I am very happy to be back in Nanao, which is a ‘Sumo Place’ and a ‘Sumo City,

I asked him how he felt about the tour in his hometown after a year.

I am very happy to be able to tour in Nanao, which is a ‘Sumo Town,’ after a year’s absence.

The 2,500 tickets for the Tsubata tour were sold out. Many fans came to see the local ozeki-ranked wrestler.

I’m grateful that so many people showed up, even though it’s a small town,” he said. Since I am from my hometown, many people called me by my childhood nickname, “Dai-chan” (my real name is Taiki). I felt firsthand that I had returned to my hometown. Reconstruction is still in progress, and my grandfather, who suffered the disaster in Uchinada Town (in Kahoku County, Ishikawa Prefecture), is in temporary housing. If I could give even a little cheer to the local people, I would like to ……”

It seems that Ohnosato also got a lot of strength from seeing his old friends.

At the Hadano Grand Sumo Tournament on April 25, Onosato was seen doing preparatory exercises from a little after 9:00 in the morning. He did groin splits facing the wall and stretched carefully before stepping into the ring. On this day, he was practicing lightly, giving a breast thrust to a rikishi in the flat-rock division, but he seems to be getting through the month-long tour by adjusting to his daily physical condition.

Dramatic “championship game” with his “benefactor

After practice was over, a long line of fans formed in front of Onosato, demanding autographs from the winning rikishi, and at one point the followers helped to control the traffic. On the 13th day of the tournament, he suffered his third loss to Sekiwake O-Ho (25), and seemed to have taken a step backward. He looked back on the loss.

When I lost to Wangpeng, I gave up and thought, ‘I can’t win anymore. So I changed my goal to ‘At least win all my matches from here on out and get 12 wins to lead to the next tournament.

As mentioned above, he won all of his matches until the end of the tournament, and he and Takayasu were placed in the championship match with three losses apiece. He had lost two matches against Takayasu. He had a bad record against Takayasu, and Takayasu was the man who had encouraged Ohnosato to join the Nisshonoseki stable. But he was still in a good position to win,

To be honest, it was a bit of a challenge, but at the end of the day, it was all about feelings,” he said.

He was determined to win the match.

If he wins the May tournament or achieves a similar result, he will be promoted to yokozuna in the fastest time in history. Once he steps out of the ring, Ohnosato will be a 24-year-old young man. When we asked him about his favorite celebrities and hobbies, he responded with some surprising words.

I’m not really interested in celebrities. I mean, I don’t watch TV that much, so I don’t know much about recent actresses (laughs). My favorite artist has always been Sensui Sakai of ZARD (40 years old). When I watch videos of him when he was alive, I can feel his transparency.

On the ring, Onosato shows a composure that is uncharacteristic of a 24-year-old. The calmness in his private life is probably reflected in his “demeanor.

In the sequel article, “[What are the requirements for a potential wife…] Ohnosato, who is challenging for the title of yokozuna in the May tournament, confesses his “ideal type” without revealing his true character.