List of Yokozuna

The 11th yokozuna Shiranui Koemon and the 13th yokozuna Kimenzan Tanigoro (c. 1866)

This is a list of all sumo wrestlers who have reached the sport's highest rank of yokozuna. It was not recorded on the banzuke until 1890 and was not officially recognised as sumo's highest rank until 1909. Until then, yokozuna was merely a licence given to certain ozeki to perform the dohyo-iri ceremony. It was not always the strongest ozeki but those with the most influential patrons who were chosen.

The first list of yokozuna (with 17 names in total) was compiled by the 12th yokozuna Jinmaku Kyugoro in 1900 but was not regarded as official until 1926 when it was published by the newly formed Japan Sumo Association and updated to 31 names. Since that time, 42 more yokozuna have been promoted. The Sumo Association have overseen all promotions since Chiyonoyama's in 1951. Two consecutive tournament championships or an "equivalent performance" at ozeki level are the minimum requirement for promotion to yokozuna in modern sumo.

The longest serving yokozuna ever was Hakuho, who was promoted in 2007 and retired in 2021.

The number of top division championships won by each yokozuna is also listed. Those listed for yokozuna active before the summer tournament of 1909 are historically conferred from the win/loss records of the time as no system of championships existed up to this time.

List

No.	Name	Top Division Championships	Hometown	Promoted	Ring-Entering Style	Icon
1	Akashi Shiganosuke	N/A	Tochigi	?
2	Ayagawa Goroji	N/A	Tochigi	?
3	Maruyama Gondazaemon	N/A	Miyagi	1749
4	Tanikaze Kajinosuke	21	Miyagi	1789
5	Onogawa Kisaburo	7	Shiga	1789
6	Onomatsu Midorinosuke	5	Ishikawa	1828
7	Inazuma Raigoro	10	Ibaraki	1830
8	Shiranui Dakuemon	1	Kumamoto	1840
9	Hidenoyama Raigoro	6	Miyagi	1847
10	Unryu Kyukichi	7	Fukuoka	1861	Shiranui
11	Shiranui Koemon	3	Kumamoto	1863	Unryu
12	Jinmaku Kyugoro	5	Shimane	1867
13	Kimenzan Tanigoro	7	Gifu	1869	Shiranui
14	Sakaigawa Namiemon	5	Chiba	1877
15	Umegatani Totaro I	9	Fukuoka	1884	Unryu
16	Nishinoumi Kajiro I	2	Kagoshima	1890
17	Konishiki Yasokichi	7	Chiba	1896
18	Ozutsu Manemon	2	Miyagi	1901
19	Hitachiyama Taniemon	7	Ibaraki	1903	Hitachiyama Particular style
20	Umegatani Totaro II	3	Toyama	1903	Unryu
21	Wakashima Gonshiro	4	Chiba	1905
22	Tachiyama Mineemon	11	Toyama	1911	Shiranui
23	Okido Moriemon	10	Hyogo	1912
24	Otori Tanigoro	2	Chiba	1915	Unryu
25	Nishinoumi Kajiro II	1	Kagoshima	1916	Unryu
26	Onishiki Uichiro	5	Osaka	1917	Unryu
27	Tochigiyama Moriya	9	Tochigi	1918	Unryu
28	Onishiki Daigoro	6	Aichi	1918	Unryu
29	Miyagiyama Fukumatsu	6	Iwate	1922	Unryu
30	Nishinoumi Kajiro III	1	Kagoshima	1923	Unryu
31	Tsunenohana Kanichi	10	Okayama	1924	Unryu
32	Tamanishiki Sanemon	9	Kochi	1932	Unryu
33	Musashiyama Takeshi	1	Kanagawa	1935	Unryu
34	Minanogawa Tozo	2	Ibaraki	1936	Unryu
35	Futabayama Sadaji	12	Oita	1937	Unryu
36	Haguroyama Masaji	7	Niigata	1941	Shiranui
37	Akinoumi Setsuo	1	Hiroshima	1942	Unryu
38	Terukuni Manzo	2	Akita	1942	Unryu
39	Maedayama Eigoro	1	Ehime	1947	Unryu
40	Azumafuji Kinichi	6	Tokyo	1948	Unryu
41	Chiyonoyama Masanobu	6	Hokkaido	1951	Unryu
42	Kagamisato Kiyoji	4	Aomori	1953	Unryu
43	Yoshibayama Junnosuke	1	Hokkaido	1954	Shiranui
44	Tochinishiki Kiyotaka	10	Tokyo	1954	Unryu
45	Wakanohana Kanji I	10	Aomori	1958	Unryu
46	Asashio Taro	5	Hyogo	1959	Unryu
47	Kashiwado Tsuyoshi	5	Yamagata	1961	Unryu
48	Taiho Koki	32	Hokkaido	1961	Unryu
49	Tochinoumi Teruyoshi	3	Aomori	1964	Unryu
50	Sadanoyama Shinmatsu	6	Nagasaki	1965	Unryu
51	Tamanoumi Masahiro	6	Aichi	1970	Shiranui
52	Kitanofuji Katsuaki	10	Hokkaido	1970	Unryu
53	Kotozakura Masakatsu	5	Tottori	1973	Shiranui
54	Wajima Hiroshi	14	Ishikawa	1973	Unryu
55	Kitanoumi Toshimitsu	24	Hokkaido	1974	Unryu
56	Wakanohana Kanji II	4	Aomori	1978	Unryu
57	Mienoumi Tsuyoshi	3	Mie	1979	Unryu
58	Chiyonofuji Mitsugu	31	Hokkaido	1981	Unryu
59	Takanosato Toshihide	4	Aomori	1983	Shiranui
60	Futahaguro Koji	0	Mie	1986	Shiranui
61	Hokutoumi Nobuyoshi	8	Hokkaido	1987	Unryu
62	Onokuni Yasushi	2	Hokkaido	1987	Unryu
63	Asahifuji Seiya	4	Aomori	1990	Shiranui
64	Akebono Taro	11	Hawaii, United States	1993	Unryu
65	Takanohana Koji	22	Tokyo	1994	Unryu
66	Wakanohana Masaru	5	Tokyo	1998	Shiranui
67	Musashimaru Koyo	12	American Samoa	1999	Unryu
68	Asashoryu Akinori	25	Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia	2003	Unryu
69	Hakuho Sho	45	Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia	2007	Shiranui
70	Harumafuji Kohei	9	Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia	2012	Shiranui
71	Kakuryu Rikisaburo	6	Sükhbaatar, Mongolia	2014	Unryu
72	Kisenosato Yutaka	2	Ibaraki	2017	Unryu
73	Terunofuji Haruo	10	Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia	2021	Shiranui
74	Hoshoryu Tomokatsu	2	Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia	2025	Unryu