What is a tsunatori? A wrestler's run at sumo's top rank
Tsunatori (literally 'taking the rope') is fan and media shorthand for an ozeki whose recent form puts him within reach of promotion to yokozuna. It is not an official status the Japan Sumo Association announces. The rough bar is two consecutive top-division championships, or a comparable run, with the JSA and its Yokozuna Deliberation Council deciding. Heading into the September 2026 tournament, ozeki Kirishima is described as being on a tsunatori bid - confirm the current situation with the JSA.
Whether any wrestler is on a tsunatori changes every tournament. Confirm the current situation with the Japan Sumo Association. Japan Sumo Association ↗
What you are seeing
- Commentary and the arena's Japanese announcements will mention a wrestler's tsunatori when he is on this kind of run.
- The pressure shows in his schedule: he faces the toughest opponents in the closing bouts every day.
- A tsunatori that falls short is not a demotion - the wrestler stays ozeki and can try again at a later tournament.
What to watch next
- Track his daily result against the informal bar: a strong start keeps the storyline alive into the second week.
- Watch what the Yokozuna Deliberation Council says after the tournament - they meet and issue an opinion, and the JSA makes the final call.
- If he wins the championship, the ring-entering ceremony at the next tournament may be his first as a yokozuna.
A common first-timer mistake
Treating tsunatori as a formal rank or a guarantee. It describes momentum; promotion still depends on the result and a panel's judgement.
Words you may hear
- Tsunatori
- an ozeki's run at promotion to yokozuna; an informal term
- Ozeki
- the second-highest rank, one step below yokozuna
- Yokozuna Deliberation Council
- the external panel that advises the Japan Sumo Association on yokozuna promotions
Sources and review
Created and photographed in Ryogoku by a Tokyo-based spectator. Facts reviewed against Japan Sumo Association materials on 25 August 2026.