Late bloomer Kisenosato will be hoping to get off on the right foot when he faces rank-and-file wrestler Takekaze in his debut as yokozuna on the first day of the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday.
All four yokozuna — one Japanese and three Mongolian — will be competing in the elite makuuchi division for the first time in 17 years at the March 12-26 meet at Edion Arena Osaka, with stats showing Kisenosato has little to worry about on opening day.
The 30-year-old Kisenosato, the first Japan-born yokozuna since Wakanohana in 1998, has a 20-5 record against the 37-year-old Takekaze, a top maegashira and two-time winner of the Fighting Spirit Prize.