In the days since he defeated fellow ozeki Kotoshogiku to win his first makunouchi championship at the Haru Basho in Osaka on Sunday March 23, new Mongolian yokozuna Kakuryu has been getting used to the helter-skelter off the dohyo lifestyle he will have for the rest of his sumo career.

With his 14-1 Emperor’s Cup victory following on from another 14-1 score in January, albeit with a play-off defeat to eventual winner Hakuho that time round, few were in any doubt as to whether or not he would be unveiled as the sport’s 71st yokozuna grand champion in 257 years of recorded history.

Most of those that did harbor doubts soon saw them evaporate when a Monday meeting of the Yokozuna Deliberation Council all but rubber-stamped comments made by current council chief Kitanoumi a day earlier that supported the advancement of what will be the sport’s fifth consecutive non-Japanese and fourth consecutive Mongolian to be promoted to the rank.