After one of the best years in the ring the past couple of decades, sumo heads into the final January tournament of the Heisei Era poised on the edge of its own era change.
Fedor Emelianenko may be the self-styled "Last Emperor" but what yokozuna Hakuho has done over the past 13 years is arguably even more impressive than the fearsome Russian's total subjugation of the global MMA scene in the 2000s.
The son of a legendary Mongolian wrestler and Olympic silver medalist, Hakuho has dominated sumo for over a decade. His perfect 15-0 victory last September made it a 13th straight year in which he has lifted the Emperor's Cup at least once.