Shodai, who won his first makuuchi division title in the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament, was promoted to the second-highest rank of ozeki on Wednesday.
The 28-year-old Japanese fighting out of the Tokitsukaze stable becomes the first newly promoted ozeki since Asanoyama in March and the first Kumamoto Prefecture-born wrestler in 58 years to reach ozeki.
"I humbly accept," Shodai said in his kojo stage speech, a custom for wrestlers newly promoted to the rank.