Last week’s series on winners of most bouts during a calendar years have raise debates upon readers – many thanks for that. Apart from the topic, many questions where about yokozuna or yokozuna wanna-be performances, which broadened our views and enriched the discussion. It was largely helped by the first part, which was dedicated to Hakuho – the GOAT’s aura really shines at every corner, doesn’t it ?
Anyway, thanks to our readers, a new topic is opened, about yokozuna performances. To entertain you, we will publish first a series of questions. Answer, as well as more detailed information will be brought after.
Unless said otherwise, our questions refer to the modern era only (starting from 1958). Enjoy our quiz !
1. Let’s start with a reasonable warm up: who is the only yokozuna who never won a single basho during his entire career ?
a. Futahaguro
b. Wajima
c. Kirishima
d. Kotokaze
2. We have to look before the modern era to find the last ozeki to be promoted to yokozuna without having won a tournament. Who was it ?
Tip : unlike Futagahuro, he won yushos after his promotion.
a. Terukuni
b. Tochinishiki
c. Azumafuji
d. Chiyonoyama
3. Speaking about yushos, how many wrestlers have not won a single yusho during their yokozuna careers ?
Note : the yushos may have been won before 1958. We’re looking at the whole careers of yokozuna who have been active since 1958.
The correct answer of the first question is, of course, included !
a. Two
b. Three
c. Four
d. Five
4. How many yokozuna have been make-koshi despite competing all fifteen days ?
a. One
b. Two
c. Three
d. Four
5. What happened to him / them ?
a. It caused huge scandal and he was / they were expelled from sumo
b. He was / they were allowed to continue, due to the fact that he / they won the previous basho
c. He / they retired from their duties
d. The Yokozuna Deliberation Council did not consider resignation
6. And how many yushos has he / have they won, combined, afterwards ?
a. None
b. One
c. Six
d. Twelve
7. Of the ten last yokozuna, how many have earned promotion without winning two yushos in a row as ozeki ?
a. Two
b. Three
c. Four
d. Five
8. How many dai yokozuna were active during the modern era ?
a. Nine
b. Ten
c. Twelve
d. Fifteen
9. Sumo year 2017 saw a quartet of yokozuna, composed of Hakuho, Harumafuji, Kakuryu and Kisenosato. Which year saw the creation of the previous quartet ?
a. 1990
b. 1992
c. 1995
d. 2000
10. The four yokozuna were…
a. Chiyotaikai, Musashimaru, Hokutoumi, Asashifuji
b. Onokuni, Hokutoumi, Akebono, Kirishima
c. Chiyonofuji, Onokuni, Hokutoumi, Asashifuji
d. Chiyonofuji, Chiyotaikai, Takanohana, Onokuni
11. What can we say about the situation that happened after eleven bashos ?
a. Each tournament has been won by a yokozuna
b. Each tournament has been won by a non yokozuna
c. Each yokozuna won at least one yusho
d. There were no more yokozuna
e. There was a fifth yokozuna
12. By the way, what is the highest combination of yokozuna seen at the same time ? The question covers the period from 1909 to 2019
a. Four active yokozuna
b. Four active yokozuna and a fifth awaiting retirement ceremony
c. Five active yokozuna
d. Five active yokozuna and a sixth awaiting retirement ceremony
13. Back to the modern era, the three yokozuna to have won six yusho in a row are…
a. Chiyonofuji, Takanohana II, Asashoryu
b. Chiyonofuji, Taiho, Hakuho
c. Taiho, Asashoryu, Takanohana II
d. Taiho, Asashoryu, Hakuho
14. The feat of winning seven yusho in a row has been accumplished by…
a. Taiho
b. Takanohana II
c. Asashoryu
d. Hakuho
e. No one
15. And many foreigners have been promoted to yokozuna ?
a. Four
b. Five
c. Six
d. Seven
Good luck, don’t hesitate to drop a comment with your answers!
Question 9 is actually wrong. The last quartet to be created prior to 2017 was in 1999, which consisted of Akebono, Takanohana, Wakanohana, and shin-yokozuna Musashimaru.
Er, I got that wrong. Thanks! I’ll sort this out
You could build a Sporcle quiz (or line of Sporcle quizzes!) on this and other sumo trivia. Would be fun!
I like quiz myself and I’d love to, but it will depend on the success of this one! :)
This is great! Though I only knew 2 correct answers (without looking stuff up on the internet).
But so is there a precise definition of ‘dai yokozuna’? I was just assuming it meant something like ‘great’ or ‘top’ yokozuna.
…ps: I guess there is a kind of ambiguity concerning question 14 about winning 7 yusho in a row. This is because the Haru Basho in 2011 was cancelled in the middle of a winning streak. If we consider that cancelled basho not to have occurred then the total streak is 7 – and there would thus be 2 yokozuna to have achieved the feat of 7 in a row.
You are right! That is another 7-er.
It’s not an official title, but it refers to yokozuna winning ten yushos.
It’s not an official title, but it refers to yokozuna who won 10 yushos.
dai yokozuni is a yokozuna with 10 or more Emperor Cup victory. yushos achieved in lower ranks counted.
This is hard! Okay, without looking at other replies:
1) A Futahaguro
2) C Azumafuji (which is purely a guess)
3) A Futahaguro and a mystery man. I’m just assuming this is rare.
4) A One
5) C
6) A (because he’s no longer in sumo)
7) A Two (Kakuryū and Kisenosato)
8) A Nine
9) Don’t know
10) Don’t know
11) Don’t understand the question
12) A Four
13) D
14) E No one has ever won seven in a row
15) D Seven (Musashimaru, Akebono, Hakuho, Asashōryū, Harumafuji, Konishiki, Kakuryū) Not listed one order.
This’ll prove my ignorance!
14) E No one has ever won seven in a row
except for:
asashoryu 2004-11 – 2005-11
exactly seven yushos
Okay. Well, I got that one wrong, then. That’s my answers to the quiz. Not making statements. I am prepared to receive a failing grade.
The important thing is, did you have fun trying your luck ? Did you learn new things ? I’d be glad to hear so ! :)
Yes, of course I had fun. I’m not doing the research yet. I’ll wait for your answers to the quiz.
With a 4-11 record, you just avoid juryo demotion ;)
Is the 11th question hardly understandable ? The question is about the situation arising 11 tournaments after the arrival of the last yokozuna quatuor : did yokozuna win all 11 yushos ? Did they win none of them ? Did each yokozuna win at least one yusho ? Did they retire all, or did they saw, on the contrary, a fifth rikishi joining them ?
My quiz question is: has the internet killed general knowledge?
My AoE is horse racing: back in the day I could have reeled of a list of Derby, St Leger, Grand National winners etc AND I could have told you the names of the owner, trainer and jockey AND on a clear day with a following wind I could have told you who finished second, third and maybe even fourth. These days I’d just google it.
But with no googling:
1. Futahagaro
2. Terukuni rings a bell but no idea why
3. Two. Pure guess.
4. Two. DEFINITELY happened to Wakanohana, I’m guessing he wasn’t unique.
5. The Yokozuna Deliberation Council did not consider resignation
6. None. Again using Wakanohana as the exemplar.
7. Two. Kisenosato and Kakuryu didn’t win two in a row but before that I think they went through a period of applying the rule strictly.
8. Twelve. I can think of Taiho, Wajima, Kitanoumi, Chiyonofuji, Akebono, Musashimaru, Asashoryu, Takanohana, Hakuho as definites. Maybe Kitanofuji? and I’m assuming that I’ve missed a couple of the earlier ones.
9. 1990
10. Chiyonofuji, Onokuni, Hokutoumi, Asashifuji (easy, all the other options had one non Y)
11. There were no more yokozuna
12.Four active yokozuna and a fifth awaiting retirement ceremony (pure guess)
13.Taiho, Asashoryu, Hakuho
14. Taiho
15. Six, namely Akebono, Musashimaru, Asashoryu, Hakuho, Harumafuji and Kakuryu