Today is Mitakeumi’s 28th birthday!

The Nagano-ken born rikishi has been rocketed to makuuchi, in the blink of an eye – makushita tsukedashi 10 in March 2015, maegashira 11 in November of the same year, for his debut in sumo’s first division.

Mitakeumi stayed down the maegashira ranks until September 2016, and then things spiced up a bit: he went 6-9 as a shin-komusubi in November, earned two kinboshi in January 2017, defeating Harumafuji and Kakuryu. That basho, of course, was won by Kisenosato, who got promoted to yokozuna.

Mitakeumi returned to san’yaku in March 2017, and stayed there for an incredible number of seventeen tournaments in a row – either as a komusubi or a sekiwake.

He won two basho, but, disappointingly, never got promoted to ozeki – only Kotonishiki had done so before.

He’s born on December, the 25th of 1992. Happy birthday!