Hakuho, at 6 feet 4 inches and 350 pounds, is a big man by most measures, but not enormous in sumo. “Being a yokozuna comes with greater responsibility, including acting as a role model,” Hironori Yano, the head of the Yokozuna Deliberation Council, said in 2019. He has also been faulted for a maneuver in which he sidesteps a charging opponent whose momentum then carries him out of the ring: a legal move, but one considered not in the spirit of sumo, which values head-to-head confrontation. He has also been criticized for rough tactics, including excessive slapping in the face and giving extra shoves after a bout was over, as recently as his valedictory win in July. But because the official ceremonies were not yet over, this was seen as breach of etiquette, and he was admonished by the sumo authorities. In 2019, he urged the audience to clap after a tournament. But he sometimes ruffled feathers in his tradition-laden sport. Hakuho’s prowess and record are undeniable. It was his 16th “perfect victory,” as a tournament with no losses is called, also a record. Hakuho won his final event with a 15-0 record. In top tournaments, each wrestler has a bout each day for 15 days. But he rolled back the years in July in Nagoya, in his only tournament of the year, to take his 45th career title.
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