Photo/Illutration Kotonowaka, right, shakes hands with his father and stablemaster, Sadogatake, on Jan. 28 in Tokyo’s Koto Ward. (Koichiro Yoshida)

Rising star Kotonowaka will soon surpass his father’s achievement in the sumo world, when he is promoted to the second-highest rank of ozeki. 

But the 26-year-old sekiwake won't have the family bragging rights as he sets his eyes on promotion to yokozuna, the sport's highest rank. 

Kotonowaka admits that he can't fight as fiercely as his grandfather Kotozakura, who was nicknamed “the Raging Bull” and promoted to yokozuna in 1973 at the age of 32.

“But I can catch up to him in rank,” said Kotonowaka.

Although Kotonowaka missed his first championship after losing to yokozuna Terunofuji on Jan. 28 in a playoff at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament, he met the requirement for promotion by winning 33 of 45 matches in the last three tournaments.

“I’ve managed to climb up little by little with the support of those around me,” said Kotonowaka. “I have to aim higher.”

Born into a sumo dynasty, the Chiba native, whose real name is Masakatsu Kamatani, is an uncompromising sumo wrestler, relentless in his drive. 

Raised in a sumo stable run by his grandfather, Kotonowaka wore his first sumo belt when he was only 2 years old.

He grew up absorbing everything there is to know about the sport, from the discipline and etiquette required of wrestlers to the strict hierarchy of the sumo world and the menial household tasks assigned to lower-rank wrestlers.

Although Kotonowaka was considered a "thoroughbred" in the sumo world, he did not achieve immediate success at Saitama Sakae junior and senior high schools, known for their competitive sumo teams.

In his senior year of high school, Kotonawaka was unexpectedly named captain. Looking back, he believes his coach was trying to prepare him, by giving him the leadership responsibility, for his future career in the professional ranks.

Later, he joined his late grandfather’s Sadogatake stable, now headed by his father, a former sekiwake whose ring name was also Kotonowaka.

The young Kotonowaka worked hard at the stable once led by his famed grandfather, whose motto was “overcome injuries by training harder.”

Although he struggled to advance from the makushita rank, Kotonowaka finally got promoted to juryo at age 21, taking his father’s ring name at the same time.

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