is a Mongolian professional sumo wrestler and the 74th . Wrestling for Tatsunami stable, he made his professional debut in January 2018. He is especially known for his throws; Mongolian sumo wrestlers are often skilled throwers, reflecting the skills used in Mongolian wrestling.
Hōshōryū won his first top division title in July 2023, which subsequently promoted him to the rank of . In the November 2024 tournament he finished runner-up with a strong record, followed up by winning a second top-division title the next meet in January 2025. As a result he was promoted to sumo's highest rank of . For the following four months Hōshōryū would serve as the sole until soon being joined at the rank by rival Ōnosato. He is the nephew of the 68th Asashōryū, who won an exceptional 25 championships and was the first Mongolian to reach the sport's highest rank.
Early life and sumo background Byambasüren was born in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, as the second son of former Asashōryū's eldest brother (Sugarragchaa Dolgorsürengiin), who has a background as a bökh wrestler. Described as a "city kid", he spent all his summer vacations, particularly long in Mongolia (from June to September) camping in yurts. As a child, he was naturally athletic and learned to ride horses at the age of three. At the age of five, he began taking lessons in basketball and judo at the same club as fellow future- Kirishima, saying that together they "were like friends". Born into a wrestling family, Byambasüren often socialized with other professional sumo wrestlers at dinner parties, notably with 73rd Terunofuji, long before becoming a professional himself. He also watched his uncle's matches on television, and developed a great respect for him. Although he was not particularly fond of wrestling, he started taking bökh lessons at the age of 11 and achieved some local successes.
Upon graduation from middle school, he was scouted from Mongolia by Tomohiro Ōsawa, the coach of Japan's sumo club, who visited the country to scout for international sports students. There, he was recognized because his coach saw his look, similar to his famous uncle's "who always seemed to be fighting something". Although he did not feel like wrestling yet, he decided to give in to temptation and took a trip to Japan. He was finally recruited and attended Kashiwa High School in Chiba Prefecture, along future professional sumo wrestlers Ōshōma and Asahakuryū. There, he first joined the wrestling club, saying he was afraid of sumo, but in his first year he took part in a school trip and visited the Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo and became interested in the sport. After consulting with his uncle he committed to trying sumo at the high school level. Though he had no previous experience, he quickly started getting good results in amateur sumo tournaments and was seen as having great potential. In his third year, he was defeated by Tottori Jōhoku High School's wrestler Amartuvshin Amarsanaa at the Inter-High School Championships, allowing Amartuvshin to become the first foreign-born high school-level in history.
Early career and
Hōshōryū joined Tatsunami stable after high school. During this time, he was in regular contact with his uncle who gave him such advice as "build on your own strengths" and "don't put on weight quickly or you'll risk injury." Hōshōryū first stepped into the ring professionally in January 2018. In his debut, he was defeated by fellow debutant Naya, who was also garnering attention as the grandson of the greatly respected Taihō. Because of their strong family ties to sumo, he commented that he and Naya (who later changed his to Ōhō) felt close to each other. In his first official tournament on the in March 2018, Hōshōryū was close to winning the division championship after scoring six consecutive victories, but was defeated again by Naya, who went on to win the championship. Since then, the two wrestlers have maintained a certain rivalry.
In Hōshōryū's second tournament, he took the championship with a perfect record. On his debut in the division, he went when scoring a win in his final match against Hiradoumi, securing promotion to the division. During the summer tours in June, Hōshōryū was unusually chosen by Hakuhō to participate in a training session, showing that he took him under his wing after helping to train him when he was still in high school. In his first tournament in the division, he recorded 3 consecutive victories before recording 3 defeats. In his 7th bout, he was paired against Naya, who also had a score of , putting both wrestlers in a position of potential demotion to the division. Hōshōryū defeated Naya by , the latter suffering the first record of his career and being logically relegated to the lower division for the November tournament of the same year.
In January 2019, Hōshōryū faced former wrestler Ura, who was rising through the ranks after being absent from the ring since the September 2017 tournament. Although Hōshōryū defeated him by , Ura injured his knee again during the match and had to withdraw from the tournament before missing another four consecutive tournaments due to injury. Hōshōryū later said he was nervous about facing a former but felt responsible for the injury, going to the arena infirmary after the match to ask Ura for forgiveness. In May, Hōshōryū also recorded an eighth positive record and had a remarkable match against Kotonowaka, where observers noticed the similarities between Hōshōryū's technique and that of his uncle. In July 2019, Hōshōryū, then ranked as 2, faced competition against opponents who had mostly already been ranked in the division. During this tournament he was called upon to wrestle in this upper-division with a match against , where he suffered a defeat. That month, he suffered his only losing tournament in his rise through the lower divisions.
Hōshōryū quickly bounced back the following tournament in September 2019 and, with a winning record of (), he earned promotion for the November tournament in Fukuoka along with Kotoshōhō. At a press conference, Hōshōryū vowed to surpass his uncle's 25 championships. He also received a kimono from his uncle at the time of his promotion. In his debut, Hōshōryū began the tournament with a victory over Akiseyama, but suffered a record on Day 14, with a loss to Sōkokurai. Despite this setback he logged two records in the next two consecutive tournaments. In the July 2020 tournament (held in Tokyo instead of the usual Nagoya due to COVID concerns) he took part in a rare situation, where six wrestlers were lined up for the championship with ten wins each. In the preliminary stages of the playoff, he defeated Kyokutaisei. The race for the title culminated in a three-man playoff () between three members of Tatsunami stable. This playoff comprised himself, Akua, and Meisei. Bouts between stablemates are only allowed in the case of playoffs, where two or more wrestlers end up with the same record, and is a rare occurrence. Hōshōryū was defeated by former wrestler Meisei, who went on to defeat Akua to take the championship.
Promotion and career Hōshōryū's performance in July 2020 was enough to propel him into the top-tier division for the September 2020 tournament. He is the 50th foreigner to reach the top division, and the 27th Mongolian. In his first match in the division, he won his first victory in the opening match, beating Ichinojō with the surprising (winning technique) of , the two wrestlers having a difference at the time.
In the July 2021 tournament Hōshōryū had his best result in the top division up to that point. On Day 11, he notably defeated Shōdai by , his fastest win to date. In total, he won ten bouts during the tournament, and was awarded his first special prize, the (Technique prize). After the tournament, he also received public congratulations from the executives of the Japan Sumo Association, including Chairman Hakkuku and Nishikido. In October of the same year, Sports Hōchi reported that after the July 2021 tournament he received a comment from the winner of the championship ( Hakuhō) who passed the baton to him in the hope that he would occupy the top of the sumo world. His performance saw him promoted to a new highest rank of 1 for September, but in that tournament he had to withdraw on Day 5 with only one win because of tonsillitis. He returned on Day 8 and won four of his remaining eight matches. In the January 2022 tournament he produced a strong record, and was then promoted to for the first time, ranked at for the March 2022 tournament. He achieved winning records in three consecutive tournaments at , and earned a promotion to for the September 2022 tournament. In the November tournament, Hōshōryū stood out by winning his fifth bout against Midorifuji with a rare winning-move, a technique not seen in 10 years. He was the leader of the tournament after Day 11 with just one loss, but ultimately finished at . Still, it was his best performance to date in the ranks. He received his second Technique Prize of his career by recording his eleventh victory over Kiribayama.
Hōshōryū had hopes of promotion to if he produced double-digit wins in the January 2023 tournament, but he withdrew on Day 10 with a sprained left ankle. He returned to the tournament on Day 12 having missed just one day, and preserved his rank on the final day, winning his eighth match after his opponent Ōnoshō was disqualified for a hair pull. In the March 2023 rankings, Hōshōryū retained his position as . In that tournament he finished with a record. Between March and May 2023, Hōshōryū won enough victories to reach double-digit records. After the May tournament, Judging Department chairman Sadagotake commented on the results and announced that the July tournament would be one where promotion to would be considered if Hōshōryū's results were good enough. Hōshōryū would need 12 wins at the July to reach the normal promotion requirement of 33 wins at in three tournaments.
race and promotion In early June, Hōshōryū returned to Mongolia for the first time in four years, to recover physically and mentally in preparation for his run () to the rank of . There, he benefited in particular from advice from his uncle Asashōryū and declared that he intended to approach the tournament like his previous ones, "as usual" and without worrying too much about promotion. Prior to the July tournament, Hōshōryū also received a designed by manga artist Rieko Saibara, depicting one of the patrons of his stable (Katsuya Takasu) as Genghis Khan and the "blue wolf", a Mongolian legend. Originally, the was to be offered after a possible promotion to the rank of , but Hōshōryū insisted on having it ready at the July tournament.