Is a professional sumo wrestler, born 1999. He wrestles for Tatsunami stable and currently has been at the second highest rank of ozeki since the middle of 2023. He is, like a lot of very successful professional sumo wrestlers, from Mongolia. He is also somewhat unusual for rikishi right now. The current meta in Grand Sumo seems to be large and rely on a powerful tachi-ai. The average weight especially in the top division is the highest it's ever been, though extremely heavy rikishi like Konishiki and Musashimaru are very rare and unheard of in the top divisions. Hoshoryu on the other hand is somewhat lighter than a lot of the big lads who make up the apex of Grand Sumo.
What is not light about him, though, is his talent, which is extreme, but which is hampered by the sheer massive weight of expectations laid upon him. You see, Hoshoryu, who is nicknamed Golden Boy for his incredible sweep up the banzuke, has for an uncle Asashoryu. Yes. That Asashoryu. The man who was the dominant yokozuna of the 2000s and who even the GOAT of sumo, Hakuho, struggled to get past at first. There is the further expectation that every Mongolian wrestler that has got to the rank of ozeki has gone on to become yokozuna in their own right. And nobody wants to be the first to break that chain, though the collapse from spitting distance of the rope in January 2024 back to most likely a return to the maegashira ranks of Kirishima seems to have taken that particular load off. Because of his storied family Hoshoryu is also sometimes nicknamed Nephew.
With Terunofuji having 10 Emperor's Cups to his name, and sitting most basho out up on blocks with his chronic knee injuries (are you surprised, the man went up and down the whole banzuke twice before getting his rope), and the JSA allowing him to do so because they insist on having at least one yokozuna at all times, the race is sort of but not really on to see who will be the 74th yokozuna. The competitors in this are Hoshoryu, who has had the longest run at ozeki of the three at the moment (November 2024); Kotozakura, another heavy name awash with expectation given his father was a very competitive rikishi in his day under the name Kotonowaka and his grandfather was a yokozuna himself also under the ring name Kotozakura; and Onosato, a college wrestling phenomenon turned professional who, if he got to the apex of Grand Sumo would only be the second collegiate champion sumotori so do so after Wajima in the 1960s and whose meteoric rise up the banzuke including two Emperor's Cups in 2024 alone really seems to have lit a fire under the arses of Kotozakura and Hoshoryu. Frankly I would not be surprised if all three of them made it, but that's another writeup.
Hoshoryu's wrestling revolves mostly around throws. He is probably the best active wrestler at throws in professional sumo right now. Much like his uncle. He isn't quite as powerful as his uncle though, so he makes up for that by relying more on a sotogake or leg trip. He is fast enough that he can do this regularly and there've been several bouts of his I've seen in which he almost appears to teleport behind or to the side of his opponent. Really, Hoshoryu is the whole package in many ways, and is currently jointly leading the November 2024 basho alongside Kotozakura and Takanosho currently ranked at Maegashira 6. He also has a habit of lengthy staredowns before bouts with one bout against college wrestler turned pro Gonoyama in 2023 causing some consternation when he simply glowered at his opponent for a while before putting his hands down for the tachi-ai. He went on to win that and in high style incidentally. However he hasn't won the cup since the tournament in July 2023 which led to his promotion to ozeki. His is a case of "almost but not quite" very often. I personally think it, once again, is the weight of expectations. Can't be the first Mongolian ozeki not to get to the very top. Can't let down his uncle. It almost became a meme that he would lose his first bout in each main tournament, though he would usually bounce back, and hasn't been make-koshi since making ozeki.
The other thing people notice about him is that he appears to have a severe case of resting bitch face. I heard that this is because he's incredibly myopic, but for obvious reasons can't wear his glasses in the ring. The RBF is a side effect of him having to squint to see anything. To be fair it kind of works. He looks like he's out for blood and I suspect he's beaten some on paper far more impressive physically opponents simply by dint of having appeared to have got their number.
The November 2024 basho is still in progress. If he wins it, he will be odds on to be yokozuna next, and at that point I suspect Terunofuji will likely be put out to pasture.
(IN24/23)