'I've Done Enough' - Beloved Wrestler Announces Retirement At 48

As a wrestler, Satonofuji competed in 175 Grand Sumo tournaments in Japan. He went 521-627 while missing just 21 out of nearly 1,200 matches for injury. Over the last 15 years he has missed a grand total of three matches.

Satonofuji never rose above the third division of professional sumo though, which means he was never able to earn a proper salary in the sport. 

But he is perhaps better known for being the ceremonial bow-twirler at the end of each day of wrestling since 2013. In 2024, he broke the 40-plus-year-old record for ceremonies completed with 631. It's a tradition he has taken extremely seriously in his years of doing it.

"It was a great experience. The bow-twirling ceremony purifies the dohyo at the end of the day. Each movement has meaning, and I performed them with that in mind."

As for why he's chosen to retire now, Satonofuji pointed to the upcoming retirement of his stablemaster, former Yokozuna Asahifuji - his longtime friend.

"I love sumo. If I was going to do it, I wanted to do it until my stablemaster's retirement. Thanks to that, two Yokozuna emerged, and I was able to perform the bow-twirling."

As for his plans now that he's retired, Satonofuji has said he plans on joining a restaurant business.

Believe it or not, Satonofuji is neither the oldest nor the longest-tenured professional sumo wrestler. 

He's nearly a year younger than Shoketsu Yoshiaki, who turns 49 in just four months. As for experience, five other wrestlers have been competing longer than he has with the longest-tenured being 48-year-old Sawaisamu Tomokazu, who made his debut all the way back in 1992.