July 2021, there have been a total of 73 yokozuna, although formal record keeping only started with Tanikaze and Onogawa in 1789. Active yokozuna Terunofuji, the 73rd yokozuna, from Mongolia, promoted July 2021. Ōzeki The ōzeki , or champion rank, is immediately below yokozuna in the ranking system. Until the yokozuna rank was introduced, ōzeki was the highest rank attainable. Technically there must always be a minimum of two ōzeki on the banzuke, one on the east side and one on the west. If there are fewer than two regular ōzeki in practice, then one or more yokozuna will be designated "yokozuna-ōzeki". This was seen for five tournaments from May 1981 to January 1982, when three yokozuna (Wakanohana, Chiyonofuji and Kitanoumi) fulfilled this role at various times. The designation would not be used again until the March 2020 banzuke, when only Takakeishō held the ōzeki rank and Kakuryū was designated yokozuna-ōzeki. In January 2023 Takakeishō again was the only ōzeki and the yokozuna-ōzeki designation was given to Terunofuji. There is no limit to the number of ōzeki. In 2012 there were six ōzeki in the May, July, and September tournaments. Promotion to ōzeki The promotion of a wrestler to ōzeki is a multi-tournament process. A wrestler at the rank of sekiwake will be considered for promotion if he has achieved a total of at least 33 wins over the three most recent tournaments, including ten or more wins in the tournament just completed. Promotion is discretionary and there are no hard-and-fast rules, though a three-tournament record of 33 wins is considered a near-guarantee. Other factors toward promotion will include tangibles such as winning a tournament or defeating yokozuna, as well as the wrestler's overall consistency, prowess, and quality of sumo—for example, a record of illegal maneuvers or reliance on certain dodging techniques would count against the dignity expected of an ōzeki. Promotions are recommended by the Judging Division to the Board of Directors of the Japan Sumo Association. If it is a first promotion to the rank a member of the Board of Directors will formally visit the wrestler's stable to inform the new ōzeki of his promotion. The ōzeki will usually make a speech on this occasion, promising to do his best to uphold the dignity of the rank. During the Edo period, wrestlers often made their debuts as ōzeki based on size alone, though their real competitiveness had