is a Mongolian professional sumo wrestler. Currently wrestling for Isegahama stable, he started his career at Miyagino stable in 2024. His highest rank is 16.

Early life Usukhbayar was born in Ulaanbaatar into a family of wrestlers. His great-grandfather was a champion and his father, Gelegjamtsyn Ösökhbayar, is himself one of the great names in , having achieved the rank of State Grand Champion ()—meaning he has won a wrestling tournament four times at a national festival. As a child, he played basketball. At the urging of Hakuhō, Usukhbayar decided to complete his high school education in Japan, enrolling at Tottori Jōhoku High School. At that time, Hakuhō had close ties with his family, as Usukhbayar's great-grandfather had taught Mongolian wrestling to his father, Jigjidiin Mönkhbat. After that, Jigjidiin, in turn, coached Gelegjamtsyn. With no prior experience in sumo, he said he came to love the sport while in high school. After graduating, he immediately sought to join a to become a professional sumo wrestler, but was unsuccessful. He therefore enrolled at Doshisha University to study theology, studying on Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism, among other subjects. On this subject, he stated: "Religion can soothe the mind. What I have learned is also applicable to sumo". During his college years, he won the individual title at the Kanazawa All-Japan University Selection Tournament—which featured 16 universities selected from across the country—and placed third in the individual competition at the West Japan Collegiate Sumo Championships. While he was in college, he had the opportunity to train at Kansai University, where he faced future Aonishiki, though he was unable to defeat him even once. In January 2023, Hakuhō retired and held a retirement ceremony at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo. In an unusual move, Usukhbayar was selected along with two other Mongolians (Hakuhō's son and nephew) to participate in a practice bout dubbed Hakuhō's .

Career After graduating, Usukhbayar joined Miyagino stable, where Hakuhō acted as stablemaster. When he made his debut, Usukhbayar was given the , or ring name, , because his name means "sacred sea" in Mongolian and he wanted to include the concept of sacredness in his ring name. After several suggestions, his coach decided to simply combine his own ring name with the character for . However, it was confirmed at the end of March 2024 that Seihakuhō, and all the wrestlers and coaches from Miyagino stable, would be transferred to Isegahama stable for an indefinite period of time following the abuse case and the retirement of then-Miyagino's top ranker, Hokuseihō.

In his first match in the division, Seihakuhō advanced to a playoff with a record to contend for the championship. However, he was defeated and did not win the championship. In the next tournament, he won with a perfect record to claim the championship. In June 2025, it was confirmed in a Japan Sumo Association press release that Miyagino (the former Hakuhō) would be retiring, effectively closing Miyagino stable and maintaining custody of staff from Miyagino stable to Isegahama stable. Subsequently, in December 2025, it was announced that a number of wrestlers, including Seihakuhō, had changed their ring names to adopt the Isegahama naming traditions. Seihakuhō was given the . Regarding his new name, it was revealed that the kanji for was supposed to be reused and combined with the part referring to in his new name, but that this was impossible because another wrestler was already named Seifuji.

At the January 2026 tournament, Toshinofuji performed well, posting a record and securing a promotion to the ranks by being promoted to the division. After steadily climbing the ranks, Toshinofuji found himself among the top contenders for the championship at the July 2026 tournament, neck and neck with his stablemate Arashifuji. With an record heading into the final day of the tournament, he qualified for a playoff to determine the champion (along with Shōnannoumi, Asasuiryū and Arashifuji). Toshinofuji won his first match against Arashifuji before losing to Shōnannoumi, who went on to win the championship.

When the for the September 2026 tournament was released, it was announced that Toshinofuji's performance would be sufficient for him to be promoted to the top division. Upon his promotion, he mentioned that within his stable—which at the time had nine active —he received particular encouragement from stablemates Atamifuji, Hakunofuji, and Arashifuji.

Fighting style Toshinofuji 's most common , or winning technique, is ('force out'), and he prefers a , or left hand outside, right hand inside grip on his opponent's .

Career record

References

External links