Sumo bouts are fought in a ring measuring 4 meters 55 centimeters (14.9 feet) in diameter. Matches are decided either by driving one's opponent out of the ring or by making a part of his body other than his feet touch the ground. Size and strength are therefore among the most important ingredients for victory, but not necessarily the elements that attract fans. Recently the size of the rikishi (wrestlers) has been increasing while the mobility has declined. As a result, many of today's matches are slower. Perhaps this is why Wakanohana, who relies on superior speed and agile techniques to make up for his lack of size, has long been a fan favorite.

Takanohana, who is two years younger than his brother Wakanohana and has won 19 grand tournaments since turning pro in 1992, is already notching a place for himself in sumo history as one of the sport's greatest. Wakanohana's promotion to sumo's pinnacle, which came three and a half years after that of his younger brother, marks the first time two brothers have shared the rank of yokozuna. According to statistics compiled by the Nihon Sumo Kyokai (Japan sumo association), only one in every 310 rikishi make it to yokozuna. From this perspective, two brothers sharing this rank at the same time is in itself quite miraculous.

During a Grand Sumo Tournament, six of which are held each year in odd-numbered months, juryo and makuuchi wrestlers have one match a day for 15 days. Those who compile eight or more victories ensure themselves of a higher rank for the next tournament. Wrestlers with the rank of ozeki, the next highest after yokozuna, who capture at least two consecutive tournaments have a good shot at promotion to yokozuna; two consecutive records of eight losses or more guarantee a demotion in rank. For yokozuna, the price of losing is even greater. They are looked up to as paragons, and thus there is no demotion. A yokozuna who posts a string of losing records has only one option--retirement.

In the world of sumo, rank determines everything. Even outside the ring, in everyday affairs like meals and bathing, higher ranking wrestlers are given priority. Lower ranking wrestlers are assigned all cooking and cleaning chores. They also serve as personal attendants to the sekitori (wrestlers ranked juryo and above).

The brothers created a sensation, dubbed "Waka-Taka fever" by the Japanese press, when they first entered sumo in the early 1990s, and they quickly became national idols. Their rapid success as teenagers, however, also stirred strong envy and resentment among the older rikishi they were rapidly overtaking in the rankings. But like his younger brother, new yokozuna Wakanohana has let nothing come between him and the top. The champion brothers seem ready to take sumo to a new level of popularity.