Kyushu 2026: Day Two

Andy Kyushu 2026, Kyushu Basho ,

Day Two in Fukuoka.

Hitoshi is kyujo with a broken eye socket and bleeding in his eye, injuries suffered in his Day One bout against Tanji. He will likely join Shirokuma in Makushita in January. Brutal sport.

It will be a while before we have a yusho race to follow in Juryo but Tobizaru and Wakatakakage are making an early case for their return to the top division. Wakatakakage defeated Nabatame and Tobizaru took out Onokatsu. Shodai gave it his all against Kayo (that was sarcasm, he basically gave up) and Enho wrangled Tomokaze. Asahifuji got his first win, and so did Eisei, down in Jonidan. Unfortunately, Hikarumusashi couldn’t outmaneuver Ikazuchihayate in Sandanme.

I am gutted to see the comment from sumosquirrel that JME will shutter in the spring of 2027. Sorry I didn’t notice that first; must’ve been asleep at the wheel but I’ll see if I can find more details. Sumosquirrel pointed to Sling as an option. I don’t mean to rant but I hate cable with a passion and I see Sling as another iteration of cable. These silly packages charge for things which are free, over-the-air, and/or just lame as hell. I wasn’t just watching sumo on JME. I’d watch news, documentaries, Japanese dramas, etc. So, I am sad to see it coming to an end.

It looks like the base Sling package is ESPN, Disney, and some worthless freebies. Grit? I’ve got that free with my digital antenna and it’s only worth watching when A Fistful of Dollars happens to be on. You still have to put up with five minutes of ads for gold and reverse mortgages for every 10 minutes of actual programming. And I’m not going to subsidize the talking heads on Cable TV. We won’t get into the reasons I think they’re the worst thing to happen to Western Civilization since Autotune.

Say what you will about NHK, I actually really respect the quality of their news when compared to what we have in the States. They actually cover the world and don’t waste time with silly viral videos and irrelevant garbage or “human interest.” Anyway, I hope I’ll be able to find a new service and I’ll keep you all up-to-date on my search. /Rant

NHK videos are here. Today’s videos include interviews with our newly promoted tate-gyoji pair, Shonosuke and Inosuke.

Makuuchi Action

Arashifuji (2-0) defeated Daiseizan (0-2). Forward sumo defeated Backward sumo. Both men attacked each other with tsuppari. However, Arashifuji advanced behind his blasts while Daiseizan tried to pull and use side-to-side shifting to catch Arashifuji off guard. The storm was never caught off-guard. Oshidashi.

Kitanowaka (1-1) defeated Kyokukaiyu (1-1). Kyokukaiyu tried to duck under Kitanowaka’s blasts to get inside. Eventually, he could only wrap him up with a desperate kubinage. Then he tried Bill Murray’s love-making move from the movie Scrooged, wrapping his leg around Kitanowaka. Kyokukaiyu’s awkward position allowed Kitanowaka to get behind him and blast him off the dohyo and into the third row. Okuridashi.

Tamawashi (1-1) defeated Tokihayate (0-2). Good Old Tom O’Washi brawled with Tokihayate and battered the poor lad until he kicked him out the pub. With the win, Tamawashi moves ahead of Kisenosato into seventh place, three wins behind Kotoshogiku on the all-time makuuchi win list. Tsukidashi.

Dewanoryu (2-0) defeated Asasuiryu (1-1). Play silly games, win silly prizes. Asasuiryu tried to play with Dewanoryu before the tachiai as if he were Hoshoryu. Dewanoryu quickly wrapped him up and rushed him out. Yorikiri.

Ichiyamamoto (1-1) defeated Toshinofuji (0-2). Ichiyamamoto caught Toshinofuji when Toshinofuji tried to pull. Ichiyamamoto blasted forward with tsuppari and shoved him out. I must say, these opening bouts have been much more entertaining than yesterday’s.  Oshidashi.

Asahakuryu (2-0) defeated Abi (1-1). Well, this wasn’t entertaining and was actually quite concerning. Abi may have rolled his right ankle as he braced against the tawara. He crumpled awkwardly under pressure from Asahakuryu, had difficulty getting up and limped his way back up the hanamichi. He’s now on kyujo watch. At this rank, he would be Barge Captain. Oshitaoshi.

Takanosho (2-0) defeated Shishi (0-2). Takanosho’s tsuppari attack was too powerful for Shishi but in all honesty Shishi’s footwork was terrible. He staggered all over the edge of the ring as if he’d been out late with Good Ole Tom. I don’t know how he didn’t break his ankles. Yorikiri.

Oho (1-1) defeated Asakoryu (1-1). Oho used his mass to stop Asakoryu’s initial charge. As Asakoryu pressed forward, Oho quickly slapped him down. Hatakikomi.

Roga (1-1) defeated Oshoma (1-1). Oshoma got a good left-hand overarm grip and tried to pull Roga over the edge. Roga was able to resist the uwatenage and forced action back to the center of the ring. Oshoma decided to pull and Roga took advantage, forcing him over the edge. Yorikiri.

Kinbozan (2-0) defeated Nishikifuji (0-2). Another half-assed pull attempt gone wrong. Nishikifuji tried to pull and shift but Kinbozan kept him well-centered and shoved him off the dohyo. Oshidashi.

Halftime

Kotoeiho (1-1) defeated Gonoyama (1-1). Kotoeiho got his left-hand inside and Gonoyama freaked out, rearing backward. That wasn’t wise as Kotoeiho shuffled with Gonoyama’s momentum and forced him out. Yorikiri.

Takerufuji (1-1) defeated Daieisho (1-1). Takerufuji didn’t get caught leaning too far forward today. He weathered Daieisho’s initial advance and pressed forward when Daieisho reverted to his “reverse” mode. Oshidashi.

Hakunofuji (1-1) defeated Hiradoumi (1-1). Hakunofuji stood up to Hiradoumi, drove him back and powered him out. Hiradoumi tried the pull-and-shift out of desperation but Hakunofuji rode him out. Yorikiri.

Sanyaku

Takayasu (1-1) defeated Fujinokawa (0-2). Takayasu got Fujinokawa’s right arm and did not let go until Fujinokawa was flying off the dohyo. Kimedashi.

Atamifuji (2-0) defeated Ura (0-2). Ura just stood up instead of charging forward. He tried to figure out a way to sneak inside on Atamifuji but Atamifuji drove Ura back to the edge. Ura planted his feet in the bales and wouldn’t go over. So Atamifuji backed across the ring and pulled Ura down. Gunbai Atamifuji. No mono-ii. Ura looked around hoping Atamifuji had stepped out and the judges would confer but they made the right call. Ura was down. Kotenage.

Aonishiki (1-1) defeated Yoshinofuji (1-1). It’s back! It’s been a while since we’ve seen this move from Aonishiki. He last did it here in Fukuoka last year against Kotozakura on his way to the yusho. Aonishiki got his left-hand grip and then chopped at Yoshinofuji’s forward left knee with his right hand while pulling with the left. Uchimuso.

Kirishima (2-0) defeated Fujiseiun (1-1). I wouldn’t allow an Ozeki to get both hands inside. Unfortunately for Fujiseiun, that’s exactly what he did. Kirishima wrapped him up and forced him out. Elementary. Yorikiri.

Kotozakura (1-1) defeated Churanoumi (0-2). Kotozakura shifted left as Churanoumi was pressing forward and that was all she wrote as Churanoumi’s momentum forced him to flop to the clay, with some help from Kotozakura’s slapdown. Hatakikomi.

Onosato (1-1) defeated Fujiryoga (1-1). STOP RUNNING AWAY! Oh, yay, he stopped. Now he’s pressing forward and easily forcing Fujiryoga out. The Yokozuna pressed forward, hooked his arms inside Fujiryoga’s arms and bodied him out. Yorikiri.

Hoshoryu (2-0) defeated Asanoyama (1-1). Not only do these guys have matching knee braces and foot wraps, they have matching orange budgies. Damn. Hoshoryu seized Asanoyama’s belt with his right hand inside, swung him around to the edge and then slammed him back on his butt. Yoritaoshi.

Wrap-up

No more yelling from me today. And I swear, no more griping about cable tv or autotune. I’ve got that out of my system, so thank you for indulging me. But I will fill you all in on whatever I find as an alternative over the course of the next few months.

As we turn to tomorrow’s bouts, we’ve got some real barnstormers. Onosato will fight Asanoyama in the musubi-no-ichiban and Hoshoryu will fight Fujiryoga. Both are first time match-ups, if you believe it.

As we turn to the Ozeki, Kirishima will fight Yoshinofuji, Aonishiki will fight Ura, and Kotozakura will take on Fujiseiun. To close out sanyaku pairings, Fujinokawa will fight Churanoumi and Atamifuji will battle Daieisho.

Kyushu 2026: Shonichi

Andy Kyushu 2026, Kyushu Basho , , , ,

Day One in Fukuoka. Before action started, media reported Shirokuma will be kyujo. He tore a ligament in his right ankle. Mitakeumi received the default win. That’s a tough break for the Number Two guy at Nishinoseki-beya.

In Jonokuchi, Sunamusashi kicked the tournament off with a win. His shusshin is officially Tokyo, but he was raised in Hawaii. Good luck! Hopefully he and Hikarumusashi can learn from each other and steadily climb the banzuke. We look forward to following his career. Eisei will fight Banju in early Jonidan action tomorrow. Lots to cover in Juryo so let’s get moving.

Wakatakakage, naked of any braces or wraps on his knee, overwhelmed Ryuden to pick up his first win. He might be the favorite for the Juryo title after Asahifuji fell to…checks notes…Tamashoho? Really? Wow. The quick slapdown and Asahifuji is stunned. It’s a long tournament and he’ll have an even longer career but an auspicious start, certainly. Ryuho, the other Juryo debutant, won his first bout against Hatsuyama. Enho defeated Wakanosho by first trying a leg grab on Wakanosho’s weak right knee. Wakanosho then chased Enho around the ring and battered him a bit but Enho got that leg and forced Wakanosho out. Meisei lost to Tokifudo.

NHK videos are here.

Makuuchi Action

Kyokukaiyu defeated Daiseizan. Kyokukaiyu established a left-hand belt grip and chugged forward, easing Daiseizan over the tawara. Yorikiri.

Arashifuji defeated Kitanowaka. Arashifuji used his big right hand ottsuke to keep Kitanowaka from getting a left hand grip AND to drive Kitanowaka back. Oshidashi.

Dewanoryu defeated Tamawashi. Tamawashi used his powerful left-hand nodowa to force Dewanoryu back to the edge. However, Dewanoryu managed to get inside and get a right-hand belt grip. “Get him off me! Get him off me!” Tamawashi tried to shove his arms away but by now Dewanoryu worked both arms in there for a firm morozashi. Yorikiri.

Asasuiryu defeated Tokihayate. A great back-and-forth here but Asasuiryu finally corralled Tokihayate and rushed him out of the ring. Yorikiri.

Abi defeated Toshinofuji. Toshinofuji charged into Abi and drove him back to the edge. But Abi shifted left at the edge and slapped Toshinofuji down to the clay. Hatakikomi.

Asahakuryu defeated Ichiyamamoto. Ichiyamamoto pulled and Asahakuryu bulldozed him back easily. Terrible start for Ichiyamamoto fans. Oshidashi.

Takanosho defeated Oho. Oho got some initial penetration into Takanosho’s side of the dohyo as a result of a strong tachiai. However, he yielded it right back to Takanosho as he pulled and Takanosho shoved him back and out. Oshidashi.

Asakoryu defeated Shishi. Shishi tried to get his left hand on Asakoryu’s belt but Asakoryu forced Shishi back and over the edge. Impressive strength from Mighty Mouse. Yorikiri.

Oshoma defeated Nishikifuji. Nishikifuji had just locked on with his left hand when Oshoma shoved Nishikifuji violently to the right and shifted to his left. Nishikifuiji’s momentum helped Oshoma drive him to the ground. Tsukiotoshi.

Kinbozan defeated Roga. One-way bout here as Kinbozan overpowered Roga and quickly forced him over the edge. Yorikiri.

Wakamotoharu defeated Kotoeiho. Wakamotoharu forced Kotoeiho back and out. Yorikiri.

Halftime

Gonoyama defeated Kotoshoho. Gonoyama did not come to play around. He obliterated Kotoshoho with powerful thrusts. Oshidashi.

Hiradoumi defeated Takerufuji. Takerufuji’s torso got out way in front of his feet. It looked hilarious as he tried to slap Hiradoumi down only to bring himself to the clay. Hikiotoshi.

Daieisho defeated Hakunofuji. Daieisho welcomed Hakunofuji to Fukuoka in the traditional manner: Aggravated Assault. Hakunofuji was just trying to buy some salt from the nice guy with the magic water and before he knew what was happening, this brute came out of nowhere and started battering him then thrust him out of the store. Tsukidashi.

Sanyaku

Atamifuji defeated Takayasu. Takayasu tried to spin away from Atamifuji but Atamifuji charged forward with perfect timing and shoved Takayasu out from behind. Okuridashi.

Fujiseiun defeated Fujinokawa. Fujiseiun attacked Fujinokawa and drove him to the edge. As Fujinokawa tried to shift along the bales, Fujiseiun worked to establish firm grips on Fujinokawa’s belt. With his steady footwork, he didn’t allow any openings for Fujinokawa to counter attack and he patiently drove Fujinokawa out. Yorikiri.

Kirishima defeated Ura. When Kirishima charged forward, Ura pivoted and tried to escape to the left. Ura forgot to tell his feet what he was planning, though, and he tripped and rolled across the ring. Yoritaoshi.

Fujiryoga defeated Kotonanahachi. Somehow, I knew this was going to happen and I’m confident that you all did, too. Kotohachinana pulled and Fujiryoga chased him out of the ring by virtue of his steady footwork and solid tsuppari. No need to worry about a tracking any “rope runs” with this Ozeki. Oshidashi.

Asanoyama defeated Aonishiki. I did NOT see this one coming, though. Aonishiki got his left-hand grip. But he couldn’t pull Asanoyama over. Asanoyama wasted no time and went on the offense, with both arms tucked up under Aonishiki’s armpits. He drove into Aonishiki and methodically broke him down. Aonishiki tried to spin away but Asanoyama wrapped him up and used his own left-hand grip to haul Aonishiki to the clay, outside the ring. Yoritaoshi.

Hoshoryu defeated Churanoumi. Churanoumi wanted the left hand maemitsu grip and he had it for a second. Hoshoryu immediately shifted right and slapped Churanoumi’s hand away. Churanoumi then went for the nodowa but Hoshoryu doesn’t have a neck anymore so that attack didn’t really go anywhere. Hoshoryu, for his part, just tried to stay in the ring and on his feet He succeeded. He shifted right and left, baiting Churanoumi into the attack. Churanoumi charged forward and Hoshoryu slipped away again, this time following up with a shove, sending Churanoumi off balance, stumbling over the bales. After collecting his kensho, Hoshoryu looked upward and gave a sigh of relief. One down. Fourteen to go. Oshidashi.

Yoshinofuji defeated Onosato. Onosato charged ahead, boldly forcing Yoshinofuji back to the edge. Yoshinofuji pivoted on the straw bales and let the Yokozuna fall forward. Gunbai Yoshinofuji. Mono-ii. Did Onosato’s finger touch the tawara as he flailed around? Yes, his hand touched. Tsukiotoshi.

Wrap-up

Hopefully, Hakunofuji will realize he’s at a sumo tournament. He will need to as he’s scheduled to fight a the high-octane Hiradoumi tomorrow. Fujinokawa will fight Takayasu. Atamifuji and takes on Ura. Takayasu and Ura need to get their heads in the game, too. Both had rather sloppy Day One losses.

Aonishiki will fight Yoshinofuji, Kirishima will take on Fujiseiun, and Kotozakura will fight Churanoumi. Onosato will try to regroup against Fujiryoga and Hoshoryu will face a massive test with Asanoyama.

I think I’m going to see how much mileage I can get out of comparing the Fujishima-beya Boys to the Duke Brothers. Just a couple of working-class guys from a small, humble heya, fighting The Man and taking it one day at a time. If that’s the case, who’s Uncle Jesse? Maybe Takayasu. More importantly, who’s Daisy? Kotozak…no. He’s Sheriff Roscoe P Coltrane, surely, since Onosato seems to want to be Boss Hogg. We still need a Daisy, though. Oh well, maybe this is where the analogy dies.

It’s great to be back with y’all. As Onosato and Kotozakura stumbled out of the gate, Hoshoryu can finally breathe. However, it’s a long tournament and Hoshoryu was not exactly using great sumo here today. Long tournament? In two weeks I’m going to be lamenting, AGAIN, how quickly the action passed.

Kyushu 2026: Shonichi Preview

Andy Kyushu 2026, Kyushu Basho , , ,

Day One in the historic Hakata district of Fukuoka. Fresh off his victory in September, Yokozuna Onosato will look to win a title in Kyushu for the first time. It is fitting that his first bout this tournament will be against Yoshinofuji, whom he finally managed to beat on his path to that title. Prior to Aki, Yoshinofuji appeared to have access to Onosato’s kryptonite, winning their first three bouts. So, this will be a very tough challenge but with that first win, Onosato might feel like he’s broken the curse, gotten the monkey off his back. It won’t be an easy fight but he can go into it with a clear mind.

On the other hand, Hoshoryu has the weight of his rank on his back. He returns from knee surgery and has been working it out on tour and in practice. But this is a hon-basho. Is he “production ready?” The pressure to perform is not just coming from the press, who constantly reminds fans that he has yet to win a title as Yokozuna; his shisho is looking for nothing less than a yusho. Churanoumi will be a difficult opponent but one to whom Hoshoryu has never lost. Churanoumi will be motivated to represent Okinawans as he is now the highest ranked Okinawan sumo wrestler, ever. These are the most dangerous matchups, in my mind. It’s probably good, then, that I will not be up on that dohyo.

Aonishiki will fight Asanoyama in a first-time meeting (初顔合わせ). It’s rather astonishing to me that these guys haven’t fought yet. But here we are. Asanoyama, the former Ozeki still has hopes of returning to his former rank. There are many new fans will not recall the drama of his sudden fall from grace or even his first comeback. Asanoyama has clawed his way back, again, to the top of the rank and file. Can he make it back into sanyaku? Before the scandal, there had been murmurs of Yokozuna, as there are now for his opponent, Aonishiki. Frankly, I just want to see these guys stay healthy for a while. They will undoubtedly give it all they have. It should be a highlight bout.

Rounding out the Ozeki ranks, Kotozakura will fight Fujiryoga and Kirishima will take on Ura. At Sekiwake, we have Fujinokawa fighting Fujiseiun and Atamifuji battling Takayasu. There are some great rank-and-file matchups, too, like Daieisho versus Hakunofuji, Takerufuji against Hiradoumi and Kotoshoho versus Gonoyama. Wakamotoharu will fight Kotoeiho as he works his way back toward the joi.

I’m also watching Takanosho versus Oho. These guys could easily be fighting each other in the joi or sanyaku. In fact, that’s usually where they face each other. Their performances here toward the lower third of the banzuke could tell us a lot about their condition and prospects for moving back up…or sliding down into Juryo. Similarly, Ichiyamamoto will fight Asahakuryu and Abi will take on Toshinofuji.

American readers in particular, though, will be firing up the VPNs tonight to catch early action Sunamusashi will kick off the action tonight. He completed maezumo in September. He was raised in Hawaii and is the son of former Juryo wrestler, Sunahama. Sunahama was fighting in Juryo back when music was good. (Western Civilization peaked in the 1990s. Autotune ruined everything. I will not accept debate on this issue. But feel free to debate anything else in the comments section.)

Banzuke Prediction: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

lksumo Nagoya 2025

The Kyushu banzuke has been released. How did my prediction do?

The Good

The prediction got the named ranks exactly right, as well as the M1 rank, for 11 perfect predictions at the top. Admittedly, the only real question mark here was whether Fujinokawa’s 11 wins would be enough for him to leapfrog Atamifuji, which he did. The prediction was also perfect from M13 to M17, getting all the exchanges between Juryo and Makuuchi right, as well as the placement of those being promoted. In all, this is 20 ranks nailed exactly at the top and the bottom of the banzuke.

The Bad

Maybe calling it “bad” is a little harsh, but from M7 to M12, the prediction placed only 6 of the 12 rikishi at the exact position, plus 3 more at the correct rank but on the wrong side. All of the misses were the result of just two puzzling decisions by the banzuke committee. M4e Takanosho (4-9-2) got zero benefit for being ranked in the joi and fighting all the top guys, dropping a full 7 ranks, below Asakoryu, Shishi and Oho, who all got over-promoted or under-demoted as a result. But then, M6w Ichiyamamoto, who likewise had 4 wins and a much easier fight card, got a soft 5.5-rank demotion, placing ahead of Abi despite deserving to be a full rank lower by the numbers.

The Ugly

The prediction really went off the rails from M2 to M6. It had only one of the 10 rikishi at the correct rank, and even he ended up on the other side. Lots to complain about here. Why did M2e Takayasu (7-8) not hold rank, when he faced the toughest possible schedule of opponents and deserved to be ranked ahead of Ura and Fujiseiun by the numbers? Why did the committee feel the need to squeeze Takerufuji between the two demoted komusubi, dropping Daieisho to M4w? Why did Kotoshoho, Kotoieho, and Gonoyama get zero credit for their joi schedules?

We’ll have to see if the lack of respect for higher ranks was an idiosyncrasy of this banzuke, or if it’s a new trend. Now, it’s on to the basho!