Some Highly Subjective Grades for Nagoya 2026

Josh K Nagoya 2026

Well, hello again. Having been motivated by a fairly spectacular basho, I figured I’d run the red ink over the performances of the 41 makuuchi rikishi who took part. This could have been an exhaustive exercise, but I decided to keep it brief. Agree? Disagree? Feel free to sound off in the comments.

M16W Asakoryu 9-6 – Rebounded well after a shaky start had him staring down demotion. Too early to say if he’s settled into the higher level, but he’ll be joined by his little brother in the next basho. Understood the assignment. B

M16E Daiseizan 6-9 – Didn’t show much in his debut basho, and will get another crack at promotion from upper tiers of Juryo next time out. 6-9 would be respectable if he had been 1-2 ranks higher, but a demotion is a demotion. C-

M15W Kazuma 5-10 – Looked like an absolute destroyer in previous tournaments, but announced himself in the top division in the wrong way. Will hope his demotion isn’t too harsh. D

M15E Onokatsu 4-11 – Clearly not over the injury that knocked him from his comfortable position in makuuchi two tournaments ago. Gave it his diminished best. C-

M14W Shishi 10-5 – Much like the last time he was in a yusho race, tailed off badly towards the end, losing his last 3 and 4 of 6 after being drawn against higher ranked opponents. B-

M14E Kinbozan 9-6 – Got the job done. B

M13W Takerufuji 10-5 – Also lost his last 3, but against tougher opponents in sum than Shishi, including a desperate Yokozuna and the eventual champion. B+

M13E Nishikifuji 10-5 – This is why you really have to contextualise these scores for strength of schedule and the pattern of the basho. Nishikifuji had a similar final result but without facing the week 2 opposition of his stablemate Takerufuji. Probably his best all around performance in recent memory and definitely his best result in the top division for over 3 years. B

M12W Abi 7-8 – I think Kintamayama made a comment to the effect that you’d expect Abi to dominate at this rank. Threw away a promising position for kachikoshi with only 2 wins in the final 7 days. C

M12E Asahakuryu 7-8 – Picked up a couple impressive wins, albeit with the pressure off. C+

M11W Mitakeumi 2-13 – The only framing of a record like this that isn’t a disaster is that you have to show respect for competing all 15 days, some losses being with quite some intent. Hard to watch the former champion at times. D-

M11E Wakanosho 5-2-8 – Looked good early on before injury forced him to withdraw. Should remain in the division for another go, if he’s healthy for September. INC

M10W Chiyoshoma 5-10 – The great enigma won his two toughest matches by rank, but otherwise had a pretty forgettable basho. Turned 35 during the basho and probably just about looked it. Would have wanted to be closer to kachikoshi. C-

M10E Asanoyama 9-6 – Tough to know what exactly we’ve got with the former Ozeki. Looked to be in the yusho race before losing 4 of the last 5, a couple that he probably should have won. Next basho will be at his highest rank for almost 3 years, so that will tell us more about where he’s at. B-

M9W Tobizaru 5-10 – The 34 year old looks to be on a downward trend and didn’t have much of the high octane sumo we’ve come to associate with him over the years. C-

M9E Fujiryoga 10-5 – A pair of 10 win tournaments, and he looks to have started to settle into the level, winning against a few gifted opponents. Missed out on a special prize on the last day, but can feel good about this basho in terms of performance and results. B+

M8W Roga 9-6 – Reeled off six straight wins in the final week to clinch kachikoshi. Wasn’t really tested, most of his matches felt like making up the numbers. Wins largely came against weaker/injured opponents while the losses came against opponents you’d say are mostly a step up, so perhaps this is his level. B-

M8E Wakamotoharu 6-9 – If I had to guess his record just from watching his performances, I wouldn’t have thought he won as many as 6. Has been on a brutal run this year, and won’t have totally arrested the slide. Perhaps not having his brother to prepare with has hurt him in this tournament. D+

M7W Takayasu 11-4 – Picked up one of the five special prizes handed out after racking up 11 wins and hanging in the yusho race until late. Never truly felt like the yusho challenge was going to happen for him, but good to see him looking mobile and strong at 36. A-

M7E Kotoeiho 11-4 – Led the basho after 10 days before running into trouble, having adjusted to the higher level of competition at his highest ever rank. Despite being knocked out of the race, finished strong with wins against two impressive opponents to clinch a special prize. A

M6W Fujiseiun 7-8 – Showed decent application if mostly unmemorable. C+

M6E Shodai 5-10 – Continued to baffle with which version of the former Ozeki should show up on any given day. Usually he’s a pretty good watch, but was more bad than good this time. C-

M5W Oshoma 7-8 – A bit of grim reading, if you see where most of his wins came from. I tend to think Fujiseiun’s record was a slightly better achievement. C

M5E Ura 5-10 – Turned 34 before the basho, attempted gamely to conjure some magic but was a diminished and less powerful version of the rikishi we’ve seen in recent years. C-

M4W Ichiyamamoto 6-9 – Managed a sanyaku upset of Kotoshoho but otherwise looked mostly overmatched at this rank. C-

M4E Daieisho 10-5 – racked up 3 upsets against sanyaku opponents and at times looked indistinguishable from his peak. Wasn’t ever in the yusho conversation, but put himself in the discussion for a likely/possible promotion to sanyaku in the next tournament, which would have been the aim before the tournament. B+

M3W Hakunofuji 9-6 – Struggles a bit with consistency but seems to be developing into a powerful all-around talent who is able to hold his own around top rankers, fitness permitting. There’s a case to be made that this is actually his most impressive result in any basho, given the rank and opposition. Notched his fifth kinboshi, and possibly is headed for sanyaku for the first time. B+

M3E Hiradoumi 4-11 – Had a pretty brutal fixture list in the first seven days and was always playing from behind – while not a carbon copy of past and present stablemates Sadanoumi, Myogiryu and Goeido, all of them rely on a speedy tachiai and establishing an inside position and he was just never able to reliably execute that in this tournament. C-

M2W Churanoumi 7-8 – Felt he gave a good account of himself at his career high rank having looked very overmatched on previous trips to these heights, knocking out both Ozeki and both Komusubi. B-

M2E Gonoyama 7-8 – Had a terribly difficult start with no rank and filers until Day 8, but still managed to recover and score his first career kinboshi, in addition to matching his best performance at his career high rank. B

M1W Takanosho 6-9 – A streaky performance, he looked buried after starting 0-4 against the top rankers but recovered well to notch a creditable score. Did not look close to his previous best, but there’s not a big gap between this result and that of the two previous guys. C+

M1E Fujinokawa 8-7 – Looks set for sanyaku after raising his record to 4-0 against the Yokozuna with another pair of kinboshi, which netted him a special prize. Might have replaced Ryuden as the matta king, as almost every match starts with some kind of timing issue. Otherwise seems to have adjusted well to the level without projecting necessarily as someone who will go higher than Sekiwake. Didn’t face another rank and filer until Day 10 and only faced 2 opponents ranked lower than M3, so did well to get kachikoshi. A-

KW Oho 2-13 – Looked completely overmatched for almost the entire tournament. Only the fifth time since the turn of the century that a Komusubi has finished a basho with no more than 2 wins while competing every day – the first was his dad. D-

KE Yoshinofuji 6-9 – Hung in there for most of the tournament but was always in too deep of a hole to look like grabbing a winning record, despite beating both Yokozuna and the schedule advantage provided by not having to face Atamifuji or Hakunofuji. But as sanyaku debuts go, it could have been a lot worse. C+

S2W Aonishiki 12-3 Yusho – So hobbled was the sekiwake by the injury which struck him from his ozeki rank that it looked in the first week that he’d do well to reach the 10 win mark to reclaim it. To not only stay in the yusho race, but then win two bouts in short order on the senshuraku playoff, was a remarkable achievement. Has now competed in 8 top division basho (excluding the kyujo tournament) and won 3. An unqualified success. A+

S2E Wakatakakage 0-0-15 – Sat out due to serious injury. Here’s hoping for a speedy recovery.

S1W Kotoshoho 6-9 – Having started 3-0, will be bitterly disappointed to have potentially lost his sanyaku rank. Looked strong out of the gate in those early wins, but became too easy to beat in a basho where the fixtures lined up somewhat kindly for him to hold serve. C-

S1E Atamifuji 12-3 – Two early losses looked to scratch him from the running, but appeared and acted unbeatable down the final stretch, winning his last seven and 10 of 11 before going down to Aonishiki in the second playoff bout. Is now on the cusp of Ozeki promotion. A

OW Kotozakura 8-7 – Looked like he might be in trouble early on, but recovered in the second week (with a bit of fixture luck, getting to face the likes of M14 Shishi) to erase his kadoban status and preserve his position. Seemed to be very far from his best and less mobile than in previous tournaments. Still, he achieved the minimum aim. B-

OE Kirishima 12-3 – Had this yusho in his grasp at various points, and performed almost flawlessly against the top rankers: it was losses to Hiradoumi and Churanoumi that likely cost him the title – and the rope. Still, it was a second straight playoff defeat, and third straight 12 win record for the man who has comfortably been the best and most consistent competitor in 2026. Will be on a rope run again in September. A

YW Onosato 9-6 – On the plus side, he completed his first basho since January, and secured a winning record despite it looking like we might see the rare Yokozuna makekoshi. Still, this was uneasy stuff from the brightest talent to enter sumo in recent years. This basho could have been really bad for him, instead it will probably be forgotten. Showed signs of his best in a couple dominant wins, hopefully he can fully recover before September. C

YE Hoshoryu 7-7-1 – Maybe he was wise to pull out and spare us a senshuraku showdown between two potentially 7-7 Yokozuna. Still, questions will linger. He started well enough but dropped 4 of 5 before his withdrawal, and hasn’t won a tournament since his Yokozuna promotion (only being competitive in one this year), having withdrawn in 4 of 9 tournaments. It’s frustrating because few are more technically gifted when he’s on song. When the pair of Yokozuna were promoted, the association probably expected a bit better than we’d seen from the previous generation of Yokozuna over the past several years. C-

Nagoya 2026: Senshuraku

Andy Nagoya 2026, Nagoya Basho , , , , , ,

JME coverage started at 2:30 this morning with the final three bouts of the Makushita yusho playoff. For those of you who couldn’t catch it live, remember JME will replay the action through the day on their dedicated sumo page.

Usually, JME coverage begins with the first bout of Makuuchi, though we occasionally see a Yokozuna dohyo-iri if the action is running a little behind. On senshuraku, JME coverage starts a half-hour early. It’s great to see these Playoffs live.

Asahifuji defeated Wakamiyabi in the Final with a henka, followed by solid migi-yotsu belt work to force Wakamiyabi out. Congratulations Asahifuji!

Next up came the four-way Juryo playoff. As Asashosakari had pointed out in the comments, I had missed the Asasuiryu vs Hatsuyama bout. Asasuiryu won it and earned his spot in the playoff. Shonannoumi lost to Tokihayate, setting the playoff into motion. Toshinofuji and Arashifuji also won their bouts to earn their spots.

The boys drew lots for the semi-final and Shonannoumi beat Asasuiryu, shifting to the side and then spinning Asasuiryu out. Toshinofuji hit Arashifuji with a solid tachiai. Arashifuji pulled but Toshinofuji stuck with him and ushered him out. Shonannoumi defeated Toshinofuji to claim the Juryo yusho. Toshinofuji’s loose mawashi still provided enough leverage for Shonannoumi when he grabbed Toshinofuji’s belt with both hands outside and spun Toshinofuji out over the edge.

Next up was the Yusho presentation ceremony for all of the lower divisions. Here, we saw that Tenshoyama had beaten Tochimusashi for the Sandanme title. Like most of the other playoffs, Abema TV posted video of the final fight on their Twitter feed (above). Day 13 action had already determined Hakugetsuro won Jonidan and Kakizoe won Jonokuchi. They picked up their certificates and the Makuuchi dohyo-iri promptly followed.

The special prize announcements went relatively as predicted. Aonishiki received the Technique prize and Atamifuji won the Fighting Spirit prize unconditionally. They shouldn’t need the added motivation for their yusho battle. However, the rest of the special prizes are dependent on victory. If Fujinokawa beats Fujiseiun, he will pick up his kachi-koshi and the Outstanding Performance Prize. Kotoeiho, Takayasu, Fujiryoga, Takerufuji, and Shishi are eligible for Fighting Spirit Prizes on the condition that they win their bouts.

NHK videos are here.

Makuuchi Action

Kazuma (5-10) defeated Sadanoumi (5-10). Kazuma rather easily dispatched Sadanoumi. He lead with his head, so Sadanoumi pulled. Kazuma chased with excellent footwork and ushered Sadanoumi out. Oshidashi.

Kinbozan (9-6) defeated Mitakeumi (2-13). Mitakeumi missed grabbing Kinbozan’s belt with his left hand. Kinbozan had no problem forcing him back and out. Yorikiri.

Nishikifuji (10-5) defeated Chiyoshoma (5-10). Nishikifuji tried to get a hidari-yotsu belt grip but Chiyoshoma’s tsuppari and pull kept him from getting a solid grip. However, Nishikifuji moved forward and still shoved Chiyoshoma out. Oshidashi.

Asakoryu (9-6) defeated Fujiryoga (10-5). Fujiryoga charged forward to attack Asakoryu but Asakoryu shifted left along the tawara, got in behind the over-eager Fujiryoga, and pushed him out from behind. One could feel Fujiryoga’s disappointment as the camera followed him up the hanamichi. Okuridashi.

Roga (9-6) defeated Shishi (10-5). Excellent hidari-yotsu battle here. Shishi tried to topple Roga with a shitatenage but Roga kept his balance and used his uwate grip to push Shishi forward to the edge. Shishi attempted to re-engage but Roga crushed him over the bales. Yoritaoshi.

Asahakuryu (7-8) defeated Wakamotoharu (6-9). Asahakuryu out-WMH’d Wakamotoharu. Wakamotoharu drove forward behind tsuppari. Asahakuryu shifted left along the bales and drove forward into Wakamotoharu, forcing him out. Yorikiri.

Takayasu (11-4) defeated Asanoyama (9-6). After a lengthy migi-yotsu battle, Takayasu persevered and claimed his Fighting Spirit prize. Takayasu pulled hard with his uwatenage. Asanoyama did not go down but Takayasu followed up with tsuppari and shoved Asanoyama over the bales. Oshidashi.

Kotoeiho (11-4) defeated Takerufuji (10-5). Takerufuji pulled but Kotoeiho kept that right arm hooked under Takerufuji’s left shoulder and ran him out of the dohyo, throwing him three rows deep into the crowd below. Oshidashi.

Shodai (5-10) defeated Daiseizan (6-9). Shodai showed no signs of the injury I thought he had. He hit Daiseizan hard, got a morozashi as he hooked both arms up under Daiseizan’s shoulders, turned and forced Daiseizan out. Jerry Ziesmer’s voice: “Terminate. With extreme prejudice.” Yorikiri.

Oshoma (7-8) defeated Onokatsu (4-11). Oshoma’s tsuppari was too powerful for Onokatsu. He shoved Onokatsu back to the bales and then grabbed him to keep him from falling off. (Always a popular gesture.) Oshidashi.

Halftime

Abi (7-8) defeated Ura (5-10). Textbook Abi-zumo. Abi layed into Ura with tsuppari. He tried one pull which forced Ura to stumble forward. Abi followed up with thrusts, driving Ura out. Tsukidashi.

Ichiyamamoto (6-9) defeated Tobizaru (5-10). Textbook Abi-zumo. Rinse and repeat here, though Ichiyamamoto’s initial thrusts were more nodowa than tsuppari. So, I guess that makes it Ichiyama-zumo rather than Abi-zumo. Similar strategy, same effect today. Tsukidashi.

Gonoyama defeated Hiradoumi. Gonoyama blitzed Hiradoumi and trust him out with strong tsuppari. It was kind of like Gonoyama did his best Hiradoumi impression at the tachiai. Oshidashi.

Churanoumi defeated Takanosho. Takanosho hit Churanoumi with his nodowa. Churanoumi tried to get that left hand inside, regardless. Takanosho slapped Churanoumi to keep him away. Churanoumi spun back, grabbed Takanosho’s right arm and pulled him forward. Hikkake.

Fujinokawa (8-7) defeated Fujiseiun (7-8). Fujiseiun did not have a chance. Fujinokawa came in hot and drilled Fujiseiun in the chin with his tachiai. Fujinokawa wrapped up Fujiseiun and forced him back over the bales. Yorikiri.

Sanyaku

Hakunofuji (9-6) defeated Oho (2-13). Hakunofuji got a morozashi quickly and drove Oho to the edge. Oho resisted and tried an uwatenage but Hakunofuji stablized himself with his hold of Oho’s belt. He then shoved Oho down. Yoritaoshi.

Daieisho (10-5) defeated Yoshinofuji (6-9). Textbook Daieisho-zumo. He brawled with Yoshinofuji, meeting thrust with thrust. Finally, he shifted left and thrust Yoshinofuji down. Both Komusubi will vacate their offices. Tsukiotoshi.

Kore-yori Sanyaku

Arrows — Atamifuji (12-3) defeated Aonishiki (12-3). Atamifuji pushed out with his right hand to block Aonishiki’s left hand. Aonishiki pulled but Atamifuji was ready and shoved Aonishiki off the dohyo. We will have another play-off! Oshidashi.

Bow String — Kirishima (12-3) defeated Kotohachinana (??-??). Kirishima got a left hand uwate and pulled Koto87 forward to the edge and forced him out. Kirishima has a spot in the playoff. Yorikiri.

Bow — Onosato defeated Kotoshoho. Migi-yotsu. Onosato grabbed Kotoshoho. Kotoshoho reversed along the edge, trying to topple the Yokozuna with a sukuinage, but Onosato shoved him down. Oshitaoshi.

Playoff (決定巴戦)

First man to two consecutive wins, wins the title. The three men drew lots. First up, Atamifuji versus Kirishima.

Atamifuji defeated Kirishima. Atamifuji enveloped Kirishima and forced him back to the edge quickly, trying to get a kimedashi, double outside grip. At the bales, Kirishima resisted and Atamifuji shoved him over the bales. Next up, Aonishiki.

Aonishiki defeated Atamifuji. This time, Aonishiki landed his left hand grip. He used it to force Atamifuji back to the edge and out. That means Kirishima is back!

Aonishiki defeated Kirishima. Aonishiki again got his left hand grip. As Kirishima tried to figure out what to do, Aonishiki wrapped his left foot around Kirishima’s right and shoved forward. On replay, as they cycled around, you can see Aonishiki was waiting for Kirishima’s leg to drift to far forward. Aonishiki Yusho!

There seemed to be some confusion as to whether Aonishiki was supposed to go down and get his hair redone, again, before the presentation ceremony. But, well, that’s it for sumo action in Nagoya, July 2026. NHK News starts 20 minutes late with the lead story that Aonishiki claimed his third title. Congratulations, Aonishiki!

That’s not it for sumo coverage from Nagoya, though. We will hear about Juryo promotions early this week and I’ll bring that news to you. I’ll also aim for weekly Jungyo updates.

Nagoya 2026: Senshuraku Preview

Andy Nagoya 2026, Nagoya Basho , ,

In honor of Senshuraku, I sourced some madai and cooked it up for the family dinner. I am still working on a more complete article to discuss it, but I want to tease it here. Frankly, the recipe that I used was so easy that the proper term would probably just be “method” rather than recipe. My social media followers will know that I tested this out last weekend.

uncooked madai flesh
Note the red and white skin and flesh of madai

There’s an Instagram account, AndrejCooksFish that I find interesting and actually tangentially relevant to sumo because of the importance of tai. And let’s face it, Tai is important to sumo and has deeper, cultural significance to Japanese culture which I will explore in more depth in a future article. He was promoting madai in London and it caught my eye. So, I reached out to some folks and sourced some fillets for testing out last week. I must say, the experiment turned out well.

Those of you who are in and near NYC are lucky. I found a nice market there who shipped me a couple of fillets. (MOGMOG) It was about $220 for the fish, $45 for shipping. They would have shipped me a whole fish but for my experiment, I wanted fillets because I’m doing one thing at a time and learning how to fillet a fish is for later.

I actually want to do the “king of filleting” techniques, emphasis on the “T,” because the kids didn’t like the skin. The way that Andrej does it in the video above, separates the skin from the flesh. So, keep in mind that the way I did it kept the skin. I liked the skin. It was crispy.

Method

  1. Salt
  2. Wait thirty minutes
  3. Pat dry
  4. Heat pan to medium-high
  5. Add a wee bit of oil and use paper towel to spread it and pick up excess
  6. Put in pan, skin side down
  7. Cook for 3-5 minutes
  8. Flip and cook the other side for a minute or two
  9. Serve with rice and a splash of ponzu (not shown)
  10. Done
moderately successfully cooked madai

What you see above is the tail portion of one of the tail fillets. I got two fish so there were 8 hunks of fish. This was the tail (approximately 100g) of one of those. I used 100g portions because many Japanese recipes use 100g portion for the protein. That was not enough so the second time I cooked it, the next night, I was using 220g-250g. That first night, the kids ate their 100g and immediately fought for another portion — it was that good.

As an aside, if you ever want to lose weight, eat a Japanese diet with a Japanese portion size. I did that a few years ago and shed like 30lbs. But I had to stop eating at restaurants here in The States because I would be full half-way through my meal. It took about two weeks to train my stomach for that but I was living the dream. But I digress. (Tangent is my middle name.)

I cooked it again last night with the little bit that I had leftover from last week and it tasted like fish. You know, the fish taste that you get at a fish restaurant, fish-sticks flavor. I’m not a huge fan of that flavor. Last week it was fresh and much better, demonstrating to me the importance of timing. I would have still been charged $25 for a serving of what I ate last night at a chain restaurant. It was just alright, last week was amazing.

Tonight’s Match-Ups

“Andy, I’m not here for fish, I’m here for fighting.”

Well, if you win those fights and want to hold the fish, you gotta learn what fish they hold and how to cook it. But let’s get back to the wrastling.

Lower Divisions

In Sandanme, Tenshoyama and Tochimusashi are 7-0. They’ll fight a playoff tonight. In Makushita, we’ll have the big 7-man playoff. Lots will be drawn, one guy will get a bye. The other six will fight. The three winners join the guy with the bye in a semi-final. The two winners fight each other for the yusho. So, the winner might fight three times…or two. We literally just did this a couple of months ago. Ikarigata plowed through Omori, Mudoho, and Akua to pick up the title in May.

Juryo

In Juryo, Nishikigi will fight Midorifuji in a Darwin bout. The winner is kachi-koshi, the loser make-koshi. Enho and Mudoho will fight for their kachi-koshi as Mudoho (Oho’s brother) visits from Makushita. Tochitaikai will fight Kitanowaka (7-7), with the urgency of a Darwin bout. Demotion to Makushita is on the line and even if Nishikigi loses, I don’t think he’s safe. It will be interesting here but 7-8 conceivably stays where they are while 6-9 gets the drop. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Shonannoumi will fight Tokihayate for the yusho. Win, and it’s his. Lose, and he might have to fight in a play-off. Arashifuji will fight Kyokukaiyu (7-7), and Toshinofuji will fight Kagayaki (7-7). If they both win and Shonannoumi loses his first bout. We’ll have a three-way contest where the first guy with two consecutive wins will take the title.

Makuuchi

Aonishiki (12-2) will fight Atamifuji (11-3) for the yusho. Kirishima is still in this if Atamifuji wins. But he will need to defeat Kotozakura, who seemed to be in “coast” mode against Onosato last night. So, it’s possible that we could have a three-way playoff in Makuuchi, as well. Add in here that Kirishima is possibly fighting for Yokozuna promotion, it just adds to the heat. Sprinkle in some seasoning by realizing that suddenly Atamifuji is certainly in the first leg of an Ozeki run. Who’d have thunk it?

Onosato will fight Kotoshoho for kensho and pride. Fujinokawa will fight Fujiseiun for kachi-koshi, and likely special prizes for Fujinokawa (and maybe a Sekiwake rank in there, too). Kotoeiho will fight Takerufuji and Asanoyama will fight Takayasu. I could see special prizes being on the line there, too. We’ll get the official announcements later.

See you tonight!

Nagoya 2026: Day Fourteen

Andy Nagoya 2026, Nagoya Basho , ,

Day 14 in Nagoya. News from the infirmary, Hoshoryu kyujo. He will finish the tournament with a 7-7-1 record. The posited Yokozuna Darwin Match will not happen. Kirishima will pick up an important win at a crucial time in the yusho race.

Further news from the barber nextdoor to the infirmary, Daishomaru has retired. His mom told him he needs to go out and get a real job. No more playing with his friends in the dirt. He debuted in 2014 with a makushita tsukedashi and made it to Juryo by 2015. I started covering sumo here in 2014 and when he climbed into the top division in 2016 he was a makuuchi regular for several years. Though playing third fiddle to stablemates Endo and Daieisho, he did rise as high as Makuuchi 5.

Injuries took their toll but he remained sekitori until 2022 when he slipped into Makushita. He fell to Sandanme after the Fukuoka tournament last year but had just crept back into Makushita. However, three losses in a row to close out the tournament and he earned a make-koshi. Since 1966 that has meant certain demotion to Sandanme. He has decided to call it a career instead.

Lower Division Action

Let’s turn to the lower divisions. Abema graciously tweeted the video of Nabatame-Nishikigi, so I’ve embedded it here. Let me know if you have any issues watching it. I hope it’s available for everyone.

So, Nishikigi defeated Nabatame. The massive brawl for it all in Makushita is on, with two of Nabatame’s Futagoyama stablemates. Dinner tonight will be awkward…. Importantly, Tochitaikai lost to Toshinofuji and earned his make-koshi. He is in peril to fall back into Makushita while Nishikigi may save himself with a win tomorrow.

Enho defeated Nishinoryu to improve to 7-7. There are a host of Darwin candidates in the second division but the pairings have yet to be announced. Nishikigi has already fought Enho, Kagayaki and Tohakuryu. Of The Old Guard, Tamawashi claimed his kachi-koshi with a win today over Tomokaze. Everyone else is either make-koshi or trying to avoid it tomorrow.

NHK videos are here.

Makuuchi Action

Chiyoshoma (5-9) defeated Daiseizan (6-8). Chiyoshoma lashed out with harite, then seized Daiseizan’s belt and threw him. Daiseizan make-koshi. Uwatenage.

Kazuma (4-10) defeated Tobizaru (5-9). Kazuma waited for Tobizaru to pull at the wrong time, then he drove forward and shoved Tobizaru out. Oshidashi.

Onokatsu (4-10) defeated Wakamotoharu (6-8). Wakamotoharu pulled and Onokatsu maintained his balance and shoved Wakamotoharu to his make-koshi. Oshidashi.

Roga (8-6) defeated Asakoryu (8-6). Asakoryu nearly pulled Roga down by grabbing his right arm and pulling him. But Roga had a firm grasp of Asakoryu’s belt with that right arm, so Roga used excellent footwork to stay up and then turn the tables on Asakoryu and drive him from the dohyo. Yorikiri.

Kotoeiho (10-4) defeated Asanoyama (9-5). Asanoyama pressed forward but he never got a good grip with the right hand. Kotoeiho fought to get his hand inside. When he got a double-inside grip, a bearhug around Asanoyama’s trunk, he turned the tables and forced Asanoyama backwards. Densha-michi, as they say, and the train did not stop until Asanoyama was out. Yorikiri.

Fujiseiun (7-7) defeated Abi (6-8). Fujiseiun weathered Abi’s tsuppari storm, grabbed Abi in a bearhug, then twisted him down by tripping him backwards. Kirikaeshi.

Ura (5-9) defeated Mitakeumi (2-12). Ura grabbed a hold of Mitakeumi’s belt with his left hand outside and worked his right hand inside. Then churned his legs to drive the former Ozeki out. Yorikiri.

Oshoma (6-8) defeated Kinbozan (8-6). Kinbozan got his left hand inside on Oshoma’s belt but Oshoma used an armbar to break Kinbozan’s grip and pull him forward to the ground. Kotenage.

Hiradoumi (4-10) defeated Ichiyamamoto (5-9). Ichiyamamoto pulled at a bad time and Hiradoumi drove him backward and out. Oshidashi.

Asahakuryu (6-8) defeated Gonoyama (6-8). Henka, Asahakuryu! Slow, so Gonoyama was not phased. Gonoyama used his right hand inside to yank hard and pull Asahakuryu forward. Unfortunately, he didn’t pull him forward enough. Instead, Gonoyama yielded position and put his heels right up to the edge of the tawara. Asahakuryu then forced Gonoyama over the edge and the pair tumbled into a thrilled fan in the first row. Yorikiri.

Halftime

Hakunofuji (8-6) defeated Churanoumi (6-8). Churanoumi pulled and Hakunofuji used the famous Superman pose to charge forward and drive him out. Both men crashed off the dohyo. Gunbai Hakunofuji. No mono-ii. None really needed in this case, though it looked close live. Hakunofuji finally earned his kachi-koshi while Churanoumi is now kachi-koshi. Oshidashi.

Fujinokawa (7-7) defeated Nishikifuji (9-5). Fujinokawa’s henka was foiled by the gyoji who called a mata. Fujinokawa got his left hand inside and blitzed Nishikifuji. Nishikifuji shifted left but Fujinokawa followed well and forced him over the edge. Yorikiri.

Fujiryoga (10-4) defeated Takanosho (6-8). Fujiryoga pulled and we got another Superman flight from Takanosho who blasted his way forward. Both men tumbled off the dohyoGunbai Takanosho. Mono-ii. Video replay showed Takanosho’s right foot kicking up dirt outside the ring before Fujiryoga fell…but I don’t think they were looking for when Fujiryoga fell. It was a long mono-ii so I think they were looking for when Fujiryoga took flight, and was therefore dead. It was close to when that dirt came up. Hatakikomi.

Sanyaku

Takayasu (10-4) defeated Yoshinofuji (6-8). Well, Yoshinofuji had a good plan. He grabbed Takayasu’s left shoulder and shoved him hard, then came in behind Takayasu’s left leg and kicked it to trip him backward. Takayasu saved himself from Yoshinofuji’s trip with a shift of weight to his right leg. He then assaulted Yoshinofuji with tsuppari and slapped him down. Hikiotoshi.

Oho (2-12) defeated Shodai (4-10). Oho got a hold of Shodai’s belt and drove him backwards. Yorikiri.

Atamifuji (11-3) defeated Shishi (10-4). Mini-slow henka from Shishi, only visible in slo-mo and with a microscope. Regardless, Shishi shifted to his right. Atamifuji is just fighting at a different level. He easily adapted to the Shishi shift, got his right forearm up and chugged forward behind it. He shoved Shishi out of the ring and out of the yusho race. Oshidashi.

Aonishiki (12-2) defeated Takerufuji (10-4). Hidari-yotsu. Aonishiki spun, pulling at Takerufuji’s belt with his right hand outside grip. Takerufuji had an excellent grip of his own and charged forward to the edge but he did not seem to have an answer for the spin. Takerufuji’s charge forced Aonishiki to the edge but Aonishiki’s spin turned the tables and he charged into Takerufuji, crashing him over the bales. Yoritaoshi.

Kirishima (11-3) default win over Hoshoryu (7-7).

Daieisho (9-5) defeated Kotoshoho (6-8). Daieisho’s tsuppari forced Kotoshoho to the edge. Kotoshoho is a limbo master, though, and he resisted at the edge by bending his body backward and teetering over the bales. Daieisho had to shove something firm, Kotoshoho’s mawashi, to get him over. Tsukidashi.

Onosato (8-6) defeated Kotozakura (8-6). You would think that massive stack of kensho would have motivated Kotozakura to display some effort but apparently not. He just kind of stood there with his right hand flailing around and left hand on Onosato’s belt. Lazy-ass Ozeki. Kotohachinana has his hachi, so he’s good and Onosato ushered him over the bales. Yorikiri.

Wrap-Up

The yusho race is down to three men. And get this, with all of the underperformers up there in sanyaku, we’ve got three men in sanyaku in control of the race!

  • 2-Losses: Aonishiki
  • 3-Losses: Kirishima, Atamifuji

Pairings are not out yet. I’m sure they’ll come out in a few minutes but I’m going to take a nap. I’ll write a Senshuraku preview post with updated information about the pairings.