The Makushita tsukedashi system, which allows successful amateur wrestlers to start their professional careers in the third division rather than at the very bottom, has been around in some form for many decades. Changes introduced in 2001 allowed especially successful amateurs to start at Ms15 or even Ms10, though only Endo, Mitakeumi, and Onosato ever qualified for the latter. The system changed again at the end of 2023, when the upper-Makushita starts were eliminated in favor of Ms60 while the qualifying criteria were expanded significantly. Onokatsu was the last rikishi to debut at Ms15 under the old rules. Matsui was the first to start at Ms60 under the new ones and has since been followed by 10 others, most recently Ryusho in the just-completed Nagoya basho (for comparison, only 5 rikishi got an Ms15 or Ms10 start from 2018 to 2023). In this post, I wanted to take a look at how this group has fared.
Matsui (Haru 2024)
The first rikishi to debut under the new system, the Miyagino-Isegahama recruit has charted a solid if unspectacular path. He started off with a 5-2 basho and posted four more winning records before bouncing hard off the upper Makushita wall with a 2-5 at Ms8e. He’s rebounded with three straight 4-3 kachi-koshi, and should be ranked near his career high at Aki. Grade: B–
Kusano (Natsu 2024)
The clear standout success of the group so far, Kusano was recruited by Hakuho but joined the Isegahama beya after the merger. He debuted with a 6-1 basho and hasn’t looked back, reaching Juryo after five basho before really taking off with two consecutive Juryo yusho followed by an 11-4 jun-yusho with two special prizes in his top-division debut in Nagoya, where he was in the yusho race until the final day. His 38 wins in his first 3 sekitori basho are the new all-time record, besting Onosato by 3 wins and previous record-holder Ichinojo by one. We can only hope that his future trajectory follows that of the former. Grade: A+
Ishizaki and Kazuma (Nagoya 2024)
The careers of last July’s debutants have followed two very different paths so far. Ishizaki, the younger brother of Asakoryu, who himself originally fought under their family name, reached the extended promotion zone after 3 basho with a combined record 16-5. From there, he missed out on promotion by a single final-bout win in 3 basho in a row: a 6-1 at Ms8w, losing the yusho final to Mudoho, a 3-4 at Ms1w, and a 4-3 at Ms4e. He made certain on his 4th try in Nagoya, going 6-1 at Ms2e to earn a rare triple promotion with his heya-mates Asahakuryu and Asanoyama. He’ll make his sekitori debut at Aki, and he has a new shikona: start getting used to Asasuiryu. Grade: A–
Kazuma started off with four dominant victories but suffered a serious knee injury in his 5th-bout loss and missed the next four basho. He had to restart all the way down in Jonokuchi, going 7-0 and 6-1 in his comeback so far. I expect that Kazuma will be ranked in upper Sandanme at Aki, where 5 wins or better should get him at least back to where he started. Grade: Incomplete
Mita (Aki 2024)
The Futagoyama beya man has been on a steady upward arc following his debut a year ago. He made his way through Makushita in four tournaments with a combined record of 22-6, becoming the second in this group (after Kusano) to reach the salaried ranks. In his Juryo debut in May, he had to pull out with a broken finger, but not before recording 8 wins. Fighting at J11w in Nagoya, Mita lost just 4 times on his way to an 11-4 yusho. This result should rocket him up the Juryo banzuke to around J3, where another good score could take him to Makuuchi before the end of the year. Grade: A
Goshima and Fukuzaki (Haru 2025)
If you’ve read my Makushita coverage, you’ve come across this Fujishima beya duo due to their regular participation in the third-division yusho races. They sport identical 16-5 career records, and both should be ranked around Ms5-Ms6 at Aki, on the outskirts of the promotion zone. It’s probably too much to expect them to make their Juryo debuts this year, but I’d bet on seeing them in the sekitori ranks in early 2026. Grade: A
Gyotoku, Urayama, Hanaoka (Natsu 2025)
In this unusually large group of debutants, we have had two successful starts and one injury. Gyotoku was the least heralded of the trio, having the unusual distinction of being a college graduate with no collegiate sumo experience. He preferred to train with his old high school sumo club and earned the tsukedashi qualification through corporate sumo after college. Despite this background, or perhaps because of it, he rocketed to a 6-1 start in May, losing only to the above-mentioned Fukuzaki in the yusho semifinals. And he again featured in my third-division yusho race coverage in Nagoya before losing in the semifinals to the much higher-ranked and more experienced eventual chamption Asahakuryu. Gyotoku may just sneak into the extended promotion zone for Aki, or be ranked just outside Ms15. Based on his results so far, as well as on the eye test, I don’t expect him to stay in the lower divisions for long. Grade: A
Hanaoka and Urayama both started with modest 4-3 kachi-koshi in May, but then their fates diverged. Hanaoka posted a 6-1 record in Nagoya, though his first bout was a fusen win, and his second was a loss that knocked him out of the yusho bracket and reduced the caliber of his subsequent competition. Nevertheless, 6 wins is 6 wins, and he will be fighting in the upper half of the division in September. Grade: B+
As for Urayama, he got the shikona Kakueizan after his debut basho but never fought in July, apparently sustaining a knee injury in training right before the tournament. I haven’t seen any news about the severity of the injury or a timeline for his return. Grade: Incomplete
Ryusho (Nagoya 2025)
Our latest Ms60TD finished with a 5-2 record, right in the middle of the tsukedashi pack, making the group 11 for 11 so far in getting a debut kachi-koshi. Every uninjured debutant has been able to replicate this feat in his sophomore basho; let’s see if Ryusho, who should be ranked around Ms40 for Aki, can continue the trend. Grade: Incomplete
In summary, the system seems to be working well. More promising prospects are getting a head start, and, barring injury, they are performing well. Three will be sekitori in September, with several others looking to join them in the near future.
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Thanks! Lots to look forward to.
Reading this made me wonder how Ichinojo is. Does anyone know what he’s doing these days? Has he lost any weight, as so many do after they retire, and has that helped his back?
I felt bad for him the time he won the yusho and the interviewer was so snide about his Japanese.
He and Hiroki were recently here in DC but I don’t see many images of him. Hiroki has more of a presence on social media, too. He was in a movie with Hiroki and has participated in a few of these local events here in the US.
He was a big presence at the US sumo open in May, you can see their videos on youtube.
Ichi(nojo), going by the abbreviated Ichi now that he’s no longer part of the JSA, was at the All-Star Sumo event I attended in SF last June. He seems to be a big part of their promotion. He was a very good sport with everyone at the event, sporting his new short hair. He gave me a look and a nod when I shouted “Domoarigato gozaemash Ichizeki” at him.
Fascinating post. A lot is made of the declining numbers but these high-caliber recruits are great.
Thank you, lksumo, glad to read this informative recall!
So Ishizaki will be the MorningWaterDragon. That‘s beautiful!
Hanaoka drew my attention with his shikona and some attractive kind of sumo. Maybe it’s a bit different from winning sumo? Watching it at Aki basho.
It’s definitely too early to discount Hanaoka, even Onosato had a 4-3 basho in Makushita!
Yes, definitely! I was not sure how to include the B+ ranking into my first perception of his style. Always trying to balance my innocent impressions with the expert sight of things :)
I somehow didn’t take notice of Kazuma. His body seems to be of the Daiamami kind.
Of the 48 rikishi who started from the bottom with 7-0 and 6-1, five have reached the ozeki rank (among them Shoday and Kotozakura), five have topped at sanyaku (Oho) and six at maegashira (Ichiyamamoto). My very interesting conclusion is that U hardly can tell the future in sumo after two basho in Jk and Jd….
Thank you for the insight! This type of article is perfect to help us through the weeks in between tournaments :)
Kusano is off to a torrid and historic start to his career. He’s got the look, he’s got the skills. Seems destined for greatness. I saw an Isegahama video with all the big names from the stable, including now Oyakata Teru, lifting weights in June and there wasn’t a single rep max that Kusano couldn’t lift. It didn’t matter the exercise or the weight, he did the most weight for every single lift. His legs are huge, he’s got very wide shoulders, he’s the next Kaiju.
https://youtu.be/FWm-jeHJXpk?si=9RamF1FJ0i-STCcI
Is there any possibility that Isegahama’s Mongolian monster OchiruSaihan get the tsukedashi status when he start his sumo career? He is already competing with sanyaku rikishes pretty evenly.
He looks the real deal, doesn’t he..
I believe it’s based on results in a specific set of Japanese amateur tournaments, so I don’t think so. Kyokukaiyu is an example of a strong Mongolian who had to start at the bottom, and it took him only 3-4 basho to get to lower Makushita.
Based on what do U call Ochirusaihan a monster aka the real deal? In the video his body doesn’t seem awe inspiring. And the heya apparently chose Seihakuho over him as the one foreigner allowed. Do U have any information about him?
There’s been a lot of chatter about him on sumo forum for a couple of years. In that video, he’s more than holding his own in training bouts against Hakuoho, Kusano, Atamifuji and Midorifuji while fighting a ton of matches. And he is their one foreigner after Terunofuji retired; Seihakuho only came in as a Miyagino guy in the merger and the JSA has said this doesn’t count against them.
As U say: training bouts (I could say that he had difficulties to beat Takarafuji).
I get it now: he wasn’t second choice after Seihakuho, but had to wait for Terunofuji‘s retirement and the merger made him fear that he had to wait even longer. Anyway, if he was that promising why didn’t he simply choose another heya? Four lost years are a considerable part of a sumo career.
I don’t really know, but I think the politics of joining as a foreigner are … complicated.
Anyway, we won’t learn much in September, he’ll breeze through maezumo, and I’m guessing won’t have much trouble in divisions 4-6 either, we’ll see if he slows down at all once he hits Makushita, my guess in May.
No maezumo for him in September, he’ll be subject to the usual one-basho waiting period.
Oh! He must be a patient dude!
He’s going to join as a “new recruit” in September, even though he’s been training at the heya for 4 years (!!!) while waiting for Terunofuji to hang it up: https://www.nikkansports.com/battle/sumo/news/202507190001377.html
Correction: 4 years (!!!!)…. unbelievable.
His 4-year degree from Isegahama University will probably serve him well.
Great article! I’m somewhat new to the nuts and bolts of Grand Sumo and looking to absorb as much info as possible. Love your work and will keep reading.
IMHO, a bit more needs to be made of the fact that Matsui and Fukuzaki earned their MsTd turns at a much younger age than the typical qualifiers do. They could take another two (Matsui) and even four (Fukuzaki) years to get to juryo from where they are right now and still be there earlier than any same-age university graduate possibly can.
Good point; what was Matsui’s route?
I found that absolutely fascinating Iksumo, thank you.