We begin 2026 with two Yokozuna and two Ozeki with Aonishiki’s promotion after his title win in November. We’ve also got Asanoyama’s return to the top division after his knee injury. The big shikona change for Hakunofuji (ex-Hakuoho) might have some of you scratching your heads as you review this early action. Almost all of the Miyagino guys changed their shikona, except Enho.
The Emperor plans to attend during Day 8, referred to as nakabi because it’s the middle day of the tournament. No absences to report here Day One.
For those who can’t catch the action live, Your NHK videos are here. Click through the dialog and then expand the bit in the center that says, 続きを読む or “continue reading.”
Makuuchi Action
Asahakuryu defeated Hatsuyama. Hatsuyama pulled and Asahakuryu made him pay. Asahakuryu forced Hatsuyama back over the edge. Oshidashi.
Oshoumi defeated Asanoyama. Asanoyama was all offense in his return to the top division. Oshoumi shuffled left to escape but Asanoyama pursued him to the edge. Oshoumi slipped out to the left one more time. This time Asanoyama could not keep up and fell to the ground as Oshoumi ran out of room and crashed out over the bales. Gunbai Oshoumi. Mono-ii. The judges conferred and confirmed the ruling on the field. Uwatenage.
Ryuden defeated Asakoryu. It’s been a while since we’ve seen a good hair-pull and today we got a good hair-pull. Asakoryu executed a pull and tried to slap Ryuden down. While doing so, his fingers were all coiled up in Ryuden’s topknot. That’s a no-no on its own but Asakoryu took a step backward with it. The bout continued and Asakoryu eventually wrangled Ryuden to the ground. Gunbai Asakoryu. Mono-ii. Everyone on the planet saw that hair pull, including the five judges seated along the edge. They quickly reversed the call. Hanzoku.
Shishi defeated Mitakeumi. A hazu-oshi shoving match. Shishi led with his head and kept driving Mitakeumi back to the bales. Mitakeumi tried his best but Shishi had better endurance and worked a tired former Ozeki over the bales. Oshidashi.
Tobizaru defeated Tomokaze. Tomokaze is a pulling machine. So, predictably, he pulled as Tobizaru pressed forward. Tobizaru shoved Tomokaze in the face at the edge, as Tomokaze leaned forward to stay in, Tobizaru pulled and Tomokaze fell forward. Hikiotoshi.
Abi defeated Midorifuji. Abi twisted quickly and hauled Midorifuji down. Uwatenage.
Nishikifuji defeated Chiyoshoma. Nishikifuji just powered straight through Chiyoshoma, forcing him back and out. Oshidashi.
Tokihayate defeated Kotoshoho. Tokihayate seemed to have studied his opponent. He was ready for Kotoshoho’s pull and kept his balance. Tokihayate then charged forward and blasted Kotoshoho off the dohyo. Oshidashi.
Roga defeated Gonoyama. After an entertaining, high-octane, frenetic bout, Roga worked his way inside and got a double-inside grip (morozashi). With that he forced Gonoyama back to the bales and shoved him out. Oshidashi.
Shodai defeated Kinbozan. Shodai yanked on Kinbozan’s arm and tried to drag him back over the bales. With Kinbozan at the edge, Shodai then tried to drive forward and force him out. Kinbozan tried to escape while pressing down on Shodai’s head but Shodai pursued well and shoved Kinbozan out. Oshidashi.
Oshoma defeated Fujinokawa. Oshoma’s strategy here was just be steady, keep his footing, and try to keep Fujinokawa at arm’s length. Fujinokawa lashed out aggressively and charged forward behind his powerful slaps. Oshoma countered with his own slaps as he baited Fujinokawa into leaning too far forward. At the edge, Oshoma slipped right and hooked his arm under Fujinokawa’s right shoulder, pulling him out. Kotenage.
Halftime
Hiradoumi defeated Onokatsu. Hiradoumi just charged forward and Onokatsu let him. Yorikiri.
Churanoumi defeated Tamawashi. Churanoumi’s well executed shift of direction forced Tamawashi to stumble forward and out. Shitatedashinage.
Daieisho defeated Atamifuji. Daieisho pulled, shifted left along the tawara and Atamifuji could not put on the brakes before stumbling over the bales. Tsukiotoshi.
Sanyaku
Hakunofuji defeated Oho. In a good yotsu battle, Hakunofuji wanted to get his left hand inside but Oho was not giving up his double-inside morozashi grip. Oho forced Hakunofuji to the edge and tried to shove him over but couldn’t. Hakunofuji braced his feet on the tawara and used his overarm grip to swing Oho down. Uwatenage.
Takayasu defeated Takanosho. Takayasu charged into Takanosho with his left hand inside and right hand outside. Takanosho slid until his right foot met the tawara. When he tried to shift his weight and escape to the left, his foot stepped over the bales and he stumbled to the clay. Oshitaoshi.
Kirishima defeated Wakatakakage. Wakatakakage shifted to his left and pulled after the initial charge. Kirishima drove forward and easily shoved Wakatakakage over the edge. Oshidashi.
Aonishiki defeated Ura. Aonishiki fought the urge to pull, drove Aonishiki got his left hand inside and pressed forward. As Ura twisted at the edge, Aonoshiki powered forward and forced Ura to fall over the edge. Yoritaoshi.
Kotozakura defeated Yoshinofuji. Yoshinofuji charged forward and slammed into Kotozakura, forcing him to the edge. Kotozakura slipped left along the bales and shoved Yoshinofuji out from behind. Okuridashi.
Onosato defeated Ichiyamamoto. Ichiyamamoto took the Yokozuna on straight-up at the tachiai but could not generate any forward momentum. Instead, Onosato grabbed at Ichiyamamoto’s arms to stop his thrusting attack and charged forward, forcing the maegashira over the bales. Oshidashi.
Hoshoryu defeated Wakamotoharu. Hoshoryu locked on with his right hand inside.. He twisted and tried to haul WMH down. Wakamotoharu pogoed around the ring to stay up. Hoshoryu re-engaged head on and with a morozashi, crushed Wakamotoharu over the edge. Yoritaoshi.
Wrap up
Day One is in the books. No big upsets at the top with a lot of strong, sumo fundamentals. Aonishiki contained Ura and Ichiyamamoto wasn’t able to get to his Plan B yotsu attack before being crashed out. My one critique of the top guys today is reserved for Kotozakura. There’s a big bias for forward-moving sumo and I’m certainly guilty of it. I just do not see this strategy panning out deep in the tournament. He is a big guy and needs to get some good, forceful, aggressive — forward moving — wins.
Action will continue tomorrow with Asanoyama dusting himself off to open up the action with Hatsuyama. Abi vs Tobizaru could be very interesting. Both guys are ranked rather low because of their recent poor form. If they’re healthy, they could be in for a great outcome here. So this early bout might tell us a lot about who really is ready.
In sanyaku, Wakamotoharu will fight Hakunofuji. It’s really going to take me a while to adjust to that new shikona. Forgive me if I sprinkle the old one in here a bit liberally. Kirishima will fight Takanosho, Takayasu against Wakatakakage, Kotozakura versus Ura, Aonishiki versus Yoshinofuji, Hoshoryu versus Ichiyamamoto and Onosato will close out Day Two against Oho.
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Happy New Year, Andy! Nice to read your coverage again!
My bout of the day was Haku‘no‘fuji against Oho. They went with all power, great to watch!
Lot of upsets down in juryo division.
Yusho prospects Kazuma, Fujiryoga, Takerufuji all lost.
It is kinda upset that there were no upsets among yokozunas and ozekies. Both of yokozunas were dealing with injuries, and Yoshinofuji was supposed to be one of the leading candidates for the yusho.
I‘m a little bit upset about your being kinda upset that there were no big upsets in sanyaku.
If the two yokozuna had lost against Ichiyamamoto and a henka free Wakamotoharu respectively, they could as well have retired from the basho…
And Kotozakura is very cool on the bales. He still is able to beat everyone.
I was secretly hoping for Ichiyamamoto to get a kinboshi. A little bummed he was obliterated.
You and me both, Andy. :)
I hope it was just Yoshinofuji’s fierce charge that led to Kotozakura absorbing the hit and going backwards. Definitely agree we need to see some aggro from the big man. Aonishiki loves his cars, but can’t drive – check the fight description for that one ;)
Just caught up with the news that Hoshoryu has a torn meniscus (https://hochi.news/articles/20260108-OHT1T51049.html?page=1)!!! Holy cow… no wonder he moved so slowly today… there is NO way he makes it through this entire basho. They can give him a cortisone shot to dull the pain, but he would be at risk of a full rupture if he tries to lift an opponent. Surgery for a torn meniscus is a typical 45-60 day rehab + 6 months off from heavy loading of the knee… would he really lose much by taking time off until September?
https://hochi.news/articles/20260108-OHT1T51049.html?page=1
Hoshoryu has a torn meniscus. He is risking a very serious injury by participating in this basho… what is he thinking? This explains why his movement was so slow.
Yeah. Saw that the other day. Draining fluid on a regular basis doesn’t sound “production ready”.
Atamifuji, just awful, practically walked himself over the tawara, will he ever fulfill the promise he showed in 2023? Onosato doing Onosato sumo… Super low energy tachiai from Hosh, the whole match seemed to be in slo-mo… Love how Aonishiki took away Ura’s strength by forcing him into a more upward position
Actually concerned for Onosato. Looks like he’s still heavily guarding that left shoulder side, and just thrusting with his right side. Don’t know how he could fight 15 days like this…
I can‘t wait for tomorrow’s bouts!
Aonishiki meets his nemesis, Yoshinofuji. He is 0-3 against the youngster, who btw is three years older than the Ukrainian…
And (still hurt?) Onosato meets with Oho one of those rikishi who can beat him. The grandson has done it three times already (in nine bouts).
I do hope that the two stars will win, but I wouldn’t bet on it.
Good New Year to all. Isn’t it good to have the sumo and tachiai back in the swing of things? I have no TV and very spotty internet this week, so y’all are my lifeline!
All my boys won today so I’m a happy bunny.
I guess you can’t post links in comments? I just saw the Hochi news article from Jan 8 stating Hoshoryu has a torn meniscus…
You can. I just approved. I just require moderation on links to avoid spam and malware issues. Sometimes it takes me a while to get to it, though.
Apologies for all the repeated poata… feel free to delete!
Don’t worry about it. It’ll make sure folks see it. :)
My hopes for 2026:
1. Please let Takayasu finally claim a title. He’s too accomplished to have all his failures define him. And, as I feel we might be in a Nokozuna spell due to injury for a lot of the year, this is his best shot. He’s only getting older, and he looked very spry today.
2. Please let the hotshot prospects stay healthy, or quickly regain their health. Onosato is dealing with an injury that should be sidelining him this basho (same with Hoshoryu, SHEESH), but I don’t want to see the likes of Fujinokawa and Aonishiki succumb to a career-altering injury. Just look at what Tomokaze has become versus what he was before his catastrophic injury.
3. Please let a former Ozeki regain their rank in 2026. Whether this will be needed for Kotozakura falling down to Sekiwake, or someone like Kirishima or Asanoyama rising to regain their former glory, the sport needs stability in the top ranks. And with Onosato and Hoshoryu looking like the walking wounded and taking the prideful path of competing while hurt, a robust cadre below them is needed now more than ever.
My longshot prediction of 2026: A former title winner that’s not in sanyaku will pick up another championship. Perhaps the too-low ranked Abi, or Wakatakekage with his health fully back, or Daieisho pushing and shoving his way back to the top once more. Personally, wouldn’t it be poetic for Tamawashi to claim one last yusho, and retire on the spot?
Match of the day, I think was from the bottom of the banzuke: famed Asahifuji vs long tall Mongolian Tenshoyama. In the long run, this grueling match will be remembered as the beginning of two giants’ careers.
Yeah, you don’t expect to see a bout like that with two guys debuting in Jonokuchi. It will be cool if we get a playoff too, but I doubt it.
Andy, Great writeup on the action . .
A good start to the basho .. No sloppy sumo by the top riskishi .. All minds are focused .. although it is not clear their bodiesa are ready ..
With an one-legged, one armed Yokozuna rank .. I thought Hosh adapted well + used two hands on the belt for the win + it will be hard for him to rely on his Mongolian leg throws .. WTK can fill in how that feels on the knee .. Speaking of KTZ .. I agree he needs to show he can dominate by moving forward .. Which by the way is a key element of Aonishiki’s sumo .. Indeed, this basho may set up for some big surprises .. Takayasu takes the basho? ..
Howdy y’all, happy new year. Glad to be back watching sumo. If I could post a photo, it would be the keepsake I now have from Sumo and Sushi sitting next to the big man Konoshiki himself. My grin is ear to ear.
Hakuho (fuji? Sheesh) was amazing. Those short little legs worked to his advantage at the edge there and oho couldn’t belly him over the bales. I really just love that kid and can’t wait for him to become a sanyaku man. So young, time is on his side.
If Abi resorts to the mawashi, I might have to change my tune in disliking him with a hot white passion. Midorifuji sat there after the bout like, WTF just happened?
Hoshoryu’s knee is no good. His throw looked like it didn’t take precisely because he couldn’t pivot like he’s used to. Can he figure out other techniques and hold it together? To be seen but this is scary as others have said.
A full sanyaku slate with two ozeki really is beautiful to see after last year’s weirdness. That in itself seems like a really good omen for the new year. I hope it is. Who knows, maybe papa Bear and Kirishima can string together multiple tournaments and we’ll see 3 ozeki later in the year. After only one day in the books, my optimism cup overfloweth.