Day Thirteen in Osaka. For those of you in amateur sumo, or interested in amateur sumo, or just interested in walking around in nothing but a loincloth, I posted a quick video of Tooyama demonstrating for folks how to put on the mawashi. This was another little gem from the Konishiki raw footage.
Bucky, aka Wakanofuji, won the Makushita yusho with a slapdown. This kid is going places. I’ll never understand these Twitter embeds. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. I seem to have gotten this one working. Let me know if you can see the videos without a Twitter account. I’m glad Abema seems to have posted this so you don’t need VPN to watch. (At least I didn’t.) The embed was still wonky, though. Anyway, it looks like it works.
【ピックアップ】
— ABEMA大相撲 (@abema_sumo) March 20, 2026
ABEMA大相撲 三月場所🌸
▼十三日目
嵐富士⚫️－⚪️和歌ノ富士
📺見逃し視聴も無料
©日本相撲協会
This embed was a different story for the Tenshoyama vs Asahifuji bout. Great quality bout in the Jonidan yusho race. Tenshoyama put up a hell of a fight against the man anointed as the next Yokozuna. Asahifuji will need to fight again in a playoff on senshuraku against Kiryuko, who’s recovering from injury and hopes to make it back to Juryo, at least.
In juryo, Dewanoryu defeated Daiseizan to remain in the lead with two losses. Wakanosho beat Kazuma to improve to 10-3 and stay one back of Dewanoryu in the second division yusho race. Tochitaikai fought in Juryo today, possibly an exchange bout with Fujitensei.
Tochitaikai locked in his kachi-koshi and likely sealed Fujitensei’s fate and demotion to Makushita. Meanwhile, Himukamaru, lost his Juryo bout against Nishikigi. Since he is makekoshi, he will not move up. That’s a pivotal opening for Enho. Himukamaru was in the driver’s seat at the top of the division and only needed four wins to move up. In the end, he only managed three.
＜千代栄引退のお知らせ＞
— 日本相撲協会公式 (@sumokyokai) March 20, 2026
元十両 千代栄（本名 岸 栄太、九重部屋）は引退しました。
千代栄のプロフィールhttps://t.co/T7vaGVloC6#sumo #相撲 #千代栄 pic.twitter.com/xb0cXFK6Hh
At least I finally got this embed working. Former Juryo wrestler, Chiyosakae, announced his retirement. He fought for thirteen tournaments in the second division before injury kyujo dropped him into Sandanme, where he fought for much of last year. Four makekoshi records cast him down to Jonidan. He picked up five wins this tournament but decided to call it a career.
Makuuchi Action
Ryuden (7-6) defeated Fujiryoga (6-7). Katasukashi.
Kinbozan (8-5) defeated Asanoyama (8-5). Kinbozan used his size advantage well and drove Asanoyama back to the edge, then persisted with gaburi hip thrusts to force him over the bales. Kinbozan kachi-koshi. Yorikiri.
Nishikifuji (7-6) defeated Asakoryu (8-5). Copy/Paste, except quicker because larger advantage. Yorikiri.
Chiyoshoma (8-5) defeated Oshoumi (3-10). Chiyoshoma immediately got his left hand inside and right hand outside, forcing Oshoumi back. Oshoumi knocked Chiyoshoma’s right hand away but Chiyoshoma continued to attack. He tried to fight for the right-hand grip and push Oshoumi back, but it wasn’t working without the help from the right-hand belt grip. Chiyoshoma then changed tactics and dragged Oshoumi down by using the left-hand. Chiyoshoma kachi-koshi. Shitatenage.
Tobizaru (5-8) defeated Shishi (6-7). Tobizaru got his right hand inside and drove Shishi to the edge. Shishi tried to use his left-hand uwate to throw Tobizaru but Tobizaru’s footwork and balance were better. Tobizaru pivoted and dragged Shishi away, dropping him with a shitatenage.
Mitakeumi (7-6) defeated Roga (4-9). As soon as Mitakeumi got both hands wrapped around Roga’s trunk for the morozashi, he drove Roga back and over the bales. Yorikiri.
Asahakuryu (9-4) defeated Tokihayate (5-8). Asahakuryu’s hidari-yotsu was too powerful for Tokihayate to defend. Asahakuryu wrapped up Tokihayate, drove him back and forced him over the bales. Yorikiri.
Fujiseiun (9-4) defeated Shodai (7-6). Shodai hooked his left hand under Fujiseiun’s shoulder and forced him to the edge. Fuijseiun counter attacked by shoving Shodai with his right and twisting him down to the ground. Both men fell. Gunbai Fujiseiun. Shodai thought he had it and slow-roll walked rather slowly hoping for a mono-ii. None came. Tsukiotoshi.
Kotoeiho (8-5) defeated Ura (5-8). Kotoeiho grabbed Ura’s left arm, pivoted, and threw him to the ground. Kotenage.
Tamawashi (4-9) defeated Hakunofuji (3-6-4). Tamawashi used his tsuppari to Hakunofuji’s face to bulldoze him back to the tawara and crush him down over the edge. Is Hakunofuji M? Oshitaoshi.
Halftime
Churanoumi (4-9) defeated Oshoma (4-9). Oshoma tried the slapdown but Churanoumi knocked Oshoma’s arms away and shoved him back with a torrent of tsuppari. Oshidashi.
Ichiyamamoto (7-6) defeated Fujinokawa (6-7). Ichiyamamoto blasted Fujinokawa back. Fujinokawa tried the old change-of-direction trick, shifting to his left. Ichiyamamoto pursued well and shoved him over the edge. Oshidashi.
Yoshinofuji (6-7) defeated Hiradoumi (6-7). Yoshinofuji’s tsuppari drove Hiradoumi back to the edge but Hiradoumi grabbed Yoshinofuji and bulldozed him through the dohyo. At the edge, Yoshinofuji twisted Hiradoumi down for the sweet twist-down counter-throw. Sukuinage.
Wakatakakage (8-5) defeated Abi (3-5-5). Abi’s tsuppari was a non-factor, instead he focused on pivot, retreat, slapdown. However, he seemed to trip after one pivot, and fell to the dohyo. Wakatakakage cradled his elbow after the bout. Broken men on kyujo watch. At least Wakatakakage has his kachi-koshi. Will he take the weekend off? If his brother isn’t, I imagine it’s not likely. Oshitaoshi.
Sanyaku
Atamifuji (8-5) defeated Gonoyama (9-4). Gonoyama thought he had Atamifuji beat. He shoved and shoved but Atamifuji would not go over the bales. Was Atamifuji intentionally sandbagging to wear Gonoyama out? Atamifuji countered quickly by shoving Gonoyama in the face. Once he got Gonoyama’s momentum going backwards, Atamifuji was running downhill. Oshidashi.
Daieisho (6-7) defeated Wakamotoharu (2-11). Daieisho kept his attack in first gear. Powerful tsuppari forced Wakamotoharu back and over the edge. Tsukidashi.
Takanosho (9-4) defeated Takayasu (6-7). Takayasu chugged forward but Takanosho demonstrated some agility and shifted to his left, then thrust Takayasu down. Tsukiotoshi.
Kirishima (12-1) defeated Oho (6-7). You could hear a pin drop in the arena as Shiro announced this bout. And I’ll give it to Oho. At no point did he give up. He made Kirishima earn this win. In fact, Oho nearly caught Kirishima sleeping at the start with a quick slapdown. Kirishima recovered, though, and went on the attack. He tried tsuppari but won it with yotsu at the end. Kirishima wrapped up an exhausted Oho and drove him over the edge. Yoritaoshi.
Aonishiki (6-7) defeated Kotozakura (8-5). Kotozakura lulled Aonishiki into his trap. Aonishiki plowed forward to the edge and once there, Kotozakura shifted to the side, grabbed Aonishiki’s belt with his left hand and pulled him forward. Somehow, Aonishiki stayed in. He pivoted and turned his back to Kotozakura. Kotozakura gave chase. Aonishiki got himself righted and re-engaged, driving Kotozakura gently over the bales. Sure got the pulse rate up here. Yorikiri.
Hoshoryu (10-3) defeated Kotoshoho (10-3). Hoshoryu pivoted to his left and slapped Kotoshoho down. Hatakikomi.
Wrap-up
Kirishima has separation from the field now. A two-bout lead heading into the final weekend is a great thing. He can seal the deal with a win tomorrow. As of the time of this post, the Kyokai has not announced tomorrow’s lineup. I probably won’t be able to get a quick post out before action begins but I would not be surprised if they set Kirishima against Aonishiki.
Talk about brutal. Aonishiki must win out to avoid kadoban. If they set it up so Kirishima’s fighting for the yusho at the same time, ouch. Since they’ve already had the Ozeki fight, looks like they can pair Kotozakura versus Kirishima on senshuraku. I think they wanted room to have Kotoshoho fight Kirishima but maybe that’s a senshuraku bout if Kirishima loses tomorrow? Well, we’ll see. Anyway, it’s Kirishima’s yusho to lose and it looks like we’ll have three Ozeki when we return to Tokyo in May. Cool.
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Yay for Tamawashi!! Should make 100 basho!
The look on Hakunofuji’s face after the bout said to me that he appreciated getting schooled by The Iron Man. There’s no other reason I can see for smiling then. 😄
Kirishima against Aonishiki. I see the logic re senshuraku, and I suppose they figure Aonishiki would be more motivated to win than Kotozakura. But, not sure I agree – there’s now a chance Kirishima loses and still wins the yusho – if he had been up against Kotoshoho, that possibility wouldn’t exist.
Aonishiki won by the skin of his teeth. Turned around, with his back to Kotozakura, and manages to twirl (do rikishi twirl?!) back to face a lumbering Ozeki…and pull out the win.
Kotozakura has got to be smacking his head against the wall. “How could I have lost? I had him literally on the run.”
Takayasu? Man, I like that guy but he manages to consistently disappoint. Week One and Week Two are different worlds.
Oh yeah, rikishi twirl. Usually they’re shoved out, okuridashi, and that’s what I thought was coming.
Right. I was seeking the correct verbiage, poking a bit of fun, but, yeah, they make some astounding moves considering their size.
Okuridashi (the failure to): this is why Kotozakura is (more than likely) kicking himself.
I recall Takayasu doing some beautiful 360 twirls on the tawara back in his younger days. Up on his tippy toes like a ballerina.
What a day of Sumo! It was an astonishing win for Aonishiki. I thought Kotozakura had it won twice, but no, Ao was channeling his cat-like reflexes, and his will to win this was overwhelming. And the Kirishima-Oho fight, incredible recoveries from Oho! I was hoping for an Oho win at the end to reward his relentless fighting spirit, against a version of Kiri that is more skilled and powerful than I can remember.
Yeah, I thought Oho would play spoiler but he ran out of gas.
Abi didn‘t trip, as the replay shows. Apparently he slipped a bit, but my guess is, that he doesn‘t feel much of his legs at the moment. Maybe some nerve is affected by the injury or it‘s all dimmed down with medical treatment. He should save his three wins and wave the final weekend goodbye.
WTK squeezed tears of pain while grabbing the kensho stack with his messed up arm. (Say: ‚Ouch!‘) Neglecting this could end up for him in forever fighting Takerufuji in Juryo.
Yeah, Abi’s slip probably needs a different term. I wondered if his ankle or knee moved in a way that hurt and brought him down.
Aonishiki had no business winning that one, but when you’re 4-1 (now 5-1) against someone, you find a way.
Oho looked like he was on ice the whole time, but made it more interesting than most vs. Kirishima this basho. Hope he wins his next two because moral victories won’t make him kachi-koshi.
Wakatakakage started the tournament with heavy bandage on right elbow. On day 6, he forced it way too much against Takayasu. Since then, the pain seems to grow. He will probably take his brother’s place at komusubi. At what price?
Gonoyama’s advance ended with a 0-3 crash against sanyaku. That’s the way it goes. There are several men that are capable of great things, but not consistently. Anyway, occasional bursts are better than the persistent dullness of some.
Kiribayama ozeki? Takayasu maegashira (or komusubi)? That would mean a return even to sekiwake for Wakatakakage (behind Atamifuji, the next ozeki candidate?).
I think you are right about WTK. But the final two days might bring some craziness if he finishes 8-7 and Takanosho or Kotoshoho win their final two. A Jun-Yusho for Kotoshoho might help him leapfrog? Ichinojo made it to Sekiwake from M10 and Okinoumi made it from M6 with only 9 wins. If those two can manage 11 or 12? Weird things may happen.
Very true. I forgot these two. Kotoshoho‘s highest rank so far has been M3 five years ago. And now suddenly sekiwake? That would be great, though a good result from there might prove difficult (he went 3-12 after his yusho…).
Chiyomaru was seen getting a bouquet of flowers after his last match, implying intai. Best wishes to His Roundness.
They announced the kimarite for the Tobizaru-Shishi bout as shitatenage but it’s posted as sukuinage on the JSA website. Guess they didn’t make the change well announced in the arena, or the JSA site is wrong?
Aonishiki’s escape was superb! But he’s up against the wall now. Kirishima next and then Hoshoryu. I don’t envy him at all.
Enho fighting up in Juryo next. Exchange match with Nishikigi? Ditto for Daiseizan-Oshoumi?
I go with what’s listed on the website. They do make changes/corrections sometimes. I think you are right about the exchange bouts but I think Enho might still have a path to Juryo with a loss. I imagine it depends on how things go with the guys above him on the banzuke.
If Enho and Takakento both lose, Enho should get the 4th spot.
But if the latter wins, Enho could be the odd one out despite a 5-2.
Let’s assume Enho loses tomorrow and ends at 5-2 (with Nishikigi then at 7-7)
We have Fujitensei (J13), Tsurugisho(J12) and Kotokuzan(J14) with already demotable scores
we have Tochitaikai, Okaryu in line to get into Juryo
then the winner of Hakuyozan or Takakento goes next as they are both at 4-2
He will need Nishikigi to lose and even then 7-8 at Juryo 12 is not a guaranteed demotion
So he needs to win tomorrow to be above the winner of Hakuyozan or Takakento
I forgot Shimazuumi!
with 4 openings, he can still get in
Kirishima wants this yusho .. i do not recall seeing this kind of intensity in his sumo .. His path is quite a story .. A couple years ago his sumo suddenly became clueless, reactive and hesitant .. Surely injury was part of his story, but his new oyakata has pushed all the right buttons .. It is the kind of story real fans appreciate .. Especially because we see many one/two basho wonders who rise & fade and can not sustain a higher rank ..
Takayasu is exhibit A for a rikishi running on week 2 fumes ..
WTK and Yoshinofuji fighting through injuires for W’s was impressive .. WTK looks to have a triceps/biceps injury .. I don’t know if it is smart, but it is the warrior spirit ..
I liked Ao’s persistence .. Kept putting his head down + back on the attack .. Some adversity may help him out longer term .. Being Ozeki added all sorts of benefits, but other rikishi just see a bigger target on him .. He has to either refocus on his strenghts or pick up some new skills/counter moves .. How about a henka or two to keep his opponents awake at the tachiei?..