Senshuraku in Osaka. Minatogawa-oyakata announced the Sumo Association’s decisions on Sanshō, or special prizes on Twitter.
Kirishima won the Outstanding Performance prize, unconditionally. All of the other prizes are conditional on wins during today’s action. Atamifuji, Kotoshoho, and Fujiseiun were selected for Fighting Spirit prize nominations while Fujinokawa will be awarded the Technique prize if he wins today.
JME coverage started with the Jonokuchi division playoff. Aron defeated Kojikara and Shosei to win the Jonokuchi division title. Pretty good sumo. Congratulations to all three men. Now, the Jonidan yusho brought the heat: Asahifuji versus Kiryuko. Asahifuji quickly grabbed Kiryuko’s mawashi with a left hand uwate. Kiryuko grabbed the front of Asahifuji’s belt but spent too long waiting for an attack so Asahifuji took the initiative and pulled Kiryuko down with a nice uwatenage.
Third, Nabatame fought Hogasho for the Sandanme title. Nabatame’s tsuppari overpowered Hogasho quickly. Oshidashi. Finally, the Juryo yusho playoff. Neither Wakanosho nor Dewanoryu won their senshuraku bouts so that meant a playoff will decide the 11-4 title winner. Dewanoryu took exception to Wakanosho’s games at the tachiai, grabbed Wakanosho with a bear hug and drove him from the dohyo.
Lower Division Yusho Winners:
- Juryo: Dewanoryu
- Makushita: Wakanofuji (decided Day 13)
- Sandanme: Nabatame
- Jonidan: Asahifuji
- Jonokuchi: Aron
Kirishima has already won the top division title. We will see the yusho presentation after top division action. But to open the action, we did get to see the Makuuchi Dohyo-iri and Hoshoryu’s Dohyo-iri, which I don’t believe we’ve been able to see so far this tournament.
Makuuchi Action
Oshoumi (5-10) defeated Tobizaru (6-9). Migi-yotsu. Oshoumi drove Tobizaru to the edge and lifted him off the dohyo and dropped him into Takadagawa-oyakata’s lap. Tsuridashi.
Fujiseiun (10-5) defeated Shishi (6-9). Shishi hit Fujiseiun with tsuppari but Fujiseiun stood his ground, shoving Shishi. Fujiseiun suddenly slipped left and Shishi lumbered forward. Fujiseiun attacked Shishi from behind and drove him over the bales, winning the bout AND his first Fighting Spirit prize. Okuridashi.
Kinbozan (9-6) defeated Roga (5-10). Kinbozan drove Roga back and out with strong tsuppari. Tsukidashi.
Tamawashi (5-10) defeated Kotoeiho (9-6). Tamawashi attacked Kotoeiho’s face with tsuppari driving him out and tying Harumafuji for 8th place with 712 top division wins. Oshidashi.
Fujiryoga (7-8) defeated Tokihayate (5-10). Fujiryoga blasted Tokihayate with tsuppari forcing him back to the edge. Tokihayate slipped right, trying to land a migi-uwate grip. Fujiryoga then grabbed Tokihayate and shoved him with his left hand, forcing him off-balance and teetering over the edge. Fujiryoga finished Tokihayate off with a shove from behind. Okuridashi.
Chiyoshoma (10-5) defeated Ura (5-10). Ura went low and tried to force Chiyoshoma back but Chiyoshoma slapped Ura down. Ura will tumble into the bottom third of the banzuke for Natsu where he could be quite dangerous. Hatakikomi.
Hakunofuji (5-6-4) defeated Asahakuryu (10-5). While Asahakuryu fumbled around for a grip, Hakunofuji drove forward and forced him over the edge. There are heavy elipses here as the drama at Isegahama will be settled in the coming days. I’ll bring you the news when I have it. Yorikiri.
Ichiyamamoto (9-6) defeated Mitakeumi (8-7). Mitakeumi pulled and Ichiyamamoto was only too happy to shove Mitakeumi in the face and out. Oshdashi.
Kotoshoho (11-4) defeated Asakoryu (9-6). Kotoshoho charged forward way early. Matta. If I’d been tuned in, I would have been prepared for what was next. Henka! Kotoshoho shifted right at the tachiai and slapped Asakoryu down, claiming his fighting spirit prize and the jun-yusho with a heavy dose of irony. I like it. Tsukiotoshi.
Nishikifuji (9-6) defeated Abi (4-6-5). Abi pivoted and pulled Nishikifuji by the neck to the edge. But he couldn’t finish him off. Nishikifuji wrapped him up and drove him back and over the edge. This was a much more competitive bout than I was anticipating. Good job on Abi but the result emphasizes how banged up he is. Yorikiri.
Halftime
Gonoyama (10-5) defeated Takanosho (9-6). Gonoyama charged forward, Superman-style, while Takanosho tried to slap him down. Kandayu had a second of indecision and pointed his gunbai to Takanosho. Mono-ii. Judges decided Takanosho’s foot landed out first and reversed Kandayu’s call. Oshidashi.
Shodai (8-7) defeated Daieisho (7-8). Shodai slapped down Daieisho. Tsukiotoshi.
Hiradoumi (7-8) defeated Churanoumi (4-11). Hiradoumi launched out at Churanoumi. Churanoumi shifted left and slapped Hiradoumi down as he backed out. Gunbai Hiradoumi. No mono-ii. Oshidashi.
Fujinokawa (8-7) defeated Oho (7-8). NHK cameras scanned the stadium, drawing attention to the fans with Fujinokawa hand towels, drawing one conclusion: Fujinokawa brings all the gyaru to the yard. Oho drove Fujinokawa to the edge but Fujinokawa used his left arm, hooked under Oho’s shoulder, to throw Oho over the tawara. Fujinokawa earned his kachi-koshi and Fighting Spirit prize. Sukuinage.
Yoshinofuji (7-8) defeated Asanoyama (8-7). Migi-yotsu. Yoshinofuji dragged Asanoyama to the edge and nearly threw him with an uwatenage. Somehow Asanoyama managed to teeter at the edge with his right foot in the air but right himself. Yoshinofuji collected his thoughts for a moment and pulled up on Asanoyama’s belt, driving him back and out for a good ole, yorikiri. A sense that a torch is passing from one generation to the next here.
Sanyaku
Oshoma (6-9) defeated Wakamotoharu (3-12). Wakamotoharu slapped the crap out of Oshoma, angering the youngster. As Wakamotoharu charged forward with more tsuppari, Oshoma slipped left and grabbed Wakamotoharu’s belt then flipped Wakamotoharu off the dohyo. Uwatenage.
Takayasu (7-8) defeated Atamifuji (9-6). Migi-yotsu. Takayasu treated Atamifuji like a big-rig steering wheel and took him for a quick drive around the dohyo. With a hard left turn of the big wheel, Takayasu wrecked Atamifuji, dragging him to the ground. No Special Prize for Atamifuji and Takayasu claims the arrows. Uwatehineri.
Kotozakura (10-5) defeated Kirishima (12-3). Kotozakura overpowered Kirishima and drove him back and out with the old hug-and chug. Flashbacks to The Yeet Heard Round the World. Ozeki? Yes. Certainly. But it would have been nice to cap off the run with a win. Oshidashi.
Hoshoryu (11-4) defeated Aonishiki (7-8). Hoshoryu used his right arm, hooked in Aonishiki’s left shoulder, to pull him to the edge and attempt a sukuinage. He could not finish Aonishiki with the throw, alone. So Hoshoryu used his right leg, wrapped around Aonishiki’s left, for additional leverage and dropped Aonishiki over the edge. Aonishiki kadoban. Kakenage.
Wrap-up
This was a rather anti-climactic end to the yusho race. Kirishima won the title but lost his final two bouts. Today’s bout against Kotozakura was not good at all. Kotozakura just used his size advantage to beat Kirishima rather easily. Despite the loss, Kirishima also claimed the Outstanding Performance prize.
Aonishiki’s make-koshi record was a completely unexpected result from this basho. If you’re going to end a dominant streak of tournaments and double-digit wins, do it in style with a make-koshi. Our Ozeki are certainly used to being kadoban so maybe this is just Aonishiki’s initiation to the custom.
There will be quite a bit of news this week, so while tournament coverage is over, I hope to bring updates on a number of stories this week. We’ll have Juryo promotions, obviously, but also an Ozeki promotion and a determination regarding the Isegahama scandal. I will be on the road later this week but I should be able to write brief summaries of the events. And next week, Jungyo starts with a packed schedule of 27 dates carrying us through April in the lead up to the May tournament. See you soon.
Discover more from Tachiai (立合い)
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Andy — Thanks again for your splendid recaps. Will look forward to the post-basho coverage.
Thankfully the four playoffs gave us something to pique our interest in the finale.
Thank you!
Andy and everyone, thanks as ever for the great coverage and comments!
I only saw the final match briefly, but didn’t Aonishiki try a leg trip of some sort on Hosh, who then took it, and turned it on Aonishiki?
I am sorry for Aonishiki’s kadoban status, but so happy for Hosh, breaking that rock/paper/scissors thing with Aonishiki and Onosato.
Also really happy for Kirishima who’s worked so hard to get back to Ozeki rank. Yeah, perhaps not the most satisfying end to a tournament, but plenty to enjoy along the way. It’s good to see great new talents rising up the ranks as well.
Roll on May!
I‘m happy that I‘ve been happy already yesterday! Kirishima Yusho! I hope, he feels happy, too! People will always talk and have something to be negative about, but they can‘t take it away from him! It‘s the reward for working out a two win lead at the right time. A success is a success and not a failure, even if one or another or even he himself would say, he should have done better. We all can do better, can‘t we? He beat the Yokozuna, though not the Ozeki, and had one slip on a Maegashira. This is overall as it is: great! Why should it be perfect?
Just as a remark, it‘s not the first time having two last day losses in a yusho. Terunofuji‘s 10th had it and nobody is talking about it. And it happened already before on his 4th. Hakuho‘s 26th had it, and he‘s still the GOAT. Onosato‘s 5th had a loss on senshuraku and the day before he got only a fusensho. So what? And there are soooo many yusho with last day losses, it‘s completely normal. There were 36 losses on senshuraku in all 165 yusho of this century.
Thank you Andy for giving us reviews and wrap-ups of the basho again, in best quality as always! Thanks to lksumo for filling vacancy, I hope we get a report of the brackets again in May! Thank you all Tachiai team and persons commenting, I enjoyed reading your thoughts!
Not a great showing today, but I’m glad to see Kirishima back on top.
My love to Andy and the Tachiai team – not S or M, plain vanilla
🤣🍦
Fujinokawa achieved kachi-koshi with a 4-1 run in the final third. His friend and training partner Aonishiki did not. Will Aonishiki be able to reinvent himself? Perhaps he should talk with Fujinokawa more often.
Well done, Kotoshoho. Sealing the fighting spirit prize with a henka is amusing, indeed.
Since his championship in November 2024, this is the first tournament where Kotozakura achieved double-digit wins.
Tachiai! Banzai!
Thank you for your coverage! Kotohachinana no more?! Finally, not just another 8-7! I hope this heralds some more confident performances from him this year.
Isn’t it kinda self-contradictory term? ‘Kantosho winner with a henka win!’
We already have ‘Artful henka from Abi.’ Maybe this was a basho that escalated the status of henka into a first class citizen.
—
Thanks Andy for your two weeks of sleepless nights. We really enjoyed your hilarious coverage of the basho.
Thank you! Looking forward to more in May.
I’m thinking that Kotoshoho using a henka to claim his “Fighting Spirit” trophy will hurt his banzuke luck when he next needs it most. It’s a bit like he thumbed his nose at the committee. Maybe they should put a further stipulation on these conditional awards – you need a non-henka win LOL
GTB was no fun today: Sanyaku and the Makuuchi/Juryo-exchange seemed quite clear, but the big hole beneath M2 was horrible. Anyway, I filled it somehow; would be very surprised though if I came near the top 100 this time.
The joi and the bottom of the Banzuke should be fairly clear-cut… the rest of it (i.e. M5-13) will likely be littered with generous promotions and lenient demotions… it’s going to be weird, but I’m pretty confident with what I have at the moment… I also have Enhō back in Jūryō for May… Woo-hoo!
I used to be quite confident with what I had several times until the banzuke was released… but of course if U‘re up there with Iksumo in the GTB ranking it must be different.
Enho seems to be a sure thing. The four times (if I counted correctly) the constellation was like this in this century the M4e always overtook the M3e.
Thank you for the coverage!
Kirishima’s last 2 losses should be taken as factors against the dignity of an ozeki when they deliver for his promotion
question: if they promote him does he go again through the entire ceremony? visit by sumo association, speech, big fish, etc? or is it less elaborated when it is 2nd time?
I’m no expert, but I heard somewhere that the elaborate ceremony is only for the first time someone becomes ozeki,, not for a return to the rank.
The Japanese press say he’s sure to get ozeki back. I’m sorry it ended with a bit of a sour taste, but looking at the whole basho, it is well deserved.
Hooting, hollering, clapping, and cheering for Nabatame getting the win. Keep that up and you’ll be wearing the oicho-mage again soon.
And cheering for Hoshoryu finally taking a match off of Aonishiki, some incredible balance on display with both of them on one foot trying to cling to and overpower the other.
Thank you as always for the daily updates!
I can’t help but feel like Aonishiki came into this basho with his head up in the clouds fully expecting the Yokozuna promotion and needed this tournament to ground himself back to earth. Everything’s come so easy for him in the top division but this time around he got humbled pretty harshly. I think a lot of it was overconfidence and the other half of it is people figuring out how to fight him. He’s going to have to redouble his efforts in training and come up with more strategies going forward.
But I think this tournament was a good thing for him. Sometimes you need adversity and with his talent he’ll bounce back from it. But a splash of cold water in his face could make him even more of a deadly opponent going forward depending on how he reacts to this adversity.
Add to this the lifestyle of an Ozeki that Konishiki describes. They’re the face of the sumo association, not just the heya, and they have more responsibilities for public engagements and supporter events.
Hoshoryu says “You want to pull a leg trip on me? I’ll show you a leg trip.” I am sorry Aonishki got a make koshi, but confident he can come back from it next time, and it’s just a reality check that it’s tough at the top. And I’m very glad for Hoshoryu that he broke through that string of losses to Aonishki so it’s not a foregone conclusion any more.
I love that photo of smiling Kirishima, Andy! Thanks for that (and for all your coverage)! I know he was bummed with how it finished, but he still had a fabulous comeback and I am looking forward to seeing him at Ozeki again!
Yay Fujinokawa! With him and Asakoryu, maybe there is now a bantam cohort like there was once a tadpole era.
I wish Asanoyama would find something new in life that would give him pride and pleasure – he just always looks resigned, even when he wins, like doing sumo now is perpetual penance for the stupid mistake that torpedoed his career.
Very interesting remark on poor Asanoyama. What I don’t remember though is whether he really was different, more enthusiastic before his downfall.
See Bruce’s article on him here: https://tachiai.org/2022/05/31/nagoya-story-1-the-return-of-asanoyama/
When he was first in Makuuchi, Bruce used to call him “the happy rikishi”. He was always smiling in a sweet and guileless way. Becoming Ozeki and the pressure of being the next big hope seemed to weigh on him and he never looked relaxed after that. He struck me as impressionable. His father died during the time Asanoyama was demoted for breaking Covid curfew and lying about it, and I think he suffered a lot of guilt for disgracing his family.
“I wish Asanoyama would find something new in life that would give him pride and pleasure – he just always looks resigned, even when he wins, like doing sumo now is perpetual penance for the stupid mistake that torpedoed his career.”
Very interesting thoughts. I’m a huge Asanoyama fan and think you may have nailed it here. So unfortunate,…but, yeah.
Hmmm… what is the drama going on at various stables such as Isegahama. I missed the news.
Asanoyama looking a little old and rusty.
What would happen if Hakunofuji had one year of no injuries behind a stubbed toe or broken fingernail?
Takanosho–always a bridesmaid, never a bride.
Missed Midorifiju’s rather entertaining bouts. Is he really sick?
Very glad that Kirishima overcame whatever the injury was that floored him for so many bouts. Loved that smile!
What the heck is wrong with Wakamotoharo?
REALLY, REALLY hope that by some irony, Onosato had suffered a career-ending injury like KISENSOSATO.
THANKS ANDY!
I really, really hope that U forgot a NOT in your sentence. Otherwise, well, karma…
Yes, Forgot NOT. LOVE the boy.
So what are the possibilities to spin miyagano back out of Isegehama? I know nothing of the politics or culture, but it seems like a way to “make amends”?