Day Elf in Nagoya. No news from the infirmary today.
Nabatame defeated Fudoho. With Mita falling to Tenshoyama, Nabatame is the lone undefeated wrestler in Makushita and controls his own destiny in the yusho race. It’s his if he wins his final bout on Day 13, or he’ll be a participant in a wider playoff. Tenshoyama is a big dude, by the way. His bout against Mita:
In Juryo, Arashifuji (10-1) continues his charge for the yusho with Toshinofuji right behind at 9-2. Shirokuma defeated Enho. Kayo shocked me with his win, as after running backward around the dohyo he stopped, MOVED FREAKING FORWARD and thrust Hatsuyama over the edge and to the ground. If he has such strength, why in the hell is his first attack always the slapdown? Video of his win is available at the tail end of the NHK videos from today. Enjoy Shirokuma vs Enho, below.
We’re tracking four guys at the moment with possibility of promotion to Makuuchi. No one has locked it in yet but Asasuiryu (7-4), Tokihayate (7-4), Toshinofuji (9-2), and Dewanoryu (7-4), are probably the best promotion cases at the moment.
The NHK videos are here. The NHK usually shows one bout from Juryo during their coverage. That bout is the one that usually shows up at the end of the list. As I mentioned, today, that is Kayo over Hatsuyama.
Makuuchi Action
Daiseizan (5-6) defeated Abi (5-6). Abi struck out at Daiseizan with fierce tsuppari and nodowa, causing Daiseizan to go back to the edge and slip to the left. Daiseizan made a quick escape and grabbed the back of Abi’s belt, pushing him out from behind. Okuridashi.
Asakoryu (6-5) defeated Chiyoshoma (3-8). Chiyoshoma made the fatal mistake of pulling when his opponent was prepared. Asakoryu shoved him to the ground. Chiyoshoma makekoshi. Oshitaoshi.
Takerufuji (9-2) defeated Asanoyama (8-3). Takerufuji made quick work of the former Ozeki, shifting left, grabbing Asanoyama’s belt with his left hand and pulling him toward the bales. He followed up by forcing Asanoyama over the edge. Yorikiri.
Fujiryoga (7-4) defeated Kazuma (3-8). Fujiryoga shoved Kazuma back to the edge and down to the ground with his powerful tsuppari and head-butts. Kazuma is makekoshi and in danger of falling into Juryo. Oshitaoshi.
Roga (5-6) defeated Onokatsu (2-9). Roga drove Onokatsu to the edge with his right hand inside. As the two approached the bales, Roga used that right hand inside, under Onokatsu’s shoulder, to topple his opponent. Onokatsu is first in line on the barge. Sukuinage.
Wakamotoharu (5-6) defeated Kinbozan (6-5). Wakamotoharu let Kinbozan drive him to the edge, he then shifted right and used his right hand inside to pull Kinbozan forward by his shoulder. Kotenage.
Shishi (9-2) defeated Kotoeiho (9-2). A great migi-yotsu battle; Probably the best I’ve seen in some time. Both men tried to gain better position and drive the other over the edge. Shishi finally wore Kotoeiho down and drove him to the ground at the tawara. NHK cameras tracked Shishi as he walked up the hanamichi and pausing on his way back to the shitakubeya, completely gassed. Yoritaoshi.
Fujiseiun (6-5) defeated Mitakeumi (1-10). Fujiseiun finally forced Mitakeumi over the edge with gaburi hip thrusts. Earlier in the bout, Mitakeumi seemed to have the upper hand as he charged ahead with his forearm lodged under Fujiseiun’s chin. You could sense a real urgency from Mitakeumi as he pressed hard into Fujiseiun, aware that he’s in line for a drop to Juryo and needs several wins to avoid the drop. Yorikiri.
Asahakuryu (4-7) defeated Shodai (4-7). Asahakuryu gently ushered Shodai over the edge after Shodai’s useless slapdown attempt. Oshidashi.
Oshoma (5-6) defeated Tobizaru (3-8). Oshoma got his hands up behind Tobizaru’s head and drove him into the ground. I approved of this slapdown because he didn’t pull back far at all. He stood his ground and used all of his strength to drive Tobizaru’s head into the clay as if he wanted Tobizaru to get a taste of the dried squid and chestnuts under the dohyo. Hatakikomi.
Halftime
Nishikifuji (8-3) defeated Daieisho (6-5). Henka! Nishikifuji shifted left at the tachiai and slapped Daieisho to the clay to secure his kachi-koshi. Hatakikomi.
Takayasu (9-2) defeated Hakunofuji (7-4). Takayasu forced Hakunofuji over the edge with his hidari-yotsu sumo. He had a left-hand grip inside. But when he was able to shift that grip deeper to the back of Hakunofuji’s belt and pull himself in tight and add that right hand outside grip, he gained the leverage he needed to chug forward and force Hakunofuji out. Yorikiri.
Fujinokawa (5-6) defeated Hiradoumi (1-10). Hiradoumi’s gaburi yotsu ran into a brick wall when Fujinokawa got both hands inside and bear-hugged Hiradoumi. Fujinokawa pressed Hiradoumi toward the edge and toppled him over it with his left arm hooked under Hiradoumi’s armpit. Sukuinage.
Sanyaku
Takanosho (5-6) defeated Oho (1-10). Oho pulled and Takanosho forced Oho out with gaburi-yotsu. Does Oho have the flu or something? Yorikiri.
Churanoumi (4-7) defeated Yoshinofuji (5-6). Churanoumi battered Yoshinofuji with tsuppari and finally shoved him out after Yoshinofuji tired of the assault. Oshidashi.
Aonishiki (10-1) defeated Gonoyama (5-6). Aonishiki quickly seized Gonoyama’s belt with his left hand uwate. Aonishiki then pivoted and tried to slap Gonoyama down. Gonoyama fought to stay up but Aonishiki pushed forward and forced Gonoyama over the edge. With the win, Aonishiki sealed his return to the rank of Ozeki for the September tournament. Yorikiri.
Kotozakura (6-5) defeated Ura (4-7). No! This isn’t butsukari-geiko, you nonce! Kotozakura started sliding back as Ura pressed forward, like a blocking sled. Why in the hell are you moving backwards? You’ve got a 39kg size advantage here!! As if it suddenly occurred to him, Kotozakura slapped Ura hard with his left hand and drove him to the ground. Ay caramba, dude! Yoshitaoshi.
Kirishima (9-2) defeated Ichiyamamoto (5-6). Kirishima hit Ichiyamamoto with tsuppari, driving him out. Ichiyamamoto never had a chance to deploy much of an attack. It seemed like he was set on trying to get a belt grip from the outset and Kirishima didn’t let him. Oshidashi.
Atamifuji (8-3) defeated Onosato (6-5). Guess what? Onosato pulled and lost. He whiffed with the slapdown attempt and Atamifuji shoved him over the bales, picking up his kachi-koshi. Onosato had to sit and wallow in freakish misery at the side of the dohyo, waiting for the final bout so he could go home. The dude in the checkerboard shirt, seated next to the hot gyaru and behind Onosato, basically summed up my thoughts by shaking his head in disappointment. Oshidashi.
Hoshoryu (7-4) defeated Kotoshoho (4-7). Hoshoryu began with a right hand inside and tried to get that left-hand inside to join it as he battled Kotoshoho. Hoshoryu switched to a left-hand uwate and toppled Kotoshoho to the ground. Uwatenage.
Wrap-up
Welp, the pressure is off Aonishiki. He’s locked in his Ozeki rank in September. Kotozakura needs two more wins to do the same. We know that ankle is not 100% and he should probably go kyujo if it weren’t for that pesky yusho race. What a conundrum. He’s fighting so well with one foot, why not keep going? He’s in the driver’s seat. If he takes a couple of losses and falls out of the race, I could see him going kyujo this weekend. But if he keeps winning, he’ll take it all.
My big question is this: if you were Aonishiki, would you go kyujo in September and come back kadoban — but closer to 100% — in Kyushu? My nightmare senario would be competing at Aki, not allowing the ankle to heal, and going kadoban despite participating. So, I would be tempted to sit out Aki. Regardless, I hope he will go kyujo for jungyo. There’s about 30 dates here!
As for giri-giri Kotohachinana’s rank, he will have one more bout against a rank-and-filer but he still has to fight both Yokozuna and then Ozeki Kirishima. He will have to pick off at least one of them in order to preserve his rank. Kotonanahachi is sekiwake.
Yusho race
- 1-Loss: Aonishiki
- 2-Losses: Kirishima, Takayasu, Kotoeiho, Takerufuji, Shishi
Hoshoryu will fight Kotozakura tomorrow and Onosato will have to fight Kirishima. Onosato does not have an easy path to kachi-koshi, either. He will have to fight the Sadogatake pair and Hoshoryu in the final three days after the Kirishima bout tomorrow. He needs to squeeze two wins out of that schedule or be the first Yokozuna since Wakanohana to come up short. That was the final time Wakanohana “went the distance” and competed all 15 days before intai. I’m not suggesting Onosato will retire soon but I do wonder if he will go kyujo with another loss. He may even go kyujo now. All of that pressure which had been on Aonishiki is now on Onosato.
Speaking of Sadogatake beya, the brothers have some big fights tomorrow. Atamifuji will fight Kotoeiho tomorrow and Kotoshoho will fight Aonishiki. Yoshinofuji will take on Hiradoumi and Oho will fight Churanoumi as he tries to end his seven-bout losing streak and save something from this tournament.
In the rank-and-file, Takayasu will fight Takerufuji and Shishi will fight Asanoyama. I imagine if Shishi wins, he might then fight Takayasu. I’m eager to see how this yusho race shakes out. A lot of guys will be in contention for special prizes, even if they fall short on the yusho. Well, I don’t know about y’all but I’ll be watching tomorrow.
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Aonishiki got away with a hair pull against Gonoyama. Unlikely that it made any difference to the outcome, but if the gyoji or shinpan had caught it he’d have been disqualified.
Oh, I had missed it, too. Will check the replay.
Yeah, that was the first thing that came to my mind, oh no, he´s going to lose because of hair pull. Did no one really see this?
Wow. I was going to say it was borderline, so I could understand giving Aonishiki the benefit of doubt, but I checked Don Don’s top ten, so I was able to slo mo the slo mo and it’s very troublesome. I don’t think it was intentional, of course, but I’ve seen a half a dozen less incriminating instances resulting in disqualification.
My totally unbiased opinion is that Aonishiki‘s hand wasn’t even near to Gonoyama‘s head…
No, in fact I can‘t tell whether he closed his hand or nor when it touched the mage.
I agree completely. At minimum should have been a mono- ii, to review it.
I thought he was going to be called right away. Looked almost as bad as the Onosato grab on Ura in January 2026.
Watching the slow motion replay, there is contact with the top knot, but I don’t think it’s nearly enough to warrant disqualification. There is a good chance the judges didn’t see it (it’s hard to spot in real time), but I’m not sure there would have been a mono-ii even if the one with the right view had. It’s still risky, because that would have likely depended entirely on one judge’s opinion of pull
The “hair pull” had a similar look to his day 10 win, but a bit more suspect this time. I am also among the surprised who thought he was gonna get the dreaded hansoku and didn’t.
The look on his face and him looking around at the shimpan, he obviously thought he grabbed the topknot.
Totally agree. An obvious top knot grab to everyone…even Aonishiki fans. The Shinpan all blinked at the same time or cared nothing about Gonoyama or fair play. Shame on them.
Nothing obvious about whether it was a touch or a grab. U‘re exaggerating into the other direction. If I was as rigorous in my judgement as U seem I‘d have to say shame on U (too). But I‘m not therefore I repeat the it‘s a pity there was no mono-ii.
You are right, it’s time to be concerned about Oho. No tapes, no cuppings, no bleeding, but absolutely out of the basho. I saw him grimacing when he entered the off-zone today and it seemed that he could hardly move. There are things like Epstein-Barr-Virus or something, but it would be dangerous to go fighting while suffering with that.
“There are things like Epstein-Barr-Virus or something”
I’ve had bouts of what some are calling Long Covid since 2020. It’s an instant fatigue that carries with it a fairly nasty depression. I can’t imagine being an athlete at Oho’s level, expected to perform amongst the best on Earth. I hope it’s nothing like that, but it has to be something. He’s capable of some very impressive Sumo.
Worried about Oho. It makes me sad to see him fighting in this state. Earlier in the bouts it looks like his right forearm is very sore. But like Andy said about flu? He looks woozy. I hope he goes Kyujo and get appropriate medical attention and rest.
oh my! lots of drama, as ever! well done Aonishiki, well deserved. Good, Atamafuji beat Onosato. It was going to happen, looking forward to seeing that later on. Thanks whatever gods you believe in; Hosh won! and Kirishima! Kotozakura lurches towards his kachi-koshi ….maybe. I’m sorry Kotoeiho lost, he’s really making a great impression with his sumo and his general demeanour. All to play for. I am also rather hoping that Mr. Flex aka Asakoryu makes his kachi-koshi, I don’t want to see him back in Juryo.
Aonishiki should skip jungyo and he will be fine for Aki. I presume nobody is 100%, at any time. And he needs that rope for Hatsu, no?
Agreed, the current state of his ankle doesn’t look horrible. If he can get 4-5 weeks of semi-rest and PT, that ankle should mostly heal. There are better ankle supports than the wrap he has on. I wonder if JSA doesn’t allow those?
I like Aonishiki but that was a hair-pull for the ages.
Who is Nabatame’s opponent in the next match? Has it been decided yet?
I think the queue of possible opponents begins with Kyokumizuno followed by Ryuho, Osanai and Anhibiki, who is 5:1 already while the three men in front of him need a win in their bouts tomorrow. (I would like best a rematch against Asahifuji but unfortunately that is out of the question.)
The Shishi bout…one minute long (per play-by-play chap). What a fight. I was straining in my chair, just watching. A tremendous matchup with Kotoeiho.
Aonishiki. I just rewatched. My view is he didn’t grab hair. He cupped the back of the head but that’s it. Unlike yesterday, when Aonishiki didn’t appear to have a post-fight limp, he certainly did today.
…but after receiving kensho he already descended the steps quite dynamic and without any limp, therefore maybe he is now truly a/the favorite for the yusho?
Shishi and Kotoeiho were pleading to the God of Oxygen for just another milliliter at the end of that. As Kotoeiho sat up and drew a breath he had that look like, “I’m really in trouble here!” Both men gained in reputation. There should be a special prize for bout of the yusho.
Shishi from previous basho would give up at tawara and stepped out, but this one really believed he could win.
I like the after bout scene where both rikishes lay down briefly, totally exhausted. I personally felt for them and let them stay that way a little longer.
“There should be a special prize for bout of the yusho.”
Agreed- but only when there is a truly special bout. It shouldn’t be an every-basho sort of prize.
Just imagine what Aonishiki is capable of with two healthy ankles! What a talent!
Or Takerufuji… but they have to work with what they have at the moment.
Mitakeumi is an interesting case. Once you get him moving backward, he’s doomed. He’s tapdanced on the edge of the top division for a while now. We’ll see if he drops or not.
I liked the little nod from Asakoryu telling Chiyoshoma that he was ready for the bout that happened today. “Yep, let’s go.”
I suspect that Kotoeiho/Shishi and Hoshoryu/Kotoshoho will be reviewed by everyone to learn from because they were both quality matches for multiple reasons. It says a lot that both Koto brothers are featured in them too.
If I got the maths right, Mitakeumi would have to win all four remaining bouts to be save.
If he won less he would be dependent of the results in juryo, as would be Kazuma even if he won out. While Onokatsu is already lost, Tobizaru, Abi and Kinbozan need one more win, Chiyoshoma, Asahakuryu und Asakuryu two and Daizeizan two or three.
Right now there would be four promotable rikishi in the second division. Asasuiryu needs one more win to join his brother (if he stays) in makuuchi, Toshinofuji needs one more win too, Tokihayate two, Dewanoryu two or three, Shonannoumi three, Kyokukayiu four and finally Kitanowaka and Shirokuma four or five (5 being quite difficult within 4 remaining days…).
I’m shocked to see Abi’s name included in this list because he’s been so consistent over time. But, if you end up with a couple of makekoshi in a row, you do run into danger. Out of the list of people who need wins to stay up, I can’t choose any of them and be confident that they’ll get the wins they need.
Wow, the Shishi-Kotoeiho fight was way more exciting than I thought it would be. What a back and forth! Both guys really gave it their all. Shishi just barely held on several times before outlasting Kotoeiho at the end. It’s matches like this that made me fall in love with sumo!
If only Kotoeiho saved his beautiful prematch ritual, and kept that energy, who knows?
Completely agree.
Give Shishi credit ., he’s not pretty ., but smarter + stronger than before + highly motivated + his “physique” is problematic .. try doing a leg throw on a 400 lb penguin .. before the prior match he looked to be staring down Kotoeiho across the dohyo .. he deserved the applause .. he is becoming a puzzle to solve ..
Really surprised there was not a monoi to look at Ao’s hand on Gono’s head/hair ..
Sumo .like golf .. can be v humbling .. eg Oho and Onosato .. I don’t think mulligans will fix their issues .. they need to rebuild their bodies & confidence .,
Did anyone else notice a bit of attitude in Takayasu v Atamifuji! .,imho ..Papa looked to be administering a lesson + wanted to get that across .
Aonishiki seemed to pull the top knot to me. If he didn’t, it was extremely close to the point of needing reviewed. On the NHK Highlights they showed him looking around at the judges after the match, he clearly expected it to be called too. But hey, if Jesse Ventura and Bobby Heenan taught me anything; if the referees don’t see it there was no cheating.
I’ll probably mention it in the write up but the shimpan are pointing at the replay booth folks, saying that they didn’t bring it up.
watching the highlights show only, it seemed to me that his hand was raised as if he were going to pick something up from above using all his fingers. It’s hard to see, I’m probably wrong, but it looked as if he was trying NOT to grip the hair or mage. Just my take on watching it back.
Some brilliant fights though… .
everyone’s been through them all, but yeah, excellent day, tussles, grapple, henka, as ever sumo has it all.
…if grabbing the top-knot was even cheating… most of the times I think that the „offender“ has been cheated/robbed an earned win.
They do shokkiri at every jungyo to let people know that it is foulplay and against the rules.
Fun Basho – lots of excitement!
Shishi been a surprise, his match today was Koto was just awesome.
It’s doubtful the stars will ever align for
Takayasu but he is again in the running.
I think pretty much everyone whom watches Sumo would love to to see him win one Basho. I could just imagine the impact that would have.
Sad to see Ura doing poorly.
Kazuma needs to learn how to fall better to not hurt himself. His falls the last few days looked ugly.
Meanwhile, Aonishiki, Yoshinofuji & Fuginokawa are responsible for 6 of the 9 Yokozuna defeats this tournament. Three guys with a clean sweep of Yokozuna!
Somehow Yoshinofuji & Fuginokawa still need to win 3 of the 4 remaining bouts to have winning records.