Kyushu Day One Preview

Andy Kyushu 2025, Kyushu Basho , , ,

Once again, the Dohyo Matsuri will be streamed live on the Sumo Association’s YouTube channel at 8pm Eastern. For those new to the sport, this is the consecration ceremony, based on Japan’s Shinto roots. The kami are beckoned to the dohyo to watch after the action on the dohyo. Let’s hope there will be a safe tournament!

Action will begin on Sunday morning, Japan time with the Jonokuchi bouts. The Top Division action will start later in the afternoon, around 4pm until 6. The schedule of the first two days of sekitori bouts has been published.

In Sanyaku, we will have Komusubi Takanosho open things up against Hiradoumi, Wakamotoharu will fight Sekiwake Oho and Shin-Sekiwake will face Kirishima. Ozeki Kotozakura will mount the dohyo and fight Wakatakakage in a big test of the Ozeki’s fitness. Then Hoshoryu will fight Hakuoho before Onosato caps off the day against Takayasu.

Other bouts that will draw a bit of interest will be Ura versus Tamawashi, Yoshinofuji (ex-Kusano) will fight his first bout with the new shikona against Oshoma. Shodai will fight Atamifuji and Abi will take on Ichiyamamoto. A few months ago we were looking at Daieisho as an Ozeki candidate but he will fight Shishi tomorrow as he hopes to turn things around.

Be prepared to see Endo (Kitajin) and Takarafuji (Kiriyama) in new navy blue jackets. They will likely have security duties and we might see them assemble at the close of the day to help usher folks out of the arena. Sunday Morning at 1am, NHK Premium will have its Dosukoi program on Shitatenage and then Makuuchi action begins at 2am Eastern. Again, that’s a subscription service through NHK Premium. In the US and Canada it’s available with JME. For free, at 3:10am NHK World will stream action live via its website. That usually catches the second half of action, which will include the Sanyaku. The NHK Preview Show is available here.

Endo Retires

Andy Endo (遠藤), Retirement, Sumo Topics ,

News out of Oitekaze beya that Endo will retire. Though the Sumo Association has not made the official announcement, multiple media reports are confirming the decision citing sources close to the wrestler, including Nikkan Sports, Mainichi, Chunichi, Sports Hochi. I would still have held out for the official announcement but for the confirmed news that Kitajin-oyakata retired on 10/26. This was significant news because the kabu is owned by Endo and needed to be vacated so Endo could assume the name.

When the Kyushu banzuke was revealed yesterday, former Komusubi Endo had fallen from the sekitori ranks into Makushita. I anticipate the official announcement in a few hours but I will be at another family event so I wanted to get this out there. Frankly, we knew this day was coming several months ago when Endo underwent surgery on both knees. It is the end of an era.

Endo helped lead a resurgence in popularity for the sport after its nadir during the yaocho scandal of 2011. Here, we see Bruce taking a snap at one of the famous cutouts at Kokugikan. Endo was a successful rikishi at Nihon University and earned privileged debut at the rank of Ms10, like Mitakeumi and Onosato.

By virtue of that head start, Endo rose into the top division after only three tournaments, including a yusho in Juryo. He quickly rose to the Maegashira 1 rank in March 2014, his seventh professional tournament. However, injuries piled up and he wouldn’t reach Komusubi until 2018. In all, he claimed seven kinboshi in his career, including two against Hakuho.

Due to his popularity, he featured in TV commercials for sponsors like Nagatanien. He’s got that deep, gavelly voice that the ladies swoon for, amirite? Anyway, you can’t really tell because he never gets that many lines. He was rather notorious for seemingly giving the shortest answers to interview questions.

I am sure that all eight of his Shibaraku-kumadori inspired kesho mawashi will be on display at his retirement ceremony. The kabuki-themed image will likely be familiar for many of you. Unfortunately, the Instagram images that I featured in that article are gone but you may recognize this design It’s a brand of Nagatanien ochazuke toppings; a play on the word for “in a little while”. You can see it on his yukata in this ad and on Bruce’s picture, above. He actually has eight of these, each of a different color.

This takes me back to when I was first starting the blog back in 2014. I was consuming sumo any way I could. Thankfully these Araibira videos are still up. He had been chased from YouTube to Vimeo. (The struggle never ends but at least there is a lot more content out there now, including legit sources from the Sumo Association, the stables themselves, and even a bit from NHK and Abema.)

But, I digress. That year, Endo still had a zambara hair-style because it was too short for a top-knot. Above, we see him against Kotooshu — now Naruto-oyakata. We might think of that bout as Kotooshu handing over his role as the “ladies man” to the heart-throb of the new generation. And another video with a beautiful escape against his rival, Osunaarashi.

Good luck, Endo, in your second career! We are eager to see you churn out another generation of rikishi.

Kyushu 2025 Banzuke Released

Andy Banzuke, Banzuke (番付), Kyushu 2025, Kyushu Basho ,

The Kyushu Banzuke was released. A few days ago, I posted this summary to give a bit more information about this all-important ranking sheet and explain what you see there. Here it is in Japanese, and English from the Sumo Association website.

Leonid’s banzuke prediction worked out pretty well. On my first glance, he got everything right down to Fujinokawa. Wow. I’d be doing burnouts if my banzuke looked like that. I’ll let him break it down in more detail.

Kusano has changed his shikona to Yoshinofuji (義ノ富士). Aonishiki is shin-Sekiwake. Oho returns to the rank. Takanosho returns to Komusubi. Former Ozeki Asanoyama has moved on up to Juryo 4, much closer to a return to the top division. Injured ENDO has fallen from the salaried ranks at Makushita 3 East. ENHO has climbed up to Makushita 17 West.

Oitekaze-beya’s Kaki has jumped up to Sandanme 31 East. Watch this 190cm youngster. He’s won the Jonokuchi and Jonidan titles. American Hikarumusashi, aka Musashigawa’s nephew Daniel, slipped to Sandanme 73 after a tough 2-5 result at Aki. We’ll pay close attention to maezumo as well this tournament as we might get the debut of Isegahama’s big prospect, Battsetseg Ochirsaihan.

Kyushu 2025 Banzuke Review

lksumo Nagoya 2025

The November banzuke has been released. The Crystal Ball was clear this time, especially for the top two thirds of the banzuke—my prediction had the first 26 ranks, from Y1e to M10e, exactly right. The only surprise here was seeing the name Yoshinofuji at M5e. I had to do a double-take before realizing that Kusano got a new shikona, which I haven’t seen announced anywhere prior to the release of the banzuke.

The prediction fell apart after that, starting with Kotoshoho at M10w. I had him two full ranks lower, for my biggest overall miss. Fujinokawa, whom I had at M10w, ended up at 12e, a rank-and-a-half lower. I was also off by one rank on Gonoyama, Oshoumi, and Chiyoshoma, who all ended up higher than in my guess, as well as Asakoryu, who is ranked lower. My other misses were by half a rank.

I feel good about the prediction overall, especially on a tricky banzuke. In particular, I guessed correctly that Takayasu would take the K1w slot over Hakuoho, that Wakamotoharu would be placed behind the two demoted Sekiwake, and that Ichiyamamoto would be the lucky rikishi filling the gap in the banzuke at M8e. I also correctly called the four exchanges between Makuuchi and Juryo, with Meisei just barely surviving and Chiyoshoma coming up at the expense of Hitoshi.

With the release of the rankings, we can start the two-week countdown to the Kyushu basho! London was fun, but I for one am more than ready for some (real) sumo.

UPDATE: Guess the Banzuke results have been announced, and yours truly is back to holding the #1 overall rank (which is based on predictions for the past 6 basho).