Nagoya 2025: Shonichi

Andy Nagoya 2025, Nagoya Basho

As I mentioned in my Preview post, we have three sekitori who will be kyujo this tournament: Daieisho, Endo, and Nabatame. We will be on retirement watch with Endo as he has gone under the knife. I’m not sure why they seem to think he will try to come back for September but maybe there’s a goal of making the trip to London? Maybe with a bionic knee? Let’s not be crazy here. I agree with Leonid and folks in my preview post that it’s more likely that he has an extended absence and retires than miraculously shows up in September.

Down in Juryo, Mita had his first bout after going kyujo on Day 13 in May. He dominated veteran Shimanoumi with a oshidashi win.

NHK Videos are available here: Juryo, Makuuchi Part I & Part II.

Makuuchi Action

Shishi defeated Kotoeiho. Shishi seized Kotoeiho’s belt and yanked him over for a spectacular throw. At the same time, Kotoeiho was charging forward into Shishi, forcing him to the edge…but Kotoeiho flipped out first. Gunbai Shishi, no mono-ii. Good call. Good throw. Uwatenage.

Mitakeumi defeated Kayo. Kayo pulled backward and shuffled clockwise. Mitakeumi stuck with him and drove him out for an easy yorikiri.

Kotoshoho defeated Hidenoumi. Kotoshoho drove Hidenoumi back to the edge. He then pulled and tried to slap Hidenoumi down while shifting side to side. The side-to-side shifts seemed to keep Hidenoumi from mounting a solid attack. Kotoshoho caught Hidenoumi near the bales and suddenly changed direction, moving forward, and shoved him out. Oshidashi.

Kusano defeated Fujinokawa. A nice oshi brawl as Fujinokawa forced Kusano to the edge. Fujinokawa slipped inside and secured a morozashi, driving forward. Kusano used the leverage from the bales to envelope Fujinokawa’s arms and yank him over the edge as both men tumbled out. Gunbai Kusano. Fujinokawa landed outside first. No mono-ii. Tsukiotoshi.

Shodai defeated Churanoumi. Churanoumi charged forward while Shodai pulled and slipped to his right. Shodai slapped Churanoumi down as Churanoumi’s momentum carried him past Shodai and he rolled off the edge. Hatakikomi.

Midorifuji defeated Asakoryu. Asakoryu tried to slap Midorifuji down but Midorifuji charged forward. Both men fell out but the gunbai went to Midorifuji. No mono-ii. Oshidashi.

Takanosho defeated Tokihayate. Takanosho pressed forward while Tokihayate pulled. Tokihayate attempted to shift at the edge but Takanosho stayed on his feet and stayed in as Tokihayate fell out. Oshidashi.

Roga defeated Atamifuji. Roga slipped his right hand inside, left hand outside and charged forward. Atamifuji resisted at the bales but could never settle on a comfortable grip. While Atamifuji fumbled around for a decent hold, Roga yanked him down with that left hand. Uwatedashinage.

Ura defeated Chiyoshoma. Ura pulled back to the edge while Chiyoshoma blasted him with tsuppari. At the edge, Ura changed direction, shifted right and then pressed forward and forced Chiyoshoma over the bales. Oshidashi.

Ichiyamamoto defeated Sadanoumi. Ichiyamamoto slipped his right hand inside and got a solid left hand outside grip and pressed forward. Sadanoumi twisted as he approached the bales but Ichiyamamoto’s footwork was excellent. Likely the big news event of the first half of this match day, Ichiyamamoto displays his solid yotsu skills and picks up the win. Yorikiri.

Halftime

Gonoyama defeated Tobizaru. All Gonoyama. Gonoyama blasted Tobizaru over and over, driving him to the edge. Tobizaru could not escape and Gonoyama shoved him out rather easily. NEXT! Oshidashi.

Takerufuji defeated Meisei. Meisei pulled at the tachiai, gifting Takerufuji superior position with Meisei’s heels on the edge. Solid tsuppari from Takerufuji to force Meisei to step out. Tsukidashi.

Tamawashi defeated Hiradoumi. Tamawashi pulled. Hiradoumi charged forward but Tamawashi shifted along the bales and yanked Hiradoumi forward and out by the right shoulder. Gunbai Hiradoumi? Mono-ii. Gyoji’s call overruled and Tamawashi was given the win. Tsukiotoshi.

Kinbozan defeated Hakuoho. Kinbozan shifted subtly to his left and pulled Hakuoho forward. Hikiotoshi.

Abi defeated Onokatsu. Henka! Abi jumped to his left and grabbed Onokatsu’s belt and pulled him forward and over the edge. Uwatenage.

Sanyaku

Wakatakakage defeated Oho. Oho tried to force Wakatakakage down with a subtle shift to the left at the tachiai but WTK kept his balance and charged into Oho. Oho tried to press ahead but could not get any forward momentum. He then pulled and Wakatakakage punished him for this sin by pressing forward and forcing Oho over the edge. Yorikiri.

Kirishima defeated Wakamotoharu. Kirishima got his left hand inside quickly, spun around and then locked in with his right hand at the front of WMH’s belt. Kirishima then drove forward and forced Wakamotoharu over the edge. Yorikiri.

Aonishiki defeated Kotozakura. Kotozakura wrapped up Aonishiki and seemed to take his time figuring out a strategy. While Kotozakura contemplated the meaning of life, Aonishiki used his right hand inside grip to twist and pull Kotozakura forward to the clay while his left hand swept out at Kotozakura’s knee. This kid is going places. Uchimuso.

Onosato defeated Oshoma. After opening jitters and a false start, Onosato forced his way forward and pressed Oshoma over the edge quickly. Dominant victory. Yorikiri.

Hoshoryu defeated Takayasu. Hoshoryu locked on to Takayasu’s mawashi with his left hand inside. Takayasu spun but this was a huge mistake as Hoshoryu’s left leg came up behind Takayasu’s right leg. Hoshoryu used his right hand to shove Takayasu in the face and topple him backwards, hard. Beautiful triple attack here with the left hand pulling on the belt, left leg trip and the right hand forcing Takayasu back. Sotogake.

Wrap-up

What a brutal way to finish the day’s matches. Tomorrow promises even more as Onosato will face Aonishiki in the musubi-no-ichiban. Hoshoryu will fight Wakamotoharu. Kotozakura will attempt to recover from today’s loss by taking on Oho. I am sure Wakatakakage will not run away from Onokatsu and Kirishima will try to rein in Abi.

New Kesho Mawashi for Both Yokozuna

Andy Nagoya 2025 ,

With a pair of Yokozuna climbing onto the dohyo in Nagoya, I thought I would provide a little background and a few notes on what you may want to watch out for tonight.

Sekitori are the wrestlers in the top two divisions, Juryo (second division) and Makuuchi (top division). They have many privileges and responsibilities that are not given to or required of lower-ranked wrestlers. For example, they have to fight each of the fifteen days of the tournament while low rankers only fight seven days.

Each day before they fight, Juryo and Makuuchi wrestlers parade around the dohyo in special kesho mawashi in ceremony called, dohyo-iri (photo below), in banzuke rank order alternating with the group of the East together and the West wresters together. The Juryo wrestlers perform their dohyo-iri together before the Juryo bouts begin. Then prior to the top division action, Makuuchi wrestlers of Ozeki rank and below participate in their collective dohyo-iri.

These special “kesho mawashi” are notable for the long apron which often features the wrestler’s shikona and hand-made, embroidered artwork, heavy on symbolism. I write about them here on occasion, particularly when they feature symbols of cultural or historical importance or if they’re just cool. They’re provided by sponsors and kept by the wrestlers after they retire. Shohozan’s are on display in his restaurant. You can see him wearing one of them in Nicola’s picture at the top of this post and then up close in his restaurant. There’s another purple one over on the left side, outside of frame.

Mitsuzoroi

Yokozuna, though, have a special dohyo-iri where each Yokozuna is accompanied by two attendants, a sword-bearer (tachimochi) and a dew-sweeper (tsuyuharai). You can tell them apart because the sword-bearer bears a sword; the dew-sweeper does not. The Yokozuna then does a special set of movements determined by the style they chose when they earned promotion: either Unryū or Shiranui. Both of our current Yokozuna have chosen the Unryū style which is customarily thought of as “defensive” style while Shiranui is an “attacking” style.

Yokozuna get triptych kesho mawashi, a set of three (mitsuzoroi). One is for the Yokozuna to wear and then one for each of his attendants. Hoshoryu had a pretty cool set when he was first promoted. He was just presented with a new set by “Full Time System,” a diversified corporation with a variety of businesses which has been a long-time sponsor. A few notable items about this set is that it features a purple fringe which only Ozeki and Yokozuna can use. The one which will be worn by Hoshoryu is in the center and features a mythical Chinese bird called a ran. The animal featured on the sword-bearer’s mawashi is a guardian dog, known as komainu, while the dew-sweeper’s mawashi is a lion.

Onosato has two new sets of three kesho mawashi. One is from long time real estate sponsor, Ai-Komuten of Osaka. The triptych of kesho mawashi features Mount Fuji and the gods of Wind and Thunder on a dark blue background. Onosato will wear the one with Mount Fuji and a rising sun coming up behind it. This is called “Diamond Fuji” because of the brilliant sun, shining above the mountain.

If you live in Japan or you want to plan your trip to Japan around when you can best see this “Diamond Fuji” view, there are several cool websites that purport to track when and where these views will be seen. This one is provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Tourism. This one, picture above, has a really cool map. Apparently, you might get a really cool view from the tip of Chiba prefecture, with the sea in the front and Fuji in the background.

Onosato also unveiled the design of another mitsuzoroi set sponsored by the owner of a race horse who is also the head of Onosato’s Tokyo fan club. The picture of the design is above as the actual set has yet to be made. It will apparently be ready for Aki Basho and the London tour event. The sword bearer is to wear the kesho mawashi with the horse, inspired by the sponsor’s champion horse called, Panja Tower. Onosato would wear the one in the center which features a statue of Fudo Myoo, a Buddhist diety known as Acala which is on display at Erinji in Koshushi city, Yamanashi prefecture. So, this set will not be on display for this tournament but I will keep an eye out for it at Aki.

Followers on Twitter will remember that we are smack in the middle of somenuki season, too. Top division wrestlers are allowed to wear these special stylish yukata when going to the tournament venue. They often have very cool designs on the back but they’re noted for the fact that they have the wrestlers’ shikona on it — usually in white but sometimes in gold. I am sure the new Yokozuna will have some new threads and I will keep my eye out for great designs throughout the tournament.

Nagoya 2025: Le Preview

Andy Nagoya 2025, Nagoya Basho , , , ,

Sumo time is upon us. First thing’s first, though. We have three sekitori kyujo: Daieisho, Endo, and Nabatame. As Herouth noted, this will kill off one of the early stories, Daieisho’s Ozeki Run. Nabatame will join Endo undergoing knee surgery. Maybe there was a two-for-one deal going on. Endo will be in rehab and I will update you with a timeline when I find updates*, Nabatame aggrevated his knee injury while training last month and is looking to return by…Haru 2026.

Looks like Daieisho's Ozeki run is toast: high probability of him going kyujo over a calf injury. Endo is also expected to go kyujo, as he is about to undergo a knee surgery. buff.ly/fbJo5tE

[image or embed]

— ヘルット (@sumofollower.bsky.social) July 10, 2025 at 12:55 PM

Last night the Sumo Association performed the dohyo consecration ceremony (dohyo matsuri) in the new stadium for the first time. It was not open to the public, however. But as has been customary the past several years, it was streamed on YouTube, as linked below. Let’s hope for a safe, injury-free tournament this month. That would be an even bigger blessing than the brand new air conditioning.

Top story of this tournament for the folks who got tickets will likely be the new venue and the air conditioning. Nagoya in July is a scorcher, from first-hand experience. The new stadium is by the old one, right next to Nagoya Castle. But having a new building with climate control will be such a nice change for the fans, and the wrestlers and staff, too! However, for those of us watching at home, the big story is Onosato and his debut tournament as Yokozuna. We’re looking forward to that Dohyo-iri! Being able to watch two will be quite the treat. Let’s hope it stays this way for many tournaments to come.

Onosato will have his first fight against Oshoma and Hoshoryu will face Takayasu in the musubi-no-ichiban. I expect fireworks from these two this tournament. The pressure is on to perform. Speaking of pressure to perform, Kotozakura will be our lone Ozeki this tournament and likely through Aki, at least. And he will start his tournament against Aonishiki. I swear, this fight card has highlight bouts up-and-down it.

So, Onosato will be Yokozuna-Ozeki this tournament and West Yokozuna will probably hold that weird title for a while. Daieisho would have needed a spectacular showing here in Nagoya but Kirishima and Wakatakakage will likely need the kind of performance that would require yusho and possibly divine intervention. At least they did very well in May and can keep their promotion hopes alive with solid results here. But Kirishima will start his campaign against Wakamotoharu and Wakatakakage will face Oho.

Even this Onokatsu versus Abi fight is an interesting matchup, their second meeting with Onokatsu beating Abi back in Kyushu. Hakuoho will fight Kinbozan and really needs to figure out a way to make up for Kinbozan’s size advantage. Hakuoho’s usual juggernaut attack might need some subtle shifting and lateral movement. Preceding that, it’s Tamawashi versus Hiradoumi (banger), Meisei versus Takerufuji (banger) and Gonoyama versus Tobizaru….well, that could be a bit of a dud or be a highlight, we’ll see.

Bottom line, it’s time to grab a cold beer or sake or whiskey — or all three — kick back, and watch some sumo. I will be covering the first five days of action but then I will need to step away for a few days as I will be in Paris, testing how VPNs work in the land of good food and even better wine. My JME.tv subscription will not help me there. But I should be back in time for Day Eleven as the yusho race heats up. If anyone knows of sumo-themed cafes or bars in France, let me know. Maybe some Chirac-cup devotees exist in some dark corner of Stains? I should just look for the folks hiding under their napkins, right?

One thing is for sure. I will eat my share of macaron. I promise you that.

Sumo+Sushi, What to Expect and What Not To Expect — And a little about the “both hands down” thing.

Andy Sumo and Sushi, Sumo Entertainment ,

Tachiai Reader Andrew (no relation) asked a great question so I thought I would share. As I was writing, I figured more of you all are really here with the same question. Also, my answer was rather long-winded for the comment section.

Question:

So I’ve been curious since seeing the ads. You sumo diehards and mega fans who have been to real basho’s and tour events have found the show worthwhile attending? It’s billed as an introduction to the sport and I’ve seen some pretty mediocre reviews. I trust your opinions. What’s the skinny?

I must preface my response that I can only speak based on my experience at two events, both here in DC.

Response:

These Sumo+Sushi events are akin to a Jungyo event, with a bit of food, some booze, and…Konishiki. Konishiki seems to be really focused on spreading the word about and promoting sumo, expanding the fan base of the sport. Like you said, it’s a show. If you’re there for a full-blown fight-night, that’s not going to happen. If you want a lecture about the finer points of oshi-/tsuki- techniques, or a hand-on demonstration of putting on a mawashi, you will not get it. But, there are several reasons that I like to go.

Konishiki

The first point, and the prime point for me is that this event is not only sponsored by Konishiki, the man is there as your host. He’s one of the greatest sumo wrestlers, period. Certainly one of the great foreign wrestlers. His arrival in Makuuchi sent shockwaves through the division.

Commenters were debating The Great Tachiai Reforms of 1984, recently. To jog your memories, this reform was when the wrestlers were assembled at Kuramae Kokugikan and told that the Kyokai would be cracking down and enforcing the “both-hands-down” rule. In my research of the reforms, I found this great video on YouTube of an interview with Sadanoyama (at the time he was Dewanoumi-oyakata) where he tries to describe the rationale behind why they were enforcing the rule. They also show clips from the meeting. At 0:58 you see this young mug:

Konishiki. For folks who are getting into sumo for the first time or even if you have been into it for a while, it might be difficult to think of the 60-some year-old guy with multi-colored hair being The Machine that put the hurt on Chiyonofuji. To put it in his own words, “I was a monster.” But here he was…a maegashira at Aki 1984 when they implemented this pivotal reform that we’re still debating today. Frankly, I think he is the reason they implemented the reform at that time. He swept through that tournament, picking up two kinboshi and two special prizes on his way to a jun-yusho.

The man lived sumo and fought against many of the greats. There are not many opportunities to meet the man, or to ask him questions. Sumo+Sushi is one of those chances. I will have another post that goes into this in more depth, but I am still working on it.

Sumo-Related Event

Secondly, it’s great to have any sumo-related event to go to. Where else are you going to meet other people who share this rather unique interest? Justin (aka Hochiyama) and I are keen to sit and chat about sumo (among other things) over butter chicken. Give us some yakitori and sake and we will probably spend an hour debating that “hands-down” rule. We have talked about how we wish there was more detail but the show was a bit different each time and Konishiki’s personal account is definitely compelling.

In our neighborhood, we have access to concerts and plays and sports events and bars and pokemon tournament venues — all within a few minutes of our house — but sumo-related events are rare.

In The Ring

The first year, I treated myself for my birthday to the VIP experience to avoid waiting and lines. I also splurged for the “get-in-the-ring” option. Frankly, to this day I think I lucked out and got a unique experience with that. I’ve watched a dozen people hop up onto the dais and be subsequently ushered out or tipped over with white-glove service. My ass got thrown. It was freaking awesome and the only analog I have is the baby from the sitcom Dinosaurs (1990s) who would get hit or thrown somewhere and bounce back shouting, “Again!” Once I checked to make sure I hadn’t broken anything or pissed my pants, I realized that getting thrown through the air like that was crazier than any roller coaster I have ever been on. Period.

Anyway, I think management freaked out and were like, we can’t be killing people. Everyone else seems to get kid-gloves treatment. Regardless, I opted not to get into the ring last year. Tooyama was not there and I would have totally signed up to meet him again, even if it takes my record to 0-2. When they come back to DC, I will be getting back in the ring again. That’s for sure. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to grapple with an actual sumo wrestler. In my humble opinion, it’s the highlight of the night.

Lessons Learned

As I’ve grown older, I have to say that for the most part, life and success is largely about managing expectations. I hope this post helps people level-set some of their expectations. If you do decide to go, you will hopefully have a great night out. Thanks to commenters like kukufuji, we know a third option: go to the event as staff. As an introvert, that’s not really going to be my first option but, paradoxically, it also feels like the kind of event that I need to bring some friends to…and friends who are game. If someone is not into it, it might put a damper on the whole evening.

Local experience seems to vary because the Sumo+Sushi management work with local production companies to get a venue and local restaurants/caterers for the food. Sometimes details are still unknown in the run-up to the event and that can be frustrating.

Takara 14 absolutely blew us away at our first event. Table-side Hand-made sushi was advertised for the VIP experience and they delivered. My wife and I are pretty picky about the quality and we were bowled over. They provided table service and excellent sushi, made-to-order. When we were finished with our courses, we got more of the options we liked. We were both quite full and happy that night. Sumo+Sushi got a different company to provide food last year and it was not anywhere near as good. It was pre-made and put into boats and we had to line up to pick up whatever edamame or maki rolls were still available.

What I Wish Were There

I think it would be awesome if you got your own mawashi as a part of the “get in the ring” experience. They probably won’t do it because people will buy the package and expect a free silk shimekomi when I’d be happy with an amateur canvas or lower-division cotton mawashi. But if we could get a mawashi, a demonstration of how to put one on would be rather engaging. (Even fully clothed!) The guys from one of the sumo clubs in NYC brought their own mawashi and got in the ring. They seemed to love the experience and they remarked (via DMs in Instagram) how they got pointers from Konishiki on how to do shiko and some of the exercises which really went beyond what I experienced.

Justin and I have both talked about how we wish there was more of a deep dive into sumo, rather than the introductory content that is provided. But not everyone will be game for a discussion of esoteric stuff or random trivia. It seems properly targeted as an intro to sumo as a good night out. If Hakuho or Ichinojo have better ideas, I’m all ears and I’m ready to buy my ticket. For the more “hands on” experience, some folks might like to go to their local martial arts venue and dish out kachiage but that has not appealed to me, yet. I kind of like having my original teeth. I’m proud that I’ve never broken a bone, aside from that time I cracked my ring finger playing golf. But seriously, we know the pros get next to zero help getting into the big wheelchair but I really expect much better here in the States, especially if I’m forking out money for a night out.

TL;DR

Konishiki is an expert guide and he brings an experienced crew. There are not a lot of chances for sumo-related entertainment, much less to actually meet people around you who like sumo. The food will be edible and the drinks will have alcohol, if you choose, but mileage may vary. You’re probably going to leave without injury, which is less certain if you’d rather show up at your local fight club.