Aki Basho

Aki 2026: Preview

Andy Aki 2026

Welcome back!

In just a few hours, professional sumo action will be back as Aki Basho gets underway. The dohyo matsuri was streamed last night on YouTube and the dohyo is now ready. I want to thank Honda-san and Osawa-san of the Ekoin Temple, again, for their insight and expertise. I learned a lot from them about the dohyo matsuri, in particular. Here, we see the items which are interred during the ceremony. Salt, rice, kayanomi, chestnuts, kombu, surume and sake which serve as offerings.

The sport is booming. Sponsorships and kensho bounties are way up from last year. Tickets have become very difficult to get, with even BST sold out for months in advance. Fans are looking for options and I am very curious about Konishiki’s VIP tours as an option. He hosts pop-up BBQ outside Kokugikan during the tournament, as well. If you live in the US, you will get a chance to see him on the Sumo + Sushi tour this Fall.

New fans might be rather unfamiliar with Konishiki and his career. “Who is this guy with the multi-colored hair?” Learn more about him in his own words, from his Naro project. There’s a wealth of information about sumo in these videos but it’s also chock full of stories of his career. Frankly, I wish I had watched these before going to Sumo + Sushi because I would have had ideas about questions to ask. It sounds like the life of an Ozeki is crazy.

Aside from sumo’s rising popularity, there are several storylines to discuss from Day One:

Hoshoryu tops Kyujo list

Let’s begin at the top of the banzuke. The press has not been kind to Hoshoryu over the past few weeks. As you will recall, the Yokozuna struggled to pick up seven wins in Nagoya and went kyujo on the last day…avoiding a possible makekoshi by avoiding the building altogether. Instead, Hoshoryu underwent surgery for his knee injury and he will miss this tournament to focus on rehab. His certainly back against the wall and even Tatsunami-oyakata has added to the pressure and expectation that if Hoshoryu fights, he needs to bring home the Emperor’s Cup. Onosato will represent the rank alone this month and you can be sure expectations will be suitably high for his performance.

Hoshoryu is not the only sekitori who will miss the tournament. Wakatakakage and Wakanosho will sit out, too. And both will fall into Juryo for Kyushu. Because of his kyujo status, Wakatakakage was unable to join Aonishiki at the presentation of their yusho portraits. The portraits will hang in the rafters at Kokugikan from this tournament.

Ozeki

Aonishiki regained his Ozeki status with his dramatic win in Nagoya. Atamifuji is eager to join him and is officially on an Ozeki run. Another fantastic result could see Atamifuji joining Kirishima, Kotohachinana, and Aonishiki. I ran a quick poll on Twitter and most respondents thought Atamifuji would not make it this time but would earn promotion in 2027. We shall see.

Eisei’s First Action

Eisei is a young English wrestler from Hull (officially North Humberside). He did well in his maezumo debut at Nagoya, quickly picking up the wins he needed in that debut to earn his place here. This will be his first full tournament and he will have some stiff competition, particularly his Day One opponent. Joshoyu is a Takakeisho recruit from the Tottori Johoku High School, a sumo powerhouse. Here, we see Joshoyu fight Hokuto in maezumo. Hokuto will also be fighting in Jonokuchi but has off tonight. I have a feeling these guys will be elevator rikishi who will feature in Justin’s write-ups in 2027.

And very soon, along with Hikarumusashi, Americans will also have another wrestler to cheer. Sunamusashi is scheduled to debut in maezumo this tournament. I swear, the lower division action is getting pretty fierce. The text on that video above roughly translates to, “You sure this is a maezumo bout?” I mean, damn. Gambatte, guys!

Day One Preview

Speaking of Elevator Rikishi, Asahifuji will fight tonight against Himukamaru. Himukamaru cracked into Juryo last November but fell back into Makushita and has been struggling to get back to full time this year.

Moving up into Juryo, Nishikigi is on notice and will fight Nishinoryu from Makushita. Nishikigi is staring demotion in the face. Meisei will fight Kayo, Kagayaki will take on Tanji. Enho has a winnable fight against Hatsuyama and Ryuden should have the upper hand against Tomokaze. Sadanoumi will fight Mitakeumi and Tamawashi will fight Kazuma.

As we turn to the top division, Wakamotoharu will fight Shodai and this pivotal battle will set the tone for the entire tournament. Oho has fallen to Maegashira 10 but will face Kinbozan. Ura versus Shishi is an interesting Day One pairing.

 In sanyaku, Hakunofuji will fight Churanoumi, Yoshinofuji will fight Fujinokawa and Atamifuji will take on Gonoyama. Then, as Isegahama steps aside, Sadogatake takes the mound. Kotoeiho will fight Aonishiki, Kotozakura will fight Takayasu, and Kotoshoho will fight Kirishima. Onosato will close things out against Daieisho and someone will walk away with a lot of cash.

Aki 2024: Day Two Highlights

Andy Aki 2024, Aki Basho ,

We got our first action from Kotomotomura and it did not disappoint. Though he lost, he put up a great effort. He will be a fun one to watch. In November, he will be splitting out of Sadogatake-beya and moving with Kotoshogiku to a new Hidenoyama beya. Three other wrestlers, Kotohanashiro, Kotokoguchi, and Kotomunakata will be joining them (all currently in Jonidan).

Takerufuji continues to advance. Today he completely overwhelmed Kiryuko. Daiseizan downed Aoiyama, right into Goeido’s lap. Shiden handed Hakuoho an early loss with some impressive belt work and an uwatedashinage. The two men had locked in for a bit of a lean-fest when Shiden kicked out and started to try some trips. This seemed to make Hakuoho press forward a bit further to keep Shiden away — but I think he pitched too far forward. Shiden then used this to his advantage and levered Hakuoho down.

All of the Juryo action is available at the NHK website here: Part I and Part II. The Makuuchi action is available here: Part I and Part II.

Makuuchi Highlights

Nishikifuji defeated Shirokuma. Nishikifuji just plain overpowered Shirokuma. Both men went belt-to-belt immediately and Nishikifuji’s power resisted Shirokuma’s throw attempt while succeeding with his own. Well, it counts as a throw but it was more of a heave. Shirokuma remained on his feet, he just got heaved over the edge. Powerful Uwatedashinage.

Shirokuma will fight Tokihayate from Juryo on Day 3.

Kitanowaka defeated Onosho. After a brief oshi-tussle, Kitanowaka grabbed Onosho by the belt with his left hand, and aided with his right hand up on Onosho’s head, heaved him to the clay. I thought I saw Onosho make the internationally recognized motion for hair-pull but the judges did not think a meeting was warranted. Uwatenage.

Kitanowaka will fight Nishikifuji tomorrow while Onosho will slink back down to Juryo.

Takayasu defeated Ryuden. Takayasu started by going after Ryuden with powerful thrusts to the head, similar to Daieisho. This kept Ryuden off his belt and drove him toward the edge but he could not work him over. Takayasu tired and had to lock up on the belt. He used his best ottsuke to keep Ryuden’s right hand away while at the same time using his own grip to drag Ryuden down. Uwatenage.

Takarafuji defeated Onokatsu. Takarafuji quickly acquired a left-hand inside grip and ushered Onokatsu over the tawara. Yorikiri.

Takarafuji will fight Ryuden and Onokatsu will fight Takayasu.

Bushozan defeated Hokutofuji. This was an oshi-brawl. Bushozan was in trouble early, resisting Hokutofuji on the edge. Hokutofuji couldn’t force Bushozan over the edge so he tried to pull and slap him down. However, this just let Bushozan back into the fight. Hokutofuji worked Bushozan back to the edge but Bushozan rotated and forced Hokutofuji’s back to the edge. With more power he worked Hokutofuji over the edge. Yorikiri.

Nishikigi defeated Kinbozan. Nishiki deflected Kinbozan’s thrusts and locked in to his belt. He bulled forward and forced Kinbozan over the edge. Yorikiri.

Nishikigi will fight Bushozan and Kinbozan will take on Hokutofuji.

Sadanoumi defeated Tamawashi. “I know it’s your party today but I need the win.” A seemingly remorseful Sadanoumi pulled and slapped Tamawashi down at the edge. Very effective. Hatakikomi. Nevertheless, Tamawashi is now tied with Aobajo for the most consecutive bouts fought at 1,630. They’re also tied for 8th on the list for overall bouts, behind the likes of Kyokutenho, Aminishiki, Terao, Kaio, Wakanosato, and Takamiyama. The King, though, is Oshio at 1,891 total bouts. The chase is on.

Kagayaki defeated Roga. Kagayaki kept Roga’s arms off his belt while he charged forward and drove Roga over the edge. Oshidashi.

Tamawashi will claim the outright Iron Man record tomorrow against Kagayaki. Roga will fight Sadanoumi.

Endo defeated Ichiyamamoto. Beautiful win by Endo. Both men charged forward with thrusting attacks. Ichiyamamoto doing his thing. Endo knocked Ichiyamamoto’s left arm to the side, pulled back, and slapped Ichiyamamoto down. Hatakikomi.

Oshoma defeated Midorifuji. Oshoma had one game plan, keep Midorifuji at arm’s length and try to slap him down. After several tries, Oshoma timed a slapdown well and pulled Midorifuji forward. Midorifuji kept his balance but as he moved forward Oshoma was able to get behind him. From behind, Oshoma pressured Midorifuji out. Okuridashi.

Ichiyamamoto will fight Midorifuji and Oshoma will face Endo.

Wakatakakage defeated Meisei. Solid tachiai from both men. Meisei timed his pull poorly and Wakatakakage used the momentum to drive him out. Oshidashi.

Halftime

Gonoyama defeated Churanoumi. Gonoyama was all offense today. Gonoyama charged forward with powerful tsuppari. Twice, Churanoumi tried to shift at the edge and pull him forward. To be honest, it seemed like it worked at the edge and he pulled Gonoyama down as he was falling out (but kept his foot in). Nevertheless, the gunbai went to Gonoyama and no mono-ii. Oshidashi.

Gonoyama will take on WTK and Churanoumi will fight Meisei.

Shodai defeated Ura. Shodai pressed Ura forward and out. Shodai kept his balance long enough to drive Ura out in spite of Ura’s pulldown. Gunbai Shodai. No mono-ii. Oshidashi. So far, my new Shodai rally towel seems to be working.

Kotoshoho defeated Shonannoumi. Kotoshoho started with some tsuppari but drove forward and forced Shonannoumi out. Shonannoumi had reached over Kotoshoho’s back and grabbed at his mawashi but lost his grip. Yorikiri.

Kotoshoho will fight Ura and Shonannoumi will try to get dirt on Shodai.

Sanyaku

Hiradoumi defeated Wakamotoharu. Hiradoumi’s high-octane style overwhelmed Wakamotoharu. When the pull didn’t work, Hiradoumi charged forward and forced Wakamotoharu over the edge. Yorikiri.

Abi defeated Mitakeumi. Abi-zumo. Abi drove into Mitakeumi repeatedly and shoved him over the edge. Oshidashi.

Abi will face Hiradoumi tomorrow.

Oho defeated Takakeisho. Takakeisho nearly ran Oho out with a shift in direction but Oho stayed in bounds and pursued Takakeisho. When Oho caught him, he wrapped him up and eased him over the bales.

Takakeisho will have a tough time tomorrow with Wakamotoharu.

Kirishima defeated Atamifuji. Atamifuji had one goal, wrap up Kirishima’s right arm and drive him over the bales. Kirishima, rather spectacularly, extracted his arm and spun around landing on Atamifuji, who had fallen forward. They called it a shitatenage.

Onosato defeated Tobizaru. Tobizaru false start. Like, the earliest false start I’ve ever seen. Onosato hadn’t even thought of putting his hands down yet. A completely needless and senseless charge forward that connected with Onosato and shoved him back. With that, the entire building and everyone at home on their VPNs knew a shift at the tachiai was coming. Onosato recovered well, pursued the retreating Tobizaru and forced him out. Tsukidashi.

Onosato will fight Oho.

Kotozakura defeated Takanosho. Takanosho could not extract himself from Kotozakura’s grasp. Kotozakura got a morozashi at the tachiai and pressed forward, waiting for Takanosho to stop flailing before gently walking him over the edge.

Kotozakura will give chase to Tobizaru on Day 3 while Takanosho will fight Kirishima.

Hoshoryu defeated Daieisho. Hoshoryu blitzed Daieisho and drove him backwards. Both men landed on Nishonoseki-oyakata.

Hoshoryu will try to figure out Atamifuji tomorrow and Daieisho will likely have an easier day with Mitakeumi.

Wrap-up

Overall, I felt the action today was not as good as yesterday’s but we still had some great bouts. Hoshoryu redeemed himself for yesterday’s debacle with a dominant performance. I’m actually more excited about some of tomorrow’s match-ups. I’m wondering if Tobizaru will tuck tail and run for a third day in a row. Atamifuji/Hoshoryu should be entertaining. I might refill my teacup during Wakamotoharu versus Takakeisho. Meisei versus Churanoumi might be the brawl to watch.

Aki 2024: Shonichi Highlights

Andy Aki 2024 , , , , ,

In Juryo, Takerufuji took care of business today. He completely overpowered Daiseizan and handed him a loss in his debut. Our other debutant, Kiryuko, fell victim to an Aoiyama slapdown. Hakuoho got his tournament off on the right foot with a powerful yorikiri win over Daiamami. Shishi got the better of Tamashoho at the edge.

As usual, NHK has all of the videos here. Juryo Part I and Part II as well as Makuuchi Part I and Part II. As usual, I’m catching all of the action LIVE on JME.tv. And as usual, JME also provides a special sumo channel that allows you to watch their entire Makuuchi division coverage four times each day.

Makuuchi action

Chiyoshoma defeated Nishikifuji. Nishikifuji drove forward but Chiyoshoma was able to shift to the side and pull him down at the edge. A particularly rough-looking Katasukashi.

Shirokuma defeated Kitanowaka. Shirokuma chased Kitanowaka, drove him to the edge and ushered him out. Kitanowaka locked on with a left-hand grip at the tachiai. He immediately began pulling and circled around the dohyo. Shirokuma pressed forward and forced Kitanowaka back to the edge. Kitanowaka tried to resist at the bales but Shirokuma drove him out. Yorikiri. Makuuchi win #1.

Shirokuma will fight Nishikifuji tomorrow. Kitanowaka will face Onosho, who will be our visitor from Juryo. That just doesn’t seem right.

Takayasu defeated Takarafuji. Takayasu aimed high at the initial charge, going for headshot after headshot. Takarafuji realized this battering was unsustainable and tried knocking Takayasu’s arms away but the shots kept coming. Takarafuji backed away and as he got to the edge he slipped to the side and tried to get at the back of Takayasu’s belt. Takayasu recovered, shifted, and slapped Takarafuji down. Hatakikomi.

Ryuden defeated Onokatsu. Onokatsu did not read the brief. Ryuden locked on with his left-hand inside and right arm outside, drove forward and forced Onokatsu out. Yorikiri.

Ryuden will fight Takayasu on Day Two while Onokatsu will square up against Takarafuji.

Hokutofuji defeated Nishikigi. Ow. Hokutofuji planted his right arm in Nishikigi’s neck, left arm inside and drove forward. Yorikiri.

Bushozan defeated Kinbozan. Kinbozan seemed to have the power advantage and pressed forward with a fierce oshi attack. Bushozan circled backward for a bit. He then grabbed Kinbozan’s right arm and tried to rip it off. While doing so, he shifted to the center of the ring, gaining a superior position. He then battered Kinbozan with tsuppari and shoved him out. Oshidashi.

Bushozan will face Hokutofuji and Nishikigi will face Kinbozan.

Sadanoumi defeated Kagayaki. Sadanoumi got both his arms inside. With a few gaburi-yotsu bunny-hops, Sadanoumi arrested Kagayaki’s advance and forced the shinkansen into reverse. Sadanoumi kept up the pressure, forced Kagayaki back along the rails to the edge and over. Yorikiri.

Roga defeated Tamawashi. Roga locked on with his left hand at the front of Tamawashi’s belt. Unperturbed, Tamawashi pressed forward and forced Roga to the edge. Roga resisted so Tamawashi tried a slapdown. Roga maintained his balance and shifted his grip to the right-hand. He then pulled Tamawashi forward and rolled him into the crowd. Shitatedashinage.

Tamawashi will tie the record for consecutive bouts at 1,630 tomorrow, when he faces Sadanoumi. The Iron Man has fought every bout since his debut in March 2004. I was living in Japan and teaching at NOVA in Hiyoshi when he first climbed onto the dohyo. I didn’t even know my wife back then and I think I was still living in Hodogaya. She and I have two kids now, one is in high school. And the Jade Eagle has been chugging away the entire time. That’s absolutely incredible.

Kagayaki will face Roga. Nothing special about that.

Ichiyamamoto defeated Oshoma. Ichiyamamoto-zumo. Tsuppari to get Oshoma moving backwards. Then plant his head in his chest and drive forward to finish him off. Not sure what Oshoma wanted to do here today but he ended up in a shinpan’s lap. Oshidashi.

Endo defeated Midorifuji. Katasukashi-boy tried his thing and nearly caught Endo. But Endo kept his balance and resisted two great pull-down attempts. He pressed Midorifuji to the edge and slapped him down. Hatakikomi.

Endo will take on Ichiyamamoto. (Henka, anyone?) Oshoma will face Midorifuji.

Churanoumi defeated Wakatakakage. Well, that was impressive. This was a wild bout with slapdown attempts, pulldown attempts, oshi-, yotsu- galore. Churanoumi was able to lock up Wakatakakage with both arms around his trunk. He drove forward and forced Wakatakakage to step out. Oshidashi.

Halftime

Meisei defeated Gonoyama. Another wild, exciting bout from these two. Oshi-yotsu, everything. I enjoy watching these kind of bouts because we hear so much about, “my brand of sumo.” And these bouts seem to be like a big, old grocery store with all brands on the shelves. However, it’s a nightmare to describe and give a quality play-by-play, blow-by-blow account. In the end, Gonoyama cornered Meisei at the edge. As he put his head down to charge forward, Meisei jumped to the side and slapped Gonoyama down. Hatakikomi.

Meisei gets Wakatakakage while Gonoyama fights Churanoumi on Day Two.

Ura defeated Shonannoumi. Shonannoumi lost his way here. He reverted to pulling sumo. He tried several slapdowns but Ura was more than happy to charge forward and force him out. Oshidashi.

Shodai defeated Kotoshoho. As Shodai pressed forward at the tachiai, Kotoshoho’s right leg seemed to slide a bit farther out that he was expecting. He fell forward as Shodai pressed him down. Easy day one win for Shodai. Tsukiotoshi.

Our Bout of the Day on Day Two will be Shodai versus Ura while Kotoshoho will dust himself off and take on Shonannoumi.

Sanyaku

Wakamotoharu defeated Daieisho. Wakamotoharu weathered Daieisho’s forceful nodowa attack and resisted at the bales. Instead of keeping up the attack, Daieisho shifted into reverse and tried a slapdown. Wakamotoharu was probably very happy to be relieved of the pressure. He chased Daieisho across the ring and forced him out. Oshidashi.

Mitakeumi defeated Takakeisho. Takakeisho tried his tsuppari. When that yielded nothing, he put his head down and charged into Mitakeumi. Mitakeumi just pressed forward into the Sekiwake, drove him back and out. Yorikiri.

Kirishima defeated Oho. Oho stumbled backwards. WTF was he doing. FORWARD, YOUNG MAN!!! When Kirishima started connecting with his slaps, Oho put the truck in reverse and tried for a slapdown. When he reached the bales, his foot slipped over the top and he stepped out. Grrrrr…. You’ve got the potential but MOVE FORWARD! Oshidashi.

Takakeisho will fight Oho tomorrow. Both men will try to regroup from their disappointing displays on Shonichi. Takakeisho should be able to get a wily win from this if his head is in the game.

Onosato defeated Atamifuji. Onosato was focused on trying to keep Atamifuji’s right hand away. He pressed forward and drove Atamifuji to the edge. Atamifuji resisted and bulled forward as Onosato pulled. Atamifuji fell forward while Onosato tumbled out. Gunbai Onosato. Mono-ii. Video replay confirmed that Onosato brought Atamifuji down before he fell out, Shotaro’s eagle eye in the background, observing everything. Onosato’s foot was still on the top of the tawara when Atamifuji’s hands touched. Hatakikomi.

Atamifuji will fight Kirishima on Day Two. Should be an interesting and lively bout.

Tobizaru defeated Abi. Henka. Tobizaru batted Abi’s arms away and brought him down in a heap. Uwatenage? OK…

Tobizaru will probably have a bigger challenge against Onosato tomorrow. Abi will face Mitakeumi and will probably NOT get henka’d.

Takanosho defeated Hoshoryu. Well. Takanosho’s winning stretch continues. Hoshoryu, in retreat, tried to drag Takanosho down. Takanosho pressed forward and forced Hoshoryu off the dohyo. Oshidashi.

Hoshoryu will take on Daieisho in tomorrow’s final bout.

Kotozakura defeated Hiradoumi. Hiradoumi retreated to the edge, forcing Kotozakura to give chase. As Kotozakura engaged, Hiradoumi pounced and drove Kotozakura to the edge. However, Kotozakura wrapped up Hiradoumi, twisted, and brought him down. Tsukiotoshi.

Kotozakura will face Takanosho and Hiradoumi will fight Wakamotoharu.

Kototsubasa ended the day with the bow-twirling ceremony.

Wrap-up

Sumo is back! Fantastic action today, for the most part. Concerns for Takakeisho’s condition continue. I’m not sure what Hoshoryu had planned today but fighting in retreat and falling hard on his backside were likely not what he drew up on the whiteboard. As usual, he’ll be starting the yusho race from the back.

There are several electric fights in store for us tomorrow. I’ll be watching that Wakamotoharu/Hiradoumi bout with keen interest. Churanoumi and Bushozan, of all people, are making me stand up and take notice. Day One Flukes? Or can these guys put together solid shows here?