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