It’s been awhile, I know.

I’ve been quiet on here while I finish up my field placement, final assignments and exams. That all wrapped up for me last Friday. So I am now done with my college program and with my life as a 40 something year-old student. Next up for me is my official graduation in June and then my registration as a licensed social service worker with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. I’m thrilled with this accomplishment. This is the first time I ever really tried during school and I’m just really proud of myself this time around.

I hated going to school when I was growing up. I skipped a lot of days and, on days I went to school, I would just look out the window and count down the hours until I could go home. I had no idea what I wanted to do in the future and, honestly, didn’t think I’d be around long enough to warrant such thoughts.

I moved to Canada to escape a lot of that. Going to college here was my initial route to do so. So I just picked a TV broadcasting course, mostly at random and then just went through the motions. I found it easy and a laugh, but I didn’t really care about what I was doing. An unsatisfying decade in the TV industry followed…

This time around, though, it’s different. I felt a calling to social work and I have really tried my hardest to embrace this field and learn everything I can so that I can be a success as a professional helper. That success isn’t measured by how much money I can make, but how much good I can do. I feel strongly that this is where I’m supposed to be and I think the field wants and needs me right now.

Boy was it hard getting here, though. In order to fit in my classes and school work, alongside my regular work, side hustle and parenting/partnering duties, I was basically working an additional night shift every night.

Despite that torturous schedule, I’m going to graduate with a perfect 4.0 GPA (or very very very close to it). I’m really proud of that. And that’s also going to help me should I decide to go back to school later and for a Bachelor’s of Social Work.

I’m trying to find ways to celebrate this moment. My big party/dinner from last weekend had to be called off because I was down with the flu. But I’m going to try and make up for that this weekend a little.

In addition to that, I’d like to celebrate my milestone somehow on here. Sumo Stomp! has often been a refuge for me in hard times. It added a lot to my plate during these school years, but my work here was always something I genuinely enjoyed doing. Thank you all for being here on this ride so far. As a thank you, and a celebration, I’m doing a special offer for everyone until the end of May.

I’m doing a special offer to celebrate the end of my studies. It’s been a hard grind and I’m so happy to be done and now entering a new chapter of my life. Sumo Stomp! remains a big part of that chapter and to celebrate this milestone I am offering a 15% discount on subscriptions until the end of May.

If you take me up on this offer you will receive 15% off Sumo Stomp! for life!

Get 15% off forever

OK, I’m going to get into some grades real soon. But first, just want to say congratulations to Jeff. He won the Cheeky Sumo hat giveaway in March. Thanks for subscribing Jeff and thanks to Cheeky Sumo for their continued support.

Because I didn’t have time to write multiple report cards, I’m condensing them all into one post. This is something reader Dan recommended a long time ago. This seems like the perfect opportunity to test that out. I struggle with brevity in my writing, sometimes, so I appreciate the chance to experiment a little with this regular feature. Please let me know what you think of it in the comments below!

Our bonus gif is dimples and his chilly (and well earned) car ride.

Top of the class!

• S1e Kirishima (12-3, yushō, shukun-shō): A+

• M5w Kotoshōhō (11-4, jun-yushō, kantō-shō): A

• Y1e Hōshōryū (11-4, jun-yushō), M16e Asahakūryū (10-5): A-

You shouldn’t be too surprised about who I gave As out to this time around. Kirishima, our yushō winner, of course gets the big fat A+ for his amazing tournament.

I’ve given him the top grade here, despite his tournament petering out in the final two days. Remember, he lost his last two bouts, but due to the failings of Kotoshōhō and Hōshōryū he was still able to lift the cup. I thought about marking him down to an A because of that. But I couldn’t do it. And that’s not because he’s my favourite rikishi. It’s because I watched back all his bouts and was still tremendously impressed with his clever, suave and extremely confident sumō from March.

Other than the two inconsequential losses to Aonishiki and Kotozakura at the end of the tournament, Kirishima lost just one other time. That was his day two defeat to Churanoumi. Churanoumi fought a really good bout there and Kirishima was perhaps a little guilty of playing with his food, before he ran out of space and was shoved out. He locked in after that, though.

The next day he used powerful yotsu-zumō (belt grappling) to resist Atamifuji and amazing footwork to turn and unsettle the bigger man. The win would come when Kirishima executed a picture perfect makki-kae (switch from inside to outside position) which he seamlessly transitioned into a sukuinage (beltless arm throw).

He used diverse sumō from this point on in the basho. He used powerful yotsu-zumō to out-muscle Wakatakakage and Takayasu and deft footwork to side-step Daieishō, Takanoshō and Gōnoyama. His inashi (side-step) was so on point that I was calling him El Matador in my daily posts.

At the business end of the basho he scored a huge win over his old friend Hōshōryū. These two had a judo battle, but it was Kirishima who was able to get his leg in the right place and keep it there long enough to execute a throw.

A day after that he beat Ōhō , but almost threw that bout away. He tolerated a slap fest with Ōhō , early on in their bout. But, as a result, he was almost sent flying by the more adept pusher/thruster. Kirishima, smartly, recognized he was getting the worst of the tsuppari exchanges and then ducked under to get a hold of Ōhō’s belt. After he did that he was able to easily force him out. That smart play would be what clinched him his third cup (after Hōshōryū lost his bout with Kotozakura).

Hōshōryū gets an A- for his runner-up finish. This grade isn’t me saying Hōshōryū did poorly in this tournament. He was, literally, one of the three best wrestlers competing that month. However, 11-4 as a yokozuna, leaves a little to be desired. His losses came to Fujinokawa, Daieishō, Kotozakura and Kirishima, as mentioned above.

The Fujinokawa loss was unlucky. Fujinokawa went early and the referee either didn’t notice or didn’t care. We saw a few of those this tournament. Yoshinofuji did this to Kirishima, too (but Kirishima was able to still pull out the win). Hōshōryū can have no complaints about the Daieishō and Kotozakura losses, though. He was sloppy in those bouts. He left his chest out there for Daieishō and made it too easy to get pushed back. And against Kotozakura he put himself right into Kotozakura’s favoured migi-yotsu position and then paid the price. That strange decision happened when he needed a win to stay in title contention.

Kotoshōhō gets an A for over-performing from a pretty decent rank. His run included wins over Aonishiki, Yoshinofuji, Ōhō and Takanoshō.

I gave Asahakūryū an A-, too. That might come as a surprise to some. I really liked his sumō in March, though. And he managed to score some wins over much higher ranked opponents down the stretch, including Shōdai, Tokihayate and Gōnoyama. This was just his second ever top division tournament. But he fought with a lot of confidence and showed some great nuance, instinct and power with his yotsu-zumō.

Best of the rest

• O1w Kotozakura (10-5), M13w Fujiseun (10-5, kantō-shō): B+

• M4w Takanoshō (9-6), M6e Ichiyamamoto (9-6), M10e Gōnoyama (10-5), M12e Asakōryū (9-6), M14e Chiyoshōma (10-5): B

• K1w Atamifuji (9-6), M2e Fujinokawa (8-7, kinboshi x 2), M14w Nishikifuji (9-6), M16w Kinbōzan (9-6), M17w Kotoeihō (9-6): B-

Kotozakura gets a solid B+ for his efforts in March. He was pretty under-the-radar at this tournament. I think that’s mostly due to the struggles of his fellow ōzeki Aonishiki. However, he still deserves some praise for hitting double digit wins for the first time since his yushō in November 2024. His win over Hōshōryū was one of his highlights of the tournament, but he also beat our winner Kirishima on the final day. His best performance was probably his win over Churanoumi. He showed off the intelligent yotsu game that confounds many, in that bout, as well as his shocking nimbleness. Kotozakura’s yotsu moves were a constant threat in this tournament, but his swift feet were more occasional.

I don’t know if its his nagging knee injuries, his age, or a mixture of both, but it seems the days of him showing off quick feet for 15 days straight may now be beyond him.

Fujiseun gets a B+, too. He looked very strong in his top division debut. And that’s despite being placed high on the banzuke. His ten wins earned him the Fighting Spirit prize. I liked what I saw from him, but it’s too early for me to lavish him with the kind of praise I did on Asahakūryū earlier in this post.

Takanoshō leads the B-level wrestlers. He was surprisingly competitive despite being in the jōi (a spot where he usually struggles). He went 7-1 in the first week to stake an early claim of title intentions. That all unravelled, though, once he came up against the san’yaku and higher.

It was nice to see Ichiyamamoto bounce back from his terrible January tournament. He had a poor first week, but salvaged the kachi-koshi (winning record) by finishing with a 5-1 run, which included big wins over Fujinokawa and Takayasu (someone he was 2-6 against).

Gōnoyama and Asakōryū represented Osaka well on home turf. Both were early contenders. Gōnoyama hung in a little longer than Asakōryū did, though. Both were very aggressive. That’s to be expected from Gōnoyama. Asakōryū can fall in love with the henka, though, so it was nice to see him embracing contact more in this tournament.

Chiyoshōma was at his best in this tournament. The veteran used his dark arts to surprise, drag down and trip up guys who have more straight-forward game-plans.

Atamifuji stuck the landing in his first san’yaku tournament. I didn’t see any jitters out of him, but I was left wanting more (since I really rate his abilities highly). His losses were a little surprising in March, especially when he was overwhelmed—in the clinch—by Fujinokawa.

Fujinokawa gets a well earned B for surviving at maegashira 1. I marked him down to a B-, though, due to the heavy asterisks we should put on his kinboshi wins over Hōshōryū and the very banged up Ōnosato.

Nishikifuji, Kinbōzan and Kotoeihō handled the pressure of potential demotions well. They all did what they needed to do to stay in makuuchi. Kotoeihō was especially impressive. He looked much improved from his debut top division tournament. This time he was able to keep his hips low and prevent himself being toppled over by his bigger opponents.

Just Doing Enough to Get By

• M12w Asanoyama (8-7): C+

• M1e Wakatakakage (8-6-1, kinboshi), M8w Shōdai (8-7), M15w Mitakeumi (8-7): C

I was happy to see Asanoyama continue to chug along. I fear the next injury might be the last one of his career, so it was nice to see him get through this one unscathed and also earn a kachi-koshi. He remains one of the biggest “what if” wrestlers on our banzuke right now. Sadly, it looks like his knees just don’t have the power left in them to mount any serious yushō challenges at the moment.

Wakatakakage was treading water in this tournament. He showed flashes of his no-quarters-given Rottweiler brand of sumō that made him such a fan favourite. It does seem that age is catching up to him, though.

Age is catching up to Shōdai and Mitakeumi, too. Nonetheless they were still able to get winning records here.

Lagging behind

• M3e Hiradoumi (7-8), M3w Ōhō (7-8): D+

• O1e Aonishiki (7-8), S1w Takayasu (7-8), M1w Yoshinofuji (7-8), M4e Daieishō (7-8 kinboshi), M17e Fujiryoga (7-8): D

• M7e Ōshōma (6-9), M7w Hakunofuji (5-6-4), M11e Shishi (6-9), M13e Tobizaru (6-9): D-

Aonishiki is the big story from this cohort. I thought we were heading to a coronation and then a triple-yoko May tournament. However, due to his struggles, we’ll have just the two yokozuna in May and Aonishiki will be fighting for his ōzeki rank. He’s kadoban (in the corner) after taking the first losing record of his career.

A lot of Aonishiki’s troubles did seem to stem from a foot/toe injury he suffered during the tournament. However, I think that’s a subplot when it comes to what was going on with him in March. I think the main story is that the field simply caught up to him.

Up until March, Aonishiki’s sumō had surprised his opponents. His freestyle infused style forced opponents into trying to adopt a head-to-toe defense that they weren’t used to. Aonishiki’s ability to attack the belt and the knees, coupled with his freakish grip strength, balance and reaction speed, made him unbeatable.

The only times he looked human were when people showed they didn’t want to play defense and instead wanted to attack as early and as viciously as they could. That attack first mentality, along with the knowledge that Aonishiki can’t attack low when he’s forced to stand up straight, has permeated the entire division.

And in this tournament, Aonishiki was put under immense pressure from a number of different opponents who were all able to stand him up straight and then out muscle him over the edge. There were a number of tactics used to execute this. Yoshinofuji used gaburi-yori (torso thrusting) to keep him chest-to-chest. Churanoumi used hazuoshi (armpit thrusting) to force him upright. Ōhō used the brutal kimedashi to lock Aonishiki’s elbow and keep him up. Takanoshō used the nodowa (throat thrust) to stand him up. Daieishō did similar with the moroto-tsuki (double handed thrust).

As you can see there is an arsenal of moves that can be used to prevent Aonishiki leaning over into his favourite posture. The pressure is now on Aonishiki to figure out how to defend and counter all these. At just 21, with his amazing physical gifts and his stellar fight IQ, I think he’ll find a way.

Hiradoumi and Ōhō are two young guys in similar situations. They were rising through the ranks during the power-vacuum days, where there were few, if any, reliable yokozuna or ōzeki competing. Neither of them were quite good enough, or far along enough in their development, to establish themselves in the san’yaku and now they both seem in danger of being supplanted by a newer wave coming in behind them.

Hiradoumi’s make-koshi (losing record) is a direct result of losing to two of those guys (Fujinokawa and Yoshinofuji) in the last three days of the tournament.

Ōhō’s make-koshi also came due to a loss to Fujinokawa, in a Darwin Match on Day 15.

After a great opening week, Takayasu slumped to a losing record thanks to seven losses in a row. Daieishō and Yoshinofuji had OK tournaments, but they couldn’t pull out the kachi-koshi despite being aided by a fusensho (forfeit win).

Fujiryoga had some teething pains in his first makuuchi tournament. He also managed to lose to Ryūden by katasukash (under shoulder swing down).

Hakunofuji was fighting hurt for this entire tournament, due to a potential ligament injury in his foot. He was also fighting under a heavy cloud. Isegahama (the former Terunofuji) was under investigation at the time for throwing a bottle at Hakunofuji. It is alleged that Isegahama did this at a public event after he judged Hakunofuji to be drunkenly harassing a woman in attendance. Isegahama received a rank demotion for this. This just isn’t a good look for anyone. I don’t know where Hakunofuji goes from here, but it feels like he needs some sort of intervention/guidance and a way out of Isegahama heya.

Ōshōma, Shishi and Tobizaru just couldn’t get it going in this one. Ōshōma and Shishi were over-ranked. Tobizaru seemed to be struggling with injuries. He also didn’t indulge me in my trample-meter feature nearly as much as I was hoping for.

The Struggle Bus

• M5e Abi (4-6-5): E+

• M8e Ura (5-10), M9e Tokihahaye (5-10), M9w Tamawashi (5-10), M10w Rōga(5-10), M11w Ōshōumi (5-10): E

• M2w Churanoumi (4-11): E-

• Y1w Ōnosato (0-4-11), M6w Ōnokatsu (1-6-8), M15e Midorifuji (0-0-15): Ungraded

Abi hurt his back right before this tournament. It was pretty obvious that he was walking wounded in all his bouts.

Ura was a big disappointment in March. Of all the handful of Osaka born wrestlers competing here, he was the one the crowd most wanted to see do well. He just couldn’t deliver for them. He didn’t get many wins and a lot of his losses were non-competitive, with Ura’s head getting snapped back with thrusts and then getting dumped into the seats. He did manage a nice highlight reel win over Rōga. These exciting moves are becoming fewer and further between for Pink Magic, though.

I was surprised to see Tokihayate struggle. He was at his highest ever ranking, but I still thought he would be able to get a kachi-koshi. His throwing game wasn’t on point this time around. Most of his losses were yorikiri (frontal force out), with opponents stifling his attempts to get an angle and then toss them over.

I was surprised by Ōshōumi, too. I thought he had a lot of upside after his amazing January tournament. I don’t think I was wrong on that assessment, but this was a very disappointing sophomore effort for him.

I thought Churanoumi would do better here, too. This was his highest ever rank and M2 is a brutal place to be. He somehow managed wins over Kirishima, Aonishiki and Wakatakakage in this tournament, while also losing to the injured Abi and Hakunofuji.

Tamawashi got off to a poor start and couldn’t really recover. The only person he beat with a winning record was Kotoeihō on the last day.

Rōga was very poor in March. I’m actually happy to see him get a big losing record here. That’s not because I’m being spiteful. I just think it might give him a wake-up call. He’s been teetering between 8-7 and 7-8 for a long time and needs something to force him to take a big step forwards.

Ōnosato and Ōnokatsu weren’t competitive during the few days we saw them. Neither gets a grade from me. Ōnosato was clearly compromised due to his shoulder and Ōnokatsu went down with a leg injury early on and just couldn’t work around it (though he made a good effort to do so).

Midorifuji sat out the entire tournament due to a heart issue. I hope we get some good news about that soon.

OK, what did you think of that? I hope you enjoyed it. I certainly enjoyed getting back into sumo writing after my forced absence.

We have the banzuke coming out soon, so I will be analyzing how I did with my prediction. I’m also working on an interview with the former Ōsunaarashi (aka Sandstorm). That will be coming out in early May.

Thanks for reading everyone!

Tim

PS. If you want to subscribe, don’t forget to use this special offer below!

Get 15% off forever

Below is my prediction for the next banzuke we have coming out. The one which sets the rankings for the 2026 natsu basho (summer tournament) in May. I’m presenting this one a little differently than with previous predictions. I’m going to try and show more of my methodology when it comes to putting the banzuke together — in case that’s of interest.

Another point of interest, before I continue. You might notice that I’ve changed my name on the byline here. Henceforth, I will be using the name ‘Tim Edwards’ for all my sports writing.

Prior to now I’ve been using my legal name. But I’m about 20 days away from graduating and then being a licensed social service worker. Due to the new career I am embarking on, it makes a lot of sense to put up some firewalls between me the licensed professional and me the blogger. In social work we are bound by a code of ethics that mentions things like conflicts of interest, dual relationships and inappropriate contact. So it’s smart for me to make sure that potential service users can’t look me up and initiate contact outside of our service relationship.

If you notice my old name pop up anywhere related to this, could you do me a favour and let me know?

Ok, onto the fun stuff.

Our bonus gif today is where the magic happens.

Before I get into my prediction, here’s a brief overview of how the banzuke is typically drawn up:

The general rule is that wrestlers move up and down based on their net wins or losses from the past basho. That means that a wrestler who went 8-7 has a net score of +1. That then means they are probably going to move up one space. However, we can’t assume that’s the case for everyone. Context matters. And, also, sometimes you just have to stick guys somewhere that more or less makes sense.

Here’s the real March banzuke, along with the records each wrestler earned at that tournament. I’ve also added columns here for net wins.

I’m using the Guess The Banzuke helper page (found here) to make my banzuke, while simultaenously writting this post. I want to show you, step by step, how I’m constructing my banzuke.

Here’s the blank page I am greeted by, chocked full with a dizzying array of possibilities.

Let’s get into it.

Step 1: Yokozuna and Ōzeki

Easy peasy.

Hōshōryū and Ōnosato stay put, thanks to Hōshōryū getting a better record than Ōnosato in March. This will mark his third straight tournament at the very top of the rankings.

Kotozakura and Aonishiki switch places, since Kotozakura did better than Aonishiki. And Kirishima is promoted from sekiwake to ōzeki thanks to his 34 wins across three tournaments and his yushō in March. Kirishima’s new rank is ōzeki 2 west. When a new line on the banzuke is opened up, within these special ranks, the wrestler goes to the west side of the sheet.

Step 2: The san’yaku

This is kind of straight forward, too.

First off, Atamifuji obviously goes from komusubi 1 west to sekiwake 1 east (the spot Kirishima vacated). Takayasu has to lose his sekiwake rank for his losing record, so the S1w spot is open.

I’m putting Kotoshōhō there. That’s a six rank promotion on seven net wins. So that makes sense. And I think Kotoshoho gets to skip over being maegashira 1 and/or komusubi due to how close he was to getting the cup in March.

Wakatakakage goes up one rank and Takayasu goes down one rank to complete this section.

Step 3: The jōi

The first part of this is easy. Fujinokawa goes up one spot to M1e and Takanoshō goes up three spots to M1w. Now I have to be very lenient with our preexisting jōi, since there are so few wrestlers just below them with winning records.

Because of that lack of candidates to replace/leap-frog them, Yoshinofuji goes down just half a rank and Hiradoumi, Ōhō and Daieishō all get to stay put despite their 7-8 records. That leaves one spot open for Ichiyamamoto. That promotion is obvious, given his net wins. The last spot is going to Shōdai, since he’s the only person with a winning record anywhere close to this neighbourhood.

Step 4: Let’s move up the winners and losers

Here’s what it looks like when we move all the winners up based on net wins. As you can see, we’ve got traffic jams at M9e, M11w and M14w.

This is what it looks like when I move the losers down based purely on their net losses. Lots more traffic jams and some empty spots (yay).

The only person here who hasn’t moved exactly in line with their win-loss record is Hakunofuji. With Kirishima ascending to ōzeki, and thus there not being a balanced number of ōzeki, we’re going to have an imbalance at the bottom of the banzuke, too. That means the top division is going to cap out at M17e in May. There will not be a M17w position.

Step 5: Time to bring up our juryo guys

Ryūden and Wakanosho are the only guys who’ve done enough to get promoted. That would be true even if the entire bottom of the makuuchi hadn’t all done so well. I’ll move them up now.

What a mess…

Step 6: Make it make sense

The next thing I want to tackle is that wide gap between M5w and M8e. To fill that I need to under-demote and over-promote some guys. The most obvious candidates for under-demotions are Wakamotoharu and Churanoumi, since they were in the san’yaku and jōi, respectively. The Japan Sumo Association has shown that they will be lenient with guys in those rankings who end up with terrible records (due to fighting a murderers row of opponents).

So I’m moving Wakamotoharu to M5w and Churanoumi to M6e. I’m still left with a pretty big gap after that, though.

I really don’t want to move all those green guys up to fill those gaps, but I’m going to have to. First, though, I’ll demote Ōshōma the least amount possible. You could leave him at his previous rank, but that feels wrong on 6-9. I’ll demote him half a rank to M7w, instead.

Now I just have to suck it up and move up everyone else with winning records. That gives me this:

Read more

I hope you’re still on a high from the March basho (and my favourite rikishi winning the cup!). Now we have a long wait until the May tournament, which I kind of love. I find the breaks between tournaments really help me build anticipation for the next one. By the time any tournament comes around, I feel very ready to dive back in for fifteen straight days. If it was every month, I don’t know if that would be true (that would also be murder on those poor big boys).

The long break also gives me lots of time (theoretically) to produce some reaction and analysis content on what we just saw.

Here’s the first of those. This is my recap post for the predictions I made before the 2026 haru basho. Boy, was I off!

Read on to see what I got right and all the things I got wrong.

The bonus gif is someone who I actually thought would have a good tournament.

Below is the March banzuke with the records for everyone in the top division. On the outside columns are my predictions. As you can see, I wasn’t very accurate. It happens.

The predictions on the outside columns are either green or red. Green means I was right about whether a wrestler would get a winning or losing record. Red means I was wrong.

My tally for this tournament was 18 right and 24 wrong. That is the reverse of how I did for the January tournament. And it’s also the worst I’ve done since doing this. To be fair, this was a very surprising, and upset-laden, tournament.

The shading behind the records shows how close/far I was on the specific records for each guy. A green backing means I got the prediction exactly right. Yellow means I was off by a single win. Orange means was off by two wins. And red means I was off by more than three wins.

I only got seven perfects and one of those was pretty cheap (it was obvious that Midorifuji would sit out the entire tournament).

There are 20 red spots on that banzuke. That is, by far, the most I’ve ever had on one of these. Let’s dive into some specific spots where I got things right and wrong.

I called it with Kirishima, kinda

I was bullish on Kirishima before this tournament. I thought he was going to get enough wins to make a case for an ōzeki promotion. I thought he was going to get the ōzeki spot by virtue of Aonishiki leaving a spot open after ascending to the lofty rank of yokozuna.

However, with Aonishiki failing to make that grade, Kirishima would have likely missed out on an ōzeki promotion with just eleven wins (33 over the past three tournaments). That’s because he was ranked maegashira 2 for part of that run (the JSA typically wants ōzeki candidates to get their wins at komusubi and sekiwake). However, the yushō erased all doubts about his worthiness for that promotion. It’s since been confirmed that he will be the third ōzeki on the May banzuke.

I had Kirishima going 11-4 in this tournament and I’m delighted that he bested that by one.

I was wrong on Ōnosato and Aonishiki

I thought Ōnosato’s shoulder would have been better now than it was in January and that would allow him to do better than he did in January. However, it turns out his shoulder was worse than ever and that led to a record that was his worst ever.

So my prediction for him winning the cup was way off.

I also thought Aonishiki would do enough to clinch that yokozuna promotion, by finishing runner-up. He missed out on that in a big way. But who could have predicted that he would end up 7-8 here?

I have written extensively on how folks might beat Aonishiki and, since Kyushu, have been noting when opponents force him to stay upright. I thought things would get tougher for him in this tournament, with more guys figuring him out, but I didn’t expect the division writ large to start nullifying his game.

The pressure is now on the Blue Whirlwind to find new ways to win before he’s booted from the ōzeki ranks.

I got Hōshōryū’s record right, that’s something

My Hōshōryū prediction was pretty accurate. Here’s what I said:

I think Hōshōryū will be good in this tournament, but just slightly off the pace. I can see him taking an early loss to a high maegashira ranked wrestler (as he often does), perhaps Yoshinofuji. I think he loses to Atamifuji, too (he has bad records against him) and drops one to someone totally surprising like a Fujinokawa or Churanoumi. Those three losses plus losses to Kirishima and Aonishiki will keep him out the yushō title hunt.

I called his losses to Fujinokawa and Kirishima, but I didn’t see him getting his first win over Aonishiki.

Though I did correctly predict he would do well in this tournament and be slightly off the pace, I didn’t think he would end up with the jun-yushō.

Other Hits

I was right that Atamifuji would stick the landing at komusubi. Here’s what I said about him:

I think Atamifuji will handle the pressure of his first san’yaku appearance well. I don’t think he’s going to follow up his jun-yushō with another title run, though. I think he does well against Hōshōryū, but I think that might be the only win he gets off the special names ranks. I think he’ll beat enough people below the san’yaku to have a winning record.

I got his record right, but I was wrong about how he would fare against those ranked above him. Atamifuji ended up beating Ōnosato, Aonishiki, Kotozakura and Wakamotoharu.

I was also right that Kinbōzan would show up in this tournament:

And, as far as Kinbōzan, goes, I think we’ll get a big performance out of him with his makuuchi spot on the line.

And I was correct that Wakatakakage would “scrape by” with eight wins:

Wakatakakage did well in January, but I think he might just scrape by here, given how how well I’ve projected a lot of the wrestlers above him to do.

Other Misses

Oh Lord, too many to name. Here’s some though…

Read more

It’s no spoiler to say that Kirishima won this thing. That was all wrapped up on the penultimate night. Still, please scroll down to see and read what happened at senshuraku (last day of performance).

But first… a sales pitch.

These daily tournament updates are totally free for everyone. I don’t think I would ever pay-wall these posts. I view them as useful companion pieces to your sumo watching and I hope that they continue to attract, welcome and inform new fans of the sport.

If you’re reading this without a paid subscription, that’s cool. I’m glad you’re here. However, if you’re able to kick in a few dollars that would be great. Sumo Stomp! is a labour of love, but any revenue it generates does go a long way and helps me continue to justify the efforts I put in here (even when my plate is already extremely full).

The very best way to support this newsletter/blog (and me!) is with a paid subscription. I keep these as low as Substack lets me and, at this point, it feels too weird to increase it. Additionally, paid subscribers this month will be entered into a draw to win a very cool Cheeky Sumo hat (more details of that below). Paid subscribers also get to read all the premium pieces that come out between tournaments. That includes report cards, predictions and… in this case… maybe a spotlight post on Kirishima.

Subscribe now

Whether you subscribe or not, thanks for being here and following along with this tournament. For those of you who do contribute to this space, I can’t thank you enough.

The bonus gif today is a resplendent Kirishima, who might be auditioning for Baywatch.

SPOILERS BELOW

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

Results

• Oshoumi (5-10) def. Toibzaru (6-9) by tsuridashi (frontal lift out)*

• Fujiseun (10-5) def. Shishi (6-9) by okuridashi (rear push out)*

• Kinbozan (9-6) def. Roga (5-10) by tsukidashi (frontal thrust out)

• Tamawashi (5-10) def. Kotoeiho (9-6) by oshidahi (frontal push out)*

• Fujiryoga (7-8) def. Tokihayate (5-10) by okuridashi

• Chiyoshoma (10-5) def. Ura (5-10) by hatakikomi (slap down)*

• Hakunofuji (5-6-4) def. Asahakuryu (10-5) by yorikiri (frontal force out)

• Ichiyamamoto (9-6) def. Mitakeumi (8-7) by oshidashi

• Kotoshoho (11-4) def. Asakoryu (9-6) by tsukiotoshi (thrust down)*

• Nishikifuji (9-6) def. Abi (4-6-5) by yorikiri

• Gonoyama (10-5) def. Takanosho (9-6) by oshidashi

• Shodai (8-7) def. Daieisho (7-8) by tsukiotoshi*

• Hiradoumi (7-8) def. Churanoumi (4-11) by oshidashi

• Fujinokawa (8-7) def. Oho (7-8) by sukuinage (beltless arm throw)*

• Yoshinofuji (7-8) def. Asanoyama (8-7) by yorikiri

• Oshoma (6-9) def. Wakamotoharu (3-12) by uwatenage (over arm throw)

• Takayasu (7-8) def. Atamifuji (9-6) by uwatehineri (over arm twist down)*

• Kotozakura (10-5) def. Kirishima (12-3) by oshidashi*

• Hoshoryu (11-4) def. Aonishiki (7-8) by kakenage (hooking inner thigh throw)*

*Must see bouts!

If you’re unable to pick up a paid subscription to Sumo Stomp! but would still like to tip me for these posts, please consider buying me a coffee below (via PayPal).

Buy me a coffee

Champions & Award Winners

• Makuuchi yusho (champion): S1e Kirishima

• Makuuchi jun-yusho (runner-up): Y1e Hoshoryu, M5w Kotoshoho

• Shukun-sho (outstanding performance): S1e Kirishima

• Kanto-sho (fighting spirit prize): M5w Kotoshoho, M13w Fujiseun

• Gino-sho (techniquqe prize): M2e Fujinokawa

• Juryo yusho (second division): J10e Dewanoryu

• Makushita yusho (third division): Ms28e Wakanofuji

• Sandanme yusho (fourth division): Sd3w Nabatame

• Jonidan yusho (fifth division): Jd8w Asahifuji

• Jonokuchi yusho (sixth division): Jk12w Aron

Analysis

This year’s spring tournament wrapped up with our winner, Kirishima, dropping his last bout to Kotozakura (the man who won him the title yesterday by beating Hoshoryu). That result dropped Kirishima to a still very impressive 12-3 record, ahead of Hoshoryu and Kotoshoho (who finished 11-4).

Here’s the bout with Kotozakura, which Kirishima coasted through. And why not? There’s no point in getting hurt when your name is already on the trophy.

Here are some of Kirishima’s celebrations with family and friends along with the bout that pretty much won him the tournament; his highly intelligent victory over his frenemy Hoshoryu.

This is Kirishima’s third yusho and his first since 2023. The 12 wins also takes his three tournament running win total to 34. That, plus the yusho, should be enough to get him promoted to ozeki (even with the first of those three tournaments coming when he was ranked only maegashira 2).

Kotozaura, incidentally, finishes with his best record since he won his maiden yusho back in November, 2024.

Sumo Stomp! is entirely human made. I don’t use any AI tools or services to create these newsletters (or anything else). Please continue to support human made writing and art over AI generated content.

This icon was made by a human who goes by HINOKODO. You can find their work here (link).

The most meaningful match last night was Hoshoryu vs. Aonishiki. Aonishiki, who lost out on a yokozuna promotion this month, came into last night on 7-7 needing a win to avoid a losing record. He couldn’t manage that, though. He was thrown down by Hoshoryu and received the first make-koshi (losing record) of his young career. Aonishiki will now be kadoban (in a corner) for the May tournament, where another losing record will cost him his ozeki rank.

That’s an aweful birthday present for the man who turns just 22 on Monday.

This is Hoshoryu’s first ever win over Aonishiki. And he really wanted it, too.

Hoshoryu’s loss to Kotozakura, on the previous night, was called “pathetic” by JSA chairman Hakkaku. Hoshoryu has had to deal with plenty of snipes from the JSA since he reached yokozuna status, but this is one of the most overt and harsh criticisms the chairman has given out since the days of Hakuho.

Hoshoryu would have wanted this win as a response to that, but he’s also probably very sick of consistently losing to the young Ukrainian. In this bout Hoshoryu showed us another technique that can be used to keep Aonishiki upright — hazuoshi (armpit thrusting). He used that to prevent Aonishiki leaning over and getting on his belt.

Aonishiki responded by hooking Hoshoryu’s leg for a trip attempt. Hoshoryu, smartly, raised his leg and used that entanglement for extra leverage in executing his throw.

Hoshoryu then strutted back to his mark. It looked like he was glaring at someone in the crowd while he did that, too.

Leave a comment

There were two Darwin matches last night.

Fujinokawa banked his kachi-koshi after resisting Oho’s force out attempt before turning the tables with an arm throw.

The other Darwin match saw Shodai thrust down Daieisho.

Atamifuji had something to fight for last night. He stood to win an outstanding performance prize if he could beat Takayasu. However, he was rather easily tipped over by the soon to be demoted sekiwake.

Kotoshoho did win last night, versus Asakoryu, to earn his outstanding performance prize.

Give a gift subscription

Down in juryo the title went to a play-off bout. The play-off was triggered after both Wakanosho and Dewanoryu lost their final day bouts. Wakanosho was thrust down by Hatsuyama and Dewanoryu got thrown over by Takerufuji (below). That earned Takerufuji his kachi-koshi. That won’t be enough to get him back to the top division in May, though.

Share Sumo Stomp!

In the ensuing play-off (once it finally got underway) Dewanoryu got through Wakanosho’s thrusts before collecting him and dumping him — hard — off the dohyo.

This probably isn’t enough for bring Dewanoryu up to makuuchi for May. Wakanosho, along with Ryuden (9-6), are certain to come up, though.

This was actually a banner tournament for Mongolian sumo. Along with Kirishima and Dewanoryu, we had Mongolians win the makushita and jonidan tournaments.

Wakanofuji won the makushita. This was only the second ever tournament for the 24 year-old who fights out of Kasugano heya (stable). Asahifuji took the jonidan title. This was Asahifuji’s second ever tournament. He’s 23 and at Isegehama heya. Asahifuji is named after the 63rd yokozuna Asahifuji, who was the stablemaster at Isegahama before Terunofuji took over. He’s projected to have a heck of a career, hence why he was given such an esteemed shikona (ring hame).

The popular Nabatame won the sandanme title. He was close to breaking into the makuuchi before a run of injuries forced him off course. Nabatame’s popularity is due to his ferocious fighting style and his appearances on the Futagoyama stable YouTube channel.

The lowest division, jonokuchi, was won by Aron. The 23 year-old fights out of the Nakamura stable alongside Tomokaze.

Keeping count!

Henka counter: 10

Tobi trample counter (rows): 6*

Ura flips: 3**

Gyoji bumps: 3

*Tobizaru was hoisted out by Oshoumi last night. After he left the ring he rolled into the lap of one of the judges. That gives us a final tally of six on the trample counter.

**I was asked what constitutes an Ura flip yesterday. Well, we saw one last night. Chiyoshoma turned Ura inside out on route to handing the Osaka man his tenth loss.

That’s a wrap on my daily 2026 haru basho coverage. Thank you all for reading, sharing and commenting over the past fifteen days. I’ve had a blast covering this, even if it’s been hard to fit it in with school, work and everything else going on right now.

Next up from me is a post summing up my pre-tournament predictions. Then I’ll hit you with a banzuke prediction for May. Ah May… By then I’ll be done school and a registered social service worker. I can’t wait.

In the mean time, though…

Take care, be kind and FIGHT WITH SPIRIT!

Tim

Want a free way to support Sumo Stomp! Help me get to 1,000 subscribers on YouTube (so then I can monetize the thing).

Subscribe on YouTube!

I hope you are having wonderful weekends, wherever you are in the world.

Last night saw our penultimate matches in the 2026 haru basho. The cup was on the line. too! Did Kirishima snatch it? Or do we have to wait until tomorrow to see if he, or possibly Hoshoryu or Kotoshoho, lifts the cup?

Scroll down to see what happened in Osaka last night and read my thoughts all about it.

Our bonus gif today is Papayasu throwing some salt around.

SPOILERS BELOW

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

Results

• Asakoryu (9-5) def. Kinbozan (8-6) by oshidashi (frontal push out)

• Kotoeiho (9-5) def. Shishi (6-8) by yorikiri (frontal crush out)

• Oshoumi (4-10) def. Daiseizan (7-7) y tsukiotoshi (thrust down)

• Asahakuryu (10-4) def. Gonoyama (9-5) by uwatedashinage (pulling over arm throw)*

• Roga (5-6) def. Fujiryoga (6-8) by uwatenage (over arm throw)*

• Chiyoshoma (9-5) def. Tokihayate (5-9) by kirikaeshi (twisting backward knee trip)

• Tobizaru (6-8) def. Tamawashi (4-10) by tsukiotoshi*

• Mitakeumi (8-6) def. Ura (5-9) by sukuinage (beltless arm throw)

• Nishikifuji (8-6) def. Shodai (7-7) by oshidashi

• Oshoma (5-9) def. Fujiseun (9-5) by hatakikomi (slap down)

• Abi (4-5-5) def. Asanoyama (8-6) by uwatenage*

• Fujinokawa (7-7) def. Hiradoumi (6-8) by sukuinage*

• Hakunofuji (4-6-4) def. Churanoumi (4-10) by yorikiri

• Daieisho (7-7) def. Wakatakakage (8-6) by fusen (default)

• Oho (7-7) def. Yoshinofuji (6-8) by tsukiotoshi*

• Wakamotoharu (3-11) def. Takanosho (9-5) by hikiotoshi (hand pull down)

• Atamifuji (9-5) def. Kotoshoho (10-4) by oshidashi*

• Ichiyamamoto (8-6) def. Takayasu (6-8) by uwatenage*

• Aonishiki (7-7) def. Kirishima (12-2) by shitatenage (underarm throw)*

• Kotozakura (9-5) def. Hoshoryu (10-4) by sotogake (outside leg trip)*

*Must see bouts!

If you’re unable to pick up a paid subscription to Sumo Stomp! but would still like to tip me for these posts, please consider buying me a coffee below (via PayPal).

Buy me a coffee

Leaderboard

• S1e Kirishima: 12-2

• Y1e Hoshoryu, M5w Kotoshoho: 10-4

Analysis

We have a winner.

A very exciting spring tournament ended anti-climatically, with Kirishima both losing and winning last night. The former, and soon-to-be, ozeki lost his bout with Aonishiki. However, prior to that Kotoshoho lost to Atamifuji. And, after Kirishima’s loss, Hoshoryu lost to Kotozakura. All those losses meant that Kirishima dropped to a 12-2 record, while Hoshoryu and Kotoshoho landed on 10-4 records (making it impossible for them to catch up).

Kirishima likely wouldn’t have wanted to win the tournament like this, but he still seemed emotional as he left for the back once Hoshoryu fell under the massive weight of Kotozakura.

The pivotal matches last night were somewhat disappointing, also.

Kirishima’s approach to the Aonishiki match was rather puzzling. Kirishima won this tournament due to highly intelligent wrestling. However, in this bout Kirishima decided not to force Aonishiki upright. We saw Aonishiki’s yokozuna campaign fall apart this month after opponent after opponent stood him up and exploited his weakness from that position.

In this bout Kirishima came into the tachiai reaching for a mae-mitsu (shallow grip). That’s one of his favourite moves. However, against Aonishiki it’s a recipe for allowing Aonishiki to hang out in his favourite leaned over pose (where he is so formidable). Aonishiki ensured he got this position by doing a bit of a stutter step off the tachiai, making sure he didn’t go too far forwards and allowing him plenty of space to lean through.

Kirishima must have hoped he would have been able to pull Aonishiki up and have him chest-to-chest with his mae-mitsu. But I think he really should have opened with thrusts to the chest on Aonishiki and then gone to the belt once Aonishiki was leaning back.

Instead, what happened was Kirishima tried to pull Aonishiki down with a wide outside grip, but Aonishiki was too strong in his squat down position. As Kirishima tried to rotate, he lost his footing and touched down.

The loss didn’t mean anything in the grand scheme of things. But it was a little disappointing to see Kirishima fight so poorly here. Perhaps he was over-confident, due to Aonishiki’s recent struggles?

For Aonishiki, this was a big win. He’s now 7-7 and will have a chance to finish this tournament with a winning record.

Sumo Stomp! is entirely human made. I don’t use any AI tools or services to create these newsletters (or anything else). Please continue to support human made writing and art over AI generated content.

This icon was made by a human who goes by HINOKODO. You can find their work here (link).

The match that handed Kirishima the belt was also a little strange.

Hoshoryu went for Kotozakura’s belt right off the tachiai. He tried to get an outside grip on his right side. But he left his left side undefended. That allowed Kotozakura to get his favourite migi-yotsu (right arm inside position) right away. Kotozakura then peeled his left arm out from the inside position and got a firm outside grip.

Hoshoryu matched the grip. But at this stage he probably realized he’d made a big mistake in settling for matching migi-yotsu. Kotozakura is a master at the position and he’s also enormous. There was no contest when both men tried to move the other around, Kotozakura was easily able to march Hoshoryu back.

Hoshoryu desperately tried to angle off to give himself an opportunity to throw, but he couldn’t get that due to how strong Kotozakura’s grips on his belt were. As Hoshoryu dug harder for the throw, Kotozakura was able to carefully manage his body position and make sure he was able to fall on top of the yokozuna.

Leave a comment

Kotozakura’s teammate Kotoshoho found Atamifuji very hard to deal with last night. His shot of forcing Kirishima to a potential play-off fell apart when he got around Atamifuji, but couldn’t convert on the okuridashi (rear push out). After Atamifuji turned back to face Kotoshoho he was able to clinch and use his superior yotsu-zumo (belt grappling) to take over.

Kachi-koshi (winning records) and make-koshi (losing records) were flying off the shelves last night, with a number of wrestlers sealing their fates in one direction or another.

Ichiyamamoto got his eighth win last night and, in the process, condemned Takayasu to his eighth loss. Takayasu’s collapse this week has been hard to watch. Last night he was easily dumped over by the man from Hokkaido.

Give a gift subscription

Oho handed Yoshinofuji his make-koshi last night and locked up a 7-7 record for himself. The good version of Oho turned up to this fight. He also looked mean in pushing Yoshinofuji down with a little extra oomph than needed (might be worth keeping an eye on this match-up going forwards).

Share Sumo Stomp!

Fujinokawa dropped Hiradoumi to 6-8 last night. Watch below and notice how much Fujinokawa leans over his mark before the tachiai. It felt so provocative. Hiradoumi responded to this by smashing him with a head butt (Hiradoumi is terribly for leading with his forehead).

Fujinokawa was able to keep his wherewithal, though, and then sling Battle Pug Jr. over for the win. Fujinokawa looked a little foggy afterwards.

Wakatakakage didn’t come out for his bout today. It looked like he hurt his elbow in the previous day’s win over Abi.

Tonight’s main event is Hoshoryu vs. Aonishiki. Aonishiki needs to win that to avoid a losing record (and his ozeki ranking being under threat at the May tournament). Aonishiki is 5-0 against Hoshoryu. Is this the match where Hoshoryu finally figures out how to beat the Ukrainian.

Kirishima’s last bout of the tournament is with Kotozakura. Neither man needs to win this one, but both would surely love to end the basho on a positive note. Kirishima is 16-8 against Kotozakura.

Our Darwin matches tonight are Fujinokawa vs. Oho and Daieisho vs. Shodai.

The juryo championship will be settled tomorrow. Wakanosho and Dewanoryu are currently tied on 11-3 records. Kazuma is behind them on 10-4. Kazuma has Ryuden. Wakanosho has Hatsuyama and Dewanoryu has Takerufuji (who needs a win for his kachi-koshi).

Keeping count!

Henka counter: 10*

Tobi trample counter (rows): 5

Ura flips: 2

Gyoji bumps: 3

* We got three henka last night! Asakoryu side-stepped Kinbozan, but then had to work hard to push him out. Oshoumi teleported out of the way of juryo call-up Daiseizan. And Abi showed why he’s the henka-master. He stepped off against Asanoyama and then threw him down belly-first.

Want a free way to support Sumo Stomp! Help me get to 1,000 subscribers on YouTube (so then I can monetize the thing).

Subscribe on YouTube!

Kirishima, Kotoshoho, Hoshoryu and Gonoyama were the only wrestlers with a mathematical shot at landing the title this month.

Scroll down to see if that changed after yesterday’s action.

I’ve got full results for the top division, plenty of videos and my analysis of what went down.

Our bonus gif today is Hoshoryu celebrating a win in typical expressive fashion.

SPOILERS BELOW

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

Results

• Ryuden (7-6) def. Fujiryoga (6-7) by katasukashi (under shoulder swing down)*

• Kinbozan (8-5) def. Asanoyama (8-5) by yorikiri (frontal force out)

• Nishikifuji (7-6) def. Asakoryu (8-5) by yorikiri

• Chiyoshoma (8-5) def. Oshoumi (3-10) by shitatenage (underarm throw)*

• Tobizaru (5-8) def. Shishi (6-7) by sukuinage (beltless arm throw)*

• Mitakeumi (7-6) def. Roga (4-9) by yorikiri

• Asahakuryu (9-4) def. Tokihayate (5-8) by yorikiri

• Fujiseiun (9-4) def. Shodai (7-6) by tsukiotoshi (thrust down)*

• Kotoeiho (8-5) def. Ura (5-8) by kotenage (armlock throw)*

• Tamawashi (4-9) def. Hakunofuji (3-6-4) by oshitaoshi (frontal push down)

• Churanoumi (4-9) def. Oshoma (4-9) by oshidashi (frontal push out)

• Ichiyamamoto (7-6) def. Fujinokawa (6-7) by oshidashi*

• Yoshinofuji (6-7) def. Hiradoumi (6-7) by sukuinage

• Wakatakakage (8-5) def. Abi (3-5-5) by oshitaoshi

• Atamifuji (8-5) def. Gonoyama (9-4) by oshidashi

• Daieisho (6-7) def. Wakamotoharu (2-11) by tsukidashi (frontal thrust out)

• Takanosho (9-4) def. Takayasu (6-7) by tsukiotoshi*

• Kirishima (12-1) def. Oho (6-7) by yoritoashi (frontal crush out)*

• Aonishiki (6-7) def. Kotozakura (8-5) by yorikiri*

• Hoshoryu (10-3) def. Kotoshoho (10-3) by hatakikomi (slap down)*

*Must see bouts!

If you’re unable to pick up a paid subscription to Sumo Stomp! but would still like to tip me for these posts, please consider buying me a coffee below (via PayPal).

Buy me a coffee

Leaderboard

• S1e Kirishima: 12-1

• Y1e Hoshoryu, M5w Kotoshoho: 10-3

Analysis

Kirishima won last night to improve his record to 12-1 and give him a great buffer over his closest challengers. He is firmly in the driving seat of this tournament and now odds-on favourite to win his third yusho (and a likely promotion back to the rank of ozeki).

He put himself in this position with a win over Oho last night. It was a little hairy at times, though, for the versatile Mongolian.

Oho is a big pusher/thruster who, when he’s on his game, can do a lot of damage with his reach and size. He’s not a consistent threat, but on his day, he can beat anyone.

Oho started this match well, getting through Kirishima’s defense and landing a stiff nodowa (throat thrust). Before Kirishima knew it, he was getting hit again, with a hand on each side of his head.

Kirishima stayed calm throughout that, though. He parried Oho’s next barrage and then responded with a nodowa of his own. He used that to get Oho all the way to the straw and almost over.

Oho showed great agility and speed to get off the straw and bring the fight back to Kirishima. The ensuing melee got a little wild, with both men being in danger of throwing themselves off of their feet.

I think Kirishima might have sensed that he was getting a little out of control and he was smart enough to recognize that Oho had the advantage in a chaotic thrust-fest. To counter that he slowed things down and got close, knowing his yotsu-zumo (belt grappling) was far superior to Oho’s.

He was able to get a hidari-yotsu (left arm inside position) and from there was able to shuffle a tired Oho back and out.

This was another smart and confident win from Kirishima, who has looked a step ahead of the rest of the division all month.

Sumo Stomp! is entirely human made. I don’t use any AI tools or services to create these newsletters (or anything else). Please continue to support human made writing and art over AI generated content.

This icon was made by a human who goes by HINOKODO. You can find their work here (link).

The only men who can say their sumo has been close to Kirishima’s are Hoshoryu and Kotoshoho. They faced off against each other last night.

Hoshoryu got the victory in that bout. And he needed it. A loss would have eliminated him from title contention.

Kotoshoho posed a similar threat to Hoshoryu as Oho did to Kirishima, both men have a lot of size and a lot of power in their strikes. Hoshoryu was able to completely mitigate that threat, though, with an extremely good tachiai.

He came off the line very quickly last night and was able to get right in Kotoshoho’s kitchen before the pusher/thruster could extend his hands and land a strike.

After they were clinched up, Hoshoryu felt Kotoshoho’s forward momentum and was able to artfully glide back and away to get the quick hatakikomi.

That tied their records at 10-3, putting them both two wins behind Kirishima with two days left.

Leave a comment

Gonoyama was the only other rikishi with a chance of getting the title prior to last night. Unfortunately for him, and his hometown fans in Osaka, he lost to Atamifuji. That dropped his record to 9-4, making it impossible for him to catch Kirishima.

This was another oshi-zumo (pushing thrusting) vs. yotsu-zumo match-up. Gonoyama gave it his all, but his pushes and thrusts weren’t quite strong enough to get Atamifuji (the heaviest man in the division) over the line.

Aonishiki managed to save himself from a make-koshi (losing record) last night with a win over Kotozakura. It was a close one, though. Kotozakura was able to turn his fellow ozeki at one point and then send him sprawling with a big shove. Aonishiki managed to keep his footing, though, and turn himself back into the fight. After recovering, Aonishiki hit Kotozakura with an arm drag and then ducked down into his favourite pose for the force out.

Give a gift subscription

Fujiseun is one of the surprises of this tournament. He’s now 9-4, in his debut makuuchi tournament, after he beat Shodai last night. He did it with style, too, throwing Shodai past him along the boundary.

Share Sumo Stomp!

Takayasu looked like a title contender early on in this tournament. Now he’s at risk of a make-koshi. Takanosho slammed him down last night to give the former ozeki a 6-7 record.

Tonight’s matches could determine the yusho.

If Kirishima beats Aonishiki, he’s our spring basho champ. Kirishima is 1-3 against Aonishiki and won in their last meeting. Aonishiki has looked a shell of his former self in this tournament (which could have been his yokozuna coronation). This is really the best time to face Aonishiki, who seems shook after so many opponents have targeted, and thus highlighted, his main weakness (how beatable he is when standing up straight).

Kirishima has been in this position before and he seems like a very confident dude. His form this month, along with that experience, make it feel very likely that he seals the deal tonight.

Kirishima can win the yusho even if he loses tonight, though. If both Hoshoryu and Kotoshoho lose, then they will drop to 10-4 records, making it impossible to surpass Kirishima (who, at worst, can finish with a 12-3 record).

Hoshoryu has Kotozakura tonight. He’s 16-10 against Kotozakura and has won the last five. This is a must win bout for Hoshoryu and he might have a very motivated opponent. Kotozakura may have his kachi-koshi (winning record) already. However, he’s got his teammate Kotoshoho to look out for. If Kotoshoho wins earlier in the night, and Kirishima loses, Kotozakura will know he can clear out one potential obstacle for Kotoshoho by beating Hoshoryu.

Kotoshoho has to beat Atamfuji to stay in the title hunt. He’s 2-3 against him. They haven’t fought since November, a bout which Kotoshoho won. Atamifuji is 8-5, so he’s only playing for pride.

It feels, to me, like Kirishima is going to settle things tonight. That might be some wishful thinking, though. Should he lose, though, there is the potential for chaos and a three-way play-off on the final day — which will be fun for those of you who aren’t admitted Kirishima stans.

Keeping count!

Henka counter: 7

Tobi trample counter (rows): 5*

Ura flips: 2

Gyoji bumps: 3**

*Tobi won a fun bout against Shishi last night. He threw down the Ukrainian, but took himself off the ring in the process. He just barely rolled into the first row. My rule is: if he touched a person then that counts. So our counter is up to five now.

**Yoshinofuji hasn’t had a great tournament this month. But he did throw Hiradoumi into a gyoji last night. That counts for something (1 on my gyoji bump counter)

Want a free way to support Sumo Stomp! Help me get to 1,000 subscribers on YouTube (so then I can monetize the thing).

Subscribe on YouTube!

We are now in the ‘business end’ of this basho, where every win and loss matters immensely. We have our small pack of leaders right now and it’s tight enough that any of them might end up as the last man standing.

If you’ve read this newsletter for a little while, you know I’ll be rooting for Kirishima down the stretch. This newsletter was born in 2023, the year he (as Kiribayama) won his two yusho and promotion to ozeki. He’ll always have a special place in my heart because of that.

Scroll down to see how my fave did last night, when he was matched up against his great rival Hoshoryu.

Our bonus gif today is Onosato, who looks like he’s up to something.

SPOILERS BELOW

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

Results

• Takerufuji (6-6) def. Tobizaru (4-8) by oshidashi (frontal push out)*

• Asanoyama (8-4) def. Kotoeiho (7-5) by yorikiri (frontal force out)

• Oshoumi (3-9) def. Fujiryoga (6-6) by sotogake (inside leg trip)*

• Chiyoshoma (7-5) def. Roga (4-8) by oshidashi

• Mitakeumi (6-6) def. Tokihayate (5-7) by yorikiri

• Nishikifuji (6-6) def. Tamawashi (3-9) by tsukiotoshi (thrust down)

• Asakoryu (8-4) def. Ura (5-7) by oshidashi

• Asahakuryu (8-4) def. Shodai (7-5) by yorikiri

• Shishi (6-6) def. Oshoma (4-8) by oshidashi*

• Kinbozan (7-5) def. Hakunofuji (3-5-4) by yorikiri

• Takanosho (8-4) def. Fujiseun (8-4) by hatakikomi (slap down)

• Fujinokawa (6-6) def. Churanoumi (3-9) by yorikiri*

• Wakatakakage (7-5) def. Ichiyamamoto (6-6) by yorikiri

• Kotoshoho (10-2) def. Yoshinofuji (5-7) by hatakikomi*

• Abi (3-4-5) def. Wakamotoharu (2-10) by okuridashi (rear push out)

• Oho (6-6) def. Atamifuji (7-5) by katasukashi (under shoulder swing down)

• Hiradoumi (6-6) def. Takayasu (6-6) by yorikiri

• Daieisho (5-7) def. Aonishiki (5-7) by tsukitoashi (frontal thrust down)*

• Kotozakura (8-4) def. Gonoyama (9-3) by oshidashi*

• Kirishima (11-1) def. Hoshoryu (9-3) by uwatenage (over arm throw)*

*Must see bouts!

If you’re unable to pick up a paid subscription to Sumo Stomp! but would still like to tip me for these posts, please consider buying me a coffee below (via PayPal).

Buy me a coffee

Leaderboard

• S1e Kirishima: 11-1

• M5w Kotoshoho: 10-2

• Y1e Hoshoryu, M10e Gonoyama: 9-3

Analysis

*breathes deeply…

Kirishima has the yusho in his grasps. The former ozeki beat the 75th yokozuna Hoshoryu last night to secure his eleventh win of the tournament. That win put him in sole lead of the competition with three days left.

That win was also his 33rd win over the last three tournaments. That means he has a chance to return to the ozeki ranks for May, exactly two years after he lost that rank (due mostly to a persistent neck injury).

33 wins over three tournaments as a sekiwake or komusubi is the usual criteria for that promotion. Kirishima’s wins have come as sekiwake and maegashira 2. So there’s a chance he won’t get the nod for promotion. However, if he wins this tournament, I think they’ll have to give it to him.

Aonishiki was promoted to ozeki after 34 wins from maegashira 1, komusubi and sekiwake, which was punctuated with a yusho.

I’m delighted that Kirishima is close to a promotion back to ozeki and that he has this third career championship within reach.

He got here thanks to last night’s massive win.

Hoshoryu started this match with the same kachiage (elbow strike) fake to belt grab that he used on Wakamotoharu a couple of nights ago. He then used his left hand to try and block Kirishima from matching him with an inside right grip.

Kirishima couldn’t get through that defense, so he decided to utilize his outside left grip. He used that to rotate Hoshoryu and force him into a hop to stay on his feet. With Hoshoryu on one leg, Kirishima was able to aim him towards the straw. After that happened, Hoshoryu got both feet planted and was able to then drive Kirishima back.

As he moved Kirishima back, Hoshoryu tried to catch him with an outside trip.

Kirishima skipped over that tripping leg, though. He landed far back and immediately slid his right foot to the boundary to brace against Hoshoryu’s push.

He then used that foot to switch from defense to offense. With Hoshoryu pushing him back, Kirishima pressed off the straw and started to step off to the side.

Through inching along the straw, while twisting Hoshoryu’s upper half, Kirishima was able to get out from in front of Hoshoryu.

He then cranked on his outside grip, putting pressure on Hoshoryu’s elbow and shoulder. As he did that he planted his foot and bent his knee, creating an obstacle for Hoshoryu’s right leg.

Kirishima then summoned up all his strength to hoist Hoshoryu upwards and over, utilizing the tightness of his uwate (over arm) and the placement of that leg (which he raised a little to make even more difficult for Hoshoryu to evade).

Hoshoryu tried to kick his left leg into the air to prevent the throw, but that didn’t prevent him being put in a terrible position.

Kirishima turned his uwate over to complete the throw.

It was a beautiful move and it came from an extremely intelligent sequence from Kirishima. There’s a few wrestlers out there right now with records close to his, but no one’s sumo has been as good as his has this tournament. And I’m hoping that results in him lifting the cup on Sunday.

Despite getting dumped on his head last night, Hoshoryu is not out of this tournament. He’s 9-3 and if Kirishima stumbles at the last hurdle, he could swoop in to take the cup.

He’ll have a chance to beat Kotoshoho tomorrow and then on days fourteen and fifteen he has very winnable matches against Kotozakura and the faltering Aonishiki.

Sumo Stomp! is entirely human made. I don’t use any AI tools or services to create these newsletters (or anything else). Please continue to support human made writing and art over AI generated content.

This icon was made by a human who goes by HINOKODO. You can find their work here (link).

Kotoshoho is 10-2 right now thanks to a big win over Yoshinofuji last night. He slapped away at Yoshinofuji and then picked the right time to step to the side. Kotoshoho is pretty good at this sequence. At this point in his career, he’s very battle-hardened, so he’s good at being able to scan for opportunities while also firing thrusts and getting hit in the face.

If he beats Hoshoryu tomorrow, and Kirishima wins, he’ll eliminate Hoshoryu from the competition.

Leave a comment

Gonoyama is tied with Hoshoryu right now, but he could have been tied with Kotoshoho had he found a way past Kotozakura. Osaka’s only hope for a hometown yusho was able to get Kotozakura moving backwards off the tachiai, but he had no answers once Kotozakura used the straw (just like Kirishima did) to circle back to centre and then start pushing back.

That win gave Kotozakura his kachi-koshi.

Aonishiki is, to use a phrase from my English upbringing, ‘avin a ‘mare out there in Osaka. That’s “having a nightmare” for those of you who aren’t hip to the slang of my working class homeland.

He was pushed down and out by Daieisho last night. This included him landing right on his tailbone at the corner of the dohyo, before falling back on his head. Aonishiki needs this tournament to be over yesterday. The young man is starting to look a little defeated out there. I’m still a believer, though. I think this tournament is only going to mean good things for him in the long run.

Give a gift subscription

Takayasu felt like a potential yusho winner through the first five days. But after winning all those bouts he’s now lost six of the last seven. Last night he got gaburi-yori’d (torso thrusted) by Hiradoumi.

Share Sumo Stomp!

Tonight’s crucial matches include Kirishima vs. Oho. Kirishima is 6-4 against Oho (who is currently 6-6 in this tournament). Oho won the last bout, but Kirishima won the three before that.

It’s a very winnable match-up for Kirishima, so long as he can use his yotsu-zumo (belt grappling). Oho is terrible when someone gets a hand on his mawashi.

If Kirishima wins he’ll have a 12-1 record. That would eliminate everyone with four losses of more from title contention.

That could be Hoshoryu if he loses to Kotoshoho and Gonoyama if he loses to Atamifuji.

Hoshoryu is 4-3 against Kotoshoho and he’s won the last three. Kotoshoho’s last win came when Hoshoryu was M16w in 2020. His others are from their time in juryo and makushita.

Gonoyama is 2-5 against Atamifuji.

Keeping count!

Henka counter: 7

Tobi trample counter (rows): 4*

Ura flips: 2

Gyoji bumps: 2

*Tobizaru was bashed off the ring by Takerufuji (who was called up from juryo) last night. He went into the seats and cleared two rows with ease and then went half way into the third. I’m rounding up and increasing his trample counter from 1 to 4!

Want a free way to support Sumo Stomp! Help me get to 1,000 subscribers on YouTube (so then I can monetize the thing).

Subscribe on YouTube!

It’s another late night edition of Sumo Stomp! (which is the only time I have to write them on days like this).

I’m still very busy with school, field placement and my regular job. I am so close to being done with most of that, though. I have 29 days left until I have completed my college program. After that I will be a licensed social service worker here in Ontario. I can’t wait to be done school and I also can’t wait to get out there and start working in my community.

In the meantime, though, I’ve got some awesome sumo to write about!

Check out the results, videos and analysis for day eleven of the 2026 haru basho below.

The bonus gif today is our forlorn Aonishiki.

SPOILERS BELOW

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

Results

• Kinbozan (6-5) def. Nishikifuji (5-6) by hikiotoshi (hand pull down)

• Chiyoshoma (6-5) def. Nishinoryu (4-7) by okuridashi (rear push out)

• Tobizaru (4-7) def. Kotoeiho (7-4) by oshitaoshi (frontal push down)

• Asanoyama (7-4) def. Mitakeumi (5-6) by oshidashi (frontal push out) after mono-ii (judges’ review) overturns gyoji (referee) decision

• Fujiseun (8-3) def. Oshoumi (2-9) by oshidashi

• Fujiryoga (6-5) def. Shishi (5-6) by yorikiri (frontal force out)

• Asakoryu (7-4) def. Shodai (7-4) by oshidashi

• Ura (5-6) def. Asahakuryu (7-4) by yorikiri*

• Tokihayate (5-6) def. Hakunofuji (3-4-4) by uwatenage (over arm throw)

• Roga (4-7) def. Oshoma (4-7) by yorikiri

• Ichiyamamoto (6-5) def. Tamawashi (3-8) by oshidashi

• Fujinokawa (5-6) def. Abi (2-4-5) by hikiotoshi

• Yoshinofuji (5-6) def. Churanoumi (3-8) by uwatenage

• Wakatakakage (6-5) def. Hiradoumi (5-6) by uwatenage*

• Atamifuji (7-4) def. Daieisho (4-7) by tsukidashi (frontal thrust out)

• Oho (5-6) def. Wakamotoharu (2-9) by yorikiri

• Kirishima (10-1) def. Gonoyama (9-2) by tsukiotoshi (thrust down)*

• Kotozakura (7-4) def. Takanosho (7-4) by oshidashi

• Kotoshoho (9-2) def. Aonishiki (5-6) by hatakikomi (slap down)*

• Hoshoryu (9-2) def. Takayasu (6-5) by hikiotoshi*

*Must see bouts!

If you’re unable to pick up a paid subscription to Sumo Stomp! but would still like to tip me for these posts, please consider buying me a coffee below (via PayPal).

Buy me a coffee

Leaderboard

• S1e Kirishima: 10-1

• Y1e Hoshoryu, M5w Kotoshoho, M10e Gonoyama: 9-2

Analysis

Hoshoryu and Takayasu provided a lot of entertainment last night before their bout. The pair got into a staring contest before returning to their corners for one last spot clean with their little towels. We’ve seen this from Hoshoryu before. He takes the intimidation aspect of this game very seriously. Takayasu seemed like he wanted to show his junior that he wasn’t going to scare him like that.

There is some bad blood in this match-up, too. Takayasu is a mentor to Onosato and, in recent tournaments, he has — in my opinion — let that affect his performances. I think I’ve seen him go a little easy in his bouts with Onosato and then do the opposite when he meets Hoshoryu, as if he’s trying to clear a path for his friend. He’s not doing anything that’s against the rules, but I can understand why this would annoy Hoshoryu.

The match between Hoshoryu and Takayasu itself was a bit of a let down last night. After the long stare we saw Takayasu go for a hidari-yotsu (left arm inside position), but then get caught when Hoshoryu quickly triggered a slap down, while moving away from Takayasu’s grasping hand. Takayasu hit the dirt with a thud. Hoshoryu stood to admire his work before strutting back to the east side of the ring.

The win must have felt good for Hoshoryu, given who it was over. However, there was more than pride on the line in this bout. The victory put Hoshoryu at 9-2, which means he is still very much in the title race this month.

Sumo Stomp! is entirely human made. I don’t use any AI tools or services to create these newsletters (or anything else). Please continue to support human made writing and art over AI generated content.

This icon was made by a human who goes by HINOKODO. You can find their work here (link).

Hoshoryu is trailing his old judo clubmate Kirishima. Kirishima beat Gonoyama last night with another deft inashi (side-step) to pull down combo. He’s landed this throughout the tournament and, right now, looks like he can’t lose. This is sumo, though. That can change quickly.

Kirishima was smart in this bout, too. He knew that Gonoyama’s best weapon is a line drive right towards his opponent. To counter that Kirishima forced Gonoyama to move laterally, so he could never build up a head of steam. Kirishima also showed great reflexes to stabilize himself when his feet started to slip out from under him.

Kirishima’s win dropped Gonoyama to 9-2, tied with Hoshoryu and Kotoshoho.

Leave a comment

Kotoshoho earned his ninth win last night with a confident slap down on Aonishiki. Aonishiki is looking a little broken in this tournament after missing out on a yokozuna promotion. It feels like he needs this tournament to end as soon as possible so he can rest, assess what has happened and then figure out what he’s going to do next.

Kotoshoho has now won his last two bouts over Aonishiki. His early win clinched him the 2025 Nagoya basho.

I’ve not mentioned Kotozakura much this tournament. He’s been very under-the-radar this month, other than that spectacular throw he hit on Churanoumi last week. He’s 7-4 now after he beat Takanosho last night. That means he’s just a win away from securing his ozeki status for at least another two tournaments.

Give a gift subscription

Wakatakakage got a nice win last night, flipping over Hiradoumi. Both these guys have been beat up a little in this tournament, thanks to their placement in the joi. Wakatakakage, at 6-5, has a kachi-koshi in his sights, though. If he is able to cement that in the next few days he’ll likely replace his brother as komusubi for the next tournament.

Share Sumo Stomp!

We had three henka last night! That’s good news for my counters. Fujinokawa send Abi sprawling to the dirt. That’s a pretty rare move for him. Chiyoshoma used a henka to dispatch of juryo call-up Nishinoryu. That’s a pretty common move for him.

And Mitakeumi tried a henka on Asanoyama. However, the sumo gods decided to make an example out of him. Mitakeumi was given the gunbai initially, but a mono-ii determined that Asanoyama was able to push him out before his tummy touched down.

Tonight we’ve got a big bout in store for us. Hoshoryu vs. Kirishima is a pivotal bout in this basho. If Kirishima wins, he’ll be 11-1 and Hoshoryu will be 9-3. With three days left to play, it would be pretty hard for Hoshoryu to catch up if that were the case.

Hoshoryu has a 13-11 record against Kirishima, but these two always have close and competitive bouts. They know each other’s sumo inside and out and they understand how to counter and mitigate what each other is best at. That often leads to a thrilling exchange of chain wrestling between the pair until someone does something unexpected.

This is the match-up I look forward to every basho. So having this happen with title implications is a real dream for me.

Gonoyama will try and keep pace with those two when he meets Kotozakura. It’s going to be tough for him, though. He’s 1-8 against the ozeki and Kotozakura can clinch his kachi-koshi with a win. This might be Kotozakura’s best chance to get that win, with matches against Aonishiki and Hoshoryu waiting for him.

Kotoshoho has an interesting match-up tonight. He’s got Yoshinofuji, who is sitting on a 5-6 record. They are 1-1 against each other. I think Kotoshoho should have been given a tougher match here. I know Yoshinofuji is better than his record, but we have Atamifuji (7-4), Takayasu (6-5) and even Fujiseun (8-3). I think any of those would have made more sense.

Keeping count!

Henka counter: 7 (!)

Tobi trample counter (rows): 1*

Ura flips: 2

Gyoji bumps: 2

*Tobizaru got a good win last night against Kotoeiho. He hopped off the dohyo with his win, but was able to stop just short of the front row.

Want a free way to support Sumo Stomp! Help me get to 1,000 subscribers on YouTube (so then I can monetize the thing).

Subscribe on YouTube!

It’s March break at the moment and, with Mini Sumo Stomp! home, it’s hard to get these out early in the day. For that reason, expect Sumo Stomp! After Dark to be the norm as we finish out this basho.

Last night we were treated to some more great matches as our mix of big names and plucky underdogs try and keep pace with each other while we head to the business end of the basho.

Scroll down to see where we stand after day ten’s bouts. I’ve got full makuuchi results, videos and my analysis.

Bonus gif today is one of our Osaka mans.

SPOILERS BELOW

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

Results

• Kotoeiho (7-3) def. Chiyoshoma (5-5) by shitatenage (underarm throw)

• Nishikifuji (5-5) def. Wakanosho (8-2) by oshidashi (frontal push out)

• Mitakeumi (5-5) def. Tobizaru (3-7) by yorikiri (frontal force out)

• Asanoyama (6-4) def. Fujiryoga (5-5) by yorikiri

• Kinbozan (5-5) def. Shishi (5-5) by hikiotoshi (hand pull down)

• Asahakuryu (7-3) def. Oshoumi (2-8) by uwatenage (over arm throw)*

• Gonoyama (9-1) def. Asakoryu (6-4) by hatakikomi (slap down)*

• Fujiseun (7-3) def. Roga (3-7) by kirikaeshi (twisting backward knee trip)

• Tamawashi (3-7) def. Oshoma (4-6) by oshidashi

• Hakunofuji (3-3-4) def. Ura (4-6) by uwatenage*

• Ichiyamamoto (5-5) def. Tokihayate (4-6) by yorikiri after mono-ii (judges’ review) upholds gyoji (referee) decision

• Shodai (7-3) def. Kotoshoho (8-2) by yoritoashi (frontal crush out)

• Wakatakakage (5-5) def. Fujinokawa (4-6) by oshidashi

• Abi (2-3-5) def. Yoshinofuji (4-6) by oshitaoshi (frontal push down)

• Atamifuji (6-4) def. Churanoumi (3-7) by oshidashi

• Kirishima (9-1) def. Takanosho (7-3) by hikiotoshi*

• Oho (4-6) def. Takayasu (6-4) by yorikiri after torinaoshi (rematch)*

• Aonishiki (5-5) def. Hiradoumi (5-5) by uwatenage*

• Kotozakura (6-4) def. Daieisho (4-6) by hatakikomi

• Hoshoryu (8-2) def. Wakamotoharu (8-2) by yoritoashi*

*Must see bouts!

If you’re unable to pick up a paid subscription to Sumo Stomp! but would still like to tip me for these posts, please consider buying me a coffee below (via PayPal).

Buy me a coffee

Leaderboard

• S1e Kirishima, M10e Gonoyama: 9-1

• Y1e Hoshoryu, M5w Kotoshoho: 8-2

• M4w Takanosho, M8w Shodai, M13w Fujinokawa, M16e Asahakuryu, M17w Kotoeiho: 7-3.

Analysis

Hoshoryu capped off last night’s action with a win over one of his nemeses. He and Wakamotoharu have had some spicy matches recently, including when Wakamotoharu pulled off a gravity defying henka a few tournaments ago. That move was in response to Hoshoryu taking out his little brother, Wakatakakage, with a henka.

I thought Wakamotoharu would go henka again in this match, to try and avoid notching his eighth loss of the tournament. But he played it straight up. And that didn’t go very well for him.

Hoshoryu came in very hard and fast on the tachiai and immediately secured a migi-yotsu (right arm inside position). By doing this, he eliminated the chances of Wakamotoharu securing his favourite hidari-yotsu (left arm inside position). Once Hoshoryu had his favourite hold he stepped on the gas and had Wakamotoharu out in no time.

Hoshoryu got his right arm on the inside by faking a kachiage (elbow strike) on the tachiai…

and then swimming that right arm down and inside towards the belt…

so that he could then bring it up and perform a shitate (underhook).

That’s lovely.

Sumo Stomp! is entirely human made. I don’t use any AI tools or services to create these newsletters (or anything else). Please continue to support human made writing and art over AI generated content.

This icon was made by a human who goes by HINOKODO. You can find their work here (link).

Hoshoryu still trails is frenemy Kirishima, though. Kirishima continues to look like he’s doing sumo in the Matrix this month. He side-stepped Takanosho, with ease, last night. I might have to start calling him El Matador, with all these slap-down to side-step combinations he’s hitting this tournament.

Kirishima is tied at 9-1 with Gonoyama. Gonoyama slapped down his fellow Osakan Asakoryu last night.

Leave a comment

Kotoshoho is tied with Hoshoryu on 8-2. He could have been part of the 9-1 group, though, had he not lost to Shodai last night. Shodai, who has been decent this month, got a hidari-yotsu on Kotoshoho and quickly drove him back and out.

Aonishiki got his best win of the tournament last night. He had to struggle through some adversity against Hiradoumi. Hiradoumi tried to get in tight on Aonishiki and use gaburi-yori (torso thrusting) to keep him upright (a very good tactic against the Ukrainian). Aonishiki was able to resist that and then get his hips back into his favourite stance. From his leaned in position, Aonishiki triggered a gorgeous uwatenage, with the kind the high leg kick you see captured in classic sumo art.

That’s a nice reminder of what Aonishiki can do (if you’re not able to force him to fight standing up).

Give a gift subscription

Fujinokawa’s tour of the big names continued last night. This time he faced Wakatakakage for the first time in his career. Fujinokawa came in strong, but soon learned this was not an opponent who would be overwhelmed by aggression alone. Wakatakakage was able to gather Fujinokawa and then shrug him off the ring. Wakatakakage’s lack of size worked against Fujinokawa, here. The Little River Monster is great at getting inside and almost underneath his bigger opponents, but he was mostly nose-to-nose against the former sekiwake.

Share Sumo Stomp!

Tonight is headlined by Hoshoryu vs. Takayasu. Their bouts have been as spicy as Hoshoryu and Wakamotoharu’s lately. Takayasu has recently seemed to put in extra effort to take out Hoshoryu in order to clear a path for his friend Onosato. And Hoshoryu seems to have taken exception to that. Onosato isn’t a factor in this tournament, but I think the bad blood between these two will remain.

Kirishima and Gonoyama will face each other tonight. That means we will have a single 10-1 wrestler in the tournament with four days left. These two have an even head-to-head record after eight bouts. Kirishima has won the last two meetings, though.

Kotoshoho will try and keep pace with the leaders by beating Aonishiki. Kotoshoho is 1-1 against the ozeki. The last time they met was on day fifteen in Nagoya, when Kotoshoho won to secure his shock maiden yusho.

Keeping count!

Henka counter: 4

Tobi trample counter (rows): 1

Ura flips: 2

Gyoji bumps: 2

Was really hoping for more action on these things…

Want a free way to support Sumo Stomp! Help me get to 1,000 subscribers on YouTube (so then I can monetize the thing).

Subscribe on YouTube!

We are now into the final week of Grand Sumo’s 2026 spring tournament. Despite this basho being hit with injuries, I’ve really enjoyed the action we’ve had on the dohyo. With six days left we have an interesting group leading the way. That includes some expected and unexpected names — and even a hometown boy, too!

Here is your daily update for the haru basho, complete with top division results, full match videos and my analysis.

Enjoy!

Our bonus gif today is the Iron Man.

SPOILERS BELOW

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

Results

• Asahakuryu (6-3) def. Kinbozan (4-5) by yorikiri (frontal force out)

• Fujiseun (6-3) def. Chiyoshoma (5-4) by oshidashi (frontal push out)

• Asakoryu (6-3) def. Fujiryoga (5-4) by shitatenage (underarm throw)*

• Mitakeumi (4-5) def. Oshoumi (2-7) by tsukiotoshi (thrust down)

• Shishi (5-4) def. Nishikifuji (4-5) by yorikiri

• Tobizaru (3-6) def. Roga (3-6) by hikiotoshi (hand pull down)*

• Gonoyama (8-1) def. Kotoeiho (6-3) by oshidashi*

• Asanoyama (5-4) def. Tamawashi (2-7) by uwatenage (over arm throw)*

• Oshoma (4-5) def. Tokihayate (4-5) by uwatenage

• Shodai (6-3) def. Onokatsu (1-6-2) by fusen (default)

• Hakunofuji (2-3-4) def. Ichiyamamoto (4-5) by uwatehineri (over arm twist down)*

• Kotoshoho (8-1) def. Ura (4-5) by oshidashi

• Abi (1-3-5) def. Churanoumi (3-5) by hatakikomi (slap down)

• Wakatakakage (4-5) def. Yoshinofuji (4-5) by hikiotoshi

• Fujinokawa (4-5) def. Atamifuji (5-4) by oshidashi*

• Wakamotoharu (2-7) def. Hiradoumi (5-4) by utchari (backwards pivot throw)*

• Kirishima (8-1) def. Daieisho (4-5) by tsukiotoshi*

• Kotozakura (5-4) def. Oho (3-6) by oshidashi

• Aonishiki (5-4) def. Takayasu (4-5) by oshidashi

• Hoshoryu (7-2) def. Takanosho (7-2) by yorikiri*

*Must see bouts!

If you’re unable to pick up a paid subscription to Sumo Stomp! but would still like to tip me for these posts, please consider buying me a coffee below (via PayPal).

Buy me a coffee

Leaderboard

• S1e Kirishima, M5w Kotoshoho, M10w Gonoyama: 8-1

• Y1e Hoshoryu, M4w Takanosho: 7-2

Analysis

Hoshoryu got back to winning ways last night, with a powerful display over Takanosho. Takanosho has been on a good run this month, but Hoshoryu was determined not to get moved back by the big pusher/thruster.

Takanosho did well to avoid Hoshoryu’s deep outside grip on his left side and then stick Hoshoryu with his nodowa (throat thrust). Hoshoryu showed a lot of grit, and strength, to not get pushed back, though. He got his right arm on the inside and got both hands towards the belt as he drove forwards, to score the push out.

This result tied Hoshoryu and Takanosho on 7-2 records.

Sumo Stomp! is entirely human made. I don’t use any AI tools or services to create these newsletters (or anything else). Please continue to support human made writing and art over AI generated content.

This icon was made by a human who goes by HINOKODO. You can find their work here (link).

Those two are currently behind Kirishima, Kotoshoho and Gonoyama.

Kirishima is still looking like his old self (Kiribayama). Last night he dispatched of Daieisho in a fashion very similar to how he beat him in 2023 to earn his first ever yusho. It feels like Kirishima is seeing things in slow motion right now. He saw Daieisho’s lunge coming from a mile away and was able to dodge and slap him down so smoothly that the whole sequence looked choreographed.

Kirishima is now just three wins away from becoming an ozeki again. With six bouts left, that feels very attainable. If this form continues, Kirishima might land a yusho along with that promotion.

Leave a comment

Kotoshoho beat up Ura, much to the dislike of the partisan Osaka crowd.

Gonoyama got to 8-1 after steamrolling Kotoeiho. He’s the best chance Osaka has of a homegrown champion this month.

We’ve seen Kotoshoho do this before, with his improbable Nagoya run last year and with his runner-up finish in 2023. We’ve never seen a run like this from Gonoyama, though. His sumo has looked effortless, thus far, but he’s had the easiest schedule of all the front runners.

Give a gift subscription

Aonishiki’s goal of a yokozuna promotion this month has shifted to a goal of just trying to get a winning record. He helped that effort last night with a confident push out over Takayasu.

Share Sumo Stomp!

Fujinokawa is continuing to survive in the joi. He’s doing much better than I expected. Last night he was his full Jack Russell self and that was enough to back down the big golden retriever that is Atamifuji. Side note: I said goodbye to my Jack Russell Cleo a few years ago. She made it to 20 years old. God, she was terrible. Fujinokawa’s sumo makes me miss her.

Wakamotoharu continued to fend off attempts to hand him a make-koshi (losing record). Hiradoumi pushed him to the brink, but Wakamotoharu was able to land the loathsome utchari for the win.

Wakamotoharu has Hoshoryu tonight. Hoshoryu should be on maximum henka alert for that bout. Hoshoryu has a 18-5 head-to-head record against Wakamotoharu, but they are 2-2 in the last four meetings (with one of those Wakamotoharu wins being a henka).

All our other front runners have tough tests tonight (according to their head-to-head records).

Kirishima has Takanosho. He’s 6-17 against him. Takanosho has the physical profile that seems to really bother Kirishima (just look at his record against Terunofuji and Onosato).

Kotoshoho has Shodai. He’s 1-7 against the former ozeki. Gonoyama has Asakoryu (who is also from Osaka). Asakoryu won their only meeting.

Keeping count!

Henka counter: 4

Tobi trample counter (rows): 1

Ura flips: 2

Gyoji bumps: 2*

*since we got nothing else going on with these counters!

Want a free way to support Sumo Stomp! Help me get to 1,000 subscribers on YouTube (so then I can monetize the thing).

Subscribe on YouTube!

Scroll down to see who is in that leading pack and who might be starting to fade.

The bonus gif today is Tobizaru, who is totally not playing ball when it comes to my fun new trample counter.

SPOILERS BELOW

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

Results

• Mitakeumi (3-5) def. Daiseizan (5-3) by hatakikomi (slap down)

• Kotoeiho (6-2) def. Nishikifuji (4-4) by uwatenage (over arm throw)*

• Fujiryoga (5-3) def. Tobizaru (2-6) by hatakikomi

• Fujiseun (5-3) def. Asahakuryu (5-3) by yorikiri (frontal force out)

• Chiyoshoma (5-3) def. Shishi (4-4) by tsukidashi (frontal thrust out)

• Gonoyama (7-1) def. Kinbozan (4-4) by oshidashi (frontal push out)

• Tokihayate (4-4) def. Asanoyama (4-4) by yorikiri*

• Asakoryu (5-3) def. Tamawashi (2-6) by yorikiri

• Ura (4-4) def. Roga (3-5) by shitatenage (underarm throw)*

• Oshoumi (2-6) def. Shodai (5-3) by yorikiri

• Oshoma (3-5) def. Ichiyamamoto (4-4) by shitatenage

• Kotoshoho (7-1) def. Hakunofuji (1-3-4) by okuridashi (rear push out)

• Oho (3-5) def. Onokatsu (1-5-2) by yoritoashi (frontal crush out)

• Yoshinofuji (4-4) def. Fujinokawa (3-5) by oshidashi

• Wakamotoharu (1-7) def. Churanoumi (3.5) by kotenage (armlock throw)*

• Atamifuji (5-3) def. Wakatakakage (3-5) by kotenage

• Kirishima (7-1) def. Takayasu (6-2) by sukuinage (beltless arm throw)*

• Takanosho (7-1) def. Aonishiki (3-5) by hatakikomi*

• Hiradoumi (5-3) def. Kotozakura (4-4) by yorikiri

• Daieisho (4-4) def. Hoshoryu (6-2) by hatakikomi*

*Must see bouts!

If you’re unable to pick up a paid subscription to Sumo Stomp! but would still like to tip me for these posts, please consider buying me a coffee below (via PayPal).

Buy me a coffee

Leaderboard

• S1e Kirishima, M4w Takanosho, M5w Kotoshoho, M10e Gonoyama: 7-1

• Y1e Hoshoryu, S1w Takayasu, M17w Kotoeiho: 6-2

Analysis

Hoshoryu fell back from the leading pack last night after losing to Daieisho. This was a pretty surprising loss, considering how locked in Hoshoryu has looked during this tournament. He was pretty sloppy in this bout.

Daieisho hit Hoshoryu with a few good shots off the tachiai. Hoshoryu tried to get past those and into an inside position. It looked like he was trying to score either a kubinage (headlock throw) or the okurinage (rear throw down) that he did on Yoshinofuji a few tournaments ago. Whatever he was trying, it didn’t work. Daieisho got free and went for a slap down. Hoshoryu went for a last ditch watashikomi (thigh grabbing push down) while he was going down, but Daieisho circled off and managed to stay up long enough to leave no doubt that he was the winner.

Hoshoryu gave a little look at the shimpan (judge) as if he was begging for a mono-ii (review). I think he was trying to save face/hide his embarrassment with that.

Sumo Stomp! is entirely human made. I don’t use any AI tools or services to create these newsletters (or anything else). Please continue to support human made writing and art over AI generated content.

This icon was made by a human who goes by HINOKODO. You can find their work here (link).

Aonishiki lost last night, too. And this was perhaps the worst loss of his tournament so far. Takanosho is having a great tournament (he’s among the leaders on 7-1), but he’s one of the easier match-ups Aonishiki will have this month.

We’ve seen, on multiple occasions, this month that keeping Aonishiki upright is the key to victory over him. In this bout Takanosho used his thrusts to stand him up and then used the slap down to win when Aonishiki ducked down and desperately tried to get to the belt.

That loss drops Aonishiki to 3-5. This means he is guaranteed to finish this tournament with his worst ever record. Before now he’s worst mark was the still excellent 11-4.

This all, of course, means Aonishiki’s chances of a yokozuna promotion in March are now zero.

This was the first bout this tournament where, to me, Aonishiki looked like the pressure/disappointment over his current situation was getting to him. This is the first real adversity he’s faced in pro sumo, but I think it will serve him well in the long run. He now has an opportunity to adjust his sumo and try and find ways to win which don’t include being slumped over.

He’s good enough and young enough to do that.

Leave a comment

Kirishima is tied with Takanosho on 7-1. He continued to look excellent this basho with a masterful display against the very dangerous Takayasu.

After some very fun slapping, Kirishima stuck to Takayasu’s mawashi like glue — using a left hand outside grip. After a long stalemate, which tired out Takayasu, Kirishima switched to moro-zashi (double inside) and heaved the big man to the clay.

Kotoshoho and Gonoyama are also on 7-1. Kotoshoho got an easy win over the banged up Hakunofuji. And Gonoyama blasted through Kinbozan. Could Kotoshoho repeat his heroics from last year’s Nagoya basho? Or will Gonoyama take home his first yusho in his hometown? I didn’t have either of those stories on my radar coming into this one.

I also didn’t think Wakamotoharu would go 0-7 to start this tournament. He staved off the make-koshi (losing record) last night with a win over Churanoumi.

Give a gift subscription

Tokihayate and Asanoyama had a fun back and forth bout. Tokihayate, our dead ringer for Arya Stark, got the win after getting around the big man and then digging in to push him out.

Share Sumo Stomp!

Ura got a big win last night. He went all WWE with a powerslam on Roga.

Tonight we’ve got Hoshoryu vs. Takanosho. He has a commanding 10-3 record against him.

Kirishima has Daieisho, the man he beat to win his first yusho. He’s got a 15-11 record against him.

Kotoshoho has Ura tonight. He’ll hope his brother Kotoeiho can help him out by beating Gonoyama, too.

Things aren’t getting easier for Aonishiki. He’s got Takayasu tomorrow. His rope-run may be over, but he’s still got plenty to play for. He needs a winning record to avoid being kadoban in the next tournament.

Abi also returns tonight, after taking a few days to nurse a bad back. He’s got Churanoumi.

Keeping count!

Henka counter: 4

Tobi trample counter (rows): 1

Ura flips: 2

Want a free way to support Sumo Stomp! Help me get to 1,000 subscribers on YouTube (so then I can monetize the thing).

Subscribe on YouTube!

We have a crowded and interesting pack of leaders, so it’s very hard to project who will be in with a legitimate shot of winning the yusho this time next week. That title picture is going to clear up a little more after each day, though.

Scroll down to see where things stand after last night’s bouts. I’ve got results, videos and analysis just for you!

The bonus gif today is Mitakeumi, shaking his wing.

SPOILERS BELOW

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

Results

• Asahakuryu (5-2) def. Tomokaze (2-5) by oshidashi (frontal push Out)

• Fujiryoga (4-3) def. Mitakeumi (2-5) by oshidashi

• Chiyoshoma (4-3) def. Kinbozan (4-3) by yorikiri (frontal force out)

• Kotoeiho (5-2) def. Fujiseun (4-3) by yoritoashi (frontal crush out)

• Tobizaru (2-5) def. Nishikifuji (2-5) by katasukashi (under should swing down)

• Roga (3-4) def. Asanoyama (4-3) by yorikiri

• Tamawashi (2-5) def. Oshoumi (1-6) by yorikiri

• Tokihayate (3-4) def. Asakoryu (4-3) by yorikiri

• Shishi (4-3) def. Shodai (4-2) by oshidashi*

• Gonoyama (3-4) def. Ura (6-1) by oshitaoshi (frontal push down)

• Hakunofuji (1-2-4) def. Onokatsu (1-4-2) by oshidashi

• Kotoshoho (6-1) def. Oshoma (2-5) by oshidashi

• Takanosho (6-1) def. Ichiyamamoto (4-3) by yorikiri

• Churanoumi (3-4) def. Wakatakakage (3-4) by oshidashi*

• Yoshinofuji (3-4) def. Wakamotoharu (0-7) by oshidashi

• Takayasu (6-1) def. Daieisho (3-4) by tsukidashi (frontal thrust out)*

• Kirishima (6-1) def. Hiradoumi (4-3) by hikiotoshi (hand pull down)*

• Kotozakura (4-3) def. Fujinokawa (3-4) by oshitaoshi*

• Atamifuji (4-3) def. Aonishiki (3-4) by uwatenage (over arm throw)*

• Hoshoryu (6-1) def. Oho (2-5) by yoritoashi*

*Must see bouts!

If you’re unable to pick up a paid subscription to Sumo Stomp! but would still like to tip me for these posts, please consider buying me a coffee below (via PayPal).

Buy me a coffee

Leaderboard

• Y1e Hoshoryu, S1e Kirishima, S1w Takayasu, M4w Takanosho, M5w Kotoshoho, M10e Gonoyama: 6-1

• M8w Shodai, M16e Asahakuryu, Kotoeiho: 5-2

Analysis

Hoshoryu remains in the lead of this tournament (along with a bunch of other guys). Last night he took out Oho, wasting no time at all. Oho gave Aonishiki a torrid time on the previous night. That might have given Hoshoryu extra motivation to dispatch of him as quickly as possible.

In this bout Hoshoryu looked for the moro-zashi (double inside position) off the tachiai. That’s a curious decision from the yokozuna. He likes the position a lot and uses it to great effect. But it’s also the position that Oho gave to Aonishiki in their bout, since the moro-zashi is what you need your opponent to have in order to perform the painful kimedashi (arm-barring force out).

Oho wasn’t thinking kimedashi in this bout, though. He went with his hands high, looking to snap back Hoshoryu’s head. But Hoshoryu’s moro-zashi, combined with his forward movement, pushed Oho back immediately and soon had him over the straw.

Right now, Hoshoryu has to be your favourite to win this championship. However, we’re not even half-way through and there’s still a lot that could happen.

Sumo Stomp! is entirely human made. I don’t use any AI tools or services to create these newsletters (or anything else). Please continue to support human made writing and art over AI generated content.

This icon was made by a human who goes by HINOKODO. You can find their work here (link).

Despite there being nine days left to play, I think it’s safe to say that Aonishiki will not win his third yusho in a row. He lost to Atamifuji last night, to drop his record to 3-4. At this rate, it’s seeming unlikely that he’ll also finish runner-up in this tournament. So that means the young man’s yokozuna promotion is off the table for March.

In his bout with Atamifuji last night, Aonishiki was again forced to fight in an upright stance. And, as we’ve seen already, that’s his kryptonite. We saw glimpses of this weakness during his amazing yusho runs. However, in this tournament, it seems like the field has really woken up to that fact and they are now doing everything they can to prevent Aonishiki leaning forwards.

Atamifuji accomplished that last night by first thrusting Aonishiki up and back. Aonishiki did well to prevent himself being pushed out over the edge, but when he circled back to safety Atamifuji was there to trap him in his favourite migi-yotsu (right arm inside position). Aonishiki tried to get into his leaned over stance, but Atamifuji broke that… with his belly. He used gaburi-yori (torso thrusting or ‘hug and chug’) to bump Aonishiki’s head back and force him to stand. From there, he used his size advantage to march Aonishiki back and eventually out.

This win for Atamifuji counts as revenge for the play-off he lost to Aonishiki in January.

Leave a comment

Kirishima’s ozeki run is in very good shape. He’s 6-1 now (over half the way to his 11 win target) after a slick win over Hiradoumi. When Kirishima’s at his best, he’s a joy to watch. And, so far this tournament, he’s been operating with lots of the same style and swagger he had during his first promotion to ozeki in 2023.

Takayasu is 6-1, too. He had a slugfest with Daieisho last night. The win for Takayasu came when Daieisho attempted a slap down. He missed on that, but succeeded in boucing the gyoji off the ring. After that, Daieisho was forced to run, but Takayasu eventually caught up with him and scored the win on the north side of the ring.

Give a gift subscription

Takanosho is also on 6-1. He got Ichiyamamoto to the straw with his nodowa (throat thrust) last night. But he would need his unfamiliar yotsu-zumo (belt grappling) to get the job done.

Share Sumo Stomp!

Gonoyama is 6-1, too. The Osaka native didn’t get any cheers from his hometown fans, though. That’s because he beat Ura last night — the most popular man from Osaka. The crowd also seemed to take issue with how roughly Gonoyama shot-put Ura into the seats.

Kotoeiho and Asahakuryu are our most surprising joint leaders. Kotoeiho out-muscled Fujiseun last night. He’s showing a lot of improvement since his debut makuuchi tournament last year. And Asahakuryu easily beat juryo call-up Tomokaze.

Last night Hakunofuji returned to the competition. He took on Onokatsu, who himself came back the previous night. In the battle of the bum foot versus the twisted ankle, Hakunofuji came out on top. Both men limped away from that fight, though.

Keeping count!

Henka counter: 4

Tobi trample counter (rows): 1*

Ura flips: 2*

*Tobizaru had a marathon match with Nishikifuji last night, which he eventually won with a under shoulder swing down. For some reason Tobi has chosen this tournament as the one where he stays out of the seats.

Want a free way to support Sumo Stomp! Help me get to 1,000 subscribers on YouTube (so then I can monetize the thing).

Subscribe on YouTube!

Scroll down to see what happened in Osaka last night.

The bonus gift today includes fans of the most popular guy in Osaka.

SPOILERS BELOW

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

Results

• Chiyoshoma (3-3) def. Asahakuryu (4-2) by yorikiri (frontal force out)

• Nishikifuji (4-2) def. Fujiryoga (3-3) by oshitaoshi (frontal push down)*

• Kinbozan (4-2) def. Tobizaru (1-5) by hatakikomi (slap down)

• Fujiseiun (4-2) def. Mitakeumi (2-4) by yorikiri

• Kotoeiho (4-2) def. Asakoryu (4-2) by oshidashi after torinaoshi (rematch)*

• Asanoyama (4-2) def. Shishi (3-3) by oshidashi

• Oshoumi (1-5) def. Tokihayate (2-4) by yorikiri

• Shodai (5-1) def. Roga (2-4) by uwatenage (over arm throw)

• Ichiyamamoto (4-2) def. Ura (3-3) by hatakikomi

• Onokatsu (1-3-2) def. Oshoma (2-4) by hansoku (disqualification for hair pull) after mono-ii (judges’ review) overturns gyoji (referee) decision

• Kotoshoho (5-1) def. Takanosho (5-1) by tsukiotoshi (thrust down)

• Daieisho (3-3) def. Churanoumi (2-4) by hatakikomi

• Fujinokawa (3-3) def. Wakamotoharu (0-6) by oshidashi*

• Kirishima (5-1) def. Yoshinofuji (2-4) by uwatenage*

• Wakatakakage (3-3) def. Takayasu (5-1) by uwatedashinage (pulling over arm throw)*

• Oho (2-4) def. Aonishiki (3-3) by kimedashi (arm-barring force out)*

• Atamifuji (3-3) def. Kotozakura (3-3) by oshidashi

• Hoshoryu (5-1) def. Hiradoumi (4-2) by oshidashi

*Must see bouts!

If you’re unable to pick up a paid subscription to Sumo Stomp! but would still like to tip me for these posts, please consider buying me a coffee below (via PayPal).

Buy me a coffee

Leaderboard

• Y1e Hoshoryu, S1e Kirishima, S1w Takayasu, M4w Takanosho, M5w Kotoshoho, M8w Shodai, M10e Gonoyama: 5-1

• M3e Hiradoumi, M6e Ichiyamamoto, M12e Asakoryu, M12w Asanoyama, five others: 4-2

Analysis

Hoshoryu took a share of the lead last night, thanks to his no nonsense win over Hiradoumi (and the results that played out earlier in the night).

Hoshoryu is now 11-1 against Hiradoumi, someone he cross trains with a lot within the Dewanoumi stable network. Hiradoumi also often serves as tachimochi (sword bearer) for Hoshoryu when he performs his dohyo-iri (ceremonial dance).

I think Hiradoumi’s reverence for Hoshoryu affects his bouts against him. He’s just not his usual hyper aggressive self when they face off. Their affection for each other doesn’t affect Hoshoryu’s performances, though. Last night he went for the belt, but switched to the nodowa (throat thrust) when the opportunity presented itself. That led to a quick push out.

This is another example of Hoshoryu going with the flow this month. He’s done a great job of not forcing things and, instead, reacting to situations with the appropriate move (as we saw in his throw of Yoshinofuji a few nights ago).

Sumo Stomp! is entirely human made. I don’t use any AI tools or services to create these newsletters (or anything else). Please continue to support human made writing and art over AI generated content.

This icon was made by a human who goes by HINOKODO. You can find their work here (link).

Aonishiki stumbled again last night, in a loss to Oho. Aonishiki has looked human in this tournament. And that’s coming at worst possible time for him. With Onosato out, Aonishiki has been presented with an excellent chance of getting promoted to yokozuna this month. He “just” needs to win the title or finish runner-up. The window for doing that, sadly, is starting to close.

The loss to Oho puts Aonishiki at 3-3. That’s two wins behind Hoshoryu. Aonishiki will fancy himself to beat Hoshoryu when they meet (since that’s what he usual does), so still needs Hoshoryu falters along the way before they get there. Hoshoryu is looking very locked in at the moment, though. Aonishiki also needs to worry about his own results. Another loss could be too much for him to come back from.

Last night’s loss represents another instance of the field starting to catch up to Aonishiki. The 21 year-old stunned them with his freestyle influenced style last year. But now, guys are starting to realize that when you break Aonishiki out of that leaned over freestyle stance, he becomes a lot less scary.

Oho has managed that three times now. In earlier bouts he’s stood Aonishiki up with big thrusts to the chest or by using gaburi-yori (torso thrusting) to his face. This time around he did something different; the kimedashi. And it was perfect.

Based on how Oho approached the tachiai, I think he had this moved planned out ahead of time. He quickly conceded the moro-zashi (double inside position) to Aonishiki. That’s a very risky thing to do, since moro-zashi is an excellent position for forcing someone out… so long as you don’t mind standing up straight and fighting chest-to-chest. Oho gave him that because he was so confident in being able to use the double arm bar to move a straight-up Aonishiki around. And that’s exactly what he did.

Once he had Aonishiki trapped, Oho leaned back to put pressure on Aonishiki’s elbows. This put Aonishiki in a lot of pain and that forced him into a panic. Aonishiki thrashed to try and get free and then, after failing in that, shaped his body to try and trip Oho into a throw. But Oho had him locked down too tight and was able to ride those throw attempts and keep Aonishiki in front of him (and in pain) until the final force out.

That’s an incredible showing from Oho. However, it’s also a head scratching one, too. Oho seems capable of stunning single match performances, but for some reason he just can’t seem to string enough of those together to be a reliable upper-ranker or yusho threat.

Leave a comment

Takayasu’s candidacy as a yusho threat took a ding last night. He and Wakatakakage always put on great bouts and this was no exception. These two had themselves a belt grappling duel. Takayasu tried to use his size to turn and toss Wakatakakage. But Wakatakakage used his size to get under Takayasu and plant his head on his chest. That kept Wakatakakage safe from Takayasu’s attacks and then opened up the space for a beautiful pulling throw, aided by Wakatakakage using his right knee to buckle the bigger man.

Kirishima joined Takayasu, Hoshoryu and few others on 5-1 with a quick win over Yoshinofuji. Yoshinofuji went early in this bout and I think Kirishima was expecting the gyoji to call him back. That didn’t happen, though. It’s impressive that, despite being ambushed like that, Kirishima was still able to put on the brakes before shaping for a very graceful throw.

This win keeps Kirishima on pace for the win total he needs to be promoted to ozeki. In this form, though, you have to wonder whether Kirishima might end up with a bigger prize this month.

Give a gift subscription

Takanosho and Kotoshosho are both on 5-1. That’s after Kotoshoho managed to escort an out of control Takanosho off the ring.

Shodai and Gonoyama are both on 5-1 records, too. However, they’re yet to score wins over anyone of note.

Share Sumo Stomp!

Wakamotoharu is having a dreadful time in Osaka. He’s 0-6 after losing to Fujinokawa last night. And this bout wasn’t even close.

Tonight Oho will get a chance to show up against Hoshoryu. If he wins that one he’ll be doing Aonishiki a massive favour. He’s fought well against Hoshoryu in the past, winning six of twelve.

Aonishiki will have Atamifuji. He beat Atamifuji twice in January, including in their play-off for the cup.

Kirishima will take on Hiradoumi, who he is 5-3 against. Takayasu meets a familiar foe in the form of Daieisho. They have fought each other twenty-five times, with Takayasu being the victor in thirteen of them.

I can’t wait to see how all those shake out.

Keeping count!

Henka counter: 4

Tobi trample counter (rows): 1*

Ura flips: 2**

*Tobizaru got slapped down in the middle of the ring by Kinbozan last night.

**Ura was sent rolling over by Ichiyamamoto in the battle of the good guys.

Want a free way to support Sumo Stomp! Help me get to 1,000 subscribers on YouTube (so then I can monetize the thing).

Subscribe on YouTube!

So it’s been a rather unexpected basho, thus far. And, for me, that makes it pretty exciting.

Scroll down to see what happened on last night. I’ve got results, videos and my analysis for you to enjoy.

Our bonus gif is Fujiseun and Asanoyama facing off.

SPOILERS BELOW

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

Results

• Kotoeiho (3-2) def. Mitakeumi (2-3) by yorikiri (frontal force out)

• Fujiryoga (3-2) def. Chiyoshoma (2-3) by oshitaoshi (frontal push down)

• Kinbozan (3-2) def. Fujiseun (3-2) by oshidashi (frontal push out)

• Asahakuryu (4-1) def. Tobizaru (1-4) by yorikiri

• Asanoyama (3-2) def. Nishikifuji (3-2) by hatakikomi (slap down)

• Asakoryu (4-1) def. Roga (2-3) by oshidashi

• Gonoyama (4-1) def. Oshoumi (0-4) by abisetoashi (backward force down)*

• Shishi (3-2) def. Tokihayate (2-3) by yorikiri

• Tamawashi (1-4) def. Ura (3-2) by tsukidashi (frontal thrust out)*

• Shodai (4-1) def. Oshoma (2-3) by hikiotoshi (hand pull down)

• Takanosho (5-0) def. Onokatsu (0-3-2) by tsukiotoshi (thrust down)

• Daieisho (2-3) def. Kotoshoho (4-1) by hatakikomi

• Ichiyamamoto (3-2) def. Oho (1-4) by oshidashi

• Hiradoumi (4-1) def. Atamifuji (2-3) by okuridashi (rear push out)

• Takayasu (5-0) def. Yoshinofuji (2-3) by yorikiri*

• Kirishima (4-1) def. Wakamotoharu (1-4) by hatakikomi (slap down)

• Wakatakakage (2-3) def. Kotozakura (3-2) by yorikiri*

• Aonishiki (3-2) def. Fujinokawa (2-3) by oshidashi*

• Hoshoryu (4-1) def. Churanoumi (2-3) by sukuinage (beltless arm throw)*

*Must see bouts!

If you’re unable to pick up a paid subscription to Sumo Stomp! but would still like to tip me for these posts, please consider buying me a coffee below (via PayPal).

Buy me a coffee

Leaderboard

• S1w Takayasu, M4w Takanosho: 5-0

• Y1e Hoshoryu, S1e Kirishima, M3e Hiradoumi, five others: 4-1

Analysis

With Onosato out the picture the focus is firmly on Hoshoryu and Aonishiki. Hoshoryu hasn’t won a title since January, 2025 and Aonishiki needs at least a runner-up finish to get the big promotion.

Both men advanced their causes, in a positive direction, last night.

Hoshoryu got a win over Churanoumi (who scored a big win over Aonishiki on the previous night).

Churanoumi went for his mae-mitsu (shallow grip) early, but Hoshoryu was able to block those attempts with his uwate (over arm position) on Churanoumi’s grasping arm. Hoshoryu then went inside with his right arm and was able to steer Churanoumi around the ring until he was able to score the throw.

That inside position was key for Hoshoryu. It allowed him to stay connected to Churanoumi as Churanoumi circled and tried to escape. Churanoumi has great lateral movement and we saw him use that to beat Aonishiki (who didn’t get an inside position on him) on day four.

Sumo Stomp! is entirely human made. I don’t use any AI tools or services to create these newsletters (or anything else). Please continue to support human made writing and art over AI generated content.

This icon was made by a human who goes by HINOKODO. You can find their work here (link).

Aonishiki beat Fujinokawa last night. Fujinokawa is coming off a double kinboshi (though there are caveats that could be mentioned regarding his wins over Onosato and Hoshoryu).

In this bout Fujinokawa tried to do too much. I’m not criticizing his effort level, that is always at one hundred percent and that’s a great aspect of his sumo. What I’m criticizing is that he put that maximum effort into some strange choices of moves. He did a stutter step off the tachiai to try and get under Aonishiki and onto his belt. I think he was hoping to get two hands there and try and do tsuridashi (frontal lift out), which we’ve seen him do before.

Aonishiki blocked his attempt though and was able to get a migi-yotsu (right arm inside position). Fujinokawa then wound up and unleashed a big inner foot sweep attempt. He didn’t have his other foot set when he did this, though, so the sweep attempt wasn’t hard or accurate enough to make much of an impact. After that Aonishiki was able to bundle him out.

Aonishiki is now at 3-2, one behind Hoshoryu’s 4-1.

Leave a comment

Takayasu is sharing the lead in this tournament. He’s 5-0 after beating Yoshinofuji (someone he now has a 4-0 record against).

Takayasu has used tsuppari (rapid palm striking) to beat Yoshinofuji in all their previous match-ups. He surprised the youngster here, though, going chest-to-chest with him at the tachiai and then executing a quick force out.

He just seems to have Yoshinofuji’s number.

Takanosho also has 5-0. He beat Onokatsu last night, rather easily. Onokatsu returned after rolling his ankle a few days ago. He looked a little wobbly last night.

Kirishima is lurking behind the leaders. He beat Wakamotoharu last night.

Kirishima, who looks like he’s added some girth to that belly, survived a half henka attempt in this bout (which is not enough to go on the henka counter). After regaining his footing he was able to swat down Wakamotoharu. The elder Waka Bros. has been quite disappointing so far this tournament.

Give a gift subscription

Hiradoumi is doing well in this first week. He’s 4-1 after he out-foxed last tournament’s runner-up Atamifuji.

Share Sumo Stomp!

Kotoshoho is also at 4-1. His chances of getting 5-0 were ended by a half henka from Daieisho.

The Takasago stable are off to a good start in this tournament. Asakoryu and Asahakuryu are both on 4-1. Asakoryu has looked especially good this week. And Asanoyama is at 3-2, too.

Tonight Hoshoryu will meet Hiradoumi. He owns Hiradoumi, who sometimes acts as his sword bearer. He’s 10-1 against him.

Aonishiki will face Oho. Aonishiki is 3-2 against him, but Oho has won two of their last three bouts. Oho is also in desperate need of some wins after starting 1-4 this tournament.

Takayasu gets Wakatakakage. These two usually have great bouts. Wakatakakage has the edge in the head-to-head stats. He’s 12-6 against the current sekiwake and he’s won the last three.

Keeping count!

Henka counter: 4*

*Asakoryu missed the henka, but still got the win over Roga.

Tobi trample counter (rows): 1**

**Tobizaru had a back and forth bout with Asahakuryu which drained them both and ended in a low intensity force out.

Ura flips: 1

Want a free way to support Sumo Stomp! Help me get to 1,000 subscribers on YouTube (so then I can monetize the thing).

Subscribe on YouTube!

Scroll down to see what happened last night in Osaka and read my analysis of all the big matches.

Sorry for the late newsletter today. Wednesdays are tough for me.

The bonus gif today is the Man from Delmonte.

SPOILERS BELOW

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

Results

• Asahakuryu (3-1) def. Fujiryoga (2-2) by tsukiotoshi (thrust down)

• Kotoeiho (2-2) def. Kinbozan (2-2) by hikiotoshi (hand pull down)

• Nishikifuji (3-1) def. Mitakeumi (2-2) by yorikiri (frontal force out)

• Fujiseun (3-1) def. Tobizaru (1-3) by oshidashi (frontal push out)*

• Asanoyama (2-2) def. Chiyoshoma (2-2) by sukuinage (beltless arm throw)

• Asakoryu (3-1) def. Oshoumi (0-4) by shitatenage (underarm throw)*

• Tokihayate (2-2) def. Roga (2-2) by shitatenage*

• Shishi (2-2) def. Tamawashi (0-4) by shitatenage*

• Shodai (3-1) def. Gonoyama (3-1) by tsukiotoshi

• Daieisho (1-3) def. Ura (3-1) by hatakikomi (slap down)

• Takanosho (4-0) def. Oshoma (1-3) by tsukihiza (knee touch down)

• Hiradoumi (3-1) def. Ichiyamamoto (2-2) by yorikiri

• Kotoshoho (4-0) def. Oho (1-3) by tsukiotoshi*

• Atamifuji (2-2) def. Wakamotoharu (0-4) by oshidashi*

• Kirishima (3-1) def. Wakatakakage (1-3) by yorikiri

• Churanoumi (2-2) def. Aonishiki (2-2) by yoritoashi*

• Takayasu (4-0) def. Kotozakura (3-1) by yorikiri*

• Fujinokawa (2-2) def. Hoshoryu (3-1) by hatakikomi*

• Yoshinofuji (2-2) def. Onosato (0-4) by fusen (default)

*Must see bouts!

If you’re unable to pick up a paid subscription to Sumo Stomp! but would still like to tip me for these posts, please consider buying me a coffee below (via PayPal).

Buy me a coffee

Leaderboard

• Too early!

Analysis

Onosato is out. The 75th yokozuna has made the wise decision to pull out of this basho and give his shoulder some much needed rest. This decision was made after he lost to Fujinokawa on the previous night. That defeat gave him his first ever 0-3 start to a tournament.

With Onosato out, Hoshoryu and Aonishiki are licking their lips. Him being out the picture helps clear the path towards a yusho. However, last night they both lost!

Hoshoryu was slain by Fujinokawa last night. The little man scored a win in similar fashion to the one he pulled off on Onosato. He flew into Hoshoryu at the tachiai, surprising Hoshoryu with his speed. That put Hoshoryu immediately on the backfoot. As Fujinokawa forced him to the south side of the ring, Hoshoryu dug his heels into the clay. But then they started sliding back and out of control. With Hoshoryu’s feet slipping back, Fujinokawa pulled him forwards for his second kinboshi in a row.

Had Hoshoryu not slipped on the clay, things might have gone very different in this match. I saw a few other wrestlers struggle with the surface last night, too. However, I think we need to give Fujinokawa a lot of credit for the win. His approach, and timing, off the tachiai was superb and I think this was an instance of someone creating their own luck.

Sumo Stomp! is entirely human made. I don’t use any AI tools or services to create these newsletters (or anything else). Please continue to support human made writing and art over AI generated content.

This icon was made by a human who goes by HINOKODO. You can find their work here (link).

Last night Aonishiki had his hands full with another very aggressive rikishi. Churanoumi is a grappler, but he loves to throw down with thrusts, too.

In this bout Churanoumi used his thrusts to push Aonishiki upwards as the Ukrainian leaned in to try and get on his belt. Aonishiki then gobbled up one of those thrusting arms and performed an arm drag (one of his favourite maneuvers) to get behind Churanoumi. Churanoumi reacted really well to that, though. He got square to Aonishiki and was able to fight and circle his way along the straw and then into the centre of the ring. Churanoumi then thrusted again to keep Aonishiki upright and then closed distance to lock up a moro-zashi (double inside position). Aonishiki sensed that danger and started to shift to the side right away, but Churanoumi kept up with him and crowded him out on the boundary for the crush out.

I think everyone in the arena was expecting a mono-ii to be called after that one. I was very surprised no one wanted to look it over. We’ve seen a few bouts recently where a wrestler who goes full out on a dive is considered too out of control to be credited a victory. It certainly looked like Churanoumi left his feet on this one, too. That had seemed like a bit of a red line when determining control in the recent past.

Either way, Churanoumi now has a 2-1 record over Aonishiki. Aonishiki is now pegged back to 2-2 on the tournament.

Leave a comment

Kirishima’s ozeki run is moving along OK. His loss to Churanoumi a few days ago doesn’t look so bad now. He beat Wakatakakage last night thanks to some power yotsu-zumo (belt grappling).

In this bout Kirishima went with the migi-yotsu (right arm inside position), despite hidari-yotsu (left arm inside) being his favourite. I love that he went for the migi-yotsu here. It’s the position that Wakatakakage presented him with. Too often you see wrestlers only have eyes for their favourite position. But here Kirishima made the most of the opportunity and then showed he’s more than capable of getting a win with the right arm inside. His left arm did most the work in this one, though, as he wrenched on Wakatakakage’s belt with a very strong outside grip.

Takayasu and Kotozakura had a very fun bout last night. Kotozakura got his prefered migi-yotsu early. But he got greedy. He tried a makki-kae (switch from outside position to inside position) with his left arm to give him moro-zashi. Takayasu pulled himself tight to Kotozakura to defend that and then used his superior outside grip to drag Kotozakura around and find an angle on the push out.

That dropped Kotozakura to 3-1. Takayasu is 4-0.

Give a gift subscription

Kotoshoho and Oho has an all out brawl last night. Kotoshoho is a long standing All Violence Team member. But it looked like Oho was auditioning for a place on the squad. He cut Kotoshoho during a barrage of tsuppari (palm strikes) and had him right on the straw. But Kotoshoho was able to summon up enough grit and wherewithall to pull off a last second dodge to earn the win. He’s 4-0, too!

Shishi and Tamawashi had a slobberknocker last night, too, with Shishi landing the big throw to hand Tamawashi his fourth loss of the basho.

I don’t have official video of it to share, but Tokihayate also used a last second reversal to beat Roga. Sidenote: I was recently alerted to the fact that Tokihayate looks like current Ru Paul’s Drag Race contestant Mikey Meeks and now I can’t un-see it.

Share Sumo Stomp!

Ura suffered his first loss of the tournament last night. He went down, with a flourish, to Daieisho (who earned his first win of the tournament).

Along with Takayasu and Kotoshoho, the only other wrestler on 4-0 is Takanosho. Takanosho, who is competing for the first time with the former Takakeisho (now Minatogawa) as his stable master, beat Oshoma last night.

Tonight Hoshoryu will have to contend with Churanoumi. He’s got a 4-0 record against him (with all throws). Churanoumi is in great form right now, though.

Aonishiki will face the Fujinokawa test. Aonishiki has a 1-0 record against him. Their only bout happened in juryo in 2024, back when Fujinokawa was known as Wakaikari.

Takayasu is going to get Yoshinofuji tonight. He’s 3-0 against him. He’s gone total E. Honda in each of those bouts.

Kotoshoho and Takanosho’s early title credentials will be tested by Daieisho and the returning Onokatsu.

Keeping count!

Henka counter: 3*

*Kotoeiho scored one on Kinbozan early in the night.

Tobi trample counter (rows): 1**

**Tobizaru just stopped short of the crowd after being ran off the ring by Fujiseun.

Ura flips: 1

Want a free way to support Sumo Stomp! Help me get to 1,000 subscribers on YouTube (so then I can monetize the thing).

Subscribe on YouTube!

Last night was fantastic. There were a couple of matches that got me out of my seat! Scroll down to watch those and check out my analysis.

The bonus gif today includes some of our big names, with Hoshoryu looking a little like he’s falling asleep.

SPOILERS BELOW

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

Results

• Fujiryoga (2-1) def. Kotoeiho (1-2) by oshitaoshi (frontal push down)

• Kinbozan (2-1) def. Asasuiryu (1-2) by hatakikomi (slap down)

• Asahakuryu (2-1) def. Nishikifuji (2-1) by oshidashi (frontal push out)

• Chiyoshoma (2-1) def. Mitakeumi (2-1) by uwatenage (over arm throw)

• Tobizaru (1-2) def. Asanoyama (1-2) by isamiashi (forward step out) after mono-ii (judges’ review) upholds gyoji (referee) decision*

• Fujiseun (2-1) def. Asakoryu (2-1) by yorikiri (frontal force out)

• Roga (2-1) def. Oshoumi (0-3) by shitatenage (underarm throw)*

• Gonoyama (3-0) def. Shishi (1-2) by oshidashi*

• Shodai (2-1) def. Tamawashi (0-3) by oshidashi

• Ura (3-0) def. Tokihayate (1-2) by tsukiotoshi (thrust down)*

• Kotoshoho (3-0) def. Ichiyamamoto (2-1) by hatakikomi*

• Oshoma (2-1) def. Abi (0-3) by fusen (default)

• Oho (1-2) def. Daieisho (0-3) by oshidashi

• Takanosho (3-0) def. Hiradoumi (2-1) by hatakikomi

• Takayasu (3-0) def. Wakamotoharu (0-3) by tsukiotoshi*

• Kirishima (2-1) def. Atamifuji (1-2) by sukuinage (beltless arm throw)*

• Kotozakura (3-0) def. Churanoumi (1-2) by sukuinage*

• Aonishiki (2-1) def. Wakatakakage (1-2) by oshidashi

• Fujinokawa (1-2) def. Onosato (0-3) by hikiotoshi (hand pull down)*

• Hoshoryu (3-0) def. Yoshinofuji (1-2) by kubinage (headlock throw)*

*Must see bouts!

If you’re unable to pick up a paid subscription to Sumo Stomp! but would still like to tip me for these posts, please consider buying me a coffee below (via PayPal).

Buy me a coffee

Leaderboard

• Too early!

Analysis

Onosato is 0-3 for the first time in his career.

The 75th yokozuna was beaten by Fujinokawa last night in their first ever meeting. I love me some Fury-nokawa and he looked great in this bout. But this is our clearest sign yet that something is just not right with Onosato. He’s looking extremely tentative on the dohyo, suggesting that his injured shoulder might be worse now than it was in January (where he still managed to go 10-5).

A one hundred percent healthy Onosato likely blows through Fujinokawa, despite the diminutive Fujinokawa having more dog in him than half the division combined. In this bout, though, the giant could barely move the little guy back.

Fujinokawa’s ferocity certainly contributed to this. That, plus Onosato’s condition, conspired to prevent Onosato being able to get a firm hold on Fujinokawa. Onosato was still trying to reach his right hand towards the belt, on the inside, when Fujinokawa performed a perfect inashi (side-step) to send the yokozuna sailing through thin air and then being met by the hard ground.

Fujinokawa fought with the character we expect from him and his technique was on point, but it’s sad to see Onosato so physically hampered. It’s also clear that his injury is distracting him. He’s lacked a lot of focus over these past three nights and he has made lots of mistakes, all of which have led to losses.

I think he needs to pull out of this tournament tonight to both recover physically and regroup mentally.

Fujinokawa earned his first kinboshi for this win. He’s 1-2 now.

Sumo Stomp! is entirely human made. I don’t use any AI tools or services to create these newsletters (or anything else). Please continue to support human made writing and art over AI generated content.

This icon was made by a human who goes by HINOKODO. You can find their work here (link).

Hoshoryu is 3-0 after defeating Yoshinofuji. I don’t think he needs to worry about Onosato at all at this point, even if the Big O stays in the tournament.

Hoshoryu showed that he didn’t want to go chest-to-chest with Yoshinofuji. This was obvious from how he approached the tachiai. He stepped to the side, looking for a deep outside grip. He was likely hoping to land a quick pulling throw. Yoshinofuji, smartly, circled away from Hoshoryu’s grasping hand, though. That gave him a moro-zashi (double inside position). See that below:

This position was trouble for Hoshoryu. However, Yoshinofuji made a big mistake here to gift Hoshoryu the match. In this position Yoshinofuji should have dropped his hands down and gotten both on the belt. It would have been easy to march Hoshoryu back with that hold and it would have also eliminated the threat of a throw. However, Yoshinofuji decided to go for a deep inside grip instead (below).

I suspect he was hoping to spin Hoshoryu around and then push his back for an okuridashi (rear push out). If that was his plan it was flawed, though. Hoshoryu’s arm around Yoshinofuji’s head (a position Yoshinofuji gave him) allowed Hoshoryu the opportunity to go for his throws.

First an over arm throw:

And then the vicious headlock throw:

Hoshoryu switched to the kubinage after he felt too much resistance on his uwate (over arm hold). The fact Hoshoryu switched up, and didn’t over-commit to a move that was going to fail, showed that Hoshoryu is pretty locked in at the moment.

Leave a comment

Aonishiki picked up his second win last night to go 2-1. Wakatakakage tried to stand Aonishiki up with thrusts to the chest (since the scouting report on Aonishiki is well known at this point). Aonishiki showed a nice adjustment to this ploy, though. He decided to slap Wakatakakage silly. He swiped across Wakatakakage’s arms to take them off his chest and landed a massive slap right to the cheek. That slap forced Wakatakakage back and then made the push out easy for the ozeki.

If Aonishiki was aiming that slap for Wakatakakage’s face, that’s very interesting. It could be a sign that Aonishiki, in the superior/evil black mawashi, is willing to show us his mean streak. That slap might also be payback for the henka Wakatakakage hit him with in the last tournament. However, there is also a chance that Aonishiki threw that slap with full force not knowing, or really caring, where it landed.

Kirishima rebounded from his disappointing loss to Churanoumi with a thunderous takedown of Atamifuji. This was one of the best matches I’ve seen this year.

Kirishima prefers the hidari-yotsu (left arm inside position). Atamifuji prefers the migi-yotsu (right arm inside position). When you have opposing preferences like this the tachiai is all important, with both men fighting to get their preferred hand on the inside.

Below you can see Atamifuji won that battle:

Kirishima showed he’s no push-over, though, even when forced to fight in the opposite of his preferred stance. He defended Atamifuji’s first charge, circled back to the centre and then defended again with his heels on the straw. He was then able to drag himself back to centre, again, and then drag Atamifuji perilously close to the opposite boundary.

After all that moving around, they stalled in the centre like this:

This is when Kirishima decided to go for a high risk, high reward move; the makki-kae (switch from outside to inside position). And it paid off.

Kirishima let go of his outside grip and forced his left arm to the inside position. That gave him his trusty hidari-yotsu. He then, immediately, underhooked and triggered a throw from that very familiar stance.

This was an incredible finish and how Kirishima flowed from makki-kae into the throw was like poetry in motion. I have railed against Kirishima in the past for going for this makki-kae at the wrong time and against the wrong opposition. He’s lost a couple to Aonishiki and Kotozakura, recently, by doing that. However, against a less nuanced grappler like Atamifuji, it came off beautifully.

Right after Kirishima’s emphatic throw, Kotozakura went ahead and upped him with an even grander slam on Churanoumi. Kotozakura, again, used fancy footwork to get around the ring. But when he decided the time for running was over, he snatched up a big underarm position and flipped Churanoumi over like a pancake (or should that be an okonomiyaki?).

Kotozakura is now 3-0 to start the tournament.

Give a gift subscription

Ura is also in that 3-0 club. He was his typical frenetic ball of energy against Tokihayate. All that activity eventually caused Tokihayate to overload and hit the deck.

Takayasu, Takanosho, Kotoshosho and Gonoyama are at 3-0, too.

Share Sumo Stomp!

Tobizaru did not add to his trample tally today. He did show his toughness, and the power in his pear-shaped physique, though. Asanoyama had him dead to rights on the tawara (straw bales), but he somehow managed to rotate Asanoyama to force the step out.

Abi failed to appear last night. He had a lot of athletic tape on his lower back during days one and two. It appears that back is bothering him too much, though, and he’s decided to sit out. He might need to try and come back and win a couple next week, though, to avoid going down to juryo.

Tonight we’ve got Hoshoryu vs. Fujinokawa. I can’t wait for that one.

If Onosato comes out tonight, he’ll face Yoshinofuji. That seems like a good bout for him to skip, considering Onosato is 0-2 against his old college rival.

Aonishiki will have Churanoumi. They are 1-1 against each other. Churanoumi beat Aonishiki in the Ukrainian’s debut makuuchi tournament.

Kotozakura meets Takayasu in an early ‘someone’s O has got to go’ match. We’ve also got Kirishima vs. Wakatakakage.

Keeping count!

Henka counter: 2*

*Chiyoshoma did the dirty on Mitakeumi last night.

Tobi trample counter (rows): 1

Want a free way to support Sumo Stomp! Help me get to 1,000 subscribers on YouTube (so then I can monetize the thing).

Subscribe on YouTube!

The bonus gif today is a bloodied Rising Dragon.

SPOILERS BELOW

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

Results

• Fujiryoga (1-1) def. Sadanoumi (1-1) by oshidashi (frontal push out)

• Asahakuryu (1-1) def. Kotoeiho (1-1) by oshidashi

• Mitakeumi (2-0) def. Kinbozan (1-1) by yorikiri (frontal force out)*

• Chiyoshoma (1-1) def. Tobizaru (0-2) by oshidashi

• Nishikifuji (2-0) def. Fujiseun (1-1) by yorikiri*

• Asakoryu (2-0) def. Shishi (1-1) by oshidashi*

• Asanoyama (1-1) def. Oshoumi (0-2) by oshidashi

• Gonoyama (2-0) def. Tokihayate (1-1) by yorikiri*

• Roga (1-1) def. Tamawashi (0-2) by hikiotoshi (hand pull down)

• Ura (20) def. Oshoma (1-1) by oshidashi

• Shodai (1-1) def. Hakunofuji (0-2) by fusen (default)

• Ichiyamamoto (2-0) def. Abi (0-2) by oshidashi

• Kotoshoho (2-0) def. Onokatsu (0-2) by fusen

• Hiradoumi (2-0) def. Daieisho (0-2) by oshidashi*

• Takanosho (2-0) def. Oho (0-2) by yorikiri

• Churanoumi (1-1) def. Kirishima (1-1) by oshidashi

• Takayasu (2-0) def. Fujinokawa (0-2) by sukuinage (beltless arm throw)*

• Yoshinofuji (1-1) def. Aonishiki (1-1) by yoritaoshi (frontal crush out)*

• Kotozakura (2-0) def. Wakamotoharu (0-2) by oshidashi*

• Hoshoryu (2-0) def. Wakatakakage (1-1) by okuridashi (rear push out)*

• Atamifuji (1-1) def. Onosato (0-2) by yorikiri*

*Must see bouts!

If you’re unable to pick up a paid subscription to Sumo Stomp! but would still like to tip me for these posts, please consider buying me a coffee below (via PayPal).

Buy me a coffee

Leaderboard

• Too early!

Analysis

Onosato lost to Atamifuji last night. This is only the second time Onosato has lost his first two bouts of a tournament. The last time this happened was in July, 2024, when he was a sekiwake. He finished that tournament with an 9-6 record (his all-time low mark in a pro tournament).

He has fought tough opposition over these past two nights (Wakatakakage and Atamifuji), but even so, I think this is a pretty good sign that Onosato is still dealing with a bum shoulder. And it’s also a sign, already, that the 75th yokozuna might end up being a non-factor in this tournament.

In the match last night Onosato wasn’t able to move Atamifuji back off the tachiai. In the belt battle that ensued, Onosato could not get comfortable. He struggled to keep his inside hand on the belt. Whereas Atamifuji’s outside grip was solid. Atamifuji was able to move Onosato around, causing Onosato to go for a badly timed slap down (on the second straight night).

Atamifuji was forced into a flat out dive due to the slap down attempt and that pushed Onosato over the straw. Onosato jumped to try and make himself land second. However, he of all people should know that the judges aren’t going to give you anything if you leave your feet.

Onosato cut a grim figure as he walked back up to the ring. He doesn’t look like he’s enjoying his sumo very much. He stayed in the tournament in January and finished with a good record. I’m not sure if he will decide to work through the injury or whether he’ll take the first absences of his young career. The absences would be better for him, in the long term.

Sumo Stomp! is entirely human made. I don’t use any AI tools or services to create these newsletters (or anything else). Please continue to support human made writing and art over AI generated content.

This icon was made by a human who goes by HINOKODO. You can find their work here (link).

Onosato’s struggles open the door for the rest of the field this month. So far, Hoshoryu — his closest rival — seems like the man best placed to take advantage of that. He’s looked great so far.

Last night he scooped out Wakatakakage after deftly side-stepping him along the boundary. Given his record against Onosato, Hoshoryu must be feeling pretty comfortable with a two win lead on the other yokozuna. However, it is still very early in the basho.

Hoshoryu is also benefitting from an early wobble from Aonishiki. The young man on his rope run suffered a loss to Yoshinofuji last night. He’s now just 1-4 against the relative newcomer.

Yoshinofuji was a brute in this match. He stood Aonishiki up with a moroto tsuki (two handed thrust) off the tachiai. That’s one of the best approaches with Aonishiki, who is near unstoppable once he adopts his favoured leaned over posture. Aonishiki was able to fight through some thrusts to get his favourite position, though.

Once this happens (above), it’s usually a wrap for Aonishiki’s opponents. Yoshinofuji was prepared for this, though.

Above is the moment when Aonishiki dropped his left arm looking for his famous uchimuso (inner thigh propping twist down). Yoshinofuji prevented Aonishiki chopping his knee, though, by keeping his right knee well back and also harassing that left arm with his own right arm.

Leave a comment

After avoid the uchimuso attempts, Yoshinofuji went on the offensive.

He stepped up, quickly, and broke Aonishiki’s posture, forcing him to stand chest-to-chest with him. He wasn’t able to budge Aonishiki with gaburi-yori (torso thrusting), though. The fact Aonishiki was able to prevent that shows how incredibly strong he is. This forced Yoshinofuji to try something else.

He broke and turned from Aonishiki, which is something we usually see Aonishiki do.

Aonishiki has freakish balance, so he was able to stay upright. He kicked out his left leg and planted it, solidly, to get square to Yoshinofuji. As this happened, though, Yoshinofuji locked on a solid outside grip on Aonishiki’s belt.

With Aonishiki flat-footed, Yoshinofuji stepped forwards and wrenched up on the belt. This again forced Aonishiki to fight standing straight up, which he hates.

Aonishiki tried to escape out the side, but Yoshinofuji’s outside grip was too strong. He was able to resist Aonishiki’s lateral movement and keep him in front of him enough to ensure that he would go down first.

That’s an epic win and it might have massive implications for this tournament. But, again, I know it’s very early. Yoshinofuji has outstanding athleticism, but this match showed he has some intelligence, too. I think he broke and swung Aonishiki around just so he could re-establish the chest-to-chest position. It didn’t look like he was angling for a throw (which would have probably been the wrong move).

The other ozeki on the banzuke is 2-0 after last night. Kotozakura, for the second straight night, showed off some great footwork to get around his opponent. He also used powerful thrusts to prevent Wakamotoharu locking on his favourite hidari-yotsu (left arm inside position).

Side note: I think this is Manhattan from the Netflix series Love Village.

Kirishima’s ozeki-run took a hit last night. He lost to Churanoumi. This was a battle between two guys who love the mae-mitsu (front of belt grip). Churanoumi went for that twice early, but Kirishima’s defensive swipes (some of the best in the sport) kept him off there. Churanoumi’s not a one-trick-pony, though, he kept his feet moving and brought his hands up to Kirishima’s chest for the push out.

I’m really hoping Kirishima doesn’t look back on this one as a bout he really needed to win to get to 11. Churanoumi is very good, but he’s a level below a lot of the other wrestlers Kirishima will meet over the next thirteen days.

Give a gift subscription

Fujinokawa’s adventure against the big names continued last night. He threw everything he had at Takayasu, but just couldn’t move that big ol’ grizzy bear. He’s 0-2, with even harder matches still waiting for him.

Share Sumo Stomp!

Ura is 2-0, much to the delight of his hometown fans in Osaka. He smashed through Oshoma last night.

Last night it was confirmed that both Hakunofuji and Onokatsu are out, likely for the remainder of the tournament. Hakunofuji was confirmed to be suffering from the foot injury he sustained in the last tournament. It seems Onokatsu might have sprained his ankle, which is a lot better than the torn ACL I diagnosed him with yesterday.

Tonight we’ve got some incredible matches on tap.

Hoshoryu vs. Yoshinofuji will be fascinating. They have a 1-1 record against each other. Yoshinofuji won in January with a force out. In their first meeting, in September, Hoshoryu threw him down — hard.

Little Fujinokawa has Onosato tonight. It’s probably the best time to fight Onosato, but that’s still a mammoth task for the 21 year-old.

And Aonishiki has Wakatakakage. He’s 3-2 against him. Wakatakakage’s most recent win over Aonishiki was a henka.

Keeping count!

Here’s something fun I want to do this tournament.

Henka counter: 1

This is just for the makuuchi. The one henka on the board is Wakamotoharu’s missed one on Hoshoryu on day one.

Tobi trample counter (rows): 1

Tobizaru was shrugged off the ring by Chiyoshoma last night. He didn’t get past the first row, though.

Want a free way to support Sumo Stomp! Help me get to 1,000 subscribers on YouTube (so then I can monetize the thing).

Subscribe on YouTube!

Today’s is a rather Spartan newsletter, though. I’ve been very busy this weekend, for all good reasons. Tomorrow is my birthday, so I’ve been with family all day and haven’t had a lot of time to write sumo. I’m stuck in classes all day tomorrow, though, so that will give me plenty of time (don’t tell my instructor!).

Scroll down below for my report on the first day of the tournament. You’ll find full results for the top division as well as videos and my analysis (which is brief, today).

These daily updates are free for all. If you’d like to pay for a subscription, though, that would be swell (call it a birthday gift!). Paid subs keep this thing alive and allow me the luxury to dedicate time to writing about sumo.

Paid subscribers this month will also be entered in a prize draw to win a special prize. My friends at Cheeky Sumo are going to give away a hat to a lucky subscriber. Please check them out over on their website (link). Monthly subscribers will receive a single entry into the prize draw. Annual subscribers will receive ten entries and founding subscribers will receive twenty entries.

Bonus gif today are fans of the one and only Fury-nokawa.

SPOILERS BELOW

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

Results

• Kotoeiho (1-0) def. Ryuden (0-1) by yoritoashi (frontal frush out)

• Kinbozan (1-0) def. Fujiryoga (0-1) by oshidashi (frontal push out)*

• Mitakeumi (1-0) def, Asahakuryu (0-1) by oshidashi

• Nishikifuji 1-0) def. Chiyoshoma (0-1) by yorikiri (frontal force out)

• Fujiseun (1-0) def. Asanoyama (0-1) by oshidashi

• Asakoryu (1-0) def. Tobizaru (0-1) by tsukiotoshi (thrust down)

• Shishi (1-0) def. Oshoumi (0-1) by yoritoashi*

• Gonoyama (1-0) def. Roga (0-1) by oshidashi

• Tokihayate (1-0) def. Tamawashi (0-1) by yorikiri

• Ura (1-0) def. Shodai (0-1) by oshidashi*

• Oshoma (1-0) def. Hakunofuji (0-1) by hatakikomi (slap down)

• Ichiyamamoto (1-0) def. Onokatsu (0-1) by oshitoashi (frontal push down)

• Kotoshoho (1-0) def. Abi (0-1) by oshidashi

• Takanosho (1-0) def. Daieisho (0-1) by oshidashi

• Hiradoumi (1-0) def. Oho (0-1) by yorikiri*

• Takayasu (1-0) def. Churanoumi (0-1) by uwatedashinage (pulling over arm throw)*

• Kirishima (1-0) def. Fujinokawa (0-1) by uwatenage (over arm throw)*

• Kotozakura (1-0) def. Yoshinofuji (0-1) by uwatenage*

• Aonishiki (1-0) def. Wakamotoharu (0-1) by yorikiri

• Wakatakakage (1-0) def. Onosato (0-1) by yorikiri

• Hoshoryu (1-0) def. Atamifuji (0-1) by yorikiri*

*Must see bouts!

If you’re unable to pick up a paid subscription to Sumo Stomp! but would still like to tip me for these posts, please consider buying me a coffee below (via PayPal).

Buy me a coffee

Leaderboard

• Too early!

Analysis

Hoshoryu got a tough test on day one in the form of Atamifuji. Hoshoryu came into this one with a 4-6 record against Atamifuji and a bit of a reputation for dropping his day one matches.

Atamifuji had a good start to this bout, pushing Hoshoryu back and getting his preferred migi-yotsu (right arm inside position). Hoshoryu dug deep to halt and then push back Atamifuji, then. Atamifuji defended that push to the straw and tried to get his outside hand on Hoshoryu’s belt. Hoshoryu’s little hip wiggles prevented that, though. Hoshoryu shaped for a throw, but Atamifuji blocked it and then went for the slap down. Hoshoryu blocked that and then stuck his head into Atamifuji’s chest and managed to power him back and out. He then added a little extra shove off the ring.

That’s a fantastic start to the basho for Hoshoryu against someone who has spoiled a couple of tournaments for him in the past.

Sumo Stomp! is entirely human made. I don’t use any AI tools or services to create these newsletters (or anything else). Please continue to support human made writing and art over AI generated content.

This icon was made by a human who goes by HINOKODO. You can find their work here (link).

Hoshoryu’s win put him ahead of his rival Onosato on day one. Before Hoshoryu beat Atamifuji, Onosato dropped his opening bout to Wakatakakage. This one was over quickly. Wakatakakage used ottsuke (forearm blocking) to prevent Onosato getting his favorite right arm inside position and was able to capitalize when Onosato went for an ill-timed slap down attempt. It’s very easily, but how good Onosato’s slap downs are are usually a pretty good barometer for whether or not he’s going to have a good tournament.

Wakatakakage is a very good rikishi, but this loss suggests that Onosato might still be far from one hundred percent healthy.

Leave a comment

Aonishiki got off to a winning start in Osaka. Wakamotoharu tried to henka him last night, but didn’t do a very good job of it. After that missed attempt Aonishiki was able to get one of his crab claws on Wakamotoharu’s belt and force him off the ring.

Aonishiki is now 4-1 against Wakamotoharu and has beaten him in the last three meetings.

Kotozakura picked up a nice win on day one. He out-foxed Yoshinofuji with his belt-grappling (not for the first time).

Give a gift subscription

Fujinokawa had his first bout with an elite opponent last night. He threw himself into Kirishima with plenty of gusto, but the sekiwake was able to gather him up and eventually wrestle him over the line.

That’s one win down and ten to go for Kirishima and his quest to return to ozeki.

Ura, who hails from Osaka, will be the most popular man in the building every night of this tournament. He gave the opening night fans plenty to cheer about when he charged out Shodai.

It’s been three years since Ura last got a kachi-koshi (winning record) in his hometown. He’s gotta be due, right?

Share Sumo Stomp!

There were two potentially very bad injuries on the dohyo last night. Hakunofuji went down painfully against Oshoma, clutching his foot. He suffered ligament damage in his foot at the last tournament. From the looks of how much pain he was in last night, he might night significant time off to deal with this injury. That’s another blow to the once so promising career of the former Ochiai and Hakuoho.

Onokatsu went down in the match immediately following that. He was being pushed backwards by Ichiyamamoto when his left knee seemed to buckle. He went down in a heap and stayed there for some time, much to the horror of Ichiyamamoto. The way his knee shaped before he went down, to me it looked like he might have suffered an ACL injury. If that’s true, then we won’t see Onokatsu again for a very long time.

Down in juryo I’m keeping an eye on the debuting Toshinofuji. The 6’ 6” Mongolian was recruited into sumo by Hakuho and brought into the now defunct Miyagino stable. He has since been absorbed into Isegahama. Toshinofuji’s father and great grandfather are former bokh champions. His great grandfather also coached Hakuho’s father in bokh.

On day one Toshinofuji looked pretty good. He beat the experienced Nishikigi.

Tonight we’ve got Atamifuji vs. Onosato, Hoshoryu vs. Wakatakakage and Aonishiki vs. Yoshinofuji.

Should be fun!

Want a free way to support Sumo Stomp! Help me get to 1,000 subscribers on YouTube (so then I can monetize the thing).

Subscribe on YouTube!

I have high hopes for this being a very entertaining tournament, especially with Aonishiki on track to claim a yokozuna promotion.

Here’s a quick post before I get back into the grove of daily tournament updates. It’s also a freebie.

In this post I’m going to predict the win totals for every wrestler in the makuuchi. Historically, I’ve done terribly at this. But that’s not going to stop me trying again.

Check out what I think will happen over the next fifteen days below. Hit me with your predictions in the comments, too!

Bonus gif today is a bird’s eye view of Takayasu’s kachiage (forearm smash).

13 wins

• Y1w Ōnosato

Ōnosato is my pick for the yushō in March. He’s not one hundred percent, but he wasn’t in the last tournament either. Despite being banged up he still went 10-5. I think if his health has improved since then, he should be healthy enough to improve upon that result.

I think this tournament will be a race between Ōnosato and Aonishiki for the cup. Ōnosato is a stylistic match-up nightmare for the Blue Whirlwind and I think that will result in Ōnosato staying undefeated against him and scoring the big win on the penultimate day to secure the yushō.

After securing the yushō, I think Ōnosato then loses his final day match to Hōshōryū. I think he’ll take a loss to Yoshinofuji at around the midway point of the tournament, too.

12 wins

• O1e Aonishiki

As I said above, I think Aonishiki will be neck-and-neck with Ōnosato for most of the tournament and that they will meet with the tournament on the line. Aonishiki’s record against Ōnosato makes me believe he will fall at the last hurdle, when it comes to his chances of claiming his third title in a row.

This runner-up finish, in my scenario, would still likely trigger his promotion to yokozuna, though.

I think he’ll get his win over Hōshōryū in this tournament, but take losses to Kirishima (who beat him in the last tournament) and a big pusher thruster (like Daieishō or Takayasu) before that.

Leave a comment

11 wins

• S1e Kirishima

My heart is overriding my head, slightly, with this one. I’m predicting Kirishima gets his third 11-4 finish in a row and that gets him a promotion back to ōzeki. I started writing Sumo Stomp! in 2023, when Kirishima rose to prominence off and claimed his initial promotion to ōzeki. Injuries took that promotion from him a year later. I’d love to see him reclaim that rank and it would be a perfect time to do so, with Aonishiki likely rising up one more rank and thus leaving a space free at ōzeki.

I think a win over Aonishiki will score him that all important eleventh win. I think he’ll get one over his frenemy Hōshōryū, too.

10 wins

• Y1e Hōshōryū

• M9w Tamawashi

• M12w Asanoyama

• M17e Fujiryoga

I think Hōshōryū will be good in this tournament, but just slightly off the pace. I can see him taking an early loss to a high maegashira ranked wrestler (as he often does), perhaps Yoshinofuji. I think he loses to Atamifuji, too (he has bad records against him) and drops one to someone totally surprising like a Fujinokawa or Churanoumi. Those three losses plus losses to Kirishima and Aonishiki will keep him out the yushō title hunt.

I’m picking Tamawashi to have a good tournament, since he’s pretty low in the rankings — by his standards. There’s a lot of smaller guys around him that I think he can bully off the ring with his nodowa (throat thrust), guys like Gonoyama, Tokihayate, Rōga and Asakōryū.

I think Asanoyama is also under-ranked here and that his size and grappling will be too much for the older/slower and younger and less experienced opponents he has ranked around him.

I’m picking Fujiryoga to come out the gates very hot in his makuuchi debut. He’s a new riddle to solve for a lot of the wrestlers in the top division. His size and speed might surprise them. I don’t think he’s a big name for the future, I just think he’ll have a nice debut (like Kinbōzan when he debuted with an 11-4 record).

9 wins

• K1e Atamifuji

• M1w Yoshinofuji

• M4e Daieishō

• M5e Abi

• M7w Hakunofuji

• M11w Ōshōumi

• M16w Kinbōzan

I think Atamifuji will handle the pressure of his first san’yaku appearance well. I don’t think he’s going to follow up his jun-yushō with another title run, though. I think he does well against Hōshōryū, but I think that might be the only win he gets off the special names ranks. I think he’ll beat enough people below the san’yaku to have a winning record.

I like Yoshinofuji’s chances of progressing to the san’yaku in this tournament. I think the jōi is a little weak this time around and he should do well in those match-ups. He also does a good job of showing up against the big names who are ranked above him.

I think Daieishō and Abi’s experience and size profiles will help them do well in this tournament. Abi might also avoid get to avoid most of the elite wrestlers.

I’m not sure how healthy Hakunofuji is in this tournament. He should be good enough to win at this ranking, though. I’m really high on Ōshōumi, so I think he will do well at his highest ever ranking. And, as far as Kinbōzan, goes, I think we’ll get a big performance out of him with his makuuchi spot on the line.

8 wins

• M1e Wakatakakage

• M3e Hiradoumi

• M7e Ōshōma

• M8e Ura

• M9e Tokihayate

• M12e Asakōryū

• M13e Tobizaru

• M14e Chiyoshōma

• M14w Nishikifuji

• M16e AsahakūryūŌhō

Wakatakakage did well in January, but I think he might just scrape by here, given how how well I’ve projected a lot of the wrestlers above him to do. The rest of the names on this list are guys who I think will do OK, given how they historically do when ranked at this level. Hiradoumi is my biggest risk here. He’s been hit and miss at his high a ranking, but I think there’s a lot of winnable matches for him in the jōi.

7 wins

• O1w Kotozakura

• S1w Takayasu

• K1e Wakamotoharu

• M3w Ōhō

• M5w Kotoshōhō

• M6e Ichiyamamoto

• M10e Gōnoyama

• M10w Rōga

• M15w Mitakeumi

I’m projecting Kotozakura and Takayasu to get their first losing records in a while. I think they are Wakamotoharu will suffer from the yokozuna, Aonishiki, Kirishima and Atamifuji doing so well. I don’t think this will result in terrible records, though.

6 wins

• M2e Fujinokawa

• M2w Churanoumi

• M6w Ōnokatsu

• M8w Shōdai

• M11e Shishi

• M13w Fujiseun

I really want Fujinokawa to do well at such a high ranking, but — realistically — I think he’s probably going to lose against everyone in the elite rankings. He might surprise one person, but I struggle to see him having repeated success against the names up here. His ferocity is incredible, but against these guys, I don’t think that will make up for his lack of size.

I also think Churanoumi will struggle at his highest ranking to date, too. I’m a big fan of his, but this is a big step up in competition for him and at 32, he’s already past his prime.

5 wins

• M4w Takanoshō

• M17w Kotoeihō

Takanoshō got demoted just 1.5 ranks off his 5-10 record in January. He’s probably more upset about that than anyone. He might have been hoping to go down to something like M7, where he usually crushed the first week of competition. In the jōi, though, I think he’s going to take a lot of losses in week one against elite opponents.

I also think Kotoeihō is going to struggle. I’ve not seen enough from him to suggest he’s cut out for makuuchi. He has really high hips and, in his first run at makuuchi, opponents found it way too easy to push and tilt him off balance.

0 wins

• M15e Midorifuji

Midorifuji is absent to start the tournament, due to a heart condition. That’s scary. I hope he’s able to treat and/or manage that, regardless of whether that means he competes again.

OK, that's what I’m thinking. Where are you all at? Tell me in the comments who you think will take the yushō this month.

See ya tomorrow, with the first update from the 2026 haru basho.

I do wish I could turn these …

Read more