2025 Haru Basho: Day 1 results, replays and analysis
Spoilers lurk inside.
Sumo is back in our lives! Huzzah for spring and the 2025 haru basho.
I’ll keep this a little short today. It’s my birthday and I’m writing this on couch next to my mum as she watches a game show and my daughter squabbles with her cousin close by. Once I wrap up we’re going to order in something yummy.
I am now officially as old as Tamawashi. I’m not nearly as tough, though. And I can’t do embroidery, either. But I can write about sumo.
This tournament is especially exciting, with Hoshoryu debuting as the 74th yokozuna. On his first day in office he had to fight the Troll King Abi.
Other great Day 1 match-ups were Onosato vs. Wakatakakage, Takayasu vs. Takanosho and Hiradoumi vs. Kinbozan.
Scroll down for all the results from the top division, plenty of videos and my analysis.
Bonus gif today is my fellow 40-year-old.
SPOILERS BELOW
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Results
Tokihayate (1-0) def. Shirokuma (0-1) via yoritaoshi (frontal crush out)
Kotoshoho (1-0) def. Mitakeumi (0-1) via kotenage (arm lock throw)
Asakoryu (1-0) def. Sadanoumi (0-1) via okurihikiotoshi (rear pull down)*
Churanoumi (1-0) def. Aonishiki (0-1) via oshidashi (frontal push out)*
Ryuden (1-0) def. Shishi (0-1) via yoritaoshi*
Onokatsu (1-0) def. Nishikifuji (0-1) via tsuridashi (frontal lift out)*
Takarafuji (1-0) def. Meisei (0-1) via hatakikomi (slap down) after mono-ii (judges review)
Midorifuji (1-0) def. Shonannoumi (0-1) via katasukashi (under should swing down)*
Endo (1-0) def. Nishikigi (0-1) via uwatedashinage (pulling over arm throw)
Hakuoho (1-0) def. Oshoma (0-1) via shitatenage (underarm throw)*
Atamifuji (1-0) def. Tamawashi (0-1) via oshidashi
Takerufuji (1-0) def. Shodai (0-1) via yorikiri (frontal force out)
Hiradoumi (1-0) def. Kinbozan (0-1) via oshidashi*
Ura (1-0) def. Ichiyamamoto (0-1) via oshidashi
Takayasu (1-0) def. Takanosho (0-1) via yorikiri*
Kirishima (1-0) def. Tobizaru (0-1) via hatakikomi
Chiyoshoma (1-0) def. Oho (0-1) via uwatenage*
Gonoyama (1-0) def. Daieisho (0-1) via tsukiotoshi (thrust down)*
Wakamotoharu (1-0) def. Kotozakura (0-1) via yorikiri
Onosato (1-0) def. Wakatakakage (0-1) via kirikaeshi (twisting backward knee trip)*
Abi (1-0) def. Hoshoryu (0-1) via tsukidashi (frontal thrust out)*
Must see bouts!
Leaderboard
Too early!
Analysis
Day 1 of the haru basho was a day of spoilers and I don’t mean the kind of spoilers I warn you all about with these newsletters. No, it was folks getting interesting and momentous occasions spoiled by defeats.
Chief among those disappointments was what happened to our newly crowned yokozuna. Hoshoryu was matched with Abi in his first bout this month and it did not go well.
Abi’s never met an occasion he doesn’t want to spoil and he did that this day by smashing Hoshoryu off the tachiai, with two hands to the throat, and then quickly thrusting him out of bounds.
Hoshoryu had won his two previous Day 1 matches. However, before that he lost four in a row. This loss means a lot more than the previous ones and it opens the door for those who have been rumbling about Hoshoryu’s fitness for the promotion. I think we need to be patient, though, and not judge Hoshoryu on his first bout or even his first basho as yokozuna. He’s young and has lots of time to build his legacy as a yokozuna.
Hoshoryu wasn’t the only person who came into March on the rise only to lose on Day 1. Kinbozan and Oho, who duelled with Hoshoryu in a three-way play-off in January, also lost.
Kinbozan lost to Hiradoumi, with Hiradoumi backing him down with strikes and then hounding him out along the boundary. And Oho was surprised by Chiyoshoma, who shifted his hips and scored an uwatenage (over arm throw) over the first-time sekiwake.
Daieisho, who is on an ozeki run after a stellar January performance, also took a loss. He lost a thrusting battle with Gonoyama (who he beat on Day 1 in January).
Though it’s not as significant, Aonishiki’s debut match in the top division was also spoiled. He was pushed out by Churanoumi in a fun and predictably violent bout.
Onosato and Kirishima are two wrestlers who did not disappoint.
Onosato notched a win over Wakatakakage. He was very aggressive in the bout and was able to keep locked on his opponent even as Wakatakakage surfed the straw to try and get away.
Kirishima beat Tobizaru, stepping off the centre line and driving Tobizaru down to score the hatakikomi.
Kotozakura lost on Day 1, too. It looks like the injury that hampered him in January, leading to a 5-10 record, is still bothering him. He was out-muscled by Wakamotoharu in a chest-to-chest battle. Kotozakura needs a winning record to keep his ozeki ranking this tournament. Tomorrow he has Gonoyama. He’s 6-0 against Gonoyama. But those bouts all happened without him being plagued by an injury.
Other notable bouts for Day 2 are Hoshoryu vs. Wakatakakage, Onosato vs. Kirishima, Tobizaru vs. Abi and Ura vs. Takayasu. There’s also Aonishki vs. Asakoryu. That should be fun!
See you tomorrow and elbows up… ;)
Holy crap what a shakeup!
Happy Birthday Tim!
Happy Birthday! Technically speaking, Tamawashi will always be older than you. Another reason to hope he keeps it up.