2026 Haru Basho: Day 7 results and analysis
Recapping all the top division action from Grand Sumo's 2026 Haru Basho (spoilers).
The spring tournament is a week old now and, boy, it’s been fun (and unexpected in some ways).
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
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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!
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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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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Hoshoryu - "Sorry kid", head nod, "I needed to send a message".
Wow, this is shaping up to be anybody's match! Though Horshoryu looks like the probable favorite, it's too easy to root for a Yoke, so I'm all for Takayasu or even Takanosho. A couple days ago the NHK Channel announcer pointed out that Takanosho runs so hot/cold, he usually goes either double-digit wins, or else double-digit losses. Seems like he's on a hot streak, though there's a long week ahead of him. Even Shodai seems to be putting some effort in -- I predicted that he's at the right level to wreak some havoc.