Onosato defeated Hoshoryu in a championship playoff between yokozuna, both having finished with a 13–2 record. With this victory, Onosato claimed his fifth career championship, his first since being promoted to yokozuna, and his first in two tournaments. The Onosato–Hoshoryu matchup turned out very differently from what I had expected. In the honwari (regulation bout), I thought Onosato would charge forward with an unhesitating attack at the tachi-ai (initial charge). Yesterday, Hoshoryu won with a henka (sidestep at the initial charge) at the initial charge. Precisely because of that, I believed it would be extremely difficult for him to attempt a second consecutive henka in such a high-stakes yokozuna showdown for the championship. I assumed Onosato thought the same way—but I was wrong. In the honwari bout, rather than focusing on the kind of sumo he wanted to impose, Onosato seemed too preoccupied with the possibility that his opponent might attempt another henka or some other varia...
Hoshoryu Shows Yokozuna Pride, Hands Onosato His Only Loss of the Tournament Hoshoryu demonstrated the pride and dignity expected of a yokozuna, handing Onosato his only defeat this tournament. The head-to-head record now stands at five wins for Hoshoryu and two for Onosato (with one of Onosato’s wins being by default), clearly favoring Hoshoryu. However, the content of their bouts tells a different story. In nearly every match, it has been Onosato who dictated the pace and gained the upper hand, only to be ultimately brought down by one of Hoshoryu’s well-executed throwing techniques. This pattern played out once again in today’s bout. Hoshoryu’s uwate-hineri (overarm twist-down) was expertly timed and executed, but it must be said that Onosato’s center of gravity was too high, and his ottsuke (press up on the outside of opponent’s elbow from below, as if twisting and lifting it) from the left lacked its usual sharpness. Throughout this tournament, Onosato has d...