Hooked on Sumo: Insights & Analysis 　(by 小柳公寿)

 Aonishiki, who is making a tsuna-tori (yokozuna promotion )bid this tournament, opened with a win.  Wakamotoharu attempted a henka at the tachiai, but Aonishiki showed no sign of panic, maintaining his forward-leaning posture and finishing with a yorikiri. His ability to secure and draw in the hidari-mae-mitsu was particularly good. Watching both his NHK pre-tournament interview and this bout, the impression he gives is that he is truly grounded. That said, tomorrow’s opponent is the formidable Yoshinofuji.  From a spectator’s point of view, it should be a very interesting match to watch. Onosato showed one of his bad habits and started the tournament with a loss. Wakatakakage, on the other hand, fought very well.  He twisted back his right inside arm (migi-zashi), neutralizing Onosato’s left hand, while applying ottsuke and shibori (squeeze) from the left to deny Onosato the migi-zashi. That said, how many times have we seen Onosato dig his own grave by pulling str...

Aonishiki Wins the Playoff for His Second Consecutive Championship, Sets His Sights on Yokozuna Promotion Aonishiki and Atamifuji entered senshūraku (final) tied at three losses apiece. Personally, I did not want to see the championship decided at an 11–4 mark, so I was hoping that both men would rise to the occasion. OshoumiーAtamifuji Oshoumi had already beaten Aonishiki when they were in Juryo. He is a rikishi who can fight well both in close quarters and at distance, with strong lower-body balance and a certain technical versatility. I rate him highly. That said, I could not picture him defeating Atamifuji. In reality, the difference in forward-driving power between the two was obvious. KotozakuraーAonishiki Kotozakura tried a variety of approaches—tsuppari, attempting to break Aonishiki’s balance with a katasukashi—but Aonishiki’s forward-leaning posture never collapsed. At one point Kotozakura secured a left uwate, but he was unable to draw his opponent in. Aonishiki pressed his he...

Onosato completely overwhelmed Aonishiki, who had been leading the yūshō (championship) race with only two losses. I do not think anyone could have anticipated that the Aonishiki–Onosato matchup this tournament would unfold in such a one-sided manner. With Atamifuji having defeated Kirishima, Atamifuji and Aonishiki will head into senshūraku (final day) tied at three losses apiece. AonishikiーOnosato I had expected Aonishiki to adopt an attacking approach modeled on Hakunofuji’s style: The strategy was to win the hidari-zashi and attack with hazu-oshi on the right.However, judging from Aonishiki’s footwork at the tachiai, it seemed more likely that he was considering either pulling a left uwate to set up a throw, or attacking laterally by applying ottsuke from the left. Rather than stepping straight forward at the tachiai, he steps to his left. That said, this bout unfolded in a way where strategy hardly mattered at all. Perhaps this is what is meant by aikuchi —the term used to describ...

Tenran-zumo : a Grand Sumo tournament attended by the Emperor Today’s Tenran-zumo saw His Majesty the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress, and Their Imperial Highness Princess Aiko, the Imperial Couple’s daughter, graciously attend and observe the latter half of the makuuchi division bouts. In that sense, the day itself became a legendary one. In a stunning turn of events, Ozeki Kotozakura and Aonishiki, along with Yokozuna Hoshoryu and Onosato, all suffered defeat. It is surely a day that will be remembered and spoken of for years—indeed, for decades to come—as people recall, “During the Tenran-zumo of the 2026 January Tournament Day  8…” KotozakuraーOho Kotozakura got exactly what he was aiming for at the tachiai, successfully securing morozashi. However, Oho locked down both of Kotozakura’s arms, leaving him cramped and with no room to operate. When Kotozakura was forced to pull out of the position, Oho immediately followed up the attack and drove him out of the ring. Lately, Oho ha...

 KirishimaーYoshinofuji The bout between these two rikishi—both of whom have been showing excellent form this tournament—lived up fully to expectations. At the tachi-ai (initial charge), Yoshinofuji clearly had the better hit, but Kirishima succeeded in getting moro-zashi (double inside grips). From there, Kirishima’s right kaina-no-kaeshi (inside arm turn-back) was effective, and his movement to cut off Yoshinofuji’s right uwate (outside grip) was particularly impressive (0:39-40 in the video).  Kirishima is a rikishi with undeniable ability, yet when he is carrying even a minor injury, it tends to show very clearly in his results. Judging by his performances in the previous tournament and this one, however, he appears to be in good condition. Although the bout could easily have turned into a one-sided affair, Yoshinofuji showed admirable resilience and fought on stubbornly. HoshoryuーHakunofuji In the first bout, Hoshoryu’s tachi-ai (initial charge) was not good. His body came...

 TakayasuーAonishiki At the tachi-ai (initial charge), Takayasu attempted a kachi-age (forearm smash) to raise Aonishiki’s upper body, but Aonishiki refused to come upright. Takayasu continued to try to lift him with repeated tsuppari (thrusts), yet Aonishiki maintained his forward-leaning posture, slipped in a hidari-zashi (left inside grip), and pressed his head firmly against Takayasu’s chest. In the end, he also secured a right uwate (outside grip), established a perfect position, and finished the bout with a yorikiri (frontal force-out). I had expected Aonishiki to struggle against Takayasu, but this turned out to be a rock-solid victory. Aonishiki gives the impression of simply executing, day after day, exactly what he needs to do—nothing more, nothing less. He never makes unnecessary movements. By the time Takayasu’s kachi-age actually made contact, his body was already fully extended, which robbed the technique of its power. UraーYoshinofuji It was a bout full of give-and-tak...