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Grand Sumo 2025 January Tournament Day11

 A Thrilling Battle Between Two In-Form Rikishi Excites the Kokugikan

In the Juryo division, the highly successful Wakaikari and Shishi, both with only one loss, faced off in a fierce bout filled with offensive and defensive exchanges. From the initial charge, Wakaikari showed great speed, using shitatenage  (underarm throw) to destabilize his opponent, followed by a low posture to push forward and seize the initiative. However, Shishi did not resort to pulling or slapping. Instead, after breaking Wakaikari’s balance with a right-hand slap, Shishi swiftly circled around and launched a counterattack. After a tense and intense battle, Shishi won by yorikiri (force-out). At the moment when Wakaikari attempted sukuinage(beltless armthrow), it was unclear whether Shishi had intentionally released his grip on the left side or if it had slipped away. In any case, this resulted in Wakaikari’s throw losing its power, ultimately leading to Shishi’s victory.


Oho Maintains His Two-Loss Record with Strong Persistence

It was anticipated that if the match turned into a mawashi grip battle, Onokatsu would have the advantage, while if it became a pushing and thrusting contest, Oho would have the upper hand. However, in a battle of the yotsu-sumo (grip fighting), Oho emerged victorious.

Initially, Onokatsu pulled a good right-hand grip from below while pushing forward. In the past, Oho might have been pushed back in such a situation, but this time, he didn’t give up. While it may have been due to Oho’s mawashi being loose and stretched, preventing Onokatsu from fully securing a right-hand grip, Oho’s persistence and the physical strength to back it up were key factors in his victory.

Oho commented, “The results are beginning to show from the daily practice I’ve been steadily accumulating.”

Onokatsu seemed slow to react when Oho attempted a Makikae(belt reversal), which may have contributed to his loss.



Takerufuji Falls into Trouble with a Pulling Move

Takerufuji managed to evade his opponent effectively and took the initiative early on. Daieisho, despite being pushed to the edge of the ring, did not attempt to pull. Instead, he first secured his footing by placing his foot inside the Tawara(straw bale) and maintained his position, then launched a thrusting attack to counter.

Takerufuji, similar to his match against Tamawashi, made the mistake of pulling straight back, and was immediately countered, resulting in a loss.


Kinbozan Maintains His One-Loss Record with Strong Performance

In the initial charge, Kinbozan used his right arm to thrust Onosato backward, and when he pushed further, Onosato, weighing 185 kg, was lifted off the ground. When Onosato instinctively attempted to pull, Kinbozan swiftly executed a thrust-down.

Kinbozan's winning streak was halted yesterday, but he managed to reset his mindset and focused on today’s match, showcasing his true strength. He recalled the advice Oyakata gave him after his first loss in professional sumo: "It's also a sumo wrestler's job to switch gears mentally after a loss."

During his university days, Kinbozan had previously defeated Onosato in a pushing and thrusting match, so it’s possible that both wrestlers had that memory in mind. Nonetheless, Onosato tends to resort to pulling or slapping whenever he’s put on the back foot. It would be great if he could follow the example set by wrestlers like Shishi, Oho, and Daieisho today, showing patience and perseverance before launching a counterattack.




Written by 小柳公寿


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