My name is Kimitoshi Koyanagi , Japanese. I am a sumo fan with approximately 50 years of experience watching the sport. My English is poor. But I aim to share the appeal of sumo with the world, focusing on analyzing and providing commentary on the bouts and their content during tournaments.
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Grand Sumo 2025 May Tournament Day4 ～ Onosato Overpowers Oho to Remain Undefeated at 4–0
The most anticipated bout of the day was undoubtedly Onosato vs. Oho.
While Onosato led the overall head-to-head 3–2 going in, Oho had taken the last two matchups, making this a highly intriguing contest.
Before the bout, my prediction was as follows:
If Onosato were to win, it would be by getting his right arm inside (migi-yotsu), closing the distance, and driving forward in a tight body-to-body position.
If Oho were to win, it would be by launching a fierce tsuppari (thrusting attack) and hitting on the head to deny Onosato the right inside grip.
As both rikishi stepped onto the dohyo and entered the final moments of their shikiri (pre-tachi-ai ritual), I started to feel that Onosato might take this one. His demeanor showed not a hint of hesitation leading up to the tachi-ai—he appeared entirely focused and composed.
However, the way he won was different from what I had envisioned. While he did make a motion to go for the right inside grip, he didn’t fixate on it—instead, he decisively settled the bout with a powerful tsuki-oshi (pushing and thrusting attack). It was a convincing win that further builds his momentum as he continues his tsuna-tori (bid for promotion to Yokozuna).
In his post-match interview, Onosato said:
“My body has been moving well since Day One. I was focused on keeping my upper body from rising too high and took the match with that in mind.”
Coming off a loss to Oho the day before, Hoshoryu faced Abi today—a rikishi against whom he had lost three straight bouts.
Hoshoryu was slow off the tachi-ai, and his footwork failed to follow through. Abi capitalized with a well-executed morote-zuki (double thrust), taking the initiative. When Hoshoryu tried to hurriedly push back, Abi coolly pulled him down with a hiki-otoshi.
In his post-match interview, Abi commented:
“I think the Yokozuna was trying to gauge my movements before deciding how to respond.”
But my analysis differs. Abi’s timing at the tachi-ai was superb. He placed both hands on the shikiri-sen first, and just as Hoshoryu began lowering his hands, Abi launched forward. In that moment, Hoshoryu had no choice—he couldn’t stop(physically) and call for a "matta"(re-do of the tachi-ai). Even if he was half a beat behind, he had to go.
Hoshoryu declined to give an interview, so we don’t know for sure why he was late off the mark— there was hesitation at the tachi-ai ? In that regard, he stood in stark contrast to Onosato, who showed no such doubt today.
Next up was the match I had been personally looking forward to the most: Takerufuji vs. Wakatakakage. Could Wakatakakage stop Takerufuji’s explosive tachi-ai and sharp initial drive?
At around the 51-second mark in the video—right at the moment of impact—pay close attention to Wakatakakage’s stance. You can see that he has bent his knees deeply, stepped forward with his left leg, lowered his center of gravity, and kept his upper body at an ideal angle. His elbows are tucked in tightly.
Wakatakakage wants to get his right arm inside; Takerufuji wants his left. It was a superb tachi-ai, and Wakatakakage won the battle for inside position, successfully establishing his preferred grip first. As for Takerufuji, he wasn’t aiming for a left uwate—it’s more likely that it was simply the only option available to him in that situation.
Onosato Wins the Playoff for His Third Title, Takayasu Falls Short Once Again Takayasu has come agonizingly close to winning the championship on numerous occasions, only to fall short at the final hurdle. Among those disappointments, there were two instances where he went into the final day (senshuraku) needing just one win against Abi to secure the title. However, he lost both times, forcing a playoff where he was ultimately defeated, missing out on the championship. Today, he faced that same fateful opponent once again. Abi Attempted a Henka(side step) at the Tachi-ai. I’m glad that didn’t decide the match. Perhaps Takayasu was prepared for it, given that Abi had previously attempted a henka at the tachi-ai in a past championship playoff. Takayasu remained composed, dealt with it calmly, applied pressure with a left ottsuke, secured a grip on the uwate, and threw Abi down with authority. At that moment, I thought—perhaps this time, Takayasu has finally overcome his trauma and is...
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...
As many of you know, Hoshoryu won the January tournament and was promoted as the 74th Yokozuna. During his victory interview, he shared that after experiencing the heartbreak of losing on the final day of the November tournament, he made a promise to "a certain person." He vowed to channel that frustration into the January tournament and win the championship no matter what. That "certain person" is Ruri Kubota, whom Hoshoryu refers to as his "mother in Japan." And the boy who sat beside Hoshoryu in the open car during the victory parade was none other than Ruri’s son, Teruchika, whom Hoshoryu calls his "younger brother in Japan." Teruchika has Down syndrome. Hoshoryu first met Teruchika and his mother in 2019, when he was still in the Juryo division. Their connection began when Hoshoryu was invited to coach Teruchika through Kashiwa Sumo Club, where the club’s representative happened to be Hoshoryu’s former high school mentor. Hoshoryu was deep...
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