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 Day8 ～ Onosato Stays Perfect at 8–0, Takes Sole Lead
Onosato is in the midst of a yokozuna promotion run, but today’s sumo already had all the hallmarks of yokozuna-zumo—dominant, composed, and unshakable.
In past bouts against Hiradoumi, Onosato had struggled when Hiradoumi managed to slip inside at the tachiai or gain the advantage in the sashite-battle. Today, however, even though Hiradoumi came in with a solid initial charge, Onosato absorbed it as if it were nothing, rebuffed his opponent with ease, and swiftly pushed him out of the ring.
After the bout, Onosato spoke calmly and without changing his expression:
“I was able to see my opponent clearly, so that was good. I’m not thinking about what lies ahead or what’s happening around me—just focusing on what’s right in front of me. We’re only halfway through the tournament, so I’ll stay focused and keep doing my best from tomorrow on.”
Already with two losses, Hoshoryu could not afford another defeat—not only to stay in the yusho (championship) race, but also to uphold the dignity of a yokozuna.
What followed was an unexpected turn of events: Takerufuji executed a henka at the tachi-ai. This was likely a strategic response, as in both of their previous bouts, Hoshoryu had opened with hari-zashi (an open-handed slap followed by an inside grip).
However, Hoshoryu handled the surprise calmly and effectively—a sign that he may be regaining his form.
After the bout, Hoshoryu commented:
“I didn’t expect that kind of tachi-ai at all, but I just let my body react naturally. I want to take it one match at a time and stay focused.”
There was a brief moment of drama when the gyoji (referee) fell during the bout, but it had no effect on the outcome.
Aonishiki remained faithful to his signature style and preserved his one-loss record.
From a low stance, he kept the pressure on with relentless tsuki-oshi (thrusting and pushing), maintaining control from start to finish. His final charge was decisive and unrelenting.
Although he was upright on Day 1, since Day 2 he has consistently maintained a strong forward-leaning posture, never losing balance. Remarkably, despite this being only his second top-division tournament, he already seems to possess his own "formula for victory."
After the bout, Aonishiki said calmly:
“If I start thinking about my opponent too much, I can’t wrestle my own style. So I just trust myself and stick to my sumo. There's still a long way to go.”
Yoshinofuji vs Aonishiki I felt that Yoshinofuji attacked effectively, but the key to Aonishiki’s victory was the speed of his decision-making and his ability to switch tactics instantly. Minatogawa-oyakata (former Ozeki Takakeisho), commenting on the NHK broadcast, pointed out that Yoshinofuji’s downfall was that “he failed to knock Aonishiki back at the tachi-ai (initial charge),” adding that Yoshinofuji wanted to create distance by thrusting his opponent away rather than continuing to push forward. Indeed, had he managed to keep Aonishiki at arm’s length, Aonishiki would not have been able to execute his techniques. That said, when Aonishiki briefly touched the dohyo (ring) with his left hand at the end, I couldn’t help thinking that if it had been Takanohana (the 65th yokozuna) or Wakanohana (the 66th yokozuna), they would have gone down face-first without hesitation. Wakatakakage vs Takayasu Wakatakakage defeated Takayasu with a kata-sukashi (shoulder swing-down). At th...
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...
At last, the opening day of the 2026 January Tournament (Hatsu basho) has arrived. How will the newly promoted Ozeki Aonishiki fare? What about Onosato, returning after an absence? And how will former Ozeki Asanoyama perform after regaining his place in the makuuchi division? As always, this tournament offers plenty of highlights for sumo fans. However, for me, the single most intriguing bout of the day was in the jonokuchi division (the lowest division on the banzuke). I have never looked forward to jonokuchi bouts this much before a tournament, nor have I ever been this excited watching a jonokuchi match. In sumo, jonokuchi refers to the lowest rank on the banzuke (the official ranking list of rikishi). The bout in question was Asahifuji versus Tenshoyama . Both of them are newcomers. If any overseas sumo fans already knew these two, they would truly qualify as hardcore connoisseurs. Please take a look at this astonishing bout. This is a matc...
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