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.”
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...
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...
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...
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