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

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...

It was a turbulent day, with upsets seeing Ozeki Aonishiki and Kotozakura, as well as yokozuna Onosato, all suffer defeats. OhoーAonishiki Oho wrapped up and locked Aonishiki’s left sashite (inside grip) and overpowered him with sheer strength.　This was not the first time. At the September tournament last year, Oho similarly wrapped and locked Aonishiki’s left sashite and won with a kotenage (arm-lock throw). It was a kotenage that crushed him with raw power. Succumbing to raw power remains one of Aonishiki’s key challenges. Yoshinofuji ーOnosato Yoshinofuji defeated Onosato with an uwatenage (overarm throw), earning back-to-back kinboshi (Hiramaku defeats Yokozuna). I thought Yoshinofuji had good sequence from the tachi-ai (initial charge).  In his post-bout interview, he said, “During morning practice, I worked out a plan with my master, Isegahama-oyakata (former yokozuna Terunofuji): solidify the left, lift him from the right, stay tight against him, and try to get a left sashi.” ...

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...

 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...