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 2026 January Tournament Day 6
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-take. Yoshinofuji tried to insert a left sashi (inside grip) and raise Ura’s upper body, but Ura blocked Yoshinofuji’s left arm.
With his left unable to find its way in, Yoshinofuji used his right hand to twist Ura’s head, tilting Ura’s upper body, then slipped his left arm inside and turned his forearm back
—only for Ura to respond instantly with a makikae (grip switch).
The technical battle between the two, and the speed at which it unfolded, made for a fascinating contest. In the end, Ura retreated and dug his own grave. From that position, it was hard to imagine how pulling back could have improved the situation.
Yoshinofuji looks very good. As for Ura, despite six straight losses, he does not seem injured or out of sorts in any way. I think he is still producing sumo that is very much true to his usual style.
GonoyamaーFujinokawa
This was the best bout of the day. It felt as though the arena was more energized than at any other point. Gonoyama unleashed a barrage of fierce harite (open-hand slaps), to the point where one might wonder if he had some kind of personal grudge against Fujinokawa.(In reality, that's not the case. They are seniors and juniors at the same high school.)
Fujinokawa, however, endured it brilliantly. He never flinched, never turned his face away or dropped his gaze, and instead counterattacked decisively, finishing by oshitaoshi (push-down). It was—honestly—extremely impressive. Fujinokawa consistently delivers “Zeni no toreru sumo.” (sumo worth paying to see)
In the closing stages, Gonoyama relied too much on slapping from the outside, which allowed Fujinokawa to get inside his guard. Had he mixed in straight tsuki (thrusts), the bout might have taken a very different turn.
Hoshoryu－Takanosho
Hoshoryu’s hari-zashi (slapping-and-inserting an inside grip at the tachi-ai) today was fast and razor-sharp. It brought back memories of the tomoe-sen (three-way playoff) he fought against Kinbozan and Oho. Ideally, he could have finished the bout quickly with a straight yorikiri (frontal force-out), but instead he won with a hatakikomi (slap-down).
There was plenty of space behind him, and he had a firm grip on the back of Takanosho’s neck, so it never felt particularly dangerous.
WakatakakageーOnosato
Onosato also won by hatakikomi (slap-down), but it never felt dangerous. That said, the fact that even after settling into migi-yotsu (right-hand inside grip) he was unable to plow through his opponent like a bulldozer and uproot him entirely shows that he is not yet back to full strength.
There was also a noticeable difference in how Onosato and Wakatakakage used their left hands. While Onosato’s left ottsuke (forearm block) was not effective, Wakatakakage’s left ottsuke and shibori (squeezing pressure) were clearly working, and I believe that led directly to his counterattack.
That said, for Onosato, coming back from an injury-related absence, being able to avoid defeat and close out his wins should be more than enough. It feels a bit harsh to demand high-quality content from him at this stage.
Abi extended his winning streak to six straight victories. He is a rikishi capable of defeating yokozuna and Ozeki, so if he stays in the championship race, the tournament could become very interesting indeed.
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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