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 March Tournament Day 1
Aonishiki, who is making a tsuna-tori (yokozuna promotion )bid this tournament, opened with a win.
Wakamotoharu attempted a henka at the tachiai, but Aonishiki showed no sign of panic, maintaining his forward-leaning posture and finishing with a yorikiri. His ability to secure and draw in the hidari-mae-mitsu was particularly good.
Watching both his NHK pre-tournament interview and this bout, the impression he gives is that he is truly grounded.
That said, tomorrow’s opponent is the formidable Yoshinofuji.
From a spectator’s point of view, it should be a very interesting match to watch.
Onosato showed one of his bad habits and started the tournament with a loss.
Wakatakakage, on the other hand, fought very well. He twisted back his right inside arm (migi-zashi), neutralizing Onosato’s left hand, while applying ottsuke and shibori (squeeze) from the left to deny Onosato the migi-zashi.
That said, how many times have we seen Onosato dig his own grave by pulling straight back when he fails to secure the migi-zashi? Even if he ends up in a slightly disadvantageous position, I would like to see him stay patient, keep himself alive in the bout, and gradually work his way back into his preferred form of sumo.
Hoshoryu managed to defeat Atamifuji, an opponent he has often struggled against, by yorikiri.
I thought Hoshoryu’s tachiai was good, but as he drove forward their chests ended up square against each other, which made the situation difficult for him. He then attempted a right shitatenage, but that movement effectively turned into an invitation for Atamifuji to take the left uwate, which I thought was a very dangerous mistake.
Atamifuji seized what was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and attempted the so-called “Wolf Special.” However, Hoshoryu—who has excellent balance and lower-body strength—managed to stay in the bout, slip inside Atamifuji’s guard, place his head against his opponent’s chest, and drive forward.
Given Hoshoryu’s body position and the placement of his head at the moment Atamifuji attempted the “Wolf Special,” I can understand why he went for it. But in that situation, it might have been better for him to keep his hips low, crash his body into Hoshoryu, and continue driving forward instead.
The “Wolf Special” refers to the signature technique of the 58th Yokozuna Chiyonofuji, in which the wrestler presses down on the back of his opponent’s neck with the right hand while striking for a left uwate.
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...
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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