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.
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...
Onosato Wins the Playoff for His Third Title, Takayasu Falls Short Once Again Takayasu has come agonizingly close to winning the championship on numerous occasions, only to fall short at the final hurdle. Among those disappointments, there were two instances where he went into the final day (senshuraku) needing just one win against Abi to secure the title. However, he lost both times, forcing a playoff where he was ultimately defeated, missing out on the championship. Today, he faced that same fateful opponent once again. Abi Attempted a Henka(side step) at the Tachi-ai. I’m glad that didn’t decide the match. Perhaps Takayasu was prepared for it, given that Abi had previously attempted a henka at the tachi-ai in a past championship playoff. Takayasu remained composed, dealt with it calmly, applied pressure with a left ottsuke, secured a grip on the uwate, and threw Abi down with authority. At that moment, I thought—perhaps this time, Takayasu has finally overcome his trauma and is...
Hoshoryu Shows Yokozuna Pride, Hands Onosato His Only Loss of the Tournament Hoshoryu demonstrated the pride and dignity expected of a yokozuna, handing Onosato his only defeat this tournament. The head-to-head record now stands at five wins for Hoshoryu and two for Onosato (with one of Onosato’s wins being by default), clearly favoring Hoshoryu. However, the content of their bouts tells a different story. In nearly every match, it has been Onosato who dictated the pace and gained the upper hand, only to be ultimately brought down by one of Hoshoryu’s well-executed throwing techniques. This pattern played out once again in today’s bout. Hoshoryu’s uwate-hineri (overarm twist-down) was expertly timed and executed, but it must be said that Onosato’s center of gravity was too high, and his ottsuke (press up on the outside of opponent’s elbow from below, as if twisting and lifting it) from the left lacked its usual sharpness. Throughout this tournament, Onosato has d...
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