Asashosakari

As far as I'm concerned Takerufuji was completely flipped over and did pretty much nothing that actually contributed to Kirishima touching down first, so right call regardless of whether the mono-ii explanation made sense or fit with what they "usually" say. It might be a different matter if the momentum of the whole tussle had actually taken Kirishima out of the ring because then you could make a case for Takerufuji's previous pushing having contributed to it, but what actually transpired IMHO gets called for the rikishi in Kirishima's position at least 90 out of 100 times.

Putting Nishikigi (5-0 -> 5-4) on watch... So far, Masatsukasa in Aki 2009 is the only rikishi to start a tournament 5-0 in makuuchi or juryo, but end up getting demoted out of the division when all was said and done. (Via this query plus manual checking of all guys ranked low in there.)

Day 9 Results Makushita (8 > 4) 5-0 Ms3e Otsuji (Takadagawa) 4-1 Ms8e Nishinoryu (Sakaigawa) 5-0 Ms16w Gojinyu (Takekuma) 4-1 Ms28e Goshima (Fujishima) 5-0 Ms39w Fukuzaki (Fujishima) 4-1 Ms41e Chiyooga (Kokonoe) 4-1 Ms53e Kototsubasa (Sadogatake) 5-0 Ms60TD Gyotoku (Tamanoi) Sandanme (10 > 5) 4-1 Sd5e Chiyodaigo (Kokonoe) 5-0 Sd16w Hatooka (Kise) 5-0 Sd21e Yonezawaryu (Sakaigawa) 4-1 Sd31w Kojikara (Tagonoura) 4-1 Sd39e Fujiizumi (Nishikido) 5-0 Sd45w Kotohaguro (Sadogatake) 4-1 Sd56e Asashinjo (Takasago) 5-0 Sd63w Kyokumizuno (Oshima) 4-1 Sd76e Gonosho (Takekuma) 5-0 Sd79e Yamenosato (Nishiiwa) Jonidan (12 > 6) 4-1 Jd12w Tosashimizu (Tokitsukaze) 5-0 Jd21e Mineyaiba (Shikoroyama) 5-0 Jd24w Kobayashi (Kasugano) 4-1 Jd33w Daishimatsu (Onomatsu) 4-1 Jd44w Takano (Kise) 5-0 Jd54e Zuitenryu (Sakaigawa) 5-0 Jd61e Tenrosei (Shikoroyama) 4-1 Jd71w Dewanosora (Dewanoumi) 4-1 Jd74e Matsugi (Tagonoura) 5-0 Jd85e Boshuyama (Sakaigawa) 4-1 Jd91e Kyokuhayate (Oshima) 5-0 Jd101w Satsumasho (Oitekaze) Jonokuchi (2 > 1) 5-0 Jk7e Kazuma (Kise) 4-1 Jk16e Kazeoka (Oshiogawa) We've got our 16 rikishi who stand just two wins away from a zensho yusho (or at least a playoff, as the case may be). For the makushita developments, I'll refer you to Reonito's summary over at Tachiai.org. In sandanme we've got a pretty eclectic group of leaders, the most exciting one among them being Yonezawaryu. The 20-year-old youngster who came in with extensive judo but no sumo experience a year ago had a makushita debut last basho that was a bit of a struggle, but he's bouncing back in style this month and has at minimum secured a direct return to the third division already. Two other young-ish rikishi have joined him in 22-year-old Kotohaguro who was already as high as mid-makushita but lost his way a bit over the last year and a half, and 21-year-old Kyokumizuno who has been mostly bouncing around the middle of sandanme since he made his debut in the division two years back. The other contenders are jonidan/sandanme elevator Yamenosato and often-injured collegiate veteran Hatooka. Jonidan has a major favourite in freshly returned Mineyaiba, who was a steady presence in the makushita-joi before an injury took him out of the last three tournaments. Nevertheless, two other contestants may be skilled enough to take him out if given the chance: Kobayashi is a 21-year-old who debuted two years ago and smoothly went all the way to high sandanme before injuries befell him as well, and Tenrosei is a promising 18-year-old Mongolian rookie who certainly is better than his current mid-jonidan position suggests. (Although I have to say I've not been all that impressed compared to the hype he had coming in six months back...) This field is rounded out by Zuitenryu, 19 years old and already with four appearances in sandanme (all MK though), 20-year-old Boshuyama who has yet to go beyond jonidan, and 25-year-old Satsumasho, one of the lesser collegiate wrestlers to ever have turned professional. Last not least, jonokuchi is down to a single undefeated contender, and it's the one probably the vast majority of fans would have predicted at the start of the basho: Kazuma, the powerful makushita tsukedashi starter from last year who got injured in his debut in a bout that he had entered with a 4-0 record. The Day 11 schedule isn't out at this time, but there doesn't appear to be anything stopping the committee from just doing the eight straight pairings, which would mean Mineyaiba and Kazuma fighting one division up, and being strong favourites at that, too. That would mean 2/2/3/1 unbeaten rikishi after round six, who theoretically could play down to four 7-0's, but some rank differences might make that infeasible - Kazuma vs Boshuyama could be a justifiable pairing for the lowest match, Kazuma vs Tenrosei probably not. But maybe there's a curve ball coming on Day 11 that shakes up the whole race anyway. A further potential complication: While the double Fujishima representation in makushita ended today, we still have all Sakaigawa and Shikoroyama rikishi in the jonidan race. Particularly Shikoroyama's Mineyaiba and Tenrosei look like a big threat to both be 6-0 in a couple of days.

Yusho Races Round 5 (Day 9) Videos The second bout resulted in an apparent ankle injury that required the wheelchair. Jk7e Kazuma (4-0) Kazeoka Jk16e Jd91e Kyokuhayate (4-0) Satsumasho Jd101w [kimarite: tsukitaoshi] Jd74e Matsugi (4-0) Boshuyama Jd85e Jd61e Tenrosei (4-0) Dewanosora Jd71w Jd54e Zuitenryu (4-0) Takano Jd44w Jd33w Daishimatsu (4-0) Kobayashi Jd24w Jd21e Mineyaiba (4-0) Tosashimizu Jd12w Sd76e Gonosho (4-0) Yamenosato Sd79e Sd56e Asashinjo (4-0) Kyokumizuno Sd63w Sd39e Fujiizumi (4-0) Kotohaguro Sd45w Sd21e Yonezawaryu (4-0) Kojikara Sd31w Sd5e Chiyodaigo (4-0) Hatooka Sd16w Ms53e Kototsubasa (4-0) Gyotoku Ms60TD Ms41e Chiyooga (4-0) Fukuzaki Ms39w Ms28e Goshima (4-0) Gojinyu Ms16w Ms3e Otsuji (4-0) Nishinoryu Ms8e

Day 7/8 Results Makushita (14 > 8) 4-0 Ms3e Otsuji (Takadagawa) 4-0 Ms8e Nishinoryu (Sakaigawa) 3-1 Ms12e Takakento (Tokiwayama) 4-0 Ms16w Gojinyu (Takekuma) 3-1 Ms22w Kazenoumi (Oshiogawa) 3-1 Ms24e Tenshoho (Isegahama) 4-0 Ms28e Goshima (Fujishima) 3-1 Ms33e Daikosho (Oitekaze) 4-0 Ms39w Fukuzaki (Fujishima) 4-0 Ms41e Chiyooga (Kokonoe) 3-1 Ms45e Ikarigata (Isenoumi) 3-1 Ms51w Yago (Oshiogawa) 4-0 Ms53e Kototsubasa (Sadogatake) 4-0 Ms60TD Gyotoku (Tamanoi) Sandanme (20 > 10) 3-1 Sd3w Kiyota (Dewanoumi) 4-0 Sd5e Chiyodaigo (Kokonoe) 3-1 Sd9w Nihonyanagi (Onomatsu) 3-1 Sd12w Kaishin (Tagonoura) 4-0 Sd16w Hatooka (Kise) 4-0 Sd21e Yonezawaryu (Sakaigawa) 3-1 Sd24e Araoyama (Onomatsu) 4-0 Sd31w Kojikara (Tagonoura) 3-1 Sd32w Kanpuzan (Nakamura) 4-0 Sd39e Fujiizumi (Nishikido) 3-1 Sd42w Takabayama (Onoe) 4-0 Sd45w Kotohaguro (Sadogatake) 3-1 Sd50e Okinohama (Hakkaku) 4-0 Sd56e Asashinjo (Takasago) 3-1 Sd60e Kotodairyu (Sadogatake) 4-0 Sd63w Kyokumizuno (Oshima) 3-1 Sd65e Kiyonoyama (Dewanoumi) 3-1 Sd69e Kuwae (Futagoyama) 4-0 Sd76e Gonosho (Takekuma) 4-0 Sd79e Yamenosato (Nishiiwa) Jonidan (25 > 12) 3-1 Jd4w Ryuseiyama (Dewanoumi) 3-1 Jd11e Ayanofuji (Isegahama) 4-0 Jd12w Tosashimizu (Tokitsukaze) 3-1 Jd14e Nagata (Dewanoumi) 4-0 Jd21e Mineyaiba (Shikoroyama) 4-0 Jd24w Kobayashi (Kasugano) 3-1 Jd26e Ryubumaru (Musashigawa) 4-0 Jd33w Daishimatsu (Onomatsu) 3-1 Jd38w Yukiamami (Tatsunami) 3-1 Jd40w Kanryu (Arashio) 4-0 Jd44w Takano (Kise) 3-1 Jd50e Kosei (Hidenoyama) 4-0 Jd54e Zuitenryu (Sakaigawa) 3-1 Jd57e Kayatoiwa (Minato) 4-0 Jd61e Tenrosei (Shikoroyama) 3-1 Jd67e Asashorei (Takasago) 4-0 Jd71w Dewanosora (Dewanoumi) 4-0 Jd74e Matsugi (Tagonoura) 3-1 Jd80e Nishikio (Nishikido) 3-1 Jd84e Tokio (Isenoumi) 4-0 Jd85e Boshuyama (Sakaigawa) 4-0 Jd91e Kyokuhayate (Oshima) 3-1 Jd98e Masarufuji (Isegahama) 4-0 Jd101w Satsumasho (Oitekaze) 3-1 Jd105w Tsuyasato (Minato) Jonokuchi (5 > 2) 4-0 Jk7e Kazuma (Kise) 3-1 Jk11e Uchima (Nishonoseki) 4-0 Jk16e Kazeoka (Oshiogawa) 3-1 Jk16w Ikazuchishu (Ikazuchi) 3-1 Jk17w Ikazuchiarata (Ikazuchi) List without the defeated rikishi: So it's the neat total of 32 rikishi at 4-0 after all, thanks to Otsuji winning in juryo and Ikazuchiarata losing to fellow rookie 2-1 Matsuda. And with even numbers for each division, too, so the Day 9 schedule does not feature any cross-division match-ups. Fairly limited same-stable presence in each respective race: Fujishima has two rikishi in makushita, and Sakaigawa and Shikoroyama each have two in jonidan, but in all cases spaced along the list such that the rounds five and six matches are not affected by it.

(Don't scroll down to the next post if you don't want to be spoiled before watching the bouts.) Yusho Races Round 4 (Day 7-8) Videos Jk14e Matsuda (2-1) (3-0) Ikazuchiarata Jk17w Jk16e Kazeoka (3-0) Ikazuchishu Jk16w Jk7e Kazuma (3-0) Uchima Jk11e Jd105w Tsuyasato (3-0) Satsumasho Jd101w Jd91e Kyokuhayate (3-0) Masarufuji Jd98e Jd84e Tokio (3-0) Boshuyama Jd85e Jd74e Matsugi (3-0) Nishikio Jd80e Jd67e Asashorei (3-0) Dewanosora Jd71w Jd57e Kayatoiwa (3-0) Tenrosei Jd61e [kimarite: ashitori] Jd50e Kosei (3-0) Zuitenryu Jd54e Jd44w Takano (3-0) Kanryu Jd40w Jd38w Yukiamami (3-0) Daishimatsu Jd33w Jd26e Ryubumaru (3-0) Kobayashi Jd24w Jd14e Nagata (3-0) Mineyaiba Jd21e Jd11e Ayanofuji (3-0) Tosashimizu Jd12w Sd79e Yamenosato (3-0) Ryuseiyama Jd4w Sd69e Kuwae (3-0) Gonosho Sd76e Sd65e Kiyonoyama (3-0) Kyokumizuno Sd63w Sd56e Asashinjo (3-0) Kotodairyu Sd60e Sd50e Okinohama (3-0) Kotohaguro Sd45w Sd39e Fujiizumi (3-0) Takabayama Sd42w [kimarite: kimedashi] Sd32w Kanpuzan (3-0) Kojikara Sd31w Sd21e Yonezawaryu (3-0) Araoyama Sd24e Sd16w Hatooka (3-0) Kaishin Sd12w Sd5e Chiyodaigo (3-0) Nihonyanagi Sd9w Ms60TD Gyotoku (3-0) Kiyota Sd3w Ms53e Kototsubasa (3-0) Yago Ms51w Ms41e Chiyooga (3-0) Ikarigata Ms45e Ms33e Daikosho (3-0) Fukuzaki Ms39w Ms24e Tenshoho (3-0) Goshima Ms28e Ms22w Kazenoumi (3-0) Gojinyu Ms16w Ms8e Nishinoryu (3-0) Takakento Ms12e Ms3e Otsuji (3-0) (5-1) Nabatame J12w

Bump. I just ran into this error again. Edit: And the Hatsu 2020 jonidan playoff is tagged as sandanme-kaku. Re-bump, as I noticed the jonidan-is-sandanme playoff error again just now. (And the Hidenoumi one also still remains.)

Oops, Tosoumi in front of Azuma after all. I wonder by which metric that was decided. Timing of their first win? I could swear there were other cases in the past where that one did not work... Anyway, I've changed the order in the Day 7 update. In addition, Yabugasaki's Kyokai profile underwent multiple corrections today. His real name and shikona were changed from 藪ケ崎 to 藪ヶ崎 (large to small ga), and his shusshin was corrected from 和歌山県有田市 Wakayama-ken, Arida-shi to 兵庫県姫路市 Hyogo-ken, Himeji-shi. (One of the increasingly frequent cases where the original entry was the location of his school.) With that out of the way, here's the video of today's public presentation: And the Kyokai's post about it: On a slightly related note: Shikimori Tomosaburo had a pretty rough start to his official career today, now that maezumo has finished. Three bouts in jonokuchi as is customary at the beginning (less than the normal workload of a jonokuchi-ranked gyoji): The first one got sashi-chigae'ed on him for an admittedly hard to see step-out - they called it yorikiri but it could just as well have been declared isamiashi - and the second bout received a torinaoshi because he had ended the original match when the rikishi he thought had lost had not actually stepped outside of the tawara yet. Rookie gyoji normally get expanded beyond three bouts per day after a handful of days, still in the same basho. They deviated from that with Kimura Yunosuke last year (you may recall his major voice intonation problems as he was starting out), leaving him at the minimum three bouts all the way to senshuraku. Will be interesting to see how Tomosaburo's early efforts are judged.

Losing to Oshoma today, Midorifuji became the 34th 33rd rikishi in the 15-bout era (since 1949) to have started both 8-0 and 0-8 in top division tournaments. Reference: Query, everybody in there whose listed result is neither x-0 nor 0-x (except Ouchiyama and Futeno whose MK wasn't a real 0-8 but rather 0-1-7 and 0-4-4 after joining a basho in progress). The other active rikishi with that feat are Takayasu and Daieisho. Late edit: Arguably Chiyotaikai should also be excluded, his sole 0-8 was with a fusenpai at the end.

It's not exactly exemplary of how Kisenosato's bouts usually looked, but that one against Osunaarashi looked a heck of a lot like many of Onosato's before this basho.

The Kyokai X account did come up with Day 6 maezumo tweets a bit later than usual after all, so here they are alongside the one for Day 7:

Day 7 Last day for this basho's maezumo with the six shindeshi who still remain short of three wins. One adjustment from the default sides was necessary: Tanino competed from the East today. Results: Mz6 Tanino (3-3) Mz4 Azuma (2-3) Mz8 Tosoumi (2-3) Mz12 Nakaie (1-4) Mz9 Suetomi (3-2) Mz7 Minami (0-5) Well, that was pretty much the most boring schedule possible. They didn't avoid the repeat bouts and they didn't bother to play off the two remaining 2-win guys to close things out. On the upside, Tanino and Azuma definitely brought their proverbial working boots to the first bout, and Tanino eventually avenged his loss from Day 4, clinching a full 3-win record in the process. Strange bout up next - Tosoumi and Kimura Yunosuke honestly shouldn't have stopped the first attempt either, all fists were down. Not sure why Nakaie just didn't react either time. Tosoumi arguably was the favourite for the match anyway, but it would have been nice to watch something more proper. And finally, the second meeting between Suetomi and Minami that turned out to be pretty much the same as the first one on Day 4 - Minami getting the jump at the tachiai followed by Suetomi just walking through him. The final standings: 3-win target achieved #01 Mz11 Yabugasaki Yamahibiki 3-0 #02 Mz3 Kaki Oitekaze 3-0 #03 Mz5 Shimogama Sakaigawa 3-2 #04 Mz10 Tanaka Nishonoseki 3-1 #05 Mz1 Daibasho Oitekaze 3-2 [returnee] #06 Mz6 Tanino Hidenoyama 3-3 #07 Mz9 Suetomi Sakaigawa 3-2 Remaining order #08 Mz8 Tosoumi Tamanoi 2-3 #09 Mz4 Azuma Ajigawa 2-3 #10 Mz12 Nakaie Yamahibiki 1-4 #11 Mz7 Minami Hidenoyama 0-5 #12 Mz2 Chiyoryusei Kokonoe 0-1-4 [returnee] As usual the official confirmation of the qualification order - in particular Azuma and Tosoumi - will only come with tomorrow's presentation, but this should be correct (it was not). For Chiyoryusei I've assumed their usual habit to put rikishi last who fail to reach the end of the maezumo competition. He would be ahead of fellow winless Minami by sign-up order (generally the only way to rank multiple winless competitors). Edit: Switched the order of Tosoumi and Azuma.

The last time the previous makuuchi yusho champion started off the tournament 6-0 was back in Aki / Kyushu 2021, when Terunofuji followed up on his 13-2 Y yokozuna debut with a zensho yusho.

Day 6 - Results It continues to be a fairly tough basho for the ex-sekitori crowd, in this round with just 11 wins against 19 defeats. The losses included Enho, Daishomaru and Dairaido bowing out of their respective yusho and/or promotion races, as well as two more fusenpai - Kawazoe's wasn't a big surprise after his knee buckled in his Day 3 bout and he had to take the wheelchair (arguably the surprise was that he was on the Day 5/6 schedules in the first place), but Fujiazuma's withdrawal wasn't really indicated by anything in his most recent match (on Day 4). Our top two members ranked at Ms1 were matched up yesterday, and Akua prevailed over Kitanowaka with his trusty kakenage. Kitanowaka's in a bit of a bind at 1-2 now, although of course he does only need 4 wins to get promoted. Akua likely just needs to win half his remaining bouts from 2-1, and another top 5 contender is also in great shape with Otsuji at 3-0. Kotokuzan improved his score to 2-1, but from down at Ms4w he likely needs three more victories for a promotable case. Further down, there's Takakento who can still hope for a zensho promotion from the extended promotion zone. Tenshoho and Yago are too far down for that, but they remain in the makushita yusho race alongside Otsuji and Takakento. Tochimusashi dropped to 0-3 and although KK is still possible, any promotion hopes are almost certainly over already. Comebackers Shimazuumi and Bushozan both suffered defeats in round three, and especially the latter now has to be more concerned with avoiding a drop to sandanme than he can be with making any progress back towards juryo. In slightly better news Asanowaka ended a 7-bout losing streak down in sandanme. Shortly after I had posted the summaries up to Day 4, news came down that Hokutofuji is in fact retiring immediately. Rank Shikona Heya Record Natsu 2025 Results Ms1e Kitanowaka Hakkaku 1-2 X – O – X – Ms1w Akua Tatsunami 2-1 O X – – O – Ms3e Otsuji Takadagawa 3-0 – O O – O – Ms3w Hokutofuji Hakkaku 0-0-2 (i) – – – – Ms4w Kotokuzan Arashio 2-1 O – X – – O Ms5w Tochimusashi Kasugano 0-3 – X X – – X Ms6e Daishoho Oitekaze 1-2 X – – O X – Ms6w Kiryuko Tatsunami kyujo – – – – – – Ms7w Tochimaru Kasugano 0-2-1 – X – X – – Ms10w Enho Isegahama 2-1 – O – O – X Ms11e Chiyomaru Kokonoe 1-2 O – – X – X Ms12e Takakento Tokiwayama 3-0 – O – O – O Ms14w Asanoyama Takasago 2-1 O – – X O – Ms16e Kawazoe Isegahama 0-3 – X X – – X Ms17e Kitaharima Yamahibiki 2-1 X – O – – O Ms21w Yuma Onomatsu 0-3 X – – X – X Ms22e Kaisho Asakayama 1-2 – X – O X – Ms24e Tenshoho Isegahama 3-0 – O – O O – Ms26w Tsushimanada Sakaigawa 1-2 X – O – X – Ms27e Asashiyu Takasago 1-2 – X X – – O Ms36e Daishomaru Oitekaze 2-1 O – – O X – Ms43w Shimazuumi Hanaregoma 1-2 O – – X – X Ms45w Bushozan Fujishima 0-3 – X X – X – Ms49e Asagyokusei Takasago 1-2 – O – X – X Ms50w Chiyonoo Kokonoe 1-2 X – O – X – Ms51w Yago Oshiogawa 3-0 – O – O – O Ms55e Nionoumi Yamahibiki 1-2 O – – X – X Sd10e Fujiazuma Tamanoi 0-3 – X – X X – Sd17e Chiyosakae Kokonoe 1-2 – O – X – X Sd34w Amakaze Oshiogawa 1-2 – X O – X – Sd37w Asanowaka Takasago 1-2 X – – X O – Sd79w Dairaido Takadagawa 2-1 – O – O X – Jd36w Yoshiazuma Tamanoi 2-1 X – O – O –

Lulit was on location for the Day 6 maezumo again. Embedding of the tweet fails due to something on X this time, so just the link: https://x.com/OneLoveLulit/status/1923187796509901199

Day 6 As the Day 5 standings indicated, one 2-win rikishi had to move over from the East to the West side today; Shimogama is the one who went. In addition they also sent winless Minami to the East for some reason but (spoiler) it turned out to be pointless. Results: Mz1 Daibasho (2-2) Mz5 Shimogama (3-2) Mz10 Tanaka (3-1) Mz6 Tanino (2-3) Mz8 Tosoumi (1-3) Mz4 Azuma (2-2) Mz9 Suetomi (2-2) Mz12 Nakaie (1-3) Mz1 Daibasho (3-2) Mz7 Minami (0-4) Daibasho and Shimogama were already involved with each other back on Day 4 in that lengthy bout that got mono-ii'ed and ultimately torinaoshi'ed. Daibasho narrowly prevailed in that one, this time around it was a fairly clear Shimogama victory. The next qualifier match-up was over even more quickly with Tanaka not giving Tanino any opportunity to bring his speed advantage into play. More closely contested action in the third bout before another skill mismatch in the fourth. Tosoumi feels a bit undervalued by his 1-3 record to me, while Nakaie seems about right. Nakaie is clearly very eager, but his plan for every bout seems to be to get in as close as possible and try some desperation throws...that's not going to get him very far with his current lack of size, I'm afraid, but there's clearly something there that they should be able to work with at Yamahibiki-beya. Anyway, wins for Azuma and Suetomi; the latter is probably the best participant remaining at this point. A bit of a curveball was served up to conclude the session as they didn't pair up Minami with a loser of the 1-2 bouts but rather with Daibasho from the 2-1's. As mentioned it required Minami to move back to the West side of the dohyo, which makes me seriously wonder if they had in fact expected Daibasho to defeat Shimogama at the start. In any case it was another quick one in favour of the returnee who thus also gets to end his campaign a day early. Standings: 3-win target achieved #01 Mz11 Yabugasaki Yamahibiki 3-0 #02 Mz3 Kaki Oitekaze 3-0 #03 Mz5 Shimogama Sakaigawa 3-2 #04 Mz10 Tanaka Nishonoseki 3-1 #05 Mz1 Daibasho Oitekaze 3-2 [returnee] Still active Mz4 Azuma Ajigawa 2-2 W | Mz8 Tosoumi Tamanoi 1-3 E | Mz2 Chiyoryusei Kokonoe 0-1-3 W Mz6 Tanino Hidenoyama 2-3 W | Mz12 Nakaie Yamahibiki 1-3 W | Mz7 Minami Hidenoyama 0-4 W Mz9 Suetomi Sakaigawa 2-2 E If nothing else, the choice of Daibasho for today's extra appearance has helped reduce the number of still-active participants to an even six rather than the seven it would otherwise have been, which should make tomorrow's final round of matches a bit cleaner to schedule. A few different ways they can do the match-ups here; my wild guess would be that two of the 2-win guys will get to 3 wins because one of them will be paired up with (and defeat) Minami, with the losing 2-win contender facing the winner of Tosoumi - Nakaie at the end to produce another 3-win score. If they do throw Minami in with the 2-win group, I hope they do Azuma - Minami and Suetomi - Tanino (which both haven't taken place yet) rather than Azuma - Tanino and Suetomi - Minami (which both have).

Almost forgot about the Kyokai's maezumo tweet for Day 5: Doesn't look like there's one coming for Day 6, so that may be it from their end.

Only realized now that Tomosaburo (pre-debut) and Seia were also observing during the jonokuchi bouts of the first two days, before maezumo began. Abema put them on close-up at one point during Day 2 (Seia on the left, Tomosaburo on the right):

Day 5 First day with full qualifiers being determined, and they did decide to place a winner from the 1-1's into the 2-0 bouts. In other required adjustments: 1-1 Tanaka moved over to the West side, and 0-2 Minami to the East. Results: Mz7 Minami (0-3) Mz12 Nakaie (1-2) Mz5 Shimogama (2-1) Mz4 Azuma (1-2) Mz8 Tosoumi (1-2) Mz6 Tanino (2-2) Mz9 Suetomi (1-2) Mz10 Tanaka (2-1) Mz1 Daibasho (2-1) Mz11 Yabugasaki (3-0) Mz5 Shimogama (2-2) Mz3 Kaki (3-0) Things opened up with a bout that was fought hard, but looked really awkward - gotta do what you have to do for that first win, I guess. Nice job by Nakaie. I'm hopeful that Minami won't be leaving this maezumo session winless in the end, either, but it has to be pointed out that as a high school graduate he has lost to all three middle schoolers in the field now. (Well, there are four, but the last one is his heyamate Tanino.) The three 1-win matchups followed. Quick finishes in favour of Shimogama and Tanaka in the first and third, but the middle one between Tosoumi and Tanino was a nice little tussle. Tanino should be getting the attention of the lower division devotees very soon, being somewhat of an upscaled-in-size (though still small) version of his stable's cult favourite Kosei and apparently gifted with a decent combination of speed and technique as well. (On another note, the Suetomi - Tanaka bout had a bit of an odd mirror image quality to it with both being basically the same size, even though they're three and a half years apart in age.) The session closed out with the two qualifier bouts, scheduled in regular fashion after all and with early winner Shimogama completing the field. The two expected favourites prevailed in decisive fashion, which means that Yabugasaki has in fact jumped ahead of Kaki to finish this maezumo as the nominal #1 qualifier. Not that it means that much, of course; the 3-0 records are the thing they'll both be happy to have in hand. Hopefully we'll see them against each other in jonokuchi in Nagoya, possibly as early as their first bout if the schedule works out that way. Standings: 3-win target achieved #01 Mz11 Yabugasaki Yamahibiki 3-0 #02 Mz3 Kaki Oitekaze 3-0 Still active Mz1 Daibasho Oitekaze 2-1 E | Mz4 Azuma Ajigawa 1-2 W | Mz2 Chiyoryusei Kokonoe 0-1-2 W Mz5 Shimogama Sakaigawa 2-2 E | Mz8 Tosoumi Tamanoi 1-2 E | Mz7 Minami Hidenoyama 0-3 W Mz6 Tanino Hidenoyama 2-2 W | Mz9 Suetomi Sakaigawa 1-2 E Mz10 Tanaka Nishonoseki 2-1 E | Mz12 Nakaie Yamahibiki 1-2 W The next session should feature two bouts each among the rikishi of the left-hand and middle columns, and presumably Minami facing one of the 1-win losers to complete the schedule.

It hadn't occurred to me until just now (in both the literal and figurative senses of "occurred to me"), but even the embedding of links to other forum posts triggers the blacklist error.

It's possibly the same issue I raised a couple of years ago: http://www.sumoforum.net/forums/topic/12746-sumo-reference-updates/?do=findComment&comment=499656 (See also Yarimotsu's follow-up comment underneath.)

Day 4 - Results The mehness continued with a combined score of 15-15 in round two. A quartet of matches took place among our ex-sekitori, including a walkover victory for Daishoho over Tochimaru, whose post-bout knee issues from Day 2 are presumably to blame. A potentially crucial head-to-head within the promotion zone saw victory by Otsuji over Kotokuzan. The latter is 1-1, and so is Kitanowaka after turning his fortunes around from his shonichi loss. Tochimusashi dropped to 0-2 and being ranked at the bottom of the promotion zone he's already looking at an uphill battle to promotion, as 4-3 is unlikely to be enough (and quite possibly even 5-2 won't be). Our early contenders for the makushita yusho include Otsuji, Enho, Takakento, Tenshoho, Daishomaru and Yago, but surprisingly not Asanoyama after an unexpected loss today. The only 2-0 rikishi outside of makushita is the equally surprising Dairaido. In other quick news: Returned Shimazuumi and Bushozan were both defeated in this round of matches, and Chiyomaru (loss to Enho) joined Asanoyama in dropping out of the promotion race. Tochimaru has ended up withdrawing ahead of Day 5/6 altogether, so apparently his issues were not treatable with just a couple of extra days rest. We'll see if he does come back later on. Rank Shikona Heya Record Natsu 2025 Results Ms1e Kitanowaka Hakkaku 1-1 X – O – Ms1w Akua Tatsunami 1-1 O X – – Ms3e Otsuji Takadagawa 2-0 – O O – Ms3w Hokutofuji Hakkaku kyujo – – – – Ms4w Kotokuzan Arashio 1-1 O – X – Ms5w Tochimusashi Kasugano 0-2 – X X – Ms6e Daishoho Oitekaze 1-1 X – – O Ms6w Kiryuko Tatsunami kyujo – – – – Ms7w Tochimaru Kasugano 0-2 – X – X Ms10w Enho Isegahama 2-0 – O – O Ms11e Chiyomaru Kokonoe 1-1 O – – X Ms12e Takakento Tokiwayama 2-0 – O – O Ms14w Asanoyama Takasago 1-1 O – – X Ms16e Kawazoe Isegahama 0-2 – X X – Ms17e Kitaharima Yamahibiki 1-1 X – O – Ms21w Yuma Onomatsu 0-2 X – – X Ms22e Kaisho Asakayama 1-1 – X – O Ms24e Tenshoho Isegahama 2-0 – O – O Ms26w Tsushimanada Sakaigawa 1-1 X – O – Ms27e Asashiyu Takasago 0-2 – X X – Ms36e Daishomaru Oitekaze 2-0 O – – O Ms43w Shimazuumi Hanaregoma 1-1 O – – X Ms45w Bushozan Fujishima 0-2 – X X – Ms49e Asagyokusei Takasago 1-1 – O – X Ms50w Chiyonoo Kokonoe 1-1 X – O – Ms51w Yago Oshiogawa 2-0 – O – O Ms55e Nionoumi Yamahibiki 1-1 O – – X Sd10e Fujiazuma Tamanoi 0-2 – X – X Sd17e Chiyosakae Kokonoe 1-1 – O – X Sd34w Amakaze Oshiogawa 1-1 – X O – Sd37w Asanowaka Takasago 0-2 X – – X Sd79w Dairaido Takadagawa 2-0 – O – O Jd36w Yoshiazuma Tamanoi 1-1 X – O –

Day 2 - Results A pretty meh start with 15 wins and 17 losses, the undesirable results including both visits to juryo (by Kitanowaka and Akua, respectively). Tochimusashi also picked up a loss in the promotion zone, while Otsuji and Kotokuzan had a good start. The first eliminations from the extended promotion zone's zensho hopefuls hit Daishoho and Tochimaru. The latter appeared to dislocate his left kneecap (ugh) as he was pushed off to the ground by Nishinoryu. He managed to put it back in place himself (double ugh) and was able to step back onto and then off the dohyo, but was moving somewhat gingerly. One of the two lower-ranked injury returnees joined Kitanowaka in defeat, as Bushozan unfortunately ran right into major prospect Ikarigata for his first bout back. Shimazuumi was more successful and began his comeback with a white star. Last basho's big 6-1 and 7-0 movers from lower ranks were mostly victorious; only Kawazoe failed to join Enho, Asanoyama and Asagyokusei on the winning side. Dairaido's last-ditch "not falling to jonidan" campaign started with a win, while jonidan (sadly) regular Yoshiazuma lost his opening bout for the first time in six tournaments. Rank Shikona Heya Record Natsu 2025 Results Ms1e Kitanowaka Hakkaku 0-1 X – Ms1w Akua Tatsunami 1-1 O X Ms3e Otsuji Takadagawa 1-0 – O Ms3w Hokutofuji Hakkaku kyujo – – Ms4w Kotokuzan Arashio 1-0 O – Ms5w Tochimusashi Kasugano 0-1 – X Ms6e Daishoho Oitekaze 0-1 X – Ms6w Kiryuko Tatsunami kyujo – – Ms7w Tochimaru Kasugano 0-1 – X Ms10w Enho Isegahama 1-0 – O Ms11e Chiyomaru Kokonoe 1-0 O – Ms12e Takakento Tokiwayama 1-0 – O Ms14w Asanoyama Takasago 1-0 O – Ms16e Kawazoe Isegahama 0-1 – X Ms17e Kitaharima Yamahibiki 0-1 X – Ms21w Yuma Onomatsu 0-1 X – Ms22e Kaisho Asakayama 0-1 – X Ms24e Tenshoho Isegahama 1-0 – O Ms26w Tsushimanada Sakaigawa 0-1 X – Ms27e Asashiyu Takasago 0-1 – X Ms36e Daishomaru Oitekaze 1-0 O – Ms43w Shimazuumi Hanaregoma 1-0 O – Ms45w Bushozan Fujishima 0-1 – X Ms49e Asagyokusei Takasago 1-0 – O Ms50w Chiyonoo Kokonoe 0-1 X – Ms51w Yago Oshiogawa 1-0 – O Ms55e Nionoumi Yamahibiki 1-0 O – Sd10e Fujiazuma Tamanoi 0-1 – X Sd17e Chiyosakae Kokonoe 1-0 – O Sd34w Amakaze Oshiogawa 0-1 – X Sd37w Asanowaka Takasago 0-1 X – Sd79w Dairaido Takadagawa 1-0 – O Jd36w Yoshiazuma Tamanoi 0-1 X –

Natsu 2025 Up: Daiamami (after one basho) Down: Kitanowaka (after 3 years), Hokutofuji (after 9 years), Kiryuko (after two basho), Otsuji (straight demotion after his debut) No retirements either by sekitori or former sekitori, so the up/down movements have expanded the list from 30 to 33 names. Daishoho ended up as the odd man out from the crowded top 5 ranks, moving only to Ms6e from Ms7w on his Haru basho kachikoshi. Akua, Kotokuzan and Tochimusashi did make it in. The extended promotion zone down to Ms15 sees Enho, Chiyomaru and Asanoyama as re-entrants, while Kawazoe landed just outside. A bunch of absent rikishi from Haru are back in action, namely demoted Kitanowaka, as well as Shimazuumi and Bushozan. Kiryuko is sidelined and likely will be for a while longer after his major knee and leg injury from March, and Hokutofuji may or may not be contemplating retirement after his first (possibly rushed) participation after November knee surgery didn't go well - the signals have been rather mixed over the last few weeks. Dairaido managed to hang on to his spot in the sandanme division after all, ever so barely. Only a couple of former sekitori can look back at Natsu basho as the place of their last salaried appearances: Enho was last in juryo exactly two years ago, Daishomaru three years. Birthdays: April: 10th: Kawazoe (26) 17th: Chiyomaru (34) and Dairaido (45) 19th: Fujiazuma (38) May: 18th: Shimazuumi (29) 26th: Yoshiazuma (48) 29th: Asagyokusei (32) and Chiyonoo (34) Oh, this time almost equal numbers of rikishi in each makushita ranking section as I'm defining them for reading convenience. Rank Shikona Heya Age Out Last J HiRk M# J# 2024.11 2025.01 2025.03 Ms1e Kitanowaka Hakkaku 24 1 2025.03 M14 4 16 J1e 9-6 M15w 4-5-6 J2w 0-0-15 Ms1w Akua Tatsunami 34 7 2024.03 M10 6 22 Ms5e 4-3 Ms2w 3-4 Ms6w 6-1 Ms3e Otsuji Takadagawa 21 1 2025.03 J14 1 Ms14e 5-2 Ms5w 5-2 J14e 5-10 Ms3w Hokutofuji Hakkaku 32 1 2025.03 K 49 3 M12e 7-8 M14e 0-0-15 J8e 3-12 Ms4w Kotokuzan Arashio 31 13 2023.03 M16 2 8 Ms4e 4-3 Ms2e 3-4 Ms6e 4-3 Ms5w Tochimusashi Kasugano 26 8 2024.01 J7 5 Ms27e 5-2 Ms14w 4-3 Ms9w 5-2 Ms6e Daishoho Oitekaze 30 2 2025.01 M9 9 31 J9w 4-11 J14w 1-14 Ms7w 4-3 Ms6w Kiryuko Tatsunami 22 1 2025.03 J12 3 Ms2e 5-2 J12w 7-8 J12w 2-5-8 Ms7w Tochimaru Kasugano 32 16 2022.09 J11 3 Ms20e 6-1 Ms7e 5-2 Ms2w 2-5 Ms10w Enho Isegahama 30 12 2023.05 M4 9 20 Sd56w 6-1 Sd4e 6-1 Ms30w 6-1 Ms11e Chiyomaru Kokonoe 34 3 2024.11 M5 31 33 J11w 1-14 Ms10e 3-4 Ms16e 4-3 Ms12e Takakento Tokiwayama 29 9 2023.11 J4 14 Ms14w 4-3 Ms9w 4-3 Ms7e 3-4 Ms14w Asanoyama Takasago 31 4 2024.09 O 33 7 Ms1e 0-0-7 Ms41w 0-0-7 Sd21w 7-0 Y Ms16e Kawazoe Isegahama 26 10 2023.09 J13 2 Ms29w 1-0-6 Ms60e 5-2 Ms39e 6-1 Ms17e Kitaharima Yamahibiki 38 7 2024.03 M15 1 26 Ms42w 5-2 Ms24w 5-2 Ms11e 3-4 Ms21w Yuma Onomatsu 26 8 2024.01 J13 3 Ms22w 5-2 Ms12e 2-4-1 Ms27w 4-3 Ms22e Kaisho Asakayama 30 14 2023.01 J2 12 Ms3w 2-5 Ms15w 5-2 Ms8w 2-5 Ms24e Tenshoho Isegahama 22 8 2024.01 J10 3 Ms12w 4-3 Ms7w 4-3 Ms5w 1-6 Ms26w Tsushimanada Sakaigawa 31 5 2024.07 J9 8 Ms21w 2-5 Ms38w 6-1 Ms14e 2-3-2 Ms27e Asashiyu Takasago 30 22 2021.09 J13 1 Sd3w 5-2 Ms40w 6-1 Ms15e 2-5 Ms36e Daishomaru Oitekaze 33 18 2022.05 M5 19 22 Ms9e 1-6 Ms34w 3-4 Ms43w 4-3 Ms43w Shimazuumi Hanaregoma 28 2 2025.01 M12 2 16 J5e 5-10 J10e 3-12 Ms3e 0-0-7 Ms45w Bushozan Fujishima 29 2 2025.01 M12 6 18 M17w 3-8-4 J7w 0-0-15 Ms5e 0-0-7 Ms49e Asagyokusei Takasago 31 30 2020.03 J12 3 Ms46e 3-4 Ms58e 0-3-4 Sd33w 6-1 Ms50w Chiyonoo Kokonoe 33 20 2022.01 M14 4 39 Ms13w 0-0-7 Ms53w 1-2-4 Sd12e 5-2 Ms51w Yago Oshiogawa 30 17 2022.07 M10 4 20 Sd39w 0-0-7 Jd19w 7-0 Y Sd12w 5-2 Ms55e Nionoumi Yamahibiki 38 70 2013.07 M16 1 12 Ms42e 3-4 Ms51e 4-3 Ms41e 3-4 Sd10e Fujiazuma Tamanoi 38 27 2020.11 M4 17 21 Ms60w 5-2 Ms36w 3-4 Ms46e 2-4-1 Sd17e Chiyosakae Kokonoe 34 4 2024.09 J8 13 Ms9w 0-0-7 Ms49w 0-0-7 Sd29w 4-3 Sd34w Amakaze Oshiogawa 33 42 2018.03 M13 1 18 Sd11w 2-5 Sd39w 2-5 Sd65e 5-2 Sd37w Asanowaka Takasago 29 16 2022.09 J4 6 Ms30e 2-5 Ms48w 1-6 Sd10w 2-5 Sd79w Dairaido Takadagawa 45 111 2006.07 J2 6 Sd55e 3-4 Sd71w 4-3 Sd52e 2-5 Jd36w Yoshiazuma Tamanoi 47 63 2014.09 M12 3 18 Jd4e 3-4 Jd43w 3-4 Jd64w 4-3

Oh, I forgot one other possibility (perhaps even the best one): Filling the spot with a 2-1 winner from the 1-1 bouts. Today's Kyokai action shots from maezumo: