Yokozunas and Ozekis for January 2026

[Jejima]

January 2025 will start with four names in the lofty top two ranks - this is the same as for the start of January 2024, but not all the same names.  Will this number increase, decrease, or stay the same for January 2026?

Please leave your actual prediction for the top two ranks for the January 2026 banzuke in the comments below, like this....

Doc     Y1  Happy
Grumpy Y2
Sneezy    O1   Bashful
               O2   Sleepy

etc

- then we can see who came the closest at the end of the year - and it might be used as a 'tie-breaker'.

Previous polls:

2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012 - not polled
2011
2010
2009
2008

[Kintamayama]

Kotozakura Y Houshouryuu

                   Y Oonosato

Kirishima O Wakatakakage

Takerufuji O

Edited November 29, 2024 by Kintamayama

[Bunbukuchagama]

57 minutes ago, Kintamayama said:

Kotozakura Y Houshouryuu

                   Y Oonosato

Kirishima O Wakatakakage

Takerufuji O

Feeling generous today? 

There is not enough basho in a year to make all of this happen. 

[Reonito]

5 minutes ago, Bunbukuchagama said:

There is not enough basho in a year to make all of this happen. 

Just for the sake of argument: Hoshoryu beats Kotozakura in a playoff in January, both get promoted to Y. Onosato wins two consecutive basho sometime after January. WTK gets 11 in January, 12 in March, gets promoted to O. Takerufuji gets to upper maegashira in March, san'yaku in May, his run is May-July-Sept with a month to play with. I'm not doing Kirishima. Everyone else eats a lot of losses.

[Bunbukuchagama]

Just now, Reonito said:

Just for the sake of argument: Hoshoryu beats Kotozakura in a playoff in January, both get promoted to Y. Onosato wins two consecutive basho sometime after January. WTK gets 11 in January, 12 in March, gets promoted to O. Takerufuji gets to upper maegashira in March, san'yaku in May, his run is May-July-Sept with a month to play with. I'm not doing Kirishima. Everyone else eats a lot of losses.

I am not saying it is mathematically impossible, but any writer daring to propose such a scenario as even remotely plausible would get laughed out of the room. 

[Gurowake]

I'm going to be boring.

Onosato Y

Hoshoryu O Kotonowaka

That's it.

Aonishiki and Takerufuji will make it in mid-2026

Edited November 30, 2024 by Gurowake

[Yarimotsu]

Hoshoryu     Y1  Onosato
Kotozakura    O1   Wakatakakage

 

WTK might not make it. I doubt anyone else will make a serious run, but the second half of the year is always hard to predict.

[Kintamayama]

9 hours ago, Bunbukuchagama said:

Feeling generous today? 

There is not enough basho in a year to make all of this happen. 

Indeed. Reality sometimes beats fantasy. Ozeki after five  bashos in Makuuchi? You gotta be out of your mind..

Anyway, it's a new strategy. It won't be the first time I would be laughed out of the room. (See "Asasohuryuu? Who is that?", laughter and ridicule.)

Edited November 30, 2024 by Kintamayama

[Wakawakawaka]

Kotozakura Y1

Hoshoryu O1 Onosato

I don't see anyone making an Ozeki run in 2025.

[Bunbukuchagama]

On 29/11/2024 at 21:49, Gurowake said:

I'm going to be boring.

Onosato Y

Hoshoryu O Kotonowaka

This is also my prediction.

[Ryoshishokunin]

I'm going to go with 
Onosato Y Kotozakura
Hoshoryu O 

(Up to YO rules, but close enough.)

[just_some_guy]

Onosato Y Kotozakura

Takerufuji O Hoshoryu

[Fashiritētā]

Kotozakura    Y1  Onosato
Hoshoryu    O1   Wakatakakage

              

[Morty]

Terunofuji will be intai. Kotozakura and Onosato will both get the rope, Hosh will continue being not quite good enough, Takerafuji will make a run up the banzuke and will be Ozeki by the end of the year, and Wakamotoharu will finally get 33 over 3 and will be promoted, to emulate his brother.

Kotozakura  Y1  Onosato

Hoshoryu  O1  Takerafuji

Wakamotoharu  O2

[Athenayama]

Onosato     Y1
 Kotozakura    O1   Hoshoryu
 Kirishima O2   Wakatakakage

Terunofuji intai

[Jejima]

Terunofuji Y Onosato
Kotozakura O Hoshoryu

[Ack!]

Onosato Y

Kotozakura O Wakatakakage

Hoshoryu O Takerufuji

Wakamotoharu S Daieisho

Abi K Atamifuji

Gonoyama and Oho will debut in sanyaku in 2025

Kirishima will become the next Mitakeumi

Edited December 31, 2024 by Ack!
Upon further reflection, I think Takerufuji will make ozeki, although I did not include him in my poll vote

[Benihana]

Onosato Y Kotozakura

Hoshoryu O Takerufuji

Aonishiki O

[Pitinosato]

Houshouryuu Y Kotozakura

Oonosato O Kirishima

[Jejima]

Bump - last chance to vote!

[Jejima]

The vast majority of us expect Terunofuji to go intai this year ().

Most of us think that Onosato will make it Yokozuna this year. Half of us think that Kotozakura will get the tsuna. Almost a third of us think that Hoshoryu will get the nod.

Looking at the votes, it would appear that in addition to generally thinking if the three current Ozekis do not get promoted to Yokozuna, they will remain at Ozeki. Wakatakakage and Takerufuji have decent support to get promoted to Ozeki within the coming year.

[Jejima]

The upper sanyaku will probably look like this for January 2026....

Hoshoryu Y Onosato
Kotozakura O Aonishiki

Q1 - Kaito, Bunbukuchagama, Gurowake, Yarimotsu, Wakawakawaka, just_some_guy, Balon, masarukoji, Fashiriteta, Kyokufuji, Shatsume, Morty, Athenayama, Ack!, Faustonowaka, Benihana and Kotoroiwa were all correct with Terunofuji's intai - and the others remaining in the top two ranks.

Q2 - Yarimotsu and killjoy both correctly predicted the two Yokozunas on the January 2026 banzuke.

Q3 - Kaito, Bunbukuchagama, Gurowake, Yarimotsu, TheGunbaiHolder, masarukoji, Fashiriteta, killjoy, Athenayama, Jejima and Ack! all predicted Kotozakura. Benihana was the only one to predict Aonishiki.

Yusho goes to Yarimotsu  (whose actual prediction in the comments is 75% correct! - so he can have an Outstanding Performance special Prize too )

Jun-yusho goes to killjoy 

Benihana can have a Technique Special Prize