Preparations of the masses- Aki 2025

[Kintamayama]

Maegashira 4W  Wakamotoharu had a total of nine bouts at keiko at his heya today, against sekiwake Kirishima  who had come to train with him and others. Regarding his preparations for the Aki basho, he commented, "I don't think it's bad." He has had back to back makekoshi in the last two tournaments as a Maegashira. Regarding his quest to return to the sanyaku ranks, he said, "The content is important. I've been struggling with getting a left-hand grip in many of my matches. I want to focus on using my own style and fight with substance rather than thinking about my rank. If I can fight well, I think my ranking will follow." A jungyo was held in his hometown of Fukushima City in August, where a special bout was scheduled against his younger brother, sekiwake Wakatakakage, thrilling local fans. "I train with Wakatakakage every day at the keiko-ba, but I'm very grateful that the audience was able to see me at the jungyo. Next- a yusho kettei-sen between us brothers," he said with a smile.

Edited September 6, 2025 by Kintamayama

[Kintamayama]

Maegashira 9W Fujinokawa went to Arashio beya for degeiko. He had 12 bouts in all, including victories over Sekiwake Kirishima  and  Wakamotoharu, for a record of 5 wins and 7 losses. He even fought seven bouts in a row with Kirishima, commenting, "Because we fought consecutively, I felt like I had more bouts. I ran out of stamina towards the end. Kirishima has different stamina.." He seemed to have experienced firsthand the power of Kirishima, who trains hardest before a basho, compared to other Makuuchi rikishi. As a newcomer to Makuuchi, he won 10 matches in the last tournament, earning him the Fighting Spirit Prize. On the Aki banzuke, he rose to Maegashira 9W. At the Tokitsukaze Ichimon rengo keiko scheduled for the 8th, his rise in ranking will likely see that he will have more opportunities to beat other rikishi, but he joked, "I think I may be getting the special "love treatment (extreme butsugari special treatment)" again, so I'd like to exist quietly in the shadows."

[Kintamayama]

Fujinokawa , currently ranked Maegashira 9W and in his second tournament in Makuuchi, practiced on equal terms with Yokozuna Houshouryuu. On the 8th, he participated in  Tokitsukaze Ichimon rengo-keiko, held at the sumo training center at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo. After being called out by Houshouryuu, he won their first bout, charging headfirst at the tachiai, continuously pushing forward without pausing, and then pushing Houshouryuu out. The bouts continued back and forth, with a 4-3 Fujinokawa lead after seven bouts. Houshouryuu, who had superior stamina, eventually handed him a four-match losing streak, but his 4-7 record was more impressive than only the wins and losses. This was his first time competing against him, not only in a honbasho but also during jungyos. At 177 cm and 120 kg, he is the youngest and least experienced makuuchi rikishi, but he won 10 matches last tournament and was awarded the Fighting Spirit Prize. Inheriting his father's, Kabutoyama Oyakata (former Maegashira Oikari),  spirited sumo style and has reached his highest career rank. He also borrowed  Houshouryuu's chest for some butsugari at the end. receiving advice such as, "Don't try too hard to throw." Looking back on his 11 matches with Houshouryuu, Fujinokawa described him as "strong." However, he also spoke of the magnitude of his own performance, saying, "I was ale to win, which was a real confidence booster..." While he has already surpassed his father's highest rank of Maegashira 11, he is determined to aim even higher, saying, "I'll go for degeiko again." He revealed his determination to continue racking up wins, aiming for double-digit wins in two consecutive tournaments since his debut in Makuuchi.
 

Edited September 8, 2025 by Kintamayama

[Kintamayama]

Daieishou, ranked at Maegashira 10E, faced sekitori for the first time in about three months. On the 8th, he participated in the Tokitsukaze rengo-keiko, held at the Sumo Training Center at the  Kokugikan. He went 3-4 record in bouts against sekitori, and lost all four consecutive matches against Yokozuna Houshouryuu, for a total of 3 wins and 8 losses in 11 matches. Nevertheless, he expressed a sense of satisfaction, saying, "I've been wrestling with makushita rikishi for two or three days, and this is the first time I've wrestled with sekitori since June, before my injury. I'm glad I was able to wrestle with a Yokozuna." He injured his right calf in June, and withdrew from the Nagoya tournament in July after submitting a medical certificate stating that he "has torn his right gastrocnemius muscle and will likely require approximately two months of treatment." This marked his first absence since his sumo debut, ending his streak of consecutive appearances. He also dropped significantly from the rank of Sekiwake, which he had held for five consecutive tournaments, and if you add 2 basho at Komusubi, this will give you 7 straight bashos in sanyaku. He was considered by many Oyakatas to be "the closest to becoming an Ozeki." If he were to win his second yusho, there would have been little argument regarding his immediate promotion to Ozeki. However, for the first time in seven years, since  Aki 2018, he is ranked below Maegashira 10, moving his long-awaited promotion to Ozeki dream back to square one. 

He practiced  today with a supporter on his right calf. When asked if he was worried about the injury, he said, "I can't say I don't have any concerns, but during today's keiko, I felt the pressure and hits of the sekitori for the first time in a while, so I want to keep going from here." He continued, "The pain is gone. My rank has just changed, but my goal of aiming higher remains the same. From now on, I want to keep working hard and aim higher." He remained positive throughout the session, showing no signs of being discouraged. With the same desire to improve, he vowed to aim for the rank of Ozeki again.

[Kintamayama]

Sekiwake Wakatakakage, who will be aiming for  Ozeki at the Aki Basho, showed off his excellent condition, showing no signs of being affected by not being able to doe sumo for three days due to a high fever. On the 8th, he participated in the Tokitsukaze Ichimon rengo-keiko, held at the sumo training center at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo. He fought a total of 11 matches with the sekitori, with a record of 8 wins and 3 losses. The breakdown of the results is as follows:

○ Kirishima (oshidashi)

● Shounannoumi (yorikiri)

○ Kirishima (yorikiri)

○ Tamawashi (oshidashi)

○ Daieishou (oshidashi)

○ Shoudai (yorikiri)

● Kirishima (oshidashi)

○ Tamawashi (yorikiri)

○ Kirishima (yorikiri)

○ Tamawashi (okuridashi)

● Daieishou (oshidashi)

He won four consecutive matches against skilled opponents, all of whom had reached the rank of Sekiwake or higher and demonstrated his ability to continuously push forward, using sharp first steps and thrusts. "I was determined to train hard. I have just recovered from an illness, so I worked up a good sweat and checked my senses while I was fighting," he said, expressing his satisfaction. On the night of the 4th of this month, he developed a fever. According to his  Arashio Oyakata , his fever was about 38.5 degrees Celsius. As a result, he missed the YDC soken on the 5th. However, his fever soon subsided, and he took precautions by working on the basics on the 6th and 7th. This was his first keiko session in four days. Regarding the impact of this, Wakatakakage emphasized that there were no problems, saying, "There's no problem. I'm in good physical condition." He won 12 matches as a Komusubi two tournaments ago and 10 matches as a Sekiwake last tournament. The standard for promotion to Ozeki is "33 wins in three tournaments as a sanyaku wrestler," which he will reach with 11 wins this tournament, and there is a good chance of promotion even with just 10 wins. As this tournament will be his first time with a clear goal of becoming an Ozeki, he is full of energy, saying, "This is the rank I've been aiming for, so I want to approach the basho without any regrets. Every single match, I want to fight with  my own style of sumo, attacking from down low. I want to train hard and prepare my body and mind before going in," he explained. Wakatakakage, who is usually tells it like it is, spoke with the utmost enthusiasm, revealing the strength of his desire to be promoted to Ozeki.
 

[Kintamayama]

Komusubi Aonishiki, who will be competing in Aki 2025  as a new sanyaku rikishi, overwhelmed West Maegashira 9 Fujinokawa, who came for degeiko. The two went head to head today, with Aonishiki winning 9 bouts out of a total of 10 . This was Aonishiki's first keiko with sekitori since the Yokozuna Deliberation Committee's soken on the 5th, four days after that training session. "I'm glad my body is moving well. I've been with Fujinokawa since the training school, and he comes at me with all his might and doesn't let up. He trains with great energy," Aonishiki said, expressing his satisfaction and gratitude to his peer, who is in great shape and in his second makuuchi tournament. Excellent tachiais, quick forward moving attacks, grabbing of the mawashi, fine uwatenage -  all were witnessed in their bouts. Intensity of a hon-basho.. At the Tokitsukaze Ichimon rengo keiko on the 8th, Fujinokawa was evenly matched with Yokozuna Houshouryuu, who participated from outside the Ichimon. While he ended up with a record of 4-7, he was ahead in the win column with a 4-3 lead, and his form was not bad. After the training session today, Fujinokawa even threw in the towel, saying, "He's too strong. The level difference is so great that it's annoying. I fight about 10 matches every time, and I only win about one." Usually, the West Komusubi will be matched  with the East Yokozuna on the first day of a tournament. This means Aonishiki  will likely face Yokozuna Oonosato on the first day. He was totally defeated last basho. Ajigawa Oyakata (former Sekiwake Aminishiki), reflected on his match against Oonosato last tournament, saying, "It was his first time facing a Yokozuna, and I think he was over-thinking it," suggesting that nerves played a role. Aonishiki added, "I will prepare so that I can fight well this basho. I hope that I can start off with a win,"  expressing his hope that he will gain momentum by winning the match between  two yusho candidates that will be held right away. He also seems to have anticipated that he will face Oonosato on the first day, saying, "Whether we face each other on the first day or any other day, I will do the same thing," and is already mentally prepared. The rising star from Ukraine, who has risen to the Sanyaku rank in the fastest time ever, taking 12 tournaments to do so since his debut, (excluding tsukedashi), will be a serious factor in Aki basho.

Edited September 9, 2025 by Kintamayama

[Kintamayama]

Sekiwake Wakatakakage, aiming for promotion to Ozeki, trained at Ajigawa beya today, where he had 11 bouts against new Komusubi Aonishiki and others, finishing with 7 wins and 4 losses. This was his first degeiko  before this coming tournament, excluding the Tokitsukaze Ichimon rengo keiko。 With his favorite thrusts and skillful throws, Wakatakakage was 5-3 against Aonishiki, and calmly described it as "business as usual." After the keiko, he returned to his Arashio beya, where he was presented with a new kesho-mawashi. The design, featuring 15 stars, matches that of his older brother  Wakamotoharu, expressing his hopes for a perfect 15-0 record. The gift was presented by Tokyo Sekiryu Kogyo's President Hiroyuki Kikuchi, who expressed his hopes for the rikishi, saying, "His beautiful movements remind me of the rikishi of the past. I hope he will fight without regrets."

[Kintamayama]

He will once again step onto the Juryo dohyo wearing a mawashi filled with the feelings of his mother and relatives. Former Ozeki Asanoyama who was promoted to Juryo for the third time for Aki 2025, revealed the thoughts behind his new mawashi  for the tournament. On the 10th, he wore the "Shigoku-colored" mawashi  that arrived about a week ago at his heya in Tokyo, working up a sweat by doing the basic shiko and suriashi  and lent his chest for some butsugari. After keiko, he spoke passionately about the mawashi, which he had only worn for the second time since he first put it on to adjust the length immediately after it arrived. Asanoyama: "It may look black, but it's actually a purple that leans toward black." "Shigoku-color." My mother told me before the tournament, either in May or July, that there was a color she wanted me to wear when I reached Juryo. It meant she wanted me to reach the pinnacle of sumo, and also meant something that seemed to refer specifically to me." With that, he showed me an email he'd received on his smartphone from his mother, Yoshimi Ishibashi (63). It mixed an explanation of the "shigokuiro" with words of encouragement from his mother: "Kendochorai (come back to life!) Those with great ambition and high aspirations should not give up or be discouraged by one or two setbacks or failures. Turn it around." Starting his career as a rikishi at the lowest rank in the third division, he rose through the ranks to the rank of Ozeki. He then received a six-tournament suspension for violating COVID-19 guidelines. He returned from Sandanme and rose back up to Komusubi, but then suffered a series of injuries. At the Nagoya tournament in July of last year, he suffered a serious injury, tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, forcing him to start over from sandanme again. Nevertheless, after his return, he recorded a total of 18 wins and 3 losses in the three tournaments since his return, and has again returned to sekitori status. This is the first time in history that an ex-sekitori has returned to sekitori after dropping down to Sandanme twice.
 

[Kintamayama]

Sekiwake Wakatakakage, who is aiming for Ozeki this basho, did full-scale training ahead of the basho today at his heya. He fought a total of seven consecutive matches against Sekiwake Kirishima, who came to train, Maegashira Wakamotoharu  and Juryo Daiseizan, finishing with 6 wins and 1 loss. The breakdown of the matches is as follows:

○ Daiseizan (yorikiri)

● Wakamotoharu (yorikiri)

○ Wakamotoharu (yorikiri)

○ Wakamotoharu (yorikiri)

○ Kirishima (yorikiri)

○ Kirishima (yorikiri)

○ Kirishima (oshidashi)

In addition to his signature left thrust, he also frequently used a right nodowa to push. On the night of the 4th, he developed a high fever of around 38.5 degrees, and did not practice sumo for three days after the YDC soken on the 5th. Despite this, he continued to practice for four more days.

This will be his first clear attempt to become an Ozeki, but he said, "Everything is as usual," and he will approach the tournament with the same mindset as in previous tournaments. He will be receiving more attention than ever before, but he expressed his strong determination, saying, "I want to fight my hardest so I can make it happen." His Oyakata, who watched his training, also commented, "He had a fever on the 1st, but it didn't affect him and he did what he had to do. He usually has knee pains before tournaments, but that didn't happen this time, so he was able to practice. Tomorrow is a day off. The younger wrestlers will be wrestling on Saturday, but I think Wakatakakage will be taking it easy..." He was pleased with how well Wakatakakage is doing after suffering a serious right knee injury in Haru  2023, and he gave his stamp of approval that he is doing well this time and that he is fully prepared to take on this decisive attempt to climb to Ozeki.

[Kintamayama]

Sekiwake Kirishima had his first full-scale training ahead of Aki basho. Today he went to Arashio beya for degeiko, where he had five bouts against sekiwake Wakatakakage and others, finishing with one win and four losses. Concerned about his right wrist, which he injured during keiko at the summer jungyo, he withdrew from the bouts midway today and iced the injured area outside the heya. "I couldn't do serious keiko the way I wanted to. I couldn't even complete the number of bouts I had planned. Last tournament, I went from 8-2 (with five straight losses) to 8-7. Rather than being satisfied with a winning record, I want to work hard to achieve double-digit wins." He set a goal of achieving double-digit wins and establishing a new starting point for his return to Ozeki.