Haru 2025 Day Thirteen
Just the final weekend is left in the March sumo tournament, and here is how everyone is situated for their last two matches.
Public League Leaderboard
Scores from Fantasizr
Yusho Arasoi
11 Wins
14 Maegashira #4 East Takayasu
10 Wins
02 Ozeki East Onosato
9 Wins
04 Sekiwake East Daieisho
19 Maegashira #6 West Takerufuji
21 Maegashira #7 West Tamawashi
35 Maegashira #14 West Churanoumi
36 Maegashira #15 East Aonishiki
42 Maegashira #18 East Tokihayate
Notable Maneuvers
Tsuppari. More a strategy than a kimarite, the two-handed thrust was the big winner on Day Thirteen. Takayasu took his attack right to Wakamotoharu and never let up. Aonishiki learned that Daieisho can use it to disrupt an attack. Then Onosato picked up a crucial loss when Oho went right for his chest with both hands.
Match of the Day
35 Maegashira #14 West Churanoumi versus 21 Maegashira #7 West Tamawashi
These two have been on the fringes of the yusho race all basho, and had the kind of match that happens when you want to put extra effort into just one more win. Churanoumi knew he needed to go inside to beat Tamawashi’s thrusting. It half-worked, which meant Tamawashi was pushing but not very effectively. They moved around the dohyo semi-engaging and semi-shoving. Churanoumi kept close to never allow Tamawashi to get into full thrust. As he was getting Tamawashi backwards, Churanoumi’s extra shove made him fall as Tamwashi was stepping out. The gyoji pointed to Tamawashi, but the shimpan had a short mono-ii to reverse the decision.
Recap
Onosato’s loss was critical. He is now one loss back of Takayasu, putting his Yusho chances a little further out of reach. Credit should go to Oho for the strategy and the effort, but Onosato’s last piece of the puzzle is figuring out how to beat someone who surprises him. As though it needed to be demonstrated perfectly, Takayasu faced Wakamotoharu and went with a different style to win. That means Takayasu is the sole leader.
Remarkably, Onosato is the sole rikishi just one loss back. Takerufuji, Tamawashi, and Aonishiki all picked up a fourth loss on Day Thirteen. Individually, one of their matches were terrible losses. Takerufuji fell to a reinvigorated Kotozakura. Tamawashi faced the always going Churanoumi. Aonishiki lost the first time he saw a Sanyaku wrestler, as Daieisho proved he needed more to be moved back. Collectively, their losses create an odd situation for the final weekend.
Takayasu wins both of his final matches, and we will all be celebrating the veteran’s first career yusho. He goes 1-1, and he has a playoff with Onosato at a minimum. Onosato will need to win both of his matches for that particular situation to occur. Behind them are 6 rikishi hoping Takayasu loses both of his weekend bouts, while Onosato drops at least one. That is how an 11-4 multi-man playoff occurs.
11-4 yushos are rare but not unheard of in Makuuchi. The last time was Takakeisho’s last championship in November of 2023. Before that, it happened with Harumafuji in November 2017, and the time before was Musashimaru’s victory in November 1996. So it’s a live possibility with this basho, but those 9-4 rikishi need a lot to go right. Most especially, any 9-4 rikishi needs to win both of their final matches to get to a playoff.
Interestingly, the 9-4 rikishi can help make it happen. Daieisho sees Onosato in the penultimate match of Day Fourteen. Churanoumi gets a chance to put dirt on Takayasu. Elsewhere, there are two all-9-4 matchups, with Tokihayate-Tamawashi and Takerufuji-Aonishiki immediately preceding Takayasu’s bout with Churanoumi. The results of Day Thirteen means Day Fourteen could give us a yusho winner, or it could make an odd playoff more likely.