Haru 2025 Day Twelve
A dozen days of this sumo tournament, and the yusho race keeps shifting every day.
Public League Leaderboard
Scores from Fantasizr
Yusho Arasoi
10 Wins
02 Ozeki East Onosato
14 Maegashira #4 East Takayasu
9 Wins
19 Maegashira #6 West Takerufuji
21 Maegashira #7 West Tamawashi
36 Maegashira #15 East Aonishiki
Notable Maneuvers
Hatakikomi. Onosato oddly decided to put his hands down first, and it looked like a mistake when Takerufuji went into him fast at the tachiai. However, Onosato apparently can be solid when pulling. He put his hands hard on the back of Takerufuji’s neck, lifted one leg to stay in, and won with a hard slapdown.
Match of the Day
04 Sekiwake East Daieisho versus 03 Ozeki West Kotozakura
Kotozakura took Daieisho’s tachiai well enough, but it looked like Daieisho could regroup for an easy win. The Ozeki then pushed back on Daieisho, fighting the Sekiwake’s kind of match. Weirdly, it advantaged Kotozakura. The match moved back to the middle, then Daieisho shoved back Kotozakura again. Yet the slapfest continued, and Kotozakura put his arms under for a less-than-ideal grip. It was still enough to move Daieisho backwards and give Kotozakura an important win. One more and he keeps his Ozeki rank, which should not bode well for his last three opponents.
Recap
Onosato got the big win against Takerufuji. It wasn’t quite the exciting match it could have been, but Onosato had the ability to win over Takerufuji with an easy slapdown. That gave him the share of the lead with three more matches. Onosato should be a favorite against anyone at this point, and three more wins puts him in Yokozuna race territory. Yet he needs those three wins, and he may need a playoff even if he wins out.
The playoff possibility is alive because Takayasu also won on Day Twelve, making him the other rikishi at 10-2. Since Onosato and Takayasu met on Day Ten, they both can win all three of their remaining matches. Takayasu had a bit of a sloppy match against a desperate Oho. Despite the awkward shoving and Oho spinning around, Takayasu was also in control of the match from the start. He looks to be in as good shape as he has been in years. He, too, should probably be favored from here on out.
Onosato and Takayasu will still have work over the last three days, although who exactly they’ll be working against is uncertain. On Day Thirteen, Onosato faces Oho in the final match. Oho is already 4-8, so he’s not the toughest opponent. He is simply a Sekiwake Onosato needs to face. Takayasu will battle Wakamotoharu, who does need to win out for a kachi-koshi. That is probably not a fun matchup for Takayasu.
The three rikishi at 9-3 are getting relative challenges. Aonishiki is jumping up to get his first Sanyaku opponent on Day Thirteen, when he collides with Daieisho. This is the first major test for Aonishiki in his first Makuuchi basho. A win would be truly impressive. Takerufuji gets to face Kotozakura to show if he’s ready to handle Ozeki on the regular. Tamawashi sees the 8-4 Churanoumi, who has been another standout this basho.
From there, the opponents for Onosato and Takayasu can be decided. Kotozakura should be Onosato’s final opponent, as they are the two Ozeki in a now-Yokozuna-less basho. Presumably, his penultimate opponent should be someone who is 10-3 after Day Thirteen, so watch who wins between Aonishiki and Tamawashi. Takayasu also hasn’t faced that pair, either. Onosato and Takayasu have the inside track, but pay attention to a few other matches to see what will happen to the co-leaders.