Haru 2025 Lower Division Review

Although Makuuchi takes most of our attention during a basho, we shouldn't ignore what happens in sumo's lower levels.

Fantasy Basho is largely focused on the top Makuuchi division, for a host of reasons. Not only is it the chief concern for most sumo fans, following it during a basho takes more than enough brainpower and focus. Yet lots of action takes place in the six lower divisions during a basho.

Here’s a look at what happened in the five lower divisions in Osaka.

Juryo

Kusano absolutely dominated the second division in March. He went 14-1, and had the yusho clinched after 12 days. He was also 12-0 at that point. While he did have a fusen win, plus a match against a Makushita opponent, that didn’t matter. His next closest competitor was Roga at 11-4. Hidenoumi was the only other Juryo rikishi at 10 wins.

Kusano is a Makushita Tsukedashi wrestler who entered at Makushita 60 in May of last year after a stellar amateur career at Nihon University. He hasn’t exactly had the Onosato track of getting to Makuuchi in record time, but he’s been good. In 5 Makushita basho, he never had a losing record. In his sixth, he tore apart Juryo. He has yet to grow his hair out enough to get up into any kind of top-knot. He has an outside chance at being in Makuuchi in May. From Juryo #14 West, he needed a strong basho and Banzuke luck. Retirements may be the only way for the latter.

Kusano (草野) is his family name, not a shikona. Watch if and when he gets one. He is officially in Isegahama stable, but was recruited by the former Hakuho to join Miyagino stable. However, he went with Miyagino-oyakata and all his wrestlers to Isegahama after the Hokuseiho scandal. If Kusano gets a shikona ending in -ho (鵬), assume Miyagino is breaking back out. If he gets -fuji (富士), then maybe everyone is staying at Isegahama. Perhaps he will turn into Terunoho (照ノ鵬), honoring the two former Yokozuna coaching at Isegahama. (Or he could just keep his family name, joining the likes of Takayasu, Endo, and Ura. As always, don’t read too much into a sumo wrestler’s name, even though you could read anything into it.)

The rest of Juryo was disappointing in March. Like Kusano, Ostuji also made his division debut and went 5-10. Nabatame and Kiryuko both had to pull out with injury midway through. Largely, it was guys hanging in there.

Makushita

Sumo’s toughest division to get a yusho in (because there are over 100 wrestlers AND the guys at the top are all fighting hard for sekitori status) went to Oshoryu. If you’ve been monitoring the lower divisions for awhile, you may recognize the name Oshoryu. As Motobayashi, his family name, he was Naruto-beya’s first potential star. Coming into the bottom ranks after a University career in 2019, Motobayashi went 7-0 on his first three basho. He even got three more wins to start his fourth.

After that, he adopted the ringname of Oshoryu and all his luck seemed to run out. Upper Makushita proved a massive problem for him. Then he got injured. Then he got seriously injured, missing three straight basho from November 2022 to March 2023. He bounced back up, but also missed another whole basho in July. He went undefeated in March from Makushita 28. That puts him back in possibly-promotable range in May.

Oshoryu beat Enho, Akua, and Kawazoe, all former sekitori, over the final three days to give them their only losses and seal his championship.

Another notable name in the 6-1 group was Goshima. Goshima was a Makushita Tsukedashi for March, after completing his time at Tokushoku University. He is a pusher-thruster who is an absolute widebody. Also debuting as Makushita Tsukedashi was Goshima’s stablemate Fukuzaki, who is just 18. He went “just” 5-2, but showed a little more variety in his offense. Both are still fighting under family names, but that feels like it’s going to change sooner rather than later for both of them.

Sandanme

Anyone recently following sumo recently is certainly familiar with the Sandanme champion. Asanoyama came back from three basho off from injury to earn his second career Sandanme yusho. This is also his second Sandanme yusho after falling down the rankings because of not appearing in multiple basho. Then he had been an Ozeki who fell down the rankings from a COVID-violation suspension. This time he’s coming back from an ACL injury. He’s certainly had an unusual career so far, and he is apparently adding another interesting chapter to it.

The last 6-0 rikishi was Asanoyama’s stablemate Asagyokusei, who is somehow a year older than Asanoyama. He lost his final match to Daishoryu, robbing Sandanme of a playoff. Daishoryu is relatively youthful at 22, but has struggled to stick in Makushita. The standout actual prospect in the fourth division was Ikarigata (碇潟). He is 18, fighting for Isenoumi-beya, and is now 12-2 in two career basho. He favors the oshidashi, and Google says his name means “Anchor Lake.” If he makes it, expect that to be used frequently in this space.

Jonidan

The Jonidan winner was Daikisho of Oitekaze-beya. His 7-0 Jonidan record comes immediately after he went 7-0 for a Jonokuchi yusho. Don’t get too excited just yet, as he is another wrestler who is recovering from an injury-induced drop down the Banzuke. Daikisho is a 24 year old that’s mostly been a Makushita-Sandanme yo-yo rikishi when healthy, so he’s definitely above this level. He just may not be that far above it.

The intriguing prospect who was a Jonidan contender was Wakaikazuchi. Wakaikazuchi got his second 6-1 record in as many career basho. He fights for Ikazuchi-beya, making his shikona slightly funny. It’s basically “Young Ikazuchi,” as close as a sumo ring name can get to “Hey, stable’s interesting youngster over here!” At the opposite end of the age spectrum is Hienriki. He is a 42 year old who has been in sumo since 1998. Fighting for Oshiogawa-beya, he has only had one Makushita basho. Yet he’s still fighting and almost got a Jonidan yusho.

Jonokuchi

Chiyotenfu won the Jonokuchi yusho, and–stop me if this sounds familiar–he is returning from a few basho off due to injury. In fact, he had to get on the dohyo once in January so he could stay on the Banzuke for March. It worked, and he has a yusho for sumo’s bottom division. Chiyotenfu is 25, on his third shikona, and has never gotten above Sandanme. He beat perennial punching bag Sawaisamu, a 48 year old who has never gotten above Jonidan, to kick off his basho. It was a telling start.

There were intriguing youngsters in Jonokuchi. Take Sunasaka. He is 18 and had his first real basho, after being in Maezumo in January. He went 6-1, only losing to Tenrosei. Tenrosei is an 18-year-old Mongolian, and is Shikoroyama’s resident foreigner. He only lost to Chiyotenfu and Kobayashi, two Sandanme rikishi who fell down because of injury. Nothing is guaranteed, but both clearly have the potential to move up fairly quickly.