Hatsu 2026 Lower Division Review
Here's a look at everything that happened below Makuuchi in the January sumo tournament.
Like most sumo watchers, I spend the fifteen days of the basho focused on the top division. Makuuchi is not only the place where the official champion is decided, it is the one with the most coverage in conversation. Also, it’s the only division with a Fantasy Basho game. (Although I’ve pondered a bigger game for Juryo–maybe if I can get enough paid subscribers to justify it.) So I keep an eye on the lower divisions somewhat, but more as a way of seeing the big stories.
That’s why I put together a lower division review. I like seeing what happened in Juryo, Makushita, Sandanme, Jonidan, and Jonokuchi, even if I do it in retrospect. Hatsu 2026 will be known as Aonishiki’s basho, since he won a yusho in his Ozeki debut in a thrilling playoff. Yet 6 other rikishi technically earned a yusho. There were other interesting aspects littered across the lower divisions. I can’t possibly cover what happened to the hundreds of rikishi in Ozumo. But look below for a few paragraphs covering highlights from each division.
Juryo
The first Juryo champion for 2026 was Wakanosho, who stormed to a 12-3 from Juryo #11 East. Wakanosho is a 22 year old wrestling out of Tokiwayama and joined sumo three years ago. His Juryo performance was his career best, not only because he did it in Juryo but he won his first championship at any level. Wakanosho quickly progressed through the lower three divisions, but had 18 months slowly climbing through Makushita. He also first made Juryo a year ago, but suffered a bad enough injury to fall back down due to missed time.
This may not be a future star, but all signs point to him being a future Makuuchi mainstay. Wakanosho is not particularly tall at 177 cm. He favors pushing to an absurd degree, but he is also now a member of Minatogawa-beya after his stable was officially taken over by former Ozeki Takakeisho. Minatogawa-oyakata had been hanging around the heya since his departure from active competition in preparation for Tokiwayama to leave at the mandatory retirement age. There could be a huge benefit to Wakanosho having a pushing master as his new master.
Wakanosho won’t make it to Makuuchi for March, because he was ranked so low in Juryo. Kotoeiho is guaranteed a return to the top division after going 8-7 from Juryo #1 East. Fujiseiun is also assured of promotion, as he went 11-4 at Juryo #1 West. Fujiseiun seems more exciting as a shin-Makuuchi man in March. But Fujiseiun is 28 and spent his last year-and-a-half in the second division. Fujiseiun likely won’t rocket up the Banzuke, and Kotoeiho probably still has a chance for growth to make it to Sanyaku over time
The identity of the third promotion is unclear because there aren’t three obvious demotion candidates from Makuuchi. Hatsuyama was a disaster at the bottom of Makuuchi and is definitely gone, but the next-lowest-ranked wrestler with a losing record is Maegashira #14 Mitakeumi with a bare 7-8. Right above him was Tomokaze at 4-11 and Tobizaru at 7-8. Mitakeumi and Tobizaru would be very hard done by with a demotion.
However, Fujiryoga was 9-6 at Juryo #3 East. A 22 year old who entered sumo as a Makushita Tsukedashi from Takushoku University in March 2025, he also won the Juryo yusho last time out. He is a widebodied pusher-thruster who steamrolls people. He absolutely deserves a shot at the top division, which would mean a third demotion from Makuuchi. Tobizaru and Mitakeumi have been huge parts of the top division over the last decade, but new blood would be much more interesting.
Makushita
Your Makushita champion for Hatsu 2026 was Nobehara, fighting from Makushita #54 East. This was the kind of champion Makushita sometimes produces. Nobehara has spent the bulk of his career bouncing between Makushita and Sandanme. He has only firmly been in the third division for about a year, and he hadn’t had a winning record since last March. When you only need seven wins to determine a champion, these things can happen. His final win was a good one, defeating former top division man and fan-favorite mighty mite Enho on his quest to return to sekitori status after injury. So there is that.
The men rising from Makushita to Juryo have already been announced, as usual, so they can get kesho-mawashi ready for March. Former Maegashira Shimazuumi gets back to sekitori-dom after a year away from the salaried ranks thanks to injury. Making their Juryo debuts are Toshinofuji and Fukuzaki–who is also getting rechristened to Fujitensei. Toshinofuji was a former Miyagino recruit from Mongolia now plying his trade at Isegahama, and he was renamed from Seihakuho in January. He is 25, tall, and has been a steady riser up the rankings who finally gets to chance in Juryo.
Fujitensei is much more interesting. He is 19, the first Makushita Tsukedashi from high school under the 2023 rules. In the pro ranks, he has a 29-13 career record. He makes up for less than ideal size with a range of skills. Fujitensei may need a moment of adjustment to Juryo before he makes his Makuuchi debut, but he is an exciting young prospect to watch.
Sandanme
Hananofuji won the Sandanme yusho in January, and if that name is unfamiliar it is because he made it to Juryo under his birth name Kawazoe and then competed as Kiho. After dropping down because of injury, he reverted to Kawazoe. He’s missed five whole basho because of injury and had two others where he competed once to not completely drop off the rankings. At 26, he is too good for this level.
Special mention should be made for Ryuho. The 18 year old from Otowayama went 6-1 to make it to 19-2 for his brief career. He also got rocketed to Sandanme #33 after winning the Jonokuchi yusho in November. There is an outside chance Ryuho makes it to Makushita for March, and if he doesn’t he is on a fast track overall.
Jonidan
Jonidan was won in January by another Otowayama man, Koseiryu. Koseiryu is a weird competitor. He is 25, the son of a former Maegashira, and apparently went to college in America before joining sumo. He’s been good, except when he was injured in Sandanme last time out. He’s also a lot older than most Jonidan men.
Jonidan didn’t feature a ton of young rikishi showing out, but it did feature some older wrestlers hanging on. Wakazakura, Asanojo, and Tochikasuga all went 6-1. Wakazakura is 30, which is much older than most competitors. But Asanojo turns 40 before the next basho, which is a phenomenal bit of longevity for someone who only has one Makushita basho in his career. Tochikasuga is an astonishing 42 years old, making him older than the Iron Man himself, Tamawashi. He never made it to Makushita, with a career high rank of Sandanme #23. He has just been toiling away from Kasugano-beya since 1999, before most of his opponents were born.
Jonokuchi
Jonokuchi belonged to Asahifuji in January, although the drama was mostly confined to his first and last match. Asahifuji was perhaps the most absurdly hyped debutant without a strong amateur pedigree. His years spent only training at Isegahama made him obviously better than most beginners. Someone who could match up with him was fellow debutant Tenshoyama, a towering Mongolian who competed at Toyo University. They met on Day One since they were ranked side-by-side. Asahifuji got the hard fought victory. Tenshoyama didn’t lose again, but it didn’t matter since Asahifuji also won out and stood at 7-0 by Day Fifteen.
Also at 7-0 was Asahifuji’s stablemate Aoifuji, a rikishi who had fallen back to the lowest division through injury. The two Isegahama rikishi squared off in a playoff, where Asahifuji prevailed with an oshidashi. Asahifuji’s future potential is still uncertain, but he did everything asked of him in his debut and now it’s up to see how he’ll do in Jonidan.