Kyushu 2025 Day Seven
One week of matches is complete for the November sumo tournament, and the contenders keep getting whittled down.
Public League Leaderboard
Scores from Fantasizr
Yusho Arasoi
7 Wins
01 Yokozuna East Onosato
6 Wins
04 Sekiwake East Aonishiki
16 Maegashira #5 East Yoshinofuji
30 Maegashira #12 East Fujinokawa
Notable Maneuvers
Uwatehineri. Ura made an Onosato match a little more interesting than usual by doing his pushing-poking-up-and-under thing that actually got Onosato moving. But Onosato’s size and ring sense meant he could grab the back of Ura’s mawashi and pull him down as he went backwards for the twisting over arm throw.
Match of the Day
04 Sekiwake East Aonishiki versus 07 Komusubi West Takayasu
Aonishiki was clearly wary of Takayasu’s forearm blast at the tachiai and began defensive. So this became an odd pushing battle at the start. The Blue Badge of Ukraine still got slightly lower than the Old Bear, but not in any way that got a hold. Takayasu got the advantage and looked he had Aonishiki dead to rights. Then Aonishiki moved away from the tawara to re-engage. Takayasu still had the power to push Aonishiki back, and then the young star pulled the miracle. Aonishiki went for a trip, which Takayasu blocked only enough to stay upright. Aonishiki was then behind Takayasu and was able to push him out.
Recap
Onosato kept his perfect record, although he sweat more than usual against Ura. The real action happened immediately behind Onosato. Atamifuji, Tokihayate, and Asakoryu all picked up their second losses. Only three rikishi remain on one-loss after a week of matches: 21-year-old Aonishiki, 24-year-old Yoshinofuji, and 20-year-old Fujinokawa. All of them have also debuted in Makuuchi during 2025. 25-year-old Yokozuna Onosato is the aged veteran in this crowd.
There are 6 rikishi at 5-2 with 8 days of sumo remaining. The Kyusho basho is not out of reach for any of them, although there is plenty of work to be done and a lot of luck is necessary. 5-2 is incredibly respectable. When an extremely powerful and skilled Yokozuna is at 7-0 and there’s a group of talented youngsters at 6-1, two losses is a lot in the first week. Hoshoryu, in particular, can overcome this gap, but it will be a tough row to hoe.
Onosato is obviously strong, athletic, and seemingly unable to be rattled. Ura tried his best on Day Seven, and he got a faceful of dirt in the end. Aonishiki, Yoshinofuji, and Fujinokawa are all also fighting in ways that match their records. Aonishiki’s footwork combines with his flexibility to make any position recoverable. On top of that, he has a bag of kimarite that can beat anyone. Yoshinofuji is a classic example of just knowing what he is doing out there, getting a deep grip for a strong yorikiri in almost every match. Fujinokawa has an absurd amount of strength for a smaller rikishi, which he also has a knack for using well.
Assuming one of the youthful trio at 6-1 will slip up in the second week of the basho is rational. Veteran rikishi could find them out and pull off the kind of simple sumo that is their particular weakness. Each of them have all lost one match already, after all. This can happen again, but there is a question of who would beat them. The nature of sumo means they will have to face off at some point, too.
They also will see both Yokozuna. Everyone who is not Onosato will be looking to do the possibly impossible and beat Onosato. Hoshoryu will be looking to beat everyone else, which he is certainly more than capable of doing. Onosato versus Hoshoryu will be the final match of the final day. To get there with a yusho on the line, Onosato needs to drop at least one match. Hoshoryu also needs the youngsters at 6-1 to slip up somewhere other than his match. And that’s just what’s been set up through the first week.