Nagoya 2025 Day Seven
With one week down, the July sumo tournament is now wide open.
Public League Leaderboard
Scores from Fantasizr
Yusho Arasoi
6 Wins
02 Yokozuna West Onosato
05 Sekiwake #1 West Kirishima
16 Maegashira #4 West Tamawashi
24 Maegashira #8 West Ichiyamamoto
35 Maegashira #14 East Kusano
40 Maegashira #16 West Mitakeumi
5 Wins
03 Ozeki East Kotozakura
08 Komusubi West Takayasu
09 Maegashira #1 East Aonishiki
20 Maegashira #6 West Gonoyama
25 Maegashira #9 East Ura
27 Maegashira #10 East Atamifuji
36 Maegashira #14 West Fujinokawa
37 Maegashira #15 East Kotoshoho
Notable Maneuvers
Fujinokawa won by tsukiotoshi, the basic thrust down. But the thing that gave him the edge over Mitakeumi was his initial move, where he went to the side to grab Mitakeumi’s left arm and not allow the previously undefeated former Ozeki to go head on.
Match of the Day
07 Komusubi East Oshoma versus 09 Maegashira #1 East Aonishiki
Aonishiki is apparently unable to have a boring match, even on a day where seemingly every other bout had someone go sideways and the other guy fall down. Oshoma did what everyone seems to have decided is the way to attack Aonishiki, starting by thrusting at Aonishiki’s chest and then down as the Ukrainian tries to get in. Instead, Aonishiki just took repeated hits to the head as he kept going at Oshoma. With all arms flailing, Oshoma went backwards and around until he was off the dohyo.
Recap
Mitakeumi’s loss blew the yusho race back open, although it was pretty wide with him sitting as the sole leader. More worrying from him was the way he lost. Fujinokawa just had to get to his side, and Mitakeumi couldn’t recover much at all. That could spell trouble for him, as he was more successful with smart sumo instead of powerful athleticism.
And he’s got a lot of contenders tied with him now, so each loss will matter greatly. Onosato leads the way now as the Yokozuna, but there are six rikishi at 6-1. He once again took the initial blow and just redirected the match after keeping his feet planted. It’s a little more impressive than usual as Kinbozan is so big. Onosato looks incredibly tough to beat right now, and he’ll face anyone in contention in the final days.
A clutch of rikishi could be in that kind of yusho contention. Kirishima is a former Ozeki who may possibly still get the promotion once again. He has one loss and if he pulls off a winning streak through the end of July, he’s got a yusho and an Ozeki rank for a second time. Tamawashi keeps defying aging trends by being 6-1 as a 40 year old. Ichiyamamoto and Mitakeumi seem to have found a better form of sumo for their current skillsets as they age. Kusano is a debutant who has kept up his pace from two sensational Juryo basho.
Individually, that group doesn’t feature anyone who feels like they are a serious threat to Onosato. (Hint: no one looks like a threat to him.) But collectively, someone could easily pull a surprise and jump up to be his final day threat. The 5-2 crowd isn’t exactly full of jokers. There’s the current Ozeki, Kotozakura, looking like he’s finding his rhythm again. Takayasu and Aonishiki have good records after seeing most of their toughest matches. Gonoyama, Ura, Atamifuji, and Kotoshoho are each on their best form. Fujinokawa is a debutant feeling his way into top-division sumo, but succeeding.
By the end of next week, the group will have naturally thinned. That’s how a sumo tournament is built. As the basho progresses, the contenders have to face each other. Since sumo is a zero-sum game, there will be one winner and one loser in each match. That produces a final day or two where contenders get sorted. Right now, with eight more matches, a whole mess of rikishi could be the final contenders.