Nagoya 2025 Day Twelve
After twelve days of sumo in July, the yusho race is still running fairly open.
Public League Leaderboard
Scores from Fantasizr
Yusho Arasoi
10 Wins
09 Maegashira #1 East Aonishiki
37 Maegashira #15 East Kotoshoho
9 Wins
02 Yokozuna West Onosato
24 Maegashira #8 West Ichiyamamoto
27 Maegashira #10 East Atamifuji
35 Maegashira #14 East Kusano
Notable Maneuvers
Shitatenage. Aonishiki blocked Tamawashi’s tsuppari at, which was smart enough for the youngster. But then after getting locked up with the Ageless Wonder, Aonishiki won by perfectly executing an underarm throw that demonstrated his power.
Match of the Day
24 Maegashira #8 West Ichiyamamoto versus 02 Yokozuna West Onosato
At the tachiai, Ichiyamamoto went right after Onosato. Onosato is still big enough that he wasn’t immediately thrown backwards, but the Yokozuna was stood up with arms flying at him early. Then Onosato decided to go backwards and pull, which meant Ichiyamamoto could give a hard shove. As Ichiyamamoto was flying sideways, Onosato stepped back but not quite out. The Gyoji pointed to Ichiyamamoto, but the judges declared a mono-ii and then torinaoshi because whether Ichiyamamoto was flat or Onosato was outside the dohyo first was unclear.
On Round Two, Onosato was once again a little caught at the tachiai. But this time, he kept going forward, so even when Ichiyamamoto tried to gain offense it was hopeless. The Yokozuna didn’t look great overall, but showed his power and size is too much for most rikishi.
Recap
With losses by Ichiyamamoto and Kusano, the leadership group was reduced in half. Now, the pair leading the yusho race on two losses are Aonishiki and Kotoshoho. Both men are surprising leaders this late in a basho, especially as both are Maegashira. Kotoshoho, in particular, is quite a low-ranked Maegashira, but his quality has always been evident when he has been in-shape on on-form enough previously.
Aonishiki continues to be a revelation. He is coming off 11 wins in his two previous Makuuchi basho. Those were also his only Makuuchi basho, as he’s a 21-year old Ukrainian who joined Ozumo less than two years ago. He jumped into this basho ranked Maegashira #1 East, which is a recipe to get roasted by the Sanyaku in the first few matches. Instead, Aonishiki beat Kotozakura, Hoshoryu, Wakatakakage, and Kirishima in the opening week. His only losses were early ones to Onosato and Takayasu. All the while, he’s continued to pull off unusual techniques and powerful throws.
He’s still not a shoo-in for the yusho. The leading duo are just one loss ahead of a quartet led by Yokozuna Onosato, joined by Maegashira Ichiyamamoto, Atamifuji, and Kusano. Those last three are rikishi Aonishiki has not faced, while Kotoshoho has squared off with Kusano but no others. That shifts on Day Thirteen, as Aonishiki-Ichiyamamoto and Onosato-Kotoshoho is scheduled. Just assume that if both current leaders win that they’ll keep with tough matches. They also need to see each other.
Atamifuji and Kusano also have notably tough matchups, with Atamifuji squaring off with Kotozakura and Kusano battling Kirishima. Kotozakura put away Kirishima on Day Twelve in a sign he is gunning for 8 wins as hard as he can. Kirishima needs a few more wins to keep Ozeki hopes for Aki alive. If Atamifuji or Kusano win on Day Thirteen, and it’s a big if, they’ll just be in line for Onosato or Aonishiki or both over the final weekend.
The Yusho race is the most interesting portion of this basho as we face the last three days. Oshoma will be crashing out of Sanyaku, along with the injured Daieisho, and Aonishiki has already guaranteed he’ll stroll into a Sanyaku spot. Nobody else is close. At the bottom of the Banzuke, Endo, Hidenoumi, Kayo, Kotoeiho, and Shishi have already accrued demotion-worthy records. (Reminder: The Banzuke committee can do what they want as long as winning records go up in rank and losing records don’t.) Yet with “only” the Yusho race to watch closely, this one is still exciting.