Natsu 2025 Day Six
The May tournament marches on, as the leaderboard gets thinned each day.
Public League Leaderboard
Scores from Fantasizr
Yusho Arasoi
6 Wins
02 Ozeki East Onosato
20 Maegashira #7 East Hakuoho
5 Wins
04 Sekiwake East Daieisho
07 Komusubi West Wakatakakage
24 Maegashira #9 East Aonishiki
39 Maegashira #16 West Nishikigi
41 Maegashira #17 West Asakoryu
Notable Maneuvers
Sotogake. Kirishima was seemingly handling Wakamotoharu, but he wasn’t getting that crucial final push and Wakamotoharu is a scrapper. So Kirishima decided to finish the job by looping his right leg around Wakamotoharu’s left for an outside leg trip.
Match of the Day
14 Maegashira #4 East Takerufuji versus 03 Ozeki West Kotozakura
Takerufuji went right at Kotozakura, which seemed to trouble the Ozeki. There was a way in which this one looked like the matches where Kotozakura can’t do anything. He was getting too upright and not going forward. Then as he does, he found his feet, causing trouble for Takerufuji. That left Takerufuji going for a throw, and that sent both men reeling. That still seemed like Takerufuji would win, but the Ozeki grabbed his thigh as they were falling. Takerufuji’s calf hit just before Kotozakura’s elbow.
Recap
The ranks of the undefeated was cut in half. Nishikigi was easily marched out in the day’s opening match by Asakoryu. Later in the Makuuchi slate, Daieisho got just sideways to Hiradoumi to lose to a very easy slapdown. Meanwhile, Onosato took Gonoyama’s best tachiai and then sent him backwards, and Hakuoho worked through Ura’s up-and-under attempts to get a yorikiri. The two are now the only rikishi remaining unbeaten.
Onosato is aiming for a Yokozuna promotion, and his sumo looks like Yokozuna sumo. Once again, he took a hard shove to the face, then easily won. Perhaps a message got around every sumo stable that Onosato would be bothered by a nodowa or other attack to the head. It looks like he can beat that, so rikishi need another approach. Onosato is so big, so strong, so powerful, so quick, and so gifted that there may not be a good approach other than going all out. Onosato could completely dominate anyone.
That doesn’t mean Hakuoho doesn’t have a yusho chance. In his first ever meeting with Ura, Hakuoho made sure the Pink Prince of Technique never got his tricks going. He displayed immense maturity for a young rikishi, while also exhibiting that he is as strong as anyone once locked in. Getting moved back by Hakuoho is a recipe to step out in a matter of seconds. There is an additional thing to watch for Hakuoho over the next few days. Maegashira #7 is a strange spot, because his schedule could get tougher. He gets Maegashira #4 West Ichiyamamoto on Day Seven, and it’s the highest ranked rikishi he’s seen so far.
The quintet at 5-1 also still has the chance to make hay in the yusho race of course, but Onosato’s standard is clearly high and Hakuoho is a win ahead as well. Nishikigi and Asakoryu are the surprise lower-Maegashira, and they get a few more shots at lower Maegashira. Daieisho and Wakatakakage are high-ranked former yusho winners. Daieisho even still has a shot at getting 13 wins and an Ozeki promotion.
Then there’s Aonishiki. No one should expect a just-turned 22 year old to be in a yusho race in his second Makuuchi basho. Yet he keeps impressing with every day. On Day Six, he not only survived a Shodai throw attempt, but used it to throw Shodai himself. This is an incredibly talented young sumotori who will be making hay in the top division for awhile. Yet the challenge in this Natsu basho is that he is still behind the Yokozuna candidate Onosato and another good young rikishi with talent in Hakuoho. The standards will be high this basho, and it’s being set by youth.