Natsu 2025 Day Three
Three days in, and the basho is beginning to take shape.
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Notable Maneuvers
Hatakikomi, I guess. Oho beat old rival and Yokozuna Hoshoryu by grabbing his arm and pulling hard as Hoss got over his skis. Somehow the exact way Hoshoryu went down and how they engaged, that became a slap down for some reason.
Match of the Day
26 Maegashira #10 East Meisei versus 23 Maegashira #8 West Kinbozan
Neither Meisei nor Kinbozan were necessarily fighting like they were going to emerge in the yusho race, but that made this match have an air of desperation even if it’s only Day Three. Kinbozan made Meisei move backwards, which wasn’t too surprising, and then Meisei recovered which also wasn’t a shocker. Then they sort of engaged as Meisei flailed at an increasingly frustrated Kinbozan. Meisei at one point grabbed Kinbozan’s arm and pulled in a way that suggested both might fall over. Eventually, Kinbozan couldn’t keep himself together as Meisei awkwardly pushed and held on his arms. This wild one ended in the basic yorikiri of all things.
Recap
Hoshoryu’s loss is the big story of the Day. Oho picks up the kinboshi, while also moving to 3-0 himself. Oho beating Hoshoryu isn’t a shocker, because he is now 6-4 over the Yokozuna for their careers. Oho also is in his best fighting form. Yet Hoshoryu also should not be losing to Maegashira too often, plus he never really got into this match. The loss is an issue on paper, but being easily yanked aside and down isn’t great for the Yokozuna.
Kotozakura also lost, unable to handle moving backwards once Wakatakakage engaged on the belt. The Ozeki is likely still a little injured, and if he can’t compete in the yusho race, that will change lots of how this basho proceeds. He will almost certainly stick around unless he seriously injures himself. Just lower the expectation to “Can he scrape through for 8 wins?” instead of “Can he win another yusho?”
The real beneficiary for the losses from Hoshoryu and Kotozakura is, of course, Onosato. Onosato moved another step closer to Yokozuna promotion with some Yokozuna sumo. Abi came at full force with his signature sumo, which resulted in Onosato’s chin getting pushed back into the air. Despite staring at the ceiling, Onosato moved his arms up to block and positively overwhelm Abi for the rear push out.
Onosato is joined at 3-0 by Daieisho, Oho, Takerufuji, Hakuoho, Endo, and Nishikigi. The last two are veterans who struggled in March, but have been focused again this basho. This trend shouldn’t continue. The other are all legitimate yusho contenders. Onosato isn’t the only one looking for a promotion, as Daieisho is still on the hook for a possible Ozeki promotion if he gets 13. Oho, Takerufuji, and Hakuoho are relatively young stars who are looking to become regular contenders.
Things will begin to change as early as Day Four, when Onosato and Oho face each other. That’s how sumo basho are supposed to work. It’s a grinder, and no one can expect to have an easy path for even a few days. There will be fewer undefeated rikishi each day. That also means being 2-1 like Hoshoryu isn’t out of it. The Yokozuna is still guaranteed to face Onosato, Daieisho, Oho, and Takerufuji. Hoshoryu’s loss was bad on Day Three, but it’s one day and things can shift with each match.