Natsu 2026 Day Seven
A week of matches has come and gone in the May sumo tournament.
If you’re wondering where to watch all the action, check out NHK World’s Grand Sumo highlights or with the Grand Sumo App (App Store and Google Play).
Public League Leaderboard
Scores from Fantasizr
Yusho Arasoi
7 Wins
05 Ozeki #2 East Kirishima
6 Wins
08 Komusubi East Wakatakakage
34 Maegashira #13 East Kotoeiho
38 Maegashira #15 East Tobizaru
Notable Maneuvers
Oshidashi. The frontal push out is one of the most common kimarite in sumo, but a shocking 9 matches were won by it in the 18 competitive Makuuchi matches on Day Seven.
Match of the Day
14 Maegashira #3 East Hiradoumi versus 07 Sekiwake West Kotoshoho
These two can go lots of ways on the dohyo, and not always all for good. They showed their excitement and unease in equal measure against each other. Hiradoumi got the better of the tachiai, pushing Kotoshoho backwards. Then Kotoshoho sort of found his feet by pushing on Hiradoumi’s head (and maybe getting some top knot…). That moved the match the other direction, but Hiradoumi fought back. He moved Kotoshoho around, who then gave a sort of hard shove and hard pull that moved Hiradoumi hard off the dohyo.
Recap
Day Seven was a day of hard, functional sumo that moved the basho along. Leader Kirishima took Daieisho head on in a pushing match, which should have favored Daieisho but led to a forceful win for the Ozeki. Komusubi Wakatakakage similarly shoved out Ichiyamamoto in a match with minimal drama. Maegashira duo Tobizaru and Kotoeiho were slightly more exciting. Tobizaru pulled around big man Shishi, while Kotoeiho absorbed a hard tachiai from Wakanosho before pulling him down. Wakatakakage, Tobizaru, and Kotoeiho are all 6-1.
For all the carnage of the basho—or maybe because of it—the leaders are starting to pull away somewhat. Maegashira Asakoryu was the fifth rikishi to withdraw with his kyujo announcement, although he is the first Maegashira. Tamawashi is the only competing rikishi yet to win a match, and the Iron Man is looking hobbled. Nishikifuji and Oshoumi are both on 1 loss, and a further 10 rikishi sit at 2-5 after a week of competition. Lopsided records on one end produced lopsided records on the other.
Odds are someone will put dirt on Kirishima at some point. The last Zensho yusho was in November 2021 by Terunofuji. And before that, the last non-Hakuho rikishi to do it was Goeido in 2016. Kirishima will probably not go 15-0. Wakatakakage, Tobizaru, and Kotoeiho are all also likely to lose another match or two or three. Yet they already have a significant amount of wins under their belt, and they won’t only see struggling rikishi.
In fact, on Day Eight only Wakatakakage among the leadership quartet has an opponent with a losing records when he faces Oho. The others all get 5-2 opponents—Kotoeiho versus Fujiryoga, Tobizaru against Ura in a guaranteed wild one, and Kirishima versus Gonoyama in the main event. All of them could keep up winning ways on Day Eight, but also no one should be stunned if any of them pick up another loss. The second week matches will also get very strange thanks to the kyujo plague spreading around the kokugikan.
With the leaders beginning to pull away just a little bit by the middle of the basho, each win is even more important. Kirishima has the luxury of a small cushion against everyone else. He also had a relatively easy match on Day Seven, so maybe he’s building up. The only remaining competing rikishi ahead of him in the rankings is on 2 wins and looking bad. This should be Kirishima’s basho, but the second half of the tournament will be tough.