We are at the half way point in Grand Sumo’s 2024 Nagoya basho. This sumo tournament started on July 14 and it will wrap up this Sunday. You can read my preview of the tournament here and check out our viewing guide here.
See below for what has happened over the past nine days.
Terunofuji looking dominant
The yokozuna Terunofuji has been destroying the competition over the first nine days of the basho. He is a perfect 9-0, which leads all other wrestlers. His closest competition right now is the ozeki Kotozakura and the unheralded rank-and-filer Churanoumi, who both have records of 7-2.
Terunofuji blitzed through his first couple of opponents, getting them out without much effort. On Day 6 he met Tobizaru, someone he has been in a feud with ever since Tobizaru targeted his surgically repaired knees in a bout last year. He was able to launch Tobizaru off the dohyo (ring) in their bout and he gave him a little staredown after the fact (which is sumo’s version of a middle finger).
In recent days Terunofuji came out on top in two highly exciting bouts. On Day 7 he defeated fan favourite Ura and on Day 9 he beat Daieisho (a stablemate of Tobizaru).
Here are those bouts:
Terunofuji’s success comes as somewhat of a surprise. When healthy he is head and shoulders above the competition. However, he’s rarely healthy. Terunofuji came into this tournament after pulling out of the last tournament (in May) on Day 2. In the tournament before that (in March) he lasted six days. Terunofuji barely trained before this tournament, leading many to believe he may not even compete this month.
The last time Terunofuji fought an entire tournament was in January. He won that tournament with a 13-2 record, claiming his ninth top division yusho (championship).
Terunofuji has stated that he wants to win double digit championships before he retires. If he claims his tenth yusho this month it’s likely he will retire. Though only 32, Terunofuji’s body has taken a lot of punishment over his career and he’s likely eager to retire so he can start losing weight and reduce the strain on his knees and back.
Currently he seems on track to realize this plan. His last obstacle to winning this yusho looks to be Kotozakura right now. Kotozakura is probably the only wrestler who can match Terunofuji for size and grappling ability. Terunofuji has a 7-0 record against him, but Kotozakura has developed considerably over the past year (a time which Terunofuji was mostly out due to injury).
Onosato’s struggles
May’s tournament Onosato has not looked like himself in this tournament. The 24-year-old phenom who shocked sumo fans by winning the yusho in only his third top division tournament (after being runner-up in the two previous tournaments) has had a rough first half to the tournament.
He’s 5-4 after losing to Gonoyama on Day 9. His other losses have come to Hiradoumi, Wakamotoharu and Mitakeumi (wrestlers you’d expect him to do well against). Onosato’s performances have lacked some of the fire we saw in his championship winning run in May.
Onosato has shown technical skill, something that improved dramatically during his last tournament, but he’s been a little slow off the line and bullied by more aggressive wrestlers. He also fell victim to a henka from the rising Hiradoumi (see that below).
Onosato came into this tournament with high expectations and the chance of possibly fast tracking his way up the rankings should he win back-to-back championships. However, at 5-4 now his focus will merely by on securing merely a kachi-koshi (winning record) to save his current ranking of sekiwake.
Kirishima and Takakeisho hanging on
Kirishima and Takakeisho are two men in desperate need of wins this tournament. Kirishima was demoted from ozeki for this tournament, after back-to-back losing records. He must score at least 10 wins to be promoted back up to ozeki.
He’s currently 5-4 and has taken some tough losses to Onosato and Daieisho. Despite losing four times already, Kirishima has looked better than he had done in previous tournaments this year.
Kirishima was the best wrestler around in 2023 as he won two titles and a host of special prizes. But he’s struggled since March, due to injuries and a change of stables.
Takakeisho is trying to avoid what happened to Kirishima. Injury forced him out of the last tournament. Now he needs a kachi-koshi to prevent demotion from ozeki. It’s a situation he’s been in a lot and usually been able to fight himself out of.
He’s at 4-5 now. He can only afford to lose two more times before his rank is taken from him.
Brutal injuries mar the basho
Unfortunately one of the most notable incidents this basho was an injury to Asanoyama. He went down on Day 4 under pressure from Ichiyamamoto. It appeared as though Asanoyama injured his ACL as he knee buckled awkwardly. An ACL injury could see Asanoyama ruled out for around 8 months (as was the case with Wakatakakage last year). In other sports an ACL injury means at least a year of recovery, but in sumo any day you are absent during a tournament counts as a loss. This forces wrestlers to return to action while still hurt to try and save their ranks (and the salaries those equal).
Asanoyama is a former ozeki who was suspended for six tournaments due to visiting nightclubs during the COVID-19 pandemic and conspiring with a tabloid reporter to cover this up. That suspension resulted in Asanoyama being demoted all the way down to the fourth division. It took him ten months to fight his way back to the top division where he is now.
At 30 years old he still has time to fight back through the divisions. However, he’ll have to do that on a diminished knee that may give out on him again.
Popular former ozeki Takayasu was also injured in this tournament. He lost to Kirishima on Day 1 and then pulled out due to a chest injury. Onosho also pulled out during the first week due to injury.
Full results as of Day 9
| 2024 NAGOYA | ||||
| Record | East | Rank | West | Record |
| 9-0 | Terunofuji 🇲🇳 | Y | ||
| 7-2 | Kotozakura 🇯🇵 | O | Hoshoryu 🇲🇳 | 6-3 |
| O | Takakeisho 🇯🇵 | 4-5 | ||
| 5-4 | Abi 🇯🇵 | S | Onosato 🇯🇵 | 5-4 |
| 5-4 | Kirishima 🇲🇳 | S | ||
| 5-4 | Daieisho 🇯🇵 | K | Hiradoumi 🇯🇵 | 5-4 |
| 2-7 | Meisei 🇯🇵 | M1 | Atamifuji 🇯🇵 | 4-5 |
| 4-5 | Wakamotoharu 🇯🇵 | M2 | Mitakeumi 🇯🇵 | 3-6 |
| 0-2-7 | Takayasu 🇯🇵 | M3 | Gonoyama 🇯🇵 | 3-6 |
| 4-5 | Tobizaru 🇯🇵 | M4 | Ura 🇯🇵 | 3-6 |
| 0-4-5 | Onosho 🇯🇵 | M5 | Shonannoumi 🇯🇵 | 5-4 |
| 6-3 | Takanosho 🇯🇵 | M6 | Oho 🇯🇵 | 6-3 |
| 504 | Kotoshoho 🇯🇵 | M7 | Sadanoumi 🇯🇵 | 3-6 |
| 2-7 | Ryuden 🇯🇵 | M8 | Kinbozan 🇰🇿 | 3-6 |
| 4-5 | Oshoma 🇲🇳 | M9 | Tamawashi 🇲🇳 | 5-4 |
| 6-3 | Shodai 🇯🇵 | M10 | Midorifuji 🇯🇵 | 6-3 |
| 5-4 | Ichiyamamoto 🇯🇵 | M11 | Nishikigi 🇯🇵 | 1-8 |
| 3-2-4 | Asanoyama 🇯🇵 | M12 | Churanoumi 🇯🇵 | 7-2 |
| 3-6 | Hokutofuji 🇯🇵 | M13 | Takarafuji 🇯🇵 | 3-6 |
| 6-3 | Wakatakakage 🇯🇵 | M14 | Endo 🇯🇵 | 5-4 |
| 3-1-5 | Chiyoshoma 🇲🇳 | M15 | Roga 🇷🇺 | 5-4 |
| 5-4 | Kagayaki 🇯🇵 | M16 | Bushozan 🇯🇵 | 5-4 |
| 4-5 | Nishikifuji 🇯🇵 | M17 | ||
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