Grand Sumo’s 2024 Nagoya Basho wrapped up over the weekend with a grandstand finish. Read on to find out how it all went down and why this tournament might usher in a new era of sumo.
Terunofuji Wins 10th Top Division Title
Terunofuji defeated Takanosho on the final day of the 2024 Nagoya tournament to claim his 10th makuuchi (top division) yusho (championship). He finished with a record of 12-3 on the tournament. However, early on, it looked as though the sports lone yokozuna (sumo’s highest ranking) had a chance of securing the rare zensho-yusho (undefeated championship win).
Terunofuji got off to a 10-0 start to the tournament and looked unbeatable. He handled his first week of opponents without breaking much of a sweat. His biggest challenges on the first week came from Tobizaru and Ura.
Terunofuji and Tobizaru have a bitter rivalry that stems from Tobizaru (aka ‘The Flying Monkey’) kicking one of Terunofuji’s surgically repaired knees on route to a win last year. Their bouts since then have been extremely intense and Terunofuji has also punished Tobizaru on the exhibition tour, where the yokozuna is able to dictate who does what drills and for how long. On one stop of the tour last year Tobizaru was hazed so brutally by Terunofuji he needed to be hospitalized for dehydration.
In Nagoya, on Day 6, Terunofuji was able to get a hold of Tobizaru and launch him into the first row. He then gave his rival a stare down, something you only see in sumo if there is personal beef.
There’s no beef between Terunofuji and Ura, though. On Day 7 Ura (aka The Peach Prince) put up a hell of fight against Terunofuji before being crowded out and gently forced over the boundary.
Once getting to 10-0, thanks to wins over the plucky Daieisho and the struggling Kirishima, Terunofuji seemed in total control of the competition. Behind him was the surprising Churanoumi (who would fall off once he was matched against much higher opposition) and the ozeki (the rank below yokozuna) Kotozakura and Hoshoryu. Those two would eliminate each other from title contention in the latter days of the tournament after Hoshoryu beat Kotozakura, but injured himself in the process.
Also trailing Terunofuji was Takanosho, a middling wrestler who hasn’t won a yusho in his 14 years in the sport. Despite not having titles to his name, Takanosho is notable for being one of the few active rikishi (sumo wrestler) to have a good head-to-head record against Terunofuji.
On Day 11 Terunofuji suffered his first loss of the tournament, after Onosato escaped him with a deft side-step. After wins against Abi and Takakeisho, Terunofuji had an opportunity to win the title on Day 14.
However, he lost his chance at winning the title a day before the tournament ended after losing to Takanosho.
Takanosho was able to push Terunofuji out of the ring, with his nodowa (throat thrust) move, and claim his second win in a row over the yokozuna. The win also earned him a kinboshi, an award given to maegashira ranked wrestlers who defeats a yokozuna. The kinboshi (literally gold star) adds a big bonus to a wrestler’s salary.
With this victory Takanosho drew his head-to-head record with Terunofuji level at 7-7. The win also gave him a path to beating Terunofuji to the title on the final day.
On Day 15 Takanosho was matched with Onosato, while Terunofuji was matched with Kotozakura.
Takanosho fought first, knowing he needed to beat Onosato (someone he has never beaten) to stand a chance of forcing a play-off with Terunofuji. And that’s just what he did, taking out the impressive youngster in quick fashion.
After that bout the pressure shifted back over to Terunofuji. A win against Kotozakura would win him the title. However, Kotozakura (the second highest ranked rikishii in the sport) was able to stand up against Terunofuji’s charge and execute a slick uwatedashinage (pulling over arm throw) for the win (his first ever win against the yokozuna).
Those results set the table for a play-off between Terunofuji and Takanosho for the championship.
In that bout Terunofuji was able to summon up the most amount of strength and both block Takanosho’s yorikiri (frontal force out) attempt, before reversing the position and scoring a yorikiri of his own.
Takanosho received a Fighting Spirit Prize for his efforts in Nagoya. Onosato received the Outstanding Performance Award and Hiradoumi (who was debuting in the san’yaku [sumo’s upper rankings]) received the Technique Prize.
Terunofuji’s accomplishment remains the most remarkable, though. The 32-year-old Mongolian is undoubtedly the best active rikishi in the sport. However, injuries have often prevented him from fighting to his full and awesome potential.
Prior to this tournament Terunofuji had only appeared in five of the previous ten tournaments. He pulled out of three of those tournaments early, due to injury. He won the two tournaments he fully competed in (May, 2023 and January, 2024).
Heading into this tournament in Nagoya there were questions over whether Terunofuji would show up. In the May tournament he pulled out after a Day 1 loss to Onosato (that tournament’s eventual winner). And reports out of Japan stated that Terunofuji had barely trained in the lead-up to Nagoya.
However, in Nagoya Terunofuji showed – again – that if he’s healthy enough to fight for 15 days there’s very little you can do to stop him winning a title. In claiming his tenth title, questions now swirl over what comes next for the 73rd yokozuna (more on that at the later in this post).
Takakeisho and Kirishima Falter
Takakeisho and Kirishima were the two best rikishi on the scene in 2023. They won two basho each that year (there are only six each year) and Kirishima received his promotion to ozeki. Takakeisho was already an ozeki and was himself working on trying to become the sports next yokozuna (something he could have achieved had he won back-to-back titles in 2023).
However, due to injuries, both Takakeisho and Kirishima have struggled this year. As an ozeki the only way you can be demoted is if you have losing records in back-to-back tournaments.
Kirishima was demoted to sekiwake after getting his second losing record in a row at the May tournament. At that May tournament Takakeisho pulled out on the second day, giving him a losing record, too.
In Nagoya Kirishima needed 10 wins to secure an immediate promotion back to ozeki. Takakeisho needed 8 wins to secure a winning record and prevent his demotion from ozeki.
Neither man was able to accomplish those feats.
Kirishima looked improved and was able to get a winning record 8-7. But that just means he will remain sekiwake and now need to earn 33 wins over three consecutive tournaments to get back his ozeki ranking.
Takakeisho fared far worse. He slumped to a 5-10 record. The loss that secured his make-koshi (losing record) came against Terunofuji on Day 13.
At the next tournament he will be demoted from ozeki, a rank he has held since 2019. Though, he can get it back with 10 wins at the next tournament (the aki basho in September).
Sumo Heading to Uncharted Territories
In capturing his tenth yusho Terunofuji realized a personal goal he’s been very vocal about. Since last year he has been talking up his desire to win double-digit yusho before he retires. Now he’s met that requirement, sumo fans are wondering if that means he will now retire from the sport.
Terunofuji is still young and clearly capable of winning tournaments. However, it’s believed that the strain on Terunofuji’s body is starting to effect his quality of life. The only way to improve that would be losing weight and taking pressure off of his damaged knees and back (something wrestlers do quickly and efficiently once they halt the strict eating regimens that come with training to be a rikishi).
It has also been rumoured that Terunofuji has been making moves behind the scenes to ensure he will be able to become a stablemaster on his retirement.
If Terunofuji retires today there would be no yokozuna in the sport. The last time this happened was in 1992. That period lasted around a year.
There are currently two ozeki, Kotozakura and Hoshoryu, who can earn that promotion should either win back-to-back tournaments. However, with how competitive they have been against each other lately (and the emergence of Onosato) it will be a difficult ask for anyone to win back-to-back basho anytime soon.
Full Results from 2024 Nagoya Basho
| 2024 NAGOYA | ||||
| Record | East | Rank | West | Record |
| 12-3 Y | Terunofuji 🇲🇳 | Y | ||
| 10-5 | Kotozakura 🇯🇵 | O | Hoshoryu 🇲🇳 | 9-4 |
| O | Takakeisho 🇯🇵 | 5-10 | ||
| 8-7 | Abi 🇯🇵 | S | Onosato 🇯🇵 | 9-6 S |
| 8-7 | Kirishima 🇲🇳 | S | ||
| 8-7 | Daieisho 🇯🇵 | K | Hiradoumi 🇯🇵 | 10-5 G |
| 4-11 | Meisei 🇯🇵 | M1 | Atamifuji 🇯🇵 | 7-8 |
| 6-9 | Wakamotoharu 🇯🇵 | M2 | Mitakeumi 🇯🇵 | 7-8 |
| 0-2-13 | Takayasu 🇯🇵 | M3 | Gonoyama 🇯🇵 | 5-10 |
| 9-6 | Tobizaru 🇯🇵 | M4 | Ura 🇯🇵 | 6-9 |
| 0-4-11 | Onosho 🇯🇵 | M5 | Shonannoumi 🇯🇵 | 7-8 |
| 12-3 DK | Takanosho 🇯🇵 | M6 | Oho 🇯🇵 | 9-6 |
| 8-7 | Kotoshoho 🇯🇵 | M7 | Sadanoumi 🇯🇵 | 5-10 |
| 3-12 | Ryuden 🇯🇵 | M8 | Kinbozan 🇰🇿 | 4-11 |
| 7-8 | Oshoma 🇲🇳 | M9 | Tamawashi 🇲🇳 | 7-8 |
| 10-5 | Shodai 🇯🇵 | M10 | Midorifuji 🇯🇵 | 8-7 |
| 8-7 | Ichiyamamoto 🇯🇵 | M11 | Nishikigi 🇯🇵 | 5-10 |
| 3-2-10 | Asanoyama 🇯🇵 | M12 | Churanoumi 🇯🇵 | 10-5 |
| 6-9 | Hokutofuji 🇯🇵 | M13 | Takarafuji 🇯🇵 | 5-10 |
| 11-4 | Wakatakakage 🇯🇵 | M14 | Endo 🇯🇵 | 10-5 |
| 5-5-5 | Chiyoshoma 🇲🇳 | M15 | Roga 🇷🇺 | 9-6 |
| 9-6 | Kagayaki 🇯🇵 | M16 | Bushozan 🇯🇵 | 8-7 |
| 6-9 | Nishikifuji 🇯🇵 | M17 | ||
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