Sumo’s latest tournament has come to an end and a champion has been crowned. The 2024 aki basho (autumn tournament) wrapped up its 15-day schedule on Sunday and it was the 24-year-old sekiwake Onosato who hoisted the Emperor’s Cup thanks to his 13-2 record.
Read below for complete results from Grand Sumo’s five tournament of the year.
Final results for Grand Sumo’s 2024 Aki Basho
| Record | East | Rank | West | Record |
| 0-0-15 | Terunofuji 🇲🇳 | Yokozuna | ||
| 8-7 | Kotozakura🇯🇵 | Ozeki | Hoshoryu 🇲🇳 | 8-7 |
| 5-10 | Abi 🇯🇵 | Sekiwake | Onosato 🇯🇵 | 13-2 |
| 12-3 | Kirishima 🇲🇳 | Sekiwake | Takakeisho 🇯🇵 | 0-3-10 |
| 8-7 | Daieisho 🇯🇵 | Komusubi | Hiradoumi 🇯🇵 | 7-8 |
| 4-11 | Takanosho 🇯🇵 | M1 | Tobizaru 🇯🇵 | 5-10 |
| 7-8 | Atamifuji 🇯🇵 | M2 | Oho 🇯🇵 | 9-6 |
| 4-11 | Mitakeumi 🇯🇵 | M3 | Wakamotoharu 🇯🇵 | 11-4 |
| 10-5 | Shodai 🇯🇵 | M4 | Kotoshoho 🇯🇵 | 7-8 |
| 9-6 | Ura 🇯🇵 | M5 | Shonannoumi 🇯🇵 | 3-12 |
| 5-10 | Meisei 🇯🇵 | M6 | Gonoyama 🇯🇵 | 6-9 |
| 12-3 | Wakatakakage 🇯🇵 | M7 | Churanoumi 🇯🇵 | 10-5 |
| 8-7 | Endo 🇯🇵 | M8 | Midorifuji 🇯🇵 | 7-8 |
| 7-8 | Ichiyamamoto 🇯🇵 | M9 | Oshoma 🇲🇳 | 10-5 |
| 7-8 | Tamawashi 🇲🇳 | M10 | Roga 🇷🇺 | 8-7 |
| 7-8 | Sadanoumi 🇯🇵 | M11 | Kagayaki 🇯🇵 | 3-12 |
| 4-11 | Bushozan 🇯🇵 | M12 | Kinbozan 🇰🇿 | 4-11 |
| 8-5-2 | Hokutofuji 🇯🇵 | M13 | Nishikigi 🇯🇵 | 11-4 |
| 8-7 | Ryuden 🇯🇵 | M14 | Onokatsu 🇲🇳 | 7-8 |
| 10-5 | Takayasu 🇯🇵 | M15 | Takarufuji 🇯🇵 | 10-5 |
| 4-9-2 | Shirkouma 🇯🇵 | M16 | Kitanowaka 🇯🇵 | 6-9 |
| 8-7 | Nishikifuji 🇯🇵 | M17 |
Onosato continues to make history
Onosato lead the way early in this tournament and after a few days it felt inevitable that he would be the one with his hand on the cup when all was said and done. After the one week mark he had a commanding lead over the field and, despite two losses down the stretch, he never seemed in danger of missing out on the opportunity to claim his second makuuchi (top division) yusho (championship).
Onosato went undefeated for the first 11 days of the tournament. During that run he defeated fellow san’yaku (upper ranked) wrestlers Daieisho, Hiradoumi and Kirishima. You can see those bouts below:
His Day 10 win over Kirishima was especially important. Kirishima, who lost his ozeki rank due to poor performance resulting from a neck injury earlier this year, looked fantastic this tournament, reminding us of his 2023 form (where he won two yusho). Kirishima was tailing Onosato by one win when they met on Day 10. Onosato’s win gave him a vital two win lead over his best challenger down the stretch.
Onosato’s first loss of the tournament came on Day 12. Wakatakakakge, a former sekiwake who lost his rank due to an ACL injury, put in a performance of the year to defeat the much larger, stronger and younger Onosato. The win also kept Wakatakakage in the hunt for the championship (along with Kirishima).
On Day 13 and 14 Onosato was given his stiffest tests of the tournament, in being matched up against Kotozakura and Hoshoryu – the sports’ only ozeki (rank below yokozuna).
Onosato vs. Kotozakura was a thrilling contest that needed a mono-ii (judges review) and then torinaoshi (immediate rematch) to settle. In the first bout Kotozakura threw Onosato out of the ring, but stepped out just at the same time, thus forcing the torinaoshi. In the second bout, Onosato blasted through the tired Kotozakura to earn the win.
On Day 14 Onosato clinched the championship with his win over Hoshoryu. Hoshoryu had tormented Onosato so far in his young career, beating him in all three of their past meetings. And he beat him emphatically in those meetings, too, landing big judo throws on the youngster.
This time around Onosato powered through Hoshoryu and pushed him out quickly to claim the championship.
On the final day of the tournament Onosato lost to Abi to finish with a 13-2 record. Kirishima and Wakatakakage finished in second place with 12-3 records.
What Onosato has done in pro sumo is simply remarkable. He entered Grand Sumo for the first time in May 2023. Because of his sterling college career he was allowed to begin his pro career in the makushita (third division). After just four tournaments he earned a promotion to the top division. In his five top divisions since then he has gone 11-4, 11-4, 12-3, 9-6 and 13-2. Over that span he was won two championships and finished runner-up twice.
Those records have seen him promoted to the rank of sekiwake, just two promotions below the hallowed rank of yokozuna. And he’s done all this with hair that isn’t even long enough to produce the traditional chonmage (ginkgo leaf shaped top knot that first and second division wrestlers are permitted to wear).
Onosato will now wait to see if his unprecedented run will equal an unprecedented promotion. To be promoted from sekiwake to ozeki you generally have to win at least 33 bouts over three consecutive tournaments, while ranked sekiwake. Onosato has eclipsed this win total, but he’s only been a sekiwake for two tournaments. Given he has won two championships over that span, it’s possible he might be fast tracked to the extremely revered rank of ozeki.
Even if he’s not promoted ahead of the last tournament of the year (November’s Kyushu basho). There’s few who doubt Onosato is an ozeki in the making. He also has to be the favourite to become the sport’s 74th yokozuna.
Takakeisho retires at 28
Takakeisho was a favourite to become the 74th yokozuna last year. The popular “Angry Hamster” won two tournaments as an ozeki in 2023. However, injuries hampered him over that run. In 2024 the injuries only got worse. A neck injury this year forced Takakeisho out of three of the five tournaments held this year. Those absences, and the losses he took fighting hurt, resulted in his demotion from ozeki ahead of this most recent tournament.
Takakeisho had held the ozeki rank since 2019.
At the 2024 Aki basho Takakeisho lost to Mitakeumi and then Oho on Days 1 and 2. After that he announced he was sitting out of the rest of the tournament. A few days later he announced that he would be retiring from the sport, due to his persistent injuries.
The 28-year-old Takakeisho has secured the Minatogawa elder stock. This means, once he has had his official retirement ceremony (which includes the removal of his top knot), he will be known as Minatogawa and will work within the Japan Sumo Association. Elder stock is only available to wrestlers who have achieved high rankings and/or longevity in the sport.
Takakiesho’s career ends with a 441-251 record spanning 59 tournaments. He’s a four time makuuchi champion, eight time runner-up. And he’s collected seven special prizes and three gold stars (for defeating yokozuna while ranked outside the san’yaku).
He began his career in 2014 and, most recently, fought out of the Tokiwayama stable.
Takerufuji runs through juryo
Takeurufji returned from injury to win, and dominate, the juryo (second division) during the aki basho. Takerufuji made history this year by winning the March tournament as a top division rookie. That hadn’t been done in over 90 years. Takerufuji was injured in that title run, though. The injury forced him to miss all of May’s natsu basho (summer tournament), which meant he was demoted from the top division. In July’s Nagoya basho He appeared for just two bouts, and won, which was enough to stave off a demotion down to makushita.
In his first full tournament back from injury he looked as brutally effective as he did when he won his maiden yusho.
He carved through the competition, finishing with a 13-2 record. The yusho, and that record, are likely enough for him to be promoted back to the makuuchi for November. If he is, many will be excited to see if he can repeat what he did in March. Many will also be excited to see what happens when he collides with Onosato (someone he is 1-0 against so far in his career).
Other news and notes
Kotozakura and Hoshoryu both struggled at the aki basho, the ozeki both ended with records of 8-7. Hoshoryu had to beat Kotozakura on the final day to make sure he earned his kachi-koshi (winning record).
Kotozakura looked like a title contender early in the tournament. However, he slowed down after a few days and seemed to be carrying an injury.
Hoshoryu got off to a poor start and had to fight his way out of a corner for most of the tournament.
The next highest ranked wrestler Abi, had a woeful performance. He went 5-10 this tournament and will lose his sekiwake ranking as a result. It was mixed results for our komusubi ranked wrestlers. Daieisho managed an 8-7 record, whereas Hiradoumi finished with a make-koshi (losing record) of 7-8.
Nishikigi was the surprise package of the tournament. The veteran put down an 11-4 record and earned the Outstanding Performance prize. Nishikigi’s kachi-koshi broke a streak of three losing records. This is also his highest win total since competing in juryo in 2020. This is the first time he has ever earned 11 wins in makuuchi. This was the best Nishikigi has looked since July 2023 when he came close to winning his first ever top division title.
Other big performers this month were Wakamotoharu (who went 11-4 and was involved in a number of exciting matches), Churanoumi (who scored his second 10-5 record in a row), and Takayasu (who went 10-5 and was among the pack chasing Onosato down the stretch).
In juryo Shishi ended with a 9-6 record. On the final day of the tournament he was called up to the top division to fight Kinbozan. He won the bout and that means he will likely be promoted to makuuchi in November (taking Kinbozan’s place). If this happens Shishi will be the first ever Ukrainian to compete in the makuuchi.
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