Sumo rankings for January dropped on Sunday
The Japan Sumo Association just released their banzuke (rankings document) for the next Grand Sumo tournament. That tournament, the hatsu basho (New Year tournament), will start on January 12th and run until January 26th.
The banzuke determines the rank of division each of the country’s 600 or so registered rikishi (sumo wrestlers). All these wrestlers, minus those who are injured, will compete in the forthcoming 15 day tournament, hoping to secure kachi-koshi (winning records) and improve their rankings.
The makuuchi, top division, is home to the Japan’s 42 best rikishi. The winner of that tournament will receive the first Emperor’s Cup of 2025.
The very top of the banzuke is unchanged with Terunofuji sitting atop as the only active yokozuna. Below him are our three current ozeki, Kotozakura, Hoshoryu and Onosato. Below them, though, there’s been all kind of movement.
Scroll down for the full rankings for the top division and then points of interest spawned from said document.
Full makuuchi banzuke (top division grand sumo rankings)
| East | Rank | West |
| Terunofuji 🇲🇳 | Yokozuna | |
| Kotozakura🇯🇵 | Ozeki | Hoshoryu 🇲🇳 |
| Ozeki | Onosato 🇯🇵 | |
| Wakamotoharu 🇯🇵 | Sekiwake | Daieisho 🇯🇵 |
| Abi 🇯🇵 | Komusubi | Wakatakakage 🇯🇵 |
| Takanosho 🇯🇵 | M1 | Kirishima 🇲🇳 |
| Tobizaru 🇯🇵 | M2 | Atamifuji 🇯🇵 |
| Gonoyama 🇯🇵 | M3 | Oho 🇯🇵 |
| Shodai 🇯🇵 | M4 | Ura 🇯🇵 |
| Hiradoumi 🇯🇵 | M5 | Chiyoshoma 🇲🇳 |
| Takayasu 🇯🇵 | M6 | Ichiyamamoto 🇯🇵 |
| Endo 🇯🇵 | M7 | Mitakeumi 🇯🇵 |
| Roga 🇷🇺 | M8 | Takarufuji 🇯🇵 |
| Churanoumi 🇯🇵 | M9 | Oshoma 🇲🇳 |
| Tamawashi 🇲🇳 | M10 | Meisei 🇯🇵 |
| Midorifuji 🇯🇵 | M11 | Takerufuji 🇯🇵 |
| Nishikigi 🇯🇵 | M12 | Onokatsu 🇲🇳 |
| Shonannoumi 🇯🇵 | M13 | Kotoshoho 🇯🇵 |
| Hokutofuji 🇯🇵 | M14 | Kinbozan 🇰🇿 |
| Hakuoho 🇯🇵 | M15 | Kitanowaka 🇯🇵 |
| Tamashoho 🇲🇳 | M16 | Kagayaki 🇯🇵 |
| Nishikifuji 🇯🇵 | M17 | Tokihayate 🇯🇵 |
Waka Bros. back in the san’yaku
Brothers Wakamotoharu and Wakatakakage were both promoted to san’yaku positions for the next tournament. The san’yaku refers to the first of the special named ranks (komusubi and sekiwake).
Wakamotoharu makes sekiwake for the seventh time in his career after scoring a 10-5 record, as komusubi, in the last tournament (the Kyushu basho).
Wakamotoharu now has an opportunity to build a case for a promotion to the highly respected rank of ozeki (just one rank below yokozuna). Generally, it is believed that 33 wins across three consecutive tournaments, while ranked sekiwake, is the baseline for promotion to ozeki (though there have been exceptions).
Wakamotoharu has been in this situation before, but has yet been able to complete an ‘ozeki run’. In fact, he’s never really come close.
Wakatakakage returns to the san’yaku for the first time since 2023. He was sekiwake in March, 2023 but suffered a devastating knee injury on the penultimate day of the tournament (while fighting current ozeki and previous tournament winner Kotozakura).
Wakatakakage was out of action for eight months after that injury, which required surgery. That period of inactivity resulted in him being demoted all the way down to the makushita (third division). After fighting through the lower divisions, Wakatakakage regained promotion to makuuchi in for the July, 2024 tournament. We went 11-4. Then he went 12-3 in the September tournament (earning an Outstanding Performance prize). In November he went 10-5 and earned a technique prize (check out my personal blog for a breakdown on that performance).
If Wakatakakage has a winning record in January, he will likely be able to compete as sekiwake in the March tournament, on the two year anniversary of his injury.
Hakuoho returns to top division, Tamashoho to debut
The January banzuke included some notable promotions from the juryo (second division) to the makuuchi.
The most interesting of those promotions is Hakuoho. The 21-year-old ‘Monster of Reiwa’ was the hottest prospect in sumo in 2023. Because of his stellar amateur background, Hakuoho (under the name Ochiai) was able to enter grand sumo at the third division. He won his debut tournament with a 7-0 record and then banked 10-5 and 14-1 records in his juryo appearances. This lead to a promotion to makuuchi for the July 2023 tournament. The 19-year-old was renamed Hakuoho for that tournament, by his oyakata (stable master) and mentor Hakuho (the most dominant yokozuna in the history of sumo).
In his debut top division tournament he went an amazing 11-4, coming close to winning the title. His performance at that tournament justified much of the hype that had generated due to his lightning quick rise through the ranks (just three pro tournaments before making the top division) and his status as one of the youngest wrestlers to ever compete in the makuuchi.
Unfortunately, Hakuoho fought hurt during that debut tournament and was forced to sit out the next two basho after shoulder surgery. He returned to action in January, 2024, quickly earning his promotion out of the makushita. Since then he’s struggled to get out of juryo.
Other, more minor injuries, affected his ability to compete early on. And his focus was tested by a hazing scandal at his stable which resulted in his Hakuho (now named Miyagino) being demoted as an elder and his stable being disbanded. Hakuoho, and the rest of his teammates, were absorbed into the Isegahama stable, home to the yokozuna Terunofuji and a slew of other top division wrestlers.
In November Hakuoho went 10-5 and finally did enough to get back to the top division. In the time he’s been away, other young phenoms have stolen the spotlight. Takerufuji won his debut tournament (something which hadn’t been done in 91 years) and Onosato progressed through the ranks almost as quickly as Hakuoho and has since won two top division titles.
Hakuoho will be eager to show that all the hype placed on his now surgically repaired shoulders was justified and that he is still a special talent.
The other wrestlers promoted to the top division are Kinbozan, Kitanowaka, Tamashoho and Kagayaki.
Tamashoho is a newcomer to the top division. The tall and skinny Mongolian is the brother-in-law and stablemate of Tamawashi. Tamawashi broke the record for most consecutive top division bouts in November (1,631).
The 31-year-old Tamashoho has spent a long time competing in the lower divisions and has hopped between five different stables (a rarity in sumo). He was makushita champion in late 2022. In the following year he managed to be promoted to juryo. He’s been slow and steady in juryo and finally secured his top division promotion in November after going 10-5.
Kinbozan won November’s juryo tournament. The Kazakh was relegated to juryo in November after ten straight appearances in the top division.
Kitanowaka has been promoted to makuuchi on three separate occasions over the past 18 months, but is yet to get a winning record there (and thus avoid immediate relegation).
Kagayaki is a veteran who competed for years in the top division. In 2022 his performances started to slip and was relegated to juryo for the first time since 2016.
Big names sent down to juryo
Sadanoumi and Ryuden leads the list of names of wrestlers who were relegated to juryo for the January tournament. The others who were sent down were Asakoryu and Shishi.
The 37-year-old Sadanoumi has the second most career wins of all active rikishi (722, behind only Tamawashi). This demotion breaks his streak of 19 straight tournaments in the top division. This demotion comes after a 4-11 record in November.
The 34-year-old Ryuden had competed in 14 straight top division tournaments. His demotion happened after he also went 4-11 in November. His last demotion to juryo happened in 2021, as the result of a suspension. His suspension came after it was discovered Ryuden had cheated on his wife with one of his fans and that he had pressured that fan to have an abortion.
Asakoryu and Shishi struggled in their top division debuts in November. Shishi will likely fight his fellow Ukrainian Aonishiki in juryo next month.
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