The Japan Sumo Association just released the banzuke (rankings document) for the upcoming haru basho (spring tournament). The banzuke includes rankings for all the wrestlers registered in the grand sumo system. All these wrestlers will be expected to compete in the 15-day tournament that begins in the middle of March. The makuuchi (top division) wrestlers will be competing for the second Emperor’s Cup of the year.
The first Emperor’s Cup was won by Hoshoryu in January.
Check below for the complete top division rankings and analysis on what it all means!
Grand sumo top division rankings
| East | Rank | West |
| Hoshoryu 🇲🇳 | Yokozuna | |
| Onosato 🇯🇵 | Ozeki | Kotozakura🇯🇵 |
| Daieisho 🇯🇵 | Sekiwake | Oho 🇯🇵 |
| Kirishima 🇲🇳 | Komusubi | Abi 🇯🇵 |
| Wakatakakage 🇯🇵 | M1 | Wakamotoharu 🇯🇵 |
| Gonoyama 🇯🇵 | M2 | Chiyoshoma 🇲🇳 |
| Tobizaru 🇯🇵 | M3 | Takanosho 🇯🇵 |
| Takayasu 🇯🇵 | M4 | Ichiyamamoto 🇯🇵 |
| Ura 🇯🇵 | M5 | Kinbozan 🇰🇿 |
| Hiradoumi 🇯🇵 | M6 | Takerufuji 🇯🇵 |
| Shodai 🇯🇵 | M7 | Tamawashi 🇲🇳 |
| Atamifuji 🇯🇵 | M8 | Oshoma 🇲🇳 |
| Hakuoho 🇯🇵 | M9 | Endo 🇯🇵 |
| Nishikigi 🇯🇵 | M10 | Shonannoumi 🇯🇵 |
| Midorifuji 🇯🇵 | M11 | Meisei 🇯🇵 |
| Takarufuji 🇯🇵 | M12 | Onokatsu 🇲🇳 |
| Nishikifuji 🇯🇵 | M13 | Shishi 🇺🇦 |
| Ryuden 🇯🇵 | M14 | Churanoumi 🇯🇵 |
| Aoinishiki 🇺🇦 | M15 | Sadanoumi 🇯🇵 |
| Asakoryu 🇯🇵 | M16 | Kotoshoho 🇯🇵 |
| Mitakeumi 🇯🇵 | M17 | Shirokuma 🇯🇵 |
| Tokihayate 🇯🇵 | M18 |
The Hoshoryu era begins now!
When Hoshoryu beat Oho and Kinbozan in a three-way play-off to win the January tournament he earned promotion to the sport’s highest rank. Shortly after that tournament it was announced that Hoshoryu would be become sumo’s 74th yokozuna.
This banzuke is the first to feature Hoshoryu at the very top.
Hoshoryu stands alone atop the banzuke due to the retirement of the 73rd yokozuna Terunofuji. Terunofuji bowed out of the January tournament due to injury and then announced his retirement from the sport. The oft-injured Terunofuji stepped away from the ring with ten top division titles to his name.
Hoshoryu currently have two titles. The pressure is now on the 26 year-old Mongolian to prove he is worthy of his new station. A yokozuna is expected to dominate every tournament and lose less than a handful of times each time to only his best opponents.
Hoshoryu will also be expected to represent the rank of yokozuna with honour. During his promotion, there were some comments from JSA officials regarding Hoshoryu’s demeanour. Some of those comments also included stereotyping of all Mongolian wrestlers, branding them as more emotional as their Japanese counterparts.
It is true that Hoshoryu fights with an aggressive style and can occasionally stare down his opponent in a manner the stoicism-obsessed JSA disapproves of. And it’s true that this kind of thing is reminiscent of Hoshoryu’s uncle, 68th yokozuna Asashoryu (who was forced to retire from sumo after a bar brawl). It’s unfair to judge all Mongolian rikishi (wrestlers) in this way, though, or to assume that Japanese wrestlers are better representatives of the sport because of where they were born.
It will be interesting to see how Hoshoryu responds to these kinds of comments. It will also be interesting to see how he handles the pressure in his debut yokozuna tournament.
Ukraine is very well represented
This March will mark the first time two Ukrainian born wrestlers will compete in the makuuchi. Shishi, born Serhii Sokolovskyi in Melitopol, and Aonishiki, born Danylo Yavhusishyn in Vinnytsia, both earned they way to the top division due to strong showings in juryo (the second division) in January.
Both men lead the way in that tournament with Shishi defeating Aonishiki during crunch time to take control of the tournament. Shishi would eventually win the tournament with a 13-2 record. Aonishiki finished 12-3.
This is Shishi’s second appearance in the top division. In his last appearance, in November, he managed just a 5-10 record, which saw him sent back down to juryo. Shishi, who is 28, is a tall and rather lumbering wrestler. He struggled with the athleticism of many of his top division opponents last time he was here. Shishi entered grand sumo in 2020 and has featured in 29 tournaments, amassing a record of 164-110-2.
This will be Aonishiki’s first ever top division tournament. The 20 year-old has only competed in nine grand sumo tournaments prior to this. His early career record stands at an impressive 60-12. The young Aonishiki has a lot of potential. Though, he’s small, he’s very powerful for his size. He also has a lot of speed and fights with a great deal of intensity (something his countryman often lacks).
Shishi and Aonishiki aren’t the only wrestlers in the top division with Ukrainian heritage, though.
Oho, who was a runner-up to Hoshoryu in January, is the grandson of legendary wrestler Taiho. Taiho was the 48th yokozuna. He dominated the 1960s amassing a number of records that would stand until Hakuho (sumo’s G.O.A.T) arrived on the scene in the 2000s.
Taiho, who was born on Sakhalin Island in present day Russia, became yokozuna at just 21 years-old, making him the youngest yokozuna the sport had ever seen. Taiho once won 45 consecutive bouts. He also won six tournaments back-to-back on two occasions.
Taiho’s 32 top division championships is second all-time behind Hakuho’s 45. Taiho is also second to only Hakuho in win percentage with his 746-144 record equalling 83,8%.
His grandson Oho took a huge step forwards in his career in January. That was rewarded with a lofty promotion to sekiwake.
San’yaku shake-up
Oho’s promotion to sekiwake marks his debut in the san’yaku (upper) rankings. He makes the jump from maegashira 3 thanks to his 12-3 runner-up record. At sekiwake he is joined by Daieisho, who keeps his rank from January. Daieisho impressed with an 11-4 record, giving him a great start towards candidacy for an ozeki promotion (generally achieved by a sekiwake who amasses 33 wins over three straight tournaments).
Rounding out the san’yaku are Kirishima and Abi. Former ozeki Kirishima went 11-4 in January and earned a Fighting Spirit award. This record comes after a nightmare 2024 which saw a neck injury affect Kirishima to the point he banked enough losing records to lose his ozeki ranking.
Abi remains at komusubi despite getting a make-koshi (losing record) of 7-8 in January.
Wakatakakage, who also went 7-8, was demoted from kumosubi to maegashira 1. He’s joined at maegashira 1 by his brother Wakamotoharu. Wakamotoharu has been demoted from sekiwake after a dreadful January where he went 6-9.
With Hoshoryu advancing to yokozuna, we are left with two ozeki on the banzuke. Onosato, who went 10-5, in January is the top ranked ozeki. Kotozakura, who went 5-10, is behind him.
Kotozakura, who could have become a yokozuna himself with a championship or runners-up place in January, is kadoban for this tournament (as a result of his losing record in January). That status, which literally means “in the corner”, means he will lose his ozeki ranking if he has a losing record at this tournament.
Comings and goings
Along with Aonishiki and Shishi, four other wrestlers were called up to makuuchi from juryo. They include Ryden, Sadanoumi, Shirokuma and Asakoryu.
Ryuden and Sadanoumi are long time top division veterans who were demoted down to juryo in January and have now bounced right back up. Asakoryu and Shirokuma are young wrestlers still trying to find their footing in the top division. Both have been promoted once in the past and been immediately demoted.
Tamashoho, Kagayaki, Kitanowaka, Roga and Hokutofuji were all demoted from makuuchi. Tamashoho went 6-9 in his debut makuuchi tournament in January. Kagayaki also went 6-9.
Kitanowaka, Roga and Hokutofuji all missed time during the tournament due to injury. Hokutofuji, who had been in the top division since 2016, missed the entire tournament.
Other notes
January’s surprise contender Kinbozan has been promoted nine spaces from maegashira 14 to maegashira 9 for this tournament. That equals his career best ranking. The last time he was M5 he finished with a 4-11 record.
Takerufuji has been promoted up to M6 after going 10-5 from M11 in January. This is his highest ranking ever.
Formerly hyped top prospect Hakuoho (who has struggled due to a shoulder injury) was promoted to his highest ever rank (M9) after a 10-5 record in his return to the top division in January.
Kusano will make his juryo debut in March. The 23 year-old is a recent graduate of Nihon University ( a sumo powerhouse school). He joined Isegahama stable after graduation and has reached the second division after just five tournaments.
The diminutive, and wildly popular, Enho has been promoted to the makushita (third division) for March. He plummeted from juryo two years ago due to serious injury and is trying to claw his way back to the salaried divisions (juryo and makuuchi).
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