Sumo’s March tournament starts this Sunday
Sumo returns for the second grand tournament of 2025. The haru basho (spring tournament) begins on March 9 and runs until March 23. Over those 15 days hundreds of wrestlers will compete across grand sumo’s tiered six divisions of competition. The makuuchi (top division) is home to the sport’s best. Whomever ends the 15 days with the best record in the top division will receive The Emperor’s Cup.
This tournament will be taking place at the EDION Arena in Osaka, Japan.
Preview and rankings
The 2025 March tournament will be the first time Hoshoryu competes as the 74th yokozuna. The 25 year-old Mongolian received his epic promotion in January after winning the hatsu basho in a dramatic play-off against Oho and Kinbozan.
In this tournament he will be expected to dominate and prove he is worth his promotion. There will be plenty of foes hoping to get in his way, though. Onosato and Kotozakura, both ozeki (ranked immediately below Hoshoryu) will be hoping to make a statement in this tournament. Onosato was on the outside looking in during the January tournament. That rarely happens twice in a row for the young phenom. And Kotozakura will need to improve on his awful 5-10 record in January to avoid being demoted from the prestigious ozeki ranks.
For a more in-depth preview, check out the following post “Five Reasons to Watch the 2024 Kyushu Basho”.
See below for the complete banzuke (rankings) for the top division.
| 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 |
Broadcast Details
Grand Sumo tournaments are all day affairs with the lowest division kicking off in the morning in Japan. The top division bouts are saved for last, during local prime time. The top division action usually begins at around 3 a.m. ET.
Grand Sumo highlights can be found on NHK World and NHK’s JME.tv app with English commentary. NHK World is available on many US cable packages. It can also be viewed on their official website.
Each day of the tournament NHK broadcasts thirty minute programs showing all the top division bouts. These air on a 24-hour delay. NHK broadcasts these programs on their official YouTube channel also, Those are also on a 24-hour delay. There are rumblings that moves are afoot to soon give Western fans same-day sumo coverage in English.
JME.tv broadcasts two hour long programs showing all the top division bouts along with the rituals in between. JME broadcasts those programs daily at 2 p.m ET/11 a.m. PT, 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT, 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT.
JME also broadcasts condensed highlights, in Japanese, after the third and fourth airings of the two hour broadcasts.
Sumo content on JME.tv is only available with a paid subscription, which costs $25 a month.
JME.tv can be viewed on desktop, mobile devices, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and most other smart TV set-ups.
You can watch sumo live through the Abema TV app. Abema costs around $8 a month and is entirely in Japanese with no English translations. Abema broadcasts are usually not available on demand.
Matches can also be viewed on the official Grand Sumo app, which has some English translations. The Grand Sumo app features unavoidable spoilers. The free version includes ads, which are often twice as long as the actual bouts.
More sumo coverage on Combat Press
Combat Press will provide more coverage of the 2025 haru basho. We will have results at the mid-way point and end of the tournament!
For more sumo news and analysis subscribe to Sumo Stomp! on Substack.