Grand Sumo’s latest tournament came to a close over the weekend. The 2025 haru basho (spring tournament) took place over 15 straight days in Osaka, Japan. The tournament crowned a champion in each division and generated records for every wrestler in the grand sumo system. Those records will be used to determine the rankings for the next banzuke (rankings documents) ahead of our next tournament, the 2025 hatsu basho (summer tournament) which takes place in Tokyo, in May.
Full results
| Record | East | Rank | West | Record |
| 5-5-5 | Hoshoryu 🇲🇳 | Yokozuna | ||
| 12-3 | Onosato 🇯🇵 | Ozeki | Kotozakura🇯🇵 | 8-7 |
| 9-6 | Daieisho 🇯🇵 | Sekiwake | Oho 🇯🇵 | 6-9 |
| 8-7 | Kirishima 🇲🇳 | Komusubi | Abi 🇯🇵 | 6-9 |
| 9-6 | Wakatakakage 🇯🇵 | M1 | Wakamotoharu 🇯🇵 | 9-6 |
| 7-8 | Gonoyama 🇯🇵 | M2 | Chiyoshoma 🇲🇳 | 6-9 |
| 6-9 | Tobizaru 🇯🇵 | M3 | Takanosho 🇯🇵 | 3-12 |
| 12-3 | Takayasu 🇯🇵 | M4 | Ichiyamamoto 🇯🇵 | 7-8 |
| 7-8 | Ura 🇯🇵 | M5 | Kinbozan 🇰🇿 | 6-9 |
| 9-6 | Hiradoumi 🇯🇵 | M6 | Takerufuji 🇯🇵 | 9-6 |
| 6-9 | Shodai 🇯🇵 | M7 | Tamawashi 🇲🇳 | 10-5 |
| 6-9 | Atamifuji 🇯🇵 | M8 | Oshoma 🇲🇳 | 9-6 |
| 9-6 | Hakuoho 🇯🇵 | M9 | Endo 🇯🇵 | 7-8 |
| 3-12 | Nishikigi 🇯🇵 | M10 | Shonannoumi 🇯🇵 | 4-11 |
| 9-6 | Midorifuji 🇯🇵 | M11 | Meisei 🇯🇵 | 9-6 |
| 3-12 | Takarufuji 🇯🇵 | M12 | Onokatsu 🇲🇳 | 10-5 |
| 0-2-13 | Nishikifuji 🇯🇵 | M13 | Shishi 🇺🇦 | 9-6 |
| 6-9 | Ryuden 🇯🇵 | M14 | Churanoumi 🇯🇵 | 11-4 |
| 11-4 | Aoinishiki 🇺🇦 | M15 | Sadanoumi 🇯🇵 | 8-7 |
| 6-9 | Asakoryu 🇯🇵 | M16 | Kotoshoho 🇯🇵 | 8-7 |
| 6-9 | Mitakeumi 🇯🇵 | M17 | Shirokuma 🇯🇵 | 5-10 |
| 10-5 | Tokihayate 🇯🇵 | M18 |
Onosato is special
Onosato defeated Takayasu in a play-off on the final day to win this tournament with a record of 12-3 (not including his play-off winning bout). This is Onosato’s third yusho (championship) in the top division. That is despite the 24 year-old only competing in eight top division tournaments in his young career (he’s also had two jun-yusho [runner-up finishes]) in that spell.
The victory for Onosato adds more evidence to the belief that we are currently witnessing history unfolding in sumo. Onosato, considered a can’t miss prospect out of university, has not only lived up to the hype, he’s exceeded it. His success, in such a short amount of time, has him rightfully being projected as a future legend of the sport.
To put things in perspective, Hakuho — the undoubted GOAT of sumo — retired in 2020 with 45 top division championships to his name. Second to Hakuho is sixties legend Taiho with 32 titles. Those two, and Chiyonofuji aka ‘The Wolf’ who dominated the eighties, are the only wrestlers to ever eclipse 30 top division titles. Those three yokozuna would make up most sumo watcher’s Mount Rushmore of modern day legends.
It took Hakuho 19 top division tournaments to secure three yusho. It took Taiho 11 tournaments and Chiyonofuji 24 tournaments.
It’s scary to think of what Onosato might accomplish if he maintains this pace. Obviously, a lot can go wrong in sumo. The sport has a one-hundred percent injury rate and the pressure to fight hurt is like no other sport on the planet. All that being said, few can deny that we are witnessing something special with Onosato right now and that this might lead to some very impressive accomplishments in the future.
Onosato’s most immediately likely accomplishment is a yokozuna promotion. He’s currently an ozeki, one rank below yokozuna. Typically, it’s expected that an ozeki be promoted to yokozuna if they win two tournaments back-to-back. By that metric, Onosato will become the sport’s 75th yokozuna if he wins the next tournament in May (something he is an odds on favorite to do).
Takayasu the bridesmaid, again
On Day 13 it felt like Takayasu had one hand on the cup. That’s when he beat Wakamotoharu to go 11-2 before watching Onosato stumble against Oho to drop to 10-3. However, Takayasu would take a surprising loss to Churanoumi on the penultimate day of the tournament, allowing Onosato to tie him again, on 11-3, after a win over Daieisho.
Both Takayasu and Onosato won on the final day to set up their play-off for the cup. Takayasu beat Onosato earlier in the competition, but he could not handle him in the play-off. His loss there meant he is now a nine-time runner-up with no championships to show for those efforts.
That was a heart breaking end for Takayasu and his fans. Given that Takayasu is 35 this is probably one of the last opportunities he might have for a yusho.
A former ozeki, Takayasu’s path to winning a title have been greatly affected by injuries over the years. Had he been able to stay healthy over the past decade, it feels a given that he would have claimed at least one title along the way. Despite his injuries, Takayasu remains an incredible wrestler capable of mixing it up with anyone due to his abilities to both thrust and grapple. And he also remains one of the most popular rikishi in the sport (especially among westerners).
Hoshoryu has terrible yokozuna debut
While Onosato and Takyasu were fighting it out for the cup, Hoshoryu — our lone yokozuna — was watching the action unfold from home.
Hoshoryu, who was promoted to become the 74th yokozuna ahead of this tournament, pulled out on Day 10 due to injury. He cited an elbow injury, caused by Atamifuji in the January tournament, and a neck sprain as reasons for his withdrawal.
Hoshoryu was likely suffering from those injuries. But this is sumo. Everyone fights injured. Had Hoshoryu been 9-0 entering Day 10 I’m sure he would have felt fine. The fact was that he was 5-4 at that point and looking at the very real possibility of starting his yokozuna career with a make-koshi (losing record).
A yokozuna is expected to dominate a basho and either win the title or come close to doing so. It is common for a yokozuna to bow out of a tournament early if they are not on course to do that. Yokozuna can do this because, unlike anyone else in the sport, they can not be demoted. The only way a yokozuna can stop being a yokozuna is if they retire. That’s why we see these face-saving injury pull outs.
Hoshoryu is reportedly fit enough to participate in the forthcoming spring tour and his oyakata (stable master) has said he is expected to compete at the May tournament.
Kotozakura, Kirishima squeak by
Kotozakura and Kirishima are two high ranked wrestlers who came perilously close to notable demotions this month.
Kotozakura, an ozeki, needed to secure a winning record to keep his ranking (one below yokozuna and one that is very hard to get). Kirishima, who lost his ozeki ranking last year, needed a winning record to prevent himself from being demoted from komusubi (the lowest of the special named upper ranks).
Both men were able to squeak by with 8-7 records. Kotozakura managed to lock up his eighth win by beating Takerufuji on Day 13.
Kirishima went right to the wire, beating Tokihayate on the final day to secure his 8-7 kachi-koshi (winning record).
Aonishiki excels in top division debut
Ukrainian Aonishiki surpassed expectations with a stellar debut in the top division. The 20 year-old went 11-4 and earned a Fighting Spirit award for his efforts. Aonishiki had an outside shot at getting himself into a five-way play-off for the title on the final day of the tournament. In order for that to happen he would need to win his final day bout and see the leaders, Takayasu and Onosato, both lose. He did his part, defeating Oho, but Takayasu and Onosato both won and were able to avoid allowing him and a few others to gate crash their play-offs.
This was only Aonishiki’s tenth tournament. His sumo looks very ahead of schedule. He was able to rack up a nice record taking on those ranked close to him (mostly older wrestlers and up and comers). However, he then went on to hold his own once the match-making shifted away from rankings and towards records. This is where we often see low ranked wrestlers, who got off to good starts, fade away. Aonishiki thrived in high pressure bouts with very tough opponent’s, though, and notched wins over Hakuoho, Meisei and Takerufuji.
The future’s bright for him and Ukrainian sumo (which also saw Shishi get a 9-6 record this month).
Other news and notes
Daieisho went 9-6 in March. He was hoping to get at least ten wins to give himself a shot at an ozeki promotion after the next tournament.
The Waka Bros., Wakamotoharu and Wakatakakage, survived early scares to both earn 9-6 records and give themselves chances of being promoted back up to the san’yaku (the upper rankings).
The ever popular Ura failed to get a winning record. He ended with 7-8, much to the dismay of his hometown fans in Osaka.
January’s surprise contenders Oho and Kinbozan both struggled in March. They both ended with 6-9 records. Oho will lose his sekiwake rank, as a result.
Churanoumi earned a Fighting Spirit prize for going 11-4 and giving himself a chance at competing for the title. This comes after back-to-back 4-11 records for him.
Kusano strolled his way to a juryo yusho (second division championship). He went on a 12-0 run to wrap up the title on Day 12. He finished with a 14-1 record. This was Kusano’s debut juryo tournament and just his sixth senior tournament.
Former ozeki Asanoyama returned from a major knee injury to compete in the sandamne (fourth division). He overpowered all he met there to win the yusho with a 7-0 record.
More sumo on Combat Press
Stay tuned to Combat Press for more Grand Sumo content. We’ll let you know when the rankings are released for the next tournament (which happens in May). Once we get closer to the tournament we’ll have previews and viewing guides.
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