Grand Sumo’s latest tournament gets underway in two weeks. The 2025 Nagoya basho will take place over 15 days in the city of Nagoya. This annual July tournament is known for the heat, happening at the height of Japan’s summer in one of the country’s hottest locations.
As always, two weeks before the tournament, the Japan Sumo Association has released their banzuke. The banzuke is a document that ranks and organizes all of the country’s senior wrestlers into divisions. A wrestler’s place on the banzuke is directly related to their performances in the past tournament.
See below for the rankings for the makuuchi, sumo’s top division:
Grand Sumo Top Division Rankings
| East | Rank | West |
| Hoshoryu 🇲🇳 | Yokozuna | Onosato 🇯🇵 |
| Kotozakura🇯🇵 | Ozeki | |
| Daieisho 🇯🇵 | Sekiwake | Kirishima 🇲🇳 |
| Sekiwake | Wakatakakage 🇯🇵 | |
| Oshoma 🇲🇳 | Komusubi | Takayasu 🇯🇵 |
| Aoinishiki 🇺🇦 | M1 | Wakamotoharu 🇯🇵 |
| Oho 🇯🇵 | M2 | Abi 🇯🇵 |
| Onokatsu 🇲🇳 | M3 | Kinbozan 🇰🇿 |
| Hakuoho 🇯🇵 | M4 | Tamawashi 🇲🇳 |
| Hiradoumi 🇯🇵 | M5 | Meisei 🇯🇵 |
| Takerufuji 🇯🇵 | M6 | Gonoyama 🇯🇵 |
| Tobizaru 🇯🇵 | M7 | Endo 🇯🇵 |
| Sadanoumi 🇯🇵 | M8 | Ichiyamamoto 🇯🇵 |
| Ura 🇯🇵 | M9 | Chiyoshoma 🇲🇳 |
| Atamifuji 🇯🇵 | M10 | Roga 🇷🇺 |
| Takanosho 🇯🇵 | M11 | Tokihayate 🇯🇵 |
| Midorifuji 🇯🇵 | M12 | Asakoryu 🇯🇵 |
| Churanoumi 🇯🇵 | M13 | Shodai 🇯🇵 |
| Kusano 🇯🇵 | M14 | Fujinokawa 🇯🇵 |
| Kotoshoho 🇯🇵 | M15 | Hidenoumi 🇯🇵 |
| Kayo 🇯🇵 | M16 | Mitakeumi 🇯🇵 |
| Kotoeiho 🇯🇵 | M17 | Shishi 🇺🇦 |
Onosato debuts atop the banzuke
Onosato won the previous tournament, in a fairly crushing display of dominance. That win secured his promotion to become the 75th yokozuna. This promotion means that, for the first time since 2021, we have two yokozuna on our banzuke.
Onosato occupies the second highest spot on this banzuke. The top spot is reserved for Hoshoryu, who was promoted to become the 74th yokozuna after he won the January tournament.
Hakuho, sumo’s GOAT, and Terunofuji were the last two yokozuna to be competing at the same time. After Hakuho retired in 2021, Terunofuji represented the rank by himself until he retired during the January tournament. During that stretch Terunofuji was often injured, meaning we witnessed many tournaments with no yokozuna competing at all. After that stretch, having two young and active yokozuna on the banzuke is an extremely exciting development for sumo fans.
With Onosato’s promotion from ozeki to yokozuna, that means we have just one ozeki on this banzuke. Kotozakura, who won the November tournament, resides in that spot. Below him we have three sekiwake ranked wrestlers, which is somewhat rare.
Daieisho and Kirishima were sekiwake in the last tournament and both did extremely well. Both men notched double digit victories and both ensured their place as sekiwake while working towards ozeki promotions (which typically requires 33 wins over three consecutive tournaments as sekiwake). They are joined by Wakatakakage. Wakatakakage went 12-3 in May, finishing runner-up to Onosato. That accomplishment, from the komusubi rank justified opening up a third sekiwake rank for him.
This promotion sees Wakatakakage reclaim the rank he had back when he suffered a devastating knee injury in the 2023 March tournament.
Takayasu, who was runner-up to Onosato back in March, retains his komusubi rank despite having a losing record of 6-9 in May. Him keeping that rank is one of the more surprising features of this month’s banzuke.
Oshoma, Aonishiki and Onokatsu ready to breakthrough
Oshoma rose to take the other komusubi rank. He, along with Aonishiki and Onokatsu, earned career high rankings on this banzuke thanks to stellar May tournaments.
Oshoma and Onokatsu went 10-5. Aonishiki, who was competing at only his second ever top division tournament, finished 11-4. All three wrestlers earned those records while competing at their previous highest ever ranks. These three, along with Hakuoho (who received a bumper promotion in this banzuke), are some of the most exciting young wrestlers currently in the top division.
Each of them will now be given the toughest tests of their careers. Being ranked this high means that, early, they’ll have to face the best wrestlers in the game – including both yokozuna.
Kusano arrives
The 2025 Nagoya banzuke confirmed the promotion of Kusano from juryo (second division) to makuuchi. Kusano is one of the hottest prospects in sumo. The 24 year-old, who had an Onosato like college career, has only competed in seven senior tournaments. He won back-to-back juryo championships in his last two tournaments, going a combined 27-3 in those tournaments. He’s a product of the powerhouse Isegahama stable. Former yokozuna Terunofuji became the new Isegahama oyakata (stablemaster) last month.
The other wrestlers promoted to makuuchi this month were Mitakeumi, Hidenoumi, Fujinokawa and Kotoeiho.
Mitakeumi, a former ozeki, bounces right back to makuuchi after going 8-7 in May during his first juryo tournament in around a decade. Hidenoumi will be competing in his thirteenth top division tournament in July. Fujinokawa and Kotoeiho will be competing in the top division for the first time this month.
Fujinokawa, who wrestled under the shikona (ring name) Wakaikari, is just 20 years-old. Kotoeiho is only 21.
Hidenoumi and Kotoeiho’s promotions mean that there are now three pairs of brothers in the top division. Hidenoumi is older brother to the extremely popular Tobizaru. Kotoeiho is the younger brother to Kotoshoho. The other set of brothers are Wakatakakage and Wakamotoharu.
In sumo, brothers are forbidden from competing against each other during a tournament.
Other notes
Five wrestlers were relegated from the top division in this banzuke. Those were Shonannoumi, Ryuden, Nishikigi, Tamashoho and Tochitaikai.
Ryuden and Nishikigi are veterans who likely don’t have long left in the sport. Shonannoumi went 5-10 in the last tournament and is yet to realize his potential on the dohyo (ring). Tamashoho is yet to get a winning record in makuuchi after two attempts. Tochitaikai was debuting in makuuchi in May.
Popular former ozeki Asanoyama, who is returning from a serious knee injury, was ranked first in the makushita (third division). A winning record this month will see him promoted to the second division and within striking distance of returning to the top division.
Makushita is also home to the wildly popular little man Enho, as well as Mudoho (brother of Oho and grandson of legendary yokozuna Taiho), and Akua (who performs the ceremonial bow twirling dance to close each day of the tournament).
American rikishi Hikarumusashi finds himself ranked 33rd in the jonidan (fifth division). The 19 year-old Hawaiian is the nephew of former yokozuna Musashimaru. He’s three tournaments into his grand sumo career.
More Sumo on Combat Press
Combat Press will provide more Grand Sumo coverage in the coming weeks. We’ll have our own power rankings and then a preview and viewing guide for the Nagoya basho.
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