Grand Sumo’s Kyushu basho wrapped up on Sunday. With that tournament ending, so too does the 2025 Grand Sumo tournament season. The 15-day tournament, which took place in Kyushu in the south of Japan, saw a three way race for the yusho (championship) between the yokozuna Onosato and Hoshoryu and the rising Aonishiki.
Scroll down to see what happened in this thrilling tournament.
2025 Kyushu Basho top division final standings
| Record | East | Rank | West | Record |
| 11-4 | Onosato 🇯🇵 | Yokozuna | Hoshoryu 🇲🇳 | 12-3 |
| 8-7 | Kotozakura🇯🇵 | Ozeki | ||
| 12-3 | Aoinishiki 🇺🇦 | Sekiwake | Oho 🇯🇵 | 7-8 |
| 5-10 | Takanosho 🇯🇵 | Komusubi | Takayasu 🇯🇵 | 8-7 |
| 6-9 | Hakuoho 🇯🇵 | M1 | Wakatakakage 🇯🇵 | 7-8 |
| 11-4 | Kirishima 🇲🇳 | M2 | Wakamotoharu 🇯🇵 | 8-7 |
| 4-11 | Hiradoumi 🇯🇵 | M3 | Ura 🇯🇵 | 8-7 |
| 7-8 | Tamawashi 🇲🇳 | M4 | Oshoma 🇲🇳 | 4-11 |
| 9-6 | Yoshinofuji 🇯🇵 | M5 | Shodai 🇯🇵 | 4-11 |
| 8-7 | Atamifuji 🇯🇵 | M6 | Onokatsu 🇲🇳 | 7-8 |
| 8-7 | Churanoumi 🇯🇵 | M7 | Abi 🇯🇵 | 5-10 |
| 11-4 | Ichiyamamoto 🇯🇵 | M8 | Kinbozan 🇰🇿 | 7-8 |
| 6-9 | Midorifuji 🇯🇵 | M9 | Tobizaru 🇯🇵 | 6-9 |
| 10-5 | Daieisho 🇯🇵 | M10 | Kotoshoho 🇯🇵 | 7-8 |
| 6-9 | Shishi 🇺🇦 | M11 | Roga 🇷🇺 | 8-7 |
| 9-6 | Fujinokawa 🇯🇵 | M12 | Tomokaze 🇯🇵 | 7-8 |
| 9-6 | Gonoyama 🇯🇵 | M13 | Mitakeumi 🇯🇵 | 7-8 |
| 7-8 | Ryuden 🇯🇵 | M14 | Tokihayate 🇯🇵 | 9-6 |
| 9-6 | Nishikifuji 🇯🇵 | M15 | Shonannoumi 🇯🇵 | 3-12 |
| 7-8 | Oshoumi 🇯🇵 | M16 | Sadanoumi 🇯🇵 | 4-11 |
| 10-5 | Chiyoshoma 🇲🇳 | M17 | Asakoryu 🇯🇵 | 8-7 |
| 1-5-9 | Meisei 🇯🇵 | M18 |
The Aonishiki Era Begins
Aonishiki won the title on Sunday after defeating Hoshoryu, with an okurinage (backwards throw down) in a play-off for the cup. In order to force the play-off Aonishiki first defeated the ozeki Kotozakura, using his trademark uchimuso (inner thigh propping twist down). If Aonishiki had lost to Kotozakura, Hoshoryu would have won the tournament without competing (due to him earning an automatic win thanks to his opponent Onosato pulling out due to injury).
Aonishiki, a former Ukrainian war refugee, is the first European to win a top division title since Tochinoshin, from Georgia, won in 2018. Aonishiki, who is only 21 years-old, likely earned a promotion to ozeki (one below yokozuna) for his exploits in this tournament. This would make him the first European born ozeki since Tochinoshin achieved that feat, also in 2018.
Aonishiki finished this tournament with a 12-3 record, his best ever. This was only his fifth top division tournament. In all his previous tournaments he finished with an 11-4 record. This astonishing consistency, from someone so young, has wowed sumo fans and lead to projections that Aonishiki might become the first European born yokozuna in the sports 400 year recorded history.
Aonishiki’s success in this tournament, and career, is due to his highly technical and unpredictable sumo. He’s a former national level freestyle wrestler and his sumo has plenty of freestyle influences, most notably in his bent over posture which he uses to hunt for lower body attacks.
The emergence and then rise of Aonishiki is one of the most compelling stories in the sport this year, second only to the exploits of Onosato. After some lean years when it came to high performing yokozuna and ozeki, sumo fans are feeling blessed now with the prospect of seeing Onosato, Hoshoryu and now Aonishiki competing for titles next year and beyond.
The yokozuna bowl peters out in the final days
Despite Aonishiki looking superb all tournament long, he was a third favourite to win the title until the last few days of the tournament. Prior to that all eyes were on Onosato and Hoshoryu, who dominated the September tournament and fought each other on the last day for the cup (which Onosato won, in somewhat controversial manner).
In this tournament Hoshoryu had a Day 1 hiccup against Hakuoho and was punked by Wakamotoharu with a revenge henka on Day 6. Other than that he was perfect before he met, and lost to Aonishiki, on the penultimate day of the competition.
Onosato got off to a 9-0 start in this tournament before losing to young upstart Yoshinofuji on Day 10. He then slipped and fell in a bout with Takanosho. He met, and beat, Aonishiki on Day 13, in the same controversial manner that he beat Hoshoryu in September. Onosato pushed Aonishiki out of the ring, but hit the ground himself at the same time that Aonishiki landed. The gyoji (referee) called the win for Onosato and the shimpan (judges) did not intervene for a mono-ii (review), which is typical when a bout looks too close to call. The lack of a mono-ii infuriated many fans, who weren’t buying the referee’s likely reasoning that this was a case for the ‘dead body rule’. The dead body rule, in sumo, is when a referee or judge interprets that an opponent is airborne and thus has as much control over the bout as a dead body would, so that the person on the ground should be credited with the win.
All these incidents lead to a three way tie between Onosato, Hoshoryu and Aonishiki on the final day. The chance of a repeat yokozuna duel for the cup was dashed early on Day 15, though, when it was revealed that Onosato would be sitting out his last match with Hoshoryu due to a shoulder injury (sustained or aggravated in a loss to Kotozakura on Day 14).
The disappointment in not seeing both yokozuna fight each other on the final day (something we’ve only seen once, so far), was overshadowed by the joy of Aonishiki taking his first cup. However, there are now fears that Onosato might be seriously hurt. This was his first time ever sitting out due to injury. At the moment he’s on pace to break some of the most important records in the sport. Though, that can all change if he has to miss significant time due to injury.
Yoshinofuji the line bright spot for local fans
For the second year in a row wrestlers from the island of Kyushu have done very poor in their home tournament. Many of them seem to crumble under the pressure of vociferous support, and pressure, from their local fans. Former ozeki Shodai, formerkomusubi Hiradoumi and long-time veteran Sadanoumi all posted terrible records (for the second year in a row). Meisei also ended with just one win, but that’s due mostly to him missing the first nine days due to injury. The only Kyushu born wrestlers who did well this month were Churanoumi (who scraped by with 8-7) and Yoshinofuji (who ended with a 9-6 record).
Yoshinofuji, formerly Kusano, looked fantastic in this tournament and seemed buoyed (not bothered) by the rowdy crowd support. He won six of his first seven bouts and looked as if he was a dark horse contender for the cup. Things fell apart for him in the second week, though. He went 3-5 down the home stretch and lost pace with the leaders vying for the yusho. Even so, he did manage to beat Onosato in that run and earn his first career kinboshi (gold star).
This was only the third top division tournament for the former college star. He might be rewarded with a promotion to the san’yaku (upper ranks) as a result. He’s not very polished, yet, but he could be a name that continues to give the yokozuna, and Aonishiki, some issues in the coming years.
Mixed fortunes for the Waka Bros.
In the last tournament Wakatakakage suffered a crushing defeat in his quest to earn a long awaited ozeki promotion. He fell to a 6-9 record in that tournament, losing his shot at promotion and earning a demotion from sekiwake to maegashira 1. He appeared hung over in this tournament and struggled to put wins together. He ended with a 7-8 record, which will mean enough bump down the banzuke (rankings).
His older brother Wakamotoharu finished with 8-7. That’s not a lot on paper, but due to the struggles of those above him in the rankings (including his brother), that will likely be good enough to see him promoted up to komusubi for the January tournament. Wakamotoharu lost to a number of wrestlers he should probably beat, but he did get big wins over Kotozakura, Yoshinofuji and Hoshoryu (albeit by henka).
Other news and notes
Kirishima and Ichiyamamoto bounced back from bad September tournaments with 11-4 records. That earned both of them the Fighting Spirit award. Kirishima’s record is probably enough to elevate him all the way back up to sekiwake.
Aonishiki and Yoshinofuji were awarded Technique Prizes. Aonishiki also received the Outstanding Performance award.
Popualr wrestler Ura managed an 8-7 record despite facing a murderer’s row of opponents. Takayasu, who is also very popular online, managed an 8-7 record too, to save his place in the san’yaku. He was part of the match of the tournament, against Hoshoryu.
This bout looked like a bar fight with Takayasu going extra hard at the yokozuna (likely because he wanted to help out his friend Onosato). Hoshoryu won and gave Takayasu an extra shove into the seats before glaring at him (a clear sign that this match had boiled over from sporting to personal).
The diminutive Fujinokawa won a lot of fans in Kyushu. He finished with a 9-6 record and used his hyper aggressive style to beat up guys twice his size.
Fujiryoga won juryo (the second division) with a 13-2 record. That might not be enough to see him promoted to the top division. Former ozeki Asanoyama, who is in juryo on the comeback trail after an injury, has likely done enough to be promoted back to makuuchi in the new year.
Former top division champion Takerufuji failed to escape juryo. He managed just an 8-7 record. He was demoted to the second division after missing all of September’s tournament due to a bicep injury.
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