Grand Sumo wrapped up its latest tournament on Sunday with the close of the 2026 haru basho (spring tournament) in Osaka, Japan.
This tournament was filled with twists, turns and lots of upsets. See the full results for the makuuchi (top division) below as well as the key takeaways on what happened.
2026 Haru Basho top division final standings
| Record | East | Rank | West | Record |
| 11-4 | Hoshoryu 🇲🇳 | Yokozuna | Onosato 🇯🇵 | 0-4-11 |
| 7-8 | Aoinishiki 🇺🇦 | Ozeki | Kotozakura🇯🇵 | 10-5 |
| 12-3 | Kirishima 🇲🇳 | Sekiwake | Takayasu 🇯🇵 | 7-8 |
| 3-12 | Wakamotoharu 🇯🇵 | Komusubi | Atamifuji 🇯🇵 | 9-6 |
| 8-6-1 | Wakatakakage 🇯🇵 | M1 | Yoshinofuji 🇯🇵 | 7-8 |
| 8-7 | Fujinokawa 🇯🇵 | M2 | Churanoumi 🇯🇵 | 4-11 |
| 7-8 | Hiradoumi 🇯🇵 | M3 | Oho 🇯🇵 | 7-8 |
| 7-8 | Daieisho 🇯🇵 | M4 | Takanosho 🇯🇵 | 9-6 |
| 4-6-5 | Abi 🇯🇵 | M5 | Kotoshoho 🇯🇵 | 11-4 |
| 9-6 | Ichiyamamoto 🇯🇵 | M6 | Onokatsu 🇲🇳 | 1-6-8 |
| 6-9 | Oshoma 🇲🇳 | M7 | Hakunofuji 🇯🇵 | 5-6-4 |
| 5-10 | Ura 🇯🇵 | M8 | Shodai 🇯🇵 | 8-7 |
| 5-10 | Tokihayate 🇯🇵 | M9 | Tamawashi 🇲🇳 | 5-10 |
| 10-5 | Gonoyama 🇯🇵 | M10 | Roga 🇷🇺 | 5-10 |
| 6-9 | Shishi 🇺🇦 | M11 | Oshoumi 🇯🇵 | 5-10 |
| 9-6 | Asakoryu 🇯🇵 | M12 | Asanoyama 🇯🇵 | 8-7 |
| 6-9 | Tobizaru 🇯🇵 | M13 | Fujiseun 🇯🇵 | 10-5 |
| 10-5 | Chiyoshoma 🇲🇳 | M14 | Nishikifuji 🇯🇵 | 9-6 |
| 0-0-15 | Midorifuji 🇯🇵 | M15 | Mitakeumi 🇯🇵 | 8-7 |
| 10-5 | Asahakuryu 🇯🇵 | M16 | Kinbozan 🇰🇿 | 9-6 |
| 7-8 | Fujiryoga 🇯🇵 | M17 | Kotoeiho 🇯🇵 | 9-6 |
Kirishima seizes the moment
Kirishima came out on top of the spring tournament, wrapping things up on day fourteen of the fifteen day tournament. The Mongolian sekiwake (two ranks below yokozuna) built a commanding lead over the first thirteen days of the tournament, so much so that he actually lost his last two bouts but was still able to win the cup. That’s because his closest rivals this month, Hoshoryu and Kotoshoho, also faltered at the final hurdles making it impossible for them to catch him with days/matches running out.
This is Kirishima’s third career top division title. He won his first two titles in 2023. In that year, while named Kiribayama, he also secured the ozeki rank. At the time he looked prime to be the man to become the next yokozuna (back when Terunofuji was the lone yokozuna on the banzuke).
His banner 2023 was followed by an annus horribilis in 2024. A persistent neck injury sabotaged much of his tournaments that year. That led to him getting two losing records in back to back tournaments, which is enough to cause you to lose your ozeki rank.
He’s been slowly working back into form since then, with a couple of tournaments where he looked like his old self. In this tournament, he looked like he was fighting in the Matrix at times. His sumo was slick, intelligent and at times effortless looking. He scored a number of matador style wins in this basho, stepping to the side to let his opponents crash into the dirt.
His biggest win was over Hoshoryu, his former judo clubmate when he was a teen. That win cleared his path to the yusho (championship).
The 12 wins Kirishima collected in Osaka gave him a running total of 34 over the past three tournaments. That number, plus the yusho, are enough to give him his ozeki promotion. This means he will be an ozeki in the May tournament, exactly two years on from his last tournament with that highly esteemed rank.
Aonishiki is Human
Aonishiki, who won the past two tournaments, came into Osaka knowing that a tournament win or a runner-up spot would earn a promotion to make him the sport’s 76th yokozuna and the first ever yokozuna born in Europe. Things didn’t go well for the Ukrainian, though. The 22 year-old (he just turned 22 on Monday) suffered the first losing record of his career this month. Prior to now the worst record he had ever finished with was 11-4.
In this tournament it felt like the field had finally caught up to Aonishiki. Before switching to sumo, Aonishiki was a national level wrestler in Ukraine. His sumo is highly influenced by freestyle wrestling. This is most noticeable when he adopts his favourite stance, a leaned over freestyle wrestler like stance. And he’s largely unbeatable when he does that. In this tournament, though, guys figured out a number of ways to prevent him getting that stance. And, as a result, Aonishiki found it very difficult to win.
Some wrestlers forced him to go chest-to-chest and then used torso thrusting to keep him upright. Others blasted him in the chest with double handed thrusts to lean him back. And Hoshoryu, when they fought on the final day, used hazuoshi (armpit thrusts) to do the same.
This all resulted in Aonishiki looking human for the first time in his career. As he struggled to get wins, his notable stoic natures began to crack a little. At times in this tournament he looked like he didn’t want to be there.
Instead of being crowned a yokozuna, Aonishiki now goes into the next tournament kadoban (in a corner). If he gets a losing record in May he’ll lose his ozeki rank (just like Kirishima did two years ago).
Despite his struggled in March, Aonishiki remains one of the very best rikishi on the planet. And, given his age and talent, it seems likely that he’ll be able to learn from this experience and come back stronger.
Hoshoryu labelled ‘pathetic’ by JSA chairman
Hoshoryu was in this tournament into the penultimate day. However, a day fourteen loss to Kotozakura eliminated him from title contention and gifted the cup to Kirishima.
Japan Sumo Association (JSA) chairman Hakkaku labelled that performance as “pathetic”. That was a stunningly candid and brutal assessment from the chairman and one meant to embarrass the yokozuna. Hoshoryu is used to having to deal with snide comments from inside and out of the JSA. Even so, this was the harshest anyone has ever been on record about him.
Hoshoryu had previously been maligned for his allegedly volatile attitude. That was an unfair label to give him, based mostly on how previous Mongolian yokozuna had annoyed the JSA (including Hoshoryu’s uncle Asashoryu). Hoshoryu was also criticized for losing too many matches against lower maegashira ranked wrestlers. That critique was a little more fair. However, that rolled into everything else (including desires for him to use less judo in his sumo) amounts to a very unfair heap of pressure that has been put on the wrestler.
Hoshoryu responded to that comment from Hakkaku with a resounding win over Aonishiki, someone who had beaten him in all five of their previous matches.
Other news and notes
The 75th yokozuna Onosato pulled out of this tournament on day four. He has been carrying a shoulder injury since December. It appears to have gotten worse during this tournament. He was able to get a 10-5 record in January, while visibly fighting through pain. However, in March he lost his first three bouts before deciding to go absent for the rest of the tournament.
Wakamotoharu had the worst record of the tournament (not counting Midorifuji who sat out the entire tournament due to a heart condition). Wakamotoharu finished 3-12 and looked, frankly, terrible at times. This will cost him his komusubi rank and see him free-fall down the rankings. His brother, Wakatakakage, fared better, ending with an 8-6-1 record. He sat out the last two days with an apparent triceps injury.
Fujinokawa continued to show he’s a star on the rise. The diminutive wrestler, who always fights like his life depends on it, got an 8-7 record from the very high maegashira 2 ranking. His wins included victories over both Onosato and Hoshoryu. This was the first time in his career he’d ever faced elite competition like that.
There were mixed fortunes for the hometown favourites at this tournament. Osaka’s most popular man Ura slumped to a 5-10 record. Gonoyama, who the crowd almost booed for beating Ura, did the best among Osakans with a 10-5 record. Asakoryu, famed for his muscles, finished 9-6.
The injury bug was rampant in March. Along with Midorifuji, Onosato and Wakatakakage, Onokatsu, Abi and Hakunofuji all sat out due to varying degrees of injury.
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