Grand Sumo’s next tournament is right around the corner. The 2026 Nagoya basho starts on July 12 and runs until July 26. Before any tournament starts rolling, the Japan Sumo Association always releases an updated banzuke (ranking document) that organizes the hundreds of wrestlers in the Grand Sumo system into ranks and divisions. The best 42 wrestlers belong to the makuuchi (top division). These wrestlers will be fighting every day of the fifteen day tournament hoping to win the top division championship.
Below are the rankings for the top division, as well as some commentary on points of interest.
Grand Sumo Top Division Rankings
| East | Rank | West |
| Hoshoryu 🇲🇳 | Yokozuna | Onosato 🇯🇵 |
| Kirishima 🇲🇳 | Ozeki | Kotozakura🇯🇵 |
| Atamifuji 🇯🇵 | Sekiwake | Kotoshoho 🇯🇵 |
| Wakatakakage 🇯🇵 | Sekiwake | Aonishiki 🇺🇦 |
| Yoshinofuji 🇯🇵 | Komusubi | Oho 🇯🇵 |
| Fujinokawa 🇯🇵 | M1 | Takanosho 🇯🇵 |
| Gonoyama 🇯🇵 | M2 | Churanoumi 🇯🇵 |
| Hiradoumi 🇯🇵 | M3 | Hakunofuji 🇯🇵 |
| Daieisho 🇯🇵 | M4 | Ichiyamamoto 🇯🇵 |
| Ura 🇯🇵 | M5 | Oshoma 🇲🇳 |
| Shodai 🇯🇵 | M6 | Fujiseun 🇯🇵 |
| Kotoeiho 🇯🇵 | M7 | Takayasu 🇯🇵 |
| Wakamotoharu 🇯🇵 | M8 | Roga 🇷🇺 |
| Fujiryoga 🇯🇵 | M9 | Tobizaru 🇯🇵 |
| Asanoyama 🇯🇵 | M10 | Chiyoshoma 🇲🇳 |
| Wakanosho 🇲🇳 | M11 | Mitakeumi 🇯🇵 |
| Asahakuryu 🇯🇵 | M12 | Abi 🇯🇵 |
| Nishikifuji 🇯🇵 | M13 | Takerufuji 🇯🇵 |
| Kinbozan 🇰🇿 | M14 | Shishi 🇺🇦 |
| Onokatsu 🇲🇳 | M15 | Kazuma 🇯🇵 |
| Daiseizan 🇨🇳 | M16 | Asakoryu 🇯🇵 |
Sekiwake everywhere
The most notable feature of this month’s banzuke is the glut of sekiwake. The rankings list has four men in the sekiwake ranks (two below the hallowed rank of yokozuna). There must always be at least two sekiwake on the banzuke. Having four is quite a rare occurrence. The last time this happened was at the January 2023 tournament.
The current crop of sekiwake are Atamifuji, Kotoshoho, Wakatakakage and Aonishiki. Atamifuji and Kotoshoho were ranked at sekiwake in the last tournament (in May) and have kept their rank by virtue of performing very well. Each scored a 9-6 record, which is impressive considering this was their first time either were ranked this high.
Wakatakakage joins them after winning the May tournament, while ranked just below at komusubi. His 12-3 record and yusho (championship) meant he had to be promoted from his ranking.
Aonishiki makes four due to a demotion. The Ukrainian was promoted to ozeki (between sekiwake and yokozuna) in January. In March he had a chance to win his third yusho in a row and gain a promotion to yokozuna. However, he under-performed (partly due to injury) and finished with a 7-8 losing record. He sat out the entire May tournament, thus earning a 0-0-15 record. Two losing records in a row (absences count as losses in sumo) are enough to trigger a demotion from ozeki back down to sekiwake.
There’s a strong chance we won’t have four sekiwake for the next tournament. If Aonishiki gets double digit wins he will be promoted back to ozeki. All four wrestlers will need winning records to prevent them being demoted to komusubi.
Lucky joi boys?
Below the sekiwake and komusubi ranks is a section known as the joi (maegashira ranks 1-4). This is one of the hardest places to be in Grand Sumo. The wrestlers in the joi face a murderer’s row of opponents in the first week of the tournament (which will include all four of our sekiwake and – if healthy – both ozeki and yokozuna).
This month’s joi is made up of many of the same characters who were here in the last tournament. Takanosho, Hiradoumi, Daieisho and Ichiyamamoto all remain in the joi despite having losing records in the last tournament. Takanosho, Hiradoumi and Takanosho are in the same exact rank as before. Usually, wrestlers are demoted up and down spots equal to their net wins/losses from the past tournament. The fact those three got to stay where they are was due to many wrestlers below them also under-performing (meaning there was no one available to promote up to take their spot).
You might consider these wrestlers lucky for getting to keep a very respectable spot in the rankings, somewhere which can be a launchpad to the special upper ranks. However, the joi is a double-edged sword since – as stated above – to get to those upper ranks all these wrestlers will need to face the current elites of the sport.
New heaviest man in the top division
Four wrestlers earned promotions to the makuuchi from the juryo (second division) in this banzuke. They are Takerufuji, Onokatsu, Kazuma and Daiseizan.
Takerufuji won it all in his debut top division tournament in 2024. He’s been stuck in juryo lately due to a bicep injury. He scored a big 11-4 record down there in May. That catapulted him back into the top division.
Onokatsu dropped down to juryo for the previous tournament and managed to get promoted back at the first time of asking.
Both Kazuma and Daiseizan are appearing in their debut top division tournaments in July. Kazuma won the juryo yusho in May. He is the heaviest wrestler in the top division at this forthcoming tournament.
Daiseizan had been lingering around the top of the second division for a while and managed to just squeak by to the makuuchi here. He’s the second ever Chinese born wrestler to compete in the makuuchi. The first was his stable-master Arashio (formerly known as Sokokurai).
Tamawashi drops down
With four wrestlers coming up, four had to go down to make room. The relegated quartet is Tamawashi. Tokihayate, Oshoumi and Ryuden.
The veteran Ryuden has been yo-yo-ing between the first and second division for the past two years. Tokihayate has had a few top division tournaments in a row, but hasn’t truly established himself there yet. And Oshoumi only appeared in three top division tournaments before getting this relegation.
Tamawashi is a living legend of the sport.
He is our iron man who holds the record for 1793 consecutive career bouts without a single injury absence. His running total is over a hundred more than the second place rikishi (wrestler). Tamawashi also holds the record for most top division bouts (1497).
Tamawashi, who in May was the oldest man in the top division at 41, amassed these records thanks to a twenty-two year career with no injury pull-outs. That’s an astounding accomplishment given how often sumo wrestlers get injured (thanks to their brutal tournament, exhibition tour and daily training schedules). Tamawashi has only ever missed three scheduled bouts, but that was due to a COVID outbreak at his stable and the Japan Sumo Association has ruled that these absences should not count against his consecutive bout streak.
Tamawashi fought with a damaged calf muscle in the last tournament. As a result he found it extremely difficult to get wins. He ended with a 2-14 record, making it virtually impossible for the JSA’s ranking committee to spare him from a relegation to juryo.
This relegation breaks Tamawashi’s streak of consecutive top division bouts at 1152, making him third all-time. This will be his first time competing in the second division since 2012.
Other notes
Asahifuji debuts in the makushita (third division) at this coming tournament. He is the most exciting prospect in all of sumo right now. The youngster has been undefeated as he’s progressed through sumo’s lower divisions. He can set a record at this tournament for an undefeated start to a career if he goes 7-0 this month (as he has in all his other tournaments).
Asahifuji is so highly touted that he was given the shikona (ringname) of a former yokozuna by his stable master Isegahama (former yokozuna Terunofuji). The previous Asahifuji was Terunofuji’s stable master. That’s a very heavy responsibility to give to a young wrestler.
This banzuke features career highs for Yoshinofuji, Kotoeiho and Fujiryoga. Yoshinofuji progresses to the special named ranks for the first time in his career. Kotoeiho and Fujiryoga receive big promotions thanks to them coming close to beating Wakatakakage for the cup in May.
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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