Sumo Tokyo Grand Sumo Tournament: Hoshoryu takes 2nd win

thomas

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Anyone else following sumo tournaments? Over the past two years, I have grown quite excited about them and can't wait for the next honbasho!

The Tokyo Grand Sumo Tournament that finished last Sunday was among the most exciting I have ever seen:
  • Kotozakura, the winner of the Emperor Cup in November 2024 and previously seen as yokozuna material, finished makekoshi (負け越し), which means he suffered more losses than wins.
  • Most ozeki, including Hoshoryu, initially performed quite disappointingly, making the tournament's first half a level field to rikishi across all ranks.
  • The last reigning yokozuna, Terunofuji, resigned after just four bouts (2:2). Currently, there is no active yokozuna.
  • Until Saturday, Kazakh-born Kinbozan (maegashira No.14) was the undisputed leader and was seen as the most likely tournament winner.
  • Shinozeki Onosato, winner of the Tokyo autumn tournament 2024, had a terrible start (like all the ozeki) but finished kachikoshi (勝ち越し, more wins than losses, 9:6)
  • The tournament finished in a playoff between Oho, Jinbozan, and Hoshoryu, with Hoshoryu beating both his opponents.

And it looks as if Hoshoryu, the nephew of the legendary Asashoryu, will be promoted to Yokozuna tomorrow! It is rare to see him smile, just like in the photo below. On the dohyo, he is one of the fiercest-looking rikishi.

Hoshoryu





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Culture  Sumo

Sumō (相撲) is a unique form of wrestling with a 2,000-year-old history that easily qualifies as Japan's national sport. Sumō became a professional sport almost 300 years ago, in the early Edo Period (1600-1868). Although it is practised today by clubs in high schools, colleges, and amateur...
 
Today, the Japan Sumo Association (JSA) promoted Hoshoryu to yokozuna, the highest rank in sumo wrestling, less than two weeks after the previous sole yokozuna retired. Following the official announcement, Hoshoryu pledged to uphold the honour of the Yokozuna title "with unwavering mental strength and inspiration."

Congratulations to the 74th yokozuna! :)

Mongolian wrestler Hoshoryu becomes 74th yokozuna


Mongolian wrestler Hoshoryu becomes 74th yokozuna


Born Sugarragchaa Byambasuren in Mongolia in 1999, Hoshoryu is a nephew of Asashoryu, the first Mongolian yokozuna, one of the greatest rikishi in the country. Asashoryu, the 68th yokozuna, dominated the sport in the mid-2000s, picking up 25 Emperor's Cups before retiring in 2010. This is the first time the JSA has named a new yokozuna in three and a half years since Terunofuji earned a promotion. Terunofuji was promoted to the grand champion rank after the 2021 Nagoya tournament, but nagging injuries forced him to retire during the tournament held earlier this month. At that point, sumo fans feared that, for the first time in 32 years, there would be no yokozuna in the next tournament. But with the promotion of Hoshoryu, the crisis was averted. Hoshoryu came to Japan to study wrestling at Nippon Sport Science University Kahiwa High School in Chiba Prefecture 2015. There, he switched to the sumo team and debuted professionally at the New Year's Grand Sumo Tournament in 2018. After the Nagoya tournament in 2023, he was promoted to ozeki and won his first championship at the sport's second-highest rank at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament this month.



 
Has there ever been a time in Japanese sumo when there was nobody ranked yokozuna?

Yes, there have been instances in Japanese sumo history when there was no wrestler holding the rank of yokozuna. The most notable recent example occurred in 1992, following the retirement of Yokozuna Hokutoumi. This marked the end of a period where there were no active yokozuna until Akebono was promoted later that year, making it a rare occurrence in modern sumo history.

Additionally, the retirement of Terunofuji in January 2025 briefly left sumo without a yokozuna, but this was immediately resolved with Hoshoryu's promotion on the same day, preventing a prolonged absence of a grand champion.
 
Last Thursday, Shinyokozuna Hoshoryu participated in a traditional "tsuna-uchi" (綱打ち) rope-making ceremony at his Tatsunami stable in Tokyo in preparation for stepping into the ring as sumo 's sole grand champion.

Wrestlers from the Dewanoumi "ichimon" group of stables, to which the Tatsunami stable belongs, helped hand-twist the white rope ceremonially worn by yokozuna and completed the task in around two hours. Hoshoryu also received instruction on his ring-entry ceremony from former yokozuna Musashimaru, now known as sumo elder Musashigawa. The new grand champion took inspiration from his uncle, former yokozuna Asashoryu, by requesting a thicker rope than usual, weighing a whooping 7.8 kilograms!

Tsuna-uchi (綱打ち)


Tsuna-uchi (綱打ち)

Left: stable owner Musashimaru (photo credit: Kyodo)

Here's what the Tsuna-uchi looks like from behind (courtesy of Sumo Fan Magazine):

Tsuna-uchi (綱打ち)



 
About 3,500 people gathered at Meiji Jingu shrine in Tokyo on Friday to see sumo yokozuna grand champion Hoshoryu perform his first ring-entering ceremony. He was promoted to the sport's highest rank this week (see above).




 
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