Nagoya Basho shaping up to be another red-hot affair at new venue

Japan Times

11-07-2025

July 21, 2019 — that's the date of the most recent bout between two yokozuna with spectators in attendance.
Thanks to a global pandemic — which forced the March 2020 tournament to be held behind closed doors — and the inevitable injury absences that come to all wrestlers with age, there hasn't been another clash between yokozuna in the intervening six years.
That long drought should finally come to an end later this month, after back-to-back championships in March and May saw Onosato being promoted to sumo's highest rank.
With Hoshoryu having reached the sport's summit just a few months earlier, there are now two young, healthy and still improving talents at the top of the banzuke rankings.
It's a situation that has been commonplace throughout much of sumo's history over the past century, but not one that a large section of its international fanbase, which discovered the sport during various COVID-19 lockdowns, has ever experienced.
And with a new arena promising a far more pleasant viewing experience, anyone lucky enough to get tickets for the upcoming Nagoya tournament should be in for a treat.
In terms of who will emerge victorious from the 15-day meet that begins on Sunday, it's hard to look past the aforementioned yokozuna pair.
Onosato's rise has been nothing short of stunning.
This will be just the third time the new yokozuna competes in Nagoya, with the 2023 tournament being only his second in professional sumo.
Onosato recently turned 25, has yet to post a losing record in ōzumō and is visibly becoming a more complete wrestler with each tournament.
That's a frightening thought for anyone else with championship ambitions, and if Onosato remains healthy, he will likely be considered the odds-on favorite for every tournament he enters over the next couple of years.
The only glimmer of hope for opponents in Nagoya is that, over the past 30 years, only three of 10 newly promoted yokozuna lifted the Emperor's Cup in their debut at the rank.
The combination of a sudden surge in commitments related to the promotion, and the almost unavoidable dip in focus and drive that comes upon reaching any goal, makes winning a tournament more difficult than normal for new yokozuna.
It's no coincidence that the three men to have claimed the title in their yokozuna debut since 1995 were seasoned veterans who had taken the hard road to the white rope.
Terunofuji's story needs no introduction to modern fans, while Kisenosato was 13 years into his top-division career. Takanohana had lifted the Emperor's Cup seven times before being deemed worthy of promotion.
Even all-time greats such as Asashoryu and Hakuho didn't manage to win the first time out as yokozuna.
All of which means that while Onosato is clearly the No. 1 rikishi on the banzuke right now, the odds of him winning a third successive championship aren't as high as might be expected.
Yokozuna Hoshoryu can be considered one of the favorites to win the title in Nagoya. |
JIJI
For the upcoming meet at least, Hoshoryu probably deserves the tag as favorite.
Apart from an injury-enforced absence in his yokozuna debut, Hoshoryu has reached 12 wins or better in every tournament since November. The young Mongolian-born wrestler has taken his sumo to another level over the past six months and has won six of his seven bouts with Onosato to date.
Soft first-week losses continue to be his Achilles' heel, however, and Hoshoryu has yet to make it to Day 7 in any tournament as a sekitori without at least one defeat.
In the 11 tournaments since becoming an ōzeki, Hoshoryu has a 55-22 record across the first seven days of those meets. When you are going into the toughest part of the schedule with an average of two losses already under your belt, it's hard to consistently win titles.
But given the fact that Onosato isn't likely to be as locked-in as last time out, even one or two losses before the midpoint shouldn't be fatal to Hoshoryu's hopes this time out.
Just below sumo's two main stars, sits a man who was on the cusp of yokozuna promotion going into January, but now, just six months later, has lost more bouts than he has won in 2025 and been overtaken by two younger rivals.
Kotozakura has barely avoided kadoban status in both of his most recent tournaments, so even a losing record in Nagoya wouldn't see him drop from the rank of ōzeki. But that has to be a small consolation after going into the new year with so much promise.
Neck issues have been a concern, but over the past week or so, Kotozakura appears to be able to train without any problems. The grandson of a yokozuna who appeared in the James Bond movie 'You Only Live Twice,' Kotozakura still has size, youth and power and, if healthy, could be a dark horse candidate to get a second life of his own.
With the pressure off, and all the focus on the two new yokozuna, it wouldn't be a complete surprise if Kotozakura sneaks in, lifts the Emperor's Cup, and kick-starts a debate about whether we could see three men earn the white rope in 2025.
Further down the rankings is a trio of interesting top-division debutants.
Kusano, who has won back-to-back titles in the jūryō division, has been on a tear over the past few months, and it's very possible that another title challenge by a first-timer could be on the cards in Nagoya.
Joining Kusano at the rank of maegashira 14, is the newly renamed Fujinokawa, who had competed under the name Wakaikari up to this point. The son of Kabutoyama elder, Fujinokawa is a small but extremely feisty wrestler who is almost certain to become a fan favorite.
There are sumo family connections for the third rookie as well, with Kotoeiho being the younger brother of maegashira Kotoshoho. Just two ranks separate the siblings heading into the Nagoya meet, and not falling behind a younger sibling is certain to add extra motivation for Kotoshoho this time out.
Between the yokozuna and the newcomers, there is no shortage of exciting talent in sumo's top tier on the current banzuke.
Oshima, Aonishiki, Onokatsu and Hakuoho are all at career-high ranks and many sumo fans will be keenly watching to see how the young hopefuls do as they approach sumo's higher ranks.
A new yokozuna, a new arena, and no shortage of potential stars. The 2025 Nagoya Basho promises to be one of the hottest of recent years — figuratively, not literally.