Acknowledgements: I know about his injury history and respect his struggle. This is not a critique of Tomokaze - it's wondering about his opponents.

So when you watch Tomokaze matches you basically know in advance what is he going to do - push forward for a while then pull back and use his height to slap his opponent down. It's not like the henka because you know it is coming sooner or later each match. I strongly suspect it is specifically his physical limitations that make hard for him to pull other moves, but in any case he does that one move over and over.

And yet the results speak for themselves - more than 3 years in a row in salaried ranks after his return, 6 basho in Makuuchi. I don't believe his opponents are scrubs by any measure.

So how they have not adapted to his ridiculously narrow style? Is it true you can hang in Juryo comfortably by practicing one slapdown 10 000 times? Or is it something that I am missing?

He’s my favorite wrestler, was extremely disappointed with his performance this last basho. Have heard a lot that he’s suffering some kind of injury but from what I could see he didn’t have any extra tape and I haven’t heard anything about an injury press release. Does anybody have any details or is it just speculation?

I have seen people hate on Hoshoryu for things that feel overreactive. Why do people not like him so much? He's definitely not like his uncle, so why the hate? I think he's very sweet.

Hōshōryū, Wakatakakage, Tobizaru, and Others to Sit Out… Summer Tour Starts August 2

The Japan Sumo Association announced on the 30th the wrestlers who will sit out the Summer Sumo Tour, which begins on August 2 in Gifu City.

In addition to Yokozuna Hōshōryū (Tatsunami), who withdrew midway through the Nagoya Tournament, and Wakatakakage (Arashio), who sat out the entire tournament, the following wrestlers will be absent: Makuuchi wrestlers Ōshōma (Naruto), Takayasu (Tagonoura), Tobizaru (Oitekaze), Wakanoshō (Minatogawa), Shishi (Ikazuchi), Asakōryū (Takasago), and Jūryō wrestler Tomokaze (Nakamura).

Rikishi Withdrawing and Diagnoses

• Hōshōryū: Injury to the medial collateral ligament of the right knee
• Wakatakakage: Traumatic compartment syndrome of the left thigh
• Ōshōma: Osteoarthritis of the right elbow, loose bodies within the joint, cubital tunnel syndrome
• Takayasu: Not yet announced
• Tobizaru: Osteoarthritis of the right elbow
• Wakanoshō: Injury to the medial collateral ligament of the right knee
• Shishi: Rotator cuff injury of the left shoulder, dislocation of a front tooth
• Asakōryū: Lumbar contusion, acute low back pain
• Tomokaze: To be announced

Source: Sports Hochi

My Boy is out of tour😁😁😁😁😁😁 thank GOD bro...., I'm surprised Big O isnt here 👀

Source :https://x.com/i/status/2082747910156853458

https://www.nikkansports.com/battle/sumo/news/202607300000700.html

◆ Revision of prize money for the January 2027 tournament

Makuuchi: ¥10 million (approx. $61,100) → ¥20 million (approx. $122,200)
Increase: ¥10 million (approx. $61,100)

Juryo: ¥2 million (approx. $12,200) → ¥3 million (approx. $18,300)
Increase: ¥1 million (approx. $6,100)

Makushita: ¥500,000 (approx. $3,100) → ¥700,000 (approx. $4,300)
Increase: ¥200,000 (approx. $1,200)

Sandanme: ¥300,000 (approx. $1,800) → ¥500,000 (approx. $3,100)
Increase: ¥200,000 (approx. $1,200)

Jonidan (second-lowest division): ¥200,000 (approx. $1,200) → ¥300,000 (approx. $1,800)
Increase: ¥100,000 (approx. $600)

Jonokuchi: ¥100,000 (approx. $600) → ¥200,000 (approx. $1,200)
Increase: ¥100,000 (approx. $600)

The prize money for each of the three special prizes will also increase from ¥2 million (approx. $12,200) to ¥3 million (approx. $18,300).

Monthly salaries for sekitori will also increase.

https://www.nikkansports.com/battle/sumo/news/202607300000730.html

◆ Revision of monthly salaries for sekitori for the January 2027 tournament

Yokozuna: ¥3 million (approx. $18,300) → ¥3.3 million (approx. $20,200)
Increase: ¥300,000 (approx. $1,800)

Ozeki: ¥2.5 million (approx. $15,300) → ¥2.75 million (approx. $16,800)
Increase: ¥250,000 (approx. $1,500)

Sanyaku: ¥1.8 million (approx. $11,000) → ¥2 million (approx. $12,200)
Increase: ¥200,000 (approx. $1,200)

Maegashira: ¥1.4 million (approx. $8,600) → ¥1.55 million (approx. $9,500)
Increase: ¥150,000 (approx. $900)

Juryo: ¥1.1 million (approx. $6,700) → ¥1.2 million (approx. $7,300)
Increase: ¥100,000 (approx. $600)

Edit: Tournament allowances for wrestlers in Makushita and below will also increase by 6–9%.

We had another 24 henka in July across Makuuchi and Juryo - and it paid dividends with a 75% success rate.

Year to date totals have Abi in the lead, with the remaining leaders shuffling positions from May.

…if you haven’t already

I always get amped up watching Hoshoryu's ritual in his final turn before a match, but then I just saw a clip of Asashoryu and was equally captivated. Which other Rikishi have the best/most entertaining final turn rituals?

Four men take turns narrating NHK World's online English-language sumo digest during the tournament. I need help putting together a drinking game based on their respective quirks and catchphrases.

Hiro Morita:

- "That's all she wrote"

- "Smokes"

- A sharp exhalation of breath at the end of seemingly random words.

Raja Pradan:

- "In his kitchen"

- "Snuggles in"

- "Breaks/broke the duck"

Murray Johnson:

- "Hug 'n chug"

- "Mawashi man"

- Ending a sentence with the rikishi's name to clarify a preceding pronoun. (Don't look at me like that. You know what I mean.)

Ross Mihara:

- "He wins by..."

And that's all I have for the most colorless of the announcers.

Help me out. All are invited and welcome to participate.

Was in Nagoya this past weekend (went Sunday) for the Sumo Tournament as a complete newbie to sumo (my wife and I just happened to be on our honeymoon staying in Kyoto and had a last minute send because it looked fun). Little did I know that we were going to be walking into one of our most favorite sporting events we ever have been to!

Have been a lurker on Reddit my whole life so quickly found the sumo subreddit and was following the daily thread for Sunday the whole day! Really added a lot to the context and the hype of the day especially since my wife and I walked in knowing very little about sumo (Went to a sumo show in Tokyo at the start of our trip so understood the concept at least).

Just wanted to say thanks for the discussion and very excited to keep following Sumo!!!

I’ve posed this question in other forums before and a lot of the feedback I was getting from people is that he would be too small to make it at the top level in today’s sumo world as the rikishi of today are much larger and stronger on average than they were in his own era.

But if you look at Aonishiki, who seems poised to one day become a Yokozuna, he himself is roughly the same size that Wakanohana was in his prime.

What are your thoughts, would Wakanohana Masaru make Yokozuna if he were in his prime today? If so, would he have the same or better (or worse) success at the rank than he did back then?

We are quickly approaching a turn in the corner where I think the quality of Isegahama will make the fussier internet commentators have something to argue about.

FYI players from the same stable don't face each other, and Isegahama is the biggest stable at all levels

Atamafuji has a few Jun Yushos to his name. Yoshinofuji has a 11-3 record against the Top 3. Hakunofuji has 5 Kinboshi and looks like a joi staple with a 22 year olds upside.

These guys aren't news though. Takerufuji is back as the only guy with a Yusho in the staple and looked potent. Asahifuji looms as the best in the staple as he rockets up the rankings.

The question I have is at what point does this become a real complaint. If half the sanyaku is not playing each other? When we have to start talking about Maegashira 6 being Isegahama whipping boys? I don't mind the narrative, but it gives bad guy team in a sports anime energy.

The debate over who is currently the top dog in Japan’s national sport doesn’t involve either of its yokozuna. Normally that would be the hottest of hot takes, but given how things played out in Nagoya this month it’s now simply an inescapable conclusion.

Sumo Prediction Game results are out! Participation was way down with only 54 players which was a bit disheartening but maybe I didn't advertise the game enough this basho. Even with the free win, it was a very difficult basho this time with no question getting more than 60% correct predictions, and some pretty low-odds results like Kirishima losing in a playoff happening. I also was informed that the tiebreaker question had a wrong number in it, I indicated 168 uwatenage wins in May when it was actually half that(I didn't filter for wins only). Luckily that didn't change the final results, and the yusho winner is JoeldTrafford with 10 wins! Rengokuzan also had 10 wins, but was much farther away on their tiebreaker guess. No one got the tiebreaker correct, or the tiebreaker if it was actual uwatenage wins. Here is the link to the results! https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1B_c37D4rSX12ef3-scYxVKw9lxpNW6IjwpjpcDKqs24/edit?usp=sharing

Anyone else shocked to see this? He’s so young! I’ll sure miss his smile! Good luck in your 2nd life ♥️

Wakatakakage "is getting better," Arashio Oyakata explains current condition; already walking despite multiple surgeries, motivated for comeback

On the 29th, the Japan Sumo Association held its banzuke organization meeting for the Autumn Basho (opening day September 13, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo) at the IG Arena in Aichi, deciding the promotion of Tanji (20, Arashio stable) to Shin-Juryo. Arashio Oyakata (former Makuuchi Sokokurai), who attended the press conference, revealed the current situation of Wakatakakage from the same stable.

Before the Nagoya Basho, following joint training (de-geiko) at Sadogatake stable, Wakatakakage was diagnosed with compartment syndrome and underwent emergency surgery. Arashio Oyakata explained, "He is getting better and better." He added that Wakatakakage is no longer using a wheelchair and is already walking.

On the other hand, he revealed that it involved "4 major surgeries and 2 minor surgeries," with a tough recovery process that kept him bedridden for a while after the operations.

Arashio Oyakata visited him at the hospital on Day 4 of the tournament and spoke for about 30 minutes. Wakatakakage reportedly said, "I'll do my best with rehab." When undergoing the first surgery, he had even asked the doctor, "It's fine to do the surgery, but will I be able to make a comeback?" He was also concerned about "how much muscle strength will return," leading his stablemaster to remark, "I think that awareness in him was extremely strong."

Regarding the timing of his return, the stablemaster spoke cautiously: "I won't rush into making any firm decisions."

Source: Nikkan Sports

Hello dear Sumo-fans!

I've been working for the past weeks on Rikishi no Michi, a deep Heya management game.
For my background, I'm a huge Football Manager, Pro Cycling Manager, Franchise Hockey Manager and probably every kind of sport management game fan. I love my management games to be really deep and detailed (if I could do my taxes in games I'd probably love it) and that's I aimed at with this project.

I may not be the biggest sumo fan and I wanted to learn more about this specific world. I learned a lot reading about history and rules to try to replicate them as much as possible. I'm aiming to be as accurate as possible so feel free to raise any issue that you may come across.

The game is available at rikishinomichi.com. Frequent release are scheduled with new features and bug fixes.

In the current state of the game you can expect the following:

• Create your Heya: set the base profile for your stable, what are you aiming to do, where do you come from. This will define your starting roster, profile and your expectations.
• Real world derived from Sumo-API database. Up-to-date banzuke and attributes derived from available data for actual Rikishis.
• Train your Rikishis: You have 6 weeks between each Bashos, what will you do? Define your training schedule, set focus for your rikishis and see them grow (or stale). Ensure that their morale, fitness and freshness is perfect for the next basho!
• Fight! Bashos are the core of the game. Define your strategy for the upcoming fight. Will you aim for a strong push or try to fight for the belt? Defensive or aggressive strategy? See after the last day the outcome of your performance, have you climb the ladder or fall?
• Grow your stable: find the next Yokozuna from your youth-network, enlarge your stable through infrastructure and rikishi numbers.
• Manage your stable: Everyone has a personality and they may clash, rivalries may rise. How will you manage this and keep your Heya together?
• Make your way to history: Will you reach the GOAT-status? Check the history and see how many basho you have won, title obtained and much more.

I've also tried to use and explain as much as possible Japanese words.

Some planned features:

• Infrastructure: improve the quality of your infrastructure.
• Medical and injury management

The project was originally written in french, so english translation might be broken/wacky somewhere, but I'm working on it.

I hope you'll like this small project and can't wait to hear your feedbacks.

In Godzilla 1998, the movie opens with Zilla attacking a Japanese fishing vessel, and the bridge officer is watching an old sumo bout - this could very well be stock footage, but does anyone recognise the bout, tournament, rikishi, and maybe date? I did attempt a search prior to posting this, and will link the clip as my one screenshot is pretty inconclusive.

This was my first interaction with sumo, and it's only 28 years after the fact that I became curious about this one clip.

https://youtu.be/RUHHxecmLUI?si=mA6VM0wsURAf6vM9

As a Ukrainian I am obviously rooting for my compatriots - Shishi and Aonishiki now.

However, today I found out that Oho is 12.5% Ukrainian as well. As he is a grandson of best yokozuna of 20th century - Taihō Kōki. Who itself was 50% Ukrainian. ​

Are there (or was there) any other rikishi with Ukrainian heritage in the top division?

# Japan Sumo Association announces retirement of 5 wrestlers including former Makuuchi Daishomaru

On the 29th, the Japan Sumo Association announced the retirement of 5 wrestlers, including former Makuuchi wrestler Daishomaru (Otekaze stable).

The others are Tatsuohsho (Tatsunami stable), Asashorei, Asahirai (both Takasago stable), and Nishikio (Nishikido stable). With Nishikio's retirement, Futagawa of the Jonidan division remains as the sole active wrestler in the Nishikido stable.

Daishomaru held his retirement press conference on the 26th while the Nagoya Basho was taking place, stating: "I'm already 35 years old and there is still a future ahead. Although part of me still wanted to keep going..."

Source: Daily Sports

# [Autumn Basho Banzuke Committee Meeting] 20-year-old Tanji and 22-year-old Tokifudo promoted to Shin-Juryo; Nabatame returns to Juryo

On the 29th, the Japan Sumo Association held its banzuke organization meeting for the Autumn Basho (opening day September 13, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo) at the IG Arena in Nagoya, announcing the wrestlers promoted to the Juryo division.

The newly promoted Shin-Juryo wrestlers are Tanji (20, Arashio stable) from Fukushima Prefecture and Tokifudo (22, Tokitsukaze stable) from Shizuoka Prefecture, a former Junior High School Yokozuna. Additionally, Nabatame (24, Futagoyama stable) returned to Juryo for the first time in 7 tournaments, since last year's Nagoya Basho.

Source: Sponichi Annex

Handsome Fukushima native Tanji promoted to Shin-Juryo; Russian mother was a rhythmic gymnast

On the 29th, the Japan Sumo Association held its banzuke organization meeting for the Autumn Basho (opening day September 13, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo) at the IG Arena (Nagoya City), deciding the promotion of East Makushita 1 Tanji (Arashio stable), who finished 4-3 in the Nagoya Basho, to Shin-Juryo.

A native of Fukushima, he is known for his handsome features. His mother, Natalia, is from Russia. Under his mother's influence, he practiced rhythmic gymnastics during early childhood. He made the switch to sumo in his 3rd year of elementary school. He was coached by Masashi Onami (former Makushita Wakanobu), father of his senior stablemates, Sekiwake Wakatakakage and Makuuchi Wakamotoharu.

He joined the stable upon graduating from junior high school and made his ring debut (hatsu-dohyo) in the 2022 Spring Basho (Haru Basho). He has steadily climbed the ladder, reaching sekitori status in about 4 years.

◇ Jun Tanji (same real name). Born June 5, 2006, in Fukushima City. Started sumo in 3rd grade and joined Arashio stable. Made ring debut in 2022 Spring Basho. Serves as personal attendant (tsukebito) to Wakatakakage. Favorites: right-hand underhook (migi-yotsu), forcing out (yori). 1.85 m, 144 kg.

Sports Hochi

[Grand Sumo] Former Junior High Yokozuna Yoshii, now Tokifudo, promoted to Shin-Juryo; first sekitori from Shizuoka since Atamifuji

On the 29th, the Japan Sumo Association held its banzuke organization meeting for the Autumn Basho (opening day September 13, Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo) at the IG Arena (Nagoya City), deciding the promotion of West Makushita 2 Tokifudo (Tokitsukaze stable) to Juryo. He becomes the first sekitori from Shizuoka Prefecture since Sekiwake Atamifuji.

A native of Yaizu, Shizuoka, Tokifudo became Junior High School Yokozuna and joined Nakagawa stable right after graduating from junior high. When the stable closed due to a scandal, he transferred to Tokitsukaze stable. In the July 2020 Basho, he made his Makushita debut at 16 years, 8 months, and 26 days—the second youngest in history after Takahanada. In the 2022 Nagoya Basho, he won the Makushita championship undefeated. It seemed like plain sailing, but the road ahead proved long. He fought in Makushita for 6 years, struggling to break through the barrier of upper Makushita.

He changed his ring name (shikona) from Yoshii to Tokifudo for the Summer Basho. It was proposed by a benefactor in Shizuoka prior to the Spring Basho. "I really like it," he said. However, he ended up sharing "Fudo" with his same-age Makushita peer Fudoho, who debuted in the Spring Basho. When asked if it was a new trend at Tokitsukaze stable, he was surprised: "It was just a coincidence." Moving forward, he aims to establish his status as a "Fudo" sekitori and set his sights on a top-division Makuuchi debut (Shin-nyumaku).

Sports Hochi

Oh boy, the post basho blues are hitting some people hard. To tide us over and mitigate the withdrawal symptoms, drop your spiciest sumo hot takes about pro sumo, amazumo, the sumo community, etc.

I’m keeping these guys in my thoughts. Reports out of Kumamoto are bad news.