July Basho 2026 — Topics

Both playoff participants finished on 12-3. Sekiwake Atamifuji pushed out Aonishiki in the regular final-day bout, briefly holding the title in his own hands, and also broke a long-standing losing record against Kotozakura this tournament. Ozeki Kirishima forced out Kotozakura on the final day for his twelfth win; his rope run fell short, but the consistency he showed leaves plenty to build on.

熱海富士 →霧島 →

Sekiwake Aonishiki, 22, won a three-way playoff to claim the Emperor's Cup. Having sat out the previous tournament entirely while kadoban, he needed ten wins for a special return to ozeki — a mark he cleared on Day 11 before staying at the head of the title race. No wrestler had ever secured that return and the championship in the same basho. He beat both yokozuna on consecutive days early on and fought through the full fifteen days on an injured left foot. Asked about the injury afterwards, he deflected: 'Let's talk about the sumo.' Then, quietly: 'There's much more to come.'

安青錦 →

Aonishiki was pushed out by Atamifuji to fall back to 12-3, and with Kirishima also winning, three men finished level. Aonishiki then took the three-way playoff — becoming the first wrestler ever to secure a special return to ozeki and the championship in the same tournament.

安青錦 →熱海富士 →霧島 →大の里 →

Yokozuna Hoshoryu withdrew from Day 14 with an injury to his right hamstring, handing Kirishima a walkover. He had already secured a winning record, but the tournament had been a struggle from the start, including a kinboshi conceded to Fujinokawa. It is his fourth withdrawal in nine tournaments at yokozuna and his second in a row — an uncomfortable record for a rank that demands consistency above all.

豊昇龍 →霧島 →

On Day 14, Aonishiki cleared the last real hurdle before the title. Against Takerufuji, himself on ten wins, he drove forward from the charge and forced him down at the edge for a twelfth victory. The 22-year-old, whose return to ozeki is already secured, now needs just one win on the final day to lift the Emperor's Cup outright — and even a loss will do if both chasers fall. He has beaten both yokozuna on consecutive days this tournament, piling up wins while dragging an injured left foot. The young man from Ukraine is one step from the top of Nagoya.

安青錦 →尊富士 →

Aonishiki forced down Takerufuji for a twelfth win, moving one victory from a third career championship. Kirishima took a walkover after Hoshoryu's withdrawal and Atamifuji beat Shishi, both staying one back on eleven wins.

安青錦 →霧島 →熱海富士 →豊昇龍 →

The chase is down to Kirishima, Atamifuji, Takerufuji and Shishi. Day 14 accelerates the survival race: Takerufuji meets leader Aonishiki with a chance to drag the yusho to the final day; Atamifuji and Shishi eliminate each other; Kirishima must get past yokozuna Hoshoryu to stay alive. Atamifuji — who has beaten Hoshoryu, Kotozakura and Onosato this tournament — arrives with momentum to match anyone's.

尊富士 →熱海富士 →獅司 →霧島 →

The sold-out arena's most awaited bout ended almost abruptly: as Kirishima surged forward, Aonishiki opened his body and pulled him down by the shoulder — the ozeki was on his hands within seconds. Career numbers favored Aonishiki, but this was composure as much as compatibility. Back alone at 11-2 in the tournament that already restored his ozeki rank, the 22-year-old can move to match point for a first Emperor's Cup by beating Takerufuji on Day 14.

安青錦 →霧島 →

Aonishiki slapped down Kirishima in the leaders' showdown to stand alone at 11-2. Onosato and Kotozakura both beat leaders, and Atamifuji joined the chase at 10-3 by toppling Hoshoryu. Four men sit one loss back.

安青錦 →霧島 →熱海富士 →大の里 →

Three days out, the leaders are Aonishiki (fresh off sealing his ozeki return), rope-chasing Kirishima, and two rank-and-filers in Takerufuji and Shishi. Aonishiki and Kirishima meet head-to-head on Day 13 in what amounts to the tournament's decisive bout, while Takerufuji and Shishi each chase a first Emperor's Cup. Whoever wins, Nagoya gets a story.

安青錦 →霧島 →尊富士 →獅司 →

The one man he had never beaten stood in his way at the worst possible moment — and Kirishima broke through. Winless in ten career bouts against Onosato, the ozeki drove hard off the charge and flipped the yokozuna with his trademark tottari arm bar. A first win at the eleventh attempt, at the very heart of his rope run, keeps him level at the top at 10-2. The 30-year-old from Mongolia betrayed no emotion at ringside, but a heavy career door has swung open — with both the rope and the Cup still in sight.

霧島 →大の里 →

Aonishiki was pushed out by Kotoshoho, and the chasers all won: Kirishima beat Onosato for the first time in eleven career meetings, while Takerufuji and Shishi kept pace. Four men now share the lead at 10-2 with three days left.

安青錦 →琴勝峰 →霧島 →尊富士 →獅司 →

A maegashira clash that reshaped the race: Shishi attacked relentlessly and toppled Kotoeiho, ending his nine-bout streak and handing sole possession of the lead to Aonishiki. Shishi himself stays two back and firmly in contention — and a final-day meeting between the two Ukraine-born men no longer sounds far-fetched. Kotoeiho remains in the five-man chase pack.

獅司 →琴栄峰 →

Aonishiki forced out Gonoyama on Day 11 to reach ten wins, sealing his special-provision return to ozeki — an immediate one-tournament comeback achieved only eight times in history, the first since Takakeisho in 2019. 'Winning ten never made me happy before, but this time is special,' smiled the usually stone-faced 22-year-old. 'There was fear and anxiety the whole way. Believing in myself made the difference.' Alone at the top with four days left, his next target is a first Emperor's Cup.

安青錦 →豪ノ山 →

Aonishiki forced out Gonoyama for his tenth win, sealing an immediate ozeki return, while Shishi ended Kotoeiho's streak to leave Aonishiki alone in front. Five men chase at two losses.

安青錦 →琴栄峰 →獅司 →霧島 →

No one saw this coming when he lost on opening day. Maegashira Kotoeiho has not dropped a bout since — nine straight wins, the latest flipping the hard-charging Abi with a rare kirikaeshi twisting knee trip. From Chiba, of the Sadogatake stable, his sumo is unspectacular but unshakable. Suddenly he shares the lead with Aonishiki, and how far this dark horse can run is one of the great questions of Nagoya's final five days.

琴栄峰 →

Just before the final bout of Day 10, Aonishiki lit up the arena again. Against yokozuna Hoshoryu he struck low, seized a left overarm grip, and spun the yokozuna over with a throw — a second yokozuna beaten in as many days. At nine wins and one loss, and despite limping off on his injured left foot, the 22-year-old is now a single win from the ten that would restore his ozeki rank after last tournament's full absence. He shares the tournament lead as well: Nagoya's protagonist, beyond argument.

安青錦 →豊昇龍 →

Aonishiki threw down Hoshoryu for back-to-back yokozuna wins, moving one victory from his ozeki return. Kotoeiho kept pace at one loss with a ninth straight win, while Kirishima leads the two-loss chasers.

安青錦 →琴栄峰 →霧島 →獅司 →

New komusubi Yoshinofuji delivered again, forcing out Hoshoryu head-on for his second yokozuna scalp of the tournament after beating Onosato on opening day — a remarkable feat in his sanyaku debut. The 23-year-old from Kumamoto (Isenoumi stable) has steadied himself after a rocky start and now holds a winning record. For the top rankers, there is no more unwelcome new face in the division.

義ノ富士 →豊昇龍 →大の里 →

After four career losses without a win, Aonishiki finally toppled Onosato. Absorbing the yokozuna's charge, the sekiwake finished with a sharp overarm pulling throw at the edge — a win that also secured his kachi-koshi. 'The sumo itself wasn't good, but my body reacted well,' he said, despite an injured left toe from the previous day. Two more wins bring the ten he needs for a special return to ozeki. 'The real battle starts here. I'll focus again from tomorrow.' The 22-year-old from Ukraine remains the man to beat in Nagoya.

安青錦 →大の里 →

A day of historic upsets: Aonishiki beat Onosato for the first time, Yoshinofuji forced out Hoshoryu to complete wins over both yokozuna, and Kirishima and Kotozakura also fell — all four top rankers beaten. Aonishiki, Kotoeiho and Shishi share the lead at one loss.

安青錦 →義ノ富士 →美ノ海 →尊富士 →

Sekiwake Aonishiki, charging back toward ozeki, and Kirishima, chasing the rope — both hit the second week at 7-1. The striking part: they have not yet met this tournament, and their career head-to-head favors Aonishiki, four wins to one. For Kirishima, the biggest wall on his rope run is the man running right beside him. Whenever the schedulers set that bout, Nagoya's title race will have its defining moment.

安青錦 →霧島 →

There is an unfamiliar name still standing in the lead group: maegashira #7 Kotoeiho, 23 years old, in only his third makuuchi tournament since debuting in March. From Chiba, Sadogatake stable, he reached the halfway mark at 7-1 — at a career-high rank — after blasting out Ichiyamamoto on Day 8. With wins over veterans like Takayasu and Ura already on his card, the schedule will now test him against the upper ranks. So far, he looks ready for it.

琴栄峰 →

The seven-man lead group was cut to four on the middle Sunday: Aonishiki, Kirishima, Kotoeiho and Shishi at 7-1. Both yokozuna won, Kotozakura stopped his slide, and the second week opens with an unusual mix of headliners and newcomers out front.

安青錦 →霧島 →琴栄峰 →獅司 →

Sekiwake Atamifuji cleared a career-long hurdle on Day 7, forcing out ozeki Kotozakura — a man who had beaten him far more often than not. For the 23-year-old from Shizuoka (Isenoumi stable) it was a statement win toward establishing himself in the named ranks. Kotozakura, now with four losses, enters the second week with his ozeki pride squarely on the line.

熱海富士 →琴櫻 →

Wakanosho, the 22-year-old whose five straight wins lit up the first week, withdrew from Day 7 after injuring his right knee in his Day 6 bout against Fujiryoga, with a diagnosis of roughly a month to recover. He will not return this tournament, and Kinbozan received a walkover. In just his second top-division basho, the Utsunomiya native had already shown he belongs — Nagoya will hope to see that momentum again soon.

若ノ勝 →

Shishi's perfect run ended at the hands of Nishikifuji, leaving no unbeaten men in makuuchi. Seven wrestlers now share the lead at 6-1 heading into the middle Sunday. Both yokozuna won, Kotozakura slipped to a losing record, and Wakanosho withdrew with a knee injury.

獅司 →錦富士 →安青錦 →霧島 →

Yokozuna, ozeki, sekiwake — and fellow front-runner Wakanosho — all lost by Day 6. That leaves maegashira Shishi as the only man in makuuchi still perfect. The 29-year-old from Ukraine (Ikazuchi stable) beat Asakoryu for six straight, winning with straightforward, front-moving sumo. With the top ranks busy knocking each other over, a title challenge from the middle of the banzuke is starting to look very real — and whether the schedulers now send him up the ranks is one of the stories of the middle weekend.

獅司 →

The final bout of Day 6 belonged to maegashira Hakunofuji. Driven to the edge by yokozuna Hoshoryu, the 22-year-old turned the tables with a spectacular twisting counter — his fifth career kinboshi, and his second win over Hoshoryu. From Tottori, Isenoumi stable, he has been quietly collecting yokozuna scalps since last year, and at 5-1 he now stands squarely in the title conversation.

伯乃富士 →豊昇龍 →

Hoshoryu fell to Hakunofuji's twisting counter in the final bout, Kotozakura was pushed out by Gonoyama, and Wakanosho's perfect start ended too — leaving Ukraine-born Shishi as the only unbeaten man in makuuchi, chased by six wrestlers one win behind.

豊昇龍 →伯乃富士 →獅司 →豪ノ山 →

Yokozuna, ozeki, sekiwake — by the end of Day 5 every one of them had lost at least once. The only men in makuuchi still piling up wins are two rank-and-filers. Wakanosho, 22, from Utsunomiya (Minatogawa stable), is in just his second top-division tournament and thrust out Tobizaru for a fifth straight win. Shishi, the 29-year-old from Ukraine (Ikazuchi stable), forced out Kazuma to stay perfect as well. In a Nagoya basho where the top of the banzuke keeps stumbling, the middle of it is producing the tournament's steadiest sumo.

若ノ勝 →獅司 →

Hiratoumi, winless through four days, changed the shape of the tournament on Day 5. His opponent was Kirishima — the yokozuna-chasing ozeki and the last unbeaten man in the upper ranks. But it was Hiratoumi who won the charge, hitting low and hard and driving the ozeki straight out. Against a man who has dominated their career series, the former komusubi from Nagasaki (Sakaigawa stable) took his first win of the basho the honest way — head on. For Kirishima, a painful first blemish on the rope run, and the upper ranks now have no perfect records left.

平戸海 →霧島 →

Kirishima, the last unbeaten man up top, was stunned — pushed out by a winless Hiratoumi for his first loss. Only two maegashira, Wakanosho and Shishi, remain perfect. Aonishiki forced out Kotozakura, Fujinokawa kept his run going against Kotoshoho, and for the first time this tournament both yokozuna won on the same day.

霧島 →平戸海 →若ノ勝 →獅司 →

The man who finally stopped 21-year-old Fujinokawa — conqueror of both yokozuna on back-to-back days — was ozeki Kotozakura. On Day 4 he absorbed the youngster's furious charge without panic and slapped him down to the clay. After an upset loss the day before, it was a face-saving win for the ozeki, and the arena applauded a bout that met the tournament's biggest storm head-on.

琴櫻 →藤ノ川 →

Ozeki Kirishima cleared a real hurdle on his rope run. His Day 4 opponent was Takanosho — a man who has beaten him far more often than not over their careers. This time Kirishima won the charge and drove him out one-way. With both yokozuna stumbling and all three in-form sekiwake beaten on the same day, the 30-year-old from Mongolia (Otowayama stable) stands alone unbeaten in the upper ranks — an ozeki who once fell from the rank and clawed his way back, now facing his promotion tournament with growing momentum.

霧島 →隆の勝 →

Day 4 belonged to the ozeki. Kirishima pushed out his long-time nemesis Takanosho to remain the only unbeaten man in the upper ranks, while Kotozakura slapped down the red-hot Fujinokawa. Onosato conceded another kinboshi, pushed out by Gonoyama, and previously perfect Aonishiki was thrown by new komusubi Yoshinofuji — with Kotoshoho and Atamifuji also losing, all three sekiwake stalled at once.

霧島 →琴櫻 →大の里 →安青錦 →

The 21-year-old — the youngest man in Makuuchi — rewrote the record books again. On Day 3, pushed to the edge by Hoshoryu's fierce opening charge, Fujinokawa spun him down with a reversing thrust-down for a second straight kinboshi. Counting back to March, he has now beaten a yokozuna in all four of his career meetings with the rank — the first post-war run of four straight wins over yokozuna, the last being Musashiyama back in 1931, and with a forfeit win it stretches to five, said to be without precedent. 'I charged in with everything and my body moved well,' he said, adding that when he ran short of power at the edge, 'I covered it with movement.' From Kyoto, Isenoumi stable, just over two years from his bottom-division debut, he has become the story of Nagoya.

藤ノ川 →豊昇龍 →

Former ozeki Takayasu has strung together wins from the off, reaching Day 3 unbeaten. At 36, one of the most experienced men in the top division, he has come agonizingly close to the Emperor's Cup many times yet has never lifted a top-division title. From Ibaraki, Tagonoura stable, his powerful right-hand-inside and thrusting attack remain sharp, and he cuts a commanding figure on a dohyo full of rising youngsters. With both yokozuna stumbling early, all eyes are on how far the veteran can run.

高安 →

Fujinokawa pushed down yokozuna Hoshoryu on Day 3 for a second straight kinboshi, after toppling Onosato the day before. Both yokozuna have stumbled early — Hoshoryu took his first loss, and Onosato ended his skid but remains in a hole. Out front, yokozuna-hopeful ozeki Kirishima and ozeki-chasing sekiwake Aonishiki lead unbeaten, and the title race has widened from the sanyaku down through the ranks.

藤ノ川 →豊昇龍 →霧島 →安青錦 →

Day 2 brought the arena to its feet. Maegashira Fujinokawa (21) upended yokozuna Onosato with a reversing thrust-down for a kinboshi — his second straight win over the yokozuna after beating him in March, and this time giving up 15 cm and 66 kg. Collecting 53 prize banners, the young man from Kyoto (Isenoumi stable) simply said, 'It feels great.' Just two years from his bottom-division debut, he has now toppled a yokozuna twice.

藤ノ川 →大の里 →

The drama again centered on a yokozuna: Onosato fell to maegashira Fujinokawa for a second straight defeat. Hoshoryu held firm to keep his perfect start. Yokozuna-hopeful ozeki Kirishima, ozeki Kotozakura and ozeki-chasing sekiwake Aonishiki all stayed unbeaten — the two yokozuna head in opposite directions, and the early momentum belongs to Hoshoryu and a resurgent sanyaku.

大の里 →豊昇龍 →霧島 →安青錦 →

Sekiwake Aonishiki, bidding to reclaim ozeki, opened with a win, throwing maegashira Hiratoumi with an uwatenage. Yet his injured left ankle was taped, and NHK analyst Mainoumi read his slightly evasive style as protecting it. His words, though, were bold — not ten wins, but the championship. 'If you fall once, you just climb back up. I've done it before, so it's not impossible.' At 22, having already reached ozeki once, he is aiming past mere reclamation — at the very top.

安青錦 →平戸海 →

A dramatic opening. Yokozuna Onosato, back after two tournaments out, was pushed straight out by new komusubi Yoshinofuji — a stunning loss to start, and the arena roared. In contrast, the other yokozuna, Hoshoryu, showed his class to down Oho, while ozeki Kirishima — chasing promotion to yokozuna — beat Fujinokawa. Ozeki Kotozakura and sekiwake Aonishiki (eyeing an ozeki return) also won. Onosato was the only man at the top to fall; all eyes now turn to how he recovers.

大の里 →義ノ富士 →豊昇龍 →霧島 →

Stablemaster Tatsunami confirmed that yokozuna Hoshoryu, who withdrew from May with a right hamstring injury on Day 1, will compete in Nagoya. He has resumed practice bouts and calls his preparation 'on track.'

豊昇龍 →

Kirishima, runner-up with 12 wins in May, enters as East Ozeki with a shot at yokozuna promotion — a high-level championship would open the door, per the judging department. Twice burned before, he vows to keep things routine.

霧島 →

New sekiwake Wakatakakage, who won the May tournament, has withdrawn from Nagoya after injuring his left thigh in training. He underwent two emergency surgeries totaling about five hours for compartment syndrome and remains hospitalized; his stablemaster said a delay of one or two more hours could have been dangerous. A long absence is possible.

若隆景 →

Aonishiki, demoted from ozeki after sitting out May with a left ankle injury, can reclaim the rank immediately with 10+ wins at sekiwake in Nagoya. He says his body feels good — and that his target is not 10 wins but the championship itself.

安青錦 →

Yokozuna Onosato, who sat out the May tournament with a left shoulder injury, is preparing to return in Nagoya. He has opted for treatment over surgery and says he is building up steadily after good training. His stablemaster admitted he had braced for a long-term injury from the start.

大の里 →

Tamawashi, 41, finally falls from the top division he had held since July 2013 — thirteen years. The iron man who beat yokozuna Onosato past age 40 starts anew in Juryo.

玉鷲 →

Kazuma, the May Juryo champion, and China-born Daiseizan make their top-division debuts. At 205 kg, Kazuma is among the heaviest men in Makuuchi, arriving just twelve tournaments after his debut. Wakanosho, 9-6 as a debutant in May, also reaches a career-high rank.

一意 →大青山 →若ノ勝 →

The new banzuke confirmed Yoshinofuji's promotion to komusubi — sanyaku in just six tournaments (exactly one year) since his top-division debut. The sheet also features a rare four-sekiwake lineup.

義ノ富士 →

Arashifuji (21, Isegahama stable) earned promotion to Juryo — the only man promoted to the division this time. A single promotion is the first since March 2016, and a lone debutant the first since Wajima in May 1970.

嵐富士 →