Disappointing start to Nagoya tournament turns into fascinating final stretch
Coming off back-to-back losing records — with the most recent being a 5-10 outing in May — no one could have predicted such a hot start for the Chuo University graduate.
The big question, of course, is whether or not Ichiyamamoto can keep his title charge going over the meet's final third, and become the 12th first-time champion to be crowned since January 2020.
Given that he hasn't had to face any of the 16 highest-ranked men over the tournament's first ten days, the answer to that question is 'probably not.'
Sumo's schedule makers will almost certainly ensure that if Ichiyamamoto is going to taste glory for the first time, he'll have to do it the hard way.
And while he might have sole possession of first place at the two-third mark, a single-win lead over a chasing pack — including former ōzeki Kirishima, three-time champion Mitakeumi, ageless ironman Tamawashi along with rising stars Aonishiki and Kusano — isn't very secure.
With newly crowned yokozuna Onosato also just one win further back, it's far more likely that the Emperor's Cup ends up claimed by one of his pursuers than by Ichiyamamoto himself.
But even if he ultimately fails in his quest for silverware, Ichiyamamoto has been a bright spot in a tournament where fans' hopes for something not seen in years were almost immediately extinguished.
Following Onosato's promotion to sumo's highest rank earlier this summer, everyone in the sport was looking forward to a first title showdown between yokozuna since March 2020.
Those hopes were quickly dashed when Hoshoryu suffered three straight losses from the second day and had to withdraw from the tournament due to injury.
It was an unfortunate turn of events that means the 26-year-old grand champion will now finish his first three basho as a yokozuna with a record of 18 wins, 12 losses and 15 absences.
That's not what anyone involved in sumo wants to see, and the sooner Hoshoryu gets back into action and wins a first title as a yokozuna the better — not just for his own career and legacy, but the sport as a whole.
On the other side of the banzuke, Onosato has, by his own lofty standards, not been having a great tournament either.
Three losses in 10 bouts doesn't rule him out of title contention by any means, but the sport's biggest star will need to recapture the form shown over the past few months if he is to claim a third straight championship.
But even should Onosato lose one or two more matches, it wouldn't be a cause for concern as the first tournament after promotion to yokozuna is notoriously difficult for wrestlers — particularly younger ones — to do well in.
With both yokozuna far from their best, there is a bigger window of opportunity for the aforementioned pack currently chasing Ichiyamamoto.
Aonishiki (left) beats Oshoma by oshidashi at IG Arena on Saturday. |
JIJI
Aonishiki's incredible rise continues unabated with the 21-year-old from Ukraine looking like one of the most accomplished wrestlers in the sport despite only having joined professional sumo two years ago.
Just three tournaments into his top division career he is making a 2024 column — which was described at the time as far too optimistic — now look understated.
Aonishiki is in the opposite situation to Ichiyamamoto. He has won eight of his first 10 bouts while facing only the highest ranked men in the sport.
Everyone that he will be matched up with across the final five days will be of a lower rank.
In theory that gives the former refugee, who fled to Japan to escape war in his home country, the inside track to the Emperor's Cup.
The mental side of sumo is arguably the most important, however, and being in such a high pressure situation at such a young age will be testing.
If Aonishiki can hold his nerve in the spotlight it will create another chapter in what is fast becoming one of sumo's most fascinating stories.
In his favor is the fact that all the other main title challengers will have tougher run-ins and are likely to drop bouts to each other.
Should Onosato not turn things around, it appears as if Kusano and Kirishima are the main barriers to an Aonishiki championship.
Kusano, who is making his top division debut, is currently riding a four-month hot streak.
The Nihon University graduate reached sumo's highest tier on the back of consecutive jūryō division titles — something that prompted Hiro Morita, longtime NHK announcer and face of the Japan Sumo Association's English-language YouTube channel, to predict an Emperor's Cup win for the rookie in Nagoya earlier this month.
Given that, when Takerufuji managed that exact feat in March 2024 he became the first debutant to win the title in over a century, Morita's prediction seemed outlandish at the time.
Ten days later that's not the case, and Kusano has a viable path to history over the next five days if he can keep his hot streak going.
Kirishima, meanwhile, not only has legitimate hopes of claiming a third title but also an outside chance of making it back to ōzeki should he do so.
With a perfect run-in for the veteran adding up to a combined 32 wins over three tournaments — it's a score that would appear to be slightly short of the oft-cited mark of 33.
That's not an official guideline, however, and sumo has just one ōzeki currently.
A third Emperor's Cup for a former ōzeki could swing things in Kirishima's favor.
However things turn out, a tournament that started in a disappointing manner heads into the final stretch with a range of exciting possible outcomes.
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