2024 Kyushu Basho: Final Day results and analysis

Last spoilers for a while.

And that’s a wrap!

The Kyushu basho (and the 2024 Grand Sumo season) are over. What an incredible year in sumo and what a fantastic way to crown it off.

This basho had one of my favourite narratives of the year. And we’ve been blessed with some great narratives this year (Takerufuji’s run and the rise of Onosato).

The absolute must-see match of the day was Kotozakura vs. Hoshoryu for the cup. Check it out below.

I also have the complete results for our final day and some replays/highlights of not just Kotozakura vs. Hoshoryu. There’s also my analysis.

This is the part where I ask y’all for money.

If you’ve enjoyed my daily coverage of the Kyushu basho, which I send out for free, and you’d like to show some appreciation, the best way to do that is with a paid subscription here on Substack. Paid subscriptions help support me to make sumo content (something which I can’t always prioritize due to my day job, parenting, schooling and other side hustles).

Also, if you subscribe to Sumo Stomp! this month you will be entered into a prize draw to win an authentic ozeki Takakeisho tegata from Tegatastore.com. Monthly subscribers will get a single entry into the draw. Annual subscribers will receive three entries into the draw. One runner-up will also receive a prize, a torikumi document (you can pick one from Tegatastore). Tegatastore is also covering the cost of shipping.

If you don’t have the means to pay for a subscription, that’s fine. Times are tough. I still appreciate you reading my stuff and engaging with the material.

Bonus gif today is Onosato. He was just a bit-part player this month. But I’m sure he’ll be back with a bang in the new year.

“This guy’s asking us to pay for this stuff… sheeesh…”

SPOILERS BELOW

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Results

• Bushozan (3-8-4) def. Ryuden (4-11) via oshidashi (frontal push out)

• Asakoryu (6-9) def. Meisei (8-7) via hatakikomi (slap down)*

• Takerufuji (10-5) def. Tamawashi (8-7) via tsukiotoshi (thrust down)

• Shishi (5-10) def. Takarafuji (8-7) via yorikiri (frontal force out)*

• Ichiyamamoto (8-7) def. Sadanoumi (4-11) via tsukitaoshi (frontal thrust down)

• Hokutofuji (7-8) def. Takayasu (8-7) via tsukiotoshi

• Midorifuji (7-8) def. Onokatsu (9-6) via yorikiri*

• Roga (7-8) def. Tokihayate (6-9) via yorikiri

• Endo (7-8) def. Nishikifuji (6-9) via yorikiri

• Tobizaru (9-6) def. Shonannoumi (8-7) via oshidashi*

• Atamifuji (8-7) def. Mitakeumi (7-8) via yorikiri*

• Gonoyama (11-4) def. Abi (11-4) via oshidashi*

• Chiyoshoma (11-4) def. Ura (5-10) via katasukashi (under shoulder swing down)*

• Takanosho (11-4) def. Wakatakakage (10-5) via hatakikomi*

• Hiradoumi (4-11) def. Churanoumi (4-11) via yorikiri

• Oho (6-9) def. Nishikigi (5-10) via oshidashi

• Oshoma (4-11) def. Shodai (4-11) via oshidashi

• Wakamotoharu (10-5) def. Daieisho (8-7) via tsukiotoshi*

• Onosato (9-6) def. Kirishima (6-9) via oshidashi

• Kotozakura (14-1) def. Hoshoryu (13-2) via hatakikomi*

  *Must see bouts!

Leaderboard

• Yusho: Kotozakura (14-1)

• Jun-yusho: Hoshoryu (13-2)

• Shukun-sho (Outstanding Performance Prize): Abi (11-4)

• Kanto-sho (Fighting Spirit Prize): Takanosho (11-4)

• Gino-sho (Technique Prize): Wakatakakage (10-5)

Analysis

After pushing each other to realize their best sumo all tournament long in Kyushu, Kotozakura and Hoshoryu finally met on the dohyo to decide the last champion of 2024.

Here’s how it played out:

In some sports they say the best defense is a good offense. In sumo, sometimes the best offense is a good defense. And, I think, that’s what clinched the cup for Kotozakura.

Hoshoryu seemed to have a very clear game-plan for this bout. He was off the block quickly and led with a nodowa (throat thrust). He’d done that a few times this basho, against larger opponents. After hitting Kotozakura in the throat he moved down to the belt and tried to land an uwatenage (over arm throw). However, Kotozakura was able to step around Hoshoryu’s standing leg. When that happened, Hoshoryu was in panic mode and tried to get square to Kotozakura as quick as possible. As he did that, Kotozakura drove him down for the win.

To me, the above replay shows that Hoshoryu faked another nodowa to try and hide that he was going for the belt. That worked, in that he was able to establish a firm grip on the mawashi. But Kotozakura’s intelligence and mobility were enough, on this day, to see the move coming and then nimbly dance out of the way. Not many big men have as heady a game as Kotozakura or can move their feet as well.

This win, off the back of a stellar two week long performance, is the first ever top division yusho for Kotozakura. He’s been runner-up three times before. The most recent of those second place finishes was in May, when he finished 11-4 behind Terunofuji.

The win means he goes into the New Year with a shot at the ultimate promotion. If he wins the January tournament he’ll be our next yokozuna.

That’s far easier said than done, though. In the hatsu basho he’ll have to contend with a Hoshoryu who is out for revenge, a rested Terunofuji and an ever-improving Onosato. I can’t wait.

Hoshoryu, and his fans, will undoubtedly be disappointed in this result. And many of those fans might rue that this ending seemed to include a slip on the dohyo. However, I think we need to credit Kotozakura’s sumo for the win and not the playing surface.

Hoshoryu looked fantastic this tournament and seemed to have arrived at a new form of sumo that synthesized his eye-catching throwing offense with some less straining tactics. Kotozakura is a very tough match-up for him. He’s too big to be thrown comfortably (without risking injury — as he learned at the tail end of the Nagoya basho) and he’s one of the hardest rikishi to move backwards with either thrusts or while going chest-to-chest.

At 25 Hoshoryu is still improving and I think this latest approach will do a lot of damage next year. This isn’t the last time he’ll be fighting for a title on the final day. And I don’t think this is last time he’ll be doing that opposite Kotozakura, either.

Kotozakura wasn’t the only wrestler going home with hardware from Kyushu. Wakatakakage scooped the Technique Prize. He went 10-5 this tournament with wins coming by yorikiri, oshidashi, okuridashi, and katasukashi.

Takanosho earned the Fighting Spirit Prize. He was in with a shot of winning the tournament up until the last few days. He ended with an 11-4 record after slapping down Wakatakakage on the final day.

Abi received the Outstanding Performance prize for his 11-4 record. Abi rebounded from a 5-10 showing at the aki basho. In Kyushu he also notced wins over Onosato and Hoshoryu. On the final day he lost to Gonoyama (who would have been my front runner for this prize).

Our only Darwin Match pitted Mitakeumi vs. Atamifuji. Mitakeumi spent the middle period of this tournament pretty banged up so it was impressive that he had a chance to salvage kachi-koshi on the final day. Atamifuji would deny him that, after coming out on top of an exciting yotsu battle.

Wakamotoharu had a notable final day. He used a rare henka to embarrass Daieisho.

And Tobizaru was up to his old tricks this day. He fought a prolonged bout with Shonannoumi and utilized a leg kick to get the win. That kick looked as if it might have hurt Shonannoumi’s ankle. He certainly seemed compromised when trying to prevent the force out.

Ura finished with a poor 5-10 record thanks to his final day loss to Chiyoshoma. Chiyoshoma, who is returning from juryo, finished with an 11-4 record. He won his last seven bouts of the tournament. He won his Kyushu bouts by yorikiri, yoritaoshi, tsukiotoshi, katasukashi, oshidashi, hatakikomi and uwatenage. I hope he was at least in the conversation for a Technique Prize.

And finally Asakoryu picked up a nice win over Meisei. The muscled out rikishi ended his maiden makuuchi campaign with a 6-9 record. That’s not terrible, especially for someone so undersized. Even so, it will be back to juryo for him.

Others who are likely to be sent down to juryo are Shishi and Bushozan. Ryuden. who went 4-11 at M13, may also be sent down (please God).

Kinbozan won the juryo yusho. He’ll be back in the top division in 2025. Kitanowaka and Hakuoho are strong candidates to come up, too.

Osanai, from the powerhouse Takasago stable, won the makushita yusho with a perfect 7-0 record.

That’s all for me.

Thank you for following along on another honbasho with me. I really appreciate all the time you’ve given to reading my musings on the world’s best sport.

Next up from me are report cards for all our top division wrestlers and a deep dive on Wakatakakage’s Kyushu performance (he won the spotlight poll before the tournament).

Those pieces will likely be partly behind a paywall (Christmas is expensive!).

Until then, take care all.