Report Card: 2025 Haru Basho - Part 1

Grading the top division rikishi who were involved in the March tournament.

The haru basho is a few weeks old now. Since then we’ve had a really fun open house here (link) and I revealed the winner of the Gōeidō tegata (congrats again Maciej!).

Now it’s time to dig into the March performances of our top division rikishi. I’m trying something a little different this time around (tell me if you’ve heard that before!).

I’m breaking the report cards down into shorter posts. Each post is going to focus on just six wrestlers at a time. I think that will be more digestible for you folks. This will also give me a shorter track to the dopamine hit that is finishing an article and hitting send.

The post is part one and it includes reports for Tokihayate, Shirokuma, Mitakeumi, Kotoshōhō, Asakōryū, Sadanoumi and Aoinishiki.

That great mix of sumōtori includes some shock title challengers, a couple of aging vets and some guys who are very fun to watch (in both victory and defeat).

All of this tournament’s report cards will be partially pay-walled (the tax man was not kind to me this year — he never is). If you’d like to read these report cards in their entirety, please pick up a paid subscription. Paid subs are the best way to support my work at Sumo Stomp! (and ensure that I can justify the time and energy spent here).

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Alright, enough of that… let’s get into some grades!

Tokihayate

Rank: Maegashira 18 East
Record: 10-5
Grade: B+

I’ve been a Tokihayate booster on this blog for awhile now, so I was delighted to see him earn his first top division kachi-koshi (winning record) this March. I’ve long seen Tokihayate as a makuuchi wrestler in-waiting. I didn’t expected him to be a title contender, though. And in March he came close to being just that. If he had beaten Kirishima on the final day and both Takayasu and Ōnosato would have lost, he would have earned a spot in a play-off for the yūshō.

I really enjoy Toikhayate’s sumō. He’s undersized, but has a decent amount of bulk and is very strong for his height. He favours the hidari-yotsu (left arm inside, right arm outside grip). However, unlike many yotsu-zumō stylists, the important part of this grip for Tokihayate is not the inside position, it’s the outside arm, the uwate (over arm) with his right.

Tokihayate is excellent at rotating and applying lots of pressure with his uwate. This leads to great throwing opportunities. While he is able to move his opponent’s around he’s able to trigger his throws when they are off balance. This helps level the playing field for him against bigger and stronger wrestlers. He doesn’t need the uwatenage (over arm throw) to be successful, though. The uwate plus the rotation also pulls opponents out of position and often allows Tokihayate to attack from the side for push outs. This tactic also helps compensate for Tokihayate’s size. He, and wrestlers his size, are rarely going to win straight up chest-to-chest battles. But chest-to-shoulder… that’s much easier.

The below bout with Churanoumi is an example of everything going well for Tokihayate.

After Tokihayate got his uwate on Churanoumi he immediately started hoisting upwards. He found the bigger Churanoumi a little tough to move like that, so he then started trying to turn him. While rotating Churanoumi to the straw, Churanoumi was lifted off of one foot. This made it very easy for Tokihayate to force him out. It’s fun to see a wrestler really focus on the outside grip. A lot of times yotsu wrestlers will get their sashite (underarm/inside grip with belt grab) and just wrap their outside arm loosely around the opponent’s body.

To beat Tokihayate, and most other yotsu stylists, you need to deny him his belt-grab. When Tokihayate can’t get his grip and is forced to thrust, he’s not that bad. His mobility is great and he has fast hands. See below how he is forced to thrust with Tamawashi and does a good job of deflecting Tamawashi’s shots before executing a great side step along the boundary:

Tokihayate’s strong tournament earned him a bout with Kirishima on the final day. Kirishima is, by far, the best opponent he’s ever faced. With this level of opponent you have to assume they know your strengths and they aren’t going to let you use them easily. To be an elite wrestler you need to be able to roll with the chaos and have a way to win when your go-to move is blocked off.

Tokihayate was unable to do that in this bout.

Kirishima came into this bout knowing that Tokihayate has a good uwate with his right arm. So he prevented him from using it. It’s hard to see from this angle, but Kirishima used his forearm to block Tokihayate getting his belt with his uwate. You can tell Tokihayate couldn’t get that grab by his decision to instead grab with his left side shitate (under arm). By then it was too late, though. Kirishima had forced him back and out, using his own uwate. Kirishima usually likes to grab the belt on the inside position, so this is an example of an elite wrestler switching things up to nullify an opponent. That’s what Tokihayate needs to do if he wants to take the next step in makuuchi.

Shirokuma

Rank: Maegashira 17 East
Record: 5-10
Grade: D-

This was another disappointing appearance for the Polar Bear. In his first makuuchi tournament he went 4-9-2. That led to a jūryō demotion. He spent two tournaments down there before returning to makuuchi in March. He’ll definitely be sent down to jūryō again after this record.

Unlike Tokihayate, Shirokuma is yet to show me the skills that will make me confident that he belongs in the top division. He’s fought well in jūryō and he looks the part (he’s got thighs Takarafuji would be proud of). But he just doesn’t seem that strong in the clinch. And being strong in the clinch is a must if you’re a yotsu-zumō wrestler who hangs their hat on the yorikiri (frontal force out).

Three times this basho Shirokuma was able to get his opponents’ heels to the tawara (straw bales) only to be reversed and then lose. Those matches were against Ōnokatsu, Mitakeumi and Sadanoumi. The Ōnokatsu loss is forgivable. Though, if Shirokuma wants to do something in sumō he needs to be matching Ōnokatsu, someone who came up with him to the top division, stride for stride. Losing to against Mitakeumi and Sadanoumi is less forgivable. Those two have amazing experience between them, but at this stage in their careers they shouldn’t be stronger than a 25 year-old who is built like Shirokuma.

When Shirokuma wasn’t being forced straight back he was being dragged forwards and plopped on his face. Kotoshōhō, Meisei and Shōnannoumi all threw him down. And Midorifuji caught him with his trademark katasukashi (under shoulder swing down).

It’s back to the drawing board for Shirokuma now. His best friend and stablemate is Ōnosato, so you’d hope some of that excellence would start to rub off on him.

Mitakeumi

Rank: Maegashira 17 West
Record: 6-9
Grade: D

After his fifth make-koshi (losing record) in a row Mitakeumi is looking at the very real possibility that he will be demoted from the top division in May. Mitakeumi has been in makuuchi since 2015. He earned promotion to the top division after just four tournaments. The three-time yushō winner is still just 32 years-old. However, due to how much weight he has on his frame, he moves and fights like someone ten years older than that. 6-9 is a lot better than he 2-13 he had in January. Even so, Mitakeumi still looks like someone who is likely going to retire before the end of the year.

Mitkaeumi doesn’t seem to have the power left in his legs to win chest-to-chest battles (a signature of his prime years). Mitakeumi’s demeanour is also troubling. He’s not fighting with much fire or intensity. When he’s pushed back to the boundary he gives up a lot. That could speak to an injury or it could just mean that Mitakeumi is already thinking about his danpastsu-shiki (retirement ceremony).

Kotoshōhō

Rank: Maegashira 16 West
Record: 8-7
Grade: C-

Kotoshōhō saved his makuuchi skin with a kachi-koshi in March after he beat Endō in a Darwin Match on the final day. This was Kotoshōhō’s first kachi-koshi since last July. He was a little lucky to draw Endō on that day. We’ll get to him in a later post, but Endō was walking wounded in March. In this bout Kotoshōhō was able to thrust him into the second row (giving him one of the worst of a series of nasty bumps Endō took in March).

In this tournament Kotoshōhō gave us a bit of a different look. He’s one of the founding members of my All-Violence Team, but in March he was more measured and opted to use yotsu-zumō more often that I expected. His fellow All-Violence Team member Churanoumi brought a wild harite (palm striking) fight out of him. But more often than not Kotoshōhō was clinching up and working for a throw. And he succeeded at that a few times, too, tossing down Mitakeumi, Shirokuma, Tokihayate and Ryūden.

It looked like he went yotsu against yotsu wrestlers and oshi-zumo (pushing/thrusting) against oshi wrestlers. I think that shows a lot of confidence and I like the versatility that shows. I think it would be wiser if he tried to maximize his versatility by forcing wrestlers to fight him in their less preferred styles, though.

Asakōryū

Rank: Maegashira 16 East
Record: 6-9
Grade: D+

Asakōryū failed to get his kachi-koshi in March and, as a result, he’s likely going to be demoted from makuuchi again. This was his second crack at the top division. In November he also went 6-9 here. Asakōryū’s losing record this month is due to a terrible run during the home stretch where he lost his last five bouts. Despite the record, I think there were some bright spots in his basho and he’s someone I think could carve out a top division career, in spite of his small stature.

“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.” That sums up Asakōryū’s sumō. He’s little, but he packs a lot of will and drive into every ounce of muscle he has. He shows this most often with his tachiai, which is very fast and as strong as anyone his size could muster. His tachiai was able to knock a few foes onto their heels. Asakōryū’s doggedness takes over a bout when that happens. He’s able to hound off-balance opponents and blitz them over the line. Even without that tachiai, Asakōryū’s speed and intensity can force opponents into bouts where they can only react and not offer offence of their own. That’s what happened to Aonishiki (below) in what was Asakōryū’s best win of the tournament.

Asakōryū also utilizes a collar tie in his sumō. That’s something you’d see more in freestyle wrestling than sumō. Asakōryū’s physique is also something you’d see more over on the freestyle wrestling mats.

This collar tie helped him in some bouts, due to how unfamiliar that approach is for a lot of his opponents. It seemed to confuse some of them and allow Asakōryū to pause in the centre of the ring before exploding with a forwards charge or a hand pull down. Sadly, Asakōryū’s lack of reach prevents this from being a very successful technique. He tried to hold Churanoumi at arm’s length in March, but the longer Churanoumi was able to simply grab Asakōryū’s other shoulder and pull him forwards and out for the okuridashi (rear push out).

Sadanoumi

Rank: Maegashira 15 West
Record: 8-7
Grade: C

Death, taxes and Sadanoumi winning a Darwin Match. The 37 year-old returned to makuuchi in March after a one tournament stint in jūryō. And he’ll retain his top division status due to a final day victory over Atamifuji. He’s won his last seven Darwin Matches in a row. That just speaks to how much grit Sadanoumi has. His muscle mass and reflex time may be fading, but you can not take away his guts and how much effort he puts into winning each and every bout. That’s super commendable and there are lots of young guys on the scene right now who could really take some inspiration from him.

Sadanoumi won his final match with his trusted migi-yotsu (right arm inside, left arm outside) grip. He used that to bully Atamifuji around the ring before forcing him out. Sadanoumi was able to get his migi-yotsu, for the most part, this tournament. He didn’t coast once he got that position, though. Sadanoumi is very happy to shift his weight and go for throws, like he did on Ryūden, or lock up a moro-zashi (double under hooks), like he did in his win over Mitakeumi.

Sadanoumi remains a great gatekeeper for wrestlers coming up to the makuuchi. He’s able to keep that role for May thanks to his ability to run up wins against fellow veterans, whose bodies have declined like his, but whose mentalities have also softened with age.

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Aonishiki

Rank: Maegashira 15 East
Record: 11-4, kantō-shō (Fighting Spirit prize)
Grade: A

Wow.

Aonishiki looked like a real player in March. He had a couple of hiccups to start the tournament, losing to Churanoumi and Asakōryū on days one and two. He then lost to Ryūden on day five. After that, though, he reeled off seven wins in a row and put himself in a position to challenge for a yushō in his debut top division tournament (and only his tenth overall pro tournament). Aonishiki did all this despite being just 20 years-old (he turned 21 on the last day of the basho).

Let’s look at how he managed to do all that…