GRAND SUMO: Day 1 of the July 2025 Tournament – GRAND SUMO Highlights
Konichua and thanks for joining us on Grand Sumo Highlights. It’s day one, the opening day of the July tournament in Naguya. The man in the spotlight is this man, Ono Sto, who has been promoted to Yokozuna after winning back-to-back titles in March and May. He’s now aiming for his third consecutive title and fifth overall. Can Yokozuna Onos, the newly promoted Yokozuna, win the US show? Right off the bat, we have some disappointing news. Seiwak Dhu will be absent due to a right cough injury and Masha Endo will also be missing as he continues to recover from right knee surgery. As you can probably tell, the atmosphere at this year’s July tournament looks different and feels different. It’s being held at the brand new IG Arena. The stage is set. Let the Nagagoya Bashu begin right here on Grand Sumo Highlights. We begin with Cotto Ajo versus Shishi. Cotto Ajo is one of three Shiny Maku rookies. Cotto Ajo joins his older brother Cotto in the top division. Shishi managed just four wins in May, so he’s looking for redemption. Pretty sharp initial charge by Shishi. Shishi takes Kotto back. Shishi counters with the Watt Nagi at the edge. Very acrobatic finish. Koto charged forward but Shishi had the answer. The goji points the Goombai to the west side. Shishi and it will stay. No Monoe conference by the judges. Shishi wins by defeating Cotto Ajo at the last moment. O was able to hold his ground, starts his drive, but Shishi in the meantime gets the left hand and gets the win. What a finish by the two RKishi. It’s Kaio meeting Mitake Umi. Mitakeumi, a returnee from the Jurio division. Well, Mitakyomi held his own in Jurio in May, earning a quick return to Makui. Kaio just missed out on the winning record in his Makuji debut in May, finishing seven and eight. Good pushing attack by Mitakei. Mitakei smokes Kaio. Mitakimo was able to gain an inside position with the right and he was able to drive Kaio back in out in a hurry. Mitake umi the returnee ki new makum wins one and all. It’s Koto meeting hidden Koto six wins four losses and five absences in May. Well Koto missed the first five days due to a right thigh injury in May but he’s looking much healthier. Hidenomi returns to the top division for the first time in 21 tournaments. Good charge by Cotto Shoo. Hidenomi pushes back. Hideenomi rallies, but Cotto Sho, good move at the edge. And he pushes Hideenomi out. Cotto Sho, that’s Cotto Ajo’s older brother, gets the win on the opening day. Hideenomi, the returnee, loses. Victory for Koto. One of the highlight bouts on the opening day. It’s Kusano and Fujino Kawa. Two Shinyaku rookies going head-to-head right here on the opening day. Rookie Fujinoa’s father was also a Makuchi RKishi, making them the 11th parent child pair in sumo history to both reach the top division. Sano joins the top division after capturing back-to-back juro championships. They go after each other hard. It is going inside. Did he get the job done? Looks like the goji pointing the goodbye to the east side. Fujinoa charged ahead. It was a close call, but the goji’s decision will stay. Sonto wins. I would love to see that in the replay once again because Fujinoa had Kusano at the edge and Fujinoa didn’t hesitate to go in for the kill. Fujinoa pushes back. Fujinoa on the left looking good. Goes inside deep. Now he charges but what an answer by Kusano. A right hand thrust down opening up with a thrusting attack. Fujinoa returns the favor. Fujinoa look at his fighting spirit. Goes deep inside on goes in for the kill. comes away victorious with this last minute maneuver. You had to fight hard at the edge. How was it? Yes, but I remained calm to come away victorious. You started the match by thrusting. I wanted to thrust him to bring him upright, but he kept charging forward. So, I lost my cool. I didn’t move forward today. So I want to charge forward tomorrow and do my style of sumo. Looking forward to it. Thank you. It’s Chonomi meeting Shai. By the way, the win loss numbers you see on the screen represent their final records from the May tournament. Chanomi going 4 and 11. Shai 6 and N finish in May. Here we go. Chidanomi is 3 and 0 against Shai so far. Shai looking for his first win. Chiranomi advances. Chanomi goes forward, but Shai remains calm and brings Chiranomi down. So that’s Shai’s first win over Chiranomi. A nice maneuver by the former Oziki Shai at the edge. That’s a Hataki slap down victory for Shai. It is Midori Fuji meeting Asaakoru. Former Yokoji has taken over the isama stable from former Yokos as Fuji who recently reached the mandatory retirement age of 65. So Teruji now serves as the master of Midori Fuji. Here is Asakoru going 10 and five in May. Good initial charge by Asakor. Asakoru pulls, slaps, he goes backwards and Midori Fuji advances to defeat Asakoru. No mono in this one either. So Midori Fuji’s win will stand. Oshidashi victory for Midori Fuji. It’s Takosho versus Toki Hayate. Both Rkishi going eight and seven in May. Last year in Nagagoya, Takonosho went 12 and three, but his championship hopes were dashed by Teuji in a playoff. Toki Hayate is looking stronger these days as he enters the Nagagoya Basho with back-to-back Kachikoshi. Good charge by Takosho. Takosho pushes and Takoso goes forward and that’s all she wrote for Toki Hayate. No chance for Toki Hayate whatsoever. Takosho blows Toki Hayate away. Split the move by Takanosha. Atami Fuji meeting Roga again. The win loss numbers shown represent their final records from the May tournament in Tokyo. Atami Fuji from Shizoka, not far from Nagagoyaso. You’ll find plenty of his fans in the stands. Loa is from Russia. He went nine and six in May. Good initial charge by Loa. Has a strong grip. Right hand in, left hand out, attacking, flexing his muscles, taking Atami Fuji to the edge. Logan loses the grip, but he regains the outside grip. So Loa is still in control of this match. Atami Fuji hanging in. Loa keeping up all sorts of pressure and brings Atami Fuji down with Dashinag pulling overarm throw. What a sumo by Roga. Rogga remained offensive throughout the match and he goes to 1 and 0. It’s Ura meeting Chio. Now they have met 10 times previously. Ura holds a comfortable 8-2 advantage over Chio Shoma. Ura is hoping to find some daylight having suffered four straight Makoshi. Choso has come close to earning his first syak promotion several times but it’s never materialized. Going up against his nemesis Uda pounding pushing. Uda stays low. Uda goes inside. Uda pushes from a lower angle and takes care of Chio once again. Uda wins. So Uda still a commanding record over Chio nine and two now after 11 meetings. Strong Oshidashi victory for Uda and that’s his Makochi win number 200 stays low throughout the match. Chio having a hard time moving Uda back. Udura gets his drive going and defeats Chio. It is Southerni meeting Ichyamamoto. Southerni going 10 and five with the fighting spirit prize in May. Ichyamamoto just five wins. Here he is. Sadomi is still chasing his dream of matching or even surpassing his father’s achievement by becoming a Kongubi. Ichi Yamamoto showing more of versatility in his sumo. Right hand in left hand out. Yuzumo Ichiyamoto. This is a new style of sumo. he’s been working on and he defeats Sadomi in this strong Yonumo and Ichi Yamamoto gets off to a very promising start. Normally when you lock up with Sonomi, Southerni takes the advantage, but today Ichi Yamamoto is the winner because he’s been adding some Yuzumo to his arsenal lately. And this belt gripping sumo is working so well for Ichyamamoto lately. Ichyamamoto stays tight and he wins the match. It is Tobaru going up against Gonoyama. Toby is still winless in terms of Kachikoshi in 2025. Gonoyama made a splash in his Makuchi debut by winning the fighting spirit prize at the 2023 July tournament. Gonyama looking good. Gonoyama pounding. Goryama moving forward and Toby Zadu gets shut down by Goroyama. Well, Gonoyama now holds a very comfortable 8 to1 advantage over Toby Zadu. The flying monkey loses once again to Gonoyama. go to attack is his pushing and thrusting and he goes forward. He denies Toby Zaru’s lateral motion and Tobiaru unable to escape again. Toby Zaru stays low. Tobizaru wants to go inside or get a belt grip but he cannot because Gonoyama simply overwhelms Tobaru with his frontal charge. It’s Taker Fuji meeting has good momentum right now coming off two consecutive Kachi Koshi that’s more Winston losses. Taker Fuji suffered his first real setback in the May tournament, but now he’s determined to bounce back. Good inial charge by Taker Fuji. Taker Fuji all the way with his frontal charge and he smokes may. What a sumo by Taker Fuji. He wins by Tukidashi thrust out. Well, Taker Fuji is from Sega Bea and again former Yoko Teruji is the new boss at Segaama and I’m sure Fuji with a newama is really happy to see this type of performance from Taker Fuji a real strong upandcomer. Good initial charge. Good follow through. Good drive and good finish. A picture perfect sumo by Taku Fuji. It is Hiadi facing off against Tamawashi. Tamawashi is living proof that the best ability is availability. He hasn’t missed a single day since his pro debut over 17 years ago. Hiomi rose to Komasumi last year and this year he set his sights even higher but Hiomi gets pushed back. Hiomi rallies. Now Tamawashi comes away with the thrust down at the edge but the goji is pointing the gumbai to the east side in favor of Hiad Umi. And we’re going to have a mono the conference by the judges. Who wins? Who goes out or goes down first? Very close. Let me explain what we discussed. The goji gave the match to Hiadi. But we have confirmed that Hiadi went out of the ring first. As a result, we will reverse the decision and give the victory to Tamawashi Sachi. The reversal of the decision and Tamawashi is the winner. Sukyotoi victory for the 40year-old veteran. Hiomi fought well and hard. Tamashi with his usual nooa but Hiomi escapes. Hiomi moves so fast and well. Hiomi now going after Tamawashi. But Tamawashi opens his stance. He knows exactly where he is in the ring. The whitey veteran does it once again. The magic at the edge. It’s Haku oho meeting Kim Bzan. Eight and seven finish for Haku oho in May. Kimboan going 10 and five. Hakuho has risen to Migos for his highest rank so far. Kimzan also has reached his highest rank at Mashia 3 and is now aiming to break into Syakus. Good initial charge by Hakuho back. Better move by Kim Bosan. He’s able to pull down Haku Oho right away as he noticed Hakoho’s upper body was extended a little too far forward. Kim Boszan from Kazakan is the winner. The big man Kim Bozoan takes Hakoho’s best shot, brings him upright and pulls Hakoho down without breaking a sweat. Hakuo goes down easily. Hakoho unable to put up a fight. Let’s see if he can put up a better performance tomorrow. Moving on to the next match, it is Ono Katu also moving up to his highest rank of Mashidra 3 meeting Abi who went seven and eight in Mayo Katu backto back double digit winning records. He is now definitely on everybody’s radar. Abi is a dangerous opponent goes airborate and out goes on. Expect the unexpected when you fight Abby. On Katsu certainly didn’t anticipate Abby to go sideways at the initial charge and Abby was able to defeat Ono Katsu really easily in this match. Ai goes airborne gets the Watt and out goes Onoatu with a nag by Ai. A tricky move by Abby. and he prevails. Good learning lesson for Onokatu. Now look at the July tournament banuk the upper echelons with the rise of Onoto. We now have two Yokoa listed on the Banzuk for the first time since the 2021 September tournament. Datu is again absent. Kirishima is the Seek joined by Wakataka Kag the returnee. Oshoma is the newly promoted Kosubi on the east side. Takayasu remains at Kosubi despite going six and nine. Moving on to the next match, we have Oho meeting Waka Takagataka Kag going 12 and three in the main tournament. So he has returned to Sikiake for the first time in 14 tournaments. Oho defeated the soyos in May. Oho wants to go forward with his pushing attack. He cannot so he pulls. Waka taka kag makes sure oho pays for his big mistake. Waka taka kag fights hard. Waka Taka Kag is a very tough RKI and oho finds out how tough it is to beat Waka Taka Kag the hard way. Oho is a hard pressure but he was having a rough time against Waka Taka Kag today. Waka Taka Kag pushing up from a lower angle. Look at the lower body stability by Waka Taka Kag. He’s not going anywhere. So Oh decides to go for the plan B that is pulling and that’s a big mistake. Waka Taka Kag wins. Waka Taka Kag. Moving on to the next match. It is Waka Taka Kag’s older brother Waka Motoaru about to compete. He’s up against Kirishima. The Seekwake who went 11 and four. Former Ozi Kirishima looks determined to return to Ozaki. Wakamoto Haru hoping to return to Syaku as well. Good charge by Wakamoto Haru. Left hand in, right hand shallow. What a perfect sumo by Kirishima. Wakamoto Haru had no chance. Kirishima was able to gain a left hand inside position. Deep left hand inside that is. And also gain the firm right hand shallow grip. And that was all she wrote for Wakamoto as Kirishima did not hesitate to go in for the kill. Watch this. Left hand inside deep by Kirishima first then the right hand shallow grip. Good technique combination, good technique sequence and no hesitation whatsoever from the former Oziki. Kirishima dispatches Wakamoto Haru in a very convincing style. Left hand in, right hand shallow, driving wakamoto back and out. All right, we have Koto Zakura the ozaki meeting. This is their second time meeting. The last time they met in May, Cotto Zakura won by Kotag. Cotto Zakura. Hoping to redeem himself after going back to back eight and seven in March and May. Onishki is a real upandcomer. He pushes Koto Zakura back. Anishki stays low. Kotto Zakura stops the charge. Koto Zakura gains the right hand inside position. Does he have the left? Oni stays. Oh goes for it. Um, did you see his left hand maneuver? He’s able to break Koto Zakura’s balance with that beautiful Uchi Muso inner thigh propping twist down and that is Aishki’s first victory over an Oziki opponent. Aishki from Ukraine keeps getting better and better with each bell. Koto Zakura bites the dust. Anishki once again stays low, creates a nice angle attack on Kotto Zakura. Koto Zakura does a nice job stopping Aishki’s charge, but Koto Zakura wasn’t able to gain his lethal weapon, the left hand outside grip. Aishki goes for the uchimuso. Beautiful execution of Uchimuso by the man from Ukraine. Look at the left hand Uchimo. Beautiful. You defeated an Oziki for the very first time. How do you feel? I’m just happy. What was your game plan going up against Zakura? I wanted to show what I’m capable of doing. What do you mean by that? I wanted to attack from a low angle to go inside. Your opponent for tomorrow is Yoko Onos. I will do my best to win. Finally, what is your goal for this tournament? I want to perform in a way that brings joy to the fans. The highlight match number two here on day one of the Grand Sumo highlights. It’s Oinko City going up against Yokosuna, the new Yokosuna onto. Now first meeting here is a match up between two former college teammates from Nepon Sports Science University. Nitai Dai Oama is two years senior to Onosato. Can Onato make a splashing debut by defeating Oshoma here on day one of the July tournament. His Yokoa debut tournament is again two years senior to Onosato. So he’s determined to beat Onos and assert his seniority. Good charge by Onos. Oro going all the way right hand inside dropping his hips and he defeats O Sha with no problem. Oro makes a strong debut as a Yokozuna here in Nagagoya. Well, Orosato is aiming to become the first new Yokozuna since Teranuji in the 2021 September tournament to win the championship. And this is a great start for Onosato. Onosato reaching Yokozuna in just 13 tournaments since his pro debut. the fastest rise ever and he keeps getting better each boss all the way. The new Yokozuna prevails. Here’s the final match on day one. The other Yokozuna up against Takayasu. Now get this. Takayas holds a dominant 10 and2 record over Hosu. Hosu saw what Onos just did to his opponent. So Hosi wants to join Onos by defeating Takayasu right here. His nemesis Takayasu has fought strong against in the past but not today. Paul show outmaneuvers Takayasan with his quickness and his brilliant technique of stoake. Paul showed you the other Yokozuna wins as well. So the two Yokozuna are the winners here on the opening day of the July Nagagoya Bashaw. Right away goes for the stoake with his left leg and he upends Takayasu. The Yokozuna shows his dominance today tells Takayu why he is the Yokozuna. And that’ll do it for day one of the July tournament. The two titans Houyu and Onosato prevailed on the opening day to get off to a very auspicious start here in Nagagoya. Now, don’t miss day two showdown because Onoto goes up against Anishki Sonara.
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Day 1 upper division bouts from the July 2025 GRAND SUMO Tournament.