Grand Sumo: 2024 Nagoya basho results and highlights
Grand Sumo’s 2024 Nagoya basho wrapped up recently. The 15-day tournament saw a era defining victory for the eventual winner. The basho also included some disappointments for popular, and high ranked, characters as well as a hint at who might be the leaders of sumo next great generation.
Keep reading for a breakdown on all these happenings and, if you want more sumo, please consider subscribing (for free!) to my substack Sumo Stomp!
2024 Nagoya Basho Results
Yusho (championship): Terunofuji (12-3)
Terunofuji, the sports lone yokozuna, was our last man standing in Nagoya. He won his tenth championship on the final day of the tournament after defeating Takanosho in a play-off.
There were questions over whether Terunofuji would even enter this tournament. The oft-injured Mongolian had pulled out of the previous tournament on Day 2, citing back issues. He’s only competed in five of the previous ten tournaments, mostly due to surgery on both knees. Of those five tournaments he was only able to complete two of them (winning the championship each time while doing so).
Terunofuji seemed like the likely winner of this tournament pretty early on. He got off to a 10-0 start and looked very dominant in early victories over Hiradoumi, Meisei and Wakamotoharu. In the second week of the tournament he was tested by Ura, Daieisho and his nemesis Tobizaru, but managed to weather the threat those men pose and score impressive wins on them.
On Day 11 Terunofuji lost to Onosato (winner of the previous tournament). Onosato beat Terunofuji by deftly evading his forward charge, allowing the yokozuna to fall flat on his chest.
Terunofuji rebounded with wins over Abi and Takakeisho, but on Day 14 he lost to Takanosho. Takanosho had been closely trailing Terunofuji for the whole tournament and on this day he was able to put himself into title contention with a win over Terunofuji (someone he has a fantastic head-to-head record against).
And Takanosho did just that. He got a great jump on Terunofuji off the tachiai and used a nodowa (throat thrust) to push Terunofuji towards and over the boundary. Had Terunofuji won this match he would have wrapped up the title there. However, after that loss (which drew his head-to-head record with Takanosho to 7-7), Terunofuji went into the final day of the tournament knowing he needed to win to secure the yusho.
On that final day Terunofuji stumbled again, losing to Kotozakura (for the first time in his career). Kotozakura was able to slip Terunofuji’s grip and pull off a stunning uwatedashinage (pulling over arm throw). This win meant Terunofuji would have to earn his championship in a play-off with Takanosho (who kept his title hopes alive with a forceful win over Onosato).
In the play-off Terunofuji and Takanosho went back and forth trying to force each other out, while maintaining matching belt grips. However, it was Terunofuji who was able to halt Takanosho and reverse him for the winning yorikiri (frontal force out).
The victory gave Terunofuji double digit top division championships. The 32-year-old had suggested previously that this was his last goal in sumo. Now he has achieved that goal, we now wait to hear whether or not Terunofuji will now retire from the sport (and give his body some much needed respite).
Jun-Yusho (runner-up): Takanosho (12-3)
Takanosho came out of nowhere to challenge for the championship in Nagoya. The 29-year-old was ranked maegashira 6 for this tournament. He’s floated around the top half of the maegashira rankings since 2021 when he was demoted from sekiwake (two ranks below yokozuna). He achieved his sekiwake promotion rather quickly, after just five tournaments in the top division.
This was Takanosho’s third time finishing as a runner-up. The last time he achieved this feat was in May, 2022 (a tournament that was won by Terunofuji). In Nagoya Takanosho also received his third kanto-sho (Fighting Spirit prize) and scored his third kinboshi (special prize for beating a yokozuna while ranked maegashira).
Takanosho got off to a poor start in Nagoya, losing to Shonannoumi and Kotoshoho on the first two days. He then won his next four (including a default win over the absent Onosho). On Day 7 he lost to Kinbozan (who would go on to bank a terrible 4-11 record). After that loss Takanosho went on an eight fight winning streak, scoring victories over Ura and Kirishima (in addition to the aforementioned Terunofuji and Onosato).
Shukun-sho (Outstanding Performance prize): Onosato (9-6)
Onosato was the surprising recipient of the Outstanding Performance prize. He earned that prize despite getting a 9-6 record, well below his previous career ‘worst’ records of 11-4.
Onosato burst onto the scene in January, securing his top division promotion after just four senior tournaments (and achievement made possible by his stellar university and amatuer career). In his first two top division tournaments Onosato finished runner-up with 11-4 records. In his third tournament, in May, he won the yusho with a 12-3 record. During those first three tournaments Onosato also earned two Fighting Spirit prizes, two Technique prizes and one Outstanding Performance prize.
In Nagoya, Onosato didn’t look as good as he had done in previous basho. In Nagoya he also lost to individuals who he had never lost to before (Mitakeumi, Wakamotoharu and Takanosho). Onosato showed flashes of his ability during the tournament, especially in his win over Terunofuji, but his shukun-sho remains a curious choice, especially when the returning Wakatakakage and the unheralded Churanoumi did so well.
Gino-sho (Technique Prize): Hiradoumi (10-5)
Hiradoumi earned his first career special prize in Nagoya. The 24-year-old was promoted to komusubi (three ranks below yokozuna) ahead of this tournament. This was the highest rank he had ever achieved in his career and his first time competing as a member of the san’yaku (upper ranked wrestlers). His 10-5 record matches a career best for him in the top division.
He was awarded the technique prize for his varied use of kimarite (winning techniques). His kimarite in Nagoya included yorikiri (frontal force out), oshidashi (frontal push out), tsukiotoshi (thrust down), hikiotoshi (hand pull down) and tottari (arm bar throw).
In this tournament Hiradoumi was able to score big wins against fellow upper rankers, including Abi, Onosato, Kirishima and Takakeisho.
Other stand outs
Wakatakakage (11-4)
Kotozakura (10-5)
Shodai (10-5)
Churanoumi (10-5)
Endo (10-5)
Hoshoryu (9-4-2)
Churanoumi was the only wrestler, other than Terunofuji and Takanosho, who had a shot at winning the tournament in the last three days of the competition. The wheels came off his campaign when he was matched against Onosato.
Wakatakakage quietly put together an impressive record in his first top division tournament since March 2023 (where he tore his MCL and ACL). A three-fight losing streak against Kirishima, Hoshoryu and Abi took Kotozakura out of title winning contention. Hoshoryu was keeping pace with the leaders until he injured himself during his win over Kotozakura.
Endo and Shodai impressed, albeit against lower ranked opposition.
Other kachi-koshi (winning record) wrestlers
Tobizaru (9-6)
Oho (9-6)
Roga (9-6)
Kagayaki (9-6)
Kirishima (8-7)
Abi (8-7)
Daieisho (8-7)
Kotoshoho (8-7)
Midorifuji (8-7)
Ichiyamamoto (8-7)
Bushozan (8-7)
Kirishima failed to secure an immediate promotion to ozeki after missing out on double digit victories in Nagoya. He looked much improved in this tournament, but still a shadow of the dominating wrestler he was in 2023.
Make-koshi (losing record) wrestlers
Atamifuji (7-8)
Mitakeumi (7-8)
Shonannoumi (7-8)
Oshoma (7-8)
Tamawashi (7-8)
Wakamotoharu (6-9)
Ura (6-9)
Hokutofuji (6-9)
Nishikifuji (6-9)
Takakeisho (5-10)
Gonoyama (5-10)
Sadanoumi (5-10)
Nishikigi (5-10)
Takarafuji (5-10)
Chiyoshoma (5-5-5)
Meisei (4-11)
Kinbozan (4-11)
Ryuden (3-12)
After slumping to 5-10 Takakeisho will be demoted from his ozeki rank, a rank he has held since 2019. He didn’t look close to his best in this tournament and was likely competing through injury. Terunofuji handed him the losing record clinching loss on Day 13.
Injured wrestlers
Asanoyama (3-2-10)
Takayasu (0-2-13)
Onosho (0-4-11)
Asanoyama, who has looked excellent in recent tournaments when he’s not dealing with a small injury, went down with a big injury on Day 2. In a bout with Ichiyamamoto, Asanoyama’s knee buckled in a manner which appears to suggest an ACL injury. If this is the case, we likely won’t see him compete again for close to a year.