GRAND SUMO: Final Day of the May 2025 Tournament - GRAND SUMO Highlights

Konnichiwa and thanks for joining us on Grand Sumo Highlights. It's day 15, the final day of the May tournament. Ozeki Onosato has already clinched the championship here at the May tournament, but he still has unfinished business. Today, he has a shot at closing out the tournament with a perfect 15-0 record. It won't be easy. He will need to beat Yokozuna Ho Shoryu to make that undefeated title a reality. We're all set for the final day of action, day 15 from the Kokugikan, the home of sumo in Tokyo. We begin with Koto Shouho and Rouga. Hats off to Koto Shouho for showing real grit this tournament. He sat out the first five days due to an injury, but after joining the competition on day six, he managed to win six bouts. Here's Rouga from Russia. Top division returnees secured more wins than losses this time. Good initial charge by Koto Shouho. Koto Shouho lifting in, right hand out. Solid grip by Rouga, goes for the outside leg trip. He advances once again. He attempts a soto gake. Maintains the pressure on Koto Shouho and Koto Shouho retreats. Rouga is the winner. Yorikiri front foreside win for Rouga. He racks up his ninth win. Koto Shouho ends with six wins, four losses and five absences. Nine and six finish for Rouga. Moving on, we have Atami Fujii seven and seven meeting Nishikigi at six and eight. Atami Fujii is aiming to secure his first kachikoshi this year. Can he get it? He's now on a four bout losing streak. Nishikigi started strong with five straight wins from opening day, but couldn't keep up the momentum and will finish with a losing record. Good charge by Atami Fujii. Locking up, chest to chest, right hand in, left hand out. Neither man with a strong outside grip. Atami Fujii wants to go forward. It is Nishikigi advancing, but a nice counter move by Atami Fujii at the edge. Looks like a kotenage armlock throw win for Atami Fujii. And Atami Fujii scores his first kachikoshi in 2025. Gets the job done, finally. Let's move on to toji taikai meeting Shishi. Now, with a dismal record, rookie toji taikai's stay in the top division will be a short one. He now has a 10 match losing streak. Toji taikai, Shishi 4 and 10. Good charge by toji taikai. Toji taikai pounds. Shishi advances. Toji taikai, nice shifting move to his right. And he disrupts Shishi's balance and toji taikai wins. And he snaps his 10 match losing streak. That means toji taikai has just won for the first time in 11 days. 4 and 11 finish for the rookie toji taikai. Up next is endo meeting Asa Koryu. Now, if Asa Koryu on the right wins this match, he will receive his first special prize, the fighting spirit prize. He knows it. He's fired up. He's ready to go. Endo earned his first kachikoshi of the year in the main tournament. He must be feeling relieved for sure. Strong charge by Asa Koryu. Endo goes in with the left. Endo applies the pressure. Endo looks to be in full control. And endo goes forward and defeats Asa Koryu. A disappointing moment for Asa Koryu. Endo denies Asa Koryu's first special prize. Endo wins 9 and 6. Almost for Asa Koryu. But from the get-go, Endo maintained the pressure. Left hand in. Now he goes for a strong otsuke or forearm block. No kotenage action. Succeeding for Asa Koryu. Good offense. Drop in his hips. It's Endo. Endo all the way. It is Shonan no Umi meeting Shodan. Both men 5 and 9. It's back-to-back makekoshi losing records for Shonan no Umi. He needs to learn how to make better use of his large physique. Shodan, a former ozeki, finishes with yet another makekoshi. His fourth in a row. Good initial charge by Shonan no Umi. Shodan wants to gain an inside position. Shonan no Umi goes forward. Good pushing attack. Good maneuver by Shodan. Shodan goes inside deep with the left. And Shodan tumbles. But he forces Shonan no Umi out. The gyoji points the gunbai to the west side. Shodan. Will there be a monoi or a conference by the judges? Evidently not. So Shodan is the winner. So Shodan finishes strong. Moving on we have Tama Shouho and Midori Fuji. Tama Shouho 4 and 10. Midori Fuji 5 and 9. Tama Shouho is looking for his first win in 6 days. Midori Fuji hopes to extend his winning streak to 6. Good initial charge by the two. Tama Shouho. Pounding. Slapping. Pummeling. Small Midori Fuji. Midori Fuji rallies. Tama Shouho pulls. Midori Fuji gains the grip. And he hurls Tama Shouho to the clay. What a dashinage. Pulling over arm throw. Victory for Midori Fuji. So what a resilient performance by Midori Fuji. He lost his first 9 bout. But storms back and finishes the competition with 6 straight wins. One of the highlight matches here on day 15. The final day. It is Aonishiki. Meeting Sadano Umi. For Aonishiki, his second consecutive Fighting Spirit Prize is on the line. This match, if he wins, he will walk away with a special prize. Here's Sadano Umi. Sadano Umi has been given the Fighting Spirit Prize. The 38-year-old veteran's performance was excellent the entire tournament. Can he finish strong? Aonishiki needs this victory to receive the Kanto Show. Good low tachiai by Aonishiki. Aonishiki executes the shitatenage. And Aonishiki wins. And Aonishiki will receive his second consecutive Fighting Spirit Prize. Congratulations to Aonishiki. Also, Sadano Umi, even though he lost, he will walk away or go home with the same prize. 11-4 finish, Aonishiki. What a performance right away. When he gains the left-hand inside position, no hesitation in executing the shitatenage underarm throw. Kanto Show, the Fighting Spirit Prize was at stake. And Aonishiki gets it with this magnificent throw. How do you feel about winning the Fighting Spirit Prize? I'm happy. Did you know that the award was conditional on winning today's bout? Yes, my attendant had told me. How was your performance today? I was really nervous, but I'm glad that I won. You face Ozeki during this tournament. What did you learn from it? It was a good learning experience to wrestle with high-ranking rikishi. How was your performance during the tournament? Overall, I think I was able to wrestle offensively, but I regret having lost the bout on the final day, which I should have won. What makes you perform so well, even at the age of 38? I can keep up my strength at my age thanks to the people who support me. I'd like to continue to wrestle my typical fast and aggressive style of sumo in the next tournament. Moving on to the next match, it is Kaio meeting Kinbozan. Kaio's 7 and 7. That means the top division rookie is aiming for a kachikoshi right here. Without a doubt, it is a crucial match for the 25-year-old newcomer. His opponent, Kinbozan 9 and 5, strong rikishi. Good charge by Kaio. Kinbozan going after Kaio. Kaio backpedals. Kaio stays away from Kinbozan's thick arms. Kinbozan extending both of his big arms and he dispatches Kaio. Kaio suffers a makekoshi in his top division debut. Kinbozan prevails. He goes to 10 and 5. Another impressive performance by the man from Kazakhstan. So Kaio falls short of earning a kachikoshi in his top division debut. Kinbozan wanted to catch Kaio with a strong grip. Look at Kaio backpedaling, staying away from Kinbozan. Kinbozan closes in. Kinbozan goes after Kaio with another shoving attack. Kaio goes for a tottari armbar throw but didn't work. Moving on, we have Onokatsu and Meisei, both combatants, at 9 and 5 records. Well, Onokatsu with another kachikoshi. Onokatsu will move up to his highest rank yet when he competes in July. Hard worker Meisei has been making his presence felt at this tournament. Good charge by Meisei. Meisei goes forward. He gets his left hand in, right hand out. He attacks fiercely but Onokatsu rallies. Onokatsu gains a double inside grip and he defeats Meisei. Onokatsu racks up his 10th win. A little bit of nosebleed from Onokatsu. Seems to be alright. Meisei 9 and 6, Onokatsu 10 and 5. We have Ryuden and Chudanomi on the dohyo. Ryuden 5 and 9, Chudanomi 3 and 11. Chudanomi never seemed to find his rhythm this time. Can he find one today? Good in-show charge by Ryuden. Chudanomi attacks. Chudanomi attacking from a lower angle. Chudanomi shoving. Ryuden with an otsuge showing good defense. Ryuden still goes away. Chudanomi gets a shallow grip. Chudanomi goes in for the kill. He wins. Yorita Oshi. Frontal crush out. Chudanomi scores his 4th win. Is Ryuden OK? Showing good sportsmanship. Chudanomi. Ryuden says, I'm fine. So Ryuden will get back to his side of the dohyo on his own. A hard-fought match between these two combatants. Chudanomi prevails. Chudanomi finishes the 15-day Mei tournament 4 and 11. It is Hakuhoho meeting Toki Hayate. Hakuhoho just couldn't deliver when it mattered most. He was one of the leaders entering the second week. But five consecutive losses took him out of the championship race. Toki Hayate going for his second consecutive makuchi kachi koushi. Left hand in, right hand out. No resistance from Hakuhoho. Hakuhoho apparently, his left foot must be pretty banged up. Unable to put any kind of pressure or power into his left foot, Toki Hayate scores an easy win for his second kachi koushi in a row. 8 and 7 finish Hakuhoho. In a lot of pain. It's Ura meeting Takano Sho. Win or lose, fans love watching Ura compete. He's dynamic, acrobatic and unpredictable. Takano Sho redeemed himself with a kachi koushi this time. Good low tachiai, good pressure, good attack by Ura. He never stops. He smokes Takano Sho. Hoshidashi win for Ura. He finishes the contest with 5 wins and 10 losses. Job well done. Next up, it is Tamawashi 5 and 9, meeting Hiradomi 6 and 8. Tamawashi did not rack up as many wins as he had hoped this time, but many believe the 40-year-old Ironman is far from over. Here's Hiradomi, aiming to return to sanyaku with a strong performance this time, but he's come up short. Hiradomi attacks, good nodowa, strong step arm and down goes Hiradomi. Tamawashi buries Hiradomi with a right hand nodowa and Hiradomi bites the dust. 6 and 9 finish for Tamawashi, the 40-year-old veteran. It's Takeru Fujii meeting Gonoyama. Takeru Fujii couldn't come up with wins against the top-ranked opponents this time. Competing at his highest rank so far, he surely learned just how tough it is to succeed at the top level. Gonoyama finishes with his second consecutive losing record. Can he finish the basho on a high note? Good attack by Gonoyama. Gonoyama advances, but what an answer. What an answer by Takeru Fujii. Left hand uwate and he executes the uwate nage at the final moment and Takeru Fujii comes out on top. 4 and 11 finish for Gonoyama. Takeru Fujii, 6 wins and 9 losses. Speedy, aggressive attack from Gonoyama. Takeru Fujii was kind of flabbergasted with Gonoyama's intensity, but Takeru Fujii had the sense of mind to grab the belt with his left hand and execute the throw. We have Abi and Oshoma meeting for the very first time. Abi gunning for his kachi koshi. Abi is hoping to avoid a third straight make koshi here. He needs a win, plain and simple. Oshoma with three consecutive kachi koshi. Oshoma is starting to show his true potential. Good charge by Abi. Pulling attack by Oshoma. Oshoma wants to go in for the kill. Abi rallies. Abi advances. Good charge by Abi at the edge. Oshoma resists. Oshoma goes behind Abi and wins by okuridashi. A make koshi for Abi. A losing record. 7 and 8 finish for Abi. He gave his best but comes up short. Oshoma goes to 10 and 5. Abi came out with all guns blazing offense. Good resilient defense shown by Oshoma. Oshoma gets taken back. Abi drives Oshoma to the edge. So Abi decides to go in for the kill. Oshoma resists Abi's kote nage. Goes behind and wins by rear push out. It is Chiyo Shoma meeting Oho. Oho 6 and 8. Oho is competing in his 300th maki no uchi match today. Things just did not seem to click for Oho this time. Chiyo Shoma finishes with his second consecutive make koshi. Chiyo Shoma taking a lot of punishment. And Oho crushes Chiyo Shoma. Oho wins. Chiyo Shoma 4 wins and 11 losses. Oho finishes strong with 3 consecutive wins. Overall 7 and 8. So here we go. Wakamoto Harue and Ichiyama Moto about to lock horns. With a losing record, Wakamoto Harue will not be returning to Sanyaku in July. Ichiyama Moto will leave the main tournament with his second consecutive make koshi. His hard charging thrusting attack wasn't as sharp as it has been in recent tournaments. No pushing and thrusting attack from Ichiyama Moto either in this match. Chest to chest, left hand in. If Wakamoto Harue can gain a right hand outside position, Ichiyama Moto is finished. So Ichiyama Moto doing a good job preventing Wakamoto Harue from gaining the grip. A little bit of a stalemate. Wakamoto Harue looks like he backs up and Ichiyama Moto tumbles. Who wins? Kimura Konosuke, the gyojin referee, points the gunbai to the east side of Wakamoto Harue. Oh, Ichiyama Moto looks like he's in a lot of pain. His left finger, maybe he jammed it against the straw bales when he went down. A good thing this is day 15 because Ichiyama Moto doesn't have to compete tomorrow. But Wakamoto Harue looks concerned. About Ichiyama Moto's injury. Now let's look at the replay and what happened toward the end. Ichiyama Moto advances, katasukashi move, and Ichiyama Moto lands on his left finger. It's Tobizaru meeting Wakataka Kage. Tobizaru, again, kachikoshi at stake. Wakataka Kage, 11 and 3, another splendid performance. Wakataka Kage has earned his 6th technique prize. Tobizaru must win here. Otherwise, after three tournaments this year, he will still have zero kachikoshi. And that is exactly what's going to happen to Tobizaru. Zero kachikoshi after three tourneys in 2025 for Tobizaru the Flying Monkey. More importantly, Wakataka Kage racks up his 12th win. What an impressive performance by Wakataka Kage. Technique prize recipient Wakataka Kage simply blows Tobizaru away. What a sumo. Wakataka Kage all the way. How does it feel to be a regular recipient of the technique prize, now for the 6th time? I'm glad my performance was recognized. How was your sumo today? I think I had a good bout, moving from bottom to front. With 12 wins, you reached the starting point to aim for Ozaki. How do you feel about that? Well, what I do from now is important. I will practice hard and do my best. It's Takayasu meeting Kirishima. Takayasu was in contention until the final moment in March. But not this time. He fell far short of expectations. Having said that, he isn't ready to give up on his dream of winning a championship just yet. Kirishima is another rikishi who has received a technique prize. As his magnificent techniques caught the attention of many sumo elders. Good charge by Takayasu. Takayasu maintains the pressure. Takayasu pounding away. Kirishima seems to have no answer. Kirishima goes down. Takayasu crushes Kirishima. Takayasu finishes this 15-day competition with 4 consecutive wins. Takayasu not only the prize money envelope, but along with it, he receives an error. A couple of errors with the prize money envelope. Since this is the final day, a special occasion. Takayasu defeats Kirishima in a very strong fashion right away. Kirishima is pulling, slapping, going backwards. Takayasu is advancing. Takayasu gives a lot of business to Kirishima. Kirishima taking a lot of punishment and Kirishima never recovers. It's Daieisho versus Kotozakura. Daieisho will not be earning promotion to Ouzeki this time. But his campaign is still alive. He's likely to get another chance in July, especially if he can secure his 10th win right here. Kotozakura must be pinching himself after losing to two of his biggest rivals in the last two days. Kotozakura backpedals and Kotozakura loses for the third straight day. Daieisho racking up his 10th win. So his campaign toward gaining an Ouzeki promotion is still alive. This was a crucial match and Daieisho comes out on top. 10-5 finish. Well, there's likely a bitter taste in his mouth for Kotozakura right now, having allowed Ono-san and his Ouzeki rival to take that next step before him. Daieisho all the way with this pushing and thrusting. The final match on day 15, the final match of the main tournament. It's a good one. Hoshoryu 11-3 Yokozuna versus undefeated main tournament champion Ono Sato. Hoshoryu leads the series 5-2. Hoshoryu winning the last two confrontations. The perfect record championship on the line. Of course Hoshoryu wants to show who's boss. His Yokozuna pride is on the line. It's Hoshoryu versus Ono Sato. Can Ono Sato go 15-0? Good initial charge by Ono Sato. Ono Sato pushes. Ono Sato goes inside with a right. What a counter move by Hoshoryu. Down goes Hoshoryu, denies Ono Sato's undefeated championship. Ono Sato finishes with 14 wins and 1 loss. Hoshoryu shows his Ono Yokozuna pride. Ono Sato 14-1 championship. Hoshoryu finishes with 12 wins and 3 losses. What a move. Strong pushing attack from Ono Sato. Following up with the right hand inside grip, that's his go-to grip. Look how Hoshoryu was able to maintain the little separation. That little space Hoshoryu created and maintained allowed him to execute the Watehineri, the twisting overarm throw in the end. Beautiful move by the Yokozuna. Ono Sato still needs to improve on his mechanics. So congratulations to Ono Sato despite his defeat on the final day. He already had clinched the championship on day 13. He finishes with 14 wins and 1 loss for his fourth championship. Here's Ono Sato who won two titles in a row. Congratulations. Thank you. How do you feel about winning the title with 14 wins and 1 loss? Well, I lost in the end, but I'm really happy. You were aiming for Yokozuna for the first time. How did you feel going into the tournament? I was a bit worried as I was not well before the tournament and could not practice enough. But I believed in my stable master, and that seems to have worked. I had thought the first five days would be important. The first five days went well, and then I was able to create a flow. How was your performance after the first five days? I was able to stay calm, and I was able to show a lot of my strengths. What kind of sumo do you want to show in the next tournament? I want to thoroughly prepare for the next tournament as it will be an important one for me. I want to have a good tournament again. And that wraps up the May tournament. Once again, Ono Sato comes out on top, claiming his fourth championship. Congratulations to Ono Sato. In the upcoming July tournament, we will have two Yokozuna, as Ono Sato is set to be officially promoted to sumo's highest rank in the coming days. In other words, the July basho held in the newly built stadium in Nagoya will mark the beginning of a new era in sumo. It's going to be an exciting time, so be sure to join us when we return in July. For now, arigato for watching and sayonara.