Onosato Denies Takayasu, Secures 3rd Title

The Japan News

19:22 JST, March 23, 2025

It was third time unlucky for No. 4 maegashira Takayasu.

For the third time in his career, Takayasu had a chance to win a first-ever title in a championship playoff, only to come up short again in a tournament that he had led in the final days.

This time it was ozeki Onosato who shattered his dreams, when he forced the former ozeki out of the ring to win the Spring Grand Tournament on Sunday in Osaka to take home his third Emperor’s Cup.

“I’m happy to win the title of a tournament that was grueling up to end,” said the 24-year-Onosato. “I’m glad because I wasn’t getting the results that I had imagined since I became an ozeki.”

Onosato had been promoted to ozeki after winning the Autumn tournament in September, but had posted 9-6 and 10-5 records in his first two tournaments at sumo’s second-highest rank.

The victory now puts him in line for promotion to yokozuna by accomplishing the daunting task of back-to-back titles, or “an equivalent number of wins” as stated in the Japan Sumo Association criteria.

Both Onosato and Takayasu took 11-3 records into the final day and won their regulation matches to set up the playoff at Edion Arena Osaka. Takayasu had beaten Onosato in their two previous meetings — including on the 10th day in Osaka — but the ozeki proved dominant when it counted the most.

Onosato came out charging hard and forced Takayasu to the edge, but the win would not come that easy. Takayasu fought valiantly and secured a belt hold, but he could not get enough leverage for a desperation throw and was shuffled out of the ring.

“It’s good because I had never beaten him before,” Onosato said. “I wasn’t concerned with details, I just did what I could do when I was in a disadvantageous position.”

Takayasu’s misfortune with playoffs started at the Spring tournament three years ago, when he lost to then sekiwake Wakatakakage in an extra match that was set up when Takayasu lost on the final two days of the tournament. Later that year in Kyushu in November, he lost on the final day to set up a three-way playoff, in which he was the first eliminated with consecutive defeats.

As a consolation of sorts, the 35-year-old Takayasu was awarded the Technique Prize on Sunday.

The action started with the mathematical possibility of the first five-way playoff since 1996, but Takayasu ended any hopes for that rare situation to occur when he defeated komusubi Abi in their regulation match to finish with a 12-3 record.

With both employing a slapping attack, Takayasu managed to deflect Abi to the side and grab a belt hold, which he then used to force the komusubi to the dirt.

It was Takayasu’s seventh win in 15 career bouts with Abi, who now faces demotion out of the sanyaku — the three ranks below yokozuna — after ending with a 6-9 record.

Takayasu then had to wait about a half hour to see if Onosato would lose to ozeki Kotozakura in the final bout of the day, which would have given him the title outright. But Onosato forced the playoff with remarkable ease, quickly powering Kotozakura out of the ring.

“I was confident from the first day,” Onosato said. “I thought, I can do this, and I’m glad to get it done.”

Takayasu’s victory had automatically eliminated a trio of maegashira-ranked wrestlers who had started the day one loss behind the two leaders. Had Takayasu and Onosato both lost, any or all of the three could have joined them in the championship playoff with a victory.

As it turned out, two of them — No. 15 maegashira Aonishiki and No. 14 Churanoumi — won to finish at 11-4, earning the Fighting Spirit Prize for each.

It marked an impressive makuuchi-division debut for Aonishiki, who has yet to post a losing record in his career. He is just the second Ukrainian in sumo history to reach the uppermost tier and the first-ever wrestler from the Ajigawa stable.

Aonishiki needed just nine tournaments since his pro sumo debut to make it to the makuuchi division, tying Jokoryu and Takerufuji for fastest-ever ascension, excluding collegiate stars who began their pro careers in the makushita division.

The third maegashira wrestler who was still in the title chase, No. 18 maegashira Tokihayate, fell to komusubi Kirishima, who gained his all-important eighth win to ensure he retains his rank. Kirishima secured the belt at the jump-off and quickly marched out Tokihayate, who finished 10-5.

Kotozakura (8-7) had been competing under kadoban status, meaning he needed a majority of wins to retain his rank. He managed to get that out of the way by notching his eighth victory on the 13th day, which he needed when he proceeded to lose his final two bouts.

For Onosato, he can now look forward to next month’s spring regional tour, which will take him back to his home Ishikawa Prefecture.

“I’m happy that I will be returning home after winning a championship,” he said. “Ishikawa is still undergoing great hardship, so I hope I can provide a light subject of conversation by having people watch me compete.”