Yokozuna Hoshoryu Sets Up Final-Day Showdown with Onosato

The Japan News

18:35 JST, September 27, 2025

Yokozuna Hoshoryu took little time to keep alive his hopes of winning the Autumn Tournament. Less than a second, in fact.

Hoshoryu sidestepped on the jump-off to defeat sekiwake Wakatakakage on Saturday and assure that the tournament will go down to the final day on Sunday, when he will need a victory over leader and fellow yokozuna Onosato to set up a playoff at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan.

Onosato maintained a one-win lead with a 13-1 record when he was handed a victory by default over ozeki Kotozakura, who suffered a knee injury during his win over Hoshoryu on Friday.

In blink-and-you-missed-it quickness, Hoshoryu, who had a 7-6 career record against Wakatakakage but had defeated him all four times they had met previously this year, quickly leapt to the side at the start, sending his opponent sprawling to the dirt to improve to 12-2.

Kotozakura’s notification of withdrawal to the sumo association said that he had been diagnosed with damaged ligaments in his right knee that will require three weeks of treatment. Stablemaster Sadogatake said the injury occurred during the match against Hoshoryu, and that Kotozakura “cannot bend his knee nor crouch down.”

Since being dealt a loss on the fourth day by No. 2 maegashira Hakuoho, Onosato spent the majority of the tournament chasing Hoshoryu. It was not until the 12th day on Thursday that he finally caught up, when he chalked up an eighth straight win and Hoshoryu fell to komusubi Aonishiki.

In their last meeting, Hoshoryu defeated Onosato on the last day of the Summer Tournament in May. Onosato had already clinched the title, but the loss prevented him from ending with a 15-0 record.