Nagoya 2023 Day Fifteen

Public League Leaderboard

Scores from Fantasizr.

Yusho Arasoi

12 Wins & Playoff Win--YUSHO

04 Sekiwake #1 East Hoshoryu

12 Wins & Playoff Loss--Jun-Yusho

26 Maegashira #9 West Hokutofuji

11 Wins

07 Komusubi East Kotonowaka

42 Maegashira #17 West Hakuoho

Special Prizes

Shunkun-Sho (Outstanding Performance Prize)

09 Maegashira #1 East Nishikigi

Kanto-Sho (Fighting Spirit Prize)

04 Sekiwake #1 East Hoshoryu

07 Komusubi East Kotonowaka

26 Maegashira #9 West Hokutofuji

36 Maegashira #14 West Shonnanoumi

42 Maegashira #17 West Hakuoho

Gino-Sho (Outstanding Performance Prize)

42 Maegashira #17 West Hakuoho

Notable Maneuvers

Shitatenage. Midorifuji literally flipped over the much, much bigger Hokuseiho. It almost looked like a professional wrestllng maneuver, except Hokuseiho didn't land flat to show he knew it was coming. Truly spectacular.

Match of the Day

04 Sekiwake #1 East Hoshoryu versus 26 Maegashira #9 West Hokutofuji

Maybe not the best match of the basho, but obviously a playoff is the most important one. Hokutofuji did give Hoshoryu a tough tachiai, with his signature inside almost nodowa. But Hoshoryu handled it in a truly impressive way. He powered back Hokutofuji with a focus on forward sumo. Clearly, he was determined to get the win, the yusho, and the Ozeki promotion. He did just that.

Recap

In the end, it was Hoshoryu who was left standing. On Day Fifteen, he performed like an Ozeki, throwing down Hakuoho and pushing aside Hokutofuji. He will get his promotion alongside his first Yusho and, possibly, his last Special Prize. As an Ozeki, he can't earn one. SInce he is just barely 24, he will have a chance to do much, much more in his career. This wasn't a dominant performance, he got 12 wins and won a match he probably shouldn't have against Tobizaru on Day One. But the rules are the rules, and he did get the job done on the final day.

Unfortunately, for Hokutofuji this basho did not turn out to be his. He earned his second Jun-Yusho as a recently turned 31 year old. He hasn't been consistent over the past year, so he can't be expected to keep this up. He definitely has found his veteran sumo, still a pusher-thruster but a little more adaptable and comfortable on the belt. He'll get a nice promotion and could reach Sanyaku again soon if he maintains decent form. He just won't go in the record books as a winner.

Neither will Hakuoho, of course, but he is more likely to build on his performance here. Between this basho and the next, he will turn twenty. He already has a double-digit Makuuchi performance, two Special Prizes, and a last-day shot at a yusho. And that's from one Makuuchi tournament. He didn't handle the challenge of Hoshoryu greatly, but he's done so much else well no one should hold that against him. His future only looks brighter than it did two weeks ago.

Hakuoho was the only rikishi to earn two Special Prizes, but an astonishing seven prizes were handed out overall. Usually, the rule is one rikishi for each of the Special Prizes, although two can share a prize and sometimes one isn't given. Instead, five rikishi shared the Fighting Spirit Prize. There was just a lot of Fighting Spirit during the Nagoya basho. The three debutants, Gonoyama, Shonannoumi, and Hakuoho, all got double-digit wins. Hoshoryu and Kotonowaka delivered performances that will earn promotion to a higher rank. Hokutofuji, of course, nearly won the yusho. There were plenty of impressive performances during this basho.

But the banner will hang with Hoshoryu's picture, and he will be at sumo's second-highest rank in September. For all the other things happening in Nagoya this year, it is the Tatsunami-beya man's Emperor's Cup and promotion that is the big story. In a year when the Yokozuna has mostly been absent and the Ozeki corps has been a shambles, that's welcomed by the JSA. Since he is still young, it also means he may keep the rank for awhile. Right now, it should all be about celebrating this moment.