May 18, 2012
Defending champion Hakuho proved he's a tough contender even with a broken finger May 18 by dealing a painful defeat to leader Kisenosato, who falls to a 10-3 tie with two rank-and-file wrestlers--Tochiozan and Kyokutenho--that could mean the title race in the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament will go right down to the wire.
May 17, 2012
Ozeki Kisenosato fell to his second loss at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on May 17, cutting his lead down to just one win as the competition enters its final days.
May 16, 2012
Ozeki Kisenosato came within a hair of losing at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on May 16 but came back in a rematch to stay on top with a two-win buffer and only four days left to go.
May 15, 2012
Ozeki Kisenosato moved into the sole lead at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on May 15 with a win over Kotooshu that puts him at 9-1 in what could still be a wide-open competition with lots of top-level showdowns yet to come.
May 14, 2012
Raising hopes that Japan's dry spell in the sumo ring may soon end, ozeki Kisenosato threw Kotoshogiku to the ground at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on May 14 to share the lead at 8-1 with rank-and-filer Tochiozan, while defending champion Hakuho, the man who has long dominated the titles, lost yet again.
May 13, 2012
The ozeki trio of Kisenosato, Kotoshogiku and Kakuryu continued to set the pace at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on May 13, marking their seventh wins, while the surprisingly fragile yokozuna Hakuho fell to his third loss.
May 12, 2012
Ozeki Kotoshogiku was pushed out for his first loss on May 12 while yokozuna Hakuho fell to his second defeat, turning the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament into a wide-open contest.
May 11, 2012
Japan's ozeki Kotoshogiku blazed his way to another victory and held onto the sole lead at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on May 11, but defending champion Hakuho and ozeki rivals Baruto, Kakuryu and Kisenosato remained in hot pursuit just one loss behind.
May 10, 2012
Unbeaten ozeki Kotoshogiku, aiming for his first title in the top makuuchi division, took the sole lead at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on May 10 with another easy win while rival Kisenosato was upset.
May 09, 2012
Japanese ozeki Kisenosato and Kotoshogiku continued to set the pace at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on May 9 with unblemished records, but Estonia's Baruto fell prey to giant-killer Aminishiki and joins yokozuna Hakuho with one loss.
May 08, 2012
The ozeki trio of Kisenosato, Kotoshogiku and Baruto claimed victories on May 8 to hold onto their share of the lead at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament, while yokozuna Hakuho shoved out his second opponent to hang one loss back.
May 07, 2012
Yokozuna Hakuho bounced back from his stunning first-day loss with a solid win on May 7 at the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament, while three of the record six ozeki--including newcomer Kakuryu--fell to upsets.
May 06, 2012
Mongolian yokozuna Hakuho fell to a huge upset on the opening day of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on May 6, losing to komusubi Aminishiki after all six of the ozeki wrestlers won their bouts with ease.
May 05, 2012
Having six ozeki in the professional sumo rankings for the first time in modern history may look exciting, but it's no guarantee for good business.
May 04, 2012
When the May Grand Sumo Tournament gets under way May 6 at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan, Hakuho, the grand yokozuna of the Heisei Era, will be aiming for his 23rd tournament victory. That feat would give him the fifth highest number of tournament wins, surpassing former yokozuna Takanohana.
May 03, 2012
The summer sumo tournament, which gets under way May 6, will be the first basho in modern sumo history with six wrestlers fighting at the rank of ozeki, and the sextet will likely face a long, hard battle on the road to promotion to yokozuna.
April 24, 2012
The new sumo rankings show six ozeki for the first time in the history of the sport, as well as some familiar names listed under new titles or new stable affiliations.
April 09, 2012
The May summer grand sumo tournament will be the first in the history of grand sumo to feature six ozeki-ranked wrestlers.
April 03, 2012
In sumo circles, newly promoted ozeki Kakuryu has been labeled “intelligent” and is said to be “born with a silver spoon in his mouth.” Those are hardly common terms used when referring to sumo wrestlers, but Kakuryu is hardly a common sumo wrestler.
March 26, 2012
Mongolian yokozuna Hakuho came from behind to win the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament and his 22nd career championship on March 25 in a hard-fought tie-breaker over sekiwake Kakuryu.