On the final day of the 2023 July (Nagoya) Grand Sumo Tournament, the sekiwake Hoshoryu won his first top-division championship in a playoff over Hokutofuji. In the same instant, that victory clinched his promotion to ozeki.
Sekiwake is the third-highest rank in sumo and ozeki the second-highest, both sitting just below yokozuna at the summit of the sport. A playoff is the extra bout that breaks a tie when more than one wrestler finishes the regular schedule with the same record. At this tournament, the title came down to that single deciding bout — and the man who took it walked away with far more than a trophy.
How the playoff field took shape
The race tightened in the second half of the top-division card. Among the wrestlers carrying three losses was Hokutofuji, and his path to the playoff ran through Nishikigi, who arrived in the middle of a three-bout losing streak. The gap in momentum and pressure between the two was plain to anyone watching. Hokutofuji read it correctly and finished the bout with a hikiotoshi — a pull-down — to push his way into the championship playoff.
The bout before the final brought together two more three-loss men: the sekiwake Hoshoryu against the sensational newcomer Hakuoho. It was over in an instant. As the two rose at the charge, Hoshoryu finished Hakuoho with an uwatenage, an overarm throw — one of the techniques catalogued in the sport’s kimarite. The crowd was caught off guard, and in that flash they saw the depth of Hoshoryu’s strength.
The playoff and the revenge over Hokutofuji
Those two results set up the championship playoff: Hokutofuji against Hoshoryu, one bout to decide the Emperor’s Cup. There was history between them. Earlier in the same tournament, on the regular schedule, Hokutofuji had beaten Hoshoryu — a result that gave the veteran every reason to believe he could do it again.
The rematch told a different story. Hoshoryu dominated from start to finish and drove Hokutofuji back and out with an oshidashi — a push-out. That single instant decided his first championship, and at the same moment it clinched his promotion to ozeki. The earlier loss was answered when it mattered most.
What the title and the promotion meant
In the end, the champion was the highest-ranked of the contenders, the sekiwake Hoshoryu — a fitting outcome for the way the tournament unfolded. He had long been highly rated, a wrestler whose ceiling few doubted. He had also been prone to unexpected defeats, the kind that kept his rise from feeling inevitable. Winning the title through a playoff settled some of that doubt in the most direct way possible.
The timing mattered for the sport as much as for the man. The ozeki ranks were thin. Takakeisho had sat the tournament out, and the newly promoted ozeki Kirishima, returning mid-tournament, managed only six wins. Against that backdrop, Hoshoryu’s rise promised fresh strength at the top of the banzuke — a new ozeki arriving exactly when the second rank needed reinforcing.
Key Takeaways
- On the final day of the 2023 July (Nagoya) tournament, sekiwake Hoshoryu won his first top-division championship in a playoff.
- The playoff field formed when Hokutofuji beat Nishikigi by hikiotoshi (pull-down) and Hoshoryu beat Hakuoho by uwatenage (overarm throw).
- Hokutofuji had beaten Hoshoryu on the regular schedule, but Hoshoryu won the playoff by oshidashi (push-out).
- The same instant that gave Hoshoryu the title also clinched his promotion to ozeki.
- The ozeki ranks were thin — Takakeisho was absent and Kirishima won only six on his return — so Hoshoryu’s rise promised fresh strength at the top.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2023 July tournament?
The sekiwake Hoshoryu won his first top-division championship at the 2023 July (Nagoya) Grand Sumo Tournament, taking the title in a playoff over Hokutofuji on the final day.
How did the championship playoff come about?
Two three-loss wrestlers reached the playoff. Hokutofuji beat Nishikigi with a hikiotoshi (pull-down), and in the bout before the final, Hoshoryu beat the newcomer Hakuoho with an uwatenage (overarm throw). That left Hokutofuji and Hoshoryu tied and sent them to a deciding bout.
Had Hokutofuji beaten Hoshoryu before the playoff?
Yes. In their regular-schedule meeting earlier in the tournament, Hokutofuji had beaten Hoshoryu. In the playoff, however, Hoshoryu dominated from start to finish and pushed Hokutofuji out with an oshidashi (push-out).
What did the win mean for Hoshoryu’s rank?
The instant that decided the title also clinched Hoshoryu’s promotion to ozeki, the second-highest rank. With Takakeisho absent and the newly promoted Kirishima managing only six wins on his mid-tournament return, his rise promised fresh strength at the top.
