On the final day of the 2025 Kyushu tournament in Fukuoka, the 21-year-old Aonishiki won his first top-division championship — in only his fifth makuuchi tournament — by beating ozeki Kotozakura with an uchimuso and then defeating yokozuna Hoshoryu in a championship playoff.
Some titles are won across fifteen days. This one turned on a single afternoon. Aonishiki came into the closing day of the Kyushu basho carrying three losses. By the time the clay had settled, he had taken down an ozeki, forced a playoff the sold-out arena had no right to expect, and walked out with the Emperor’s Cup.
Onosato withdraws, and the day shifts
The final day reshaped itself before the marquee bouts even began. The yokozuna Onosato — that rank sits at the very top of sumo — pulled out abruptly, already gone by the time the association held its closing ceremony. He had reportedly suffered a dislocation on Day 13, and the injury caught up with him on the last day.
His withdrawal handed Hoshoryu a walkover win, a fusensho, and that uncontested victory locked Hoshoryu in at twelve wins. On paper the title was now his to lose, and he would not have to wrestle for it unless someone forced the issue. The arithmetic of a honbasho can be cruel like that. A champion crowned by forfeit would have been a flat way to end a tournament a packed Fukuoka house had paid to see.
The uchimuso over Kotozakura that kept the race alive
That left it to Aonishiki. His final-day assignment was the ozeki Kotozakura — that rank sits just below yokozuna, the second tier of the elite. With his title hopes hanging by a thread, Aonishiki went in low and produced an uchimuso, an inner-thigh propping twist-down that wraps the leg and rolls the man over. Twice Kotozakura was left grabbing at nothing.
On the day, Aonishiki was a clear class above the man across from him. The win kept him alive in the title race, but it did more than that. Had Hoshoryu taken the championship on the walkover alone, the sold-out arena would have gone home on an anticlimax. Aonishiki’s victory refused to let that happen. It forced a championship playoff between the yokozuna and the newcomer, and gave the crowd the finish it had come hoping for.
The playoff, and the edge Aonishiki carried into it
One detail hung over the deciding bout. Hoshoryu had met Aonishiki three times before, and lost all three. Aonishiki walked into the playoff carrying real confidence against this opponent — a sharp contrast to how he stood against Onosato, a man he had never beaten.
The playoff was effectively settled the moment Aonishiki got around behind Hoshoryu. Once he had the yokozuna’s back, the result was no longer in doubt. With that, the astonishing newcomer captured his first top-division championship — in his fifth makuuchi tournament. A hero for a new era had arrived.
A new era, with ozeki on the horizon
The numbers around Aonishiki read like a wrestler in a hurry. He is 21 years old, and since reaching the juryo division he has posted double-digit wins in seven straight tournaments. With the Emperor’s Cup now to his name, promotion to ozeki looked all but certain.
The momentum from Fukuoka would not stop there, either: he would go on to win back-to-back titles, stacking a second championship onto the first. For a wrestler this young, with this much already behind him, the future looks bright in a way the sport has not felt in some time.
Key Takeaways
- Aonishiki won his first top-division championship on the final day of the 2025 Kyushu tournament in Fukuoka, in only his fifth makuuchi tournament.
- He entered the final day on three losses, then beat ozeki Kotozakura with an uchimuso, going in low and leaving his opponent grabbing at nothing twice.
- Yokozuna Onosato withdrew on the final day after a Day 13 dislocation, handing Hoshoryu a walkover win that locked him in at twelve wins.
- Aonishiki had beaten Hoshoryu in all three of their previous meetings, and the playoff was decided once he got around behind the yokozuna.
- At 21, with double-digit wins in seven straight tournaments since reaching juryo, Aonishiki looked all but certain for promotion to ozeki.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Aonishiki win the 2025 Kyushu championship?
Aonishiki entered the final day on three losses and beat ozeki Kotozakura with an uchimuso, an inner-thigh propping twist-down. That win set up a championship playoff against yokozuna Hoshoryu, which was effectively settled the moment Aonishiki got around behind him. It was his first top-division title, won in his fifth makuuchi tournament.
Why did Onosato withdraw, and what did it set up?
Onosato withdrew abruptly on the final day and was already absent by the association’s closing ceremony, having reportedly suffered a dislocation on Day 13. His withdrawal gave Hoshoryu a walkover win, a fusensho, which locked Hoshoryu in at twelve wins and left the title open to a playoff if anyone could force one.
What is an uchimuso?
An uchimuso is a leg-based throwing technique, an inner-thigh propping twist-down. Going in low against Kotozakura, Aonishiki used it to leave his opponent grabbing at nothing twice and to keep his title hopes alive on the final day.
Why was Aonishiki favored in the playoff against Hoshoryu?
Hoshoryu had met Aonishiki three times and lost all three, so Aonishiki carried real confidence into the bout — unlike against Onosato, whom he had never beaten. The playoff was effectively decided once Aonishiki got around behind Hoshoryu, giving the 21-year-old his first top-division championship.
