On an injured leg, in his very first top-division tournament, Takerufuji drove out Gonoyama on the final day to win the 2024 March Grand Sumo Tournament. It was the first debut-division championship — a title won in one’s debut top-division tournament — since the official championship system began in 1926.
An injured leg and the question that hung over Osaka
The final day of the 2024 March basho unfolded at the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium, where the competition floor sits on the second level and above. On the upper-floor passage, media had gathered, trading scraps of information about a single question: would Takerufuji, who had injured his leg the day before, withdraw or compete?
It was not a small decision. A long career weighed against the risk of forcing himself onto the dohyo while hurt, and on that calculation a withdrawal might have been the wiser choice. There was genuine doubt he could wrestle on the leg at all. For a man competing in his debut tournament in makuuchi — the top division — the stakes pulled in opposite directions.
What a withdrawal would have meant
Had Takerufuji pulled out, the title would have hinged on the bout immediately before the final: Onosato, carrying three losses, against the ozeki Hoshoryu. (Ozeki, sekiwake and komusubi are the titled ranks that sit just below yokozuna.) If Onosato lost that match, the absent Takerufuji would take the championship. If Onosato won, the trophy was his. Everything in the tournament threatened to ride on a bout Takerufuji would only watch.
The bout against Gonoyama, won on spirit
In the end, Takerufuji competed. He appeared for the top-division ring-entering ceremony, and the man waiting across the clay was Gonoyama — powerful, which made the bad leg a real worry. What followed owed more to will than to craft. The bout turned on spirit rather than technique: on sheer fighting spirit, Takerufuji drove Gonoyama out of the ring.
The arena erupted. A wrestler who, the night before, might not have set foot on the dohyo had instead pushed a strong opponent over the straw.
The historic weight of a debut-division title — and the quiet final bout
This was a debut-division championship, and not one with an asterisk. Takerufuji had faced two ozeki, one sekiwake and one komusubi across the fortnight — the full weight of the titled ranks — which left the title beyond dispute. It was the first debut top-division championship since the official championship system was established in 1926.
The match the building had been bracing for, Onosato against Hoshoryu, came after the title was already settled. Hoshoryu won it with an underarm throw, the shitatenage, handing Onosato a fourth loss. The result decided nothing; the climax of the tournament had already passed, earlier in the card, with Takerufuji. Onosato would soon claim his own first championship, but on this day the spotlight had already moved.
There was a final, telling detail. Both Takerufuji and Onosato were still so new to the upper ranks that neither could yet tie the oicho-mage, the elaborate ceremonial topknot. And yet these two had carried the tournament between them, overshadowing the established ozeki on the banzuke.
Key Takeaways
- Takerufuji won the 2024 March Grand Sumo Tournament on the final day, beating Gonoyama on fighting spirit despite a leg injury suffered the previous day.
- It was the first debut top-division championship since the official championship system was established in 1926.
- Across the tournament he defeated two ozeki, one sekiwake and one komusubi, putting the title beyond question.
- The title was already decided before the headline bout; Hoshoryu beat Onosato by underarm throw for Onosato’s fourth loss, but it changed nothing.
- Neither Takerufuji nor Onosato could yet tie the ceremonial oicho-mage topknot, yet the two overshadowed the established ozeki.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2024 March Grand Sumo Tournament?
Takerufuji won it, taking the championship in his debut top-division tournament. On the final day he drove Gonoyama out of the ring on fighting spirit, despite a leg injury from the day before.
Why was Takerufuji’s championship considered historic?
It was the first debut top-division championship — a title won in a wrestler’s very first top-division tournament — since the official championship system was established in 1926.
Was the title weakened by the injury or an easy draw?
No. Takerufuji faced two ozeki, one sekiwake and one komusubi during the tournament, which left the championship beyond dispute.
What happened in the Onosato versus Hoshoryu bout?
That bout came after the title had already been settled. Hoshoryu won it with an underarm throw, the shitatenage, handing Onosato a fourth loss, so the result decided nothing.
