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The story
At a bout-scheduling meeting held on the 11th for the Grand Sumo Autumn Tournament (opening day the 13th, at Ryogoku Kokugikan), it was decided that Yokozuna Hoshoryu (27, Tatsunami stable) will sit out both day one and day two. He underwent surgery on his right knee in late July, and his recovery hasn’t caught up in time. This marks his 10th absence over three consecutive tournaments, and his 5th absence in the 10 tournaments since his promotion to yokozuna — reportedly the first time he’s missed an entire tournament from day one since his professional debut in 2018. On 5ch, threads were split between voices saying “maybe it’s time to retire” and others questioning the very criteria used to promote him from ozeki to yokozuna in the first place.
Published 9/11 (Fri) 9:41 AM
Sports Hochi
The Japan Sumo Association held its bout-scheduling meeting on the 11th at Ryogoku Kokugikan for the Grand Sumo Autumn Tournament (opening day the 13th, in Ryogoku, Tokyo), setting bouts through day two. Yokozuna Hoshoryu (27, Tatsunami stable), who had surgery on his right knee in late July, will not compete on day one or day two, confirming his withdrawal. This is Hoshoryu’s 10th absence across three consecutive tournaments, and his 5th in the 10 tournaments since becoming yokozuna. It’s the first time he’s been out from day one since his professional debut at the 2018 New Year Tournament.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
Officially the weakest yokozuna ever!
He's really only ozeki-level talent, but they forced the promotion through so they'd have a yokozuna ring-entering ceremony to show off on the London tour.
Hoshoryu's basically a victim of the Association here too.
He was never consistent to begin with — promoting him to yokozuna anyway was just asking for trouble.
After Hakuho retired, the Association panicked about having no yokozuna at all, so they just made Hoshoryu (then an ozeki) a yokozuna the moment he won a title.
Though promoting him in the first place was the real mistake.
Sumo wrestling really is a strange line of work.
Honestly there are just too many tournaments a year.
I mean, if a normal person fell off the ring (dohyo), they could seriously die.
Just turn the area below the ring into a pool — the front-row seats already get "splashed" (mizukaburi-seki) anyway!
So I skipped the doctor and only took those.
Turned out it was too late by the time I got checked out.
Glucosamine is just a health supplement, not medicine.
Say what you want, but even while Onosato was struggling, Hoshoryu kept wrestling like a real yokozuna (even without winning titles).
So I think he's earned some rest now.
Onosato, meanwhile, needs to start producing results already.
Onosato has won a title though — he is producing results.
Same here.
Tatsunami stable sure keeps giving the public plenty to talk about.
He's a good guy off the dohyo,
but he's always got a scowl on during his bouts.
Still, he gives it everything, so I like him.
Can't really complain, the seats still sell out.
Why not criticize the fans instead?
Same, I misread it that way too for a second.
Hakkaku needs to take responsibility for this.
We just respected the judgment of the esteemed experts on the Yokozuna Deliberation Council, that's all…
Or at least raise the bar for promotion.
In Hoshoryu's case, the Association just lowered the promotion standards for the sake of the London tour, so…
There's that toxic old culture of "heal your ring injuries on the ring."
We're not in that era anymore — he should just take his time and properly recover.
Have you forgotten about the great Yokozuna Hakuho, who basically made a habit of sitting out tournaments?
Less a heel, more that he just kept showing up and somehow kept winning no matter what.
I bet the Association never realized how rare it is to have someone both strong AND durable until he was gone.
Background and Key Points of Debate
Hoshoryu was promoted to yokozuna after winning a title following the 2025 New Year Tournament, but he’s been sidelined frequently since then — sitting out 5 of the 10 tournaments he’s held the rank, including the last three in a row. Threads repeatedly floated the theory that the Association loosened its promotion criteria to avoid having no yokozuna on hand for the London tour, but it’s worth noting this is speculation from 5ch users, not something the Association has officially acknowledged. The fact that this is his first full withdrawal from day one since his 2018 professional debut was also cited as evidence of just how serious the situation is. The debate split mainly into two camps: those treating the frequent absences as grounds for “retirement talk,” and those defending him, arguing he should rest properly to heal his knee — with some pointing to Hakuho, who also missed plenty of tournaments yet still held the yokozuna rank for years, as a precedent.
*This article is compiled as an excerpt/summary of the 5ch (Geinou Sports Express+) thread “[Sumo] Yokozuna Hoshoryu Out From Day One of Autumn Tournament — Recovery From Knee Surgery Behind Schedule, a Painful Decision.”
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