Hoshoryu overcomes rank-and-file wrestlers to put yokozuna promotion in sight

Hoshoryu dispatches Oho in a playoff to clinch the Emperor's Cup on the final day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday in Tokyo. | JIJI

by JOHN GUNNING
January 26, 2025

“What year is this?”

The final words spoken in the groundbreaking television series “Twin Peaks” — the magnum opus of recently deceased director David Lynch — could easily be applied to the 2025 January Basho.

Just when it seemed sumo was about to enter a new era and have at least two yokozuna on the banzuke, with its championship races returning to being the sole preserve of the highest ranks, along came maegashira pair Kinbozan and Oho.