Hoshoryu dominates rivals in practice, but real test awaits at May Basho

Hoshoryu (right) practices against Kotozakura at Ryogoku Kokugikan on May 2. | JIJI

by JOHN GUNNING
May 9, 2025

One of sumo’s most reliable truisms is that “results in training mean nothing.”

For every wrestler who has carried impressive pre-basho form into a tournament, there is another whose wins in practice turned out to be little more than a mirage.

Make no mistake — Japan’s national sport has perhaps the most violent and intense training sessions of any athletic endeavor, but it’s also a sport where practice results are unreliable if taken as a predictor of future success.