16: Komusubi and former ōzekiTakayasu withdraws on Day 3 of the January 2024 tournament due to lower back pain.[2] He returned on Day 6,[3] but would withdraw again on Day 8 after coming down with the flu.[4]
17: ŌzekiTakakeishō withdraws on Day 4 of the January 2024 tournament, citing a pinched nerve. His stablemaster later informs reporters that there are no plans for Takakeishō to re-enter the tournament.[5]
19: MaegashiraHokuseihō withdraws from the January 2024 tournament after winning two matches in the first five days.[6] The following day he announces that he will undergo surgery next month because of a meniscus injury in his right knee.[7]
20: Bulgarian maegashira and former sekiwakeAoiyama, who was defeated in his first six matches at the January 2024 tournament, announces his withdrawal on Day 7 due to a suspected injury to his right ACL.[8]
22: The January tournament loses two more makuuchi competitors with the Day 9 withdrawals of former ōzekiAsanoyama and former komusubiHokutofuji. On the previous day, Asanoyama—who had been the sole tournament leader—appeared to twist his right knee in his loss to Tamawashi, while Hokutofuji landed awkwardly at the end of his match against Hōshōryū and suffered a right knee contusion.[9][10]Takasago immediately indicated that Asanoyama's ankle was swollen and opened the possibility that he could return to the tournament.[11] Asanoyama did indeed return to the tournament on Day 13 (26 January), securing an eighth win over Gōnoyama that day.[12]
26: The Japan Sumo Association announces that the election of directors and deputy directors for the new two-year term at the head of the organization will not be subject to a vote, as the number of candidates matches the number of positions up for election. It has also been announced that the exact occupancy of the positions will be revealed after the March tournament.[13]
27: YokozunaTerunofuji gets a day of rest on the second to last day of the January tournament after his ōzeki opponent, Hōshōryū, withdraws due to a knee ligament injury.[14][15] A Day 15 showdown for the Emperor's Cup is set between the yokozuna and two others: the last ōzeki remaining in the tournament, Kirishima, and aspiring ōzeki candidate Kotonowaka. The jūryō division title is decided on Day 14, with newly promoted Takerufuji securing a 2-win margin over his opponents for his third championship since debuting at the end of 2022.[16]
28: Terunofuji (13–2), fully completing just his second tournament since finishing as the runner-up in July 2022, wins his ninth Emperor's Cup with a playoff victory over Kotonowaka (13–2). In their regularly scheduled Day 15 match, Kotonowaka won against Tobizaru to eliminate ōzeki and yokozuna contender Kirishima from the title picture. Terunofuji then dispatched Kirishima (11–4) to notch his 11th win in 11 matches against his fellow Mongolian. This set up the playoff in which Terunofuji, having defeated Kotonowaka two days earlier, beat the sekiwake by force out.[17] All three of the special prizes are awarded at this tournament. The Shukun-shō (Outstanding Performance award) is given to Wakamotoharu (10–5), who defeated several top-ranked opponents including Terunofuji in his san'yaku return. New makuuchi competitor Ōnosato (11–4) receives the Kantō-shō (Fighting Spirit prize), and Kotonowaka receives the Ginō-shō for using a variety of winning sumo techniques.[18] While Kotonowaka lost out on the makuuchi championship, the win in his scheduled Day 15 match gave him a total of 33 wins in the last three tournaments at the san'yaku ranks, which is the de facto standard to earn promotion to sumo's second-highest rank of ōzeki. The promotion is expected to be finalized on 31 January; coincidentally, it is Kotonowaka's father Sadogatake (former Kotonowaka Terumasa) who makes the formal promotion recommendation to the Sumo Association as head of the judging department. It is also expected that the new ōzeki will keep his shikona (ring name) for a while to honor his father, whose highest rank in competition was sekiwake, before adopting the name of his late yokozuna grandfather Kotozakura.[19]
31: The Sumo Association approves the promotion of Kotonowaka to the rank of ōzeki. He becomes the first ōzeki from Chiba Prefecture since the promotion of Matsunobori after the Autumn tournament in 1955.[20] In his acceptance speech, Kotonowaka says: "With a feeling of gratitude I will devote myself to the way of sumo in order to live up to the title of ōzeki."[21] He also confirmed that he will keep his current name of Kotonowaka for the next tournament in March, before changing his shikona to Kotozakura in May.[22] The Sumo Association announces that four wrestlers are promoted again to the second-highest rank of jūryō. One of the wrestlers is former sekiwakeWakatakakage. The younger brother of Wakamotoharu, Wakatakakage returns to sekitori status after clinching the January 2024 championship in makushita with a perfect record of 7 wins. His last competition in the top division was in March 2023 at sekiwake, when a late ACL and meniscus injury forced him to withdraw; he subsequently dropped down the rankings until his return in November. Another wrestler returning to sekitori status is 20-year-old former maegashiraHakuōhō, who challenged for the top-division championship in only his fourth professional tournament in July 2023 before taking off the remainder of the year due to a shoulder injury. In his return tournament in January, Hakuōhō finished behind Wakatakakage in the makushita division with 6 wins. 30-year-old Tsushimanada returns to sumo's second-highest division after three tournaments, while 37-year-old Kitaharima, a one-time maegashira competitor with a 22-year history in professional sumo, returns to jūryō for the first time in 4+1⁄2 years.[23]
11: The 48th Japan Grand Sumo Tournament, a one-day competition for professional sumo wrestlers, is held at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan. The winner is Hōshōryū, with the ōzeki defeating such opponents as Abi and Takayasu before winning the championship match against Hiradoumi.[26] At the same time, the first edition of the Dream Girls Cup, a sumo competition open to girls from the first year of elementary school to the third year of secondary school, is held at the Sumida City Gymnasium, with around 200 participants and the patronage of former yokozunaHakuhō.[27] The retirement ceremony for former sekiwakeIchinojō is held in a Tokyo hotel.[28]
21: After Hokuseihō's withdrawal from the January tournament, it is announced by the Sumo Association that Hokuseihō assaulted several stablemates, and that an investigation had been launched after one of them made a formal complaint. Summoned to inform him that disciplinary proceedings had been launched against both him and his stablemaster Miyagino, Hokuseihō simply told the press that he was "honestly remorseful".[29][30] The Sumo Association is expected to hold a board meeting on 23 February, with news reports suggesting that the board will discuss a recommendation for Hokuseihō to retire and demote Miyagino in sumo's hierarchy.[31][32]
22: Hokuseihō submits his retirement notification the day before the full Sumo Association board is scheduled to meet to discuss his actions.[33]
23: At an extraordinary board meeting of the Sumo Association, Hokuseihō's retirement is accepted before the board can issue a formal recommendation.[34] Stablemaster Miyagino (the former Hakuhō) is demoted from iin (committee member) to the lowest ranking of toshiyori (elder) and receives a salary cut of 20 percent for three months. The board also takes actions that effectively relieve him of his duties as stablemaster for the time being, announcing that members of the Isegahama ichimon will oversee the Miyagino stable wrestlers for an unspecified amount of time.[35][36] Former komusubiHōmashō inherits Shikoroyama stable after the death of the previous stablemaster (former sekiwakeTerao).[37]
26: The Sumo Association releases the banzuke for the spring grand sumo tournament in Osaka, the haru basho. The tournament will feature four faces at the second-highest rank of ōzeki, with newly promoted Kotonowaka joining Hōshōryū, Kirishima and demotion-threatenedTakakeishō. The other two of the san'yaku ranks see three returning rikishi, all of whom had recently been demoted from that group. Wakamotoharu, who put in a 10-win performance with a gold star as the top rank-and-filer in January, returns to the sekiwake rank. Abi, who had just been demoted from komusubi, and Nishikigi, who was demoted from komusubi after the September 2023 tournament, both return to that rank after securing 8-win records in January. At the top of the maegashira ranks is former ōzekiAsanoyama, who secures a personal best on the banzuke since his return from suspension in July 2022. A new competitor in the maegashira ranks is 24-year-old Takerufuji. The Kanagi, Aomori native made his maezumo debut in September 2022 and has three lower-division titles under his belt: his first two competitive tournaments, and the jūryō championship at the most recent tournament in January. Four other wrestlers see a return to the top makuuchi division: Nishikifuji, Kitanowaka and Rōga all return after having just been demoted, while Daiamami returns for the first time since July 2022.[38] It is reported that starting with the March 2024 tournament, the Sumo Association will have emergency medical technicians permanently stationed near the dohyō. The measures build on first aid procedures that were strengthened after the death of Hibikiryu [ja], who struck his head on the floor of the dohyō in a bout during the March 2021 tournament and died the following month.[39] Tamagaki (former komusubiTomonohana), a coach at Ōshima stable, is appointed acting master of Miyagino stable for the March 2024 tournament in the place of the former Hakuhō.[40]
March
13: MaegashiraShimazuumi withdraws on Day 4 of the March tournament after being diagnosed with a tear in a part of his left calf requiring about three weeks of treatment.[41]
14: Two more maegashira withdraw on Day 5 after suffering injuries the day before. Tsurugishō is expected to miss about two months after he reinjured his left knee in his Day 4 bout and was taken away from the dohyō in a wheelchair. Kinbōzan pulls out with a neck sprain and was expected to miss seven days,[42] but returns to competition after just three days of rest.[43]
16: YokozunaTerunofuji withdraws after losing four matches in the first six days, including three straight gold stars conceded to maegashira competitors. It is his ninth withdrawal from a grand sumo tournament since being elevated to yokozuna in October 2021.[44]
18: Former maegashiraTerutsuyoshi retires, ending a 14-year career limited by his battle with diabetes.[45]
19: It is announced that current maegashira and former sekiwakeTamawashi has officially acquired Japanese citizenship, which is required for foreign sumo wrestlers to remain in the Sumo Association as a coach upon retirement.[46] MaegashiraTobizaru withdraws on Day 10 of the March tournament due to symptoms of enteritis, though his stablemaster Oitekaze says that he should return to competition the following day.[47]
20: MaegashiraTakerufuji ties the professional sumo record of 11 wins in the first 11 days by a newly promoted top division wrestler set in January 1960 by Taihō.[48]
24: Takerufuji (13–2) escapes an injury withdrawal scenario and shows up to the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium on the last day of the March tournament to defeat Gōnoyama (10–5), becoming the first newly promoted makuuchi competitor since Ryōgoku II in 1914 to win the top division championship. He also becomes the fastest competitor to win their first Emperor's Cup since the introduction of the six-tournament system in 1958. Takerufuji had been diagnosed with a ligament injury in his right ankle following his loss to Asanoyama the day before. Despite the suggestion from his stablemaster Isegahama (the 63rd yokozunaAsahifuji) to withdraw, he says that he would have regretted it for the rest of his life if he did. Takerufuji is rewarded by the Sumo Association for his efforts with all three special prizes for outstanding performance, fighting spirit and technique, becoming the first to sweep the prizes since the former Kotomitsuki in November 2000. Two additional awards for fighting spirit and technique are awarded to amateur sumo champion Ōnosato (11–4), who was the runner-up for the majority of what is just his second tournament in the top division. Elsewhere in the top division, Asanoyama secures nine wins to likely ensure his return to the san'yaku ranks in May, while Kirishima faces kadoban status in the next tournament to keep his ōzeki rank after winning just five matches.[50][51]
