Yokozuna Hoshoryu (26, Tatsunami stable) has been ruled out of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament starting from day 2. His stablemaster, Tatsunami (former komusubi Asahisho), addressed the media at the Ryogoku Kokugikan, confirming the injury as a muscle tear.
Hoshoryu injured his right leg during his loss to Takayasu on the opening day. When his opponent pinned his head and executed an overhand throw, his legs were forced apart, aggravating his right thigh area. He limped back down the hanamichi, leaning on an attendant for support, and was taken to the sumo clinic in a wheelchair still wearing his mawashi.
“He was limping, so he simply couldn’t wrestle. It wasn’t his call but mine,” said Tatsunami. “He underwent an MRI this morning, and we’ll assess how severe the tear is. As of yesterday, the doctor didn’t think it was very deep, though it’s definitely a muscle pull.” He added that the injured spot “is probably not a first-time thing.”
Tatsunami noted that Hoshoryu looked disappointed, saying, “His expression was regretful. He wasn’t in bad form, though.”
This marks Hoshoryu’s eighth withdrawal from a tournament, the last being the Nagoya tournament last year. Fellow yokozuna Onosato (25, Tokitsukaze stable) has also been absent since day 1, leaving both yokozuna out of action—the first time both the east and west yokozuna have been absent since the spring 2021 tournament, when Hakuho and Kakuryu were sidelined. As a result, Hoshoryu’s scheduled opponent for day 2, Fujinokawa, receives a default win.
