Ukrainian sumo wrestler Aonishiki Arata (Danylo Yavhushyn) has taken one of the most decisive steps toward winning his second Emperor’s Cup.
On Friday, January 23, at the first Imperial Grand Sumo Tournament of 2026 – the Hatsu Basho in Tokyo – Aonishiki defeated yokozuna Tomokatsu Hoshoryu in a commanding bout. The victory marked his 11th win of the tournament, leaving the Ukrainian rikishi as the sole leader of the standings.
With only a few days remaining, Aonishiki is now firmly on course for his second Emperor’s Cup, maintaining remarkable consistency against the strongest opposition in the makuuchi division.
Meanwhile, another Ukrainian contender, Shishi Masaru (Serhii Sokolovskyi), who is also part of the leading group at the tournament, suffered a defeat on the same day.
Competing at Hatsu Basho 2026 from the relatively low rank of maegashira No.14, Sokolovskyi took part in the headline bouts of the makuuchi division for the first time. His opponent was former ozeki Tetsuo Kirishima of Mongolia, currently ranked third as a sekiwake and a two-time Emperor’s Cup winner.
Kirishima had already defeated both tournament leader Aonishiki and yokozuna Hoshoryu earlier in the basho. Prior to the bout, Sokolovskyi appeared visibly nervous and charged early, before the referee’s signal – a mistake that proved costly. A similar situation occurred earlier in the tournament, and unfortunately, history repeated itself.
Calm, composed and ruthlessly efficient, Kirishima controlled the bout from start to finish, overpowering Shishi with his experience and composure to claim his 10th victory of the tournament.
Ozeki Aonishiki Arata defeated yokozuna Tomokatsu Hoshoryu for the fifth time in five career bouts.
Despite the fact that the two rivals completed ten consecutive training sparring sessions ahead of Hatsu Basho 2026 – with Hoshoryu holding a 7–3 advantage – there was a clear sense that the Ukrainian rikishi appeared calmer and more composed going into the official bout.
That impression quickly proved accurate. Yavhushyn wasted no time securing a firm grip on the mawashi before executing a powerful and decisive throwing technique that effectively ended Hoshoryu’s hopes of contending for the Emperor’s Cup at this tournament.
With this victory, Aonishiki recorded his 11th win for the sixth consecutive tournament – achieving double-digit wins in every basho he has contested in the makuuchi division.
Tomorrow, our rikishi faces another major challenge. He will take on fellow yokozuna Daiki Onosato, a rival he has lost to in all three of their previous encounters. At Hatsu Basho 2026, however, the Japanese wrestler has not been at his best due to a shoulder injury sustained at the November tournament.
Even so, Onosato claimed his ninth victory today by defeating ozeki Masakatsu Kotokura (8–5). Daiki therefore remains in theoretical contention for a sixth Emperor’s Cup of his career. To achieve that, however, winning both of his remaining bouts will not be enough – he will also need his main rivals to slip up.
Results of All Bouts on Day 13 of the Hatsu Basho
After 13 days of competition, only two wrestlers remain within one win of Aonishiki – Kirishima and maegashira No.4 Sakutaro Atamifuji.
Atamifuji kept his title hopes alive by defeating maegashira No.12 Masatora Abi in a head-to-head bout between two wrestlers who had entered the day with nine wins. The victory allows him to stay in contention for the tournament trophy.
In addition to Abi and Shishi, other rikishi who had also been on nine wins suffered defeats, including maegashira No.16 Hiroki Asanoyama and Shēya Oshoiumi.
Shishi Masaru will contest his tenth win of the January tournament tomorrow, January 24, against maegashira No.1 Naoya Yoshinofuji.
The bout comes against a wrestler for whom the tournament has not gone particularly well, with Yoshinofuji holding a 6–7 record. Earlier today, Naoya suffered a defeat to maegashira No.4 Hayato Daieisho.
The two upcoming opponents have faced each other only once so far. That meeting took place in July last year, when the Japanese wrestler – then competing under the shikona Kusano – emerged victorious.