2015 in sumo


The following were the events in professional sumo during 2015.

Tournaments

Hatsu basho">honbasho">basho

, Tokyo, 11 January – 25 January

Haru basho

, Osaka, 8 March – 22 March

Natsu basho">honbasho">basho

, Tokyo, 10 May– 24 May

Nagoya basho">Honbasho">basho

, Nagoya, 12 July – 26 July

Aki basho">Honbasho">basho

Ryōgoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, 13 September – 27 September

Kyushu basho">Honbasho">basho

, Kyushu, 8 November – 22 November

News

January

  • 13: The third day of the January tournament is the first full house on the third day at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan in 18 years.
  • 16: Former komusubi Hōmashō retires and adopts the elder name Tatsutagawa.
  • 18: Yokozuna Hakuhō defeats Aminishiki, becoming the fourth wrestler in history to achieve 600 wins as a yokozuna. At 45 tournaments, it is the fastest time to achieve the milestone.
  • 20: Maegashira Chiyoōtori obtains a fusenshō win upon the withdrawal of his opponent Jōkōryū. Chiyoōtori re-entered the tournament on the fifth day after withdrawing on the second day, becoming the first top division wrestler in 54 years to obtain a fusenshō win after re-entering a tournament.
  • 23: On the 13th day of the tournament, yokozuna Kakuryū defeats yokozuna Harumafuji, and yokozuna Hakuhō defeats ōzeki Kisenosato, granting Hakuhō his fifth consecutive championship and his 33rd overall. Hakuhō breaks the championship record held by Taihō since January 1971.
  • 24: Hakuhō wins his 800th bout in the top division with a defeat of his fellow yokozuna Harumafuji, only the fourth man after Kitanoumi, Chiyonofuji and Kaiō to reach this landmark.
  • 25: The final day of the tournament is a sell-out, meaning every day of a basho held in the Ryōgoku Kokugikan has sold out for the first time in 18 years. Hakuhō completes his 11th zenshō yūshō or perfect score with a win over Kakuryū. There are a record 61 sponsor's envelopes placed on his bout.
  • 27: Hakuhō receives criticism after telling a post-tournament press conference that he should not have been made to redo his match with Kisenosato as "looking at the video, even a child could see." His stablemaster Miyagino apologizes on his behalf.
  • 29: The Japan Sumo Association's board of directors approves the introduction of Hisashi Ōmichi, a fourth year student at Toyo University, at makushita #10.
  • 31: Former komusubi Wakakōyū's retirement ceremony is held at the Kokugikan.

    February

  • 1: The Asahiyama stable closes, and its wrestlers transfer to the Isegahama stable, while its staff transfer to the Asakayama stable.
  • 12: Former ōzeki Kotoōshū acquires the elder name Naruto.

    March

  • 5: The Japan Sumo Association's board of directors decides to lower the physical standards for the new apprentice test. For those who are expected to graduate from junior high school and take the test before the March tournament, the minimum weight standard will be lowered from 67 kilograms to 65.
  • 8: Yokozuna Kakuryū withdraws from the March tournament due to a rotator cuff injury in his left shoulder. Due to his absence, the bouts for the second day, which had already been decided, were reorganized.
  • 9: Jūryō Wakanosato becomes the sixth wrestler in history to achieve a career total of 900 wins.
  • 12: Yokozuna Hakuhō becomes the seventh wrestler in history to achieve a career total of 900 wins.
  • 14: New sekiwake Terunofuji becomes the first in 75 years to achieve seven consecutive victories from the first day of his debut in the rank.
  • 20: Yokozuna Hakuhō is defeated by sekiwake Terunofuji, ending the winning streak that started on the seventh day of the November 2014 tournament at 36.
  • 21: The match between maegashira Ichinojō and sekiwake Terunofuji is paused for a water break, marking the first instance in history of the same two wrestlers entering a water break in two consecutive tournaments.
  • 22: Hakuhō achieves his 34th top division championship, breaking his own record. He also achieves six consecutive tournament championships, becoming the second wrestler in history to do so since Taihō.
The spring regional tour begins at the following locations:
The spring regional tour continues at the following locations:
  • 3: Yasukuni Shrine, The Kudan, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
  • 4: Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture
  • 5: Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture
  • 10: Saitama (city)|Misato], Saitama Prefecture
  • 11: Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture
  • 12: Hitachiōmiya, Ibaraki Prefecture
  • 18: Takasaki, Gunma, Gunma Prefecture
  • 19: Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture
  • 25–26: Makuhari Messe convention center, Chiba Prefecture, at Niconico's "Chokaigi 2015"
  • 27: For the May banzuke, jonokuchi wrestler Kotoanbai of Sadogatake stable changes his birthplace registration from Shizuoka Prefecture to Indonesia, marking the first time a wrestler from this country was listed in the banzuke.

    May

  • 10: The May tournament sees Kakuryu once again unable to compete due to injury. This is the first time since Musashimaru in 2003 that a yokozuna has missed two tournaments in a row.
  • 24: Terunofuji follows up his superb performance in March by winning his first top division tournament championship. His victory over Aoiyama on the final day, coupled with Hakuho's surprise defeat to Harumafuji, means Hakuho's streak of six consecutive championships comes to an end. Terunofuji's score of 12–3 is actually not as good as the previous tournament, but no-one else scored better than 11–4. Terunofuji also wins the Fighting Spirit Award, and is virtually guaranteed promotion to ozeki. There are no other sansho winners. The juryo title goes to Kagamio. In the sandanme division, 44-year-old, who spent just one tournament in juryo exactly ten years previously, announces his retirement after an exceptional 29 years and 174 basho in sumo.
  • 27: Terunofuji's promotion to ozeki is confirmed.

    June

  • 20 : Elder of the Sumo Association Otowayama Oyakata, former ozeki Takanonami, dies of acute cardiac failure at age 43.

    July

  • 13: Yokozuna Harumafuji pulls out of the Nagoya tournament on the second day because of an elbow injury. He had had surgery on the same elbow in May. Way down in the jonokuchi division Brodik Henderson, a 20 year old from Victoria, British Columbia, who joined Nishikido stable in March and is known as Homarenishiki, makes his first official appearance in a tournament.
  • 26: Hakuhō wins his 35th championship, finishing on a 14–1 record. His only defeat in the tournament is to sekiwake Tochiozan, who had also defeated returning yokozuna Kakuryu and is given the Outstanding Performance Award. Kakuryu is joint runner-up on 12–3 with maegashira Yoshikaze, who wins the Fighting Spirit Award. Terunofuji finishes on 11–4 in his ozeki debut. Kyokutenhō can only score 3–12, and faces certain demotion to the juryo division. Fellow veteran Wakanosato faces demotion to makushita. The juryo division championship is won by Mitakeumi, who only made his professional debut in March.
  • 27: Kyokutenhō, facing demotion to the second division, officially announces his retirement. He will stay in sumo as a coach under the name Ōshima Oyakata. Among his records are most appearances in the top division, oldest ever first time yusho winner, oldest winner of any top division tournament since the 6 tournaments a year system was established in 1958, and oldest wrestler to record a top division kachi-koshi or winning record since 1926 at 40 years of age.

    August

The summer tour visits the following locations:
The autumn tour visits the following locations:
The winter tour begins at the following location:
The winter tour continues at the following locations: