Yoshinofuji Back in Sanyaku: "There's Only Up"

November 4, 2026

Yoshinofuji, 25, returns to the sanyaku ranks for the Kyushu basho, which opens November 8th, and says he is looking only upward. After a disappointing 6-win debut as Komusubi in Nagoya in July, he dropped to West Maegashira 2 for Aki, where he recovered from five straight opening-day losses to finish with 9 wins. "I was relieved to get back," he said, though his stablemaster, Isegahama Oyakata (former Yokozuna Terunofuji), told him he lacks consistency and needs to build stable strength. "I'm still searching for how to do that," Yoshinofuji admitted.

From Kumamoto, he treats Hakata as a second home basho. He was visiting his family home in Uto, Kumamoto this summer when an earthquake that reached the top intensity of 7 struck the prefecture. He said local fans "will be cheering while watching on TV" and he wants to make them happy by winning. "I'll go all out from the start. I've set the yusho as my goal and want to win from day one."

Source: Yahoo! Japan Sports (Jiji Press)