Confirmed fact: The Japan Sumo Association published four pre-tournament interviews on September 2: new sekiwake Fujinokawa, new komusubi Hakunofuji, and top-division debutants Asasuiryu and Toshinofuji.
Our reading method: Choosing one of the four aims and following it for fifteen days is this site’s beginner device, not an Association recommendation. We use a stated aim to help you find one name on tomorrow’s schedule, not to convert the interview into a prediction.
The official English page supplies the four ranks, names and video links. The short English summaries below are our translations of the Japanese interview statements, not quotations from an official English transcript.
That distinction is worth making. A translation should help an international viewer enter the story without quietly turning our wording into the wrestler’s exact English words.
The four starting points
- Fujinokawa, West Sekiwake: compete with full commitment at his new rank.
- Hakunofuji, East Komusubi: aim for a top-division championship and then higher.
- Asasuiryu, East Maegashira 15: complete his own style of sumo and secure a winning record.
- Toshinofuji, West Maegashira 16: target ten or more wins in his makuuchi debut.
These are not our predictions. They are the goals each wrestler placed in front of the September tournament.
Fujinokawa: what follows a rapid rise?
Fujinokawa reached sekiwake 22 tournaments after his professional debut, tied for tenth-fastest in the Association’s historical count when makushita-tsukedashi entrants are excluded.
That statistic invites us to rush ahead and ask about ozeki. His own message is more immediate: give everything to his sumo at the new rank.
For a beginner, watch the first seconds after the tachiai. Does he create his preferred contest before an experienced high-ranker creates theirs? You do not need to identify every grip or technique. “Who made the bout happen on his terms?” is already a useful question.
Hakunofuji: a large target at sanyaku’s first step
Komusubi is the lowest named rank within sanyaku, the group immediately below yokozuna and ozeki, but it is not a gentle entrance. A komusubi commonly meets the strongest available opponents.
Hakunofuji nevertheless named a top-division championship and further promotion as his aims. That makes his tournament readable on two scales. There is the distant flag—winning the whole event—and there is the tiny struggle at the opening of every bout to establish forward pressure.
A bold goal does not guarantee a result. It gives us a reason to notice the work between the announcement and Day 15.
Asasuiryu: the clear line of eight wins
Asasuiryu enters makuuchi for the first time and begins from a familiar but demanding target: a kachi-koshi, or winning record. In a fifteen-bout top-division tournament, that normally means reaching eight wins before eight losses.
Track only three things: opponent, result and whether Asasuiryu moved forward first. As he approaches a possible eighth win, the same pre-bout routine starts to carry more weight. A ranking term becomes suspense you can count.
Toshinofuji: two wins beyond safety
Toshinofuji also makes his makuuchi debut, but he supplied a more aggressive numerical target: double-digit wins.
The difference between eight and ten looks small on a page. During a tournament it is enormous. Eight provides a winning record; ten asks the newcomer to keep building after crossing that line.
Check his total on Days 6, 8 and 10. The distance to ten will change, and so will the meaning of the next opponent. I find that a specific target makes even the blank spaces in tomorrow’s schedule feel interesting.
How to choose without knowing everyone
Follow Fujinokawa if a rapid ascent interests you. Choose Hakunofuji for the audacity of a championship target. Choose Asasuiryu to count toward eight, or Toshinofuji to count toward ten.
You may also choose by shikona, voice or one expression during the ring-entry ceremony. There is no entrance exam for becoming interested in a wrestler.
What remains unknown: The Day 1 matchups, actual participation, results and achievement of the stated aims are not established by these interviews. Even when no name appears on the absence page, we do not infer that all four are guaranteed to compete. The tournament runs from September 13 through 27; check the official matchups and announcements before using a name as your guide.
If the story changes: If your chosen wrestler does not compete, a pairing changes or the tournament develops differently from the stated aim, the article must yield to reality. Check the official notice, then follow that day’s opponent or another interview subject. The change is part of the tournament story, not a failure of your first visit.
Sources
- Japan Sumo Association Japanese and English pre-tournament interview pages, rechecked September 4, 2026.
- Japan Sumo Association homepage announcement dated September 2, 2026, and official absence information, checked September 4, 2026.
- Rankings and targets require a final pre-opening check; no prediction or absence claim is made here.
Source links used for verification
Each link was used for the corresponding claim in this article; inclusion is not a blanket endorsement of the whole page.
Article verified:
- September 2026 Pre-Tournament InterviewsPrimary source (as checked for this article)
- September 2026 Japanese pre-tournament interviewsPrimary source (as checked for this article)
- Japan Sumo Association English homepage newsPrimary source (as checked for this article)
- Japan Sumo Association official absence informationPrimary source (as checked for this article)