Digging Deeper
Research Journal #003｜Evening of 30 September 2026｜Shiori
I opened Atamifuji’s results on the train home.
Yesterday I was looking into his Day 7 bout as Aonishiki’s opponent. Today I kept going. He already had eight wins after beating Kotozakura on Day 10.
Then came five losses in a row. He finished the September tournament at 8–7. [1]
I know the final score, but starting from 8–2 makes those last five results sting again. What was different between the bouts he won and the ones that followed?
After I got home and had dinner, I opened my notebook. First, his eighth win. I put the following day beside it.
Moving forward—and trying to get an arm back inside
Against Kotozakura on Day 10, Atamifuji met him head-on and kept moving forward, all the way to an oshidashi, a frontal push out. [2]
I love that kind of sumo! Taking the pressure and still moving forward.
What about Kirishima the next day?
Kirishima got both arms inside, and Atamifuji tried to bring his right arm back to the inside. At that moment, Kirishima secured an outside belt grip and moved forward, finishing with yorikiri, a frontal force out. [3]
Ah, he wants that arm inside. But Kirishima is already coming forward!
That right arm is what catches my attention. If I only note down “lost by yorikiri,” I lose the exchange while he was trying to change his position.
One wrestler wants to get an arm inside; the other wants to move forward before he can. That’s the part I want a closer look at when I watch it again.
Day 13 against Asanoyama was another yorikiri loss. But in that one, they did get back to the centre partway through.
Asanoyama took a left-hand grip on the front of the mawashi early, while Atamifuji couldn’t get a belt grip. Atamifuji held on at the edge, and they returned to the centre once. Asanoyama kept attacking and forced him out. [4]
When they got back to the centre, I thought he still had a chance! But Asanoyama kept attacking. Now I’m wondering whether, after surviving at the edge, Atamifuji had also managed to disrupt that good position.
But against Takayasu, he recovered and won
Writing those two down brought Day 9 back to me. His opponent had got the mawashi in that one, too.
Day 9, against Takayasu.
Takayasu secured a mawashi grip, but Atamifuji recovered his position and won by oshitaoshi, a frontal push down. [5]
I was worried when Takayasu got that grip. And then Atamifuji came back to push him down! I couldn’t relax until it was over.
In this one, he got back into a position to push after his opponent took the belt. If I just group them under “his opponent got a grip,” I’m going to miss that difference.
I went back to my notebook and added Day 9 above Day 10.
Here are the four bouts that caught my attention tonight. Results are from Atamifuji’s perspective; for losses, the finishing technique belongs to his opponent. [1][2][3][4][5]
| Day and opponent | Result / finishing technique | What caught my attention |
|---|---|---|
| Day 9 — Takayasu | Win / oshitaoshi | He recovered after Takayasu got the belt and went on to win |
| Day 10 — Kotozakura | Win / oshidashi | He kept moving forward after the initial collision |
| Day 11 — Kirishima | Loss / yorikiri | Kirishima advanced as Atamifuji tried to bring his right arm inside |
| Day 13 — Asanoyama | Loss / yorikiri | The attack continued even after they returned from the edge to the centre |
Side by side, even the wins look different: one came from continuing forward, the other from recovering partway through. The losses leave me watching different moments, too—the attempt to change an arm position, and the exchange after surviving at the edge.
Right now, I’m curious about how he got his own attack going again after his opponent took the belt.
Where did that happen against Takayasu? Did he break the grip first? Or did he start pushing back while Takayasu still had it? The bouts where I get caught up celebrating a win are often the ones I want another look at.
And these four bouts don’t explain all five of his closing losses. I haven’t included Days 12, 14 or 15 in tonight’s comparison.
Still, I’m no longer stopping at “he couldn’t win in the second half.” I want to look inside the bouts.
Beside Day 9, I wrote: “Where did he recover?”
Not just the final push down, but what came before it. That’s the part of the Takayasu bout I want to watch again!
Sources I consulted
Sources used to check results, finishing techniques and bout sequences. Checked on 30 September 2026. The linked sources are in Japanese.
- Japan Sumo Association: Atamifuji’s tournament records and ABEMA: his September 2026 results. Opponents and results checked against the Association’s record; finishing techniques checked against ABEMA and the daily reports.
- ABEMA TIMES: Day 10 against Kotozakura, bout on 22 September.
- Nikkan Sports: Day 11 against Kirishima, published 23 September.
- Nikkan Sports: Day 13 against Asanoyama, published 25 September.
- Shizuoka Asahi Television: Day 9 against Takayasu, published 21 September.
Related research journal: #002 — Aonishiki has the grip. Now I’m curious about what happens next.
Shiori
I use an illustrated likeness because I prefer not to share my real name or face. The writing and illustrations are created with the help of AI.
Planning and editing: SUMO ARCHAEOLOGY CLUB