Seventh-ranked maegashira Takayasu (right) grapples with sixth-ranked maegashira Shodai in a Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament bout on July 18, 2026, at IG Arena. (©SANKEI)
Heading into the final day of the first week of the Nagoya Basho, only one wrestler in sumo's makuuchi (top) division remained unbeaten.
Ukrainian Shishi earned that distinction with a frontal push-out of fellow rank-and-filer Asakoryu on Friday, July 17 at IG Arena. As a result, he improved to 6-0.
On Saturday, 14th-ranked maegashira Shishi faced maegashira No 13 Nishikifuji in a clash of title-chasing grapplers.
Just days before his 30th birthday on July 22, Nishikifuji ended Shishi's perfect start, securing a Day 7 victory via a rear push-out.
For the triumphant Aomori Prefecture native, picking up his sixth win against one defeat solidified his title hopes. Nishikifuji, who has been dealing with neck pain, showcased his strength against Shishi.
"My body reacted well. I didn't overthink it and was able to execute my own style of engagement," Nishikifuji said of his initial charge, according to The Chunichi Shimbun.
Nagoya Basho Leaderboard
In addition to Nishikifuji and Shishi, ozeki Kirishima, sekiwake Aonishiki, seventh-ranked maegashira wrestlers Takayasu and Kotoeiho, and maegashira No 13 Takerufuji, the 2024 Spring Basho champion, also have 6-1 records.
Kirishima topped sekiwake Kotoshoho on Saturday, and Aonishiki prevailed against top maegashira Fujinokawa, who fell to 3-4.
After his frontal force-out win, Aonishiki, a former ozeki, spoke about his general tactics against his 21-year-old opponent.
"He has a variety of initial charges," the Ukrainian said, according to The Chunichi Shimbun. "Rather than focusing on a specific strategy, I just let my body lead the way and stayed focused so I could adapt to any situation."
Looking ahead to the second week of the Nagoya Basho, Aonishiki, 22, added: "The real battles are yet to come. I want to give my all in every single match from here on out."
On Day 7, Kotoeiho defeated Roga in an all-maegashira showdown. Takayasu outdueled sixth-ranked maegashira Shodai in another clash of rank-and-filers.
How Hoshoryu and Onosato Have Fared
In the first week of the Nagoya Basho, Mongolian yokozuna Hoshoryu compiled a 5-2 record. On Saturday, Hoshoryu beat rank-and-filer Hiradoumi, who slipped to 1-6.
Also on Day 7, Onosato, the other grand champion, improved to 4-3, defeating No 3 maegashira Hakunofuji.
After a 1-3 start in the 15-day tourney, Onosato has won three consecutive matches. He began the victory streak against Churanoumi on Day 5, followed by a victory over Hiradoumi the next day.
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- SPORTS SHORTS | Sumo: Onosato Earns His 1st Victory of Nagoya Basho on Day 3
- JAPAN SPORTS NOTEBOOK | Can Onosato Return to Championship Form in Nagoya Basho?
Judo
1976 Olympic Champ Sonoda Dies at 79
Isamu Sonoda, a judo gold medalist at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, passed away on Thursday, July 16. He was 79.
The cause of death was pneumonia, according to published reports.
A Fukuoka Prefecture native, Sonoda defeated the Soviet Union's Valeriy Dvoynikov in the men's 80-kilogram (middleweight division) final at Montreal's Olympic Velodrome.
Years earlier, Sonoda demonstrated his high-level judo skills in major international competitions.
Sonoda placed first in the 80-kg weight class at the 1967 Summer World University Games in Tokyo. Two years later, he was a gold medalist in the same weight class at the World Judo Championships in Mexico City. And he snatched the 80-kg division silver at the 1973 World Judo Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland.
After his retirement from competition in the late 1970s, Sonoda distinguished himself as a successful judo instructor.
He served as two-time Olympic champion Ryoko Tani's longtime coach, guiding the female judoka from primary school to global glory. Tani (nee Tamura) won back-to-back gold medals in the women's 48-kg division in at the 2000 Sydney Games and the 2004 Athens Games.
Volleyball
National Team Star Ishikawa Reaches Statistical Milestone
Yuki Ishikawa, captain of the Japan men's national team, registered his 1,000th career FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League attack point in a five-set comeback victory over Canada on Thursday, July 16.
In Osaka, Ishikawa had seven kills in the match, one in which the hosts won the final three sets to secure the victory.
Ishikawa now has 1,004 kills, more than any other player in the history of the men's international competition, which was first held in 2018.
Tatsunori Otsuka paced Japan with a team-best 18 points.
With the win, Japan improved to 10-0 in the preliminary phase and secured a spot in the eight-team final round in Ningbo, China (July 29-August 2).
Japan improved to 11-0 with a 25-22, 25-20, 25-16 win over Belgium on Friday.
Ishikawa and his Japan teammates are set to wrap up the first round against Argentina on Sunday evening.
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Rugby
France Blanks Japan in 2nd Half of Nations Championship Test
Japan trailed by 13 points at halftime in a Nations Championship third-round match against France on Saturday, July 18 in Tokyo.
All things considered, overcoming a 28-15 deficit didn't represent an impossible task for the Brave Blossoms. Larger comebacks have happened countless times in international rugby tests.
But France held firm and was the stronger of the two squads in the second half.
The Bleus outscored the Brave Blossoms 14-0 after the break to seal a 42-15 win.
Maxime Lamothe and Matthieu Jalibert led France with two tries apiece. Lamothe had the match's first try in the first minute. A Maxime Lucu conversion extended the lead to 7-0.
France skipper Lucu had a big impact on the match, finishing with 15 points (five conversions and a try).
Takuro Matsunaga pulled Japan to within 7-3 on a penalty kick in the ninth minute. Teammate Kippei Ishiida's try gave the Brave Blossoms their lone lead of the match, 8-7, in the 14th minute. Matsunaga missed the conversion.
France Surges Ahead
Moments later, France regained the lead on Jalibert's first try. And in the 30th minute, the visitors increased their advantage to 28-8.
Sojiro Otsuka had Japan's second try in the 35th minute, with Matsunaga adding the conversion to make it 28-15.
"We had long sequences with the ball despite a very, very hot and humid climate, and so we are now with two victories in this Nations Championship, so yes we're very satisfied," France winger Theo Attissogbe said, according to The Associated Press. "It was a very, very big fight, but in the end, we're really happy to have a second victory."
Japan dropped to 1-2 in the 12-nation tournament, while France improved to 2-1.
The inaugural Nations Championship resumes play in November.
Baseball
Yoshida Helps Ignite Resurgent Red Sox
In the Boston Red Sox's first game after the MLB All-Star break, Masataka Yoshida went 3-for-5 with a solo home run in a 10-0 home triumph over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, July 17. It was the opening game of a doubleheader.
The Red Sox (48-48) extended their season-best winning streak to 11 games with a 5-3 victory in the nightcap.
Yoshida is batting .385 in his last 15 games. He's hit at a .340 clip in his last seven games.
After Boston's blowout win in Friday's first game, Yoshida commented on his approach at the plate.
"I aggressively narrowed down my zone and went after the ball," he said, according to Sports Nippon. Yoshida, who turned 33 on July 15, added, "I'm attacking the ball with a strong swing."
What are Yoshida's impressions of his team's stellar play of late?
"Everyone is focused and playing with confidence," he said, according to the sports publication.
The former Orix Buffaloes star added, "We want to give it our all one game at a time."
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Basketball
Yamamoto Joins WNBA's Aces
Guard Mai Yamamoto has signed a contract with the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces for the remainder of the 2026 season, it was announced on Friday, July 17.
The Aces (17-7), the reigning WNBA champions, have 20 regular-season games remaining, starting with a July 20 road match against the Toronto Tempo.
Yamamoto had a 24-point performance, including seven 3-pointers for the Japan national basketball team in an exhibition loss to the Aces in Las Vegas on April 26.
The 26-year-old previously played for the WJBL's Toyota Antelopes.
Quote of the Week
"I'm glad I was able to achieve this in my father's hometown. I had hoped to reach this milestone during the Hakodate races [which wrap up on July 19]."
―Legendary jockey Yutaka Take, on collecting his 5,000th career win, The Yomiuri Shimbun reported. Take, 57, achieved the feat on July 12, riding Himino Etoile to victory in a 1,700-meter race, the seventh of the day, at Hakodate Racecourse in Hakodate, Hokkaido Prefecture.
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Author: Ed Odeven
Follow Ed's [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and he can be found on X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
