Yokozuna Hoshoryu has withdrawn from the 2026 Natsu Basho after picking up a right hamstring injury in his Day One loss to komusubi Takayasu at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan. Hoshoryu's withdrawal, announced the following day, leaves the May tournament without either of its yokozuna and marks the third time the Mongolian rikishi has pulled out of a basho since his promotion.
The injury appeared to occur during the closing moments of the bout, when Hoshoryu attempted to drive Takayasu out of the dohyo only to be reversed at the edge. He limped out of the ring after the loss and was later brought from the arena in a wheelchair. The Japan Sumo Association confirmed the withdrawal the next morning, citing the hamstring strain as the reason.
The timing is particularly painful for Hoshoryu. Prior to the tournament, the path to his first yokozuna yusho had appeared unusually clear. Yokozuna Onosato had withdrawn before the basho began, citing an existing injury. Kadoban ozeki Aonishiki had also pulled out, leaving the upper sanyaku ranks looking thinner than they had in years.
With Onosato and Aonishiki both absent, Hoshoryu had been positioned as the overwhelming favourite to claim the yusho, a result that would have validated his elevation to sumo's highest rank. Instead, his Day One loss and subsequent withdrawal have flipped the script and opened the title race to a much wider group of contenders.
It is the eighth time Hoshoryu has withdrawn from a basho overall, and the third since his promotion to yokozuna. The pattern has raised questions about how durable the new yokozuna will be at sumo's most demanding rank, where the expectation is not simply to win but to maintain the dignity and consistency of the position over multiple tournaments.
Returning ozeki Kirishima, who was promoted back to the rank after a strong March performance, is now the highest-ranked wrestler still active in the tournament. Speaking before the basho, Kirishima had said his right ear injury was "Fine Now" and that he was ready to "Give His All" for Natsu Basho. With Hoshoryu out, his words have taken on additional weight, and the early days of the tournament have seen him sitting at the top of the leaderboard.
For Hoshoryu, the focus now shifts to recovery and to the Nagoya basho in July, where he will need to demonstrate that the injury is short-term rather than systemic. Withdrawing from a yokozuna's title-favourite tournament is rarely something the sumo world easily forgets, and the pressure on his return will be considerable.