Yokozuna Battles, and Team USA makes history at worlds!
Cheeky Chanko November 2025
It's an incredibly exciting time in the world of Sumo, and the last few months have been nothing short of a whirlwind! From the intensity of Grand Sumo to the history being made in US Amazumo, and right down to our own adventures here at Cheeky Sumo, we've got a ton of fantastic news, updates, and partnerships to share with you.
Be sure to subscribe to the Cheeky Chank Blog to have the latest edition send to your inbox every month and get Cheeky Peeks at our upcoming designs!
A Big Thank You to Honu Sumo!
Before we dive into the latest, we want to give a massive shout-out to the incredible folks at Honu Sumo! Last month, the Cheeky Sumo crew traveled down to San Diego, and the Honu team showed us some phenomenal hospitality. We had a great weekend, getting some tough keiko in with their members and even lending a hand at the OC Japanfest. They are a genuinely great club with fantastic people, and if you're ever in the San Diego area, you absolutely have to stop by and check them out!
We’d love to meet more sumo clubs and join in on keiko! Drop us a message on Instagram or through our website.
Respect the shell.
Celebrating Our Partnership Prizewinners
We love supporting the Sumo community, and we're thrilled to continue our collaborations with some of the best analysis and fan groups out there!
Sumo Kaboom: We're partnering with the wonderful Sumo Kaboom again this basho to sponsor their Most Creative Bingo Board special prize. BINGO cards are available now, so click HERE to grab yours - and get creative!
Congratulations to Chris! They created an awesome board this past September basho and won their choice of a t-shirt or sweatshirt from the Cheeky Sumo gear shop!
Sumo Stomp! If you're looking for some of the best Grand Sumo analysis around, look no further than Sumo Stomp! They deliver daily write-ups during bashos and comprehensive wrestler-by-wrestler report cards in between. We teamed up with them for their Aki Basho Subscriber Giveaway, and a huge congratulations goes out to Harv, who won one of our Shitatenage sweatshirts last basho!
Sumo Stomp subscribers are entered for a chance to win Cheeky Sumo merch this November basho so SUBSCRIBE HERE!
Grand Sumo - Yokozuna battles, London hijinks, and the Kyushu Banzuke drop
Aki Basho: The Yokozuna Showdown Everyone Wanted
The Aki Basho delivered pure, high-stakes drama that fans dream of. The tournament culminated in a spectacular Yokozuna battle that went right down to a thrilling playoff! It was the kind of intense finish that gets everyone talking—the JSA loved it, we loved it, and we know you loved it, too. It was a perfect display of the sport's highest level of competition. While it may not have gone the way everyone over here at Cheeky Sumo was hoping, it’s so exciting to think of all the matches still to come!
The London Exhibition: Personalities on Full Display
The October London Exhibition was more than just a showcase of strength; it was a chance to see the wrestlers' personalities shine outside the dohyo. That week gave us a ton of fun content and viral moments!
Hoshoryu proved he's a man of culture and high taste.
Ura became a fan favorite all over again.
And Tobizaru getting lifted up by the UK Sumo Champion!
Kyushu Banzuke Drop
The top of the banzuke is fairly well solidified with Onosato, Hoshoryu, and Kotozakura. Aonishiki continues his climb up the banzuke and should be on an Ozeki run. I’m a little surprised that Hakuoho didn’t make it up to Komusubi from M2e, but the JSA showed they valued Takanosho’s 12-3 record quite a bit by moving him up 7 ranks to that Komusubi spot. In the middle of the banzuke, Kotoshoho may have been saved by his recent yusho to only fall 4 spots despite a 3-12 record. Down at the bottom, Nishkifuji and Chiyoshoma are back up from Juryo and Oshoumi is making his deput in the top division after spending the past year in Juryo.
US Sumo - History at Worlds!
Team USA made history at the 2025 Sumo World Championships in Bangkok, bringing home 4 medals and achieving 4 historic milestones along the way.
Gabe Tolentino – Jr Heavyweight Bronze
Eros Armstrong – Heavyweight Silver
Dominus Davis-Williams – Openweight Bronze
Women’s Team – Silver (check out Ashley Smallwood’s win over World Heavyweight Champion Ivanna Berezovska)
Milestones Achieved:
• First Youth Medal in 11 Years
• First Men’s Medal in 8 Years
• 4th Consecutive Year a U.S. Woman Has Medaled in Heavyweight
• First-Ever Women’s Team Finals Appearance
Semifinalists:
• Madison Guinn – Lightweight
• Mellanease Miranda – Light Heavyweight
• Hayden Southall – Heavyweight
• Men’s Team – Team Division
USA USA USA USA!
Source: @unitedstatessumofederation Instagram
Upcoming US Tournaments
November 8 - 5th Annual Consulate’s Cup in Buda, TX. Hosted by Dark Circle Sumo.
November 15 - Sumo Regional Championship of the South in Nashville, TN. Hosted by Tennessee Sumo.
November 28 - Yama’s Autumn Cup in Arnold, MO. Hosted by Coach Yama!
Sumo Food: Chanko-nabe
The sumo diet is a highly regimented system where the phrase “eating is training” holds absolute truth. A wrestler's entire routine is structured around consuming a massive volume of calories to fuel intense training and achieve the necessary size and strength for competition. Rikishi typically skip breakfast, instead engaging in grueling morning practice (keiko) on an empty stomach. This strategy is deliberate: training while fasted helps slow the metabolism, which then maximizes the absorption and storage of fat when they finally eat. This strategy is falling out of favor for a small morning meal at some heya however, as some rikishi have developed diabetes as as result of this taxing morning fasting practice. Their main dish is chanko-nabe, a hearty, protein-rich stew packed with meat, fish, tofu, and seasonal vegetables, all boiled in a flavorful broth. This single-pot meal is eaten in copious amounts—often supplemented with several bowls of rice—for lunch after morning keiko. Crucially, immediately after the midday meal, wrestlers take a long nap, further aiding the body in storing the vast caloric intake as weight.
The communal act of eating in the stable (heya) is governed by the strict sumo hierarchy. The responsibility for preparing these massive meals, as well as all cleaning and daily chores, falls to the lowest-ranked wrestlers. These junior wrestlers often wake before dawn to begin cooking. At mealtimes, the social order is enforced as strictly as the training schedule: the oyakata (stablemaster) and any visitors eat first, followed by the highly ranked sekitori. Only after the senior men have eaten their fill do the lower-ranked wrestlers get their turn, eating whatever remains in the pot. This system ensures that the most successful and highest-ranked athletes get the best and most plentiful food, serving as a powerful, daily motivator for the juniors to climb the ranks and improve their quality of life—and diet!
Atami!
Sumo Trivia
Last month: What is sometimes written on yukata or kimono as a sign of friendship or respect?
A: Names of other rikishi! That’s why I wear my Atamifuji training hoodie every keiko, gotta channel my inner big boy.
November 2025 Cheeky Chanko Trivia Question:
What meat is considered good luck to have in chanko-nabe?
Till next month!
We're incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support we've received since our launch! This was our eighth month live, and we couldn't be happier with the response. Thank you to everyone who's visited our site, followed us on social media, liked our posts, and made a purchase. We're committed to bringing you fresh designs, with plans to release two or more new items every basho. In the meantime, don’t forget to take a look at our current designs featuring the popular kimarite series and our especially comfortable cotton twill mawashi!
