Nagoya 2026: Senshuraku Preview

Andy Nagoya 2026, Nagoya Basho , ,

In honor of Senshuraku, I sourced some madai and cooked it up for the family dinner. I am still working on a more complete article to discuss it, but I want to tease it here. Frankly, the recipe that I used was so easy that the proper term would probably just be “method” rather than recipe. My social media followers will know that I tested this out last weekend.

uncooked madai flesh
Note the red and white skin and flesh of madai

There’s an Instagram account, AndrejCooksFish that I find interesting and actually tangentially relevant to sumo because of the importance of tai. And let’s face it, Tai is important to sumo and has deeper, cultural significance to Japanese culture which I will explore in more depth in a future article. He was promoting madai in London and it caught my eye. So, I reached out to some folks and sourced some fillets for testing out last week. I must say, the experiment turned out well.

Those of you who are in and near NYC are lucky. I found a nice market there who shipped me a couple of fillets. (MOGMOG) It was about $220 for the fish, $45 for shipping. They would have shipped me a whole fish but for my experiment, I wanted fillets because I’m doing one thing at a time and learning how to fillet a fish is for later.

I actually want to do the “king of filleting” techniques, emphasis on the “T,” because the kids didn’t like the skin. The way that Andrej does it in the video above, separates the skin from the flesh. So, keep in mind that the way I did it kept the skin. I liked the skin. It was crispy.

Method

  1. Salt
  2. Wait thirty minutes
  3. Pat dry
  4. Heat pan to medium-high
  5. Add a wee bit of oil and use paper towel to spread it and pick up excess
  6. Put in pan, skin side down
  7. Cook for 3-5 minutes
  8. Flip and cook the other side for a minute or two
  9. Serve with rice and a splash of ponzu (not shown)
  10. Done
moderately successfully cooked madai

What you see above is the tail portion of one of the tail fillets. I got two fish so there were 8 hunks of fish. This was the tail (approximately 100g) of one of those. I used 100g portions because many Japanese recipes use 100g portion for the protein. That was not enough so the second time I cooked it, the next night, I was using 220g-250g. That first night, the kids ate their 100g and immediately fought for another portion — it was that good.

As an aside, if you ever want to lose weight, eat a Japanese diet with a Japanese portion size. I did that a few years ago and shed like 30lbs. But I had to stop eating at restaurants here in The States because I would be full half-way through my meal. It took about two weeks to train my stomach for that but I was living the dream. But I digress. (Tangent is my middle name.)

I cooked it again last night with the little bit that I had leftover from last week and it tasted like fish. You know, the fish taste that you get at a fish restaurant, fish-sticks flavor. I’m not a huge fan of that flavor. Last week it was fresh and much better, demonstrating to me the importance of timing. I would have still been charged $25 for a serving of what I ate last night at a chain restaurant. It was just alright, last week was amazing.

Tonight’s Match-Ups

“Andy, I’m not here for fish, I’m here for fighting.”

Well, if you win those fights and want to hold the fish, you gotta learn what fish they hold and how to cook it. But let’s get back to the wrastling.

Lower Divisions

In Sandanme, Tenshoyama and Tochimusashi are 7-0. They’ll fight a playoff tonight. In Makushita, we’ll have the big 7-man playoff. Lots will be drawn, one guy will get a bye. The other six will fight. The three winners join the guy with the bye in a semi-final. The two winners fight each other for the yusho. So, the winner might fight three times…or two. We literally just did this a couple of months ago. Ikarigata plowed through Omori, Mudoho, and Akua to pick up the title in May.

Juryo

In Juryo, Nishikigi will fight Midorifuji in a Darwin bout. The winner is kachi-koshi, the loser make-koshi. Enho and Mudoho will fight for their kachi-koshi as Mudoho (Oho’s brother) visits from Makushita. Tochitaikai will fight Kitanowaka (7-7), with the urgency of a Darwin bout. Demotion to Makushita is on the line and even if Nishikigi loses, I don’t think he’s safe. It will be interesting here but 7-8 conceivably stays where they are while 6-9 gets the drop. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Shonannoumi will fight Tokihayate for the yusho. Win, and it’s his. Lose, and he might have to fight in a play-off. Arashifuji will fight Kyokukaiyu (7-7), and Toshinofuji will fight Kagayaki (7-7). If they both win and Shonannoumi loses his first bout. We’ll have a three-way contest where the first guy with two consecutive wins will take the title.

Makuuchi

Aonishiki (12-2) will fight Atamifuji (11-3) for the yusho. Kirishima is still in this if Atamifuji wins. But he will need to defeat Kotozakura, who seemed to be in “coast” mode against Onosato last night. So, it’s possible that we could have a three-way playoff in Makuuchi, as well. Add in here that Kirishima is possibly fighting for Yokozuna promotion, it just adds to the heat. Sprinkle in some seasoning by realizing that suddenly Atamifuji is certainly in the first leg of an Ozeki run. Who’d have thunk it?

Onosato will fight Kotoshoho for kensho and pride. Fujinokawa will fight Fujiseiun for kachi-koshi, and likely special prizes for Fujinokawa (and maybe a Sekiwake rank in there, too). Kotoeiho will fight Takerufuji and Asanoyama will fight Takayasu. I could see special prizes being on the line there, too. We’ll get the official announcements later.

See you tonight!

Nagoya 2026: Day Fourteen

Andy Nagoya 2026, Nagoya Basho , ,

Day 14 in Nagoya. News from the infirmary, Hoshoryu kyujo. He will finish the tournament with a 7-7-1 record. The posited Yokozuna Darwin Match will not happen. Kirishima will pick up an important win at a crucial time in the yusho race.

Further news from the barber nextdoor to the infirmary, Daishomaru has retired. His mom told him he needs to go out and get a real job. No more playing with his friends in the dirt. He debuted in 2014 with a makushita tsukedashi and made it to Juryo by 2015. I started covering sumo here in 2014 and when he climbed into the top division in 2016 he was a makuuchi regular for several years. Though playing third fiddle to stablemates Endo and Daieisho, he did rise as high as Makuuchi 5.

Injuries took their toll but he remained sekitori until 2022 when he slipped into Makushita. He fell to Sandanme after the Fukuoka tournament last year but had just crept back into Makushita. However, three losses in a row to close out the tournament and he earned a make-koshi. Since 1966 that has meant certain demotion to Sandanme. He has decided to call it a career instead.

Lower Division Action

Let’s turn to the lower divisions. Abema graciously tweeted the video of Nabatame-Nishikigi, so I’ve embedded it here. Let me know if you have any issues watching it. I hope it’s available for everyone.

So, Nishikigi defeated Nabatame. The massive brawl for it all in Makushita is on, with two of Nabatame’s Futagoyama stablemates. Dinner tonight will be awkward…. Importantly, Tochitaikai lost to Toshinofuji and earned his make-koshi. He is in peril to fall back into Makushita while Nishikigi may save himself with a win tomorrow.

Enho defeated Nishinoryu to improve to 7-7. There are a host of Darwin candidates in the second division but the pairings have yet to be announced. Nishikigi has already fought Enho, Kagayaki and Tohakuryu. Of The Old Guard, Tamawashi claimed his kachi-koshi with a win today over Tomokaze. Everyone else is either make-koshi or trying to avoid it tomorrow.

NHK videos are here.

Makuuchi Action

Chiyoshoma (5-9) defeated Daiseizan (6-8). Chiyoshoma lashed out with harite, then seized Daiseizan’s belt and threw him. Daiseizan make-koshi. Uwatenage.

Kazuma (4-10) defeated Tobizaru (5-9). Kazuma waited for Tobizaru to pull at the wrong time, then he drove forward and shoved Tobizaru out. Oshidashi.

Onokatsu (4-10) defeated Wakamotoharu (6-8). Wakamotoharu pulled and Onokatsu maintained his balance and shoved Wakamotoharu to his make-koshi. Oshidashi.

Roga (8-6) defeated Asakoryu (8-6). Asakoryu nearly pulled Roga down by grabbing his right arm and pulling him. But Roga had a firm grasp of Asakoryu’s belt with that right arm, so Roga used excellent footwork to stay up and then turn the tables on Asakoryu and drive him from the dohyo. Yorikiri.

Kotoeiho (10-4) defeated Asanoyama (9-5). Asanoyama pressed forward but he never got a good grip with the right hand. Kotoeiho fought to get his hand inside. When he got a double-inside grip, a bearhug around Asanoyama’s trunk, he turned the tables and forced Asanoyama backwards. Densha-michi, as they say, and the train did not stop until Asanoyama was out. Yorikiri.

Fujiseiun (7-7) defeated Abi (6-8). Fujiseiun weathered Abi’s tsuppari storm, grabbed Abi in a bearhug, then twisted him down by tripping him backwards. Kirikaeshi.

Ura (5-9) defeated Mitakeumi (2-12). Ura grabbed a hold of Mitakeumi’s belt with his left hand outside and worked his right hand inside. Then churned his legs to drive the former Ozeki out. Yorikiri.

Oshoma (6-8) defeated Kinbozan (8-6). Kinbozan got his left hand inside on Oshoma’s belt but Oshoma used an armbar to break Kinbozan’s grip and pull him forward to the ground. Kotenage.

Hiradoumi (4-10) defeated Ichiyamamoto (5-9). Ichiyamamoto pulled at a bad time and Hiradoumi drove him backward and out. Oshidashi.

Asahakuryu (6-8) defeated Gonoyama (6-8). Henka, Asahakuryu! Slow, so Gonoyama was not phased. Gonoyama used his right hand inside to yank hard and pull Asahakuryu forward. Unfortunately, he didn’t pull him forward enough. Instead, Gonoyama yielded position and put his heels right up to the edge of the tawara. Asahakuryu then forced Gonoyama over the edge and the pair tumbled into a thrilled fan in the first row. Yorikiri.

Halftime

Hakunofuji (8-6) defeated Churanoumi (6-8). Churanoumi pulled and Hakunofuji used the famous Superman pose to charge forward and drive him out. Both men crashed off the dohyo. Gunbai Hakunofuji. No mono-ii. None really needed in this case, though it looked close live. Hakunofuji finally earned his kachi-koshi while Churanoumi is now kachi-koshi. Oshidashi.

Fujinokawa (7-7) defeated Nishikifuji (9-5). Fujinokawa’s henka was foiled by the gyoji who called a mata. Fujinokawa got his left hand inside and blitzed Nishikifuji. Nishikifuji shifted left but Fujinokawa followed well and forced him over the edge. Yorikiri.

Fujiryoga (10-4) defeated Takanosho (6-8). Fujiryoga pulled and we got another Superman flight from Takanosho who blasted his way forward. Both men tumbled off the dohyoGunbai Takanosho. Mono-ii. Video replay showed Takanosho’s right foot kicking up dirt outside the ring before Fujiryoga fell…but I don’t think they were looking for when Fujiryoga fell. It was a long mono-ii so I think they were looking for when Fujiryoga took flight, and was therefore dead. It was close to when that dirt came up. Hatakikomi.

Sanyaku

Takayasu (10-4) defeated Yoshinofuji (6-8). Well, Yoshinofuji had a good plan. He grabbed Takayasu’s left shoulder and shoved him hard, then came in behind Takayasu’s left leg and kicked it to trip him backward. Takayasu saved himself from Yoshinofuji’s trip with a shift of weight to his right leg. He then assaulted Yoshinofuji with tsuppari and slapped him down. Hikiotoshi.

Oho (2-12) defeated Shodai (4-10). Oho got a hold of Shodai’s belt and drove him backwards. Yorikiri.

Atamifuji (11-3) defeated Shishi (10-4). Mini-slow henka from Shishi, only visible in slo-mo and with a microscope. Regardless, Shishi shifted to his right. Atamifuji is just fighting at a different level. He easily adapted to the Shishi shift, got his right forearm up and chugged forward behind it. He shoved Shishi out of the ring and out of the yusho race. Oshidashi.

Aonishiki (12-2) defeated Takerufuji (10-4). Hidari-yotsu. Aonishiki spun, pulling at Takerufuji’s belt with his right hand outside grip. Takerufuji had an excellent grip of his own and charged forward to the edge but he did not seem to have an answer for the spin. Takerufuji’s charge forced Aonishiki to the edge but Aonishiki’s spin turned the tables and he charged into Takerufuji, crashing him over the bales. Yoritaoshi.

Kirishima (11-3) default win over Hoshoryu (7-7).

Daieisho (9-5) defeated Kotoshoho (6-8). Daieisho’s tsuppari forced Kotoshoho to the edge. Kotoshoho is a limbo master, though, and he resisted at the edge by bending his body backward and teetering over the bales. Daieisho had to shove something firm, Kotoshoho’s mawashi, to get him over. Tsukidashi.

Onosato (8-6) defeated Kotozakura (8-6). You would think that massive stack of kensho would have motivated Kotozakura to display some effort but apparently not. He just kind of stood there with his right hand flailing around and left hand on Onosato’s belt. Lazy-ass Ozeki. Kotohachinana has his hachi, so he’s good and Onosato ushered him over the bales. Yorikiri.

Wrap-Up

The yusho race is down to three men. And get this, with all of the underperformers up there in sanyaku, we’ve got three men in sanyaku in control of the race!

  • 2-Losses: Aonishiki
  • 3-Losses: Kirishima, Atamifuji

Pairings are not out yet. I’m sure they’ll come out in a few minutes but I’m going to take a nap. I’ll write a Senshuraku preview post with updated information about the pairings.

Nagoya 2026: Day Thirteen

Andy Nagoya 2026, Nagoya Basho ,

Day Thirteen in Nagoya, also known as Six-Seven Day. No new kyujo to report.

Two lower division yusho races wrapped up today, Jonokuchi and Jonidan. Ikazuchi-oyakata’s son, Kakizoe. Hakugetsuro won Jonidan, following up on his Jonokuchi yusho back in Tokyo in May. Congratulations to them. As Herbern mentioned in the comments, the Sandanme yusho will be determined in a play-off between undefeated (7-0) Tenshoyama and Tochimusashi.

Nabatame leads the Makushita race. He did not fight yesterday but the 5-1 guys did. Asahifuji leads a field of six hoping for a Nabatame loss so they can have a seven-man play-off on senshuraku. No news on who Nabatame’s opponent will be but I’ll update when this when that’s announced.

In the meantime, Tanji (4-3) visited Juryo and defeated Kayo to earn his spot in the second division. Congratulations on the certain promotion. We’ll get the official word early next week. Arashifuji (10-3) lost his second fight in a row, as did stablemate Toshinofuji (9-4). With Shonannoumi’s win over Shirokuma (9-4), Shonannoumi is suddenly tied for the lead with the great storm…who does not have 4 losses, though he’s getting close. Nishikigi (6-7), Ryuden (2-11), Enho (6-7) lost. Kagayaki (6-7), Meisei (4-9), Tamawashi (7-6) won. Meisei’s win came at the expense of Sadanoumi (4-9). It has been a rough basho for The Old Guard. Tamawashi looks like he’ll be the only one holding down the fort against these whipper-snappers.

NHK videos are here.

Makuuchi Action

Onokatsu (3-10) defeated Asahakuryu (5-8). Hidari-yotsu. Asahakuryu focused on ottsuke, trying to break Onokatsu’s left-hand inside grip. Onokatsu persevered, drove forward, and forced Asahakuryu over the bales. Asahakuryu make-koshi. Yorikiri.

Mitakeumi (2-11) defeated Kazuma (3-10). Mitakeumi’s right hand ottsuke was effective at breaking Kazuma’s left-hand grip. He was able to charge forward and force Kazuma over the edge. Yorikiri.

Kinbozan (8-5) defeated Chiyoshoma (4-9). Chiyoshoma tried a quick, spinning attack to disorient Kinbozan. While he focused on his left hand overarm grip, Kinbozan locked on with both hands inside (morozashi). That helped him to stablize and resist Chiyoshoma’s spin. After a bit of a pause in the action while the two men caught their breath, Kinbozan twisted Chiyoshoma down to the ground. Kinbozan kachi-koshi. Shitatehineri.

Tobizaru (5-8) defeated Daiseizan (6-7). Tobizaru weathered a torrent of tsuppari from Daiseizan. Daiseizan also tried a few slapdown attempts. His final one was his undoing as Tobizaru rushed forward and forced him out. Oshidashi.

Asakoryu (8-5) defeated Wakamotoharu (6-7). Asakoryu focused on his left-hand ottsuke, trying not to let Wakamotoharu’s right hand inside. He suddenly shifted left and pulled forward with that left hand and thrust Wakamotoharu to the ground. Tsukiotoshi.

Nishikifuji (9-4) defeated Fujiseiun (6-7). Nishikifuji dominated this bout. Hidari-yotsu. He used his powerful right hand overarm grip to throw Fujiseiun over the tawara. Uwatenage.

Abi (6-7) defeated Shodai (4-9). More accurately, Shodai beat Shodai. Abi did his best Takanosho impression, blasting Shodai with his right arm. Shodai shoved that right arm so hard that he lost balance and bounced on his butt off the dohyo. You really can’t make this up. Tsukitaoshi.

Asanoyama (9-4) defeated Oshoma (5-8). I thought Asanoyama was done as Oshoma’s tsuppari drove him back to the bales but Asanoyama slipped to his left, reached behind Oshoma and grabbed his belt with his left hand, then dumped him over the edge. Oshoma make-koshi. Uwatenage.

Fujiryoga (9-4) defeated Ura (4-9). Fujiryoga cast Ura from the dohyo, bulldozing forward with a hail of tsuppari. Oshitaoshi.

Roga (7-6) defeated Ichiyamamoto (5-8). The bout started with hidari-yotsu but Ichiyamamoto pressed down hard to break Roga’s hold and then re-connected with migi-yotsu, right hand inside. Ichiyamamoto charged forward and forced Roga to the edge but Roga pulled him down with his inside hand. Ichi make-koshi. Shitatenage.

Halftime

Gonoyama (6-7) defeated Hakunofuji (7-6). Gonoyama used tsuppari to get Hakunofuji moving backwards and a head-butt to finish him off. Oshidashi.

Daieisho (8-5) defeated Takanosho (6-7). The two traded thrusts and parries in a lengthy, entertaining brawl. Takanosho seemed to lose his ring sense and tried to slip leftward along the edge but stepped out. Oshidashi.

Churanoumi (6-7) defeated Fujinokawa (6-7). Churanoumi got a strong grip with his right hand outside, used his forehead to break Fujinokawa’s grip and a sudden yank on the belt to throw Fujinokawa off-balance. Fujinokawa danced along the edge as he tried to regain his footing but Churanoumi blasted him out. Oshitaoshi.

Sanyaku

Hiradoumi (3-10) defeated Oho (1-12). Migi-yotsu. Hiradoumi’s hips thrust until he hopped Oho over the bales. Oho didn’t ever seem to brace or put much weight on his right foot. I wonder if therein lies the reason for his poor performance this basho. With Mitakeumi’s win, Oho now owns the worst record in the division (not counting kyujos). Yorikiri.

Yoshinofuji (6-7) defeated Kotoeiho (9-4). Yoshinofuji kept Kotoeiho off his belt and forced him off balance with his powerful, head-first attack. Kotoeiho never regained his balance and Yoshinofuji shoved him out. Oshidashi.

Kotoshoho (6-7) defeated Takayasu (9-4). Kotoshoho thrust Takayasu’s right side at the edge. Takayasu spun around…but only half-way. Kotoshoho attacked from behind and shoved him out. Okuridashi.

Kotozakura (8-5) defeated Shishi (10-3). While Shishi was fumbling for a belt grip, Kotozakura pulled and used his right hand inside grip to drag Shishi down, while pushing down on Shishi’s head with his left hand. Kotozakura clears his kadoban against a Maegashira 14. Clap, clap. Shitatedashinage.

Aonishiki (11-2) defeated Kirishima (10-3). Aonishiki backed to the edge and slapped Kirishima down. He wasn’t able to get his left-hand onto Kirishima’s belt but he still used it under Kirishima’s right shoulder to pull him forward over the edge. Katasukashi.

Onosato (7-6) defeated Takerufuji (10-3). Onosato looked solid today. He connected with Takerufuji and used his gaburi thrusts to move forward and force Takerufuji out. Yorikiri.

Atamifuji (10-3) defeated Hoshoryu (7-6). Atamifuji would not go quietly into that good night. Migi-yotsu. He wrapped up the Yokozuna, resisted Hoshoryu’s shitatenage, and chugged forward. Yoritaoshi.

Wrap-Up

Aonishiki leads the yusho race and frankly, he has been the best wrestler on the dohyo. The cup is his to lose.

Yusho race

  • 2-Losses: Aonishiki
  • 3-Losses: Kirishima, Atamifuji, Takerufuji, Shishi

Pairings for Day 14 are still being determined. I’ll try to write an update this afternoon with the news. Aonishiki versus Atamifuji, anyone? Atamifuji has really shone lately. Kotozakura should face Onosato tomorrow so the Yokozuna can fight on senshuraku. What is there to say about Hoshoryu, except, “Oof?” Honestly, I’m on pins and needles about who Nabatame will have to fight.

Nagoya 2026: Day Twelve

Andy Nagoya 2026, Nagoya Basho , , ,

Day Twelve in Nagoya. No news from the infirmary.

There was a lot of discussion yesterday about whether there was a hairpull in the Aonishiki bout. I’ve seen the replays and I wasn’t able to tell if Aonishiki got his fingers in there or just batted the ginko-leaf around — kinda like a cat with a ball. You all were not the only ones to notice and call it out. Sasaki Ichiro, the popular sumo reporter from Nikkan Sports, wrote about it. He spoke with Onoe-oyakata, head shimpan for that shift. He said that they’d not thought there was a hairpull and they were not notified from the replay booth about it.

There was an eventful day in Juryo today. Shonannoumi improved to (9-3) by slapping Arashifuji (10-4) down. Toshinofuji (9-3) was wrangled down by Shirokuma (9-3), so the Isegahama man remains in second place now joined by Shirokuma and Shonannoumi.

Asasuiryu, Tokihayate, and Dewanoryu won and picked up their kachi-koshi records. Asasuiryu will be picking out his somenuki patterns for Aki and Tokihayate is already likely to join him. Dewanoryu might need another win to seal his promotion but with the dire state of Makuuchi, he might already be heading up. That would be a story in itself as Dewanoryu would overtake Mitakeumi as heyagashira (top wrestler) in Dewanoumi-beya. At this point, I don’t see how that can be avoided. It’s been a tough time for the former Ozeki, who lost his mother earlier this year. I’ll be purchasing a forty of malt liquor this evening, maybe even two so I can actually drink one.

Enho (6-6) beat Sadanoumi (4-8) with a clever little tottari. Meisei (3-9), Nishikigi (6-6), Kagayaki (5-7), Ryuden (2-10), Midorifuji (7-5) and Tamawashi (6-6) all lost. A brutal day for The Old Guard. Ryuden, in particular, looks set to fall deep to the bottom of Juryo, though likely safe from demotion.

NHK videos are here.

Makuuchi Action

Asahakuryu (5-7) defeated Kazuma (3-9). Hidari-yotsu. This was a long, old-school yotsu battle. In the middle of the bout, Asahakuryu had good position and tried an uwatenage. By pivoting and trying the throw, he ended up with his heels at the edge of the ring. Unfortunately, Kazuma did not have the strength to drive Asahakuryu over the edge, so I got the sense this would just be a matter of time, as Kazuma would wear down, Asahakuryu would work him over the edge. Yorikiri.

Asakoryu (7-5) defeated Abi (5-7). Asakoryu henka! Asakoryu leapt to the left and thrust Abi forward to the clay. Tsukiotoshi.

Daiseizan (6-6) defeated Mitakeumi (1-11). Mitakeumi Henka! Full-on desperation from the former Ozeki. Mitakeumi missed with his belt grab and Daiseizan had not rushed forward so he quickly spun around to face Mitakeumi. Another hidari-yotsu battle ensued. Daiseizan cut Mitakeumi’s left-hand hold and pulled up, driving forward and forcing Mitakeumi out. Mitakeumi is likely Juryo-bound. Yorikiri.

Shishi (10-2) defeated Asanoyama (8-4). Migi-yotsu battle. Shishi pivoted and dragged Asanyama down, rotating left along the bales. Shitatenage.

Fujiryoga (8-4) defeated Nishikifuji (8-4). Nishikifuji charged forward but at the edge, Fujiryoga shifted left and pushed Nishikifuji down. Fujiryoga kachi-koshi. Is it me or did he look pissed? It looked like he caught a hand to the throat but I didn’t see anything really untoward from Nishikifuji’s fight. Maybe Fujiryoga was just pumped to get his kachi-koshi? Tsukiotoshi.

Tobizaru (4-8) defeated Onokatsu (2-10). Tobizaru shifted right and slapped Onokatsu down. Hatakikomi.

Takerufuji (10-2) defeated Takayasu (9-3). Henka Takerufuji! I think this henka caught everyone off guard. Well played. Takayasu was a coiled spring and launched himself forward. Takerufuji didn’t need much help as Takayasu flew by but he grabbed Takayasu’s belt with his left hand and helped fling him forward. Uwatenage.

Kinbozan (7-5) defeated Shodai (4-8). With a right-hand nodowa, followed by a head-butt, Kinbozan drained Shodai’s will to compete. Kinbozan drove forward and Shodai did not stop him. Shodai makekoshi. Yorikiri.

Roga (6-6) defeated Ura (4-8). Migi-yotsu. Roga pushed Ura to the edge. Ura kept trying to use his shitatenage and tip Roga over but Roga’s position really prevented Ura from securing a left-hand overarm grip. Roga kept driving forward and crushed Ura over the edge. Yoritaoshi.

Chiyoshoma (4-8) defeated Oshoma (5-7). Chiyoshoma pivoted on his left foot and pulled Oshoma down with his left hand inside. Shitatenage.

Halftime

Daieisho (7-5) defeated Fujiseiun (6-6). Daieisho shifted right and slapped Fujiseiun down. Hatakikomi.

Wakamotoharu (6-6) defeated Ichiyamamoto (5-7). Ichi tried to grab Wakamotoharu’s left arm and pull him forward but Wakamotoharu kept his footing and drove Ichiyamamoto off the dohyo. Oshidashi.

Fujinokawa (6-6) defeated Gonoyama (5-7). Fujinokawa got both hands inside for a morozashi, then planted his left foot and hauled Gonoyama over from that right hand hooked under Gonoyama’s shoulder. Sukuinage.

Takanosho (6-6) defeated Hakunofuji (7-5). Takanosho charged ahead behind that right hand nodowa and shoved Hakunofuji out. Sometimes that nodowa looks brutal, other times it’s batted away and Takanosho gets slapped down. Today was one of the brutal days. Oshidashi.

Sanyaku

Hiradoumi (2-10) defeated Yoshinofuji (5-7). Yoshinofuji hauled Hiradoumi to the edge with his sukuinage but couldn’t quite get him over. He followed up with tsuppari blasts as Yoshinofuji tried to shove Hiradoumi out. Hiradoumi slipped to the left and pulled Yoshinofuji over the edge for quite the surprising reversal. Hiradoumi ends a six-day losing streak. Okuridashi.

Churanoumi (5-7) defeated Oho (1-11), easily. Oho tried a half-hearted slapdown and Churanoumi shoved him out. Oshidashi.

Atamifuji (9-3) defeated Kotoeiho (9-3). Migi-yotsu. This was a rather high-octane back and forth as the two men raced around the dohyo trying to shove each other out. Kotoeiho gained the advantage and tried to push Atamifuji out. Atamifuji used his right hand inside Kotoeiho’s shoulder to haul him over. Kotoeiho fell forward as he pushed Atamifuji out. Gunbai Kotoeiho. Mono-ii. The shimpan decided it was too close to call…do it again! In the rematch, Atamifuji charged ahead. Kotoeiho pulled and tried to shift right to counter Atamifuji but Atamifuji dropped him from the dohyo. Yorikiri.

Kotoshoho (5-7) defeated Aonishiki (10-2). Kotoshoho pulled down with his left hand on Aonishiki’s head. This caused Aonishiki to stumble forward. Kotoshoho gave chase and shoved Aonishiki out. Oshidashi.

Kotozakura (7-5) defeated Hoshoryu (7-5). Kotozakura slipped to the left and used his left hand on Hoshoryu’s belt to pull the Yokozuna forward. Uwatedashinage.

Kirishima (10-2) defeated Onoshato (6-6). Kirishima grabbed Onosato’s right arm and dragged him forward, dumping the Yokozuna over the bales. Tottari.

Wrap-Up

Well. That was a day of sumo. Not all of it good but some of it great. Earlier in the tournament, Aonishiki seemed desperate to get that left hand grip as early as possible. Today, it was an after thought as he brawled with Kotoshoho for a bit. The Yokozuna were dreadful, losing quickly to guys who appeared to have a plan. It is helpful to have one. You might want to write that down, guys.

I’m not convinced Onosato will show up tomorrow. We shall see.

Yusho Race

  • 2-Losses: Kirishima, Aonishiki, Takerufuji, Shishi
  • 3-Losses: Atamifuji, Kotoeiho, Takayasu

Well, the Kirishima rope-run storyline comes back into play. Sorry for the delay in posting. The Sumo Association just published the bout list for tomorrow. Hoshoryu will fight Atamifuji. Onosato will face Takerufuji. Kirishima will fight Aonishiki in what will likely be bout-of-the-day. Interestingly, Kotozakura will fight Shishi. I’ve got mixed feelz on that. I mean, come on. Kotozakura fighting M14 to clear his kadoban?!?! I’ve never wanted someone to go down before now. This is just nonsense.

We’ve got Kotoshoho versus Takayasu and Yoshinofuji versus Kotoeiho and Hiradoumi versus the Ghost of Oho. Churanoumi will fight Fujinokawa. Shodai will fight Abi and Mitakeumi will take on Kazuma.

The Makuuchi demotion picture is becoming clear, and Onokatsu is captain of the barge to Juryo. Kazuma also has a demotable record already, and further losses just dig the hole deeper and push his slide further into the second division. Mitakeumi is next and Wakanosho fourth in line.