The final day of the Hatsu Basho, and Texas Sumotori Wakaichiro returns to the dohyo for his final match of the tournament. Early Sunday, he faces off against Sadogatake rikishi Kotoseigo. Kotoseigo is in fact from the same stable as Kotoshogiku (and a swarm of others). He is 23 years old and is both taller and heavier than Wakaichiro. Kotoseigo reached as high as Sandanme 5 before injury dropped him down the banzuke. A second injury left his sumo career on the rocks, and then a third injury has forced him to more or less start over from the bottom.
So this final match of Hatsu will be against a highly skilled, strong and fast rikishi. It will be a tough test for Wakaichiro, but it will be a great test to see how far his sumo has progressed, and how ready he might be for a possible return to the Sandanme division in March.
As always, we will bring you details of his matches as soon as they are posted.
Tochinoshin won!!! Takayasu will claim the jun-yusho all by himself with a win; if he loses, Kakuryu and Ryuden will have opportunities to join him with victories on senshuraku.
The Sanyaku
With Goeido’s victory today, neither Ozeki will be kadoban in Osaka.
Tamawashi’s loss means three sanyaku slots will be open. The first two belong to Tochinoshin and Ichinojo. Endo is in the lead for the second Komusubi slot, but he faces Tochinoshin tomorrow. Should Endo lose, either Kotoshogiku or Chiyotairyu can claim the slot with a win on senshuraku.
The Promotion/Demotion Line
Dropping to Juryo: Terunofuji and Aminishiki. Taking over their slots: most likely Myogiryu and Hidenoumi. Aoiyama has also done enough for promotion, and Kyokutaisei is either there or close. But there may not be room for all four, as Sokokurai has done almost enough to be safe, and faces what’s left of Terunofuji tomorrow. Also, both Takekaze and Daiamami can reach safety by winning on the final day. Daiamami vs. Aoiyama may be a de facto exchange bout, while Takekaze needs a win against Asanoyama to stay in Makuuchi. Victories today have assured Ikioi, Asanoyama, and Nishikigi of top division places in Osaka.
Tachiai congratulates Georgian born Levan Gorgadze better known in the sumo world as Tochinoshin. Tachiai writer Givemechanko wrote an excellent profile on him in October of 2017, and I encourage fans to take a look and learn more about the man who accomplished something quite rare: Winning the Emperor’s Cup from the rank and file Maegashira ranks. The last time this happened was 2012 when Kyokutenho, who is now Tomozuna stable master, claimed the Emperors cup during May 2012.
Tochinoshin entered Hatsu ranked at Maegashira 3 West, a member of the ultra-competitive upper joi-jin, comprised of sumo’s champions, grand champions, named ranks and top rank and file rikishi. He proceeded to defeat all challengers except Yokozuna Kakuryu in a stunning march to the championship. Tochinoshin’s primary weapon is an almost inhuman strength. He is known to lift 400+ pound men completely off their feet and carry them over the edge of the ring. Time and time again, he would endure whatever tsuppari or oshi attack an opponent might hurl at him off the line, pressing always to land his massive hands on their mawashi, and thereby beginning to out-muscle them.
Many fans are whispering that his outstanding performance portends his future at higher ranks, including wishful discussion of his starting a campaign to take up an Ozeki rank later this year. To those enthusiasts, I would ask them to temper their hopes with the knowledge that Tochinoshin is 30, which is on the older side for a rikishi. He is also only as good as the health of his damaged knee, which he keeps massively bandaged. His prior middling performances in previous tournaments can be largely attributed to his damaged knee, and the pain it must generate nearly every day. His recent tournament history includes him completely withdrawing from last year’s Hatsu basho on day 6, after failing to win a single match.
We wish Tochinoshin a glorious celebration, and a reunion with his family in Georgia soon, to celebrate the recent birth of his daughter and his monumental accomplishment of battling back from horrific injuries to claim the Emperor’s Cup.
We have ourselves a yusho winner. The first from Georgia. The first Maegashira to win the title since Kyokutenho in in Natsu 2012. The first Kasugano yusho winner in 46 years (Tochiazuma Tomoyori, Hatsu 1972 – also Maegashira at the time). No wonder the Kasugano support club wanted to see a fish and to see it now:
I lifted Mitakeumi, I almost lifted Ichinojo. What’s this puny fish to me?
Down at Jonokuchi, I’m glad to inform you that Yoshoyama managed to scrape his kachi-koshi today, facing the hapless Osumifuji.
Now I hope someone at Tokitsukaze – preferably not Shodai – will use the time until Haru to teach the kid how to do a tachiai properly. Osumifuji joins the droves of make-koshi rikishi from Isegahama.
Yoshoyama. Now you’ll be able to pick him up in a lineup.
37 year old Hokutogo from Hakkaku beya says goodbye to the sumo world after 22 years. Never made it higher than Makushita 54.
His heya mates brought him flowers to the hana-michi.
In Makushita, Wakamotoharu lost his final bout and is make-koshi. No video at this time.
Up in Juryo, Meisei goes against Takagenji:
Takagenji still doesn’t have kachi-koshi. Both he and Meisei will need a win tomorrow. Takagenji will face the strong Hidenoumi who wants the Yusho.
On to the top division we go:
Sokokurai and Daiamami engage in a lengthy hidari-yotsu, with Sokokurai burying his head in Daiamami’s chest. Eventually Sokokurai tries a throw, but it doesn’t quite work and Daiamami uses it to yori-kiri him.
Kotoyuki and Daieisho go on a tsuppari battle, that ends up with Kotoyuki spread across the dohyo. Hikiotoshi. Kotoyuki’s last chance of a kachi-koshi is tomorrow.
Yutakayama pushes Daishomaru mightily to the edge. Daishomaru tries a side step. Yutakayama slams to the ground – but Daishomaru is also out. Gunbai says Yutakayama, a monoii is called – but Daishomaru’s foot was out first, and it is indeed Yutakayama’s win – and kachi-koshi.
Aminishiki tries to be as genki as he can and bumps into Nishikigi. Gives a harite and tries to get a mawashi grip. This doesn’t quite work, and Nishikigi drives him to the edge. Then hovers around with a worried face to see that he didn’t damage the old man. On the Isegahama web site, Aminishiki writes “Tomorrow is the last match, so I want to win”. Somehow it sounds to me that he means that it’s the ultimate last match. He may not want to go down to Juryo again.
And… Ishiura does a henka against Chiyomaru. Ishiura kachi-koshi. So we’ll see more of his henka in Haru. Sigh.
Ryuden takes on Kaisei and gets in a quick morozashi. Kaisei has the weight advantage and good mobility on his side, and he shifts and turns and gets one of Ryuden’s hands out. Then tries to pull an uwatenage, but he ends up on the floor first, and it’s declared Ryuden’s shitatenage. Ryuden hits the double digits on his debut – which is impressive because he was never a double digits man.
Chiyoshoma gets a fast hold on Asanoyama and they go on a raging battle, but Chiyoshoma loses his hold, and once Asanoyama has his grip, he pushes the Mongolian out with a defiant head nod. Chiyoshoma make-koshi, Asanoyama kachi-koshi again. It’s funny to hear people in the crowd cheering for him using his real name (Ishibashi).
The Ghost of Terunofuji vs. Ikioi. Move along. Nothing to see here. It’s a yoritaoshi despite Ikioi both hurting and trying to be gentle. Terunofuji says that he wants to win at least tomorrow’s bout. Fat chance.
Takekaze comes in strong at the tachiai and gets his left hand inside… but that’s about all he can manage. Okinoumi brushes him out as if he was a fly.
Kagayaki starts an oshi battle vs. Endo, but after a couple of clashes, falls pray to slippiotoshi, Endo swiftly moving aside to let him “split the dohyo” as the Japanese expression goes.
The camera has been following Tochinoshinthrough the previous two bouts. A few obligatory shots of Shohozan as well, but he is not the story here. When those two finally get at it, you can cut the tension with a knife. Shohozan starts a tsuppari barrage which Tochinoshin can only fend off. This goes on for some time, then Shohozan tries to sidestep. This nearly gets Tochinoshin, and the spectators let out a big “whoa”. But he quickly turns around, and when he does, he also gets a good grip on Shohozan, and from there it’s a couple of yori followed by a yori-kiri. The man from Georgia gets his first yusho. The crowd bursts into applause. It’s party time… but there are still bouts to go.
Yoshikaze and Chiyotairyu are apparently graduates of the same university. So they are sempai and kohai. But Chiyotairyu doesn’t give Yoshikaze any precedence, and quickly pulls at him for a hatakikomi. Yoshikaze looked for a moment like he was going for an outstanding performance prize, but that moment passed several bouts ago.
In yet another battle of opposite ends, Abi draws former Ozeki Kotoshogiku in a battle of the up-and-coming vs. the down-and-going. However, Kotoshogiku is not going anywhere without a fight. Abi tries to pull Kotoshogiku down quickly, but Kotoshogiku not falling for that. Abi then sticks his head in Kotoshogiku’s chest and grabs at his armpits. But a yori battle will favor the Chrisanthemum. Abi’s pelvis is about the height of Kotoshogiku’s chest, so Kotoshogiku refrains from pumping his hips, but he does know how to push, and yori-kiris Abi right out. In Yiddish we call this “rebe-gelt” – “tuition”, what you pay when you learn a lesson.
Chiyonokuni doesn’t give Hokutofuji even two seconds before slapping him down. Hatakikomi, and the Kokonoe man slowly reduces the damage of his make-koshi, while Hokutofuji is 4-10 and will drop way down the banzuke at Haru.
Now, I hate it when the torikumi guys pit two guys I like against each other, but oh well, I can always be happy for the winner. This time Takarafuji was trying to get his kachi-koshi from Ichinojo. And Ichinojo is not in the business of letting his rivals win this basho. If they want to, they have to work for it. Ichinojo unbelievably tries for a nodowa on his left and momentarily allows Takarafuji to get his hand in on his right. Nodowa? The boulder quickly realizes his mistake, abandons the nonexistent throat, and changes his grip on the right. Now it’s migi-yotsu, which favors Ichinojo. But there is no extended leaning battle this time, as Ichinojo grabs Takarafuji’s mawashi tightly and throws him outside for a shitatedashinage, no ifs, ands and buts.
Today it was the old Shodai vs. the old Takakeisho. Shodai stands up at the tachiai. Doesn’t get anything done. Takakeisho bumps him a couple of time. No kachi-koshi for Shodai as yet.
In the match of the Eagles, Arawashi with his bad knees gets a better tachiai. I would even call this one a matta. But Tamawashi regroups and goes into a tsuppari attack. Arawashi sidesteps, and Tamawashi flies over the edge. Arawashi still has a chance for a kachi-koshi tomorrow.
Goeido avoids kadoban and gets Mitakeumi all the way to the tawara in a blink of an eye. Correct bootup today, apparently.
Musubi no ichiban. Takayasu drives hard and gets Kakuryu to the edge. But Kakuryu is looking better today, circles and regroups. Tries to get a grip on Takayasu, but Takayasu turns him around. The Yokozuna quickly turns right back and lunges at Takayasu. And then…. he… pulls… again…. Oshidashi, yet another loss for the Yokozuna. And Takayasu has the jun-yusho (though theoretically he can lose tomorrow and Ryuden or Kakuryu win).
So the yusho goes to Tochinoshin. Both the Georgian prime minister and president tweet their congratulations.
Tochinoshin’s family watching his bout back in Georgia
The jun-yusho, with high probability, goes to Takayasu. My assumption is that he will do his best to win tomorrow, to make it a decent 12-3 jun-yusho, which may allow him to lay claim to a rope should he win the yusho in Haru. One of my twitter followers says that not having been in the yusho picture, this wouldn’t count for Takayasu, but I think that if he does happen to win Haru, given that he has the all-important Japanese birth certificate, the NSK and the YDC may avoid nitpicking.
What’s left tomorrow is to see if the Yokozuna can pull at least the win from Goeido. To see who gets the various sansho (Abi still has a shot, Ryuden certainly has, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Ichinojo gets one). And then we will get to see Tochinoshin lifting cup after cup, and being driven around in the NSK’s spiffy new Mercedes-Benz.
