Day 2 seemed to be the day that of matta. In addition to the normal flurry of false starts, there were plenty of rule infractions that were called. This included Goeido having his hands over the shikiri-sen, and Hakuho not touching both hands to the clay. Some fans are very keen to see rules enforced with and impartial absolute standard, but we know that in many cases, the Gyoji work with “close enough”.

With day 3, we should start seeing most of the ring rust fall away from anyone who will be able to get their sumo into a winning form. The top Maegashira are taking their turns acting as warm up ballast for the Ozeki and Yokozuna, and we should not be too worried if they emerge from this first week with a giant list of black stars. Komusubi is an especially hard rank to endure, and its rare that we see a rikishi actually able to reach kachi-koshi from the “K” slot.

What We Are Watching Day 3

Daiamami vs Ryuden – Do you miss Daiamami? I think some folks do. He gets to visit Makuuchi to face off against Ryuden day 3, and it could be a good one. Daiamami holds a 6-3 advantage over Ryuden.

Ishiura vs Hokutofuji – Hokutofuji seems to have a good formula for beating Ishiura, and has won the last 2 of their 4 career matches. But honestly, Hokutofuji is still looking somewhat off. Hopefully that concussion he suffered during Natsu had no lasting effect..

Meisei vs Okinoumi – Eventually Meisei is going to win one. Really, he is. This guy is not a stinker, and day 3 is as good as any for him to settle down and start to score white stars. This is his first ever match with Okinoumi.

Tochiozan vs Kotoeko – I could say the same for Kotoeko, but Tochiozan is looking rather good so far. I think all of the training he does with Tochinoshin is probably elevating his performance as of late. Tochiozan is an older rikishi, but he has tons of natural talent.

Asanoyama vs Arawashi – Will we get another dramatic Arawashi tumble? Or is it time for Asanoyama to lose his footing and be sent to the clay? 1-1 career for these two.

Onosho vs Nishikigi – I predict that Onosho will continue to tear a hole in the bottom third of the banzuke as he piles up the sekitori scalps in his bid to return to san’yaku. So for Nishikigi, its your turn for a bit off the top.

Myogiryu vs Chiyomaru – Myogiryu looks to be on top of his sumo, where Chiyomaru is struggling at the start. His enormous size is a heavy tax on his endurance, especially in the heat and humidity of the Dolphins Stadium dohyo.

Takarafuji vs Daieisho – I am used to Takarafuji being a half step slow, but he seems to be especially tentative this basho. It’s a shame because he has great form, great fundamentals and all of the tools needed to be a top tier rikishi. Meanwhile, Daieisho comes in with a 3-1 career advantage, and a 2-0 record.

Endo vs Chiyoshoma – I think Endo is healthy, and he’s on a roll. Natsu was an bump on the road, and if he can keep his body intact, he is going to probably going to be a success story this basho.

Yoshikaze vs Kagayaki – Yoshikaze is my favorite, no question there. But it’s clear he is on the sunset path of his career now. He’s a faction of his former fierce self, and it’s tough to watch him fight. As good as Kagayaki’s fundamentals are, he always seems to be a bit awkward (like Kisenosato, who he reminds me of). Under last year’s terms, I think Yoshikaze would fold, press and starch Kagayaki. But for day 3, I am not so sure.

Abi vs Kaisei – Abi goes from fighting one lumbering giant to another. I am going to assume this is the schedulers having some fun at Abi’s expense. Once again his double arm oshi-zumo is going to be of questionable use against 500 pounds of Kaisei. As mentioned on the day 2 highlights, Kaisei really seems to be dialed in right now.

Takakeisho vs Mitakeumi – Yes yes yes! YES! Now we are in for a real battle between tadpoles, and frankly Mitakeumi may have a light edge this time, because he brings winning momentum into this match. But the fact that for a split second we saw Takakeisho unleash the “Wave Action” on day 2 means that maybe he’s done playing nice. Takakeisho leads the career series 3-2.

Ichinojo vs Tamawashi – Tamawashi has had a tough start to Nagoya. Sitting at 0-2, he’s had a chaotic match against Hakuho and a mini-Henka from Goeido. Now he gets to face the human teppo pole, who holds a 5-3 career advantage. Keep your spirit up Tamawashi!

Chiyonokuni vs Takayasu – Chiyonokuni has tried 4 times to best Takayasu, and lost each time. I think day 3 is a unique opportunity for Chiyonokuni, as Takayasu has not been 100% in day 1 or 2. Maybe he’s broken free of the ring rust, or maybe he did hurt himself in warm ups for Nagoya.

Goeido vs Ikioi – 15-1 in favor of Goeido is what you need to know here. Goeido needs to rack the wins by any means necessary. Nobody is going to give him a pass in week 2.

Shohozan vs Tochinoshin – Boom! Bang! Crash! I expect this match to go along the lines of day 2’s Chiyonokuni vs Tochinoshin match, expect that Shohozan is a street fighter. Main goal is to have the shin-Ozeki exit the match with no further injury to his right wrist, or that bionic knee.

Kotoshogiku vs Hakuho – Hakuho seems to be “over the top” eager to give each opponent a proper beating. Kotoshogiku has only won 6 out of their 60 career matches.

Kakuryu vs Shodai – Kakuryu is dialed in on his sumo. Shodai needs to focus on getting past the Yokozuna and Ozeki with his mobility and health intact. Sadly for Shodai, he has yet to find a way to beat Kakuryu.