Hot on the heels of Bruce’s One’s To Watch post, here are some low-division bouts, including many of the Ones To Watch and their wreckage.
Let’s start at Jonokuchi. Although I thought Toma, Hakuho’s gigantic recruit, would do well in Jonokuchi, simply on the merit of his combined weight and experience, he came into Nakabi with a 1-2 record. Here he is facing one of Futagoyama’s newbies, Denuma:
The boy has a lot of improvement to do despite this win here, if he is going to meet the standard set by all the other uchi-deshi recruited by the dai-yokozuna, namely, to become sekitori and hold that position (barring injury – poor Yamaguchi).
By the way, remember Ito, the guy thoroughly pancaked by Toma on day 3? Well, it seems that getting a 206kg cannonball may be good for your career – he is currently 4-0 with a chance at the Jonokuchi yusho.
Next we move to Sandanme, only stopping at Jonidan long enough to inform you that Toshonishiki is on fire this tournament with 4-0, and I really wish I could find some footage because the man is almost as thin as Hattorizakura. Maybe he charms his opponent with his pretty face.
Well, at the very bottom of Sandanme we have Shiraishi, the tsuke-dashi. That is, a wrestler who entered sumo as Sandanme 100 instead of going through Maezumo and Jonokuchi. This is a privilege you attain by being top 8 in one of the applicable amateur championships. And so far, he has justified it, arriving at Nakabi with a 3-0 record. Here he faces Kaiyuma, from Asakayama beya (Kaio’s stable):
Our friend Yoshoyama is currently at Sandanme 9W, and has a straight win record. If he can keep it up and win the Yusho, he may land right very close to the Makushita “here be dragons” zone. He faces Fujita, who is rather bigger than he is:
This doesn’t stop the Mongolian from Tokitsukaze beya from keeping his straight record.
Next up in Sandanme – Amakaze, who can do the mean splits, and apparently, the mean sumo as well:
Don’t blink. Amakaze is on fire.
Finally, we arrive at the wreckage that is the Terunofuji vs. Daishosei bout. Both come into this bout lossless:
The former Ozeki makes an amateur mistake there, thinking that Daishosei’s foot went out and dropping his defenses as a result. Daishosei is not intimidated enough to miss the opportunity thus opened. Terunofuji goes down the hana-michi cussing (well, to the extent that you can cuss in Japanese – and Mongolian doesn’t even have cuss words).
We’re up to Makushita, and we have Musashikuni vs. Fukuyama. Musashikuni is not having a very good tournament and comes into this bout 1-2:
The American ends up sitting frustrated at the edge of the dohyo, needing to win all his bouts from this moment on.
Next we have Midorifuji vs. Asabenkei. They, too, are 1-2 each as they mount the dohyo. While Midorifuji is very talented, he is also very small. Asabenkei, on the other hand, has some Juryo experience, but seems rather worse for wear.
Midorifuji executes a rather nice katasukashi. You can’t see it in this footage, but Asabenkei has real trouble getting up and over to his position for the bow. Sigh.
So let’s take a look at Hoshoryu vs. Ryuko.
Hoshoryu can’t even cite his lack of weight in this bout. I guess lack of experience.
On a higher note, here is Naya vs. Kaito:
Typical Naya tsuppari, ending in a kachi-koshi and a chance at the Makushita yusho.
Finally, we are up to Juryo – where Kizakiumi is paying a visit, facing Arawashi. Kizakiumi is Churanoumi’s brother, and he is so fresh he can’t even get the oicho-mage that is usually granted to Makushita rikishi who have a Juryo bout.
I thought Arawashi was in a better state than this before the basho. But he may find himself saying goodbye to his kesho-mawashi for the first time since 2013.
My final bout for this report is Daishomaru vs. Aminishiki. Believe it or not, Aminishiki is in the picture for the Juryo yusho, trailing Takagenji by a mere 2 loss margin together with Toyonoshima.
Amazingly, he can still win a bout going forward.
Something is wrong with that video for the Terunofuji bout ;)
What, the fact that he lost?
Has been fixed now, but before the Chris Gould video on Takakeisho was linked;)
I think you had a caching issue – I checked that link twice.
Well whatever, it works now and all others did before. I’m not complaining as I hadn’t seen the Chris Gould video before either ;)
I’m pretty curious to see a big rikishi trained by Hakuho (though I know he’s making Toma lose some weight).
Naya is really fighting well the last two basho, lets hope he can keep it up. Should get him close to Hoshoryu next basho. Ryuko has been very close to Juryo promotion before. He looks strong this basho … could be time for him.
Up in Juryo I’m really happy to see both Toyonoshima and Aminishiki do well.
Aminishiki will for sure stay in Juryo for the july basho.
Apparently that will be his 117 tournament as a sekitori,
tying him #1 all time with Kaio.
Fun fact: In Kaio’s last tournament his last victory was against Aminishiki.
And if I have counted right Aminishiki’s last bout moved him past Terao into
#3 all time for most bouts. #2 is about 75 bouts ahead of him.
Every time he steps on the dohyo is special.
I found this video from a few days ago.
Toshonishiki faces a huge sumo named Adachi.
After some slapping Adachi gets a hold of him and lifts
him over the bales. But a monoii is called and
Toshinoshiki is given the win because Adachi stepped
out first, I guess. The kimarite is Isamiashi.
It’s because Toshonishiki wasn’t in the air when Adachi crossed the line. If both Toshonishiki’s feet were airborne, it would have been Adachi’s win. So the stick insects gets one for keeping his head (and his feet) straight at the edge. Very nice.
I suppose at least one of his other wins was a Takanoyama-style henka. But still, going 4-0…
Takanoyama did very few henkas. He would attack one side trying to lock in an arm bar or foot trip.
Like so:
He could have tried the henka a few more times and nobody would have complained, but he wanted to win honorably, most of the time.
Though there is this classic against Chiyonokuni. Chiyo had manhandled him for about 15 seconds getting him spun around and apparently forcing him out,
But a monoii led to a torinaoshi. The rematch lasted about a half second.
Magnificent.
Now, guess which of these he will be remembered for…