It just would not be a yusho if Tachiai did not run a picture of the macaron of victory!
And thus we have reached the end of the Nagoya Basho. I do love the fact that Kakuryu took the yusho in direct competition with Hakuho. Was Hakuho hurt? You bet! I have nothing but respect for the greatest Yokozuna of our time competing through the pain, and making a solid showing of it. But Kakuryu was on his sumo this time, dropping only a single match against upstart Tomokaze.
Thus continues the evolution out of the Hakuho era, an era that really began when none other than Kotoshogiku took the yusho in January 2016, marking the first time in 10 years since a Japanese-born man won the Emperor’s cup. Since then, we have seen a steady increase in “Other than Hakuho” yusho, as “The Boss” fades a bit each tournament. This is nature at work, and it’s worth asking, how much longer will Hakuho be able to continue working through what is probably increasing damage to his arms? We know that he needs to stay active for a bit longer. He is working to secure Japanese citizenship to become a member of the NSK, and he would dearly love to participate in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which are just about a year way.
I would expect Hakuho to take at least half of the coming tournaments off, and work to preserve what function remains as much as possible. Without the headwinds of Hakuho’s career peak dominance as a cap, the new upper ranks are starting to form, just as they should. The next two to three years will be transitional, and we will see a lot of new heroes rise. If change makes you anxious, this is a poor time to be a sumo fan. If you love the drama of competition, and the path to glory, this is a golden age for sumo.
The statement above raises the question—what is sumo headed towards? I think parts of that were on display today.
Highlight Matches
Nishikigi defeats Chiyomaru – Chiyomaru battled his way back to the top division out of the Juryo swamp, only to be pummeled into double-digit losses. For fans of “His Roundness”, it’s a disappointment. Former upper Maegashira Cinderella, Nishikigi, fared little better at 6-9 for Nagoya.
Enho defeats Daishoho – Enho matches seem to have a requirement for at least one matta. Is it because he moves at near relativistic speeds at the tachiai? The gyoji struggle to measure his hand placement due to the momentary inflection of space-time near Enho as he launches. Enho gets a front grip and drops Daishoho to his knees. Enho, if he can stay healthy, is going to be a fun addition to the top division.
Tochiozan defeats Shohozan – Tochiozan is also clearly fading out, and ends Nagoya 5-10, but managed to take his final match to possibly save his slot in the top division. Tochiozan got the better of the tachiai, and kept focusing his thrusting attack at center-mass. Good sumo fundamentals here, was it enough?
Okinoumi defeats Kagayaki – First Darwin match of the day favors experience over youth. Kagayaki got a double inside grip, but could not use it to finish Okinoumi. I think this is indicative of some injury with Kagayaki that we don’t know about, as his ability to generate forward pressure is not what it has been. Okinoumi switches his grip (make-kai), gets his right hand outside, and finishes the match for a kachi-koshi.
Terutsuyoshi defeats Tomokaze – This was fun because it was a bit of a playoff, with both at 11-3, both winning special prizes, and both in competition for the yusho well into the second week. Anyone else notice that Tomokaze’s pre-tachiai stance is a replica of Yoshikaze’s? That gave me a smile when I noticed it. Tomokaze attempted a pull-down early, and that was a fatal mistake.
Kotoyuki defeats Myogiryu – I continue to ask – which alien species abducted this Kotoyuki in 2016 and gave us the clown version for 3 years? Well, the good version is back, and wow! An 11-4 finish punctuated by a tsukidashi over his much higher ranked opponent, Myogiryu.
Chiyotairyu defeats Toyonoshima – Second Darwin match, Chiyotairyu stayed focused, in control and on the attack. Chiyotairyu kachi-koshi, and Toyonoshima make-koshi. As a consolation, Toyonoshima carried the yusho banner for Kakuryu in the yusho parade.
Takarafuji defeats Yago – Yago remains an injured rikishi fighting the toughest men in sumo. Back to Juryo with him, and our sincere hopes that he can get his body back to good health and return.
Ichinojo defeats Kotoeko – Ichinojo was on the attack today, and when that happens, you just have to take whatever he wants to give you.
Shodai defeats Takagenji – Shodai was in the driver’s seat the entire way, as Takagenji seems to have no defense with that injured right ankle.
Aoiyama defeats Daieisho – The Man-Mountain did what he needed to, and picks up his 8th for a kachi-koshi, but further complicating the pecking order at the top of the Aki banzuke. I am sure lksumo will sort it all out for us in time.
Endo defeats Hokutofuji – Possibly the best sumo match thus far in 2019, this was an absolute burner of a fight. Hokutofuji is delivering relentless forward pressure, and lightning attacks. Against that you have Endo who is unleashing combination gambits that only partially work before Hokutofuji deflects and resumes the attack. The fight raged between Endo’s and Hokutofuji’s control, with neither man gaining a clear advantage. Unable to finesse Hokutofuji to defeat, Endo resorts to simple sumo mechanics—he drives low and pushes ahead with everything he has. Wow, what a match!
Asanoyama defeats Sadanoumi – The sumo grumps have been criticizing Asanoyama’s performance this tournament. But I would note that his first trip this far up the banzuke, while it did end in the customary make-koshi, was a 7-8 make-koshi. There is some strength and endurance here, and he’s going to be pushing hard against the injured Ozeki and Yokozuna corps for the next year. I see Asanoyama, and in time Yutakayama, as wedges that will force some of the old guard down the banzuke, and help close out the Hakuho era. Let’s go boys, I can’t wait!
Meisei defeats Ryuden – I really want Ryuden to get it together by Kyushu. This was a tough tournament for him. We did not see the same level of sumo from him that was the engine for his promotion to Komusubi. Injury? Probably so. Heal up, Shin-Ikioi, we await your return.
Abi defeats Kotoshogiku – Not a hit and shift, not a henka, but a flying henka delivered at the tachiai. I was disappointed in that I wanted to see a clash of sumo styles. We got one, but not the one that was anticipated. Some of the crowd did seem to find it a bit amusing, which is unusual for a henka.
Mitakeumi defeats Shimanoumi – Mitakeumi finished with 3-4 in the final week. If he ever wants to truly contest for an Ozeki rank, he needs to fix that. I think that knee injury from Osaka is still bothering him, and until that is resolved, and his week 2 performance improves, the best he can manage will likely be Sekiwake.
Kakuryu defeats Hakuho – This was a real Yokozuna battle. Two men at the top of the sport going head to head, throwing everything they could muster at the end of a punishing 2-week ordeal into the fight. Hakuho got the better of the tachiai, but the lack of elbows robbed him of his coveted “nage” moves, which I would have expected him to unleash as soon as that left hand had Kakuryu’s mawashi. But the roll never came, and Kakuryu kept applying the pressure, fighting for a hold, and eventually finding it. The two lock up again in the center of the dohyo, finally comfortable in their preferred grip with left hand inside / right hand outside. But look at the feet. Hakuho’s feet are close together, his ankles aligned and his toes pointed at Kakuryu. Kakuryu is standing with his left foot behind and pointing out: He’s loading a throw. Hakuho tries a couple of time to drop his hips, but Kakuryu keeps digging deeper, waiting out Hakuho. The reactive sumo style has stalemated the greatest Yokozuna of our time, and Hakuho knows it. Hakuho tries one more advance, but can’t get far. Sensing that Hakuho has reached the limit his damaged elbows can take, Kakuryu shifts to a double inside grip, lifts Hakuho, and carries him out for the win, and the Emperor’s cup. Damn fine sumo.
Thank you all for joining us for a basho that I would call “other than expected” in almost every way, but it was still a solid tournament that gave a new crop of promising rikishi a chance to shine, and a chance to bring their sumo to higher levels of performance.
Discover more from Tachiai (立合い)
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I have a question on a minor point but it’s bothering me…. why was Abi’s match after Tamawashi’s in the running order? I thought the order of the matches went according to the rank of the highest ranked participant. But in this case the sekiwake went before the komusubi.
One theory I’ve seen posited is that while Tamawashi was higher than Abi, his opponent Onosho was lower than Kotoshogiku and they would have preferred not to have such a low-ranker involved in the soroibumi. I’ve no idea how much credence that idea has. I’ve a feeling the fact Abi-Giku was a 7-7 death match also played its part in the decision. That’s a much bigger draw than a dead rubber affair between two makekoshi guys.
Thank you all very much for your insight during this basho. I’ve enjoyed every word!
Thank you once again for your wonderful work, team Tachiai. That was a fine tournament, against all odds.
Just a note: does anyone else find NHK commentary unbearable? Not Murray, of course, but that other guy. Damn, he doesn’t have a clue, where did NHK get him from?
After his “brilliant” inputs on Ryuden vs Meisei, I just had to switch back to Abema TV and watch it in japanese.
Btw, wasn’t that the same dude that once called Hakuho (or maybe Asashoryu) Yakuza, instead of Yokozuna?
Murray and John have a better rapport. Maybe they should get Bruce to do the commentary! I have to say Murray had some questionable calls on the next banzuke (ie Hokutofuji being in pole position for komusubi)
Thank you for the nomination, but having done work for TV in the past, it is a surprisingly tough thing to pull off. Murray is a champ, but there are times when their “color commentators” are less than perfect. I just recall my times in front of the camera, and give them the benefit of the doubt. I would guess they are doing their best.
Kenneth Swenson, he’s been part of the team for more than a decade.
Not usually a fan, but I don’t mind when he’s paired with Murray because you get a bit of banter out of it.
Thanks so much to everyone at team Tachiai!
And I’m very happy for Kakuryu.
So much for the “let’s don’t hurt each other” approach. Hakuho and Kakuryu went at it like two ferrets in a sock. I don’t think anyone has ever had Kakuryu down as a potential dai-yokozuna but he’s the best in the game at the moment.
Abi, you just lost all of your Nagoya privileges. Get out out of town.
Yes, even the men were screaming Endo’s name today. Great match!
Kotoshogiku, when have I seen that face before? Oh yeah. When Terunofuji henka’d you out of Ozeki.
Tamawashi defeats Onosho. Tam found his mojo, but too late in this tournament to do him any good.
Congratulations to Kakyru for the victory. He got a deep nod of respect from Hakuho after the match. Who knows what the dai Yokozuna’s injuries are, but I think he has a left hand issue as well as an elbow issue. Hopefully, he can stay active until he gets his citizenship.
I’m guessing that this was the first time the names of Nishikigi and Cinderella have appeared in the same sentence! Well done.
Great report, Bruce. It has been a real pleasure walking through this basho with you.
Did others note the ‘Hakuho 2020 Olympics’ yukata that the dai-yokuzuna’s tsukebito were wearing?
You have a sharp eye!
He designed those yukata (or had them designed for him) last year, I think. He is very focused on that 2020 vision.
Re the “Hakuho era” – I started watching sumo in Nov 2016 and from then to the present, Hakuho has won 5 and Kakuryu has won 4. (Kisenesato won 2, and nobody else more than one)
Obviously Kakuryu cannot compare to the Dai-Yokozuna, but he has clearly been doing more for sumo than any of the others.
Too often when some of the top dogs pull out I hear “why should i watch this basho when “fan favourite xyz” is out?” I think the Endo vs Hokutofuji bout has shown why. This bout had everything you could want, absolutely incredible sumo… muscle man hokutofuji against the wily technician Endo. Best bout of the tournament imo.
Abi was “supposed” to get destroyed at komusubi, but he has shown to be able to get the results. His sumo is flawed and he probably needs to learn a few more tricks, but it’s wrong to underestimate him.
Tomokaze is a miracle, he fights like a seasoned veteran despite his young age and lack of experience. New ozeki soon?
Terutsuyoshi is one of my new favourites, i hope he can follow up with another great performance next basho.
Unpopular opinion incoming: when kakuryu is at 100% he is an even better yotsu wrestler than Hakuho. And i mean a healthy Hakuho. Probably at his prime the top dog was better but kakuryu is so incredibly strong when he lands a good grip.
Anyway I’m glad he won this, he dominated the whole basho except that one bout against the future Yokozuna… wink
nudge nudge.. wink wink…
Well, Kakuryu and Hakuho have fought four times in the last two years, splitting the bouts, so hard to argue either way. Overall, Hakuho has won 11 out of 15 when they’ve met as Yokozuna.
“Abi was “supposed” to get destroyed at komusubi, but he has shown to be able to get the results.”
Yes indeed!!
Abi has managed to get his KK at Komusubi having been promoted to Sanyaku for the 1st time. That is a pretty noteworthy achievement. Despite including a fusen against Tochi-No-Show and now a henka on the last day, it is a persuasive rebuttal of the idea that his technique is ‘limited’, or has been ‘found out’ by other rikishi.
Having said that…. I am normally totally cool with henkas. Being a philistine, non-Japanese-speaking outsider, my attitude has always been that its a totally legal move, one that risks looking stupid if it doesn’t work, and its all part of the game. But today when Abi pulled the henka against poor old Kotoshogiku I have to confess that it left a bad taste in my mouth. My boy should have had the self-confidence to try to dominate the fading, though still dangerous ex-Ozeki if he wants to send the message that he belongs at this elevated altitude.
I’m also devastated that Toyonoshima didn’t get his KK – his expression when he lost was heart-breaking.
I really want to like Abi—I love his effort and charisma, but I also found his “Flying Henka” to be a cop out and disrespectful of Kotoshogiku. Apparently Abi felt that all is fair in love and war, and did what he felt “needed to be done” to obtain his KK. I hope this does not become a habit for him–(I think) he is better than that.
Well, a kk at komusubi is insanely valuable for him. Tochinoshin perhaps saved his career last basho with a similar move. Sumo is still a sport and sometimes it means you have to be a bit ruthless to get what you want.
I really enjoy Abis sumo because it’s so unconventional, one day he blasts a yokozuna out of the dohyo and other times he gets handled like a child. He could become really really good but something is still missing in his sumo. I hope he will find it soon.
So happy for Kakuryu and I hope he can get a few more yusho in before injuries catch up to him. I guess it would be optimistic to expect him to reach 10, but his fans can only hope! Imagine what he would have been if Hakuho had not been so dominant during his career span. (I guess the same can be said for Haramafuji)
I would expect if Kakuryu can stay healthy, that he will enjoy more and more basho as the “Sole Yokozuna”, and the default position of favorite for the yusho. I would expect him to pick up a few more. I know that Araiso Oyakata has been driving Takayasu toward improvement, and I think he may get there, if Injuries don’t bring him down first. I would not expect a Takayasu rope run until next year, but it’s coming.
I would expect we will see 2020 be a big year in terms of intai. I know there is a large pent-up supply of veteran rikishi who are near the end of their careers. I half expected many of them to bow out when Kisenosato did, but in they stay. Sumo will grind them down until they submit, sadly.
Day 15 did not disappoint – including the Terutsuyoshi/Tomokaze bout – the best rikishi on the day won. big congrats to Kakuryu – stellar tournament and well earned win. and yes, i did note the pre-tachiai Yoshikaze-like stance… she types smiling warmly…. one thing i would like Oguruma oyakata to do in the off-season – work on stamping out this pulling/moving backwards – in 99.9% of their bouts it always spells doom! the moment it starts my head is in my hands whilst i internally cry no! Here’s hoping Yago and Yoshikaze both spend the time healing fully for their eventual return to Makuuchi. A big otsukaresama deshita to all rikishi, followed by a big Aussie ‘well bl**dy done’ to Tomokaze – a sign of exciting things to come!
Exciting tournament despite the absence of all Ozeki. The final day really had some great matches. While I don’t think its a coaches favorite, that Endo vs Hokutofuji bout was fantastic. Huge climax only to be followed by my biggest dissapointment. Lost all respect for Abi.
There were some really bright spots this tournament, making me look forward to Tokyo. Obviously Tomokaze had a stellar performance, but I’m also quite impressed by Shimanoumi. He may not have the ceiling of Tomokaze, but really impressed me, especially since he tends to start the basho with 3 or 4 losses.
Terutsuyoshi obviously had the tournament of his life. I don’t think he can follow up on this in Tokyo or maybe ever, but he might be able to solidly establish in the top half of Makuuchi.
Hokutofuji and Endo had the highlight match of the day, but also had very solid tournaments. On the belt Endo is really fun to watch. I’m curious if the commentators are right and Hokutofuji will move up to Komusubi. I think Todays match could very well be the decider.
Lastly Asanoyama, even with a makekochi, he has been fighting well. A number of those losses have been “unneccesarry” ones and won’t happen with a bit more experience/calmness.
I think Goeido and Tochinoshin will be gone soon as Ozeki and we have yet to see, if Takakeisho can come as before. Will be interesting to see who of this upo and commers can make it to Ozeki first.
What a brilliant sport. Was watching the final day of the Open golf but all the time I was thinking: ‘wonder if there was a playoff in the sumo?’
If nothing else, Abi’s wild goose henka animates sumo news and discussion. I’ve nothing against that. Kotoshogiku’s expression afterwards was priceless..
Oh, and by the way — thanks for the photo of the pink macaron of victory! Who says the sumo world lacks a sense of humor?