It’s nakabi, the middle day, which means more rikishi who may get a 4-0 kachi-koshi, or a 0-4 make-koshi.
Unfortunately, it’s also a Sunday, which means most of my usual sources are low on content. So this post is going to be somewhat shorter than you’re used to.
New recruits
We have followed maezumo, and now it’s time for the presentation of the new recruits to the spectators. This ceremony is called “shinjoshussehiro”, roughly “Introduction of the new promotees to Jonokuchi”. Here are our three heroes, Dewanoryu, Nihonyanagi and Mudoho. Dewanoryu wears one of Mitakeumi’s kesho-mawashi, Nihonyanagi one of Onosho’s. Mudoho, on the other hand, wears the same kesho-mawashi his brother Naya wore for his presentation: granddad Taiho’s kesho-mawashi.
The other two participants in maezumo, Iwata and Taiga, will be duly promoted to Jonokuchi, but they don’t participate in this presentation because it’s only for new recruits.
Jonokuchi
I have one bout for you in Jonokuchi today, as I thought Hattorizakura’s bout wasn’t worth the effort this time. He is back to his old self. Instead, I give you Hanakaze, the 49 years old sumo Methuselah from Tatsunami beya, on the right, vs. 16 years old Nishikiryu from Asahiyama beya. Both of them are 1-2.
Nishikiryu seems very disappointed about being thrown by someone who is closer in age to his granddad than to his dad, in all probability.
Jonidan
In Jonidan we have no less than three fights for a kachi-koshi. First, Hokutenkai, who takes on Wakahiroto from Chiganoura beya. Wakahiroto is on the right.
The kachi-koshi goes to Hokutenkai, who is in a hurry to catch up with the guys who were in high-school at the same time as he, such as Naya and Hoshoryu. If he keeps it up, he will.
Next we have everybody’s favorite lover of pink, Ura, on the left. His victim of the day is Koki, from Minato beya. No prizes for guessing who won.
Ura’s matches all end before the first “Hakkeyoi” is finished. Ura is kachi-koshi! Congratulations!
Last but not least, Murata, on the left, also with 3-0, meeting Kotokume from Sadogatake beya.
Murata is also taking no prisoners. Congratulations to him on his kachi-koshi.
Another one in this bracket, whose video I could not find, is Mishima, the “understudy” from Naruto beya, who gets his fourth win and kachi-koshi.
Sandanme
In Sandanme, Yoshii, our new “one to watch” from Nakagawa beya, meets another Sadogatake guy, Kotoito. Yoshii is on the left. These two have 2-1 each.
This proves to be a little more challenging, but Yoshii ends with an impressive katasukashi. He is 3-1 and needs one more win for a kachi-koshi.
The head Naruto, Motobayashi, on the right, faces Azumasato from Tamanoi beya. Both 3-0.
“Come back! Come back! I promise I won’t hurt you any more!”. OK, perhaps that’s not what he said to Azumasato who took a flying leap off the dohyo, which may have had something to do with that thrust Motobayashi aimed at his chest. Motobayashi kachi-koshi and seems to be on the road to the 21 club.
Makushita
Omoto, from Irumagawa beya, with 2-1, has the distinct misfortune to face Roga. The Futagoyama man is on the right.
Very nice match! Some exchange of makikae, and some body twists, and Roga improves to 3-1. In the end you can catch a glimpse of his stablemaster, Futagoyama oyakata, who doesn’t even nod in acknowledgement of his deshi’s excellent sumo.
My man Chiyonoumi, on the left, is faced with Tsurubayashi from Kise beya, on the right. These two are 1-2 at the moment.
A win is a win, but I’m not loving Chiyonoumi’s pulling sumo. Go forth and multiply your tsuppari, Kochi-man!
Finally, what is probably the most watched bout in Makushita today, Terunofuji on the left vs. Shiba on the right. Both 3-0 and looking for their kachi-koshi.
Once again the former Ozeki allows himself to get caught in a morozashi, and then finds himself needing some power in his knees to survive on the bales. He somehow rallies, using his usual double kime-hold. He does a very good makikae, and then another one to get to a more comfortable grapple, and then it’s all his. “When I get the mawashi, nobody can defeat me”, says the former Ozeki, who is now 4-0 and kachi-koshi.
Juryo
Here is your Juryo digest for day 8:
- Hoshoryu goes on a half-hearted tsuppari trying to get a hold of Irodori, who will have none of that. Eventually Hoshoryu tries to pull. Don’t pull, youngster! Irodori makes full use of that and Hoshoryu ends in a heap.
- Sokokurai meets Gagamaru. These two have met 24 times before. 24 times! And that’s when Sokokurai was off-banzuke for two years! But today’s Gagamaru is a shadow of his old self, while Sokokurai seems to be going strong.
- Although Kyokutaisei succeeds in his goal of not letting Ikioi anywhere near his mawashi, Ikioi manages to apply enough pressure, and Kyokutaisei runs out of real estate.
- Yago finally gets his shonichi. Both he and Takagenji are in dire straits, though, and are on the brink of make-koshi, if not worse.
- Real nice work from Kiribayama! He gets a maemitsu and uwate grip, and allows Azumaryu only an ichimai with one hand, and nothing on the other.
It looked like Motobayashi’s hand somehow got bloody at the end of the bout, and he was saying something to his opponent about it. Not sure what it was all about…
I think he was checking if he was okay. Azumasato’s left eye was bleeding.
Couple of things here:
It does my withered old heart good to see Ura looking so… Ura-like. Gives a person hope for poor Tomokaze, it does. Much continued success to our favorite pink aficionado.
I now need to know everything about Hanakaze. Who is he? What motivates him? How does one make a life of sumo for 33 YEARS, even without rising past sandanme? What comes next? And does anyone have the heart to tell Cal Ripken he was a mere short-timer after all?!
A few of these first bouts, the opponents seem to be ducking and diving as quickly as possible. Good to see one try. He’s gotten big.
Hanakaze does seem like a fascinating story there. He’s surely got a lot of “lessons learned” about the heya life. Now that life is on mobile phones but he started sumo when dial-up was in its infancy. “Licensed to Ill” had just come out. Betamax, cassette mix tapes, table arcade games in Pizza Hut…I miss the 80s.