The fight schedule for day 1 and 2 have been posted to the Japan Sumo Association’s web site – you can find the match lists here: http://www.sumo.or.jp/EnHonbashoMain/torikumi/1/1/
Some interesting matches for day 1:
- Kotoshogiku vs Ikioi
- Ishiura vs Terutsuyoshi
- Ryuden vs Abi
- Enho vs Mitakeumi
- Hokutofuji vs Yutakayama
- Takakeisho vs Takayasu
- Hakuho vs Endo
Let’s get this basho started!
Looks like Tomokaze is the only pre-basho withdrawal among the sekitori: http://www.sumo.or.jp/EnHonbashoMain/absence/
Also, Kaisei vs. Aoiyama and the big Tokushoryu vs Shodai rematch!
And Hakuho vs Endo….
Super excited!! Also looking forward to seeing how Enho responds having to fight with no crowd support
I hate to be a Debbie Downer but I predict sometime before Day 4, someone will be found to be running a fever and that will be it for the March tourney.
My call is day 9
No! Never! I’ve got my fingers and toes crossed on this! No one is getting sick!
You know there are a whole of 317 (excluding cruise ship passengers) confirmed cases in Japan amongst as little as 127m population? Sure there are likely more light cases that go unnoticed, but the chances of catching it are still slim to nothing and apparently the rikishi are basically kept among themselves.
I spotted that this is the first time Hokutofuji hasn’t had to fight a yokozuna or ozeki on day 1 since September 2018.
Maybe they (Yokozuna) asked the banzuke committee for relief
Haru, not Hatsu, in your title
Thanks, it had been a long day at that point, and thus a mistake.
I’m feeling disoriented with this basho, Normally we would have been talking for a few weeks about all kinds of possibilities with the upcoming basho, who is looking good, the stories we will be following, but instead it’s all about is it even happening. No fault of the wonderful people here, but I missed the usual build up. I feel guilty whining about sumo when people are suffering and even dying, but there it is. I’m shallow and love sumo! Let’s hope we make it through the whole basho and that the virus runs it’s course quickly.
In the video / podcasts that are going up today, we talk about that a bit. There has been a real drought of information coming out of the sumo world, and that has strangled our coverage.
I know, and I guess this just shows how much your coverage enhances the experience!
Tries to use Hakuho’s yokozuna rope as a force-field around Enho That’s going to huuuuuurt… If Mitakeumi can’t make short work of Enho, I think we’re either looking at ring rust or Cause for Concern. I love Enho, but Miktakeumi should be able to have him for lunch =-\