Bouts from the lower divisions – Aki 2020 Day 8

Herouth Aki Basho 2020

I apologize in advance for the quality or availability of many of the video clips today. My main source, Lulit, enjoyed a day at the Kokugikan, so did not tweet any videos, and I had to use other sources.

Edit: the VK videos have been replaced with ones from Dailymotion.

My apologies, and let’s get day 2 of round 4 on the road.

Jonokuchi

You can trust to the fact that somewhere, somehow, someone will get a clip of Hattorizakura’s match. The man with the lucky torikumi draw today – Kototaiko, from Sadogatake beya.

This has been Hattorizakura’s 198th loss, and fans across the universe are looking forward to him getting his 200th.

Jonidan

All the matches I have for you today are in the 3-0 bracket. That is, winner is kachi-koshi.

Left – Setonoumi, Takadagawa beya. Right – Shori, Tatsunami beya, whom we have met.

Shori stays in the yusho race.

Next, on the left, another Tatsunami, Kokuryunami. On the right, our friend Ofukasawa from Naruto beya.

As the OP says, Ofukasawa has many matches in which one shouldn’t blink.

Highlight match

On the left, we have Shishi (Ukraine, Irumagawa). On the right, Hozan (Taiho + Takatoriki pedigree, brother to Prince Naya, Otake beya).

Ouch. Hozan seems to have had a problem with his back already, and Shishi’s style of yoritaoshi was not helping at all. Shishi walks away with the kachi-koshi and the place in the yusho race.

Finally, on the left, Miyakogawa from Isenoumi beya. According to sumodb he is 175cm tall, the significance of which will be clear to you when you watch the video. His opponent is the tower of Miyagino beya, Hokuseiho.

If Shishi’s style of yoritaoshi is distinctive, Hokuseiho’s is down right unprecedented. And it reminds me to check my cupboard to see if I have enough tea bags.

Sandanme

And from Hokuseiho to his more senior stablemate, Toma. He is 2-1 as he mounts the dohyo for this match. His opponent – on the right – is Kotakiyama, from Futagoyama beya.

Ah. Toma can’t generate any forward power and topples like a sack. He is 2-2. He’ll be having a hard time getting a kachi-koshi this basho, but it’s still better than the July basho he had.

In the same score bracket, we have Sagatsukasa (Irumagawa beya) on the left, and Roman, the Tatsunami beya man, on the right.

It seems Roman loses the plot somewhat at the tachiai. Sagatsukasa takes advantage and wins the match. Roman finds himself with a “meh” 2-2 on day 8.

In the 3-0 bracket, we start with Hayatefuji from Isegahama beya on the left. His opponent is Amatsu from Onomatsu beya.

Hayatefuji seems to have it easier since that war of attrition against Dewanojo. The young Isegahama man is kachi-koshi, and will try for the yusho.

We are on to the Naruto trio, and we start with Sakurai, on the left. His opponent is Sadanogo, from Sakaigawa beya.

Sakurai had to work hard for it, but he, too, landed his kachi-koshi and remained in the yusho race.

His heya mate, Marusho, is also on the left. His opponent is Otsuji from Takadagawa beya. My apologies, this video doesn’t include the tachiai.

I hope that shout was just frustration, not pain. Otsuji is the one to walk away with the kachi-koshi, and Marusho will have to settle for Cheering Sakurai along the road to the yusho.

Makushita

I start with the sad 0-3 bracket, just because we like Masutoo and want to see if he can somehow salvage something from this basho. The Hungarian is on the left, and Ryusei, from Kagamiyama beya, who is actually 0-1-2 as he started the basho kyujo, is on the right.

Sigh. No joy for Attila. He is make-koshi.

Up in the 1-2 bracket, and much higher on the Makushita banzuke, we have Daiseido on the left, and Tsukahara on the right.

Daiseido has some Juryo history, but it doesn’t seem he will be going back there any time soon. Tsukahara improves to 2-2.

Then, we have Kotodaigo and Tokisakae, whom I touted as a very talented “one to watch”, on the right. This tournament has not been too good for the Tokitsukaze man, and he is 1-2.

(Sorry, no tachiai in the video – Kotodaigo has his back to us)

Kotodaigo wins with a textbook yorikiri, and Tokisakae finds himself with an embarrassing 1-3.

In the slightly better bracket of 2-1, we have Suzuki from fujishima beya, on the left, and Hiradoumi, from Sakaigawa beya, on the right. I believe we have met both.

A monoii is called on this one, a sashi-chigae is declared, and Suzuki gets the (corrected) gunbai.

In the same bracket, we have Tochimaru, Kasugano beya and Kitanowaka, the pride of Hakkaku beya. Sorry, no tachiai in the video. Kitanowaka starts with his back to us.

…and ends flat on his face, to the gasps of the crowd (which technically, shouldn’t be gasping, but they have been doing it a lot today).

Next we have the third, and supposedly strongest, party of the Naruto beya trio, the pushi-thrusting Oshoryu.  His opponent is Chiyoarashi from Kokonoe beya. Again, this video doesn’t include the tachiai. Oshoryu is with his back to us.

Ah. It’s a sukuinage, and Oshoryu also has to settle for 2-2, and if he doesn’t get himself together, he won’t be getting into the promotion zone next basho.

In the dream 3-0 bracket, we find our rabitless friend, Terasawa. He faces a man from Kasugano beya, Tochikodai, who starts on the right.

This is also a sukuinage, and a very pretty one. Terasawa is kachi-koshi, in the yusho race, and looking like the mawashi thief did him a great favor.

Finally, the familiar face of Murata appears on the left side of the dohyo, and Bushozan is the one on the right.

This is not a typical Makushita-joi match… but I think Murata doesn’t mind. Kachi-koshi!

There are 7 names left in the Makushita yusho race: Ura, Murata, Hokutoki, Tochiseiryu, Terasawa, Narutaki and Mudoho. Tomorrow this number will be halved. Ura faces Murata, Hokutoki faces Tochiseiryu. Terasawa faces Narutaki, and Mudoho, being the lowest ranked, will face Tamakongo from Sandanme, who is also 4-0. So we will be left with either 3 or 4 in the yusho race.

Juryo

  • Sakigake came from Makushita and beat Kitaharima. This match is an “exchange match”, in that if Sakigake is kachi-koshi, he’ll have a higher chance to get to Juryo.
  • The Isegahamas are going strong! Oki, on the other hand, is make-koshi and will go back to Makushita for sure, unless he magically wins through.
  • Chiyonokuni makes Tsurugisho decide he wants to have nothing to do with this match anymore.
  • Akua looking good, energetic sumo.
  • Churanoumi even more energetic.
  • Kotonowaka knows whom he is dealing with. He does his tachiai warily, eyeing Chiyoshoma’s every move. This prevents the Mongolian from attempting his usual henka, and gives him only a slight tachiai advantage, which he can’t really use, and it all ends with one shove from the young Sadogatake son.
  • Kyokushuho performs a henka on the ghost of Ikioi. As I said on Twitter, I think this one is more compassionate than disrespectful.

Juryo is currently Chiyonokuni and all the rest.

7 thoughts on “Bouts from the lower divisions – Aki 2020 Day 8”

  6. Anyone registered that Chiyonokuni has won 18 of his last 19 matches? He appears in a great form.

    Also, I am starting to dislike Kotonowaka, he is pushing his opponents off the dohyo, even after the match is finished.

    Reply

    • It looked like that at first glance to me as well, and I dislike dame-oshi. But take a look at the footage again. His final shove was when his opponent was inside the dohyo, on his feet.

      Reply

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