Bouts from the lower divisions, Aki 2020, Days 14 and 15

Herouth Aki Basho 2020

Are you getting the post-basho jitters yet? Well, we have reserved one last shot of bouts from the lower divisions, to keep you going for one more day.

Jonokuchi

Before we start, remember the guy who did a kime-dashi on Hattorizakura in our last installment? Daigonishiki, who came in for a “Ryuden” against everybody’s favorite loser? Well, it turns out he wasn’t holding on for a recovery. This match against Hattorizakura, who was surely amazed to have his arms locked all of a sudden, was in fact Daigonishiki’s last, and he has retired. His danpatsu-shiki has already taken place.

This is a well-known part of the last round of every basho. While some rikishi retire between basho, being marked as kyujo in the during the next one, some choose to retire after doing a full basho, and you see their heya mates await them after their 7th bout. I am guessing Daigonishiki was unable to do a full basho, and still wanted to go out winning.

This leads us to Hattorizakura’s last match of the Aki basho – his 8th. This, too, is a Ryuden match, and the “Ryuden” in question is, in fact, Chiyotaiko from Kokonoe beya. You can probably tell which one is which.

He is not trying anything flashy, just an oshidashi, so I will assume he is not retiring as yet.

Our real Jonokuchi match of the day is between Osuzuki and Yutakanami. We had a Suzuki, and now we have an Osuzuki, which is what happens when there is already a rikishi using his (common) last name. The “O” is the same as “Oshoryu” and “Ofukasawa”, telling you he is from Naruto beya. Both he and Yutakanami come into this match with an impressive 5-1.

Osuzuki is bigger than Yutakanami, and seems to have good oshi-zumo in his arsenal. He improves to 6-1, while the disappointed Yutakanami has to settle for 5-2.

Jonidan

We bid farewell (for the time being) to the oldest man in the world of Sumo, Hanakaze, on the left. His opponent is Chiyotsurugi (Kokonoe, right), and both are make-koshi with 2-4.

Hanakaze unleashes an uwatenage, but cannot really clear the way in time. Take care of your legs, granddad!

The next one we bid farewell to is the younger, very energetic, and very thin Chiyotaiyo. Maybe we should organize a crowdfunding campaign to feed him? This one is a Darwin match, as the stick insect is 3-3, as is his opponent, Nishimura from Musashigawa beya. Let’s see if you can guess on your own which one is the stick insect.

Eat, Chiyotaiyo, eat!

Another Darwin match is this one, between Shimanishiki (Asahiyama, left), and Senho (Miyagino, right).

The half-Mongolian wins this one with the heya’s signature shitatenage, and rides back to his Heya with a kachi-koshi.

Next we have the bracket of those who already achieved their kachi-koshi and can enjoy a leasurely final bout. On the left, we have Satonofuji, Bow Twirler Emeritus, and on the right, Wakatozakura, from Shikihide beya. Both 4-2.

Satonofuji tries to improve his Zubuneri record (currently 26), but cannot quite assume the right stance for it. So he goes for another specialty of his, his 22nd kakenage. You can’t not love a 43 years old man who does this stuff so gracefully, despite a complete lack of spectators. He improves to 5-2. And his comment on the Isegahama web site? “Thankfully, I have been able to finish a basho without injury”.

We are not done with the book of kimarite, yet. Our next one is between Wakaikki, the man who sounds suspiciously Hawaiian but isn’t, from Nishonoseki beya, on the left, and Asahinishiki, the Asahiyama chanko-cho (who is not very good at it).

The Kimarite is “upsy-daisy”, which in Japanese is okuritsuridashi. Even Asahinishiki is surprised at improving to 5-2.

Last in this bracket, on the left, is Asahinishiki’s heya mate, the future president of Bolivia, Kirameki. On the right,Kotonagahama (Sadogatake).

Kotonagahama lifts up Kirameki and thrusts him to the edge. Kirameki tries to recover, and at some point this becomes a chaotic dog fight out of which el presidente comes with 5-2. Oshitaoshi.

In the 5-1 bracket, we have Wakaseido (yet another Asahiyama man), on the left, facing Hagiwara from Naruto beya, who still smarts at having lost to Hisanotora on day 11, which leaves him still in Jonidan next basho.

If he has to stay in Jonidan, he is going to make sure he stays at the very top of Jonidan. Hagiwara unleashes an uwatenage and improves to 6-1.

In the same bracket, we have Setonoumi (Takadagawa, left), and Hamasu (Onoe, right). Hamasu, you may recall, is the son of Onoe oyakata, and he had several kyujo and generally wasn’t showing his pedigree.

Strange tachiai… but he follows it with much energy, to finish with the best score he has had since joining his dad’s heya in 2018, 6-1.

Finally in this bracket, the member of the Taiho family, Hozan (Otake, left), facing Chiyotaiho (Kokonoe, right). It’s not the same “Taiho”.

The big Naya brother (not the eldest, though, the eldest is in pro wrestling) finishes this basho with 6-1, shutting up all those “he is the worst Naya” voices.

Sandanme

We start with a series of Darwin matches. First up, Takeoka, the July Basho’s Jonidan Yusho winner on the left, and Kaishinmaru from Asakayama beya (that’s Kaio’s heya) on the right. Both 3-3.

Ah. Yusho winner one basho, make-koshi in the next. Poor Takeoka.

Next, I don’t have a horse in this one, Daihisho (Oitekaze, left) vs. Hokuyozan (not Hakuyozan, this is Sandanme) from Tatsunami beya. But it’s worth a look.

The tricks are strong with this one. Hokuyozan starts with an attempted Tottari, and finishes with a successfull kekaeshi, for a kachi-koshi.

Next, Asakishin, from Takasago beya. He and the Makushita yusho winner, of bunny fame, Terasawa, are Asanoyama’s tsukebito, and they are BFFs. Terasawa, in his yusho interview, said that he was very nervous on the day of his yusho match, so Asakishin gave him a hug and he relaxed (Bunnies and hugs? Terasawa puts care bears to shame!). So the hugging man is here on the left, and Kihonoumi (Dewanoumi) is on the right, and we are still in the 3-3 bracket.

Asakishin puts his heart into it, and seems pretty pumped up about it. It’s funny to see him, like Terasawa, bowing to the camera then in the end. But they are not the same man (they could have fooled me):

OK, moving to the leisurly brackets, we’re still following the Naruto trio. And here is Sakurai, on the right, facing Kaishin (Tagonoura, left):

Sakurai is a little too comfortable, and finishes with a minimal 4-3 kachi-koshi, while Kaishin improves to 5-2.

Up in the even-more-comfortable 5-1 bracket, on the left, Fujikawa (Oguruma). On the right, Hayatefuji (the Isegahama bullet).

Circle, circle, win. Hayatefuji brings back a 6-1 score, which is sure to please his oyakata.

Back to our trio. With his back to us, we have Marusho (Naruto). Facing us, Tanakayama (Sakaigawa):

Marusho is terribly disappointed in that one. He stays with 5-2, and Tanakayama improves to 6-1.

Finally, in the same bracket, Chiyonokatsu (Kokonoe, left), vs. Otsuji (Takadagawa), whom we have already seen several times.

Shove! Shove! Shove! Otsuji is not letting the Kokonoe man do anything, and improves to 6-1.

Makushita

Shuji (Kise, left) is on a visit from Sandanme, facing Yoshoyama, Tokitsukaze beya’s Mongolian. Both are 3-3 for this Darwin match.

Yoshoyama seems to be working without his whole left side. Somehow he gambarizes and gets the kachi-koshi. I don’t know how, as this injury has not started this basho, but he managed to keep himself kachi-koshi through 2020.

In the next Darwin match, the 17 years old Yoshii (Tokitsukaze) faces Kotodairyu (Sadogatake). Yoshii is facing us, Kotodairyu with his back to us.

The kimarite is kainahineri, and Yoshii is kachi-koshi. And some spectators are not obeying the COVID regulations which require them to stay silent.

This next one has several points of interest:

  • It’s a Darwin match.
  • It involves one of the Naruto trio, the head of the triangle, Oshoryu (left).
  • His opponent is the universally liked Tamashoho (formerly known as Kyokusoten), Tamawashi’s nephew.
  • The video includes the yobidashi call, and since there are so many sekitori kyujo, these two Makushita men lucked out to be called by yobidashi Kunio. So do not fast forward on this one, at least not until the yobidashi call ends.

Tamashoho has his back to us, Oshoryu faces us.

After that lovely serenade, Tamashoho, who has been described as “Having good sumo but lacking in body and spirit” in the past, manages to get the Naruto beya pride and joy splat on the ground with a very fine kirikaeshi. The Mongolian is kachi-koshi, and seems to have gained a bit of weight, and if Tamawashi keeps feeding him, he may actually get to Juryo one fine day.

We move to the bracket of comfort, 4-2, and meet another Naya, Mudoho, on the left. His opponent is Shiba, who is usually a Makushita top fixture, but was kyujo last basho so he dropped a bit.

Ooh, nice. Mudoho finishes with a shitatenage, and improves to 5-2.

Up next, familiar face Murata (Takasago), vs Tochimaru (Kasugano, rightish).

Murata stays with the – to him – disappointing 4-3, and Tochimaru improves to 5-2.

Another one who is kachi-koshi but wants to improve is Prince Charming of Hakkaku beya, Kitanowaka (left), but his opponent is the die-hard Bushozan (Fujishima).

Kitanowaka tries to pull, and Bushozan employs that to maximum exffect. Bushozan improves to 5-2.

Next, Kotokuzan (Arashio, left), facing Takakeisho’s tsukebito, Takakento, on the right. Takakento has mounted an excellent campaign this basho, and really hopes to get into the promotion zone for November.

Takakento was the one on the attack in this match, and Kotokuzan was defending, but Takakento misses a step, finds himself at an awkward angle, and Kotokuzan reverses the charges. I’m not sure 4-3 is enough to get Takakento into the magic zone.

Fukai, from Takasago beya, with his back to us, faces Chiyodaigo, usually a Sandanme staple, but has improved to Makushita after returning from kyujo.

Again, that screaming spectator… Though there is no danger of Chiyodaigo returning to Sandanme with a 4-3, Fukai is the one who improves to 5-2 and will advance through the ranks. It was a nice throw.

Last in this bracket, Tim’s favorite, Kamito from Tatsunami beya. On the right, we have Hiradoumi (Sakaigawa):

Hiradoumi grabs the front of Kamito’s mawashi, and from then on it’s just the Sakaigawa man. He improves to 5-2, and Kamito will have to settle for 4-3.

Last, both at 5-1, we have the familiar Yago (Oguruma, left), going against Chiyoarashi (Eternal storm? Kokonoe, right):

Yago has staged a nice comeback and is now 6-1. But it will probably just land him at the magic zone, not promote him to Juryo – unless the Tamanoi guys are demoted. Also, am I the only one who thinks he is fighting like Hanakaze – no bending of knees whatsoever? He’ll find it hard to survive in Juryo like that.

So, where are the Grand Naya and Back-Flipping Ura, you ask? Well, they have gone on a visit to Juryo.

Juryo

I am running out of time (tomorrow is a work day! Aaaagh! It’s past midnight!), so I’ll mostly leave these here for your judgment. day 14 contains Naya. Day 15 contains Ura. Enjoy!

Day 14:

Naya looking good in an oicho-mage.

Day 15:

Daishoho was pretty desparate here. Ura also looking good back in an oicho-mage.

See you (ma

4 thoughts on “Bouts from the lower divisions, Aki 2020, Days 14 and 15”

  1. Was starting to get excited when I read “okuritsuri…”, then realized it was -dashi instead of -otoshi. The shockwaves created when Harumafuji slammed Goeido to the clay those many years ago are still spreading somewhere in the Earth.

    Reply

    • I think Takekuma oyakata is still boack and blue in that part of his crotch Harumafuji deccided to grab a hold f for that one.

      Reply

  2. Senho looks to have put on some weight. Maybe he can give Chiyotaiyo some pointers…but maybe there’s just nothing left after Chiyomaru comes through? I don’t know why but I love a good kekaeshi and Hokuyozan’s was a nice one. Satonofuji’s definitely good for one. There are far too few good trip artists around.

    Glad to see Hayatefuji back to winning and Kirameki will get up there, too. I’d had hopes for Nabatame’s yusho…but oh well. For some reason I get Yoshii mixed up with Ishii. It’s nice to have some guys with deep bows. I miss Homasho. I’ll need to follow our mawashi theft victim and his comrade.

    I agree, totally, about Yago. I don’t want to see him back on a full 15-day schedule. Guys in Juryo shouldn’t be running scared from Ura. I guess Daishoho’s going back?

    Thank you for these!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply

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