You may have doubted my story about a mischievous kami inhabiting the dohyo this tournament…
From Atamifuji remembering his sumo, to the Daieisho-Onosho photo finish that did not get a review, to the “Kitchen Sink” match between Tochinoshin and Tamawashi, it was a wild day of sumo. The yusho went down to a playoff, the the results… well, read on.
Highlight Matches
Aoiyama defeats Okinoumi – Aoiyama made contact with his meaty right hand at the tachiai, and rode that contact all the way to a win. Okinoumi was pushed back, and was unable to break contact. Aoiyama finishes 7-8.
Atamifuji defeats Takanosho – Dear Atamifuji – where were you hiding that for the last week and change? When you come back to the top division, please fight more like that each and every day. Atamifuji’s left hand over arm grip does all the work and the uwatenage gives Takanosho his make-koshi at 7-8, while Atamifuji picks up his final match to return to Juryo with a 4-1 make-koshi.
Takarafuji defeats Kagayaki – If you are a fan of slow motion sumo, this is a match for you. I don’t recall a slower, more plodding forward push, especially against an injured man. Its slow enough that Takarafuji can plan out his response, execute it, and turn to watch the results. Takarafuji wins his final by okuridashi, and ends Kyushu with a 3-12.
Myogiryu defeats Azumaryu – Our first Darwin match, and it’s a bit of a heart breaker. He has no defense against Myogiryu’s tachiai, and is quickly walked out. This guy has never had a kachi-koshi in the top division, and was at the threshold, then lost his last 3 in a row to end with a 7-8 make-koshi. Myogiryu is kachi-koshi at 8-7.
Chiyoshoma defeats Endo – Endo as a bit of power at the start, but that fades as soon as Chiyoshoma counter attacks. It’s a fast walk forward to the bales, and an immediate oshidashi to send Endo off the dohyo. Chiyoshoma finishes 7-8.
Nishikigi defeats Kotoeko – The second Darwin match saw Kotoeko eager to attack, and gain an initial advantage. Nishikigi had enough space and ring sense to set his feet, which shut down Kotoeko’s attack. A surge forward payed off for Nishikigi, and he pressed the attack all the way to the point that Kotoeko stepped out. 8-7 kachi-koshi for Nishikigi, 7-8 make-koshi for Kotoeko.
Sadanoumi defeats Ichiyamamoto – Ichiyamamoto put all of his hopes on a pulling attack that only served to hasten his exit from the ring. He leapt from the dohyo and landed stiff legged, injuring himself. Out comes the wheelchair as Sadanoumi accepts the win. Sadanoumi finishes Kyushu 8-7 and kachi-koshi, Ichiyamamoto off to get x-rays and is make-koshi at 7-8.
Wakamotoharu defeats Oho – Oho with all the initial power, he knocks Wakamotoharu upright, but does not prevent him from setting up a left hand grip. Oho realizes this is trouble, and breaks Wakamotoharu’s grip, and resorts to a close range attack. He has Wakamotoharu at the bales, but does not protect against the sukuinage that wins the match for Wakamotoharu. Both end the basho with 10-5, and have fought very well this November.
Midorifuji defeats Kotoshoho – The final Darwin match of the year. Kotoshoho immediately tries a pull at the tachiai, and it fails miserably. Midorifuji surges forward and drives Kotoshoho out by oshidashi. Kotoshoho make-koshi at 7-8, Midorifuji kachi-koshi at 8-7.
Ichinojo defeats Terutsuyoshi – Dear readers, we have witnessed history. The last time a top division rikishi turned in a zero win record on the clay was 1991. So this is the first time in 31 years that a rikishi was unable to win a single match in 15 attempts in the top division. Call it the Hattorizakura prize, or even its proper name – zenpai.
Meisei defeats Hiradoumi – Hiradoumi fought well, but was maybe a bit too eager. That arm tug may have seemed like a good idea at the moment, but helped Meisei move forward. The resulting thrust stemmed from that pull, and so Hiradoumi set up the kimarite. Meisei finishes Kyushu 9-6.
Kotonowaka defeats Ryuden – Excellent defensive sumo from Kotonowaka today. He let Ryuden do most of the work, and focuses on keeping his feet set, and breaking apart Ryuden’s grip, and then his balance. Both end Kyushu 9-6.
Abi defeats Takayasu – The big match was all about balance, as expected. There was only a brief moment where Takayasu was in a proper defensive stance, and Abi kept the pressure up to never let him stabilize. Perfect Abi-zumo form against a rikishi who should have focused on the other brand of sumo he was once known for. Both are 12-3, and the playoff for the yusho is on.
Daieisho defeats Onosho – We expected big thrusting power in this match, and we got it. The ending, not so sure about that. The gumbai went to Daieisho, but replays showed them touching down together. Maybe they wanted to make sure they had enough time in their broadcast slot to get that playoff in. Daieisho finishes Kyusho 7-8.
Tobizaru defeats Ura – Ura has Tobizaru captured, and holds fast. But for whatever reason tries a pull when Tobizaru is at his most stable. The release of forward pressure enables Tobizaru to rush forward and finish Ura with an oshidashi. Tobizaru with a final score for Kyushu of 7-8.
Tamawashi defeats Tochinoshin – What a brawl! Combos, pushing, captures and escapes, left hand, right hand, inside, outside! It was a “kitchen sink” match as they threw everything they could at each other. But it was Tamawashi who took the win with an uwatenage at the bales. Both finish Kyushu at 6-9.
Nishikifuji defeats Mitakeumi – Why Mitakeumi allowed Nishikifuji to set up his left hand grip is beyond me. Mitakeumi looked almost passive today, offering only token resistance. He ends the basho 6-9, and I would guess is out of san’yaku all together. Nishikifuji finishes at 9-6.
Hoshoryu defeats Kiribayama – This match demonstrated just how even their sumo power and technique is. Each tried to employ some of their favorite moves, only to be countered by the other. With neither man able to out maneuver the other, it came down to strength and determination. A Hoshoryu lift and carry finished the fight, and Hoshoryu’s final score is 11-4, with the technique prize added as a special bonus.
Hokutofuji defeats Shodai – A fitting end to Shodai’s questionable Ozeki career, he loses to the man with “The most powerful make-koshi in all of sumo”. It was traditional Hokutofuji sumo; handshake tachiai, nodowa, hazu-oshi and a quick run to the bales. Shodai was unable to do much more than hold on and try to keep his feet. Hokutofuji improves to finish Kyushu 7-8.
Takakeisho defeats Wakatakakage – Takakeisho wants a piece of that yusho playoff, and Wakatakakage is his only obstacle. Stand out move, that big left cross from Takakeisho that discombobulated Wakatakakage long enough that the hatakikomi could land. Takakeisho joins the 12-3 team, and heads for the playoffs.
Yusho Playoff
Playoff Match 1 – Takayasu vs Abi Abi henka. Who did not see it coming? Clearly not Takayasu. Furthermore Takayasu is hurt. Not sure what was injured, but that was a possibly the worst possible outcome here.
Playoff Match 2 – Takakeisho vs Abi Abi catches Takakeisho center-mass and gives it everything he can muster. It’s enough to get Takakeisho back with his heels on the bales. A follow up push into Takakeisho’s chest steps him out, and it’s an Abi-zumo yusho.
Congratulations to Abi on your first yusho. What a fitting end to the 2022 sumo season, and I hope that we can find a better path in the new year.
To you, dear readers, thank you for coming along with Team Tachiai for the Kyushu basho. We loved bringing you are daily coverage, and we hope you enjoyed reading it.
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Thank you for the coverage, it made an amazing basho even more amazing. Seriously, I don’t think I’ve enjoyed a basho this much since the epic Teru vs Hakuho 14-0 vs 14-0 final match.
Happy for Abi, super sad for Taco, proud that at least one ozeki is showing the others what an ozeki is supposed to do in the rank, Keisho almost wins the whole thing.
Fingers crossed for the Yokozuna on January.
Thanks!
amazing job to rovide so much coverage for 15 days. I suppose you do not get free time at work to do that, so all the more: Thank you!
Super sad for poor Papayasu… this time He could almost touch the cup. I hope He will be able to regroup and give it another shot.
Sort of sad also for Hoshoryu but lookking at the whole basho, He did not really deserve to get the coup. He is growing in stregth and improving (a bit) in attitude. He will get the cup multiple times, I am sure.
Quick note on the Juryo results. I am amazed at yet another double digit from Hokuseiho. He has no tachiai at all, but he mast be VERY heavy to move aroud. He will not be promoted and I think it is a good thing. He is not yet ready for the big league. I hope the GOAT cen lit a proper fire in Him for January!
Finally, is it welcome back Asanaoyama?
Yep, looks like Asanaoyama is going to make Juryo in January. Judging from what Abi and Terunofuji had to do in their climbs back, two tournaments just running through the competition is what it will take to get back to makuuchi.
Thanks to everyone at Tachiai for their great coverage of sumo in general!
For me, today was about the reactions at the end of the matches:
Atimafuji being overly thankful at the end of his match.
The “Awwwwwwwww, heck” look on Kotoshoho’s face
The small, amused smiles that both Tochinoshin and Tamawashi had when they bowed.
The happiness (and relief!) on Hoshoryu’s face when he won.
We’re in for a couple of years where “iron sharpens iron” as various rikishi improve their skills and work towards getting to the top of the banzuke. I look forward to it.
My assumption for why Takayasu got hurt is he went butt over teakettle and landed on his neck and head at the end of his first match with Abi. His head and neck getting wrenched and hit by the henka in the second match finished the job. That’s 100% a concussion and I hope Takayasu’s career isn’t over. Thank goodness Abi finished the job on his first try with Takakeisho. Takayasu mounting the dohyo again would have been a disaster. He only could have gotten more hurt by doing so.
I am not surprised by Abi’s henka, but am confused why he thought it was necessary. He beat Takayasu resoundingly in their first match and he didn’t think he could do so again? That’s incredibly odd to me. Perhaps he wanted to ensure his victory and take the easier road so he had more energy for Takakeisho? We’ll probably never know for sure.
How is it a henka if the loser’s head ends up against the winner’s chest? A henka is to have your opponent miss you and fall down or let you slap him down as he goes past you. Abi did neither, The interviewer asked him about the henka, Abi denied it was a henka, and I think he was right, He stepped to the side to get a different angle of attack.
“He stepped to the side.” That’s how it is a henka, to the NHK interviewer, the Abema commentators, and millions who watched. Abi can say, “the thing you called a henka” but it is indisputable that his tachiai was a lateral move rather than a forward one, contact or not. It wasn’t a “hit-and-shift,” either. It was a blatant attempt to avoid Takayasu’s strong tachiai.
Exactly. That was a BS move only to be topped by the lack of appropriate reaction to that injury, yet again.
The funny thing is, I always support a henka. I’m a fan. I just have to call what I see. To be honest, I always assumed a henka would avoid head injury. I’m not sure Abi knew that Takayasu was hurt. At first, I thought he was upset, seeing yet another yusho escape his grasp. Then, I thought ankle or knee. His head hitting Abi in the chest seemed so routine and innocuous, I can understand Abi’s lack of response.
I was talking about the people we had been told would be assessing any serious injuries. I actually didn’t look at Abi at all at that point, just watching Takayasu, and his weird head movements.
I’ve watched it many times and it still doesn’t look like a typical henka. For one thing, Takayasu was leading with his left side, so he was at an angle too. His head hit Abi’s chest at right angles,, which would be impossible in a henka. Just saying “Abi pulled a henka” doesn’t convey what actually happened.
I agree. It was not the “Olé” henka because he went for the slapdown to finish Takayasu off. But he clearly went left, instead of head-on. He wanted to avoid the tachiai but not Takayasu, entirely.
I think the “henka” (if that’s what it was) may have been a tactical move to get Takakeisho thinking about it. He was awfully tentative at the tachiai, as the announcers also mentioned.
While it might have had the desired effect, surely Abi wouldn’t have pulled two henkas in a row…
This is definitely a possibility. Also, the main reason we’re arguing about if it’s a “henka” or not is Abi misjudged his jump and got caught by Takayasu. If that hit didn’t scramble Takayasu’s brains, then he could have boosted Abi across the dohyo and out.
At the end of his first bout with Abi, Takayasu’s head-first backwards tumble was like a hockey player sliding head-first into the boards. It causes a compression of the vertebrae in the neck when the top of his head hit the floor.
In his second bout with Abi, Takayasu suffered yet another impact to his neck when his head contacted Abi’s chest. Abi’s thrust down on Takayasu’s neck couldn’t have helped the situation.
I suspect that Takayasu’s injury was not a concussion, but nerve damage in his spine. I was shocked that they didn’t have him get immediate medical attention.
It seems people are vehemently opposed to any changes in the sport owing to its cultural and historical links being such a strong part of its brand.
That being said; the way Sumo manages the long- and short-term health of wrestlers is decades behind other sports.
I also fear that it’s a neck injury. if that was a neck injury in the regular bout, then going into the playoff without diagnostic imaging is one hell of a risk. Frightening to think of what could happen with a collision on an unstable spine.
Using the term ‘manages’ gives them more credit than they deserve. Sumo’s approach to first aid disgusts me.
Atamifuji finally looked confident to be on a makuuchi dohyo, and he won! But wow, it took a long time. I hope he’s back soon.
A lot of Rikishi are fighting injured.
Sumo is a brutal sport and 90 fights in a year
is a load. It’s never going to happen but lowering the
dohyo would help. Ichiyamamoto would not have been hurt
except for the big drop.
This was an entertaining basho, but I do miss Hakuho.
A henka in a playoff match … of course it’s not against the rules, but it will take years if ever till I might wish Abi well for any bout again.
I am totally with you with this. Besides, I am relatively new to sumo.. did takayasu ever performe a henka? Doing that to Takayasu of all the people, was a low point. Having said that, Abi earned the cup in the other 14 matches.
If Hoshoryu had won the Cup, people would have said similar things about his henka too. As Savaros said, it’s not against the rules, but definitely looked down upon in certain situations.
I’m not sure if Takayasu hasn’t ever used a henka because he’s had a long career. However, He definitely hasn’t done it in years if he has.
Whatever goodwill I had for Abi is out the window. Of course I’m equally sure that he doesn’t give a rat’s behind.
Thank you all at Tachiai for yet more excellent coverage this basho. I never thought I would see the word ‘clade’ in a sports report :)
ABI !!!!! YES !!!!! VICTORY!!!
I just watched the award ceremony – very moving, especially when Abi said of his oyakata ”I’ve given him nothing but trouble. I hope I could make him happy.” His comeback narrative from suspension and disgrace to a Yusho will hopefully boost sumo’s popularity.
Eternal thanks as ever to the Tachiai team!
Watching the replay of Takayasu’s first fight with Abi where he falls off the dohyo, he took a terrible tumble and certainly injured his neck. I’m sure that effected his following bout and the knock down must have really finished him off. Why the hell they don’t help the rikishi immediately after seeing them stumble after a bad fall? I can’t understand why they wait? Concussion is serious and can be felt much later, in the worst case resulting in death. Saving face is one thing, but waiting to see if he gets up on his own, results in further injury.
I agree with “Bumblenick”, lower the dohyo, save needless injuries and I miss Hakuho too!
Thanks Tachiai for all your coverage and comments. I have learned so much about sumo from your commentary.
My wife and I love Sumo – it’s unique and competitive but, let’s get real. Takayasu’s injury should have been tended to immediately. Instead he was told to sit down, which he did having no idea I’m sure that he was to be next up if Takakeisho had won. Japan has changed since the ’60’s, but Sumo hasn’t. It is ritual over all else.
Takakeisho’s (I’ll be kind) unique shape demands that he slap & thrust only. But Abi and so many others – never a thought to grab the belt even once in a while? I don’t get it. And it’s taking over the sport.
Since no one else is saying so, I guess it’s just me, but I thought Takakeisho “took one for the team” against Abi: didn’t give it his all to spare himself, Takayasu, the Kyokai, and us the extremely unwelcome eventuality of an obviously injured rikishi returning for another bout. He may not have wanted to live with the consequences of facing Takayasu again, even if got him a yusho.
Huh, interesting idea. It was certainly a clear case of no tachiai, which at the time I put down to him worrying about Abi’s henka. Although, it kinda seems unlikely for a professional sportsperson. But, you could be right, I suppose. I guess we’ll never know, as I don’t imagine he’d ever say even if it were true. Whatever the case, it was a bizarre playoff..
Thank you so much for this coverage. I’m a first time sumo watcher having had the chance to attend day 1 of the Kyushu basho whilst in Fukuoka a few weeks back. I’ve tried following the rest of the tournament on Japanese TV, but this blog has really helped me work out what’s going on.
Well done Abi, the kid sat in front of me on Day 1 was a massive Abi fan so I’ve followed him since then 😀
I was really delighted how Kotonowaka beat Ryuden. I know I’m kind of in a minority but I can’t stand ryudens sumo, it’s unattractive and annyoing to me. The way he just clamps to the belt and then hopes for the best. There’s just no finesse in his sumo…
Still a respectable tournament by him, I just don’t want to see him at the upper ranks.
The grip change by Kotonowaka on the other hand was done incredibly well. I hope he can be more of a contender next time around.
I’m impressed by how strong he has become. In a straight yotsu battle he is one of the strongest guys in the top division currently, but he is somewhat subsceptible to throws which the mongolian throwing specialists often use to their advantage.
It’s totally fair not to like his style, but I’d disagree about “no finess.” I think he is an exceptional belt technician, up there with Endo and second only to Terunofuji.
WOW – I didn’t think we’d have another CRAZY basho – but Bruce was correct from the beginning! I truly LOVE all of the commentary from all of you: Bruce, Andy, Iksumo, Herouth. I learn so much from all of you – not only because of your love of Sumo, but the Most Accurate Information on the web. Thank you so much – and thank you to all of the people who post here – always interesting/educational for me. My Best Wishes To All and looking forward the the New Year Basho!