Is Nishikigi for real? Takayasu is cleaning up against mid-maegashira. But Nishikigi is tearing up sanyaku. What is this? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Nishikigi is still only half-way to sweeping up sansho prizes, much less talk of yusho. There’s a lot of sumo remaining. But what an impressive start!
Highlights
Roga (2-3) defeated Bushozan (1-4): Bushozan launched forward at the tachiai but Roga was quickly able to secure a grip on his belt and drive forward, forcing Bushozan over the bales. Yorikiri.
Endo (4-1) defeated Takarafuji (3-2): Endo drove Takarafuji to the edge and then shoved him, forcefully, to send Takarafuji over the edge. Oshidashi.
Ryuden (1-4) defeated Hakuoho (3-2): Hakuoho seemed uncomfortable with a left-hand inside grip and struggled to generate any offense. Ryuden took advantage and worked Hakuoho to the edge and over. Yorikiri.
Shonannoumi (4-1) defeated Aoiyama (2-3): Aoiyama’s tsuppari was not very effective at moving the makuuchi debutant. Shonannoumi shrugged off Aoiyama’s attack, moved inside and secured a belt grip. From there, he quickly walked Aoiyama back and out of the ring. Oshidashi.
Daishoho (1-4) defeated Chiyoshoma (2-3): Useless henka attempt from Daishoho. But Chiyoshoma’s early tsuppari was ineffective and even when Chiyoshoma acquired a belt grip, he was unable to budge Daishoho. Daishoho, on the other hand, was finally able to use his weight and gather up his strength to move forward and he drove Chiyoshoma over the edge. Yorikiri.
Kotoshoho (2-3) defeated Tsurugisho (1-4): Kotoshoho pressed forward and shoved Tsurugisho over the edge. Oshidashi. Tsurugisho immediately cradled his left arm. He had used his upper-body strength yesterday but if that’s sapped with a left arm injury, he may be toast with no offensive options.
Gonoyama (5-0) defeated Kotoeko (3-2): The strength of Gonoyama’s tachiai was enough to stagger Kotoeko, drawing appreciative gasps from the crowd. Kotoeko was not able to corral Gonoyama, who used his tsuppari effectively to chase Kotoeko around the ring before slapping him down. In truth, Kotoeko was over-extended and off-balance as he tried to re-engage, so he slipped to the dohyo easily. I’m not sure whether Gonoyama’s slap down even connected. Hatakikomi.
Myogiryu (2-3) defeated Takanosho (0-5): As Myogiryu pushed forward, Takanosho’s left leg buckled. They called it Tsukiotoshi. The way Takanosho went down, I would have been tempted to call tsukihiza but Myogiryu had been generating a good bit of forward pressure.
Kinbozan (3-2) defeated Nishikifuji (3-2): Simple shift of direction from Kinbozan and a quick slap-down. Textbook hatakikomi.
Hokutofuji (4-1) defeated Sadanoumi (1-4): Hokutofuji’s ottsuke, paired with his effective tsuppari left Sadanoumi struggling to find a way inside. When Hokutofuji got Sadanoumi spun around, it was an easy pushout from behind. Okuridashi.
Halftime
Tamawashi (4-1) defeated Onosho (1-4): Onosho did a good job driving Tamawashi back to the edge but Tamawashi did a better job of pivoting, grabbing the belt (what?) and forcing Onosho over the edge. Yorikiri. Yes, Tamawashi with a yotsu-style win.
Takayasu (5-0) defeated Hiradoumi (1-4): Takayasu drove forward and when Hiradoumi resisted, pressing forward with all of his weight, Takayasu stepped aside and executed a beautiful, forceful slapdown. Hatakikomi.
Ura (3-2) defeated Oho (2-3): From a master class in how to execute a slapdown, to a master class in how to defeat a slapdown. Oho drove Ura to the tawara and then pulled, trying a slapdown. Ura just moved forward with Oho and accelerated, driving Oho into the third row of VIP seats. Tsukidashi.
Hokuseiho (3-2) defeated Asanoyama (3-2): Hokuseiho executed his sumo well against a very strong opponent. Hokuseiho attempted a throw, and while it didn’t force Asanoyama down, it was successful at forcing Asanoyama to the edge. Hokuseiho tried to shove Asanoyama over but Asanoyama resisted. However, Hokuseiho kept up the pressure and forced Asanoyama to step out. Yorikiri.
Midorifuji (1-4) defeated Mitakeumi (0-5): A lengthy grapple at the center of the ring. Mitakeumi couldn’t get the power needed to drive Midorifuji back. Midorifuji eventually relented, dropped his resistance and pulled and shoved Mitakeumi to the ground. Tsukiotoshi.
Sanyaku
Kotonowaka (3-2) defeated Shodai (2-3): Once Kotonowaka got Shodai in a bear hug, Shodai was toast. You don’t need a belt grip to execute yotsu-zumo and this was an excellent example. Kotonowaka held Shodai right under the armpits in a bear hug. Yorikiri.
Hoshoryu (4-1) defeated Abi (3-2): Abi’s henka-slapdown attempt failed. So he followed up with his standard tsuppari driving Hoshoryu to the edge. But it was Hoshoryu who demonstrated the proper way to leverage misdirection. “Henka are so pedestrian, dude. You’re basic.” He shifted so effectively, Abi was shoving nothing but air and crumpled to the ground when Hoshoryu reappeared behind him. Okuritaoshi.
Nishikigi (5-0) defeated Wakamotoharu (3-2): Nishikigi is in the zone. Which one of these guys was on the Ozeki run? He had a significant weight advantage and used it to drive Wakamotoharu over the edge. Yorikiri.
Daieisho (4-1) defeated Meisei (2-3): That was Daiei-zumo. Well done. Oshidashi.
Tobizaru (2-3) defeated Kirishima (1-2-2): Kirishima came out strong but Tobizaru resisted and drove the shin-Ozeki back and into the front row. Yorikiri.
I hope there’s a special prize or something for Hiradoumi’s roly poly there! Very fun!
Bout of the day – Midorifuji vs Mitakeumi
Dominating bout – Takayasu vs Hiradoumi
Upset of the day – Tobizaru vs Kirishima
Entertaining bout – Gonoyama vs Kotoeko
Midorifuji vs Mitakeumi as bout of the day? That’s a surprise.
The difference between Hokotofuji making sure that Sadanoumi stayed on the dohyo versus Tamawashi making sure that Onosho was pushed off of it was a glaring contrast today. More of the former and less of the latter, please.
I completely agree about Nishikigi, but also recognize previous comments from Lksumo that Nishikigi has been known to “step up to his opponents level of sumo” and has lost to “lesser” opponents in previous bashos. Fingers crossed he’s consistently this good for the entire competition this time around.
I will admit to cheering when Hoshoryu beat Abi today due to the latter’s consistent reliance on henkas while being near the top of the banzuke. Previously, he only relied on them when he got on a losing streak. Apparently, that’s not the case anymore.
I hope Mitakeumi doesn’t make his injury worse and comes back at full strength in the next basho. He’s allllllmost good enough to really compete and that last 10%-20% is definitely not there right now.
Lots of vigorous sumo is happening right now and it’s great to see.
Completely agree with all your comments.
The only thing puzzling me is the case of Mitakeumi. By looking at today’s bout, I am not sure whether it is the injury that is bothering him or has he lost his form. Today he was very aggressive, but lacked the power.
It could be a little of Column A (the injury) and a little from column B (losing form because he hasn’t been able to do sumo properly for months). I definitely agree that his heart and determination are not the problem.
I saw a comment on Natto’s channel stating that his father died a few days before the basho. If that is true, he probably had other things than sumo on his mind during the preparation phase.
Oh, dude. Yeah, that could do a number on you. Any news as to whether it was a long term thing or sudden?
There’s this new addition on Wikipedia with a bunch of Japanese sources:
“Prior to this tournament, however, Mitakeumi learned of his father’s death, forcing him to travel from Inuyama (Dewanoumi’s training camp) to Kiso (Nagano Prefecture) to attend the funeral at his parents’ home. His master Dewanoumi-oyakata commented, however, that Mitakeumi still wished to take part in the tournament, which began 3 days later. In fact, Mitakeumi resumed training on the evening of the 7th. Commenting on his father’s death, he admitted that his parents had hidden from him his father’s hospitalisation for acute heart failure. Moreover, by his own admission he was having sleepless nights during the funeral ceremony, but vowed to perform well in his father’s memory.”
Poor guy, seriously. Especially the fact that he didn’t know about the hospitalisation. Speaking somewhat from experience, such things can really do a number on you mentally, and I hope he can find the time to mourn and heal properly.
I do hope he can turn it around in Week 2 and not plummet down the banzuke.
Also, Daishoho’s henka today is very similar to Endo’s previous henka. It’s not an attempt to win the match outright. It’s more of a “hit and shift” to throw the opponent off of their gameplan and gain an advantage. Chiyoshoma was expecting straight forward sumo from Daishoho and that’s absolutely what he didn’t get. So, Chiyoshoma was mentally on his back foot and making things up on the fly for the entire match while Daishoho was able to do “his sumo” that he had planned to do.
Chiyoshoma was also facing the largest guy in the division. 60kg is a BIG disadvantage.
That’s too bad for the OG Tadpole if his Papa passed right before the basho. I’m a fan of the OG Tadpole, he’s had a very respectable career and seems to be a very jovial and polite Sekitori. I wish him and his family the best in their mourning. I was glad to see him bounce back in May after his make-koshi in March, maybe he’ll find his form next basho.