We get late word before the action starts that Takakeisho joins Takayasu, kyujo. Takayasu’s kyujo turns out to be his nagging back injury. For Takakeisho, it’s his neck. Takayasu’s absence means we get to see Daiamami visit from Juryo today.
“And then there were five.”
We have three sanyaku wrestlers undefeated, as well as Asanoyama, a former Ozeki. Lastly, we have the newly promoted Shimazuumi who has been cleaning up at the bottom of the division. It’s still early but he will be paired off against Nishonoseki’s top recruit, Onosato. The good news is that we’re getting some great performances from our sanyaku stars. Asanoyama, the former Ozeki, should almost be considered one. How long can they keep it up?
Makuuchi Highlights
Daiamami (2-2) defeated Aoiyama (0-4). Daiamami a little eager, charged early. Matta. Aoiyama got the tsuppari going but his feet were only working in reverse. Oshidashi.
Bushozan (2-2) defeated Takarafuji (2-2). Takarafuji pulled and was shoved out by a falling Bushozan. Gunbai Bushozan. No mono-ii. Oshidashi.
Onosato (3-1) defeated Shimazuumi (3-1). Onosato bulldozed Shimazuumi, handing Shimazuumi his first loss of the tournament.
Churanoumi (3-1) defeated Tomokaze (0-4). Churanoumi pivoted and shoved Tomokaze out. Oshidashi. What else?
Onosho (3-1) defeated Endo (1-3). Endo charged forward but it was a feint. Onosho slipped to the side and Endo stumbled but stayed in. Onosho pounced and shoved Endo while he was off-balance, and cast him off the dohyo. Oshidashi.
Kotoshoho (3-1) defeated Myogiryu (1-3). Kotoshoho outlasted Myogiryu and shoved him out and to the ground. Since Myogiryu landed on his butt we’ve got some variety here, oshitaoshi.
Oho (3-1) defeated Takanosho (2-2) by oshidashi. Takanosho tried a nodowa and some tsuppari but Oho struck at Takanosho’s extended right arm, driving him forward from the side.
Mitakeumi (3-1) defeated Tsurugisho (1-3). Mitakeumi with the hit-and-shift tachiai. Tsurugisho wasn’t ready for the change in direction, stumbled forward and Mitakeumi shoved him out from behind, easily. Okuridashi.
Meisei (2-2) defeated Sadanoumi (1-3) with powerful thrusts, with a couple of headbutts thrown in for good measure. Oshidashi.
Hiradoumi (3-1) defeated Tamawashi (2-2). Hiradoumi fought hard to get inside and establish that belt grip with his right. From there he plowed forward forced Tamawashi over the tawara. We’ve got an actual yorikiri!
Asanoyama (4-0) defeated Hokuseiho (1-3). Asanoyama wrapped up Hokuseiho and drove forward. Hokuseiho resisted at the edge but had no counter attack. So, Asanoyama kept up the pressure and pushed until Hokuseiho stepped out. Yorikiri.
Halftime
Ryuden (1-3) defeated Ichiyamamoto (0-4). Ichiyamamoto almost scored a hatakikomi win. Ryuden kept his balance, though, and countered when Ichiyamamoto re-engaged. Ryuden thrust Ichiyamamoto to the dohyo. Tsukiotoshi.
Nishikigi (3-1) defeated Shonannoumi (1-3). Nishikigi locked in on Shonannoumi and drove forward. Shonannoumi tried to shake Nishikigi loose but failed. Yorikiri.
Tobizaru (3-1) defeated Kinbozan (2-2). Tobizaru with the henka-light as he sidestepped his tachiai. Kinbozan caught it out but Tobizaru wrapped him up, turned him around, and shoved him out from behind. Okuridashi.
Hokutofuji (3-1) defeated Abi (0-4). Abi kept up the pressure with his thrusts and nodowa but Hokutofuji was able to resist for a long time. Hokutofuji kept his balance at the slapdown attempt and re-engaged, only to get a strong nodowa for his reward. With Abi’s weight so far forward, Hokutofuji finally caught him off balance and thrust him down to the clay. I was actually impressed with both men today. Abi’s attack lasted a long time. That’s the kind of endurance I wish we could see from Takakeisho. Hokutofuji, though, had solid footwork and perseverance. Paid off today. Tsukiotoshi.
Sanyaku
Kotonowaka (4-0) defeated Atamifuji (0-4). Solid tachiai and the competitors locked in for a grapple. Perhaps sensing Atamifuji’s weight was too far forward, Kotonowaka quickly disengaged and yanked him down. Katasukashi was the call but it looked like a hatakikomi to me. Either way, smart, well executed slapdown from Kotonowaka.
Daieisho (3-1) defeated Shodai (2-2). Shodai weathered Daieisho’s tsuppari in and entertaining, back-and-forth bout, but when he tried to deflect Daieisho to the side, Daieisho shoved him down. Oshitaoshi.
Ura (1-3) fusen win. Takakeisho (2-2) kyujo. Many in the crowd heard the news for the first time as a collective, “へええええ” rose from the assembled masses.
Hoshoryu (4-0) defeated Wakamotoharu (2-2) Houdiniryu escaped again! Wakamotoharu fought well and nearly caught Hoshoryu a couple of times. But Hoshoryu maintained his balance when he needed to. And at the edge, the slippery dragon wriggled free from Wakamotoharu’s grasp, somehow slipped in behind and threw Wakamotoharu from the dohyo. Okurinage.
Midorifuji (1-3) defeated Kirishima (3-1) Kirishima may have been too passive and patient here. He wrapped up Midorifuji and seemed to want to ride out the attacks before launching his own. “Settle down, son.” Midorifuji responded with a resounding, “No!” Midorifuji wriggled free and yanked the Ozeki down by the shoulder with his patented katasukashi.
Terunofuji (3-1) defeated Gonoyama (1-3). Terunofuji quickly wrapped up Gonoyama’s arm at the tachiai. Then he reached back with his left hand, got a handle on Gonoyama’s belt, and threw him from the dohyo. Uwatenage.
Wrap-up
Well, the huge upset of the day is Midorifuji’s win over Kirishima. It puts the brakes on Kirishima’s charge for Yokozuna promotion. He will have to regroup and fight flawlessly for the rest of the tournament. But I am not sure that was even the best bout of the day. I loved that escape move from Hoshoryu, and that had been a great bout even before the spectacular finish. Then, we have Terunofuji’s utter destruction of Gonoyama. It was the complete humbling of Goeido’s protégé. He charged in with such pep and vigor, only to be dispatched so handily. Last, we may need to include Kotonowaka’s domination of Atamifuji.
This sets up some great matches for tomorrow! We have three men remaining undefeated: Hoshoryu, Kotonowaka, and Asanoyama. Hoshoryu will face Gonoyama, Kotonowaka will face Ura. Asanoyama will take on Hiradoumi.
In the chase group with one loss, we’ve got Terunofuji and Hokutofuji, who face each other tomorrow. We also have Kirishima, who will take on the winless (but always dangerous) Abi, as well as Daieisho, who will take on Wakamotoharu (2-2) and Tobizaru will face Atamifuji (0-4).
Yes, there is a pack of rank-and-filers with one loss but they will have to impress me more to get mentioned here. The rank-and-file have been stinking up the place, to be honest. I might just start waking up an hour later if they keep up the crappy, uninspired “sumo.” The bouts to watch are those I’ve mentioned.
Well, Nishikigi vs Ichiyamamoto might be entertaining. Midorifuji vs Shodai could go either way. And Mitakeumi vs Tamawashi could be a good one, as well. Mitakeumi used to own Tamawashi, with a staggering 29-7 record. But he has lost four of their last six.
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When I heard Takakeisho was out, I immediately thought “all Kirishima has to do now is beat those of a lower rank than his and it’s probably enough.” Literally minutes later I watch him lose. Now as you say, his margin for error is very slim. He has a good record vs. Hoshoryu but has never beaten Terunofuji. He’ll have to regroup quickly.
I don’t think Terunofuji will make the end of the basho myself, which would probably mean Kirishima won’t end up having to face him. The Yokozuna will want to stay in, of course, but those knees might end up having the final say. Kirishima should be able to beat the other currently undefeated rikishi if he plays it right – Kotonowaka can be caught early when he’s all eager and amped up at the tachiai, and Hoshoryu’s magical wins can only last so long.
Takakeisho going kyujo, while surprising on the surface, is just another data point in a concerning pattern. He’s never been right since the neck injury, and even before that he was the one guy I was worried about health-wise due to his physique and always-labored breathing. Takakeisho has to consider how much of his lifespan he’s willing to risk in pursuit of saving his rank, much less a Yokozuna run that will probably never happen due to his inconsistency because of all the medical problems.
RBFN is different this basho.
Looks more like Uncle than ever.
Kirishima can’t be losing to Midori and his fisherman’s throw.
If Shodai would only get his mind together…
RBFN?
Resting Bitch Face Nephew
Also known as the Future Yokozuna, Golden Boy, and the Slippery Dragon of late
Hoshoryu
Tbe Atamifuji bandwagon seems seriously slowing down…
I’m still firmly on the bandwagon. Give him a year and he’ll be ready for sanyaku. I’m not going to appoint him Yokozuna yet…but he’ll get there.
Khmm khmm. I have been watching sumo more than 20 years. Belive me this guy is way overrated.
I see a bit similar hype and the same carreer like in case of Chiyotairyu.
Chiyotairyu? I definitely think Atamifuji will have a more successful career than Chiyotairyu.
Perhaps… however when Chiyotairyu arrived to the makuuchi basically everyone claimed he would be a future yokozuna soon. If you check him on sumodb you will see why.
With regards Atamifuji, he is strong but his weight is not in balance with his height and body, he is very often lose control during his fights and very seldomly have plan B.
Furthermore there is a huge chance of serious injuries, mainly due to his unbalanced body.
Anyway time will tell until I wish him well.
I have him on my team but he is proving to be my downfall this tournament.
I really didn’t expect him to maintain the same momentum as he’s had the last few bashos but I wasn’t prepared for a total collapse either.
He’s young and will learn and adapt but for now he’s struggling with the mental game of dealing with his more seasoned opponents.
He’ll get his 8, I think. He’s solid. Just going through a meat grinder atm.
I thought yesterday’s call of katasukashi for Kotonowaka was wrong but today’s looked textbook to me. Really enjoying Kotonowaka’s improvement in the last few basho.
The slippery dragon’s escapes are amazing although you could say it is a return to pre-Ozeki Hosh and his incredible speedy reaction and counter attack.
I was most fearful for Kaiju but today, that dismantling is what I want from a Yokozuna.🥳
The disturbing thing about Takakeisho’s kyujo is that his bout with Wakamotoharu didn’t include any obvious injury. I’ve looked at it several times and all I can see is that Takakeisho led with his head into his opponent’s shoulder a couple of times. If that’s all it took to reactivate his neck injury, his career really is hanging by a thread. Which would be a shame.
I felt the same way about the infamous Ichinojo bout. It looked relatively run-of-the-mill but suddenly he was done.
Hakuhoho is looking way too much at hokuseiho these days… the last two bouts probably took more than his previous career in jurio and makuuchi combined… conversely Takerufuji really looks like Hakuhoho 1.0 ( pre injury). In division 1 I really enjoyed Hoshoryu win, yet this style is probably too erratic to get him where I would really like to eventually see him . Onosato and kotonowaka, really impressive. Teru, well, Yokozuna proper! And thanks god for that!
The difference is that Hakuoho is working to improve his position and then winning decisively, rather than just leaning defensively
Its a wobbly road as a Kirishima fan sometimes. You look at the draw and think: Midorifuji – no problem. Last Basho he lost to Gonoyama and Takayasu, but pasted the sanyaku.
This Basho feels very promising: Asanoyama and Kotonowaka looking ominous, Horshoryu too in the way Vetholdt suggests. Teru ripping arms, some days. Plus Kirishima who still has the best all around game and form.
Sorry, “Verholdt”
Midorifuji’s game should be his highlight reel. It flushed out my disappointment of his ugly loss to takakeisho(fake matta- henka combo).
Kirishima thought if he can stay for 10 seconds, it is automatic W. But midori kept pressing him with kataskashi attempts followed by sneaky shitstenage try. I can feel the frustration of the ozeki when he found himself trapped by Kataskash!!
It was an artful move IMO.
I’ve been following Grand Sumo for three years and this is my first time commenting. From day one I have been a Wakatakage and Wakamotoharu fan. Great to see WTK’s progress. I’ve noticed WMH’s Changing style this basho two more pushing and thrusting and that has served him well. Three big victories over top men and 2 others that he has within one final big push when he had the opponent turned or against the bales and ready to go out of the ring ( Daieisho & Hoshoryu). This change in style has served him very well, and I hope to see it continue, he belongs in Sanyaku. We all know he has belt skills but became predictable and thus beatable. I don’t think Kotonowaka expected strong Oshi skills from WMH. Kirishima has Yokozuna skills, period; One year from Komisubi to O1e is all you need to know. The Tero. vs Tobizaru bout was a classic. If I was Tero, I’d be PO’d too, but that’s sumo, Tobi did nothing illegal just slaps an a kick, he was trying to win. The aftermath was almost as interesting to watch as the bout itself. Finally I have to agree with Hakuho’s assessment of Asanoyama; he will be a Yokozuna. A future with Kiri & Asanoyama at Yokozuna and Horshoryu, Kotonowaka, possibly WTK & WMH, Atamifugi, Gonoyama as Ozeki’s make for a very bright and interesting future for Grand Sumo. No I haven’t forgotten about Onosato; barring serious injury, there’s no telling how high he can go and for how long. The next Hakuho?
It will be great to watch what unfolds.
Along with WMH’s switch in styles, I’ve noticed a change in attitude or demeanor. Last basho he seemed almost timid and was easily dispatched on too many occasions and reflected in his record and demotion. He’ll need a determined attitude if he faces Asanoyama, Atamifugi, Gonoyama or even Onosato in the next week depending on the matchmakers decisions. I believe that when this basho concludes it will be one of the most interesting in several years given the mix of experienced veterans and young rising stars. Looking forward to a great year.