Month: May 2024

New Juryo for Nagoya

lksumo Aki Basho 2022

After the banzuke meeting, held earlier today, the Juryo promotions were announced. As expected, there are three. Two are making their sekitori debuts: Kayo (Ms1w, 5-2) from Nishonoseki-beya, and Nabatame (Ms2w, 5-2) from Futagoyama-beya. Returning to Juryo after an injury-related demotion is the third-division champion, Fujiseiun (Ms11e, 7-0) from Fujishima-beya. With limited openings in Juryo, four rikishi who had winning records in the Ms1-Ms5 promotion zone missed out, led by Ms3e Kiryuko (5-2), whose rank and record would normally guarantee promotion.

While the corresponding demotions are not announced, we can infer that they are J13w Chiyomaru (4-11), J13e Oshoumi (5-10), and J14w Kazekeno (7-8). Fan favorite Chiyomaru was a sekitori for over a decade before falling to Makushita in March and mounting an immediate comeback that sadly lasted only one basho. Oshoumi’s first stint in Juryo ends after 3 basho, while Kazekeno’s sekitori debut after his Makushita yusho in March was even more short-lived.

Looking Ahead to the Nagoya Banzuke

lksumo Aki Basho 2022

Congratulations to Onosato for what we hope is the first of many yusho! Now that the bouts are over and all the hardware has been handed out, let’s take our customary preliminary look at how the results are likely to reshuffle the rankings.

The Named Ranks

Terunofuji will remain the sole Yokozuna; Tachiai wishes him as complete a recovery as possible, with the hope that he can fully participate in the Nagoya basho. The result of the final Natsu bout means that O1e Hoshoryu (10-5) will switch positions with O1w Kotozakura (11-4). O2e Takakeisho (0-2-13) will be kadoban, requiring 8 wins in July to save his rank. And O2w Kirishima (1-6-8) suffered his second losing record in a row, which means that he’ll fall to Sekiwake, with one shot to regain the Ozeki rank with double-digit wins in Nagoya. S1w Abi (10-5) successfully defended his rank with his best san’yaku performance to date, and we’ll have 3 Sekiwake for the first time since November by virtue of our champion forcing a promotion from Komusubi with his 12 wins. That means that two Komusubi slots are open; M1w Daieisho (11-4) is a lock for one, while the second is a close call between M2e Hiradoumi (9-6) and M5w Meisei (10-5). Rank-record combination and schedule strength favor Hiradoumi, so he should make his san’yaku debut, unless Meisei’s prior san’yaku experience wins out. Whichever of them isn’t Komusubi is a lock for the top maegashira slot.

What of Ozeki runs, you ask? Officially, the NSK said that Onosato’s run just started, as his 11 wins at M5w in March came at too low a rank to count. Unofficially, they’d probably have to promote him in July with either a yusho or 13+ wins, though anything less would likely mean waiting for September. Abi posted double-digits in san’yaku, so he’s on a run as well (his 9 wins at Komusubi last time mean that mathematically, he could reach the 33 over 3 threshold with 14 wins in Nagoya). And Daieisho’s 11 wins from M1w, while they aren’t officially a start of anything, could serve as a foundation given sufficiently strong performances in July and September. And before anyone asks, no, Kotozakura’s 11-4 jun-yusho is not the start of a tsuna run!

Filling out the Joi

So, M1e is taken care of, and its current occupant, Atamifuji (7-8), who came thisclose to a san’yaku debut, can slide over to M1w. What do we do from there? The next winning record belongs to [checks notes] M7w Mitakeumi (8-7). I expect him to get a very generous promotion. There’s also demoted Sekiwake Wakamotoharu (4-8-3), whose fall could be very gentle indeed. Likewise, the rikishi with losing records between the ranks of M2 and M5 may find themselves treated very leniently.

Division Exchanges

There are 5 rikishi in Juryo who posted records that warrant promotion: the yusho winner and former Sekiwake J6w Wakatakakage (14-1), J3e Endo (12-3), who’ll be making an immediate return after only his 3rd career basho in the second division, J3w Chiyoshoma, who returns after a 4-basho Juryo stint, J5e Kagayaki (11-4), who likewise was last in Makuuchi in September, and J2e Bushozan (9-6), who’s recently been a classic elevator rikishi (too good for Juryo, not good enough for Makuuchi).

Conveniently, 5 top-division incumbents warrant a trip to Juryo. Sadly, one of them is the March champion M6e Takerufuji, whose ankle injury did not heal in time for May. The others are M17e Tsurugisho (3-12), M16e Tomokaze (2-13), M13e Mitoryu (2-9-4) and newcomer M15e Tokihayate (6-9), who lost a de facto demotion playoff to M15w Roga (7-8) on the final day. Two rikishi are on the bubble, but I don’t think they’ll exchange M12w Nishikifuji (5-10) and runner-up J12e Onokatsu (13-2), though one more loss on the part of the former or one more win on the part of the latter might have done it.

Finally, we come to the Makushita-Juryo exchanges, and here things did not work out so neatly. Two rikishi were slated for demotion before the final day: J13w Chiyomaru (4-11) and J13e Oshoumi (5-10). Their places were spoken for by Ms1w Kayo (5-2), who’ll be making his sekitori debut in Nagoya, and yusho winner Ms11e Fujiseiun (7-0), returning to Juryo after an injury-related drop. Two additional incumbents were on the bubble going into Day 15, and they were paired with two promotion hopefuls in direct exchange bouts. Ms2w Nabatame (5-2) earned his Juryo debut by prevailing over just-promoted J14w Kazekeno (7-8), who will have to fight his way back up from Makushita. Ms1e Akua, who entered the day at 3-3, false-started 3 times against J8w Hakuoho (5-6-4), making contact each time and once delivering a slap and driving the Juryo man off the dohyo. After these shenanigans, I was very happy to see Hakuoho counter Akua’s latest kakenage attempt by driving him into the ground with a sukuinage, thereby reaching safety and keeping Akua in the third division.

With no additional openings, four rikishi who had winning records in the Ms1-Ms5 promotion zone will miss out. The hardest-done-by is Ms3e Kiryuko (5-2), whose rank and record would normally guarantee promotion. The Juryo promotions should be confirmed on Wednesday. The rest of the rankings will be out on July 1, and I’ll try to put up a Crystal Ball post before then. In the meantime, let me know what you think in the comments!

Natsu 2024: Senshuraku Highlights

Andy Natsu 2024, Natsu Basho

Glad to hear many of you like the idea of the somenuki yusho. That will give me something to do during June, after the big haircuts. Yesterday, I had posted Heat 2 and I was rather surprised at the outcome. I knew it would be tight but I expected Mitakeumi to claim this one, maybe with Shodai in second. I liked Tsurugisho’s simple kimono which featured his first name, Momotaro. But Shonannoumi’s tiger claimed the heat.

Don’t worry, after the first round heats, I will bring these onto the site directly for the final poll, rather than on Elmo’s “Free Spam, I mean, Free Speech” platform. It was a spur of the moment thing the other day but I can do this properly in the future.

Videos of the Makuuchi and Juryo Action are here. Makuuchi Part I & Part II, Juryo Part I & Part II.

That was a bit more important today since NHK allowed the Tokyo Derby to pre-empt the first several bouts of Makuuchi. I am sure folks fired up their VPNs and did not miss any action. Although, if you blinked at the wrong time, you would have missed Wakatakakage’s henka to secure the Juryo yusho.

Special Prize Announcements:

Fighting spirit prizes for Oshoma and Shonannoumi are conditional on each wrestler winning today. Onosato won the technique prize, unconditionally. He, Abi, and Daieisho are also contending for Outstanding Performance prizes, conditional upon winning the yusho. No prize consideration for the Ozeki. They’re expected to be in contention (and occasionally win these things…ahem!!!).

The Action

Roga (7-8) defeated Tokihayate (6-9). Roga just enveloped Tokihayate and drove him to the ground. Oshitaoshi.

Hokutofuji (7-8) defeated Takarafuji (9-6). Hokutofuji’s tsuppari was too much for Takarafuji today. Oshidashi.

Ryuden (10-5) defeated Sadanoumi (9-6). Positional victory for Ryuden as he worked Sadanoumi over the bales. Both had established solid belt grips and this is a great yotsu battle. But it is one where Ryuden’s footwork and strength won the day. Yorikiri.

Oshoma (10-5) defeated Kinbozan (8-7). Oshoma shoved a soft Kinbozan over the bales. Maybe Oshoma’s fighting spirit was enough for both of them today. Yorikiri.

Shodai (7-8) defeated Tomokaze (2-13). Tomokaze could barely put weight on his right leg. Easy win for Shodai as he pressed forward and shoved Tomokaze over the bales. Oshidashi

Ichiyamamoto (8-7) defeated Tamawashi (7-8). One of two Darwin bouts today. Tamawashi’s thrusts overpowered Ichiyamamoto’s tsuppari but Ichiyamamoto slipped to his right as he reached the straw bales and the misdirection was enough to see Tamawashi flop to his belly. Tsukiotoshi.

Nishikigi (5-10) defeated Tsurugisho (3-12). The obvious outcome occurred. Tsurugisho will get some much needed rest and may be able to drink from the fountain of youth in Juryo. Results may vary, however. Myogiryu and Kotoeko were not as energized as Endo and Takarafuji have been. Yorikiri.

Meisei (10-5) defeated Shonannoumi (9-6). Meisei overpowered Shonannoumi and did not succumb to Shonannoumi’s kotenage attempt. Denied of his special prize, Shonannoumi walked into Meisei after the bell. Meisei seemed nonplussed. I would not be surprised if Meisei is waiting for Shonannoumi in the parking lot afterwards. Yorikiri.

Onosho (7-8) defeated Nishikifuji (5-10). Poorly timed and executed pull from Nishikifuji. Onosho kept pace in pursuit and drove Nishikifuji over the bales. Yorikiri.

Halftime.

Oho (6-9) defeated Midorifuji (5-10). No pull from Oho today. Instead, Midorifuji attempted the slapdown but Oho kept his balance and finished Midorifuji off with a final thrust. Tsukidashi.

Tobizaru (6-9) defeated Churanoumi (8-7). Quick slapdown after the tachiai. Tobizaru caught Churanoumi on the arm and thrust him to the ground. Tsukiotoshi.

Takayasu (7-3-5) defeated Gonoyama (6-9). Takayasu absorbed Gonoyama’s attack and then waited him out in the center of the ring with a left-hand over-arm belt grip. Uwatedashinage.

Hiradoumi (9-6) defeated Mitakeumi (8-7). Mitakeumi hit Hiradoumi hard at the tachiai. I was a bit surprised by his forward progress. Hiradoumi quickly wrapped up his belt and from his low position was able to turn Mitakeumi and drive him back through the dohyo and over the bales. Yorikiri.

Daieisho (11-4) defeated Kotoshoho (8-7). Daieisho’s thrusting, brawling brand of sumo was on full display here. It was like he could smell yusho. Kotoshoho did his best and nearly got Daieisho with a bit of misdirection but Daieisho locked on and beat Kotoshoho down. Depending on the outcome of Onosato/Abi, Daieisho may have earned a spot in a playoff. Tsukiotoshi.

Takanosho (8-7) defeated Atamifuji (7-8). Our second Darwin bout. Takanosho punished Atamifuji for his uninspired pull attempt and earned his kachi-koshi. Atamifuji will need to retool if he hopes to crack sanyaku. Yorikiri.

Sanyaku

Ura (7-8) defeated Wakamotoharu (4-8-3). Ura fought back, charged forward, and drove Wakamotoharu out. Yorikiri.

Onosato (12-3) defeated Abi (10-5) and won his first Top Division yusho. Abi came out blasting straight ahead with his tsuppari. Onosato had planned for this, however. He blasted Abi’s right shoulder as hard as he could from the left. This threw Abi off balance and Onosato followed up with blasts of his own. Abi fell from the dohyo and Onosato stood, victorious. Makuuchi Champion. Oshidashi.

Kotozakura (11-4) defeated Hoshoryu (10-5). Oh. You’re still here? It’s not over? Oh, that’s right, we have another bout left between the remaining Ozeki. At least there is a massive stack of cash awaiting the winner of this. Hoshoryu pressed forward into Kotozakura. Kotozakura released his left-hand belt grip and wrapped up Hoshoryu’s right arm, then dragged Hoshoryu down to the ground for an anti-climactic kotenage.

Wrap-up

Congratulations to Onosato on winning his first Top Division title! Onosato will lock up his Sekiwake promotion and may have kicked off his Ozeki run. Depending on how desperate the Kyokai is for a solid Ozeki, he might be two legs deep, already. Despite being M5 in Osaka, usually just outside the joi, he did face the sanyaku and even took down an Ozeki, two Sekiwake and a Komusubi on his way to a jun-yusho. With three Ozeki, though, I do not think the Kyokai will be chomping at the bit to promote too quickly. But two more double-digit performances and we could have a new Ozeki by Kyushu.

We will dive deeper into the implications and outcomes of Natsu soon. Along with his title, Onosato claimed two more special prizes. Oshoma also earned his Fighting Spirit prize.

Thank you to all Tachiai readers for riding this roller-coaster, yet again. June will be fairly quiet, event-wise. No Jungyo there are a few items to track early, including the retirement ceremonies for Ishiura (6/1), Akiseyama (6/2) and Chiyonokuni (6/8). I will also keep my eyes open for any reports from Isegahama Ichimon regarding updates to the status of Miyagino-beya and its hopeful re-opening. Fingers crossed!

Natsu 2024 Day 14 Highlights

Andy Natsu 2024, Natsu Basho ,

On Twitter and Instagram I have noticed a lot of great pictures of the kimono worn by the top division wrestlers so I am collecting those that I can find (which importantly show front and back) and am posting polls to see which wrestler wins the fashion yusho. The first heat is here:

Wearing these kimono is a special privilege of top division wrestlers during the three “summertime” tournaments. They have fantastic designs and feature the shikona of the wrestler. It’s called somenuki (染抜き) after the technique of removing dye for what are often white shikona. Sometimes you will see gold and so I don’t think all of them use the somenuki technique.

I plan to have the second heat posted later today. I am just wondering if in the future, I should move the polls to the website rather than on Twitter itself. If there are a lot of readers who are not on Twitter, and who are interested in these fashionable kimono, I’ll move it here.

In Juryo, the schedulers have done something very interesting. Wakatakakage is in the lead with Onokatsu and Endo one win behind. All three have already faced each other. So, the Kyokai are pairing all of the leaders with guys who are 7-7 and thus fighting for kachi-koshi. Brutal.

NHK Videos Here

Juryo Part I & Part II

Makuuchi Part I & Part II

The Action

Sadanoumi (9-5) defeated Roga (6-8). Both men battled on the belt, right-hand inside. Sadanoumi won the position battle, driving Roga backwards. Roga would not go out, however, so Sadanoumi rotated from his left and threw Roga down. Uwatenage.

Tokihayate (6-8) defeated Hokutofuji (6-8). Hokutofuji popped Tokihayate at the tachiai. Both locked in for a grapple which was probably not wise for Hokutofuji. Tokihayate dragged him to the edge of the ring and tried to throw him but Hokutofuji hung on. Tokihayate then back peddled and dragged Hokutofuji down. Tsukiotoshi.

Tamawashi (7-7) defeated Churanoumi (8-6). Tamawashi deflected Churanoumi’s arms and drove forward, blasting him from the dohyo in grand Tamawashi style. Unfortunately, Churanoumi was slow to get up and seemed to be favoring his left hip. Oshidashi.

Shodai (6-8) defeated Tsurugisho (3-11). Shodai locked in with his right hand, ottsuke with the left to block Tsurugisho from holding on with his right. From there, Shodai ushered Tsurugisho over the bales. Yorikiri.

Takanosho (7-7) defeated Ichiyamamoto (7-7). Ichiyamamoto tried a slapdown but failed. Takanosho kept his balance and drove Ichiyamamoto to the ground. Oshidashi.

Takarafuji (9-5) defeated Kotoshoho (8-6). Strong tsuppari and forward motion from Kotoshoho but Takarafuji deflected and rotated back through the center. As Kotoshoho launched forward again, Takarafuji slipped to the right and got behind Kotoshoho. He then shoved Kotoshoho from the back. Okuridashi.

Nishikifuji (5-9) defeated Nishikigi (4-10). Nishikifuji pulled and slapped Nishikigi down. Gunbai to Nishikifuji. Nishikifuji was going out so the shimpan gathered for a mono-ii. Who was “dead” first?  Nishikigi who was propelled forward, or Nishikifuji who was jumping out? Answer…neither. We get a redo. In the redo, Nishikigi backed to the bales and tried to twist Nishikifuji over it but Nishikifuji plowed forward for the yoritaoshi win.

Ryuden (9-5) defeated Mitakeumi (8-6). Ryuden locked up Mitakeumi quickly and walked him back and out. Yorikiri. Why is Mitakeumi here?

Onosho (6-8) defeated Tomokaze (2-12). Onosho hit Tomokaze hard and used a forceful nodowa to finish him off. Oshidashi.

Halftime

Meisei (9-5) defeated Kinbozan (8-6). Kinbozan sure hit Meisei hard but Meisei was able to shift to the side and Kinbozan could not adjust quickly. Meisei kept rotating and shoved Kinbozan out. Oshidashi.

Hiradoumi (8-6) defeated Tobizaru (5-9). Hiradoumi hit Tobizaru hard and drove him through the back of the dohyo. Oshitaoshi.

Gonoyama (6-8) defeated Midorifuji (5-9). Similar result from the opposite side here. Gonoyama overpowered Midorifuji but was a bit more gentle and even extended a hand to keep Midorifuji from going over the edge. Oshidashi.

Atamifuji (7-7) defeated Ura (6-8). It is always amazing that Ura can hang with guys as big as Atamufuji, going head-to-head, big boi-zumo here. Atamifuji was able to work Ura toward the edge and as Ura resisted Atamifuji adjusted his grip first to try a kimidashi. But when that didn’t work he let go with his right, pivoted, and pulled Ura down from the left…while shoving his head to the ground with his right…just for good measure. Brutal. Kotenage.

Daieisho (10-4) defeated Takayasu (6-3-5). Takayasu had the tsuppari going here but Daieisho was able to pick a few key moments to thrust Takayasu backwards. He seemed to target those times that Takayasu’s right shoulder were exposed. This way, Daieisho drove Takayasu back and out. Oshidashi.

Sanyaku

Onosato (11-3) defeated Shonannoumi (9-5). Shonannoumi is a big dude but Onosato is a future Yokozuna. Onosato made this look easy as he forced Shonannoumi out. Oshidashi.

Oho (5-9) defeated Wakamotoharu (4-7-3). That’s it! Move forward, kid! So satisfying to watch this one. I don’t think the NHK lets me directly link to their videos so they play from this site, so please find this bout in their videos. Oho pressed forward and drove Wakamotoharu through the ring and over the bales. Yorikiri.

Hoshoryu (10-4) defeated Oshoma (9-5). Hoshoryu shifted to his right (henka?) at the tachiai and reached in for Oshoma’s belt. With that grip he continued to rotate and dragged Oshoma over the bales. Yorikiri.

Abi (10-4) defeated Kotozakura (10-4). Kotozakura drove into Abi’s tsuppari, driving him back. At the edge, Abi shifted to the side and yanked hard on Kotozakura’s arm. This turned the tables completely on the Ozeki, who was now up against the edge and facing a full-fronted assault from Abi. Kotozakura stepped out. Oshidashi.

Wrap-up

Well, Abi blew a massive hole into Kotozakura’s plans for his first yusho. It would have been a nice story to take on the shikona of his grandfather and then win the title. But now, as it is in sumo, he is going to need help from Abi. He is going to need Abi to defeat Onosato tomorrow to try to set up a play-off at 11-4. There are now some conflicting interests here. I am sure there are fans who would love to see a play-off but then there are a lot of fans who do not like the idea of an 11-4 yusho.

Onosato can win his first yusho tomorrow with a victory over Abi and a 12-3 record. If Abi wins, there will be a playoff. There could be three combatants, Abi, Onosato, and the winner of Hoshoryu/Kotozakura…or even four if Daieisho beats Kotoshoho.

Does Kotoshoho seem an odd opponent to anyone else? I would have thought Gonoyama. Goeido’s understudy is makekoshi, however, as is Onosho at M5E, Midorifuji at M6E and Nishikigi at M7E. Mitakeumi would be an easy win…possibly even fusen. Takanosho is fighting for kachi-koshi against the other M1, Atamifuji, in a Darwin bout.  So I like the call…it is just odd and would not have happened if there weren’t so many sanyaku kyujo.

I’d love to read your thoughts on this crazy basho!