Takerufuji came back from kyujo and beat Onokatsu on one leg. Shishi now has sole possession of the lead. He will fight Fujiseiun, who is 6-2. I wonder how many days he will fight? Aside from his return, there are no further updates on kyujo, so let’s turn to Makuuchi.

Nakabi Makuuchi Action

Endo (4-4) defeated Asakoryu (Juryo 4-4): Strong, forward moving oshi-zumo from Endo. That’s rare to see these days. Oshidashi.

Roga (5-3) defeated Hokutofuji (3-5): Roga charged forward and locked in with his left-hand inside. Hokutofuji needs to work on his ottsuke. He was still fumbling around for a belt grip while Roga secured his quickly. Hokutofuji’s makikae shift, bringing his right arm inside of Roga, was far too late to help. Yorikiri

Bushozan (5-3) defeated Takarafuji (2-6): Bushozan pressed forward while Takarafuji was in full-on retreat mode. As Takarafuji turned back toward center, Bushozan pulled down on his arm forcing him to lose his balance and fall forward. It just seems like the Takarabune has been rigged improperly this basho, everything in reverse. Hikiotoshi

Churanoumi (6-2) defeated Nishikifuji (3-5): Churanoumi shoved Nishikifuji to the side in order to get a better line of attack and secure that left paw on Nishikifuji’s belt. Once secured, Churanoumi pressed forward and ushered Nishikifuji out. Powerful yotsu. Might we see Churanoumi further up the banzuke in the future? Or is this more evidence Nishikifuji is rightly in line for Juryo? Yorikiri

Ichiyamamoto (4-4) defeated Kagayaki (4-4): Ichiyamamoto put his head down and drove Kagayaki backward and out. Yorikiri? There was a lot of oshi shoving there but right at the end Ichiyamamoto had wrapped his arms inside Kagayaki’s own to bear hug him over the bales. So yes, yorikiri.

Chiyoshoma (3-0-5) defeated Nishikigi (0-8): Chiyoshoma bested Nishikigi in this belt battle with a nice throw in the middle of the ring. Nishikigi had tried to throw Chiyoshoma at the edge by rocking to his right. Chiyoshoma said “not so fast,” and rocked Nishikigi back the other way and down. Shitatenage

Shodai (6-2) defeated Wakatakakage (5-3): This whole bout was a wild tussle for the best belt grip. Each man would land a grip and the other would knock it off or slip away. Shodai slipped inside to get a brief morozashi, but Wakatakakage released and spun Shodai around. As he followed up to shove Shodai over, Shodai shifted to Wakatakakage’s right. Wakatakakage’s knee did not appear to want to move laterally, so he moved down to the ground. Tsukiotoshi

Midorifuji (5-3) defeated Ryuden (2-6): A long grapple. Ryuden could not get low enough to really get inside Midorifuji. He was far too high and when Midorifuji pressed forward, Ryuden lost his balance and slid. Midorifuji then pulled him down with his left hand. Shitatenage

Kinbozan (3-5) defeated Kotoshoho (5-3): Kotoshoho tried to over power Kinbozan and drive him out but Kinbozan pivoted at the bales, twisted, and brought down Kotoshoho. Nice throw. Uwatenage

Sadanoumi (3-5) defeated Tamawashi (4-4): Tamawashi gave Sadanoumi the full-frontal treatment. He plowed in high with a hand to the face, forcing Sadanoumi to the bales. But Sadanoumi arched his back and rotated, bringing Tamawashi down. How the tables do turn with startling regularity in this sport. Ain’t it great?! Tsukiotoshi

Halftime

Oho (5-3) defeated Oshoma (4-4): Oho moved forward. Good things happened. Pretty simple this win. Yorikiri

Takanosho (5-3) defeated Mitakeumi (3-5): Takanosho, head down, slammed into Mitakeumi and drove him backwards. Mitakeumi shifted direction but Takanosho redoubled his efforts and plowed through the dohyo. Yorikiri

Atamifuji (3-5) defeated Wakamotoharu (4-4): Atamifuji locked in with the left hand and used the right to bat Wakamotoharu’s hand away. He pressed forward with all of his weight and might and forced Wakamotoharu from the dohyo. Yorikiri

Sanyaku

Hiradoumi (5-3) defeated Meisei (2-6): A good brawl here from Hiradoumi as he battered Meisei. Once he got inside and secured a belt grip, he easily walked Meisei out. Hiradoumi’s tachiai and brawler mode make me think of Yoshikaze. Yorikiri

Abi (4-4) defeated Gonoyama (2-6): Abi is finding new ways to win. He used his reach and a slight lateral movement to quickly lock on to Gonoyama with his left hand. Then the attack started by rotating backwards, yanking powerfully on with the left while using the right hand to shove Gonoyama down. Uwatenage.

Onosato (5-3) defeated Tobizaru (4-4): Henka. Tobizaru shifted left at the tachiai and kicked out. Onosato pursued well, kept Tobizaru in his sights and cast him off the fighting surface. Oshidashi

Kotozakura (6-2) defeated Ura (3-5): Ura may have been gassed from yesterday’s battle with the Yokozuna. He tried to shift but Kotozakura stayed with him. As Ura reversed, Kotozakura helped him find the exit by bowling him through the gap between the time-keeper and waiting gyoji. Tsukidashi

Takakeisho (3-5) defeated Kirishima (4-4): The least battered of the two was Takakeisho. Kirishima tried to execute a pull down at the tachiai but it did not work. Takakeisho rolled forward and Kirishima is likely not long for the sanyaku ranks. Oshidashi

Hoshoryu (5-3) defeated Daieisho (5-3): Hoshoryu exploited Daieisho’s weakness with such efficiency and effectiveness. Daieisho is known for being powerful but for falling forward. So two seconds into their bout, Hoshoryu planted his left hand behind Daieisho’s head and pulled down. As Daieisho tried to plow forward, Hoshoryu moved laterally and used his right hand on Daieisho’s right shoulder to drive him into the tawara. Three seconds from launch to landing. Hatakikomi

Terunofuji (8-0) defeated Shonannoumi (5-3): Terunofuji locked up Shonannoumi quickly at the tachiai. Shonannoumi rotated around the ring, gears stuck in reverse. But Terunofuji stayed with him, mostly pressing ahead with his right leg. I wonder if Shonannoumi could have flipped this by rotating the opposite direction? Oshidashi

Wrap-up

Terunofuji secured his kachi-koshi with ease. Great news as the bulk of his sanyaku-packed schedule is ahead of him. This will be a tough week. Takakeisho and Kirishima are probably the only easy wins this week. Abi and Hokutofuji are finding a certain amount of success this tournament by getting outside of their usual box and evolving their styles. This Abi might even pose a challenge for Terunofuji down the stretch. But the Yokozuna will face Daieisho tomorrow to culminate a day of great matchups as things heat up.

Mitakeumi will fight Takakeisho, Kotozakura will face Hiradoumi and Tobizaru fights Hoshoryu. Kirishima will fight Meisei. And Abi will take on Ura. Onosato will get the sanyaku fights started, though, against Gonoyama. Onosato has been able to quietly turn things around and is suddenly in a position where he might still manage double digits. It will be difficult but he has proven to be up to the challenge before.