A late kyujo announcement came in last night from Juryo. Onosho is out from today. Tamashoho will pick up the default win. That is a bit of a 180-degree turn from what I was thinking to start this tournament but his injuries obviously did not improve enough from Nagoya.

With one win he will probably be able to keep his sekitori position but face a steep fall to the bottom of the division. Then again, with this banzuke they seemed more than happy to drop him and save someone else. Hopefully he will be in condition in Kyushu. He is 28 so it’s certainly not inconceivable that he could try the lengthy-kyujo-comeback thing. Watch this space.

Takerufuji continues to plow through his Juryo competition. Chiyoshoma has emerged as his main competition early though Kayo is surprisingly also 5-0. Hakuoho has stumbled a bit and may be hampered with injury. He’s 2-3 so far.

But let’s get to the Makuuchi Division.

Makuuchi Action

Takayasu (3-2) defeated Shirokuma (2-3). I was very happy to see that Takayasu was not just competitive in this bout, he went the distance and threw Shirokuma after a good belt-battle. Uwatenage.

Ryuden (3-2) defeated Nishikifuji (2-3). Ryuden’s brand of sumo, firm right-hand outside grip. From there, it was “over the gyoji and through the woods to grandma’s house, we go.” Yorikiri.

Takarafuji (4-1) defeated Nishikigi (3-2). Nishikigi tried to pull but ran out of real estate and stepped out. Yorikiri.

Hokutofuji (3-2) defeated Onokatsu (1-4). Hokutofuji’s hard-charging brand of sumo. Forceful tsuppari that did it’s thing and showed Onokatsu the exit, under the white tassel. Oshidashi.

Bushozan (4-1) defeated Kitanowaka (2-3). Bushozan steadily applied pressure to Kitanowaka. Kitanowaka kept circling left but lateral movement that slow is not going to bring anyone down. Tsukidashi.

Kinbozan (1-4) defeated Kagayaki (1-4). Kinbozan used good footwork today to cut off Kagayaki’s access to the dohyo. He kept forcing him back and eventually out. Yorikiri.

Oshoma (3-2) defeated Sadanoumi (3-2). Oshoma kept Sadanoumi off his belt and at arm’s length. At a pivotal moment when Sadanoumi charged forward, Oshoma slipped to his left and drove Sadanoumi down. Hatakikomi.

Roga (2-3) defeated Ichiyamamoto (2-3). Ichiyamamoto kept slapping away but Roga continued to advance. He eventually escorted Ichiyamamoto out. Yorikiri.

Tamawashi (2-3) defeated Endo (3-2). I thought Endo had this. Great stuff to start but he could never quite work Tamawashi over the bales. Suddenly Tamawashi went for Endo’s head. Endo immediately pulled but Tamawashi pursued and sent Endo into the second-row cushions for some fansa. Tsukidashi.

Midorifuji (3-2) defeated Churanoumi (3-2). Midorifuji’s frantic pace was a level or two beyond what Churanoumi could process. Midorifuji was all over him from the tachiai and shoved him back to the bales. He then stepped back and to the left, which brought Churanoumi stumbling forward. Midorifuji got behind Churanoumi and ran him out of the ring. Okuridashi.

Halftime

Wakatakakage (4-1) defeated Shonannoumi (0-5). Wakatakakage executed a beautiful pull and Shonannoumi is just…unprepared this tournament. Shonannoumi flopped forward on the shikirisen. Hatakikomi.

Ura (3-2) defeated Meisei (1-4). Meisei hit Ura hard at the tachiai but Ura steadied and forced the action back to the center of the dohyo. Ura then latched onto Meisei’s belt with his right hand and pulled, hard, bringing Meisei’s head down with his left hand. After a mono-ii, the judges confirmed the ruling on the field. Ura stayed firmly inside the bales as he threw Meisei out. Uwatedashinage.

Kotoshoho (3-2) defeated Gonoyama (2-3). Gonoyama with his forceful yotsu game steadily drove Kotoshoho back and ou….what? At the last second, Kotoshoho slipped left down the tawara and threw Gonoyama down by his shoulder. What a switcheroo there. Tsukiotoshi.

Wakamotoharu (3-2) defeated Tobizaru (2-3). Wakamotoharu hit Tobizaru with a firm elbow at the tachiai. Tobizaru pulled and tried to slap Wakamotoharu down but Haru kept his balance and laid into Tobizaru forcing him to flee. Tsukidashi.

Sanyaku

Daieisho (2-3) defeated Shodai (4-1). Well executed pull from Daieisho. Shodai extended his arms to shove Daieisho out but Daieisho grabbed Shodai’s left arm, shifted himself to the right, and dragged Shodai over the bales. My new rally towels suffer their first loss. Tottari.

Atamifuji (2-3) defeated Abi (2-3). Atamifuji corralled Abi and Abi didn’t seem to know what to do. So, while Abi contemplated, Atamifuji ushered him from the dance floor. Yoritaoshi.

Hiradoumi (4-1) defeated Kirishima (4-1). Hiradoumi pulled and yanked Kirishima forward. That put Kirishima’s back to the edge. Hiradoumi then wheeled around and drove Kirishima out. Oshidashi.

Onosato (5-0) defeated Takanosho (1-4). Takanosho tried to force Onosato back with a nodowa but was not powerful enough. Onosato just churned his legs forward and pressed Takanosho out. Powerful stuff! Oshidashi.

Hoshoryu (2-3) defeated Mitakeumi (1-4). Mitakeumi had enough power to move Hoshoryu back one step. Just one step. Then Hoshoryu over-powered the former Ozeki, forced him into reverse and over the bales. Yorikiri.

Oho (2-3) defeated Kotozakura (4-1). No silly pulls from Oho today. In the first phase of this bout, the oshi phase, he slapped away and did try a few slapdowns but he did not pull back far. He never really shifted his momentum so Kotozakura could take advantage of it. He kept his weight forward and was always able to drive into the Ozeki. Both men tired and settled into a grapple while they caught their breath. Oho moved forward first and drove a gassed Kotozakura from the dohyo. Nice stack of kensho there, fit for a Prince! Yorikiri.

Wrap up

Well, that sure changed the early outlook of this tournament. The young Oho with the upset of the tournament so far. He might have also exposed a bit of a strategy for Kotozakura opponents. Stay alive for more than a minute. If the Ozeki tires, he might be easy prey for the force out. I will need to watch that. It’s similar to what we’ve seen with Takakeisho in the past. If you outlast the initial barrage and the headbutts and go toe-to-toe for a minute, the odds are suddenly in your favor.

We had four undefeated wrestlers to start the day. Now everyone is chasing Onosato. We won’t really start thinking about yusho race until this weekend but we definitely have a crop of young leaders in Onosato, Kotozakura, and Hiradoumi with Kirishima, Shodai, Wakatakakage, plus Takarafuji and Bushozan (?!?!).

Frankly, this is why we wait until the end of the weekend to start thinking of yusho. If Takarafuji and Bushozan are still being mentioned in the yusho race on Wednesday, I will eat my hat and post it on the blog. I might even do it live on Instagram. But most of the other names are guys we will expect to hear from down the stretch.

Wakatakakage has the scheduling advantage early this week but I am sure they will start to pair him with top guys soon. Tomorrow, though, he will face Kotoshoho. Hiradoumi will have a much more difficult time against Daieisho in the battle of Komusubi. Kirishima will face another dynamic wrestler in Tobizaru. Kotozakura will get a bit of a reprieve against Mitakeumi, who has not looked solid this tournament. But, in the big matchup of the day, Shodai will face Onosato. My rally towels are in direct competition, so at least one of them will win!