No news from the infirmary.
Takerufuji is mopping the floor with his Juryo competition. Today, Aoiyama was a mere shadow of his former self. You can watch the bout at the NHK site. Takerufuji shares an early lead with Chiyoshoma but he will face Tsurugisho (5-1) tomorrow. Chiyoshoma will battle Shimazuumi.
For all of the videos, click here. Juryo bouts are green, Makuuchi are purple.
Makuuchi
Ryuden (4-2) defeated Shirokuma (2-4). Double inside grip (Shirokuma) vs Double outside grip (Ryuden). Ryuden won the battle of raw power. Several times Shirokuma tried to tip him over for a shitatenage but Ryuden kept his balance and steadily drove forward, forcing Shirokuma over the edge. Yorikiri.
Onokatsu (2-4) defeated Kitanowaka (2-4). Kitanowaka’s makikae was his undoing. He was clearly uncomfortable wrapping up Onokatsu’s left arm but he was having some success dragging Onokatsu around the dohyo. When he released his right hand and pulled up to get an inside grip, Onokatsu dug his head into Kitanowaka’s chin and drove forward. Kitanowaka tried to stop at the edge but Onokatsu dug deep and forced him over. Yorikiri.
Nishikigi (4-2) defeated Nishikifuji (2-4). Nishikigi drove forward and forced Nishikifuji over the tawara. Nishikifuji tried to twist and drag Nishikigi out at the last moment but it was obvious Nishikifuji stepped out first. Gunbai Nishikifuji? Did you forget which side Nishikigi was standing on? Yes, apparently so. After a quick mono-ii, the Gyoji’s ruling was overturned. Oshidashi.
Takayasu (4-2) defeated Bushozan (4-2). Takayasu disrupted Bushozan’s attack by going for Bushozan’s head. This drove him back to the bales. Bushozan found momentary resistance so Takayasu pulled and helped Bushozan fall forward. Andy’s hat is starting to look safe. Hikiotoshi.
Kinbozan (2-4) defeated Takarafuji (4-2). Takarafuji grabbed onto Kinbozan’s belt and dragged him over toward the edge. Kinbozan used the momentum well to pressure Takarafuji over the bales. Oshidashi.
Hokutofuji (4-2) defeated Kagayaki (1-5). Hokutofuji met Kagayaki head on but immediately stepped to the left and dragged Kagayaki forward with his left arm while slapping down with the right. This drove Kagayaki quickly to the floor. Tsukiotoshi.
Oshoma (4-2) defeated Tamawashi (2-4). As Tamawashi rushed forward, Oshoma shifted to the left and slapped Tamawashi down. Hatakikomi.
Endo (4-2) defeated Sadanoumi (3-3). Like Takarafuji, Sadanoumi dragged Endo toward the bales but this just moved himself closer to the edge. Sadanoumi was too high. Endo got low and pressed forward, driving Sadanoumi out. Yorikiri.
Roga (3-3) defeated Midorifuji (3-3). Roga did well to wrap Midorifuji up, secure him and drive him over the edge. Midorifuji was a little slow to walk back and Roga gave him a look, like “You okay?” Midorifuji seemed to have a slight limp going back down the hanamichi. Hopefully I was just seeing things because Midorifuji’s been looking pretty solid this basho. Yorikiri.
Churanoumi (4-2) defeated Oshiyamamoto (2-4). That was a typo but I liked it so I kept it. Churanoumi’s oshi-game was better and more powerful on this day than Ichiyamamoto’s. He was able to force Ichiyamamoto backward, at will. Ichiyamamoto shifted, changing direction when he’d get in trouble but Churanoumi caught up to him and forced him back and out. Oshidashi.
Halftime
Ura (4-2) defeated Gonoyama (2-4). Ura timed his sidestep beautifully. He kept Gonoyama engaged and charging forward with great oshi-power. Then, as Gonoyama charged forward, Ura slipped to his right and slapped Gonoyama down. Hatakikomi.
Breaking for news after halftime does not make sense to me but it’s been the NHK way.
Shonannoumi (1-5) defeated Meisei (1-5). Meisei grabbed Shonannoumi’s right arm and heaved Shonannoumi back toward the bales but Shonannoumi countered by going with Meisei and crushing Meisei out. Abisetaoshi.
Kotoshoho (4-2) defeated Wakatakakage (4-2). Kotoshoho’s well timed shift was the difference maker here. After a tsuppari brawl, Kotoshoho ducked to WTK’s left and followed up with a mighty shove. Oshidashi.
Takanosho (2-4) defeated Atamifuji (2-4). Atamifuji was just settling in for a lean when Takanosho grabbed Atamifuji’s left arm, shifted to the side and pulled him forward. Hikiotoshi.
Sanyaku
Daieisho (3-3) defeated Hiradoumi (4-2). Daieisho dominated the battle of Komusubi. He fought his way and left no openings for Hiradoumi. Hiradoumi tried a slapdown but poor timing and execution resulted in him just stepping closer toward his doom. Tsukidashi.
Onosato (6-0) obliterated Shodai (4-2). Two powerful shoves and the Ozeki was in the second row. GTFOHidashi
Wakamotoharu (4-2) defeated Abi (2-4). Wakamotoharu’s kachi-age whiffed but Abi’s didn’t. He drove that elbow and led with it as he drove forward. When you think of it, though, it’s rather awkward to lead with your elbow. It kind of twists you to the side, rather than pressing forward, head-on. Wakamotoharu took advantage of Abi’s slight rotation and slipped to his left. This got him behind Abi as Abi stumbled forward, and he was able to press him forward and out. Okuridashi.
Kirishima (5-1) defeated Tobizaru (2-4). Kirishima wrapped up Tobizaru’s right arm and tried to rip it out of its socket. He wrenched Tobizaru forward, then slipped in behind and shoved Tobizaru out. Maybe it just feels good to yeet someone. Okuridashi.
Kotozakura (5-1) defeated Mitakeumi (1-5). Kotozakura just took care of business. He locked in with a powerful right-hand inside grip that Mitakeumi was unable to dislodge. Yorikiri.
Oho (3-3) defeated Hoshoryu (2-4). Oho got immediate revenge for the slap at the tachiai. Hoshoryu handed Oho a morozashi as he tried to envelope the larger kid with a kimedashi-style grip. Oho took advantage and twisted Hoshoryu to his right. Hoshoryu resisted so Oho released his grip with his right and brought his right hand down on Hoshoryu’s head to help him to the floor. So flustered by the sudden loss, Hoshoryu started to head back down the hanamichi. Shonosuke was like, “Dude, get back here and bow.” So, Hoshoryu went back up and bowed. Sukuinage.
Wrap-up
Well, I think Oho is in line for a special prize if he can get a kachi-koshi. I’m telling you, moving backwards is for the birds.
“That doesn’t make sense, Andy. Birds only fly forward.”
Exactly.
“But…”
Shhhh…
Moving on, then. Though the wrestlers don’t speak during the lead-up or during the bouts, I can imagine a quick conversation before the Shodai/Onosato bout.
Shodai: “So, kid. You want to be Ozeki? Because I know a little something about that.”
Onosato: “I want to be Yokozuna.”
That was a dominant performance. If we’re witnessing the changing of the guard, I think we now know who’s got the next shift as guard. I cannot wait to see what comes next. Tomorrow has a blistering set up matchups at the top of the division to end the day. Hiradoumi will face Onosato. Abi will fight Oho, Shodai will take on Hoshoryu (if he shows up), and Kotozakura will have his hands full with Wakamotoharu.
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I laughed out loud with that .. CONVERSATION. Ozeki? Oho can handle all the ozekies. BTW, I think the match with Kotozakura yesterday was kinda oho’s confidence builder. Let’s go, Oho, GO!!
Thank you! And yes, I am a fan of this Oho.
What’s happening with Hoshoryu? It doesn’t seem to be physical, so his head must be totally messed up. His failure to observe the standard post-match courtesy may be a sign of that. Is he just over-thinking everything? It’s a stark contrast with Onosato, who doesn’t seem to be thinking at all, just doing.
Hoshoryu got injury in Nagoya basho and went gyujo. As far as I understood a hip injury was given as a reason. I wonder how long it took for the injury to heal and how much time did he actually have to prepare for this basho. We might simply be looking at Hoshoryu who is not fully fit yet.
I’ve been keeping my eyes open for anything but I haven’t seen it.
Ura really sold the forward clash, lowering his weight and leaning in to apparently meet Gonoyama with equal force. Brilliant feint.
I think what happened with Hoshoryu’s faux pas was that he stood up in the appropriate spot and nodded his head without noticing that the gyoji had not initiated the bow. I think the nature of his thoughtlessness was not to omit the bow entirely but rather to do it prematurely without paying attention to the other people on the dohyo. Once he returned to the dohyo he actually did the same thing again in terms of timing — he did a proper bow but out of turn — and only after that did he sync up with the gyoji and Oho.
Fakes are such a key part of sports like basketball and football. I wonder how much they practice that stuff in sumo.
Day 6 was a busy day.
Amazing action. Crazy busy at work, too.
I loved how they brought back Hoshoryu for 2 long bows (one to Oho, one to the gyoji)
you only see this in Sumo
This is the stuff that makes me love this sport even more.
Hoshoryu is an arrogant and disrespectful wrestler who has no class. If he can’t handle losing a match with grace, perhaps he should retire and take up knitting!
I have to disagree with you, but nicely. Hoshoryu is a hoot! He’s not disrespectful, and I think other comments on this have the right of it ie he did nod, but was flustered and not really aware of goings on around him. He’s blind as a bat too which won’t help.
Hoshoryu, yeah I’m a fan, can you tell? 😆
I forgot about the nearsightedness! If he’s like me then he really can’t see anything.
😆 🤣 I’m the same! I’ve heard people mention Hoshoryu’s glares at the beginning of each match. I figure he’s squinting to check that he’s facing who he thinks he should be fighting.
I may have been a bit harsh, but in all my years of watching sumo I have never seen anything like his behavior after a losing bout.
Hakuho after losing to Yoshikaze is probably the worst behavior I’ve seen after losing a bout. But this sport is pretty tame when it comes to attitudes, which is nice. That L Paul guy and a lot of boxers and MMA fighters have to foster that behavior to get attention.
Tsurugisho is gonna have to try another flying henka or some other gimmick to beat Takerufuji. Tsuru’s knee can’t withstand the pressure that Takeru will apply.
Has Abi put on a fair amount of weight in the past year or so? I don’t remember him with so much belly.
Hummingbirds can fly backwards!
You are correct! I forgot about that!