Year: 2024

Aki 2024: Day Two Highlights

Andy Aki 2024, Aki Basho ,

We got our first action from Kotomotomura and it did not disappoint. Though he lost, he put up a great effort. He will be a fun one to watch. In November, he will be splitting out of Sadogatake-beya and moving with Kotoshogiku to a new Hidenoyama beya. Three other wrestlers, Kotohanashiro, Kotokoguchi, and Kotomunakata will be joining them (all currently in Jonidan).

Takerufuji continues to advance. Today he completely overwhelmed Kiryuko. Daiseizan downed Aoiyama, right into Goeido’s lap. Shiden handed Hakuoho an early loss with some impressive belt work and an uwatedashinage. The two men had locked in for a bit of a lean-fest when Shiden kicked out and started to try some trips. This seemed to make Hakuoho press forward a bit further to keep Shiden away — but I think he pitched too far forward. Shiden then used this to his advantage and levered Hakuoho down.

All of the Juryo action is available at the NHK website here: Part I and Part II. The Makuuchi action is available here: Part I and Part II.

Makuuchi Highlights

Nishikifuji defeated Shirokuma. Nishikifuji just plain overpowered Shirokuma. Both men went belt-to-belt immediately and Nishikifuji’s power resisted Shirokuma’s throw attempt while succeeding with his own. Well, it counts as a throw but it was more of a heave. Shirokuma remained on his feet, he just got heaved over the edge. Powerful Uwatedashinage.

Shirokuma will fight Tokihayate from Juryo on Day 3.

Kitanowaka defeated Onosho. After a brief oshi-tussle, Kitanowaka grabbed Onosho by the belt with his left hand, and aided with his right hand up on Onosho’s head, heaved him to the clay. I thought I saw Onosho make the internationally recognized motion for hair-pull but the judges did not think a meeting was warranted. Uwatenage.

Kitanowaka will fight Nishikifuji tomorrow while Onosho will slink back down to Juryo.

Takayasu defeated Ryuden. Takayasu started by going after Ryuden with powerful thrusts to the head, similar to Daieisho. This kept Ryuden off his belt and drove him toward the edge but he could not work him over. Takayasu tired and had to lock up on the belt. He used his best ottsuke to keep Ryuden’s right hand away while at the same time using his own grip to drag Ryuden down. Uwatenage.

Takarafuji defeated Onokatsu. Takarafuji quickly acquired a left-hand inside grip and ushered Onokatsu over the tawara. Yorikiri.

Takarafuji will fight Ryuden and Onokatsu will fight Takayasu.

Bushozan defeated Hokutofuji. This was an oshi-brawl. Bushozan was in trouble early, resisting Hokutofuji on the edge. Hokutofuji couldn’t force Bushozan over the edge so he tried to pull and slap him down. However, this just let Bushozan back into the fight. Hokutofuji worked Bushozan back to the edge but Bushozan rotated and forced Hokutofuji’s back to the edge. With more power he worked Hokutofuji over the edge. Yorikiri.

Nishikigi defeated Kinbozan. Nishiki deflected Kinbozan’s thrusts and locked in to his belt. He bulled forward and forced Kinbozan over the edge. Yorikiri.

Nishikigi will fight Bushozan and Kinbozan will take on Hokutofuji.

Sadanoumi defeated Tamawashi. “I know it’s your party today but I need the win.” A seemingly remorseful Sadanoumi pulled and slapped Tamawashi down at the edge. Very effective. Hatakikomi. Nevertheless, Tamawashi is now tied with Aobajo for the most consecutive bouts fought at 1,630. They’re also tied for 8th on the list for overall bouts, behind the likes of Kyokutenho, Aminishiki, Terao, Kaio, Wakanosato, and Takamiyama. The King, though, is Oshio at 1,891 total bouts. The chase is on.

Kagayaki defeated Roga. Kagayaki kept Roga’s arms off his belt while he charged forward and drove Roga over the edge. Oshidashi.

Tamawashi will claim the outright Iron Man record tomorrow against Kagayaki. Roga will fight Sadanoumi.

Endo defeated Ichiyamamoto. Beautiful win by Endo. Both men charged forward with thrusting attacks. Ichiyamamoto doing his thing. Endo knocked Ichiyamamoto’s left arm to the side, pulled back, and slapped Ichiyamamoto down. Hatakikomi.

Oshoma defeated Midorifuji. Oshoma had one game plan, keep Midorifuji at arm’s length and try to slap him down. After several tries, Oshoma timed a slapdown well and pulled Midorifuji forward. Midorifuji kept his balance but as he moved forward Oshoma was able to get behind him. From behind, Oshoma pressured Midorifuji out. Okuridashi.

Ichiyamamoto will fight Midorifuji and Oshoma will face Endo.

Wakatakakage defeated Meisei. Solid tachiai from both men. Meisei timed his pull poorly and Wakatakakage used the momentum to drive him out. Oshidashi.

Halftime

Gonoyama defeated Churanoumi. Gonoyama was all offense today. Gonoyama charged forward with powerful tsuppari. Twice, Churanoumi tried to shift at the edge and pull him forward. To be honest, it seemed like it worked at the edge and he pulled Gonoyama down as he was falling out (but kept his foot in). Nevertheless, the gunbai went to Gonoyama and no mono-ii. Oshidashi.

Gonoyama will take on WTK and Churanoumi will fight Meisei.

Shodai defeated Ura. Shodai pressed Ura forward and out. Shodai kept his balance long enough to drive Ura out in spite of Ura’s pulldown. Gunbai Shodai. No mono-ii. Oshidashi. So far, my new Shodai rally towel seems to be working.

Kotoshoho defeated Shonannoumi. Kotoshoho started with some tsuppari but drove forward and forced Shonannoumi out. Shonannoumi had reached over Kotoshoho’s back and grabbed at his mawashi but lost his grip. Yorikiri.

Kotoshoho will fight Ura and Shonannoumi will try to get dirt on Shodai.

Sanyaku

Hiradoumi defeated Wakamotoharu. Hiradoumi’s high-octane style overwhelmed Wakamotoharu. When the pull didn’t work, Hiradoumi charged forward and forced Wakamotoharu over the edge. Yorikiri.

Abi defeated Mitakeumi. Abi-zumo. Abi drove into Mitakeumi repeatedly and shoved him over the edge. Oshidashi.

Abi will face Hiradoumi tomorrow.

Oho defeated Takakeisho. Takakeisho nearly ran Oho out with a shift in direction but Oho stayed in bounds and pursued Takakeisho. When Oho caught him, he wrapped him up and eased him over the bales.

Takakeisho will have a tough time tomorrow with Wakamotoharu.

Kirishima defeated Atamifuji. Atamifuji had one goal, wrap up Kirishima’s right arm and drive him over the bales. Kirishima, rather spectacularly, extracted his arm and spun around landing on Atamifuji, who had fallen forward. They called it a shitatenage.

Onosato defeated Tobizaru. Tobizaru false start. Like, the earliest false start I’ve ever seen. Onosato hadn’t even thought of putting his hands down yet. A completely needless and senseless charge forward that connected with Onosato and shoved him back. With that, the entire building and everyone at home on their VPNs knew a shift at the tachiai was coming. Onosato recovered well, pursued the retreating Tobizaru and forced him out. Tsukidashi.

Onosato will fight Oho.

Kotozakura defeated Takanosho. Takanosho could not extract himself from Kotozakura’s grasp. Kotozakura got a morozashi at the tachiai and pressed forward, waiting for Takanosho to stop flailing before gently walking him over the edge.

Kotozakura will give chase to Tobizaru on Day 3 while Takanosho will fight Kirishima.

Hoshoryu defeated Daieisho. Hoshoryu blitzed Daieisho and drove him backwards. Both men landed on Nishonoseki-oyakata.

Hoshoryu will try to figure out Atamifuji tomorrow and Daieisho will likely have an easier day with Mitakeumi.

Wrap-up

Overall, I felt the action today was not as good as yesterday’s but we still had some great bouts. Hoshoryu redeemed himself for yesterday’s debacle with a dominant performance. I’m actually more excited about some of tomorrow’s match-ups. I’m wondering if Tobizaru will tuck tail and run for a third day in a row. Atamifuji/Hoshoryu should be entertaining. I might refill my teacup during Wakamotoharu versus Takakeisho. Meisei versus Churanoumi might be the brawl to watch.

Aki 2024: Shonichi Highlights

Andy Aki 2024 , , , , ,

In Juryo, Takerufuji took care of business today. He completely overpowered Daiseizan and handed him a loss in his debut. Our other debutant, Kiryuko, fell victim to an Aoiyama slapdown. Hakuoho got his tournament off on the right foot with a powerful yorikiri win over Daiamami. Shishi got the better of Tamashoho at the edge.

As usual, NHK has all of the videos here. Juryo Part I and Part II as well as Makuuchi Part I and Part II. As usual, I’m catching all of the action LIVE on JME.tv. And as usual, JME also provides a special sumo channel that allows you to watch their entire Makuuchi division coverage four times each day.

Makuuchi action

Chiyoshoma defeated Nishikifuji. Nishikifuji drove forward but Chiyoshoma was able to shift to the side and pull him down at the edge. A particularly rough-looking Katasukashi.

Shirokuma defeated Kitanowaka. Shirokuma chased Kitanowaka, drove him to the edge and ushered him out. Kitanowaka locked on with a left-hand grip at the tachiai. He immediately began pulling and circled around the dohyo. Shirokuma pressed forward and forced Kitanowaka back to the edge. Kitanowaka tried to resist at the bales but Shirokuma drove him out. Yorikiri. Makuuchi win #1.

Shirokuma will fight Nishikifuji tomorrow. Kitanowaka will face Onosho, who will be our visitor from Juryo. That just doesn’t seem right.

Takayasu defeated Takarafuji. Takayasu aimed high at the initial charge, going for headshot after headshot. Takarafuji realized this battering was unsustainable and tried knocking Takayasu’s arms away but the shots kept coming. Takarafuji backed away and as he got to the edge he slipped to the side and tried to get at the back of Takayasu’s belt. Takayasu recovered, shifted, and slapped Takarafuji down. Hatakikomi.

Ryuden defeated Onokatsu. Onokatsu did not read the brief. Ryuden locked on with his left-hand inside and right arm outside, drove forward and forced Onokatsu out. Yorikiri.

Ryuden will fight Takayasu on Day Two while Onokatsu will square up against Takarafuji.

Hokutofuji defeated Nishikigi. Ow. Hokutofuji planted his right arm in Nishikigi’s neck, left arm inside and drove forward. Yorikiri.

Bushozan defeated Kinbozan. Kinbozan seemed to have the power advantage and pressed forward with a fierce oshi attack. Bushozan circled backward for a bit. He then grabbed Kinbozan’s right arm and tried to rip it off. While doing so, he shifted to the center of the ring, gaining a superior position. He then battered Kinbozan with tsuppari and shoved him out. Oshidashi.

Bushozan will face Hokutofuji and Nishikigi will face Kinbozan.

Sadanoumi defeated Kagayaki. Sadanoumi got both his arms inside. With a few gaburi-yotsu bunny-hops, Sadanoumi arrested Kagayaki’s advance and forced the shinkansen into reverse. Sadanoumi kept up the pressure, forced Kagayaki back along the rails to the edge and over. Yorikiri.

Roga defeated Tamawashi. Roga locked on with his left hand at the front of Tamawashi’s belt. Unperturbed, Tamawashi pressed forward and forced Roga to the edge. Roga resisted so Tamawashi tried a slapdown. Roga maintained his balance and shifted his grip to the right-hand. He then pulled Tamawashi forward and rolled him into the crowd. Shitatedashinage.

Tamawashi will tie the record for consecutive bouts at 1,630 tomorrow, when he faces Sadanoumi. The Iron Man has fought every bout since his debut in March 2004. I was living in Japan and teaching at NOVA in Hiyoshi when he first climbed onto the dohyo. I didn’t even know my wife back then and I think I was still living in Hodogaya. She and I have two kids now, one is in high school. And the Jade Eagle has been chugging away the entire time. That’s absolutely incredible.

Kagayaki will face Roga. Nothing special about that.

Ichiyamamoto defeated Oshoma. Ichiyamamoto-zumo. Tsuppari to get Oshoma moving backwards. Then plant his head in his chest and drive forward to finish him off. Not sure what Oshoma wanted to do here today but he ended up in a shinpan’s lap. Oshidashi.

Endo defeated Midorifuji. Katasukashi-boy tried his thing and nearly caught Endo. But Endo kept his balance and resisted two great pull-down attempts. He pressed Midorifuji to the edge and slapped him down. Hatakikomi.

Endo will take on Ichiyamamoto. (Henka, anyone?) Oshoma will face Midorifuji.

Churanoumi defeated Wakatakakage. Well, that was impressive. This was a wild bout with slapdown attempts, pulldown attempts, oshi-, yotsu- galore. Churanoumi was able to lock up Wakatakakage with both arms around his trunk. He drove forward and forced Wakatakakage to step out. Oshidashi.

Halftime

Meisei defeated Gonoyama. Another wild, exciting bout from these two. Oshi-yotsu, everything. I enjoy watching these kind of bouts because we hear so much about, “my brand of sumo.” And these bouts seem to be like a big, old grocery store with all brands on the shelves. However, it’s a nightmare to describe and give a quality play-by-play, blow-by-blow account. In the end, Gonoyama cornered Meisei at the edge. As he put his head down to charge forward, Meisei jumped to the side and slapped Gonoyama down. Hatakikomi.

Meisei gets Wakatakakage while Gonoyama fights Churanoumi on Day Two.

Ura defeated Shonannoumi. Shonannoumi lost his way here. He reverted to pulling sumo. He tried several slapdowns but Ura was more than happy to charge forward and force him out. Oshidashi.

Shodai defeated Kotoshoho. As Shodai pressed forward at the tachiai, Kotoshoho’s right leg seemed to slide a bit farther out that he was expecting. He fell forward as Shodai pressed him down. Easy day one win for Shodai. Tsukiotoshi.

Our Bout of the Day on Day Two will be Shodai versus Ura while Kotoshoho will dust himself off and take on Shonannoumi.

Sanyaku

Wakamotoharu defeated Daieisho. Wakamotoharu weathered Daieisho’s forceful nodowa attack and resisted at the bales. Instead of keeping up the attack, Daieisho shifted into reverse and tried a slapdown. Wakamotoharu was probably very happy to be relieved of the pressure. He chased Daieisho across the ring and forced him out. Oshidashi.

Mitakeumi defeated Takakeisho. Takakeisho tried his tsuppari. When that yielded nothing, he put his head down and charged into Mitakeumi. Mitakeumi just pressed forward into the Sekiwake, drove him back and out. Yorikiri.

Kirishima defeated Oho. Oho stumbled backwards. WTF was he doing. FORWARD, YOUNG MAN!!! When Kirishima started connecting with his slaps, Oho put the truck in reverse and tried for a slapdown. When he reached the bales, his foot slipped over the top and he stepped out. Grrrrr…. You’ve got the potential but MOVE FORWARD! Oshidashi.

Takakeisho will fight Oho tomorrow. Both men will try to regroup from their disappointing displays on Shonichi. Takakeisho should be able to get a wily win from this if his head is in the game.

Onosato defeated Atamifuji. Onosato was focused on trying to keep Atamifuji’s right hand away. He pressed forward and drove Atamifuji to the edge. Atamifuji resisted and bulled forward as Onosato pulled. Atamifuji fell forward while Onosato tumbled out. Gunbai Onosato. Mono-ii. Video replay confirmed that Onosato brought Atamifuji down before he fell out, Shotaro’s eagle eye in the background, observing everything. Onosato’s foot was still on the top of the tawara when Atamifuji’s hands touched. Hatakikomi.

Atamifuji will fight Kirishima on Day Two. Should be an interesting and lively bout.

Tobizaru defeated Abi. Henka. Tobizaru batted Abi’s arms away and brought him down in a heap. Uwatenage? OK…

Tobizaru will probably have a bigger challenge against Onosato tomorrow. Abi will face Mitakeumi and will probably NOT get henka’d.

Takanosho defeated Hoshoryu. Well. Takanosho’s winning stretch continues. Hoshoryu, in retreat, tried to drag Takanosho down. Takanosho pressed forward and forced Hoshoryu off the dohyo. Oshidashi.

Hoshoryu will take on Daieisho in tomorrow’s final bout.

Kotozakura defeated Hiradoumi. Hiradoumi retreated to the edge, forcing Kotozakura to give chase. As Kotozakura engaged, Hiradoumi pounced and drove Kotozakura to the edge. However, Kotozakura wrapped up Hiradoumi, twisted, and brought him down. Tsukiotoshi.

Kotozakura will face Takanosho and Hiradoumi will fight Wakamotoharu.

Kototsubasa ended the day with the bow-twirling ceremony.

Wrap-up

Sumo is back! Fantastic action today, for the most part. Concerns for Takakeisho’s condition continue. I’m not sure what Hoshoryu had planned today but fighting in retreat and falling hard on his backside were likely not what he drew up on the whiteboard. As usual, he’ll be starting the yusho race from the back.

There are several electric fights in store for us tomorrow. I’ll be watching that Wakamotoharu/Hiradoumi bout with keen interest. Churanoumi and Bushozan, of all people, are making me stand up and take notice. Day One Flukes? Or can these guys put together solid shows here?

Aki 2024: Shonichi Preview

Andy Aki Basho 2022

As a bit of a distraction we were able to watch the debut MMA fight of former Isegahama wrestler, Terutsuyoshi. The good news is that despite MMA legend Bob Sapp being in his opponent’s corner, Terutsuyoshi won with a second round TKO.

It was clear early on that Terutsuyoshi was disadvantaged on height and reach. His opponent, Wi Sung-On, landed many headshots during the first round. Terutsuyoshi resorted to rushing his opponent and either tackling him and continuing to attack with punches, or to knock him out of the fighting surface. The fight ended after one of these tackles. Terutsuyoshi tackled and then continued to punch the back of his opponent’s head, so the ref called the fight over.

Alright, reboot, reset your mind. The Dohyo has been rebuilt and consecrated. It’s sumo time. The party is about to start. The good folks over at Sumo Kaboom! are in Ryogoku so make sure to check in over there to hear and see more about their travels. I am jealous.

Kyujo Report

Terunofuji is out. News from Isegahama-oyakata raise deep concerns about his health, on top of his physical condition. It sounds like he needs considerable time away. Sadly, it’s probably the same story for Takakeisho but T-Rex will fight. He has not been practicing and will enter the tournament relatively cold. Yeah, he knows the sport and he knows how to win but that’s not the problem. Sitting on the couch doesn’t keep that body, those muscles in shape.

Down in Juryo, Asanoyama is out. His recovery from surgery continues and we will likely not see him until 2025. Myogiryu, however, has also been added to the kyujo list. If he does not intend to participate, this could be the end of his career. Watch this space for an announcement early next week. Importantly, Takerufuji will be back in action. Most attention will be on that ankle.

Makuuchi Torikumi Highlights

We have a couple of debutants in the top division, Onokatsu and Shirokuma. Shirokuma will face the young Kitanowaka who earned his return to the top division on the back of an 8-7 record in Nagoya. Onokatsu will be challenged by the wily veteran, Ryuden. Keep Ryuden off your belt!

Churanoumi has blitzed the division of late. He cracked into the division in November and has been grinding it out at the bottom of the division. He finally had a break-out performance at Aki and moved up into the meat of the division but will have to step it up to succeed against Wakatakakage.

Ura will try to figure out how to combat Shonannoumi’s size advantage. So far the beach bum has had no problems forcing Ura onto his own bum. If Shonannoumi keeps Ura in front and contained, it will be a quick bout. Ura will need to work his way around and get in behind. Easier said than done.

Sekiwake Takakeisho needs 10 wins to reclaim his status as Ozeki. To do it, he’ll have to start against another former Ozeki, Mitakeumi. I mentioned his lack of preparation above. This might not start well. Kirishima and Oho have been going in opposite directions. The pressure may be off Kirishima as he has officially joined the likes of Shodai, Mitakeumi, and Takayasu as former Ozeki. Oho started moving forward more consistently on the dohyo and that has brought success and moved him up the banzuke. Kirishima has not been able to force many of his opponents backwards of late. He will come out with a high-energy, blitzing attack. Will Oho contain him?

Onosato will fight Atamifuji. With the Ozeki ranks being emptied, of late, Onosato will need to do something special this tournament to secure Ozeki promotion. Terunofuji is not here. That’s a big hurdle that he will not have to surpass. As for the Ozeki we have, Hoshoryu will fight Takanosho, who seemingly came out of nowhere in Nagoya to contend for the title. Lastly, with no Yokozuna, Kotozakura will fight Hiradoumi in the musubi-no-ichiban. Hiradoumi is a fire-cracker. No, strike that. He’s no mere fire-cracker. He’s been a bottle-rocket, steadily rising up the banzuke and finally reaching double-digit wins in Nagoya and picking up a special prize. Is it time for him to bust out and take it to the next level?

Summary

I’ll be honest, I don’t know where to go with this tournament. I like Onosato’s chances at promotion but I felt that way at the beginning of Nagoya. I thought Hiradoumi would have a tough time and he got 10 wins. Takayasu should do very well but I am not going to call for a yusho, as I usually do. His back seems to really be keeping him from making progress so he might not last much longer than Aoiyama before retirement. I will try to pay a bit closer attention to the maezumo class as well as that in November, with Daniel. I’m eager to learn his shikona but I’m guessing it will be Musashi-something. Maybe Musashiumi? (Taken, already!) I kind of like the ring to that. Well, I plan to sit back, grab a cup of shochu or Japanese whiskey and enjoy the action.

Shirokuma’s New Kesho Mawashi Highlights Hometown Festival

Andy Japanese Culture ,

Shirokuma will join his stablemate, Onosato, in the top division at the upcoming September tournament in Tokyo. To celebrate, his hometown supporter’s club presented him with a brand new kesho mawashi. Kesho mawashi are the special mawashi with long, decorated aprons that sekitori wear during the introduction ceremonies, or dohyo-iri.

Shirokuma’s hometown is Sukagawa, Fukushima and that town is host to one of Japan’s three great fire festivals, the Taimatsuakashi. The festival has its roots in a battle from the 16th Century. Local residents took up arms to defend the castle and this festival symbolizes their efforts.

In November, teams of local residents build these massive bamboo structures and stuff them with dried brush, then wrap them with mats. A sacred fire from a local shrine is then lit, paraded to the festival site, and then used to set the massive structures alight.

Two years ago, they were able to hold the festival with crowds for the first time since the pandemic. This presentation will hopefully increase awareness of the festival and bring more people to Sukagawa to enjoy it. I will hopefully be able to go in a future trip. If so, plan for me to be there with some marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers.

To see what it’s like, as well as a detailed explanation how the bamboo structures are made, I hope you will enjoy this video. The kesho mawashi artwork does a great job of representing the actual pyres.

I will close with the words of The Great Beavis, “Fire, fire, fire.”