Day Three means maezumo begins. Our new American rikishi, Hikarumusashi, squared off against Hoshoryu’s cousin, Tenrosei in a tough debut bout. Hikarumusashi tried to use his tsuppari but Tenrosei caught him off balance and slapped him down in the most engaging maezumo bout of the day. There might be a revenge bout in Jonokuchi and this could work itself into a nice little rivalry. The video below is from Lulit on Twitter.
#初場所2025三日目 #前相撲
— Lulit (@OneLoveLulit) January 14, 2025
〈前相撲1日目〉
前相撲の様子です pic.twitter.com/jliRf2EqBE
The NHK videos for today are here: Juryo Part I and Part II, Makuuchi Part I and Part II.
Makuuchi Action
Nishikifuji (2-1) defeated Kagayaki (0-3). Nishikifuji used effective tsuppari to get Kagayaki moving backwards. Then he stepped inside and got a deep belt grip and forced Kagayaki over the edge. Kagayaki did not look competitive. Yorikiri.
Tokihayate defeated Tamashoho. Tokihayate slipped inside Tamashoho’s thrusting attack and locked on with his right-hand grip. Once he got the grip, Tamashoho shutdown his tsuppari and Tokihayate drove his opponent backwards with relative ease. Yorikiri.
Kinbozan (3-0) defeated Kitanowaka (1-2). Kinbozan’s powerful thrusts to Kitanowaka’s head had neck area overwhelmed Kitanowaka. Kitanowaka tried to escape and nearly slipped. Kinbozan pursued and Kitanowaka continued to flail as he ran away and stepped over the bales. Oshidashi.
Hakuoho (3-0) defeated Kotoshoho (1-2). This was a bruising thrusting bout. Kotoshoho kept Hakuoho off the belt with his powerful thrusts. Hakuoho took a pounding from Kotoshoho as he tried to get a grip. Kotoshoho’s thrusts worked Hakuoho to the edge. Hakuoho gave up on getting a grip and started his own thrusting attack in earnest. That turned the tables and forced Kotoshoho back and out. An appreciative round of applause from the audience. Oshidashi.
Nishikigi (2-1) defeated Shonannoumi (0-3). Nishikigi wrapped up Shonannoumi’s trunk with his left arm inside in a bear hug, chugged forward, and escorted the beach bum out of the ring. Yorikiri.
Takerufuji (3-0) defeated Onokatsu (1-2). Firm tachiai and a tight, back-and-forth belt battle. Both men throw each other and land in a heap. Gunbai Onokatsu. Mono-ii. The crowd erupts in cheers as they judged both fell at the same time, torinaoshi. Takerufuji got his thrusting attack going on the redo after a failed slapdown attempt. The thrusts were too much for Onokatsu and he stepped back and out. Oshidashi.
Tamawashi (3-0) defeated Midorifuji (1-2). Midorifuji got off the line a bit early for a false start. After they resettled, Tamawashi assaulted Midorifuji and blasted him clear of the dohyo. Oshidashi.
Meisei (1-2) defeated Oshoma (1-2). After a solid tachiai and few thrusts, Meisei yanked on Oshoma’s right arm and pulled him forward. Oshoma wasn’t quite defeated so Meisei followed up with a thrust to force Oshoma over the bales. Oshidashi.
Mitakeumi (2-1) defeated Churanoumi (1-2). This bout started as a wide ranging oshi brawl and then settled into a very entertaining grapple. The gyoji had to pause things for a bit to adjust their mawashi after Mitakeumi’s knot came undone. After the restart, Mitakeumi plowed forward with his right-hand inside. Churanoumi tried to cast Mitakeumi side to side but Mitakeumi kept up the pressure and forced Churanoumi out under the red tassel. Honestly, this was the most competitive bout I have seen from Mitakeumi since he got Covid. Yorikiri.
Endo (1-2) defeated Takarafuji (0-3). Endo baited Takarafuji into moving forward. At the edge, Endo pulled on Takarafuji’s left arm and pulled him forward to the ground. Tottari.
Halftime
Chiyoshoma (3-0) defeated Ichiyamamoto (2-1). Chiyoshoma henka! Chiyoshoma grabbed Ichiyamamoto’s left arm and pulled him forward but Ichiyamamoto pulled back. While Ichiyamamoto tried to recover and start up his tsuppari, Chiyoshoma forced his way inside and grabbed Ichiyamamoto by the mawashi. With a firm grip, Chiyoshoma quickly forced Ichiyamamoto to the bales where he gave it his all to resist. But Chiyoshoma wore him down and forced him over the tawara. Yorikiri.
Takayasu (2-1) defeated Hiradoumi (1-2). Hiradoumi’s gaburi sumo forced Takayasu to the edge. Takayasu used the bales to stabilize. He slid to his right along the tawara and slapped Hiradoumi down. Hatakikomi.
Gonoyama (2-1) defeated Ura (1-2). Gonoyama engaged Ura with both guns on full blast. Ura slipped away to try to regroup but Gonoyama pursued quickly, reengaged, and launched Ura into the crowd. Oshitaoshi.
Sanyaku
Abi (2-1) defeated Atamifuji (0-3). Abi-zumo. Phase One was to engage with powerful thrusts. As Atamifuji pressed forward, Abi engaged Phase Two. Abi slipped away and slapped him down. Hatakikomi.
Daieisho (3-0) defeated Shodai (0-3). Shodai tried to get inside to get an attack going but this is Daieisho. He’s not exactly going to welcome you inside for a belt grip with tea and crumpets. No, he’s going to assault you with powerful tsuppari. And assault is what he did to Shodai, over and over until he forced Shodai over the edge. Oshidashi.
Oho (3-0) defeated Wakamotoharu (1-2). Wakamotoharu tried to take on Oho toe-to-toe. NOT a good idea. Oho doubled down on his thrusts, forced Wakamotoharu back to the bales. Wakamotoharu tried to pivot at the bales but Oho followed up and threw Wakamotoharu down. Tsukitaoshi.
Hoshoryu (3-0) defeated Wakatakakage (1-2). Hoshoryu forced Wakatakakage back with powerful tsuppari and Wakatakakage’s attempts to slip to the side or push Hoshoryu to the side were completely ineffective. Tsukidashi.
Tobizaru (2-1) defeated Kotozakura (1-2). Kotozakura had control of Tobizaru’s left arm and tried to yank him over the bales. Tobizaru freed his arm and used his tsuppari to keep Kotozakura at bay. Kotozakura wanted to end this so he charged forward but Tobizaru disappeared into thin air and Kotozakura fell into a heap below the dohyo. Hikiotoshi.
Onosato (2-1) defeated Takanosho (0-3). Takanosho pivoted, twisted, and Onosato fell onto his shoulder. Gunbai Onosato? Mono-ii. Video replay demonstrated that Takanosho had stepped out. Konishiki has spoken of throwing his TV out the window after a particularly difficult loss. This must be a TV-throwing moment of frustration for Takanosho. HE HAD IT. But it slipped from his grasp because of sloppy footwork. Instead of picking up an Ozeki scalp and a heap of cash, Takanosho is sitting on a goose egg. 0-3. Oshidashi.
Terunofuji (2-1) defeated Kirishima (0-3). Kirishima locked on with his right hand inside while the Yokozuna latched onto that right arm and seemed content to take a ride. Kirishima dragged Terunofuji around the ring wearing himself out. The two settled into a stalemate at the center of the ring to catch their breath. Terunofuji dug deep and charged forward, finally forcing Kirishima over the bales, under the red tassel. Yorikiri.
Wrap-up
Kotozakura’s rope run is on life support and we’re only on Day Three! A yusho seems completely out of grasp at this point. You know how wrestlers commonly talk about taking it one bout at a time? Kotozakura needs to do that and regroup.
Meanwhile, Hoshoryu looks as strong as ever. He dispatched Wakatakakage today with relative ease. Tomorrow he will face Takanosho. Wakatakakage used a passive strategy today and it backfired. I got the sense he was hoping to do what Tobizaru did to Kotozakura but Hoshoryu had him completely secured.
After a few basho where Abi looked a bit lost (yet somehow still at the top of the banzuke), he is on fire, engaging and powerful. Daieisho, the tsuki to Abi’s oshi, is burning things up, too. Both men know what it takes to win. I like what they have been serving up so far. Daieisho is still undefeated, along with Hoshoryu and will face a tough one against Oho tomorrow. The henka returns from Chiyoshoma. It has been a while but he wants to keep his winning streak going. Ichiyamamoto was completely at a loss.
Lastly, toward the bottom of the rank-and-file we have Tamawashi, Takerufuji, Hakuoho, and Kinbozan. Those four have hoovered up white stars these first few days and are competing at a level beyond those ranked around them. Tamawashi will take on Takerufuji tomorrow in what I think will be a highlight bout.
Well, I’m just here for the ride. I want to see where this show goes!
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Oho! OHO! Two komsubi and a sekiwake defeated in three straight days. What if we are on course to have a new yokozuna before too long who is the grandson of a former yokozuna and the son of a former makuuchi rikishi but it’s not Kotozakura after all?!
The legacy-yokozuna duo would be amazing though Oho has yet to distinguish himself as much. I think Hoshoryu and Oho are supposed to be rivals?? That would be really fun.
Oho and Hoshoryu debuted at the same tournament. Since they both came from significant sumo families, it definitely adds to the rivalry.
All in on Hoshoryu for this basho. Would like to see him continue to win and hopefully get the rope. Terunofuji struggling against Kirishima certainly didn’t dispel any doubts that he can make it through the basho. All the better for Hoshoryu.
JMe-tv didn’t want to let me watch NHK on my phone or iPad tonight. Had to deal with Abema’s commercial filled broadcast. Loved the first half, all my picks prevailed, second half, not so much as all but one went down to defeat.
Very entertaining matches overall. Hoshoryu seems determined to be the next to attain the rope. Very strong performances show far.
You might want to reach out to JME tech support. Sounds like an issue with the app? I’ve not used the app yet because I use it on our “big screen” downstairs. Truth be told, our TV is not much of a big screen.
I’ve had some success with their tech support in the past. In my line of work, sometimes users experience issues that we don’t know about until they tell us.
I think Kotozakura’s rope run is over. He’s currently not displaying Yokozuna level sumo and he still has to face:
Terunofuji
Hoshoryu
Onosato
Wakamotoharu
Daieisho
Wakatakakage
That’s some very tough sledding and unless a miracle happens I see 3-3 or 4-2 at best against that list and that just won’t get the rope run job done.
Koto a yokozuna! in his dreams. he definitely would be the worst yokozuna since the turn of the century. Kisenosato was injured at that rank
I tend to agree and I see him more likely to turn out to be the second coming of Takakeisho and Kaio at Ozeki. I believe he’ll take some more yusho in the future but I just don’t think he’s Yokozuna material or can put together a rope run.
Of course, now that I’ve put it out there, and much to the delight of his fans here and elsewhere, he’ll make a liar out of me.
Healthy Kinbozan is nice to see. He is moving again like he did when he first came to makuuchi with that lateral motion staying right in front of his opponent and staying really low as he escorts then over the bales. I think his sumo is really pretty to watch when he’s in form like this. Way way down the banzuke after his trip to Juryo, so maybe he just has easier competition but still very encouraging.
The ironman lives up to his name again! Looking very strong this basho so far. His brother in law does not look to have the goods, though. Tamashoho is going right back to Juryo. Maybe harsh to say on only day 3, but he looks lost as well as overpowered and out maneuvered.
The Yokozuna Terunofuji (dai) and Onosato (university only, so far) have been very shaky yet.
Will they be getting stronger fast enough for the yusho race, if at all?
At the moment everything points in Hoshoryu‘s direction. The nephew seems ready.
Btw. I can’t detect much of a family resemblance to the cousin.
The Wakas will hardly ever reach the Ozeki rank. The opposition might be too strong, healthy and relatively young and for the first time I get the feeling that Oho is overtaking them, too.
Plus there are the still very young Atamifuji, the high-flyer Takerufuji, the promising if really healthy Hakuoho and maybe even the now heavier Kinbozan further down on the Banzuke.
It will be a very difficult task to reach 33 wins in three basho for everyone.
What glorious times for Sumo!
“Kotozakura’s rope run is on life support and we’re only on Day Three!”
Tomorrow: Kotozakura vs. Kirishima 4-13
He’s dead. Call it!
It is interesting how folks can have such differing perspectives on the same bouts. I was impressed with Teru’s win today. His record and rank don’t indicate it right now, but Kirishima is not a push-over. It took the Yokozuna a minute and a half, but he did what he had to do.
Terunofuji has not looked as dominant as I would expect. The last time this happened was a year ago this same tournament, first week two losses to Wakamotoharu and Shodai, and it definitely looked like Terunofuji would not complete the 15 days. What happened instead was the day 15 “yeet heard around the world” and the complete over-powering of Kotozakura in playoff resulting into 9th Yusho. So I have decided to wait until he actually gets more losses before writing him out. Besides I want to see if Hoshoryu can actually improve the 0-9 record against Terunofuji or not.
Onokatsu-Takerufuji was really great–definitely my favorite of the up-and-comers. Of course we’re all shaking our heads over Chiyoshoma, but I did enjoy Takakeisho’s facial expression on the Abema coverage, which was halfway between a wince and a smirk.
I’m so excited for Hoshoryu!! He’s really my favorite, even though Kotozakura’s sort of stunned sumo was… depressing. OMG, Hoshoryu-yokozuna!?!?!
I wish there was henka attempt data somewhere because I swear, Chiyoshoma improved when he stopped doing them so frequently. Now, it’s like he legitimately catches people off guard.
Great summary of the day .. ..
Keisho was having fun w the tele-strator .. a new John Madden? .. Wish there were subtitles .. Tobizaru is putting on a clinic .. put Teru & Koto-z on their heels, then played them like base fiddles .. Koto-z’s defensive style is not holding up ..his feet are not fast enough to catch flying monkeys .. Looks to me that Koto-z (+ Atamifuji) needs a winning offense vs top competition .. Can see why some rikishi settle on one style .. i.e. know what they do well + don’t look lost figuring out how to undo predicaments .. Oho looks strong + ready to rumble .. Hope Wakatakakage’s knee is OK .. Was more tape added? .. Hoshoryu looks great + strong .. not yet resorting to elusive footwork + flying hip throws/ballet .. Plenty of good form in the lower ranks .. This is basho is a blast ..
btw .. My eyes think/hope Teru is getting stronger .. his legs, back, ticker are gettng warmed up ..