Hakuho had his eyes on the prize when Isegahama had their red and white field day. He instantly regretted letting Kusano, the shin-Juryo recruit, slip through his fingers in their draft. Hat tip to Herouth who spotted this in the lead up to the tournament and shared the link on Twitter and Blue Sky. I point this out because the young Kusano leads the Juryo yusho race at 6-0. Watch this kid.
NHK videos are here: Juryo Part I and Part II, Makuuchi Part I and Part II.
Makuuchi Action.
Mitakeumi (4-2) defeated Asakoryu (3-3). Asakoryu tried his lateral movement today but Mitakeumi was patient, bided his time and steadily wrapped Asakoryu up. Once Mitakeumi got his quarry contained with a right hand-inside, left-hand outside, he chugged forward and drove him out. Yorikiri.
Roga (Juryo 5-1) defeated Kotoshoho (3-3). Roga lured Kotoshoho to the edge and quickly twisted clockwise, rotating Kotoshoho down to the ground. Tsukiotoshi.
Tokihayate (4-2) defeated Sadanoumi (2-4). Sadanoumi had a left-hand inside, right-hand outside hold of Tokihayate but Tokihayate pumped his body to spring free of Sadanoumi’s hold and he pulled backward, dragging Sadanoumi to the ground with his left hand low at the front of Sadanoumi’s belt. Shitatenage.
Shirokuma (2-4) defeated Ryuden (3-3). Shirokuma led with his head and forced Ryuden back but Ryuden wrapped up Shirokuma’s belt with his favored right-hand inside. Shirokuma chugged forward and used his left-hand outside to throw Ryuden off the dohyo. Uwatenage.
Aonishiki (3-3) defeated Shishi (4-2). Aonishiki drove his head into Shishi’s chest and pulled him around the ring. Aonishiki grabbed Shishi’s mawashi with his left hand and swung him around then thrust him off the dohyo. Oshitaoshi.
Churanoumi (5-1) defeated Takarafuji (2-4). Churanoumi yanked Takarafuji over to the bales, then rotated and, with his right arm firmly planted in Takarafuji’s armpit, shoved Takarafuji roughly to the ground. Makiotoshi.
Onokatsu (5-1) defeated Shonannoumi (1-5). Shonannoumi did his pull and Onokatsu wasn’t falling for it. He drove Shonannoumi back and over the bales. Yorikiri.
Meisei (4-2) defeated Hakuoho (4-2). Meisei dispatched Hakuoho with a quick sidestep + slapdown. Tsukiotoshi.
Midorifuji (3-3) defeated Endo (4-2). The two wrestlers pressed into each other’s forearms at the center of the ring. Midorifuji brought his right arm up and drove it into Endo’s left shoulder, shoving Endo to the side. Endo stumbled to the edge and Midorifuji followed, shoving him out. Okuridashi.
Oshoma (2-4) defeated Nishikigi (0-6). Nishikigi pressed forward but Oshoma rotated back and forced Nishikigi to the edge. At the edge, Oshoma just slammed forward with all of his might until Nishikigi relented and stepped back and out. Yorikiri.
Tamawashi (4-2) defeated Hiradoumi (2-4). Hiradoumi steadily worked Tamawashi back to the bales behind his tsuppari. Hiradoumi tried a slapdown but Tamawashi bulled him all the way out the other side of the ring. Oshitaoshi.
Halftime
Shodai (3-3) defeated Ura (3-3). Shodai pressed Ura backward until Ura’s feet caught the bales. Then he executed a slapdown. Hatakikomi.
Kinbozan (3-3) defeated Atamifuji (3-3). Atamifuji seemed to have the upper hand here early. Kinbozan focused on pulling Atamifuji’s hands from his belt so Atamifuji attacked Kinbozan’s face instead. At the bales, Kinbozan found resistance and pressed forward. He acquired a solid belt grip and drove Atamifuji back over the bales. Yorikiri.
Takerufuji (4-2) defeated Ichiyamamoto (3-3). Takerufuji brushed off Ichiyamamoto’s tsuppari attack so, Ichiyamamoto initiated phase two…slapdown attempt. However, Takerufuji did not get slapped down and ran Ichiyamamoto straight back out of the ring. Oshidashi.
Wakamotoharu (4-2) defeated Gonoyama (1-5). Gonoyama charged forward and Wakamotoharu slapped him down as he rotated back and to his left. Tsukiotoshi.
Sanyaku
Abi (4-2) defeated Kirishima (3-3). Abi caught Kirishima out with a quick slapdown. Rather than extended volley of tsuppari, Abi’s attack was a quick, 1-2 of tsuppari then slapdown. Kirishima stumbled forward and Abi pounced from behind, shoving him out quickly to the groans of the assembled patrons. Okuridashi.
Takayasu (5-1) defeated Daieisho (3-3). Daieisho started with some tsuppari but quickly pulled for a slapdown attempt. Takayasu did not go down and pursued Daieisho, shoving him from the edge of the ring. Oshidashi.
Wakatakakage (2-4) defeated Oho (2-4). Wakatakakage got inside, forced Oho high, drove him backward to the bales. Oho tried to twist left and right but Wakatakakage adjusted well and kept the pressure up with some gaburi-yotsu, forcing Oho over behind his hip thrusting action. Yorikiri.
Onosato (5-1) defeated Takanosho (2-3). Takanosho attacked Onosato with his nodowa but Onosato moved laterally left and drove into Takanosho from the side. He was quickly able to drive Takanosho over the bales. Oshidashi.
Kotozakura (3-3) defeated Chiyoshoma (3-3). Kotozakura pressed forward and steadily worked Chiyoshoma back to the edge. Chiyoshoma tried changing direction a few times as he neared the edge but Kotozakura corralled him along the tawara. Kotozakura shoved him out. Oshidashi.
Hoshoryu (4-2) defeated Tobizaru (1-5). Hoshoryu wrapped up Tobizaru’s left shoulder quickly, eliminating all hope of Daffy-Duck attacks bounding around the ring. He steadily secured Tobizaru’s belt and kind of waited for Tobizaru to counter but the counter never came. So, Hoshoryu drove him back and out. Yorikiri.
Wrap-up
Onosato still feels like the adult in the room, though Kotozakura and Hoshoryu both had solid, dominant victories today. Thank God. Hoshoryu will fight Takanosho tomorrow and Kotozakura will take on Tobizaru. I feel both are must-win for Hoshoryu and Kotozakura. They cannot afford to drop bouts to these maegashira.
Chiyoshoma gave Kotozakura a bit of a scare on the edge but Kotozakura prevailed. Despite yesterday’s henka, I hope Chiyoshoma is winning fans. He’s giving it everything he has. Today, it just wasn’t enough against the Ozeki. Chiyoshoma will give it his all against Onosato tomorrow. Will Onosato be able to counter Chiyoshoma’s wily yotsu style?
Those of us hoping for a Hakuoho yusho run had those hopes dashed too quickly. I’ve added Meisei to my list. I don’t know what it’s a list of (because I like Meisei) but I feel he needs some karmic revenge. Maybe he’ll get henka’d tomorrow by…checks notes…Shishi. Well, that’s not going to happen, I can assure you.
Takayasu seemed to have an easy time of it against Daieisho, which is promising. But Takayasu will fight Wakatakakage tomorrow. That will be a tough one. And Onokatsu and Churanoumi have kept pace down at the bottom of the rank-and-file. Onokatsu will face Hakuoho tomorrow. Churanoumi will face Kotoshoho.
Discover more from Tachiai (立合い)
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Onosato is comparatively weaker in the second week. We will see how it unfolds. Pity that this time Shodai will probably not play spoilers.
Its truly hard for me to cheer for chiyoshoma after that henka yesterday. I started to like him after his run last basho, but that henka dashed any good will i have.
I think that’s harsh. A henka intended so you get get your preferred grip, which is what Chiyoshoma did, is a totally different animal that the usual step aside and slap down henka. That bout ended with Chiyoshoma face to face and pushing Hoshoryu over the bales. Hoshoryu had his chance to resist at that point, and couldn’t do it, Again, not what people normally mean by “henka”
A lot of that is due to Hoshoryu’s speed and skill, though. Chiyoshoma certainly tried to drive Hoshoryu out immediately after the henka, and would have succeeded with most rikishi. Hoshoryu was able to spin around and generate a bit of resistance, but he was in such a disadvantageous position that he couldn’t fully recover against a wrestler who (to give him credit) is good on the belt. The tachiai didn’t just give Chiyoshoma his preferred grip: it put him behind Hoshoryu and nearly took the latter over the tawara. I’m not making any value judgements here, but the intent of the rikishi jumping sideways has to figure into the description regardless of how well or poorly the opponent is able to respond.
Onosato won’t be the “adult in the room”, in my opinion, until he settles into his role as an Ozeki and he’s participated in more top level basho. He’s doing well, but consistency is built over time. The other side of that coin is that more rikishi are going to have more time to figure out successful strategies against him. The sword cuts both ways. Hoshoryu doesn’t feel like “the adult in the room” because he’s only been an Ozeki since July, 2023.
We’re used to having Yokozuna and Ozeki who have spent a lot of time in the division at the higher ranks of the sport. We’re also looking for a “dominant” rikishi (i.e. Hakuho) and still comparing everyone else to him. We’re too used to having a once-in-a-lifetime athlete at the top of the sport. Having Kisenosato and Terunofuji’s participation on the dohyo cut short, never mind the sharp falls of most of the Ozeki recently, hasn’t helped the matter either. The “boo birds” were constantly haranguing Kakuryu and Haramafuji while they fought on the dohyo literally because they weren’t Hakuho. We need to allow the rikishi on the dohyo to be themselves, to learn (sometimes the hard and embarrassing way), and to establish themselves at their ranks before attempting to declare who is “in charge” or who isn’t.
I personally don’t mind a lot of competition at the very top of the banzuke. Iron sharpens iron, which is why I hope that Onosato also reaches Yokozuna, for example. The number of skilled rikishi who can occupy slots in the top division is currently larger than the number of slots available which is also a different situation in comparison to sumo even five years ago. That makes reaching the two highest ranks in sumo more difficult, in my opinion, along with maintaining the rank of Ozeki.
I agree. One thing I will point out about Hoshoryu that gets lost is that he has had incredible consistency with his last make-koshi being November 2021. He has not been dominant and in every yusho race but he has been very steady. So I admit that my implied dismissal of him as not being an adult in the room is definitely not telling the whole story.
Looking at the list of Yokozuna and Ozeki over the past couple of years, the main story is, unfortunately, injuries. While a lot of them are still competing, including Asanoyama who is once again making his way up the banzuke, I don’t know if any of them will compete at their pre-injury levels again.
If my additions are correct, Onosato has won 58 of his 81 matches as a Sanyaku, so he is very consistent. If that makes him an „adult in the room“ is another question.
What I see with Onosato is a feeling that he “owns the dohyo” As in, “this is my web and I am the spider” He can be beaten, for sure, but he is going to win more often than not. And his wins usually aren’t very interesting. He dominates the space and expels his opponent in a very matter of fact way. I don’t know sumo history enough to be able to compare him with anyone, but it looks like something that could support a yokozuna career.
Of the relatively recent wrestlers, his oyakata comes to mind.
I’m wondering why there was no matta called in the Tokihayate-Sadanoumi bout. Sadanoumi pretty clearly only had one hand down when Tokihayate launched.
I wonder if there is a statistic on the success rate of pulling v aggression in the midst of matches .. it seems that too often rikishi opt for a pull or side step when their match gets iffy rather than press whatever advantage they have + remain aggressive .. Transitions to pulling or side stepping often feel like opportunities missed + the flow of the match then goes in the opposite direction .. A pull/slap down v an opponent primed for such (see Abi) is a great plan .. but often looks like waving a white flag for those when they have not set up their opponent .. e..g Daieisho is the quintessential aggressive rikishi .. Some times it costs him by getting too far over his toes .. But he recently has shown some squiggly pulls, etc … It does not seem to work well for him .. Others are less obvious but the net is the same ..
I don’t know about y’alls impressions, but today’s bouts felt like they had more energy. I think things are heating up after an inconsistent first 3rd of this basho.
I’m looking forward to this weekend and week two in general.
Tobizaru has not looked happy this basho, and I suspect the publicity around the bullying accusations is a cause. I used to root for him, but can’t anymore – his denial about the bullying did not look convincing to me.
Onosato seems a bit lazy and doesnt tend to give 100% for the whole basho and loses dumb matches he should win
His laziness is apparent with the low energy shiko, dohyo iri and a report i read where he doesnt enjoy practice
He has the potential to be a monster but unless he develops some drive he will always be a bit hit and miss
I think he is great but i always worry before a match how he is going to mess it ip, even against the likes of chiyoshoma or tobizaru who should be no question wins
Um, he’s 80-31 in 7 basho plus 6 bouts here in his 8th since coming up. That’s an average of 10.8 wins. If that’s “hit and miss” I don’t know what your standards are. Could he become even better? Quite possibly, but give the young man some credit. He’s a child. He already has a yusho.
Even two yusho. And the numbers U‘re citing seem to make Steve‘s comment ridiculous. But still I get his point. I have to admit that I am a little bit disappointed in him every single time he loses. He seems to physically dominate the dohyo that much that I‘m not thinking yusho, but zensho yusho! I know that’s silly but I can’t help it. From this perspective a 9-6 is of course very underwhelming.
Onosato dominates the dohyo and his overall records are convincing, if not stunning. But he doesn‘t seem to have much fun while doing his ‚brand of sumo‘. It‘s all very matter of fact. This makes a big difference to e.g. Hoshoryu, who is wholeheartedly committed and enjoying every bout – and the entire yokozuna thing.
He is 24, so he’s 3 years older than Hakuoho, 4 years older than Aonishiki, and just a year younger than Hoshoryu. But these guys are definitely a good young crop taking over for the 30+ year old geezers like Abi.
it would be awesome if Chiyoshoma could prevail ..he has the chops .., and now a gold star!