Please see this post for an intro to my third-division coverage. I figured I might as well start with the bracket. The Elite Eight is interesting indeed. We have former sekitori and salt thrower extraordinaire Akua, fan favorite comeback kid Enho, his stablemates Kawazoe and Seihakuho, and the two exciting Ms60TD debutants Goshima and Fukuzaki from Fujishima beya, who continued to look dominant in their round of 16 bouts. The quarterfinals are filled out by borderline prospect Nobehara and former mega-prospect Oshoryu, who is on yet another post-injury comeback trail after starting his career with 3 consecutive 7-0 lower-division yusho back in 2019, one of only a handful of rikishi to ever do so.
Akua won with his favorite kakenage and still has hopes of an automatic Juryo promotion if he can go 7-0. Enho pulled off a slick uwatedashinage in the second yusho bracket match between Isegahama and Fujishima beya this basho (Satorufuji defeated Fujinoyama back on day 3). And we have more of those on the docket, as the right side of the bracket is filled entirely by these two heya. Since wrestlers from the same heya can’t meet except in a playoff, it should be Kawazoe vs. Goshima and Seihakuho vs. Fukuzaki in the quarterfinals on day 9.
In the regular promotion zone (Ms1-Ms5), January champion Ms3w Mudoho (Oho’s brother) is the only rikishi to reach 3 wins after 4 rounds of bouts. He has a good shot at promotion with two more wins, and could luck out with one. Both Ms1’s, Miyagi and Ishizaki (Asakoryu’s brother), are 2-2 and must go 2-1 or better from here to earn a sekitori debut. Former Juryo man and entertaining tsuppari machine Tochimaru is in decent shape for promotion with a 2-2 record at Ms2w. Recent sekitori regular Ms2e Daiamami is not mathematically out of it at 1-3, but he’s looked terrible, with his only win coming today against the even more hapless Ms5w Tenshoho, who is out of the running at 0-4. Ms4w Mita (2-2) would have a shot if he wins out from here. Oh, and former Ozeki Asanoyama is 3-0 and has to be the favorite in the Sandanme yusho race.
Stay tuned for continued coverage as the third-division yusho and promotion races unfold! The only relevant action tomorrow is Mudoho’s visit to Juryo to take on J12e Hitoshi (5-2), so the next update will likely be posted on day 9.
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It seems like the only way we’re going to see Enho vs Akua is in the final and if they both win out. What an intriguing bracket!
Oh, I think we’ll see Enho vs Akua if they both win their next bout to go 5-0.
I seriously need someone to explain Tenshoho’s career arc so far. Didnt he make sekitori at like 19? Is there a known explanation to his struggles?
More like at 21, and he’d spent a year and a half in makushita, so it wasn’t one of those meteoric rises. His first basho in juryo was a respectable 8-7, but he followed that up with consecutive 5-10’s to drop back to makushita, and has been treading water there for over a year. Could be injuries, could be he hit his ceiling, and there was that disruptive merger with Isegahama? I don’t have any inside info though.
I appreciate this bracket. Let’s go ENHO!
Thanks for your bracket, it makes it a lot easier to keep all the contenders in view.
But I think U should have moved their previous bouts with Goshima and Seihakuho.
yeah I wasn’t sure how to handle the fact that they were going to move them around, and I didn’t feel like remaking the round of 16. at least I guessed the pairings correctly 😎 (they weren’t posted until today)
Just want to say thanks for your Makushita coverage, this is exactly what I was missing (without realizing it). Keep it up!