I’m back! Thank you, Leonid, for the Makushita updates while I was away. I am eager to see this yusho contest, especially with Asanoyama and Enho both mounting comebacks from the division. Enho needs just one more tournament in juryo to earn his kabu (if I’m getting my kabu math correct). As I think I’d mentioned in the comments, though, I’m not very eager for an Enho/Asanoyama bout. As we will see today, there are a lot of smaller rikishi in the top division nowadays but they’ve all got rather more aggressive styles than Enho, particularly after Enho’s scary neck injury.
To briefly explain my own kyujo for the first couple of days, it’s certainly nothing exciting. Our clan had journeyed up to New Jersey to say our final goodbyes to my grandmother who passed back in December at 96. She was a pretty awesome woman and is missed.
As for the wrestlers’ kyujo, we have Kotoshoho out from Day One while Wakanosho was added to the list for today’s action. That’s definitely a bummer for the youngster and will not be good for his hopes of keeping that sekitori status. As others noted in the comments, Hokutofuji and Wakatakamoto’s absences are rather ominous. I will keep my eyes and ears out for any official news.
Twelve new recruits in Maezumo which started up today. The NHK coverage featured a young Brazilian while former Kaisei was today’s sideline correspondent. He will have a long way to go, though, from the looks of things but good luck. Everyone has to get their start somewhere.
The big story, though, is obviously Onosato and his rope run. He will face Abi today and Abi is certainly one of those wild cards who can pull out an upset. Will he do it today?
Our Three Days of videos to catch up on. Shonichi Juryo; and Makuuchi Part I and Part II. Day Two Juryo; Makuuchi Part I and Part II. Lastly, today’s Day Three Juryo; Makuuchi Part I and Part II.
Makuuchi Action
Asakoryu (2-1) defeated Tochitaikai (2-1). Not a henka, but Asakoryu shifted to his left and rotated while shoving Tochitaikai back. Tochitaikai tried to slap Asakoryu down at the edge but Asakoryu maintained stable footing and forced Tochitaikai out. Oshidashi.
Tamashoho (1-2) defeated Hidenoumi (1-2). Tamashoho wrapped up Hidenoumi with his left hand outside then followed up with a right-hand inside. I was a bit surprised by the head on strength from Tamashoho as he drove the larger Hidenoumi to the edge. Hidenoumi tried to get a morozashi but Tamashoho used his right hand ottsuke effectively to defend while forcing Hidenoumi back and over the bales. Yorikiri.
Shonannoumi (1-2) defeated Kayo (0-3). Kayo tried to pull Shonannoumi’s arms and force him down. Shonannoumi used the forward momentum to his advantage and just drove Kayo back and out. Oshidashi.
Nishikigi (3-0) defeated Ryuden (1-2). Nishikigi with a solid, dominant win today. Nishikigi locked up Ryuden with a left hand inside, right hand outside. Yorikiri.
Tokihayate (2-1) defeated Roga (2-1). Tokihayate blitzed Roga with both hands inside. He blocked Roga from getting a hold and forced Roga up and back. Yorikiri.
Takanosho (2-1) defeated Sadanoumi (1-2). Takanosho dominated Sadanoumi once he started going forward. After an initial step backward, Takanosho saw the light and chugged forward, blasting Sadanoumi back and out. Oshidashi.
Endo (3-0) defeated Atamifuji (2-1). Endo pulled Atamifuji forward to the edge while Atamifuji charged forward, forcing Endo off the dohyo. Endo fell backward off the dohyo, hard. Gunbai Atamifuji. Mono-ii. Atamifuji’s hand came down first so the gyoji’s call was overturned. Endo was given the win. Katasukashi.
Shodai (2-1) defeated Shishi (0-3). Shodai charged forward briefly before he shifted into reverse. The slapdown did not work so Shodai shifted right. As he did so, Shishi stumbled forward and Shodai finished Shishi off, shoving him down to the clay. Tsukiotoshi.
Meisei (2-1) defeated Kinbozan (1-2). Kinbozan will be frustrated with this loss. Kinbozan forced Meisei to the edge with overwhelming size and strength. But Meisei escaped along the dohyo long enough to tire Kinbozan. Meisei then grabbed Kinbozan’s arm and pulled him to the edge. Kinbozan resisted and resettled in the center. Kinbozan was totally gassed and Meisei drove forward and forced Kinbozan back and out. Yorikiri.
Aonishiki (2-1) defeated Onokatsu (2-1). Aonishiki stayed low and after an initial flurry of tsuppari from Onokatsu, Aonishiki locked on to the front of Onokatsu’s belt with his left hand. “Get it off! Get it off!” As if a radioactive spider had interrupted his picnic, Onokatsu retreated and tried to bat Aonishiki away. Aonishiki pursued well and locked on with his right hand and drove Onokatsu out. Yorikiri.
Churanoumi (1-2) defeated Midorifuji (0-3). Churanoumi kept Midorifuji from getting inside with an overwhelming forward attack. Midorifuji tried to escape but Churanoumi wrapped him up with both arms inside, forced him back and out. Okuridashi.
Halftime
Oshoma shoved hard to keep Tobizaru back. Tobizaru got his right hand on Oshoma and pulled him back. Both men hurdled off the dohyo. Gunbai Oshoma. Mono-ii. Both guys were determined to fall out at the same time. The Shimpan ordered a Torinaoshi rematch. In the rematch, Tobizaru avoided Oshoma’s slapdown attacks and forced Oshoma out. Oshidashi.
News Break
Hakuoho (3-0) defeated Chiyoshoma (0-3) Chiyoshoma got a strong grip and yanked Hakuoho around the dohyo. Hakuoho kept his balance, pivoted, and eventually powered Chiyoshoma backwards and over the edge. Yorikiri.
Takerufuji (3-0) defeated Ichiyamamoto (1-2). Takerufuji’s immediate, powerful forward attack negated Ichiyamamoto’s tsuppari and he forced Ichiyamamoto out quickly. Oshidashi.
Hiradoumi (2-1) defeated Ura (0-3). A bit of a brawl to start but Hiradoumi launched inside driving Ura back and . Ura tried to rotate but Hiradoumi forced him out and both men tumbled from the dohyo. Gunbai Hiradoumi. No mono-ii. Yoritaoshi.
Sanyaku
Takayasu (1-2) defeated Gonoyama (0-3). Gonoyama charged forward and forced Takayasu high, driving him to the bales. Takayasu found the bales and retreated along them. Gonoyama gave chase but as Takayasu retreated, Gonoyama lost his balance. Takayasu then pounced and shoved Gonoyama from behind. That was not good sumo but a win is a win for Takayasu. Okuridashi.
Kirishima (2-1) defeated Tamawashi (1-2). Kirishima weathered Tamawashi’s thrusting attack and locked his opponent up with a double-inside grip. From there, Kirishima ushered Tamawashi back and out. Yorikiri.
Daieisho (3-0) defeated Wakamotoharu (0-3). Wakamotoharu charged forward into Daieisho, forcing Daieisho back to the edge. Daieisho pivoted beautifully and shrugged Wakamotoharu off to the side. Tsukiotoshi.
Wakatakakage (2-1) defeated Kotozakura (1-2). The Ozeki looked like dead weight here. He could not get low and Wakatakakage took advantage. Wakatakakage latched on with his right hand inside, left hand outside and worked Kotozakura back to the edge. Kotozakura tried to rotate but Wakatakakage defended well and forced the Ozeki over the edge. Kotozakura seems bound for a hard fought kadoban at this point. Yorikiri.
Onosato (3-0) defeated Abi (0-3). Abi forced Onosato back with a great nodowa. Onosato used his left hand to bat Abi’s attacking right arm away, strongly. That forced Abi to the side and Onosato wrapped Abi up from behind and shoved him out. Okuridashi.
Mr. Donut is a kensho sponsor now. I wonder if they would be interested in a yusho prize. I think a heya would be appreciative of a year’s worth of donuts. That reminds me that my boss owes me a donut.
Oho (3-0) defeated Hoshoryu (2-1). A pusher-thruster bout as Oho moved forward and took it to the Yokozuna. Oho got his arms up on Hoshoryu’s shoulders, pivoted, and pulled Hoshoryu down. Hatakikomi.
Wrap-up
Well, I come back and Oho earns a kinboshi from Hoshoryu! That’s a result. Oho moved forward really well. The important thing, at least in my mind, is that he pivoted when he pulled. He didn’t really move backwards as he pulled but rather rotated and remained in the center of the ring. I feel if more guys did that, they would win more decisively. I would look at Endo’s pull down as an example of the opposite; he moved backward and nearly took himself out. Oho used to lose a lot of bouts moving backward like that. I am eager to see if he is finally turning that corner and making a push to be a sanyaku regular.
Onosato took another step forward to Yokozuna today as Kotozakura is off to another poor start. Daieisho, though, will be an interesting one to watch. He’s got his own dark horse promotion run going. A yusho would be spectacular.
Well, it’s great to be back. It’s great to have sumo and I look forward to the next 12 days of action.
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Despite his technique repertoire I’m still not convinced by Hoshoryu. I’d be more convinced if Onosato earned the rope. There’s something… consistent about his demeanour. I don’t know. I’m still dreaming of a Takayasu yusho so go figure.
My condolences on your loss, I experienced a similarly-aged grandma’s death last year. Glad to have you back, I was champing at the bit for some Tachiai reading!
Thank you! And very glad to be back.
Oho has really rewarded my devotion. Putting a kimedashi grip on Kotozakura on Day One? What a beast! And his first kinboshi today. His fighting style is meat-and-potatoes sumo, nothing flashy, but he’s now a deadly threat to the ambitions of anyone he faces.
That was a bad fall for Endo. I hope he and everyone else who took flight off of the dohyo today is okay.
It feels like this is going to be a basho where we’re going to know who the contenders are by the 4th or 5th day. Not sure if the Yokozuna will be fighting for the Cup or not, though. Hoshoryu seems to have lost the ability to control a match. He was really over-eager today. However, I’m definitely pleased to see Oho improve!
Takayasu is definitely hurt based on today’s sumo. That’s unfortunate and it’s going to not be enjoyable watching him be ballast for other rikishi for over 10 days.
Based on how various rikishi are performing, it’s going to be another big challenge to figure out who’s going to belong in the middle ranks in the top division for the next banzuke. Good grief.
Nice to see you back, Andy. Looking forward to your further presentation of Natsu basho!
Not to be over-optimistic, but I see Oho on a new level this time. Maybe not especially for his ‚brand of sumo‘, but mentally by all means. That Shonichi win on Kotozakura was first class!
I found myself rooting more and more for Daieisho since he re-installed himself at Sekiwake in November. It will be exciting to watch and compare his journey to Kirishima‘s ambitions getting back to Ozeki.
When I caught the sumo bug not much over a year ago, Daieisho seemed to be scraping enough wins to hold steady in the upper ranks. But I also noticed so many of his losses he kept moving too ahead of his feet and would fall to even some light slap downs.
I’m really impressed how Daieisho has fixed this problem. Even when he has a mediocre tournament, he isn’t losing in that same way all that much.
Oho, as well, has been fixing his fatal flaw in a way that seems purposeful and repeatable. This year is going to continue to have some great yusho races and great sumo.
Delighted at Churanoumi’s win, but annoyed with Kinbozan and Gonoyama–those were losses on their behalf, not wins from their opponents. But such is the world of sumo.
Finally found the time to catch up on Makushita and OMG, Enho!! Missed/loved him. And looking forward to my boy Kusano’s makuuchi promotion.
Also, to add on: Hoshoryu doesn’t feel like a Yokozuna.
I like Hoshoryu, got nothing against him, but it just doesn’t feel right seeing him doing the dohyo-iri. He’s consistent but he’s not explosive, and he has these stupid losses–imo, Yokozuna shouldn’t look like children next to rikishi like Ura, Hiradoumi, Chiyoshoma, Atamifuji, and Takanosho, not to mention oddly frequent losses to Abi. And that’s not to disrespect any of those rikishi. It’s just that he should have beaten them. A Yokozuna who went 8-7 the basho before his rope run and went 5-5-5 last tournament, to me, is an Ozeki, not a Yokozuna.
Meanwhile we have Onosato, who is unusual to say the least. He’s not fair to compare anyone to, except Takerufuji or Hakuoho. But HE is consistently explosive!! He has excellent technique, the right physique, and evidently a good mindset. He also has those stupid losses (everyone does) but his seem like they’re due to inexperience. Do I think he’s the best Yokozuna candidate ever? No. He’s still relatively untried, but he’s very, very good. And seeing him as Yokozuna would be, “Yeah, all right, why not?” And seeing Hoshoryu as a Yokozuna is, “Really? Him? I mean, are you sure?”
I respect and am very fond of Hoshoryu, and I know I’m jumping on the bandwagon after that one loss today but it just doesn’t feel right to me. He just felt perfect at Ozeki. He needed a few more years to feel like a Yokozuna to me.
I’d like to see him go back to how he was fighting before he earnt the rope. He was always mixing up things with throws and trips and all of that funky stuff. I mean, are yokozuna not meant to fight like that or something? It seems like he’s trying to be something that he isn’t.
Frankly, I have no idea what he was trying to do today or yesterday.
I agree. I feel like he knows but hasn’t quite grasped that being a Yokozuna is kind of permission to try new things, because he can’t be demoted. 7-8 at Ozeki means kadoban and a stressful next tournament. A 7-8 Yokozuna is just unfortunate. He will keep his rank no matter what he does, so he should, if anything, be more daring. But he isn’t fighting the way he used to. It’s like he’s restricting himself.
I’m worried for Hoshoryu as one of his fans. He seems to still be really rattled by what’s expected of him as a Yokozuna. He just doesn’t seem all that confident in his own abilities and is fighting recklessly because of it. This was a bout he needed to win against a surging Oho and he just overdid it and got dumped. As a Yokozuna (and you can argue his history at Ozeki too) these are the type of matches he has to win to justify his position. I don’t think he’ll do badly enough long term to be expected to retire over it or anything, but I think it’s going to be a long process for him. I sadly don’t think he’s going to dispel the “Doesn’t deserve it” narrative from his detractors anytime soon.
It’s hard not to compare Hoshoryu to Onosato, who while still a Ozeki, has the poise and confidence Hoshoryu seems to lack right now. Maybe if Onosato makes Yokozuna he’ll also struggle with the responsibility. In Onosato’s case, he’ll also be struggling with being a Japanese Yokozuna and the pressure that entails. But it just feels like Onosato is more ready for it then Hoshoryu is or was before promotion.
I did not see this before posting my own much less articulate thoughts, but I just wanted to say that I completely agree with you :)
Hakuoho appears to be finally feeling confident about his shoulder. It also looks like he lost some of the excess weight he gained after his surgery. If he can regain the speed and power he had before the shoulder injury, we might see him join the sanyaku ranks by the end of this year.
Sorry digging again in the dirt. The promotion of Hoshoryu was a favor to all but him beyond being not reasonable. He fights with a heavy stone on his shoulders. I do not know how long scores barely over double digits may be acceptable for his status. For me this is the current TOP potential for him and I don’t see a sudden evolution. He is young and he would deserve a long career.
I do think the timing played a role in his promotion. Kotozakura let his chance slip through his fingers, Terunofuji had retired and it was the beginning of the year with the usual shrine trips upcoming. But it’s so early in his reign to start judging his performance. If the Kyokai could give Terunofuji several basho on the bench without judging his absences harshly, I am not going to start second guessing the promotion.
I agree that the timing was important but I also think that Hoshoryu doesn’t deserve to be a “well, we needed a Yokozuna” Yokozuna. I feel bad for him bceause of all the speculation, but I can’t help but speculate! I would have felt much better with a few more basho at Ozeki and becoming a Yokozuna because Hoshoryu 100% earned it, not because he 99% earned it and the timing was very good. I’m not saying he wouldn’t have been Yokozuna if it hadn’t been for Kaiju’s retirement because that’s not fair to Hoshoryu, but it certainly helped.
With the young, successful, dominant Ozeki that is Onosato, he already serves a similar purpose to a Yokozuna by being the huge, dominant guy who the Maegashira are thrown at to test themselves. And he could have been an honorary “Yokozuna-ozeki” because we had 3 Ozeki, if Hosh didn’t get the rope. And I would have felt better with a trio of Ozeki. Because right now it feels like we have 2 Ozeki and those Ozeki are Hoshoryu and Onosato. Poor Kotozakura fighting badly and very obviously hurt–that’s not his fault. But he doesn’t feel like an Ozeki and Hoshoryu doesn’t feel like a Yokozuna, and Onosato seems like the only one who was put at the right rank.
These are just my thoughts. Obviously I should just make peace with the perfectly nice Yokozuna we have and keep cheering for Onosato and Kotozakura… but I will be unhappy if we’re left with one broken down Ozeki and two relatively untried Yokozuna.