No news from the infirmary today. No new kyujo and no one returning.
Hoshoryu suffered his first loss. Will Oho take advantage of this and make an early charge for the yusho? Onosato will surely have something to say about that. Can Kotozakura turn things around and start winning on a regular basis? If any rank-and-filers make a charge this tournament, it may be Nishikigi’s turn as he finally seems healthy and is ranked lower than usual. But overall, a lot of the new crop of young guns are doing well. Thankfully, Onosato and Daieisho seem to be holding things down in sanyaku. Let’s get to today’s action.
NHK Videos are here: Juryo; Makuuchi Part I and Part II.
Makuuchi Action
Asakoryu (3-1) defeated Kayo (0-4). Kayo moved forward today but Asakoryu played the positional game well. Asakoryu rotated toward the center of the ring, grabbed Kayo and forced him over the edge. Yorikiri.
Nishikigi (4-0) defeated Fujiseiun (1-3). Nishikigi is having a great start against these low rankers. He drew Fujiseiun toward the bales and then executed a beautiful throw by rotating his body and dragging Fujiseiun over his right shoulder. “I bet you thought you were winning.” Amiuchi.
Ryuden (2-2) defeated Tamashoho (1-3). Ryuden got a double inside grip and started to press Tamashoho toward the bales. Tamashoho had to lift up a bit to shift his grip and work his left hand inside Ryuden’s right. Yorikiri.
Tochitaikai (3-1) defeated Shonannoumi (1-3). Shonannoumi tried to drive forward and shove Tochitaikai out but Tochitaikai did well to dance along the bales and push Shonannoumi down. Tsukiotoshi.
Sadanoumi (2-2) defeated Tokihayate (2-2). Sadanoumi got his powerful left hand inside, right hand outside grip and charged ahead. Yorikiri.
Roga (3-1) defeated Takanosho (2-2). Roga pulled quickly after the tachiai and slid toward his left, slapping Takanosho to the ground. This is what I was talking about yesterday with Oho and Endo. Endo pulled back straight but Oho rotated to stay in the center. Roga stayed safely in bounds by rotating well to his left and forcing Takanosho to over extend. Hatakikomi.
Endo (4-0) defeated Shishi (0-4). Endo performed a beautiful disappearing act at the edge, leaping to his right as Shishi stumbled past. The gyoji did not see that Shishi’s right foot had gone over the bales and touched out, so the wrestlers kept going. Shishi eventually forced Endo over the bales. Gunbai Shishi. The head shimpan raised his hand and called a mono-ii to reverse the call. Hatakikomi.
Atamifuji (3-1) defeated Shodai (2-2). Shodai must have thought he could pull off Nishikigi’s throw but Atamifuji was having none of it. Atamifuji pressed forward and forced Shodai over the edge. Yorikiri.
Aonishiki defeated Meisei. The two wrestlers engaged in a great brawl with powerful tsuppari. Meisei shifted left and bumped Aonishiki, forcing the Ukrainian to stumble forward, perilously close to the bales. As Meisei pursued, Aonishiki seized his belt with his right hand and spun Meisei down to the ground. Beautifuji move. Uwatedashinage.
Kinbozan (2-2) defeated Midorifuji (0-4). Midorifuji with a bit of a henka at the tachiai but Kinbozan adjusted well. Midorifuji attempted his signature katasukashi but Kinbozan slipped his grip. Kinbozan kept up his own thrusting attack with excellent footwork and shoved Midorifuji into the crowd. Tsukidashi.
Hakuoho (4-0) defeated Onokatsu (2-2). Hakuoho acquired a moro-zashi, double inside belt grip, and pressed Onokatsu straight back and out. Yorikiri.
Halftime
Tobizaru (3-1) defeated Churanoumi (1-3). Churanoumi engaged Tobizaru in his preferred shoulder-thrusting attack. The two repeatedly backed up and pounded into each other. As Churanoumi charged forward, Tobizaru backed to his right and slapped Churanoumi down. Hatakikomi.
Oshoma (2-2) defeated Ura (0-4). Oshoma kept his hands at the back of Ura’s head and on his shoulders. After a brief oshi tussle, Ura settled at the center of the ring. Oshoma pressed down hard and slapped Ura down. Ura rolled with a flourish, as is his wont. Hatakikomi.
Ichiyamamoto (2-2) defeated Chiyoshoma (0-4). Ichiyamamoto sumo, the extended version. Chiyoshoma did what he could to stay in bounds and try to pull Ichiyamamoto down. But Ichiyamamoto maintained excellent ring presence and footwork, eventually working Chiyoshoma back to the edge and over. I’m not sure why Chiyoshoma did not try to engage on the belt. Ichiyamamoto seemed game and tried to grab for Chiyoshoma’s belt halfway through their battle. Chiyoshoma was of one mind, retreat. It did not go well. Yoritaoshi.
Tamawashi (2-2) defeated Gonoyama (0-4). Tamawashi finished Gonoyama with a slapdown after a great brawl. Gonoyama seemed to have little energy in the tank at the end. Hatakikomi.
Sanyaku
Wakatakakage (3-1) defeated Takerufuji (3-1). Takerufuji locked in on Wakatakakage with a left hand over arm grip. But he was fixated on moving backward and slapping WTK down. WTK pressed his way inside, got a morozashi, and used Takerufuji’s momentum to drive him back and out. Yorikiri.
Daieisho (4-0) defeated Takayasu (1-3). Unfazed by Takayasu’s shoulder blasts and tsuppari, Daieisho pressed forward and shoved Takayasu back and out. Oshidashi.
Kirishima (3-1) defeated Hiradoumi (2-2). After a strong initial charge, Hiradoumi pulled. Kirishima went with the momentum shift and bulldozed Hiradoumi, chasing him through the ring and blasting him over the edge, into the crowd. Oshidashi.
Onosato (4-0) defeated Oho (3-1). All of that stuff about Oho moving forward…forget it. Onosato brought his overwhelming power and forced Oho into a rethink. At the edge, Oho tried to pull but Onosato’s footwork was on point and he shoved Oho out. Oshidashi.
Kotozakura (2-2) defeated Wakamotoharu (0-4). Kotozakura’s initial backward step elicited a loud cry in our household, “What the hell are you doing?!?!” Half a world away, Kotozakura immediately realized he had done wrong, stopped, and pressed forward, driving Wakamotoharu out. The power of television. Yorikiri.
Abi defeated Hoshoryu. “Purple Rain, Purple Rain.” Abi-zumo. An strong initial shove followed by a pull and the Yokozuna fell hard into the dirt. Hikiotoshi.
Wrap-up
OK. The bouts you have to watch from the NHK videos are Nishikigi’s throw and Aonishiki’s escape. You will not be disappointed. Then, watch the Hoshoryu bout and you WILL be disappointed. This is literally Abi’s thing. READ THE BRIEF. Onosato and Kotozakura took care of their business but Hoshoryu couldn’t handle his today. Plain and simple.
Come back tomorrow for Hoshoryu versus winless Gonoyama! No? Don’t want to watch that? OK. I don’t blame you. That’s not exactly getting me eager for my 3am wake up call. Onosato versus Tamawashi will be fun, though. Will Oho be able to bounce back against Daieisho? If he couldn’t put a stop to Onosato’s rope run, maybe he can create a setback for Daieisho’s Ozeki hopes. There is a lot at stake in this tournament. I’m already looking forward to how this unfolds.
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Its great to see nishikigi doing well but the real story is the onosato and daieisho, would be so good to see onosato het the rope and be replaced by ozeki daieisho
Does anyone remember a rookie who seemed so much out of place in Makuuchi as Kayo does? And I don’t mean the results alone but his whole behavior on the dohyo.
Fun fact: there have been two 0-15 shin Makuuchi rikishi and one of them is Kotomitsuki who later won a basho and became Ozeki. But I still don’t see Kayo in the joi…
Lately, Asakoryu, Tokihayate, and Tamashoho seemed out of place when they first came up. Maybe Kitanowaka. I’m not sure Kayo will find a groove, though.
Daiamami is the one that comes to mind for me. After checking his stats, he has had a few winning records in the top division, but the majority of his appearances are one or two-offs, with double-digit losses being common. And he hasn’t been at that level in half a decade, either.
What do you miss most in Kayo’s style on the dohyo? I think he will need some time to unfold his best in Makuuchi, maybe a second try. Sure Takerufuji and Hakuoho are long way ahead of him, but he did beat them already – the latter even twice. Also WTK, Aoiyama, Myogiryu… He seems a bit phlegmatic at first sight, but I’ve seen him once jumping over an opponent – believe it or not! Besides, I favor his shimekomi. Great color!
And he‘s the only one to have beaten Kusano in the last Juryo basho thus preventing the youngsters promotion to Makuuchi! Maybe that‘s the true reason for my seeing him so negative? I‘ve just went back to his four fights and have to admit that only the one against Shonannoumi was horrible and the others quite normal. So forget my comment, please. As to the shimekomi, I like the yellow one, too, but found the red one even better.
Hoshoryo bout, I am disappointed that nobody is throwing Zabutons.
It will be funny to watch these flying Zabutons, hitting the gyoji or the Rikishis.
Happy that the Kinboshi Rikishis will be getting additional payment for the rest of their careers.
I was wondering, why they are favouring Hoshoryu by pairing him with an out of form, zero win Gonoyama.
May be they don’t want to loose more money through Kinboshi and also they want to stop the loosing streak of the Yakozona, as it doesn’t look good.
I am sure that Hoshoryu will bounce back in the future, as he is a strong and highly skilled Rikishi.
But for right now, he doesn’t look like he is in control of the bouts.
I was in the Kokugikan today, there absolutely were zabuton flying. Someone flung one from the top row of boxes that almost took off the head of one of the yobidashi right after he pulled one off the dohyo so the bow twirler could get onto a clean ring. There wasn’t a giant cloud of them at once but there were people flinging them for several minutes from all directions.
Enho vs Chiyomaru was a great match down in Makushita if anyone can find a clip of it.
Takarafuji and Mitakeumi in Juryo was also a good match (twice) and ended up with people in the front row on two sides of the arena getting landed on.
The raucousness of the zabuton throwing has diminished post-Covid. Maybe folks need practice.
They’re not showing favoritism to Hoshoryu. Gonoyama is being paired with Hoshoryu due to his rank.
Can‘t wait to see the slo-mo of that beautifuji move from Aonishiki in the highlights. Like Meisei and probably the whole arena I was sure that bout was lost for the Ukrainian. What a reaction!
I totally agree. I thought Meisei had him.
Purple rain~ purple zabudon~ yokozuna is becoming kinboshi factory again. He still cannot solve Abizumo, even with louder body drummings.
Same pattern everytime.
Nishikigi escapes near loss with magical move called ‘fisherman’s throw’! Or was it his trap?
https://youtu.be/qq2wNIJLyfw?si=h6QtpAVD4VFp3RGs
I think Nishikigi’s move had been planned. Nishikigi is one of the biggest guys in the division. The way little Fujiseiun was able to drive him back should have had alarm bells going off all over the joint. “It’s a trap! It’s a trap!”
Great wrap-up, Andy.
I think the best thing that could happen for Hoshoryu was a second Yokozuna (and even one from Japan!). It would probably take almost all the pressure from him under which he still seems to buckle.
Thank you! And I agree. A second Yokozuna would be great. I wouldn’t mind another Ozeki, either.
There is nothing surprising about Hoshoryu’s two most recent performances. One of the cautions against promoting him was that he gave away too bouts against lesser opponents. He’s still doing it. People hoped that getting the rope would magically give him a yokozuna’s killer instinct, and sixth sense to know he was heading for trouble and come up with plan B in a flash. It hasn’t happened. What will make it happen? Shame at letting down the rank?
I’d be happy if he does work it out. If he doesn’t, the sumo world has a big embarrasment on it’s hands.
Eh. I’m not saying the rank of Yokozuna isn’t sacred but look at who they’ve promoted in the past and Hoshoryu would have to do either something really bad or spectacularly fail as Yokozuna to sour the role. Just read up on Koji Kitao aka Futahaguro and realize that nothing anyone in modern sumo could ever do will match that disaster.
Exactly. The lowest bar is quite low. He’s made it over that with ease…as long as his character holds up. Personally, I hope he has several years ahead of him and will hold off judgement until th— well, at least a while longer.
What you and Andy say is true, but emotionally, I’m feeling a bit depressed about what I’m seeing from him. I loved watching the real yokuzuna magic from Hakuho, Kakuryu, Harumafuji, and Terunofuji, that feeling that their sumo was on a higher level, and they could nake the impossible happen. Is there anything wrong with wanting that? I’m not getting it from Hoshoryu. Sure there have been mundane Yokozuna, but does anyone care about them?
I just remember the criticism Kakuryu got, in particular. Hakuho and Harumafuji also faced much controversy but Kakuryu got grief for injury and whether he was “worthy” or “promoted early.” Basically, it’s because of the criticism they got that makes me more sensitive to supporting Hoshoryu. He met the Kyokai’s criteria. He’s had 1 tournament as Yokozuna. That’s far too early for me to start making any judgement.
At the end of the NHK Preview show, when Hiro, Murray, and John were picking their favorites for the basho, I said “Daieisho” to my TV. It’s holding up so far …
Glad to see Andy is back in the saddle.
Daieisho is certainly a solid call.
One thing I noticed about the Daiesho bout is that he stopped his momentum that in a lot of his bouts leads him to go hurtling out into the stands when his opponent is up against the bales and moves sideways. If he can keep that up he just might be able to rack up the wins he needs to get that promotion at last.
Yes. If he has fixed his balance issues, he’s a force to be reckoned with. If he had done that 2 years ago, he’d probably already be Ozeki. I’ve loved his power.
Here‘s my Onosato query:
https://sumodb.sumogames.de/Query.aspx?show_form=0&columns=8&n_basho=8&show_total=on&sum_range=7&form1_year=2024&form1_month=1&form1_m=on&form2_m=on&form3_m=on&form4_m=on&form5_m=on&form6_m=on&form7_m=on&form8_m=on&sort_by=sum_total
It shows the results of all the rikishi who have permanently fought in Makuuchi, since Onosato‘s first basho (therefore no Wakatakakage, no Takerufuji, no Hakuoho etc.).
Re Daieisho: he‘s above the pack, but below Kotozakura and Hoshoryu though they both had a 5-10 injury basho; and he‘s very far behind Onosato, of course.
My conclusion is that their‘s no reason to promote him with 12 (except with the yusho).
I laughed at your comment about Nishikigi but he DID go on a 14 bout winning streak not that long ago. His form seems to operate on an astronomical timescale, perhaps he’s due for a return to his zenith.
odd that the nearest judge raised his hand as soon as Shishi stepped out but the bout wasn’t stopped. Endo was slow getting up and I just thought it would really suck if he got injured in a bout that should’ve been stopped after he’d already won.
Yeah, I had the same worries about Endo but he seemed to be smiling after he got up. I figured he might have been playing for time to make sure a mono-ii was called. Anyway, I hope he’s not worse for wear.
Two things. I think Daieisho was robbed of a promotion he should have been given a couple years ago, and then he spent a year being depressed about it. I hope he has a superb basho result and earns the promotion. Second, I think there should be some kind of a prize for spectacular tumbling. Of course it should go to Ura.
Why should they have promoted him with 31 wins? Strange robbery, that!
Good to see WTK, Kirishima, Hakuoho + Nishikigi in better form .. Anonishiki is a wrestler … i.e. a tough out if he does not get blown up on the tachiai .. e.g. KBZ straightened him up w a strong tachiai + was unrelenting ..
Hoshoryu was caught being too agressive (over his toes) in his last two matches + became an easy pull down .. A waste of talent .. Go Daieisho! .. Onosato looks to be in a class by himself .. That foot work is impressive ..