Wakaikari put the pressure on Kusano with a twisting escape on the edge, a sukuinage defeat of Daiamami. Kusano lived up to the pressure and easily dispatched Tsurugisho by grabbing his belt with his left hand and sliding around, attacking from Tsurugisho’s right side. This is called, “doing him dirty” because of that telling mummy wrap on his left knee. There’s no way Tsurugisho could resist by bracing with that left leg. Tsurugisho did what he could do, shuffle left and try not to fall over. Yorikiri.
There were some interesting decisions with the sansho (Special Prizes). No one will receive the outstanding performance prize. Sadanoumi was given a Fighting Spirit Prize, his third, unconditionally. Aonishiki and Asakoryu were given opportunities to win if one depending on winning their bouts today. Lastly, Kirishima and Wakatakakage were both given technique prizes, Kirishima’s fourth and Wakatakakage’s sixth.
Your NHK videos are here: Juryo, Makuuchi Part I and Part II.
Makuuchi Action
Roga (9-6) defeated Kotoshoho (6-4-5). Roga’s steady gaburi yotsu forced Kotoshoho to the edge. Kotoshoho resisted but Roga kept chugging until Kotoshoho went over the edge. Yorikiri.
Atamifuji (8-7) defeated Nishikigi (6-9). Nishikigi did not want Atamifuji on his belt. Atamifuji had his right hand around Nishikigi’s trunk but when he tried to switch to the belt, Nishikigi squeezed hard to prevent it. Atamifuji tried chugging forward but Nishikigi’s weight kept Atamifuji from making progress. So, Atamifuji pulled on Nishikigi’s right arm and slapped him down. Kotenage.
Tochitaikai (4-11) defeated Shishi (4-11). As Shishi lumbered forward, Tochitaikai slipped to the right and followed up with a shove from the side to force Shishi out. Will this defeat pull Shishi down into Juryo? Oshidashi.
Endo (9-6) defeated Asakoryu (10-5). Endo spoiled Asakoryu’s party. Asakoryu tried a kotenage with Endo’s left hand. That failed and gave Endo enviable position with Asakoryu backed to the bales. Endo pressed forward and forced Asakoryu over before Asakoryu could slap him down. Yorikiri.
Shodai (6-9) defeated Shonannoumi (5-10). Shodai somehow spun Shonannoumi around at the edge and forced him over the bales before falling over. Yorikiri.
Midorifuji (6-9) defeated Tamashoho (4-11). Much of this bout was a tsuppari brawl which could have gone either way. Tamashoho abandoned his tsuppari to reach in for Midorifuji’s belt. While Tamashoho reached with his left, Midorifuji twisted clockwise, forcing Tamashoho into over extending, and pulled Tamashoho down with a lightning quick uwatedashinage.
Aonishiki (11-4) defeated Sadanoumi (10-5). Aonishiki earned his second special prize by locking in quickly with his left hand inside, then pulling Sadanoumi down. Shitatenage.
Kinbozan (10-5) defeated Kayo (7-8). Kinbozan chased Kayo around the ring as Kayo tried to pull on Kinbozan’s right arm. Eventually, Kinbozan cornered Kayo and shoved him over the edge. Tsukidashi.
Onokatsu (10-5) defeated Meisei (9-6). Meisei blitzed Onokatsu but Onokatsu stood him up at the edge. Meisei drove forward, tried to trip him, and then put his engines in reverse for a pull down. This was a BAD idea as Onokatsu chased him and drove him to the ground, roughly, for causing his nose bleed. Yoritaoshi.
Churanoumi (4-11) defeated Ryuden (5-10). After the two exchanged some tsuppari, Churanoumi grabbed Ryuden’s belt with his right hand and drove his head into Ryuden’s chin and left shoulder, forcing him backward to the bales. Ryuden dug in with his toes to resist at the bales, a maneuver that always makes me cringe and get flashbacks to Ikioi/Kizakiumi. Ryuden tumbled backwards under the crushing weight of Churanoumi. For a video of Kizakiumi destroying the current Yokozuna, check out this post. You don’t have to read my rants if you don’t want to but watch the video, closely. Kizakiumi was a promising university talent with family connections in the sumo world. Unfortunately, he did one of these resist-at-all-costs things at the edge and it cost him all the sumo things. A few painful makekoshi later, he had retired with a chronic neck injury. What’s really twisted? Look really closely at Churanoumi, from Kizaki in Okinawa. “Holup, Andy.” Looks familiar, right? Brothers. Doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo. Twightlight Zone stuff for you here at Tachiai. Ryuden. When Churanoumi offers his hand because he nearly crushed you, take it, jackass. Yoritaoshi.
Tokihayate (8-7) defeated Hakuoho (8-7). Quick as lightning, Tokihayate picked up a listless Hakuoho and drove forward over the bales. Yorikiri.
Halftime
Ura (5-10) defeated Takanosho (8-7). Ura charged forward and Taka tried a hasty slapdown…but he was already on his way out. Oshidashi.
Tamawashi (6-9) defeated Hiradoumi (6-9). Tamawashi grabbed Hiradoumi’s head, twisted and slammed him to the ground. Diabolical dismantling at the center of the ring. Wow. Oshitaoshi.
Takerufuji (6-9) defeated Gonoyama (4-11). Takerufuji got a quick grip of Gonoyama’s belt, pivoted, and pulled him down. Uwatenage.
Oshoma (10-5) defeated Abi (7-8). Oshoma-subi? Jeez, this next banzuke’s going to be a mess. Oshoma grabbed Abi’s arm and swung him to the edge. That pissed Abi off and he drove into Oshoma, forcing him to the opposite side of the ring. Somehow Oshoma resisted, kept his foot from going over the tawara, got behind Abi and pushed him out from the back. Okuridashi.
Oho (7-8) defeated Chiyoshoma (4-11). Oho moved forward behind strong tsuppari, perhaps given an extra boost, pissed off from Chiyoshoma’s slapping and clawing. Oshidashi.
Wakamotoharu (7-8) defeated Ichiyamamoto (5-10). Ichiyamamoto went for the belt today, rather than his regular oshi. Ichiyamamoto was holding onto his finger as he left the dohyo. I do not think I want to see the replay of what happened to it. Katasukashi.
Sanyaku
Wakatakakage defeated Tobizaru. WTK’s arms enveloped Tobizaru, not letting him fly around the ring. Instead, he charged forward and gently dropped him over the side. Wakataka-wake. Yorikiri.
Takayasu (6-9) defeated Kirishima (11-3). Kirishima tried to bat Takayasu’s tsuppari away. He nearly backed out of the dohyo but rotated in time. Kirishima tried to press forward and get some space from the bales but Takayasu slapped him down. Hatakikomi.
Daieisho (10-5) defeated Kotozakura (8-7). Bam, Bam, Bam. Daieisho’s tsuppari immediately forced Kotozakura into reverse. “Forced? Andy, Kotozakura was going to back up, anyway.” Okay, yeah, well…he forced him back faster than he otherwise would have gone and shoved him over the edge before he could try any tricks. 1, 2, 3. Tsukidashi.
Amazing. When the announcer said Onosato’s name, a huge roar erupted from the crowd. The guys just got up there. They’re still doing shiko.
Hoshoryu (12-3) defeated Onosato (14-1). Onosato charged forward, shoving the Yokozuna’s head back. Hoshoryu was in trouble but he adjusted really well. He slipped out to his right and grabbed for Onosato’s belt. As Onosato extended to keep up his attack and to try to get that right hand grip, Hoshoryu reversed and twisted him to the ground. Uwatehineri.
Wrap-up
A rivalry has begun. Hoshoryu strutted away with a massive stack of envelopes, denying Onosato from sealing a zensho-yusho. Nevertheless, Onosato will be the 75th Yokozuna. Keep your eyes open for the official announcement this week, along with word of Juryo promotions.
“Andy, don’t remind me about the banzuke.”
I know, I know, it’s going to be torture this time. But fun torture. Hopefully the fun torture is accompanied by relief from the not-so-fun torture Miyagino-beya is being put through. There’s no jungyo but still plenty of upcoming news to stay alert for as we shift to Nagoya.
When you’re in the sport this deep, you get used to it. I don’t even see the code. All I see is, blond, brunette, redhead…the occasional goth or “loli” in the crowd…It’s beautiful. But for some reason, she’s watching the sport through the screen on her camera phone instead of just watching the action 10 feet from her.
Congratulations to Onosato for winning his fourth yusho. Congratulations to Kusano, Otsuji, Hatooka, Mineyaiba, and Kazuma for their yusho, as well as to Sadanoumi, Aonishiki, Kirishima, and Wakatakakage for their special prizes.
This was one hell of a tournament, truly historic. This will be one of those that we remember for quite a while. I can’t wait to do it all again in a couple of months!
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I seen fans wiping tears from their eyes after that final match, wow what a great ending. It was fun to read all these reports throughout, thank you.
i dont understand why the author of the article above thinks it was truly historic basho
i have seen better bashos , in fact one of the best ones i have ever seen was couple months earlier where every match was truly powerfull that lasted for almost a week, each wrestler fighting with all they had and never giving up
i didnt see anything historic on this basho except Onosatos promotion to yokozuna, which is nice
Really funny your „except“.
As U gathered yourself, Onosato‘s promotion makes it historic, as he‘s only the second Japanese grand champion in this century, as never before a rope run has been successful at day 13 already and, most impressive, as nobody ever became Yokozuna after only 13 tournaments in Sumo.
“I didn’t see anything historic on this Basho except…”
Then it was a historic basho. Once you said, “except,” whatever followed was an argument for why it was historic. Onosato’s promotion is a great argument for why it was historic. Glad we’re on the same page.
nah , for me that basho couple months before was more hostoric, i had never seen all the rikishi doing epic battles for an entire week
i dont enjoy yokozuna;s that much even though i was advocating and cheering for onosato for months , but now i am all about kimbosi’s , even in football ( what americans call soccer , i prefer lots of goals and nice exciting dribbles and passes than just a regular win , i dont care about a specific team of course, i want epic action, just like when wakatakakage beat takayasu on the wrope ( on the wicker circle line ) and won the basho a year or two ago
thats what i am all about
now i dont route for onosato anymore, he is hostory, we all want him to lose by smaller guys now, whether u like it or not that is what most fans that go to the stadium want
thats why they throw them chair coition’s on the ring when that happens
Maybe U should simply avoid the word „historic“ when it‘s all about what U like.
Try „great“ instead.
Dear Andy, thanks for your daily blogs.
I appreciate your effort and time.
The best part were those funny lines and puns,I enjoyed them.
Also the wrap up is very helpful to get the insight on what’s going on.
Onosato Yakozuna wow!!
Start of the year looked it looked like, we are going to have zero Yokozuna, now we have two.
Thank you for reading! Very kind words.
I remember what I was going to ask about. Was anyone besides me expecting a mono ii inspecting Shonannoumi’s defeat? I could have sworn his foot was still in when Shodai hit the clay.
In real time, I thought there would be a monoii but I remember thinking they made a good call after seeing a replay…but I only saw the one replay. It was a close one.
Tamawashi is still a beast! Hiradoumi is no pushover — uh, notwithstanding today’s finish.
Oho clearly fell off in the middle of the basho but somehow put together a marginal 7-8 that shhould keep him in the joi. Keep grinding Oho — I have faith you have not yet found your ceiling.
Congratulations to Onosato! He seems like a nice kid, too.
Hoshoryu is my main man, for his skill, elegance and determination, and I’m glad he will have someone to share the burden of Yokozuna-hood with, and also glad he reclaimed his pride by winning that last match!
I’m looking forward to seeing 2 Yokozuna dohyo iris soon.
Glad Kirishima is doing better, glad Asakoryu did so well, and I am hoping that Kotoeiho brings his pretty shiko to the top division soon!
Thank you so much, Andy and all of team Tachiai!
I would say that the Shishi vs Churanoumi match on day 13 was my absolute favorite. Fighting for pride and giving it their all.
The Tachiai Team did a great job as usual, thanks! This was a satisfying basho, most of the top guys performed up to their ranks, balance was restored by Hoshoryu’s final win. I’m looking forward to a hopefully long sumo rivalry between the two.
But since I’m never satisfied, now I want to see four Yokozuna like the good old days. :)
Maybe Oho and Kirishima. That way we’d get two big power guys and two agile technicians. Dream on, I know…
Nice little leg pick there by Hoshoryu to facilitate that winning throw.
Thanks very much, Andy, for the great reporting. And thanks for including the links to the action in your reports.
Hoshoryu’s win was poetic .. Onosato was overpowering him at the bales .. That was his weakness .. i.e, was too close to Hoshoryu + left the belt open + was leaning into Hoshoryu + left an escape avenue open to his left .. Hoshoryu grabbed that belt + hightailed it to his right with Onosato chasing + w/o his super sumo posture .. voila the throw + a flipped script .. Hoshoryu on Day 15 is the real deal .. .. Whatever he had in mind the first few days of this basho should be banned from his sumo repertoire .. Be cool + fast as a cat ..
Hakuoho looks to have messed up his right arm again .. his last match was basically thrown ..
Great basho .. bright future … Cannot wait for July + wonder how hot it will be in the new Nagoya venue ..
Great coverage guys.
I am seeing a start of a golden era of sumo. Two new young Yokozuna and many young rising stars on the way up. The top rank rivalry could last a very long time. Truly exciting – just imagine Kusano, Hakuoho, Takerufuji, Aonishiki, Kotoeiho right up there at the top of the ranks.
I had an opportunity to speak to Churanoumi about his brother at Ichinojo’s retirement ceremony and he said that (former) Kizakiumi is doing well, chronic pain in his neck is much better now and he is doing some stuff on the internet. I was sad we lost him so early due to such a terrible injury as he was in the cusp of makuuchi promotion, but I was glad he recovered well and is doing well post sumo life.
That’s awesome news to hear. I’m glad the pain is less. To this day, that is the scariest fall that I have ever seen on the dohyo. I’ll check to see if I can find more because I want to highlight the businesses of former rikishi.
Too many things to love about this basho. To name a few of my favorites:
Tamawashi still getting it done. I really like Hiradoumi as well, but the old man on day 15 was like, “not today, Jr, I had a frustrating tourney and I’m pissed”
Hoshoryu getting it done on day 15 could not have been written better by script writers. I keep forgetting he’s only 25. God I hope these two stay healthy, this is gonna be a fun era.
Healthy waka-the-younger has been so consistent post injury, and also so strong mentally. I don’t want to jinx anything, but he seems like he has such a stronger shot at ozeki than the last time he hung around sekiwake for a year plus.
Kinbozan is also looking fully healthy and in the form he had when he first came up.
I like oshoma and onokatsu’s spirit, they are gonna be mainstays in joi I hope.
Abi fell out of sanyaku. I pumped my fist.
Takayasu reminded Kirishima that the highest ranks are only attained thru razor thin margins and never ever losing your focus. Who knows better than this teacher those lessons.
Midorifuji winning out with 6 straight after his abysmal start. He is so awesome. Of course we all love Ura, but this dynamo is the true energizer bunny. Stick with the black mawashi.
Thanks tachiai crew! See you in 7 weeks