Before the basho, I took a brief and highly selective look at some of the players in the Makushita promotion and yusho races. Now that the results are in, how did they fare?
Promotion Zone
Former sekitori and new bow twirler Ms1w Akua finished 2-5 and will drop out of the promotion zone. March champion Ms2e Oshoryu (2-5) didn’t fare any better, but Ms3e Otsuji won the yusho with a perfect 7-0 record and will return to Juryo, where he will try to improve on his 5-10 debut in March. Asakoryu’s little bro Ms4e Ishizaki (4-3) has now lost a final bout which would have clinched promotion for 3 consecutive basho, and will have to try again in July, probably from Ms1. Mongolian prospect Ms5e Kyokukaiyu (5-2) looks set to go up alongside Otsuji, although this isn’t a certainty. We’ll find out in a day or two.
Extended Promotion Zone
Fan favorite Ms10w Enho (3-4) posted the first losing record of his comeback. He looked so emotional after winning his final bout that it made me wonder whether it might have been the last of his career. Former Ozeki Ms14w Asanoyama failed to go 7-0, dropping a single bout (to Toseiryu), and will therefore spend at least one more basho in the third division, though at a high enough rank that a simple winning record in July may be sufficient for a sekitori re-promotion.
Other Yusho Contenders
Of the three Makushita 60 tsukedashi debutants, Gyotoku fared the best, going 6-1 and making it to the yusho semifinals. Interestingly, he is a college graduate, but did not participate in collegiate sumo, preferring to train with his high school sumo club and earning Ms60TD via corporate sumo. The other newcomers, Uruyama and Hanaoka, earned 4-3 winning records by the skin of their teeth. Our two successful Ms60TD March debutants from Fujishima beya continued to thrive, both finishing 6-1. Ms28e Goshima got to the quarterfinals of the yusho race, while his heya-mate Ms39w Fukuzaki made it all the way to the final. Fukuzaki is the first-ever high school graduate Makushita tsukedashi. Former sekitori Ms16e Kawazoe injured his ankle and picked up only one win. Promising division newcomers Ms45e Ikarigata (Wakaikari’s little bro) and Ms46e Goseizan both went 3-4, which ought to just keep them in the division.
My preview included half of the 8 quarterfinalists. I missed Ms8e Nishinoryu (4-3), who knocked Enho out of the race but lost his final 3 bouts, albeit to Otsuji, Asanoyama, and Kyokukaiyu. Let’s see how the 24-year-old fares in the promotion zone (I think) in Nagoya. I also missed low-ranked Chiyooga and Kototsubasa, but I am not expecting much from either in the future. A more notable miss is semifinalist Ms16w Gojinyu (5-2), who should be ranked either in or just outside the promotion zone. Gojinyu debuted at Sd100TD under his real name Kanzaki three years ago and promptly won the Sandanme yusho. He’s been in Makushita ever since, rising as high as Ms8 but so far failing to live up to his early potential. After his May performance though, I’ll be watching him closely, starting in July at what should be his highest career rank.
Discover more from Tachiai (立合い)
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I need to come up with a tracker for keeping up with these guys’ careers. It will be on the list of tasks never completed, like fixing the porch.
Haha, often the guys I think I should keep track of flame out, and others sneak up on you out of nowhere … but we did once have a “ones to watch” series of posts …
While I really only follow Makushita here, I might have to go watch Enho’s bout now.
I would really, really hate to see his career end here, so I’m wondering, why exactly could this tournament have been his last? Will the climb back to Juryo be too steep from here?
I could be reading too much into it, but he seemed overcome with emotion after the bout (day 13 vs. Oshoryu). He bowed to his opponent, squatted to accept the victory, walked off the dohyo, then turned around and bowed deeply in the direction of the dohyo, then walked down the hanamichi seemingly wiping away tears. Maybe he was just relieved to have won, but it struck me as a big reaction to a bout that meant he finished with a 3-4 record at Ms10.
today, there are news about Hakuho quitting sumo mid-basho; a resignation that was not accepted to avoid stealing the show from deserving new yokozuna Onosato.
I cannot see Enho remaining in sumo while Hakuho is out, so maybe that was it
Makushita really does seem to be the main place where rikishi “roll the dice” to see how good they are against everyone else. It’s entirely possible that Akua won’t ever get back to Juryo now that he’s twirling a bow, for example. I really hope Enho returns for the next basho, but if this is it for him, he can be proud of what he’s accomplished.
Proud, of course, but sad, too, I guess.
If I got it right, he misses one Juryo basho to be allowed to became a stablemaster.
I hope the powers that be can allow it to him all the same.
I hope Asanoyama makes it back to Makushita w a healthy body .. His sumo strikes me as fundamentally solid .. It has been a long road back .. Sumo can be a rough road compared to other pro sports ..
Indeed. Without suspension and injury, many expected him to make yokozuna long before now.
Dear Iksumo
Andy announced that he won’t be able to cover days 6 to 10 of Nagoya.
Couldn’t U take over from him for that period? Not with a fight after fight report, but maybe with a short daily overview of the three top divisions? That would be great and allow us followers to comment on the new developments.
I don’t want to put any pressure on U, therefore I chose this old post, but U have proved already last basho with your makushita reports that U are very capable of it.
Thanks in advance for considering the possibility.
Thanks, lemme see what I can do, my timezone and other commitments mean they’d come out much later.
Maybe one rather short test to see if there is still some response to it?
I seem to remember that Bruce‘s reports were on only after the NHK highlights.
Your stepping in for Andy was great, thanks a lot.
I was obviously not the only one who liked it.
Here’s hoping that the number of clicks met with your expectations.
I enjoyed doing it, enough that I’ll probably continue with brief yusho race and promotion/demotion updates in addition to the makushita posts!