Day Thirteen. To recap the top division action, heading into the final weekend, the yusho race is down to the Yokozuna and a dark horse in Takanosho. Aonishiki’s big upset against Hoshoryu meant Hoshoryu lost for the first time this tournament and is now level with Onosato with one loss. Takanosho’s win means he is the lone rikishi at 10-2.
Asahakuryu (11-2) leads in Juryo as his heya-mate Asanoyama fell to Nishikifuji. Keep in mind that this is Asahakuryu’s first tournament as sekitori! What a way to break into the full time ranks. Asanoyama and Nishikifuji form the chase group at 10-3.
Makuuchi Action
Chiyoshoma (8-5) defeated Shonannoumi (6-7). Chiyoshoma got his left hand inside and pulled, dragging Shonannoumi down. Shitatenage.
Tomokaze (8-5) defeated Sadanoumi (5-8). Both men exchanged tsuppari before Tomokaze caught Sadanoumi behind the scruff of his neck and pulled him down. Tomokaze picked up his first top division winning record since before the pandemic. Hatakikomi.
Shishi (9-4) defeated Churanoumi (8-5). Shishi ate his Wheaties and overpowered Churanoumi. He got his right hand over arm grip, deep on Churanoumi’s belt and drove forward. At the bales he bowled Churanoumi over. Uwatenage.
Asakoryu (6-7) defeated Daieisho (6-7). Daieisho pulled and he slapped Asakoryu down while going out. Gunbai Daieisho. Mono-ii. Daieisho landed outside first. Decision reversed. Asakoryu won. Oshidashi.
Hitoshi (6-7) defeated Fujinokawa (5-8). Hitoshi slammed hard into Fujinokawa and thrust him from the dohyo. Tsukidashi.
Midorifuji (6-7) defeated Nishikigi (1-12). With Nishikigi’s loose mawashi, Midorifuji was able to get his maemitsu and hold on to that belt even with Nishikigi holding Midorifuji’s arms up. As Nishikigi tired, Midorifuji pressed forward and forced his opponent over the bales. Yorikiri.
Kinbozan (6-7) defeated Tobizaru (7-6). Kinbozan attempted a pull and slapdown quickly after the tachiai. He nearly caught Tobizaru but Tobizaru recovered and re-engaged. Kinbozan hit Tobizaru with some tsuppari and then tried another slapdown. This time Tobizaru stumbled out of the ring. Hatakikomi.
Ura (9-4) defeated Tokihayate (6-7). Ura pushed Tokihayate and drove him backward through the dohyo and over the edge. Oshidashi.
Mitakeumi (6-7) defeated Oshoma (8-5). Mitakeumi bear-hugged Oshoma and drove him back and over the edge. Yorikiri.
Kusano (7-6) defeated Roga (6-7). Kusano drove forward fiercely and shoved Roga down over the tawara. Yoritaoshi.
Meisei (4-9) defeated Ichiyamamoto (3-10). Meisei henka! Meisei jumped to his right and pulled Ichiyamamoto down. Hatakikomi.
Halftime
Atamifuji (4-9) defeated Gonoyama (1-12). Gonoyama’s struggles continued as he could not get much offense going. Once Atamifuji got his left-hand outside grip, he started the hug-and-chug. I want to see him commit to this gaburi because he seems to do well when he presses forward like this. Yorikiri.
Oho (8-5) defeated Ryuden (9-4). Oho hit Ryuden with tsuppari and then pulled and slapped Ryuden down. Well Ryuden didn’t go down but he did lose his balance and charged forward, off the dohyo and into the crowd. Hatakikomi.
Hakuoho (7-6) defeated Onokatsu (5-8). Hakuoho got a left hand inside grip, pivoted, and swung Onokatsu around. He then drove Onokatsu from the ring. Yorikiri.
Abi (3-10) defeated Kotoshoho (3-10). Abi seemed to wake up this bout. He tried a pull and slapdown. Kotoshoho continued to press forward, though. Abi pivoted and hit Kotoshoho with a bit of tsuppari before reaching over, grabbing Kotoshoho’s belt and dragging him down. Uwatenage.
Hiradoumi (7-6) defeated Tamawashi (5-8). This bout was all Hiradoumi. He hit Tamawashi hard at the tachiai and shoved him out. Yorikiri.
Sanyaku
Aonishiki (10-3) defeated Takanosho (10-3). Takanosho hit Aonishiki hard at the tachiai. Great tsuppari as he forced Aonishiki back. Aonishiki slipped left suddenly, grabbed Takanosho’s belt, and pulled Takanosho forward. Aonishiki tried to shove him back but Takanosho resisted at the bales. Aonishiki then put everything he had into grabbing Takanosho’s thigh and forced him off the dohyo. Watashikomi.
Takayasu (5-8) defeated Wakamotoharu (7-6). Takayasu got his left hand inside and drove Wakamotoharu to the bales. Wakamotoharu could not escape but he held on as long as he could. One final shove from Takayasu forced Wakamotoharu over the bales. Yorikiri.
Kirishima (6-7) defeated Shodai (9-4). Shodai grabbed Kirishima’s left arm and tried to yank him over the bales but Kirishima pressed Shodai over the edge. Yorikiri.
Kotozakura (9-4) defeated Hoshoryu (11-2). Kotozakura bodied Hoshoryu and forced Hoshoryu off the dohyo for the Yokozuna’s second straight loss. The Makikae Strikes Back. Again with the change of grip loss? Hoshoryu had a right hand over arm grip but changed his mind and tried to slip it inside. That was the opening Kotozakura needed as he pressed forward and forced Hoshoryu quickly to the edge. It’s just amazing how fast that happened. Yorikiri.
Onosato (12-1) defeated Wakatakakage (6-7). Wakatakakage with the migi-yotsu, pivoted and quickly tried the uwatenage. Onosato shifted right into Wakatakakage and maintained his balance. With Wakatakakage up against the bales, Onosato drove forward and forced Wakatakakage out. Yorikiri.
Wrap-up
We do not have the matchups for tomorrow yet. Onosato leads with one loss. Hoshoryu falls into second place with two losses. Instead of a two-win gap between leaders and the next closest competitors, Hoshoryu’s loss brings Aonishiki and Takanosho back into the conversation with three losses.
Since there’s still a slight chance for a dark horse yusho, I am sure the Kyokai will want to close that, quickly. I will try to bring an update later today with tomorrow’s pairings. Will they have Takanosho fight Hoshoryu?
*Update*
Of course they post the bouts right as I push the Publish button. Hoshoryu will fight Wakatakakage. Onosato will fight Kotozakura. Takanosho will fight Kirishima and Aonishiki will fight Hiradoumi. In our final sanyaku bout, Takayasu will fight Kotoshoho.
Back to the Wrap Up
Takanosho is looking great. I look forward to seeing him bounce back up the dohyo. However, he was bested today by Aonishiki who just continues to impress. He is just on a different level than most of his opponents, skill-wise. It’s so impressive.
Hoshoryu’s loss was a tactical loss, in my eyes. I stress this because with him falling to 11-2, I can already hear the critics start up again or maybe worries of injury. I do not think so. I think he just got caught out today by solid sumo from Kotozakura. I wonder what would have happened if he kept that outside grip and maybe shifted right? Oh, well.
Another great win from Onosato. Wakatakakage gave his best and appeared to catch Onosato wrong-footed. I think Onosato countered well by staying close to Wakatakakage. “If you pull me over, you’ll pull yourself down.” This, in turn, put Wakatakakage on his back heel and allowed Onosato to drive him over the bales.
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I can’t wait to see the NHK highlight show later, that was a great summary Andy, as ever, thank you. Thankfully my hotel room has Freesat so has NHK World. The Emerald Isle is sunny and very autumnal this week. No doubt it’ll start to rain when I get on the plane tomorrow.
Ref: Hosh. “I think he just got caught out today by solid sumo from Kotozakura. I wonder what would have happened if he kept that outside grip and maybe shifted right? Oh, well…”
What ifs and maybes are thieves of joy I think; sometimes, you just lose. Changing grip from outside to inside seems to be a fatal error especially facing off with the higher-ranked opponents – certainly this basho has had a fair few examples. What did you call it? Makikae.
It isn’t over yet, for anyone. I would laugh if Aonishiki somehow snuck through and won the yusho. I know, it’s unlikely and would require both Hoshoryu and Onosato to crumble, but let me imagine it for a glorious but fleeting moment! Takanosho has done so well too, he too could pull off an upset.
Although I’ve only been watching sumo since covid-19, I’ve yet to encounter a dull basho. There’s always something going on, on and off the dohyo.
Hoshoryu was in the lead for whole ten days and with in two days he is in trailing behind Onosato. Never saw that coming.
Ozeki run of both Wakatakakage and Kirishima is now down to zero and have to start from scratch in the next three tournaments.
Aonisiki has started his own run this basho with 10wins at Komusubi.
I wonder if they will count Aonishiki’s 11-wins in July at M1. He easily could have been komusubi last Basho. I think if he does something special in Kyushu, he will get it. It’s a small window but I think it’s there.
An 11-4 jun-yusho with a special prize and a kinboshi at M1 can certainly count if the powers-that-be want it to. And it may help that Aonishiki, despite being a foreigner, appears to have such good Japanese and to act correctly on and off the dohyo. He’ll be a big star in the UK next month for sure, with the Ukrainian refugee angle and the spectacular nature of his sumo making for a great story. It may even be the case that the short turnaround between the end of this basho and London, and then from London to Fukuoka will be to his advantage as a youngster with quicker power of recovery than the older, heavier rikishi.
Hakkaku has already said that ozeki is on the cards in Kyushu. The powers-that-be seem to want it. The speed of his learning and adapting is incredible but how is he going to win yusho against the mountain that is Onosato? Looking forward to seeing him try.
Great to see Kotozakura pounce on an opportunity to attack, for a change! Thanks, Andy – looking forward to an exciting final two days!
How can you mention Shodai’s arm-grab on Kirishima without referring to the stone cold face slap that preceded and probably provoked it? It was straight out of Hakuho’s Bumper Book Of Disrespectful Sumo.
There’s a hell of an amount of face-slapping goes on throughout a basho. Some of it really vicious. Is it disrespectful sumo? I don’t know, that’s why I am asking.
I thought to ask Perplexity AI, and this is what it came up with (and I know that AI is just a giant database)
Slapping Techniques
While slapping is a permitted technique in sumo, it is important to distinguish between acceptable and excessive actions:
Harite: This is a legal move where a wrestler can slap their opponent’s face with an open hand. It is often used strategically to disrupt the opponent’s balance.
Excessive Slapping: If a slap is deemed excessive or done with the intent to humiliate, it may be viewed as disrespectful. Such actions can lead to penalties or disqualification.
Thoughts please!
It is an interesting question. Like henka, some might frown on the tactic but it is legal. That description didn’t include tsuppari which is slaps to the upper body. The head and neck definitely get hit. I am not so sure about that last sentence about excessive slapping leading to penalties or disqualification. I cannot think of an example though I can think of examples of wild haymakers thrown by the likes of Takakeisho, to the approving and admiring ooohs of the crowd.
I specifically excluded tsuppari, and forced the AI to ONLY consider face-slapping.
Yeah, that last sentence seemed suspect to me also, but I though I’d post what it came back with. The AI came up with a whole load of other hogwash which I didn’t bother to copy. I rather suspect it doesn’t have that much about sumo in its databases, certainly not nuanced anyway.
Thank you for not copying the other hogwash, Betty. For face slapping, I had my thoughts on Hoshoryu‘s introduction move to Kirishima on Day 11. ‚Is this the end of a friendship now?‘ But it‘s just sumo on a dohyo.
It looks to me as if Kirishima tapped Shodai on the chest after the fight to check “if they’re still friends”, got a nod out of Shodai, and then went on to pick up Shodai’s sagari. So maybe K himself felt that the slap had been a bit much.
I was kind of worried about Takanosho’s knee. His right knee, I think. The way he went over the edge made me wince for his tendons and cartilage. He didn’t show any indication of being injured but I wouldn’t be surprised if it took a few hours for the damage to show itself. I’ve watched it half a dozen times now and it looked scary every time.
It was a scary fall. I had the same concerns. Like you, I watched him hop back up with amazement. It looked like the left leg and knee would bear the brunt of the fall but maybe his butt and the crowd took it.
I don’t know if this will be permanent because he’s regressed before, but this tournament it looks like Onosato’s coach finally drilled it into him that “Dude, you’re ridiculously big and strong. Even if your opponent gets a temporary advantage, make him prove it’s big enough to win. Don’t run away and give him a better chance.”. In his previous dominant basho, he’s mostly blown people away. He’s actually had to work a bit this time. Although it’s only been a bit as, once he resets himself after an opponent gets a brief advantage, he’s been more than strong enough to immediately counterattack and force them out. Kotozakura is strong enough to give Onosato difficulty, but he needs to bring at least the aggression he brought against Hoshoryu today.
iv been watching sumo for 40 years, i am rediscovering sumo with aonishiki this masho ( i didnt watch him much previoys bashos ) , this is something impressive
i dont mind his occasional loses , he doesnt mind either, he is delivering great sumo, at times so unexpected moves, it is a quite a show with him in it,
i didnt enjoy sumo this ,uch since abis first year debut in the makuchi devision
Aonishiki is growing before our eyes in sumo skill .. his rapid fire upper-cut tsuppari volley countering the same by Takanosho was a skill he has not shown before .. he kept dipping his head under Takanosho’s chin to reduce the impact of his volleys .. and preventing an effective nodowa ., and then worked his inside sumo magic ..
It is amazing that, in last basho, most of Aonishiki’s win was connected with uchimuso(direct or indirect).
This basho, with everyone knows the secret, he almost never used uchimuso, and yet he just ‘reacted’ to the opponents skills and got W anyway. Impressive.
Late to the party but I will say three things.
I’m glad Hoshoryu dropped another kimboshi today. So I can officially still call him kimboshoryu and proclaim he was unqualified for the promotion. (Bahahahahahahah!!!!)
Second. Aonishiki is impressive as hell. Not just his skill but even more so his confidence level. In his mind he is already fighting as a ozeki
Third. I only wish kotosakura displayed the level of confidence he showed today, every day. He’d be Yokozuna already.
Can’t wait till Onosato wins this whole thing while dropping his match to hoshoryu. Book it!
Kinboshi???
Ozeki, Sekiwake and Komusubi do not get kinboshi for winning Yokozuna.
No kinboshi from Hoshoryu. Aonishiki is not in the rank-and-file anymore so he is not eligible for kinboshi.
U‘re right about Aonishiki…
day 15 now,
good call on onosato vs hoshoryu outcome