Today’s semifinals were somewhat anticlimactic. First, Daiyusho pushed out Aratakayama without meeting much resistance to win by oshidashi. Then, Shimazuumi absorbed a few shoves from Kitanowaka and then pushed him out to also win by oshidashi. So it’ll be the former maegashira on the road back from injury against a much less accomplished opponent for all the marbles on day 13. If Daiyusho can buck the odds and live up to his shikona, it’ll be the biggest achievement of his career.
Here’s how things stand in the Ms1-Ms5 promotion zone:
Kitanowaka is sure to return to the paid ranks for the first time since his January injury. Five others have secured their kachi-koshi, and Mudoho and Kamito could still join them. The promotion order is roughly as follows: Kitanowaka is in, Takakento, Nagamura, Otsuji and Wakanosho can each stake a strong claim with another win, Goshima needs two, while Kamito and Mudoho must win out and hope for help. Wakanosho and Goshima fight H2H tomorrow, and Kamito will try to stay alive against Shohoryu.
In Juryo the only clear demotion case belongs to absent Endo, but Kyokukaiyu, Miyanokaze, Shiden, Takarafuji, Nishinoryu and Kayo have work to do to stay in the paid ranks.
Day 11. Act III opens, as Bruce says. Our Yokozuna lead the field. Ozeki Kotozakura can claim his kachi-koshi today and has been looking solid in his position for the first time in a long time. We’ll need him there as another Ozeki run was extinguished yesterday.
All eyes turn to look for another contender…maybe Aonishiki? He has had five consecutive double-digit tournaments since he became a full-timer. He has had three 11-4 tournaments in the top division and is holding his own in sanyaku. He will face a former Ozeki in Shodai, who has been a shadow of his former self but looking bright this tournament.
Let’s turn to Juryo. I want you to note these guys attire. Today, instead of somenuki pictures from Top Division wrestlers, the Kyokai shows us our five Juryo leaders. You see the contrast from the colorful somenuki of the top division guys I showed yesterday. Asahakuryu dons the hakama we often see and the other four wear more monochrome yukata.
On the dohyo, Asanoyama beat Hidenoumi, Asahakuryu beat Mita and Nishikifuji beat Kotokuzan to move to 9-2. Oshoumi, Mita, and Fujiseiun are just behind on 8-3 records.
Your NHK videos are here. You might want to bookmark this page, though. Use that as your “home base” for this basho. It has the links to action from each day.
Makuuchi Action
Hitoshi (5-6) defeated Daiseizan (4-7). Hitoshi executed a terrible henka. Daiseizan caught it but somehow Hitoshi dodged him at the edge and shoved him out. Hatakikomi.
Shishi (7-4) defeated Sadanoumi (4-7). Shishi trapped Sadanoumi’s right arm and dragged him down. Kotenage.
Shonannoumi (6-5) defeated Meisei (3-8). Shonannoumi dragged Meisei to the edge and twisted him down by Meisei’s left arm. Kotenage.
Mitakeumi (5-6) defeated Asakoryu (5-6). Asakoryu shifted left at the tachiai. Mitakeumi adjusted well and forced Asakoryu back and out. Yorikiri.
Churanoumi (7-4) defeated Tobizaru (7-4). After an energetic brawl, trading tsuppari, Churanoumi was able to get Tobizaru turned. Churanoumi then drove into Tobizaru from the side, shoving him over the bales. Oshidashi.
Tokihayate (5-6) defeated Midorifuji (4-7). Tokihayate got his left arm inside and bulled forward, dropping Midorifuji over the bales. Yoritaoshi.
Kinbozan (5-6) defeated Nishikigi (1-10). Nishikigi circled back to his left to try to get Kinbozan turned. But Kinbozan pivoted and slapped Nishikigi down. Hatakikomi.
Tomokaze (7-4) defeated Ura (7-4). Tomozake pulled and slapped Ura down. Tomokaze has been looking solid in this return to the top division. Remember, a long time ago and in a galaxy far, far away, this guy won two kinboshi off Kakuryu before the devastating knee injury. Hatakikomi.
Oshoma defeated Roga. Roga tried to throw Oshoma forward but Oshoma slipped his grasp and got Roga turned around. Roga did not have time to recover as Oshoma shoved him over the edge. Oshidashi.
Takanosho defeated Ryuden, thus ending the West-side streak of nine straight wins. Ryuden’s left hand ottsuke blocked Takanosho from getting inside. Ryuden pulled and tried a slapdown but failed, so Takanosho demonstrated proper technique. Pivot and pull. Pivot and pull. Hatakikomi.
Daieisho defeated Onokatsu. Daieisho hit Onokatsu with his powerful tsuppari and drove him back. Onokatsu tried to escape but turned himself around and Daieisho finished him off from behind. Okuridashi.
Halftime
Fujinokawa (4-7) defeated Ichiyamamoto (3-8). Fujinokawa got inside quickly, negating Ichiyamamoto’s tsuppari and forcing a grapple. Fujinokawa got a solid morozashi and picked Ichiyamamoto up. Ichiyamamoto was able to get his feet down at the edge but Fujinokawa twisted and threw Ichiyamamoto to the ground. Sukuinage.
Kusano (6-5) defeated Hiradoumi (6-5). Kusano avoided Hiradoumi’s misdirection and forced Hiradoumi back and out behind strong tsuppari. Tsukidashi.
Oho (7-4) defeated Hakuoho (6-5). After a great, evenly matched and very entertaining grapple, Oho was able to get some separation and pull and slap down Hakuoho. Hatakikomi.
Abi (2-9) defeated Atamifuji (2-9). Atamifuji resisted Abi’s initial volleys of tsuppari and remained in the center. Abi followed up with a nodowa, driving Atamifuji back to the bales. Atamifuji tried to slip out to Abi’s right but Abi kept up the pressure and forced him over the tawara. Oshidashi.
Tamawashi (4-7) defeated Gonoyama (0-11). Tamawashi pivoted and charged forward, shoving Gonoyama over the edge and onto his butt. Oshitaoshi.
Sanyaku
Shodai (9-2) defeated Aonishiki (8-3). Who is this man in black? He took the phenom on, toe-to-toe, and just overpowered him, shoving him to the edge and crushing him out onto his back. Chaos reins!! Yoritaoshi.
Kotoshoho (3-8) defeated Wakatakakage (5-6). Kotoshoho hugged Wakatakakage with his right hand inside and powered forward, forcing the sekiwake over the bales. What has happened to Wakatakakage? Yorikiri.
Kotozakura (8-3) defeated Wakamotoharu (6-5). Kotozakura grabbed Wakamotoharu’s belt with his right hand outside. With the bales as leverage he swung Wakamotoharu down. Kotozakura claims his kachi-koshi on Day 11. Uwatenage.
Hoshoryu (11-0) defeated Kirishima (5-6). Migi-yotsu. Hoshoryu forced Kirishima to the edge. Kirishima resisted at the bales so Hoshoryu pivoted and dragged him down. Uwatenage.
Onosato (10-1) defeated Takayasu (3-8). Takayasu chased Onosato around the ring as Onosato tried to slap him down. Onosato stopped pulling and drove forward into Takayasu, forcing him through the ring and over the bales. Tsukidashi.
Wrap-up
This is great! Hoshoryu is finally quieting the “hE wAs PrOmOtEd ToO eArLy,” business and continues to win. He looked most comfortable and most dominant today. He certainly has his most difficult challenges ahead of him, though. Hoshoryu will face Aonishiki tomorrow in what will surely be a highlight bout.
Onosato will take his turn against Kirishima next. He looked vulnerable today until he buckled down and overwhelmed Takayasu. This is building up to an epic final weekend.
Meanwhile, the Lord of Chaos is doing Chaos things and remains in the hunt along with Takanosho. “What was all of this hype around this blonde guy? You want to proclaim him Ozeki? You think this kid is the next Ozeki? Cute. Or should I say, ‘ka-wa-ii’?” Settle down Mr. Maegashira 11. I am enjoying this Shodai. More of this version, please. Shodai will fight Ryuden on Day 12. Takanosho will be paired with Kotozakura as he tries to step out of the shadow of Takakeisho. That’s much easier now as Takakeisho keeps shrinking. Not to get off on a tangent but pictures from his danpatsushiki will be wild.
Kotozakura might finally get back to the Ozeki kachi-koshi 10-win standard. Our Sekiwake, however, have fallen to the wayside. Takayasu’s sanyaku slot will be open and neither of the current Sekiwake are safe. Wakatakakage looked terrible today and has gone from Ozeki candidate to looking like a standard rank-and-filer. Aonishiki is doing his best to lay claim to an opening.
Welcome to Day Ten. For the past few days, the Kyokai’s Twitter account has been featuring some of the makuuchi somenuki yukata each day this tournament and I keep forgetting to post them. I will rectify that now. Today, we have Ichiyamamoto, Fujinowaka, Midorifuji, and Shonannoumi. These yukata are usually notable for their colors, detailed graphic designs, and the wrestler’s shikona prominently emblazoned…usually in white, black, or gold.
Somenuki are special yukata reserved for makuuchi wrestlers, only. It’s yet another one of those privileges that is characteristic of the hierarchies in the sumo world. And they’re only able to wear them during the warm basho from May through September, so after this basho, they’ll get packed away for next year.
We see in this image that Fujinokawa has a somenuki. He has been in makuuchi for a few tournaments now, so he’s had time to raise money and get this custom yukata made for himself. Sometimes if a Juryo wrestler has just been promoted, he won’t have one and will still wear the hakama or kimono we usually see sekitori wear. We also see Hitoshi’s below. I wish we could see the back.
Usually the design is on one side and the shikona is on the other. You know how they talk about mullets as being “business up front, party in the back?” Well, this is nothing like that. Not so rigid. So, forget I mentioned mullets. With somenuki, the party can be in the front and the back. These images from the Kyokai this week are featuring just the front so we’re missing half of the work. I’ll try to find more complete images. In the past, the Kyokai has shown both front and back.
The somenuki term comes from a method of bleaching color out of the fabric, leaving white fabric behind. Let’s say you have a brilliant yellow yukata. You get a portion of it bleached and then put a brilliant design in the white part. The same is done for the shikona, though it’s often left white.
Your NHK videos are here. They included the Juryo bout between Nishikifuji and Fujiseiun. With Mita’s loss he fell to 8-2, tied with the fore-mentioned Nishikifuji, Asanoyama, and Asahakuryu.
Makuuchi Action
Oshoumi (J 8-2) defeated Shishi (6-4). Shishi did a great job of getting Oshoumi turned around but Oshoumi did an even better job of recovering and re-engaging. He got both hands on the front of Shishi’s mawashi, pulled up, and drove forward, depositing Shishi over the bales. Impressive strength. Yorikiri.
Tobizaru (7-3) defeated Nishikigi (1-9). Nishikigi dug deep for this and wrapped up Tobizaru’s shoulders in a way that his arms were flailing skyward, helplessly. Nishikigi then pressed forward and drove Tobizaru over the bales. Gunbai Tobizaru? Video replay shows Nishikigi stepping out before Tobizaru. Good call. Instead of a kimarite, this is one of the “other” losing methods (higi): the step out. Isamiashi.
Asakoryu (5-5) defeated Tomokaze (6-4). Henka! Asakoryu jumped left and slapped Tomokaze down. Hatakikomi.
Ryuden (8-2) defeated Meisei (3-7). Ryuden grabbed Meisei with his powerful right hand uwate and dragged him forward toward the bales. This turned Meisei around so Ryuden followed up with a shove from behind. Okuridashi.
Tokihayate (4-6) defeated Shonannoumi (5-5). Tokihayate grabbed Shonannoumi’s mawashi with both hands and turned him around. Shonannoumi tried to pull away but this just allowed Tokihayate a devastating morozashi. He pressed forward and drove Shonannoumi over the edge. Yorikiri.
Mitakeumi (4-6) defeated Hitoshi (4-6). Henka! The lost art is on display this tournament. Who knew Mitakeumi could move laterally so quickly? Not I! Mitakeumi leaped left, grabbed Hitoshi’s belt deep as he passed, and then dragged him down. Uwatenage.
Sadanoumi (4-6) defeated Fujinokawa (3-7). Sadanoumi’s left hand uwate hold proved more powerful than Fujinokawa’s left hand shitate when he unceremoniously dumped Fujinokawa off the dohyo. Uwatedashinage.
Ura (7-3) defeated Roga (5-5). Ura pressed up into Roga with his powerful hazuoshi and drove him straight back and over the bales. The crowd roared its approval of his display of strength. Oshidashi.
Takanosho (8-2) defeated Shodai (8-2). Takanosho hit Shodai with a nodowa with his right hand and swatted Shodai’s arm away with the left. This got Shodai moving backward. Takanosho hit him again with another nodowa with the left, and then shoved Shodai back and out. Oshidashi.
Oshoma (6-4) defeated Churanoumi (6-4). Oshoma was all business today as he obliterated Churanoumi at the tachiai. He followed up with left hand and then right hand nodowa to force Churanoumi to the edge and then shoved him over. Keyed-in. Oshidashi.
Kinbozan (4-6) defeated Onokatsu (5-5). Onokatsu attempted a pull but Kinbozan bulldozed forward and drove Onokatsu over the edge. Oshidashi.
Halftime
Daieisho (4-6) defeated Kusano (5-5). Daieisho of old hit Kusano repeatedly with tsuppari, driving the youngster back and out. Tsukidashi.
Midorifuji (4-6) defeated Ichiyamamoto (3-7). Midorifuji got inside of Ichiyamamoto’s tsuppari so the two settled into a migi-yotsu grapple. Midorifuji dragged Ichiyamamoto to the edge and threw Ichiyamamoto. Both men tumbled down. Gunbai Midorifuji. No mono-ii. Shitatenage.
Oho (6-4) defeated Atamifuji (2-8). Oho just overpowered Atamifuji. Oho shoved forward and forced Atamifuji out with his hazuoshi. Oshidashi.
Abi (1-9) Abi-literated Tamawashi (3-7). Abi hasn’t been looking great lately but he dug deep and shoved Tamawashi hard, forcing Tamawashi to fall backwards. Abi’s losing streak ended and he finally picked up his first win. Oshitaoshi.
Sanyaku
Takayasu (3-7) defeated Gonoyama (0-10). Takayasu demonstrated amazing power. Gonoyama hit Takayasu hard and drove him all the way to the bales. But Takayasu dug deep, pivoted, and forced Gonoyama back over the edge to extend Gonoyama’s losing streak to 10 bouts. Yorikiri.
Aonishiki (8-2) defeated Hakuoho (6-4). Aonishiki got his left hand inside grip and pressed forward. Hakuoho flailed around and tried to do something with his left arm but Aonishiki shoved him back with his right arm while driving with the left. Yorikiri.
Hiradoumi (6-4) defeated Wakatakakage (5-5). The Ozeki run is done. Hiradoumi overpowered Wakatakakage and shoved him out. Wakatakakage hung on as long as he could but Hiradoumi was helped by his powerful gaburi leg thrusts. Oshidashi.
Kotozakura (7-3) defeated Kirishima (5-5). Kotozakura went on the attack and good things happened. Kirishima did a great job of hanging in there and at one point had better position. But Kotozakura established his right hand inside, then got a strong left hand grip outside. Kirishima pulled back to switch his grip and that makikae struck again. Kirishima reared back so Kotozakura pressed forward and forced Kirishima over the edge. Yorikiri.
Onosato (9-1) defeated Kotoshoho (2-8). Onosato dominated Kotoshoho and handed Nagoya’s Yusho winner his make-koshi. Tsukidashi.
Hoshoryu (10-0) defeated Wakamotoharu (6-4). Wakamotoharu tried to give back with Hoshoryu’s niramiai stare-down games before the tachiai. That got the crowd into it. It also motivated Hoshoryu more. Hoshoryu blitzed Wakamotoharu, driving him back to the edge quickly. Wakamotoharu resisted for an instant but Hoshoryu wasn’t having any of it, pivoted, and threw Wakamotoharu roughly to the ground. Geeez! That was impressive. Sukuinage.
Wrap up
I say Wakatakakage’s Ozeki run is over but his toughest bouts are yet to come. If he somehow wins all five of these bouts, who knows? He’ll likely have to beat both Yokozuna and Ozeki Kotozakura in the final stretch. Promotions have been given with 32-win records but I feel like the hype has died down given the first few losses. What’s more likely is he will need 9 or 10 wins to carry any hope of promotion at Kyushu or Hatsu.
The yusho race is down to the Yokozuna now. Hoshoryu leads, undefeated. Onosato trails with one loss. Wow, it feels like it’s been a LONG time since we had something like this…probably going back to Hakuho vs Terunofuji (though I think Terunofuji was Ozeki) or Hakuho vs Kakuryu.
In the lead up to the final weekend, the Yokozuna schedules will get tougher as they fight sanyaku opponents. Tomorrow, Onosato will face Takayasu and Hoshoryu will take on Kirishima. Kotozakura will take on whatever is left of Wakamotoharu. Wakatakakage will fight Kotoshoho and Shodai is being called up to fight Aonishiki. There will be more kensho available in these sanyaku bouts. Will that motivate Girigiri Shodai? Or will Aonishiki chew him up and spit him back out into the dregs of the rank-and-filers?
It’s day 9, which means that 5 rounds of bouts have been completed, and we are left with 4 undefeated semifinalists. They will be matched up in rank order on day 11 to determine which two will face off for the yusho on day 13. As a reminder, these were are the quarterfinal pairings:
In what has to be considered an upset, Aratakayama slapped down former maegashira Bushozan after the latter drove him to the edge but couldn’t push him out. Daiyusho easily pushed out Tokunomusashi. Former maegashira Shimazuumi shoved out Ikirigata after a brief but spirited exchange. Kitanowaka and Kotokenryu engaged in a protracted standoff with a lot of hand fighting in an attempt to establish belt grips. Kitanowaka was the first to do so, and when Kotokenryu attempted a grip switch, Kitanowaka drove forward and crushed his opponent out.
So in the upper half of the bracket, it’ll be two former sekitori locking horns for the 9th time in what is likely to be a belt battle; Shimazuumi holds a 6-2 head-to-head edge, though Kitanowaka won their most recent bout by uwatenage. In the lower half, it’s two guys who between them have over 80 basho in ozumo without ever rising above Ms25.
Here’s how things stand in the Ms1-Ms5 promotion zone:
Kitanowaka is sure to return to the paid ranks for the first time since his January injury. Daiamami must win his final 2 bouts. Wakanosho is in the best shape of the other contenders. The only action tomorrow is Goshima fighting Ms9e Matsui, a fellow Ms60TD guy; Goshima probably needs to win out to keep his promotion hopes going. Come back on day 11 to see who makes the yusho final and where the promotion picture stands.
