The Sumo Association provides Special Prizes to select top division wrestlers: Outstanding Performance, Fighting Spirit, and Technique Prizes. For many, it’s awarded outright on senshuraku as an award for their performance over the week. For others, the possibility of winning a prize is announced with conditions based on performance on senshuraku.
Atamifuji was awarded a Fighting Spirit prize, unconditionally. He was also given a chance at an Outstanding Performance Prize if he won the yusho with 12 wins. Yoshinofuji likewise has a conditional Outstanding Performance Prize, given a win today. Kirishima, Abi, and Oshoumi must win today to pick up Fighting Spirit Prizes.
Wakanosho won his bout against the up-and-coming Fujiryoga. He used forceful tsuppari to drive Fujiryoga to the edge. Fujiryoga tried to move laterally to his right but Wakanosho pursued quickly and hit him with a powerful shoulder blast. Despite the loss, Fujiryoga likely won enough to make his Makuuchi division debut in Osaka. Okuridashi.
Your NHK videos of the action are here.
Makuuchi Action
Asahakuryu (8-7) defeated Sadanoumi (9-6). Henka! Asahakuryu shifted to his left at the tachiai catching Sadanoumi off-guard. Sadanoumi was about three days late to react so Asahakuryu drove him over the bales. Asahakuryu is kachi-koshi in his top division debut and preserves his position. Yorikiri.
Kotoeiho (8-7) defeated Ryuden (6-9). Kotoeiho overpowered Ryuden and quickly forced him over the edge with a left-hand inside grip. Yorikiri.
Mitakeumi (7-8) defeated Midorifuji (6-9). MIdorifuji locked in on Mitakeumi’s left shoulder and tried to get another katasukashi win but Mitakeumi moved forward well and shoved him over the bales. Oshidashi.
Tobizaru (7-8) defeated Chiyoshoma (6-9). Henka! Tobizaru jumped right and wrapped up Chiyoshoma from behind. Chiyoshoma tried to stay in and hopped around but Tobizaru forced him out. Yorikiri.
Kotoshoho (9-6) defeated Hatsuyama (2-13). Hatsuyama pulled and got his left hand uwate grip. However, Kotoshoho immediately thrust him to the side with a powerful shove. Tsukiotoshi.
Roga (7-8) defeated Tomokaze (4-11). Tomokaze hit Roga with a nodowa and forced him to the edge. Roga grabbed his belt with the left hand and shifted to his left, throwing him down. Uwatenage.
Asakoryu (9-6) defeated Gonoyama (7-8). Henka! Asakoryu pivoted and tried to slap Gonoyama down. Gonoyama did well to stay upright but couldn’t launch a counter attack. Asakoryu shoved him out. However, Asakoryu visibly winced and grabbed his left pec after the win. I hope he didn’t just pull a Kisenosato. Oshidashi.
Shodai (7-8) defeated Asanoyama (9-6). Asanoyama forced Shodai to the edge but Shodai got his arm under Asanoyama’s left shoulder, shifted to his right and pulled Asanoyama down on one knee. Katasukashi.
Fujinokawa (10-5) defeated Tokihayate (8-7). Fujinokawa got his left hand inside under Tokihayate’s shoulder and his right arm up around Tokihayate’s head, twisted and hauled him down in the middle of the ring. Sukuinage.
Atamifuji (12-3) defeated Oshoumi (10-5). Atamifuji plowed into Oshoumi and drove him to the edge. Oshoumi must be injured because he held his right leg aloft at the bales rather than using it to dig in. That meant it was very easy for Atamifuji to press forward and force Oshoumi out. Ankle? Knee? Both were taped. Oshoumi missed out on his first special prize. We will see about Atamifuji. One thing’s for sure, no big Chaos playoff. Shucks. Yorikiri.
Daieisho (7-8) defeated Shishi (9-6). Shishi henka? I didn’t think that would be possible. Shishi shifted right but Daieisho adjusted and attacked Shishi with his patented tsuppari thrusts, driving him back and over the bales. Oshidashi.
Halftime
Wakatakakage (9-6) defeated Hiradoumi (9-6). Wakatakakage got his right hand in high and tried to get his left-hand grip to help him charge forward. Hiradoumi blocked him so Wakatakakage pivoted to his right and pulled, twisting Hiradoumi down by his right shoulder. Katasukashi.
Ura (4-11) defeated Tamawashi (5-10). Tamawashi wrapped up Ura and drove forward…at least I thought Tamawashi wrapped up Ura. Suddenly Ura escaped Tamawashi’s grasp, slipped out to his right, and flung Tamawashi into the crowd. It’s hard to believe Ura only had four wins this basho but here we are. Hikiotoshi.
Yoshinofuji (8-7) defeated Oshoma (7-8). This was a Darwin bout with extra spice. The added possibility of a special prize gave this bout the extra flavor. Yoshinofuji got his left hand inside grip and when he got his right hand outside grip to accompany it, he pulled up and charged forward, driving Oshoma to the edge. He then shoved Oshoma over the edge to finish him off. Oshidashi.
Ichiyamamoto (4-11) defeated Kinbozan (4-11). After a flurry of tsuppari, Ichiyamamoto locked up Kinbozan with a left-hand uwate and drove him back and over the edge. Yorikiri.
Sanyaku
Wakamotoharu (8-7) defeated Onokatsu (7-8) Wakamotoharu grabbed Onokatsu with a right hand uwate pivoted and pulled Onokatsu forward. Wakamotoharu will keep his sanyaku position, after all. Uwatehineri.
Takanosho (5-10) defeated Oho (4-11). With his feet embued with the power of the tawara as he braced against the edge, Takanosho shoved Oho to the left and over the edge. Oshidashi.
Churanoumi (9-6) defeated Takayasu (8-7). Churanoumi slapped at Takayasu’s left shoulder, thrusting him forward and off-kilter. He then got in behind Papa Bear and drove him out of the ring from behind. Okuridashi.
Kore-Yori-Sanyaku
Kirishima (11-4) defeated Abi (10-5). Abi wrapped up Kirishima’s left shoulder and tried to haul him back quickly over the bales. Kirishima resisted by driving into Abi. Kirishima got a strong belt grip and forced Abi over the edge. Abi’s tsuppari cannon was notably absent from the bout. Kirishima picks up a special prize to accompany the arrows and his kensho. Abi is denied. Yorikiri.
Aonishiki (12-3) defeated Kotohachinana (8-7) So, all of the drama of the past fortnight brought us here. Atamifuji has done his part. It’s on Aonishiki to do his. Kotozakura pulled. He dug his chin into the back of Aonishiki’s neck and tried to force him down. He grabbed Aonishiki’s belt and tried to pull him up. Aonishiki kept his composure and with his right hand firmly gripping Kotozakura’s belt, he pressed forward and forced Kotozakura over the edge. Good, old-fashioned, yorikiri.
Hoshoryu (10-5) defeated Onosato (10-5). Hoshoryu quickly established a migi-yotsu hold. Onosato’s ottsuke was unable to dislodge Hoshoryu’s grasp. Hoshoryu stayed low and charged forward, driving Onosato to the edge. Onosato could not escape and Hoshoryu forced him over the bales. Yorikiri.
Playoff
Aonishiki defeated Atamifuji. Aonishiki locked on quickly with his right hand inside. Atamifuji wrapped his left arm around Aonishiki’s and pulled up. With his right hand he tried to sneak it inside to envelope Aonishiki but Aonishiki’s ottsuke held him at bay…for now. Atamifuji used his power and leverage to pull up on Aonishiki and force him to the edge but he couldn’t quite get him over. Aonishiki used that right hand grip to stabilize himself against Atamifuji’s pulls, as much as he used it as a steering wheel to try to drive into Atamifuji. The two men worked to a brief stalemate at the edge…but Atamifuji kept edging closer to that migi-sashi. If he could just get that right hand inside to accompany his left, he might be able to drive Aonishiki over the bales. And he was nearly there….just a little bit more…Aonishiki realized he was losing the grip so he suddenly let go with his left hand, brought his left hand up around Atamifuji’s head, and pulled Atamifuji down. Wow. Kubinage.
Wrap-up
What a basho. We didn’t get the 5-man mega playoff but we got two great yusho runs from Aonishiki and from Atamifuji. We got great bouts and the Playoff was a sweet Bing cherry on this Sumo Sundae. In the end, Aonishiki continues to rack up the accolades. He’s the ninth wrestler to win a yusho in his debut as Ozeki, the first since Hakuho some 20 years ago. He picked up 12 wins to add to a stunning string of double-digit tallies since his debut in the top division. Now, he is on a Yokozuna “rope run” (綱取り). If he wins in Osaka, we’ll need a new Ozeki.
That’s not all, though. Both Yokozuna showed up, they completed the 15-day tour of duty, they both featured in the yusho race for a little bit and they both picked up double-digit wins. That’s certainly enough for an “Achieved Results” on the bi-monthly performance review in a normal basho. Given their injuries we should bump them up to “Exceeded Expectations,” which I would say applies to the entire tournament.
So, that’s it. The Yokozuna can kick up their heels and rest until March and we do this again, right, Andy? No? No. There’s no jungyo but there are several events on the calendar. We’ve got Terunofuji’s retirement sumo next weekend. After that, we’ve got the NHK charity sumo on February 7th and the Annual one-day tournament on Saturday the 8th. At the same time, the Hakuho Cup is scheduled for the same weekend. It will include girls and adults this year. Regular readers will know we’ll also have the official announcement of Juryo promotions later this week.
See you soon!
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What an exciting day 15! Ozumo delivers yet again for us all. I am so thankful to have stumbled into watching this multi-layered sport several years ago, becoming a devotee of all things Sumo, prime one of which is Tachiai’s in-depth coverage and creating a forum for us to express ourselves. Your viewpoints expand my enjoyment of Sumo, thanks again everyone! Until Osaka!
Playoff was a mixed emotion for me.
I was happy that Aonishiki won, but feeling sad for Atamifuji, as this is his 4th Jun Yusho.
The Makuchi right now is very competitive, with Rikishis like Onosato, Hoshoryu, Waka bros, Aonishiki, Yoshinofuji, etc. Reaching playoff against such touch competition is not easy and losing the opportunity to win will be tough.
Will be happy if he gets promoted to Sanyaku.
I am following him from his Juryo days.
Hope, he will win a basho.
Thank you Andy, for your coverage.
Like your wrap ups, they are the best thing of the report.
And I enjoy you punch lines and funny references.
Andy, once again (as usual) you have delivered a splendid recap of the action. What more could we ask for than what was given by all — the Tachiai team here, and the Sekitori on the Dohyo. Bravo! Bravo!
Bring on Osaka!
Thank you! I’m glad you all are already looking forward to Osaka!
Thank you for your wonderful summaries, Andy. Quality entertainment, superb humour, insightful commentary.
And what a basho! I’m delighted for Aonishiki and his progress has been a joy to follow… it’s going to be a great year for Sumo.
Thank you! Very kind. I’m really glad you enjoyed the tournament!
A great basho. I was especially impressed by the two Yokozuna who were clearly
hurt and still better than the joi. We will soon have 3 excellent Yokozuna.
It will be excellent!
Andy, thank you for this wonderful site and all your creative & technical insights to a tradition we are lucky to savor .. this is building into a vintage sumo era ..
Aonishiki used the right hand today .. to good effect .. a switheroo that will draw attention .. the kid has great sumo instincts/feel/smarts .. ‘
If Atamifuji builds on this basho … look out! ..
Hoshoryu showed up .. hard to see how he stopped the bulldozer cold on one knee .. but he did … the moody yoyo has matured + carries his title seriously ..
Yoshinofuji rebounded nicely from his mid-basho swoon .. a serious talent ..
Kotoshoho teases that he might start tapping his potential
Special awards from the Sumo Gods ..
– Fujinokawa wins the Micro-Rikishi Award .. best performance by the brave wee ones ..
– Daieisho wins the Henka Justice Award .. for the obvious ..
– Asakoryu wins the Smart Henka Award .. Gonoyama’s blasting tachiai sumo was wasted ..
– Takanosho wins the Untapped Potential Award .. for beating Oho ..
Can’t wait for Osaka ..
What a somewhat unusual, but rather interesting basho! Aonishi should make an excellent Yokozuma very soon. Hmm…Atamafuji, cream rising to the top? Perhaps?
Looking at the poor scores amassed by a few skilled and perfectly capable wrestlers, cannot imagine what it must take to stay on top!
Asanoyama kinda looked like he never left. Glad to see him back. Will he be a contender?
Also, very happy that my fav, Kirishima, seemingly healthy and healed.( Some mentioned that he should have avoided possible injury in bout against Atamafuji! What? To be gently escorted across the bails like grandpa TAMAWASHI? Cmon now! )
My word, wish I had some of TAKAYASU’s vitamins.
Hatsuyama looked like he was on Quaaludes for the first week
Hakuhofuji—one step forward, two steps back. He seems so close to being a real contender.
The Yokazumas deserve a spa day.
Weird that 8-7 M1 Yoshinofuji got Outstanding Performance Prize while 10-5 M16
Oshoumi had to win for his. I know he defeated 2 Yokozunas, but still, Oshoumi deserved something
Yeah, I know what you mean. Yoshinofuji’s prize was definitely undeniable with the 2 Yokozuna wins. He just needed to manage a kachi-koshi. I think they didn’t want Oshoumi to check out with today’s bout so they tried to incentivize it. But with the apparent injury, there was no way he was going to get it.
Thanks to Andy and Tachiai! Appreciate this community to no end, seeing as no one I know in the flesh has caught the sumo bug.
A few thoughts from sunny California,
I looked it up, not only has the young Ukrainian rung up double digits every single basho he’s been in makuuchi, he’s done it in every 15 bout format he’s been in (all his juryo bashos) and never ever had a losing basho over his short professional career. Will he ever slow down or have an off month? I guess the question is, why would he?
I’m liking this era of the little guy. Instead of one or two small rikishi in makuuchi we have a whole crew. Besides midorifuji who has been holding it down for the small guys, we know have tokihayate, asakoryu, and the ever caffeinated fujinokawa all looking like more than flashes in the pan, and not just “tricksters” but real problems to be solved.
Looking forward to the promotion predictions, seems to me there are more people trying to force their way into sanyaku than there is space, curious what y’all think about what will happen.
Kirishima is making a real Ozeki run again. If he stays healthy maybe we will have 2023 kiribayama back and giving Hosh something else to keep him on his toes.
Lastly, as many have pointed out, if Asanoyama can stay healthy, he is looking pretty darn solid. Next basho with a tougher schedule will surely be the real test as to whether he is back to his old form.
Murray Johnson called Fujinokawa ‘an excitement machine’ during this basho. It made me laugh and led to some ribald comments! He is now, and always, whatever other nicknames he may accrue, ‘an excitement machine😁
I love Murray Johnson. He calls it like it is. He actually said the win when one wrestler side stepped on the tachai was “cheap”.
So, is my main man Kirishima on an ozeki run? I mean, of course he is, but would they count the 11-4 that he got in the last basho at m2, which would give him a chance to bag it in March, or does this basho count as the first of the three?
I think so but only time will tell. Basically he’ll need a yusho in Osaka. The NHK brought up that graphic during their coverage. It’s a run but it will be tough.
I am not a fan of sports betting … But one has to wonder whether there are prop bets on whether Papayasu will turn his back to his opponent .. A second prop bet would be if Papa can turn his back to his opponent and still win the match ..
I concur the current class of small rikishi are presenting solid competition/puzzles to solve for the big-uns .. Their differing strategies to win are fascinating .
Right? It’s got to start at like 5 to one against him being able to spin fast enough to garner a winable position, but Ura gets even odds. Although what Ura does in similar predicaments is to just drop into the lowest squat he can, instead of trying to escape with the spin. Seeing Papa Bear try that next time and pull off an izori would be a miracle
In Osaka we could start a Papayasu spin count ..
Ura sommersaults could end up in double digits ..
Can never tell where it will end up ..
Hatsu basho completed! Congratulations to all Yusho winners, especially to Nobehara. May he never be seen at Ms54 again! Congrats for the winners of Special Prizes too – and of course to victorious Shin-Ozeki Aonishiki!
A giant bunch of thanks to Andy for true passion reporting again! As well for lksumo and other of Team Tachiai! Thanks to all contributors in the comments. I read everything with appreciation, may I agree or not, and there‘s always something useful to add to my sumo fandom!
Is it possible that both Hoshoryu and Onosato will have surgery to fix their injuries and miss the March tournament?
Onosato will be kyujo. I predicted this for the Jan basho, but Onosato persisted and got his face smeared with dirt.
It’s possible but I don’t think it’s likely. There are several events during the break that I am sure they will participate in.
I have a sense that if there were only one Yokozuna (Horshoryu OR Onosato) then that one would have been kyujo. But since there were two, they both stayed in and fought to equal records. Hopefully they didn’t do themselves damage but it was great to see their grit.
The key to the kubinage of Aonishki was him swinging his left hip and getting his torso perpendicular to Atamifuji’s body. His left hip bone sent Atamifuji over with additional pressure on the neck and shoulders.