No new kyujo to report today. My secondary dohyo matsuri appears to be holding. But there was a bit of drama as Hakunofuji was summoned by the Kyokai and given a stern warning for neglecting to do the “hand katana” gesture when collecting his kensho. Tempest, meet teacup.
Back on the doyho, Enho defeated Tamashoho to move his winning streak to five bouts. It looks like Tamashoho nearly had it today, though. Enho remains in the leadership group with Daiseizan, Toshinofuji, and Kazekeno. Down in Makushita, the highly touted Tsukedashi debutant picked up his third win of the basho against Goseizan.
Videos of top division action are here.
Makuuchi Action
Fujiryoga (4-1) defeated Oshoumi (1-4). The two men traded shoves and tsuppari until Fujiryoga slammed his right hand into Oshoumi’s left shoulder. This staggered Oshoumi so Fujiryoga followed up quickly and shoved Oshoumi out. Oshidashi.
Tobizaru (4-1) defeated Ryuden (0-5). Tobizaru slammed into Ryuden and drove him back and out of the ring. Oshidashi.
Wakanosho (4-1) defeated Tamawashi (0-5). We got a spark from Tamawashi as he bulldozed Wakanosho, driving him back to the edge of the dohyo. Wakanosho slipped to his right and shoved Tamawashi from the left side to turn the tables. He followed up with a strong shove to force Tamawashi to step back and out. Oshidashi.
Kotoeiho (5-0) defeated Roga (3-2). Roga was a mere blocking sled today as Kotoeiho chugged forward and forced Roga back and out. Yorikiri.
Mitakeumi (2-3) defeated Tokihayate (1-4). Mitakeumi blocked Tokihayate’s attempt to get inside at his belt. He charged forward and thrust Tokihayate out. Tsukidashi.
Shishi (2-3) defeated Hakunofuji (3-2). This time Shishi went for the misdirection and it paid off. He slipped right and tried a slapdown. Hakunofuji stumbled forward. Shishi re-engaged and drove Hakunofuji back around the ring with his left hand inside and a firm right hand outside belt grip. At the bales, Shishi crushed Hakunofuji backwards. Yoritaoshi.
Asanoyama (3-2) defeated Kinbozan (2-3) Asanoyama kept the West Side streak alive as he grabbed Kinbozan with a right hand inside and left hand outside hold. Asanoyama used the leveraged to hold Kinbozan up and drive him back and out. Yorikiri.
Abi (3-2) defeated Nishikifuji (1-4). Abi pulled and pivoted as he neared the edge, slapping Nishikifuji down. Hatakikomi.
Ura (3-2) defeated Asahakuryu (2-3). Asahakuryu appeared to overpower Ura and force him backward. Ura slipped out to the right and grabbed Asahakuryu’s left arm, pulling him forward. Ura got in behind and finished Asahakuryu off with a shove. Okuridashi.
Oshoma (3-2) defeated Chiyoshoma (2-3). Oshoma finally broke The West Side’s winning streak when he grabbed Chiyoshoma’s belt with a left hand over arm grip, pulled Chiyoshoma forward and used his right hand to shove Chiyoshoma down. Uwatenage.
Halftime
Asakoryu (3-2) defeated Churanoumi (3-2). Asakoryu blitzed Churanoumi and drove him out quickly. Oshidashi.
Fujiseiun (4-1) defeated Wakamotoharu (1-4). Wakamotoharu drove Fujiseiun toward the bales but Fujiseiun pivoted and used his right arm, which was tucked under WMH’s armpit, to throw Wakamotoharu over the edge. Sukuinage.
Gonoyama (4-1) defeated Shodai (1-4). Gonoyama used his nodowa well and forced Shodai back to the edge. Shodai could not execute an escape. With the looming trial of Acme Corporation, I wonder if Shodai’s had trouble acquiring anything for his own back of tricks. Oshidashi.
Yoshinofuji (2-3) defeated Daieisho (2-3). Yoshinofuji did well to get inside Daieisho’s barrage and put him into a bear hug. He found the back of Daieisho’s belt, pivoted, and shoved Daieisho forward. Yoshinofuji then finished Daieisho off with a shove from behind. Okuridashi.
Sanyaku
Takanosho (3-2) defeated Wakatakakage (4-1). Takanosho pulled and slapped Wakatakakage down. Hatakikomi.
Kotoshoho (2-3) defeated Oho (2-3). Oho did well to move forward during this bout but he got turned by a well-timed shove from Kotoshoho. Kotoshoho seized the opening and drove Oho out. Okuridashi.
Atamifuji (2-3) defeated Fujinokawa (3-2). Atamifuji enveloped the frisky Fujinokawa and gently guided him to the edge of the dohyo and sat him on the salt pile. That pile will not be good for his piles, that’s for sure. Yoritaoshi.
Kirishima (5-0) defeated Hiradoumi (2-3). Who blitzed whom? Kirishima was instantly on offense. He charged forward aggressively, forcing Hiradoumi to retreat along the bales. Kirishima grabbed Hiradoumi’s belt and shoved the off-balance Hiradoumi to the edge before finishing him off. Sukuinage.
Ichiyamamoto defeated Kotozakura. Kotozakura had the early edge, attacking Ichiyamamoto from an angle and shoving him to the bales. But Ichiyamamoto was not intimidated. He came in and stuck with his game plan, counter-attacking with his fierce tsuppari. As he pounded away, the Ozeki slid back to the tawara and then over the edge. Oshidashi.
Wrap-Up
Kirishima still holds, undefeated. He had an impressive win today and will fight Oho tomorrow. Kotozakura is shaken. How long will he be able to hold on to his rank? Forget ever competing for yusho, he’s going to be struggling to meet that 8-wins. He will face Hiradoumi tomorrow.
Sadogatake-beya stablemate, Kotoshoho, will fight Daieisho. Atamifuji will fight Gonoyama and Wakatakakage will fight Fujinokawa. The other Sadogatake-beya stablemate, Kotoeiho, will take on Ura. I’m also watching that Yoshinofuji/Takanosho bout and Wakamotoharu versus Ichiyamamoto.
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Ryuden Better get it together or its back on the barge….
I think that ship has sailed…
If he won the majority of his upcoming bouts, with a 6-9 he‘d still be demoted and even a 7-8 could not be enough to stay.
he seems to be happy and comfortable doing this ping-pong between Juryo and Makuuchi every few yushos
Ryuden is 35, so I’m assuming he knows that he’s heading towards the twilight of his career if he’s not there already. Having a goal similar to “stay a sekitori as long as possible” makes sense for someone in his position, honestly.
Wakatakakage vs Fujinokawa could be a fantastic bout. My fingers will be crossed for the smaller man.
And I‘m looking forward to Kotoeiho vs Ura. Kotoshoho‘s younger brother has won 100% of the bouts against the summersaulter so far, or in other words, he was the winner of their only meeting. I‘ll be cheering for Kotoeiho, not because of his impressive shiko, but because he seems to be very sympathetic. I saw him in the NHK preview and liked the interview a lot.
Agreed on all counts.
Ura be nimble, Ura be quick….he’s displayed his sparkly magic for last 2 days. He’s amazing us all, and even himself today. Hoping for his KK this basho to climb back toward the joi.
I do feel bad and worried for KotoZ. I thought his powerful win vibes yesterday would carry on today and beyond. Not to take away anything from Ichiyamms, he fought brilliantly today and deserved the win.
Magician Ura has been fun to watch.
Yesterday, against Shishi, he pulled ‘Now u c, now u don’t’ magic.
Today Asahakuryu was like, ‘I c ur butt, and now u r on my tail.’
I hope he pulls another good one against younger Koto.
Me too, like „now I‘m on the dohyo, now I‘m flying from it (and Kotoeiho is still standing)“.
Yes to all you’ve written Smodori, and so enjoying Ura’s sumo this tournament. Loving the disappearing tablecloth tricks, with Ura being the tablecloth! His in-the-moment ingenuity is unmatched.
I forget how tall Ryuden is until he faces someone like Tobizaru. He’s definitely the captain of the barge at this point.
Is Tamawashi’s record for basho in the top division or basho in general? I’m assuming if he somehow manages to mount the dohyo for the next basho his number will go up even if he’s in Juryo, right?
Tokihayate might also punch his barge ticket if he doesn’t turn things around soon. Losing to an injured Mitakeumi is not a good look.
Abi watched Kirishima’s bout yesterday, but apparently wanted to add more flair to it. I can almost call his strategy today a delayed henka.
What’s the problem with Wakamotoharu? He’s still losing even though he’s farther down the banzuke. A hidden injury? Mental struggles? Both?
I’m not sure if Wakatakakage over-extended at the tachiai, if Takanosho just stood straight up as part of his strategy, or both. Either way, a sloppy loss for WTK.
Kirishima is relying too much on luck at the moment for me to state comfortably that he’ll win the Cup. It feels like he has a loss or two in him based on how he’s currently fighting. He was aggressive today, but also reckless. Hiradoumi almost caught him off-guard and won today.
I completely agree that today feels like the beginning of the slide down the banzuke for Kotozakura. He might be able to stick around at Ozeki for a bit longer, but his knees won’t let him finish opponents off consistently using his current strategy anymore. He shouldn’t have lost to Ichiyamamoto today. As for Ichiyamamoto, this was definitely a “statement win” for him that declares he wants to move up the banzuke and keep winning. It’ll be interesting to see how that plays out.
The record that Tamawashi is chasing is the one for most Makuuchi tournaments. He’s at 100. Keep in mind there are guys who fight for decades in the lower divisions, like Hanakaze with 214 tournaments from 1986 to retirement in 2022. I’ve got a graphic somewhere that illustrates his career over the span of multiple Yokozuna.
Ah! Thank you for the information, Andy. Things make a lot more sense now.
I like what you call the delayed henka. I think I would equate that to an inashi strategy. “Dude gone.” For some, that delay might only be a second or two…even less at the tachiai like WTK fell for.
It’s definitely different to what Bruce has called the “hit and shift” where the rikishi mostly stays put but changes their body angle. I agree that the amount of time between the tachiai and the move, even at these small increments, really does matter.
It looked like Roga went for a front grip but Kotoeiho had his arm inside and broke the grip. After that it looked like Roga was lost.
And just some classic Ura on display. Get pushed to the edge and then pirouette out of the way and suddenly the opponents out. Love to see it.
Andy, another 4 AM East/West confusion? East side dominated the first half till the final before halftime.
We’re getting concerned that this might be the swan song for the Iron Man. But if he can somehow find his mojo and his calf gets feeling better he’s still got the desire to continue his streak in the top division.
Yes. Must be. Sometimes I can’t tell my right from my left.
Anyone else noticing many instances of possible matta that could be called but are not? In these cases, I feel that the millisecond rushes are really advantageous to the rusher, resulting in majority wins.
I don’t think that’s anything new. A lot of games get played in the lead up to the tachiai. Kinda why I like Shodai’s more relaxed style. Someone like Hiradoumi or Fujinokawa would have me backing up like Hakuho.
Yes, And Fujinokawa is the main eager beaver that I have in mind, amongst others. I think last basho Yoshinofuji got caught out when he stopped wrestling because he believed a matta would be called. I guess the lesson here is to be ready and keep fighting w/o a matta assumption.
Surprised you didn’t mention the hellacious slap Fujinokawa gave Atamifuji. He threw that thing like he was in power slap. The only problem was Atamifuji is the size of two Fujinokawa’s so he just ate it like it was nothing and then escorted Fujinokawa around the dohyo like a child.
I didn’t mention it because it didn’t seem to be effective at anything.
Atamifuji really didn’t like being slapped by the looks of it. Bit of an over-reaction at the end.
Regarding Hakunofuji not doing the “hand katana” gesture yesterday – I also noticed it but to be fair, he did try but his arm was falling off and inoperative after the squeeze.
Sometimes Kyokai is such a …
Hakkaku: “You have two hands.”
Hmm, its such a kyokai thing..”Why didnt you walk back down the Hanamichi on your own??????. I had a compound Leg fracture :(….”
“You have two Legs…Do not dishonour us like that again !!..”
Jeez…
I wonder what Kotoeiho‘s winning secret may be? He does nothing spectacular and yet he wins. Must be some subtle feeling for balance things he is very assured of. His special shiko could be mistaken for a show, but I think it gives him much confidence.
Kotoeiho has a great understanding of Sumo. Look at his shiko. I think this is the beginning of his blossoming. He has the look of a star. Yet one more crest in the new wave.
I watched today’s bouts w a focus on how disciplined the rikishi were w keeping their elbows in close to their body for their thrusts .. .e..g. Kotoeiho and Ichiyamamoto .. When they did that, they eventually got underneath the arms of their opponents + turned the momentum .. It obviously is also a good defensive move .. Not flashy, but fundamentally sound + when repeated opens opportunities .. On the contrary .. KTZ was flailing w elbows out from his body .. Eventually Ichi capitalized on the opening .. .. It is one of the most fundamental + rehearsed sumo moves .. But once hit in the face .. it is hard to remember all that stuff ..
The henka of Enho was the worst I have seen in the 40 years, I look at Sumo.