Fujinokawa’s brother, Ikarigata, came out on top of the seven-man play-off and won the Makushita yusho with a henka in the ultimate bout. Asahifuji defeated Kiryuko for the second time and claimed the Sandanme yusho with a nice sukuinage.
No one will receive the Outstanding Performance prize. We have five nominees for the Fighting Spirit prize for the rank-and-filers in the yusho race, all conditional on winning today: Yoshinofuji, Hakunofuji, Ura, Kotoeiho, and Fujiryoga. Finally, Wakatakakage claims the Technique prize for a seventh time. (For those wondering, no, it’s not a record. A couple of guys have 9.)
Makuuchi Action
Dewanoryu defeated Oshoumi. Dewanoryu got his left hand inside belt grip. As Oshoumi pressed forward to the bales, Dewanoryu pivoted and dragged Oshoumi to the ground. Shitatenage.
Shishi (6-9) defeated Ryuden (5-10). When Shishi got his right hand inside belt grip to accompany his left hand uwate, he drove forward and forced Ryuden out. Yorikiri.
Kinbozan (6-9) defeated Tobizaru (9-6). Kinbozan chased Tobizaru and shoved him off the dohyo. Oshitaoshi.
Nishikifuji (5-10) defeated Tokihayate (4-11). Nishikifuji began by shoving Tokihayate back to the edge of the ring and he finished with a pull and slapdown. Hatakikomi.
Wakanosho (9-6) defeated Asahakuryu (5-10). Wakanosho would not allow Asahakuryu to establish a grip on his belt. He ripped Asahakuryu’s hand away and continued his tsuppari attack. Asahakuryu pressed forward but Wakanosho slipped to the side and shoved Asahakuryu out. Tsukiotoshi.
Hakunofuji (11-4) defeated Fujiseiun (7-8). Henka! Hakunofuji shifted to the left and slapped Fujiseiun down. Hakunofuji picked up his special prize and claimed his slot in a possible yusho play-off. Hatakikomi.
Roga (9-6) defeated Gonoyama (8-7). Roga overpowered Gonoyama and crushed him out over the bales as Gonoyama tried to resist at the edge. Yoritaoshi.
Daieisho defeated Mitakeumi. Daieisho thrust Mitakeumi repeatedly to the edge, then shifted to his left and thrust Mitakeumi to the floor. Tsukiotoshi.
Oho (9-6) defeated Abi (5-10). Oho’s thrusts > Abi’s thrusts. It’s just math. Tsukidashi.
Halftime
Hiradoumi (7-8) defeated Tamawashi (2-12). Hiradoumi easily forced Tamawashi out. A nice applause came from the crowd, not to congratulate Hiradoumi but in appreciation for Tamawashi. Yorikiri.
Ichiyamamoto (6-9) defeated Shodai (6-9). Ichiyamamoto used his thrusts to shove Shodai back and over the edge. Shodai’s last second side-step was an insufficient and uninspired counter-attack. Oshidashi.
Yoshinofuji (11-4) defeated Kotoeiho (10-5). Yoshinofuji used his left hand uwate to wrangle Kotoeiho, drive him to the edge and force him over. Yoshinofuji claimed the special prize that was up for grabs and the spot in a potential yusho play-off. Yorikiri.
Takanosho (7-8) defeated Chiyoshoma (5-10). We got a flurry of tsuppari from these two which Takanosho put an end to by slapping Chiyoshoma down. Hatakikomi.
Fujinokawa (7-8) defeated Wakamotoharu (5-10). Henka! Like his brother, Fujinokawa leapt to the side and slapped his opponent to the ground. Hatakikomi.
Sanyaku
Wakatakakage (12-3) defeated Fujiryoga (10-5). Fujiryoga might have been a bit overeager to counter Wakatakakage’s strength. Fujiryoga committed to driving forward but Wakatakakage shifted back and to his right and pulled Fujiryoga forward. Wakatakakage put an end to hopes of a larger play-off at 11-4. As Fujiryoga walked back down the hanamichi, Chris Tucker’s voice came in from the background. “He’s going to cry in the car.” Katasukashi.
Kotoshoho (9-6) defeated Churanoumi (9-6). Churanoumi seemed extra motivated today, perhaps by the potential to win the arrows. He slapped away with wild abandon at Kotoshoho. Kotoshoho, however, was a rock and would not budge…until he suddenly shifted left and thrust Churanoumi to the ground. Tsukiotoshi.
Atamifuji (9-6) defeated Oshoma (8-7). Oshoma’s strategy was too obvious and too easy for Atamifuji to avoid. Oshoma tried to grab Atamifuji’s arm and pull him forward, then he tried to slap him down. Atamifuji just kept plugging away with his tsuppari and eventually Oshoma walked himself back and out. Oshidashi.
Kirishima (12-3) defeated Ura (10-5). Kirishima had a plan and executed. Kirishima hit Ura firmly at the tachiai and pulled Ura to his left. Kirishima immediately followed up by kicking and tripping Ura as he thrust back to the right. Oshitaoshi.
We have a Play-Off!
Wakatakakage defeated Kirishima. Wakatakakage avenged his Day 11 defeat by over-powering Kirishima and thrusting him backward from the ring as Kirishima seemed set on a pulldown which never materialized. Oshidashi.
Wrap-Up
Congratulations to Wakatakakage! He claimed his second yusho, more than four years after his first title as Sekiwake in Osaka 2022. Before you start thinking about Ozeki runs, WTK is Komusubi and last tournament he barely scraped by with a 8-6-1 record. He will undoubtedly join a crowded Sekiwake rank, with Atamifuji and Kotoshoho preserving their rank and Aonishiki’s forthcoming demotion.
So, I know it’s tempting to start throwing out yet another Ozeki run to chase…but not so fast. People were already out there wanting Kirishima to fly into Yokozuna-dom. I’m not going to even entertain an Ozeki line of thinking until September. Let’s stay focused on June. The Paris tournament is coming up and we’ve got two retirement ceremonies. Then we will look at July. There will be a lot of change in the upcoming banzuke and many stories as our kyujo wrestlers return. See you soon!
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Thanks for the daily summaries Andy. From a die-hard fan in New Zealand!
Fun basho with some great bouts and amazing moments. Glad to see WTK win in the handsome guy playoff. Seems like during a playoff the guy who lost their initial bout tends to win the playoff more often than not.
Welp, can’t say that playoff wasn’t a little disappointing. All of Kirishima’s wins which had him going backwards, but nothing in the quiver to use against Wakatakakage. Still,that and depleted top ranks notwithstanding, WTK is a strong, fundamentally solid rikishi, so I’ve got no problem seeing him hoist the cup again.
Andy says WTK is headed to sekiwake, but who will join Yoshinofuji at komusubi?
Anyway, allons-y.
Thanks as usual to Tachiai for the coverage and the forum. 君がO.K.!
Ōhō’s 9-6 from M-3W would, at least mathematically, move him back up to Komusubi.
Wakamotoharu’s Tachiai was lightning quick, maybe even early, which made Fujinokawa’s henka almost startling in its success.
Ura: even his defeats are circus-dramatic.
The ‘All Yusho Winners’ site already has Wakatakakage’s just-completed victory logged. Usually it takes a few days so somebody’s all over this one.
My just-turned-93-yesterday next-door-neighbor will be delighted with Wakatakakage’s win. She’s been his fan for several years now. I saw her outside a couple of days ago and talked a bit of sumo. Was amazed at how Wakatakakage’s name (7 syllables!) easily flowed from her lips. Small town America, no background in Japan.
Thank you, Andy and Tachiai, for your coverage. Always fun and packs a wealth of knowledge.
Oops! 6 syllables. Still a mouthful.
Fujinokawa‘s henka was the exact copy of WMH‘s against Hoshoryu the other basho. Well studied! (Secretly practised with his brother, I assume :))
In the future, Wakatakakage might get really soft ozeki promotion opportunities because only 3 rikishis have won 2 yushos and never gotten to ozeki.
Kotonishiki, Tamawashi and now Wakatakakage.
Even 32/43(2 missed matches) might do it in July, witch means another 12 wins next basho or 32/45 in September(10+10 or 9+11).
a good 9 or 9+ wins and a yokozuna match win will put him there
Wakatakakage was M1e in March, so the usual 33 wins in 3 bashos does not apply in July. Wakatakakage would practically have to win Yusho again in July in order to become Ozeki after that, since he has only 20 wins so far.
Ikarigata won his yusho not too easily in part III of the giga-play-off, after a dauntless henka move. Akua will overcome it and crash the hopes of some youngsters again in Nagoya – and stay in makushita, of course. Gorgeous belly-landing, by the way :)
Fighting Spirit Prize for Hakunofuji. The man who henka‘d Fujiseiun on Day15, to deal him a makekoshi. That‘s the spirit, Hakunofuji! Sure, he did it for the play-off, got to add. Have a nice and decent senshuraku-party with limited beverage, female guests will appreciate!
Congratulations now to Wakatakakage! Yes, today we don‘t use the abbreviation.
I‘m fond of his endeavor to reach Ozeki rank and hope it will go on. There really is need of some more high rankers on the banzuke. Bit sad for Kirishima‘s loss, but imagine he had won? The pressure to get a third yusho in a row, to land at the very top finally, would have been way to much. Just let him continue ozeki-ing for some more basho and take it easy with any progress. 12-3 is a fine result, given the wild chase among the rank-and-filers, and only three more sanyaku men left to keep them in check.
Thank you so much Andy for staying alive on the couch at night, you gave your best in reporting once more! Many thanks also to Tachi-ai team, esp. lksumo for the Makushita coverage! And it was so nice again to read all your commentary, thank you guys as well!
Love your paragraph about Hakunofuji. Couldn’t have said it half as good.
Him taking the yusho would really have been the worst case, if not even worser…
Here is what Akua had to say after Ikarigata‘s henka:
‘Man, I didn’t think he would move like that. I thought he would have the confidence to engage directly. It’s frustrating.’
I wrote off Hakunofuji’s henka to his right ankle. He aggravated that again yesterday and i was honestly surprised he was walking normally. I think he can’t put full weight on it.
Thanks to Tachiai.
Some pointless statistics on prize money aka kensho. Mildly interesting with regard to wrestlers’ popularity. (Only the top ten of the envelope counter is available at Nikkan Sports.) Rank / tournament record / total number of envelopes / envelopes per win.
Kirishima / O / 12-3 / 508 / 42,33
Atamifuji / S / 9-6 / 353 / 39,22
Wakatakakage / K / 12-3 / 217 / 18,08
Yoshinofuji / M2 / 11-4 / 175 / 15,91
Oho / M3 / 9-6 / 139 / 15,44
Gonoyama / M4 / 8-7 / 133 / 16,63
Ura / M11 / 10-5 / 131 / 13,10
Daieisho / M4 / 7-8 / 119 / 17,00
Kotoshoho / S / 9-6 / 119 / 13,22
Hakunofuji / M10 / 11-4 / 109 / 9,91
Kotoshoho was clearly underrated. Hope his reputation increases!
reading this makes it obvious ura is getting favours
today he competed with one less knee support and lost ez
not so easy to compete on equal terms is it MR ura ?
i hope they ban knee supports during bashos and only allow them on trainings or exhibitions
It may show he’s popular…or that he’s defeating popular rikishi. I don’t see your “obvious” conclusion at all. (Didn’t he go way down the banzuke this tournament because of a losing record last time around?)
Are you implying that they fixed the match by having him wear one less brace? I stead of just having him go out like normal and let himself be forced out?
Or that the association for ade him to use one and only one of his braces today? Which they would do why?
Not to mention, I’m not at all certain he wasn’t wearing both, both legs were certainly wrapped up.
Most importantly though, why are you still fixated on the braces being some sort of athletic cheat when you have had multiple people over multiple threads ensuring you that the only thing they provide is some protection against further injury. Do you not believe them? Have you got any reason to?
If knee supports provided an advantage over the others, would it not be a sensible for everyone else to start using them too?
Since everyone is not using them, only those with injuries, quite well proves that they do not provide advantage.
Very good point.
Exactly. When the entire bunch come out wrapped like mummies I might start thinking there might be an advantage. Or at least acknowledge that the rikishi must think it’s advantageous.
Mummy-zumo would be hilarious.
I saw that Kirishima kicked Ura hard the knee ( this was no leg sweep) and that’s what mostly sent him flying. Rather a dirty trick by Kirishima, which I found quite disturbing, and not good sportsmanship Hope Ura is OK. I too thought he had his knees bandaged as per usual, so sorry don’t get your point on many levels.
Kiri struck Ura with his thigh well above the knee bandage. Tricky indeed, but not malicious. Ura was walking as normal as can be after the bout.
Striking just above or just below damaged knee is impactful. We don’t have to ask Ex-Terunofuji if he appreciated the below knee strikes from Tobizaru a few years back. And we all know the extra special prolonged butskari that TobiZ was subjected to by Teru as payback, that sent Tobiazaru to hospital…
It is a contact sport. I just feel you have to be as prepared to defend against it as you should be to use it.
Disagree, that didn’t seem dirty to me at all. Kirishima got him way out of position, his left leg was forward and an obvious point of attack. The blow was to the mass of his leg on the back side, not a joint, and was directed to bring it further forward and up, not down and in which would be a knee issue.
That was my take, too, but it was very fast and difficult to see so I couldn’t 100% rule out a kick. No one in the commentary seemed remotely interested in that line, though..
As a Wakatakakage fan I am delighted. His yusho is also a vindication of the decision to fully recover from his ACL and meniscus tear, even though it meant dropping into Makushita.
The other thing is that he has shwon himself to be the antithesis of Takayasu. Given the chance to win a yusho, he grabbed it. The absence of so many high rankers opened a door and he went through it. Whether he can get eleven wins when they return is a big question, so Andy is right to discourage talk of an ozeki run. Let’s just enjoy yhe moment. He has paid his dues and deserved it.
Uh-oh, that seems to be a deliberate salt-rub in the wounds of those who still remember how Wakatakakage won his first yusho..
No intention to rub it in, I wish Takayasu’s “conversion rate” had been better.
After his yusho victory over Takayasu and a recent henka of his, I turned off Wakatakakage. Very dour demeanour too which doesn’t sit well with me. Nonetheless, I agree COMPLETELY with your assessment. He grabbed his chance to win the yusho and showed huge determination to correctly recover from his injury. Can’t fault a person for that kind of effort!
Wakatakage has been the one man I’ve followed since becoming a Sumo fan. The last 3 years coming back from the torn ACL really showed his spirit and determination. When he injured his rt.elbow last tournament my heart sank for him. His decision to sit out the provincial tour between tournaments was absolutely the right decision. He looks strong and focused. With the exception of his match against Takanosho he was able to stay focused on his brand of Sumo. The best part of the interview was his acknowledgment that his 4 children told him he had to win and that his entire family got to watch him win. So glad for him man and his family. I don’t know if it is allowed, but if I were him, I would sit out as many of the between tournament “obligations“ that sumo wrestlers partake in. I believe that made a difference between last tournament and this tournaments victory.
And thank you Andy and the other folks who have guided me through the rules this tournament. Very much appreciated!
Thank you!
Always been a fan of Waka so I am very, very happy. Kinda bummed for Kiri but I just got to respect the way Waka looked like he was all business in this tournament. Straight of the gate. When he lost to Kirishima he did not falter and made sure he met him again in the playoffs to get his revenge. Movie stuff. Even crazier when you can make a case that Kirishima’s level dipped a little bit after he got suplexed from hell right onto his face, by none other than Waka’s own brother. Almost like “I’m not beating you but I’m sure as hell making sure you dont beat my brother!!!! DIEEEEEE!!!!!!!”
Seriously, Hollywood ending type stuff. I loved this
Fun stuff in the end after all the injuries, gonna be a crowded seikiwake rank indeed come July.
Yoshinofuji is settling in and keeping his balance. That final move at the edge today really reminded me of Onosato’s careful body control at the edge with a super low stance that shuts down any utchari dreams.
Wakanosho is the real deal. Poise from day one to day 15. Definitely the guy to watch.