Day Six in Tokyo
Nabatame is back from the infirmary and his brief bout with mumps. Childhood mumps claimed my mother’s hearing but for Nabatame, it only took a sick day.
The middle weekend is rapidly approaching and we have four wrestlers with zero wins and two kyujo (not including Hoshoryu). Juryo, however, is short on early promotion prospects. Daiseizan is still the best option at 5-1 from Juryo 3 East, though he lost to Sadanoumi. This has makings of an overloaded barge and likely some lighter than expected demotions.
Kitanowaka, Kagayaki and Kayo lead heading into the middle weekend, determined to make me eat my words from a few days ago. Kayo will fight Nishikigi and Kagayaki will face Tochitaikai, who has dropped three in a row. Kitanowaka will fight Onokatsu.
In Jonokuchi, Joshoyu picked up his third win against Fukufukumaru. In Jonidan, Kakizoe is looking to back up his Jonokuchi yusho, defeating Fujiyuho. Najima is in the mix! He defeated Ryuseiyama to also move to 3-0. Up in Makushita, Tenshoyama might now be the favorite for the yusho. He has only lost three times in his brief career, two of those famously to Asahifuji. With Asahifuji in Makushita in Nagoya, that gave Tenshoyama the chance to dominate Sandanme.
While both men have the day off, Ikarigata will head to Juryo for a shot at an early kachi-koshi against Hitoshi.
Makuuchi Action
Tokihayate (4-2) defeated Shonannoumi (0-6). Shonannoumi put in a valiant effort and threw everything he had at Tokihayate. From his kachiage at the tachiai to his attempted slapdown to his attempted throw, Shonannoumi tried it all but Tokihayate pressed ahead and forced Shonannoumi out. Yorikiri.
Tobizaru (3-3) defeated Onokatsu (3-3). Tobizaru charged ahead into Onokatsu but it was a feint. He waited for Onokatsu to put his weight too far forward and then pulled. Onokatsu fell to the slapdown. Hatakikomi.
Toshinofuji (5-1) defeated Chiyoshoma (3-3). Toshinofuji got both hands inside Chiyoshoma’s and drove forward. Chiyoshoma tried an uwatenage at the edge but Toshinofuji was in control and corralled him. Yoritaoshi.
Abi (4-2) defeated Asasuiryu (3-3). Henka! Not the way you were expecting, though. Asasuiryu jumped left but Abi quickly gave chase, pounding Asasuiryu with tsuppari and a wicked headbutt. Asasuiryu tried to retreat but Abi slapped him down. Hatakikomi.
Wakamotoharu (4-2) defeated Oho (1-5). This was quite the brawl with both men trading steady fire. Wakamotoharu surprised me by working his way inside, rather than attempting to slip to the side with his back at the edge. He pressed forward and forced Oho out. Oho tried the last-ditch throw at the edge but fell to his fifth loss. Yorikiri.
Kinbozan (4-2) defeated Asakoryu (3-3). Asakoryu jumped left, like his brother, and got beat. Kinbozan really stuck with this bout as Asakoryu’s thrusts and throw attempt certainly gave him fits and nearly took him out. He slipped Asakoryu’s throw attempt, which was a bit overzealous, leading to Asakoryu exposing his back to Kinbozan. Kinbozan seized the opportunity and shoved Asakoryu out from behind. Okuridashi.
Ura (5-1) defeated Asahakuryu (3-3). Ura grabbed Asahakuryu’s left arm and dragged him forward. As Asahakuryu tried to step on the brakes, Ura shifted right and shoved him from the side. Oshidashi.
Shishi (3-3) defeated Shodai (0-6). Coyote’s suit against Acme has left Shodai with no supplier of tricks at the edge. Shodai needs to retool quickly. His pulls are not fooling anyone. He tried to shove Shishi over the bales while shifting right but Shishi kept his head down and forced Shodai out. Yorikiri.
Asanoyama (5-1) defeated Hiradoumi (3-3). Power vs Power here as Asanoyama and Hiradoumi squared up in the center of the ring. Asanoyama sensed an opportunity, grabbed Hiradoumi’s arm and stepped back, thrusting Hiradoumi headlong to the clay. Tsukiotoshi.
Takerufuji (4-2) defeated Ichiyamamoto (0-6). Takerufuji got a double-inside grip and forced Ichiyamamoto back and out. Though Ichiyamamoto seemed sad walking back down the hanamichi, one gets the sense he still prefers this to his old office job. Yorikiri.
Halftime
Nishikifuji (2-4) defeated Roga (4-2). Henka #3! Nishikifuji jumped left but Roga pivoted quickly to reengage. Roga pressed into Nishikifuji but Nishikifuji pulled and shoved Roga down. Tsukiotoshi.
Fujiseiun (4-2) defeated Oshoma (3-3). Fujiseiun knew better than to be too aggressive with Oshoma. Instead, he weathered Oshoma’s tsuppari and blocked what he could. Oshoma tried a short, quick pull but that seemed to give Fujiseiun the opportunity he needed to force his way forward. Oshidashi.
Churanoumi (5-1) defeated Fujiryoga (2-4) We had everything in this bout. First, a fierce brawl, then a long grapple. Fujiryoga tried a sukuinage as the pair tussled at the edge but Churanoumi grabbed the front of his belt and pulled up while sweeping his leg at the same time. Kirikaeshi.
Kotoeiho (2-4) defeated Takayasu (2-4). Kachiage from Takayasu, followed by a wicked shove from his left hand to Kotoeiho’s face. Kotoeiho turned that into an opportunity by shoving Takayasu’s left hand and threatening to get behind. Takayasu quickly spun away but Kotoeiho pursued and shoved him off the dohyo. Oshidashi.
Sanyaku
Daieisho (2-4) defeated Hakunofuji (1-5). Standard Daieisho sumo here. He whaled on Hakunofuji with tsuppari and as Hakunofuji bulled forward to fight back, Daieisho pulled and slapped him down. Hatakikomi.
Atamifuji (5-1) defeated Kotoshoho (2-4). Kotoshoho hit Atamifuji hard, then pulled and tried a sukuinage. Atamifuji planted his foot and pivoted to keep up with Kotoshoho, then charged forward and shoved him out. Oshidashi.
Kotozakura (5-1) defeated Takanosho (3-3). Kotozakura moved forward! And he won! He quickly forced Takanosho back. Takanosho tried to move laterally at the edge and catch Kotozakura off-balance but Kotozakura kept his footing, adjusted and battered Takanosho, thrusting him from the ring. What a pleasant surprise. Tsukidashi.
Yoshinofuji (1-5) defeated Kirishima (4-2). Wow. Bout of the day so far. And what a way to pick up your first win! Absolutely blistering tachiai from Kirishima but Yoshinofuji didn’t back down. Kirishima worked him to the edge where Yoshinofuji shocked the crowd by nearly catching Kirishima with an uwatenage. Kirishima somehow resisted at the edge and regained the upper hand, driving back into Yoshinofuji. However, Yoshinofuji again went to that uwatenage and this time pulled it off in slow, dramatic, spectacular fashion. Kirishima smiled with the loss. One of those few L’s that you’re actually proud of. Great bout. Uwatenage.
Fujinokawa (4-2) defeated Aonishiki (3-3). Aonishiki got a left hand outside grip but Fujinokawa seemed to foil Aonishiki’s throw attempts by trying to trip him each time. Both men fought extraordinarily hard for a solid grip. After Aonishiki released his grip to avoid being thrown, Fujinokawa managed to get his right hand deep at the back of Aonishiki’s belt. Here, he was lower than Aonishiki and drove up into the Ozeki, forcing him back and out. Yorikiri.
Onosato (5-1) defeated Gonoyama (2-4). Onosato committed to the slapdown from the word jump. The crowd clapped at his victory but one could sense the letdown after the previous two bouts. Hatakikomi.
Wrap-up
The title race heats up on Day Seven. At the top of the banzuke, Onosato will fight Churanoumi in the musubi-no-ichiban. Kirishima will fight Gonoyama, Kotozakura will take on Fujiryoga and Aonishiki is set to take on Atamifuji.
Fujinokawa will face off against Daieisho and Hakunofuji will fight Kotoshoho. Lower down the banzuke, Asanoyama will fight Fujiseiun, Ura gets his turn against Shodai and Toshinofuji will fight Oho.
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Abi (4-2) defeated Asasuiryu (3-3)…..😳…..welcome to the big game, kid…cop this….!
Great bouts today, Meisei vs Tanji in Juryo, Asanoyama vs Hiradoumi and Fujiryoga vs Churanoumi, what a brawl! Onosato match on the other hand… again backward sumo with jumping at the tawara, meh.
Asasuiryu, you Henka the King, you best not miss.
Here‘s hoping hard that Churanoumi, an unsung hero of the sport, will beat the yokozuna tomorrow and remain my dark horse in the yusho race.
Churanoumi is great! Always fighting hundred percent – and effective
Churanoumi reminds me of Kotoshoho in that he mounts the dohyo, does his best, and then continues on his way without much fanfare. I’m betting he’s going to be in the top of the division for a long time.
Laughing loud while watching Abi vs Asasuiryu! Wild chase there – and ‚Gotcha!‘ in the end. Next time they put a kitchen table on the dohyo to run around and get under. Family life at Ishizaki‘s must have been funny. There‘s a sister, too :)
Laughing loud while reading your text! Will now always have the Ishizaki family’s kitchen in my mind‘s eye when one of them is on the dohyo.
Two losing henka by two brothers on the same day in makuuchi has to be another historic first for them.
Few thoughts.
Atamifuji just looks unmovable. With this level sumo he is a favorite against anyone.
Aonishiki abandoned his tachiai from last basho and struggled greatly. For the second consecutive day he does something I haven’t seen him doing before. Aonishiki goes for grabbing his opponent’s shoulder with his right hand. That instantly opens his right armpit, giving opponent an opening to get inside. To me, it is a basic mistake, and I do not understand why he keeps repeating it. With being unable to get strong left inside grip his offence looks weak. He also looks light on his feet, the leg is not fully healed.
Kirishima fought well today, although Yoshinofuji is remarkably strong physically. Absorbing two attacks on the edge and turning the bout around was very impressive. The Ozeki made one mistake: had he secured a two-handed grip on the first attack, he might have won.
Unlike on many previous occasions, Onosato planned this hatakikomi and executed it well. Sure, it is a win—but is it Yokozuna sumo?
I feel bad for Shonannoumi. It’s rough when you try literally everything you can think of and still lose. Here’s hoping he gets a white star soon.
Stick a fork in Shodai, he’s done. Zero forward movement. His tachiai is enough to meet his opponent and then he’s on rollerskates. He has to have something like a lower back injury that’s preventing him from literally doing anything.
I’m not sure what’s going on with Ichiyamamoto either. A performance this bad is too much of a drop-off from his recent results to assume that he’s hit a ceiling or something similar.
Fujiryoga might win the “Great Effort, But Sorry About The Losses” award for this basho.
Takayasu losing two days in a row after clobbering Onosato feels like that tells us a lot about Onosato’s sumo. I don’t want to call Onosato a “one or two trick pony” and yet that’s how it feels right now.
Nice to see Yoshinofuji get a win. Kirishima continues to have problems with bigger, stronger rikishi than him. Great effort all around, though.
Speaking of Onosato, I’m quite sure that people will grumble about “reverse sumo”, but if your opponent acts like Onosho 2.0, meaning he has a habit of getting his weight too far out over his toes at the tachiai, then you use that to your advantage and get the win.
Great remark about Fujiryoga. I would like if there was a special price for the best efforts makekoshi.
Well, such a special prize could be a bit boring with Ura as continuous subscriber!
That’s a good idea.
Yes, an award for “spirited energy” through all 15 days or something similar is an excellent idea!
I felt that way several times about Hiradoumi. Always so much energy, and sometimes no wins to show for it.
I totally agree.
On your final point about Onosato, I do agree that one should take advantage of the opponent’s hatakikomi weakness. I just scoff at the “full reverse” tactic, especially when it features a desperate leap at the edge. “Desperate” is not a term I want to use when describing any Yokozuna’s core strategy. It leaves so much to chance, as we saw vs Takayasu. Many lower-ranked guys are able to be more effective with slapdowns without the full reverse + optional tawara leap. Asanoyama had a great one today. Simple pivots or sudden lateral movement are effective and not as risky. I was very happy to see Kotozakura abandon his usual retreat, at least for one day, and he won!
I’ll completely agree about the “reverse and leap” strategy that Onosato continually uses. not only is it problematic in multiple ways, it’s also dangerous because Onosato’s landing zone is never predetermined. Not only could he injure someone by landing on them, but he could also injure himself very easily. I’m also reminded of the “PIVOT!” yell that has previously accompanied “MOVE FORWARD!” in posts and comments for previous bashos here. I do wonder, though, how much of Onosato’s behavior is because he panics when he thinks he might lose.
“I just scoff at the “full reverse” tactic, especially when it features a desperate leap at the edge.”
Those useless little Onosato hops too. Big guys should try to be dignified. Just pure genetics has gifted them an advantage.
I’m exhausted just watching the Kirishima vs Yoshinofuji bout. Wow, wow…and wow some more. I was rooting for Kirishima but no complaints. Yoshinofuji won fair and square.
Kirishima smiled and, as noted by the commentator, stuck out his tongue.
Onosato. Well…it’s a win. (No “wows” here.)
I am amazed this basho how much Toshinofuji resembles former Yokozuna Hakuho, especially since he’s really gained some significant weight and bulked up, from his original frame. Makes sense now that ex-Terunofuji wanted to obliterate any Hak or ho in the new Shikona name…. I find this all rather sad, and still think of Tochinofuji as Seihakuho….
I‘m glad he at least allowed Hakunofuji. Otherwise one could really have suspected a low self-esteem, which would be surprising and sad for a dai yokozuna.
Yes, and beloved Enho survived with Shikona wholly unchanged.
Nabatame bounced back with a win at least, 3-3 on the return to juryo.
Atamifuji is always a delight to watch but he’s seemed quite strong this tournament so far.
I focussed on Ao’s footwork .. it almost looked like he was wrestling on one foot .. Obviously it was not the ony thing contributing to his loss, but it looks to be seriously impacting his sumo … there was a reason he did not wrestle in the pre-basho events .
Yoshinofuji deserved that win .. Again focussed on footwork .. Kiri had himself up on one leg several times trying to power Y-fuji .. he set himself up for a counter move ..
Fujiryoga should take a lesson from Shishi .. keep his head under his opponent’s chin .. He keeps his head up (a la Shodai) + sacrafices leverage his huge body screams would be tough to beat ..
Hakunofuji (Haku-o-wanna be) is frustratingly inconsistent .. am wondering if his short arms are a problem .. e.g. against rikishi pummeling him w tsuppari .. he often can’t get a grip on their silk + gets led around the dohyo till he gets slapped down ..