Day Seven in Tokyo.
No news from the infirmary, no new kyujo to report. Sasaki Ichiro, sumo reporter from Nikkan Sports, broke a story yesterday that Nishikifuji faces heart surgery at the end of this tournament. Heart surgery doesn’t exactly sound like the kind of thing one recovers quickly from…even in sumo. He had been kyujo from the jungyo due to atrial fibrillation, or “A fib,” as they call it on those ubiquitous medicine commercials.
Ikarigata, Fujinokawa’s brother, is currently near the top of makushita, Ms4W. He visited Juryo and suffered his first loss today against Hitoshi. While he’s now out of the yusho race, he still has hopes of promotion to Juryo from that high rank, though he likely needs at least two wins. Meanwhile, Asahifuji got his third win against Daikisho.
Kitanowaka, Kagayaki and Kayo remain undefeated, much to my surprise. I just feel that if Nishikigi had read the brief, he would know exactly what Kayo does and he would have been prepared. Kayo shuffles back and to the side, attempting slapdowns. To my utter frustration, he’s been very successful this tournament.
Makuuchi Action
Shonannoumi defeated Kazekeno. Shonannoumi shifted right, grabbed Kazekeno’s belt and dragged him forward. Uwatenage.
Asasuiryu (4-3) defeated Tokihayate (4-3). Asasuiryu planted his head in Takihayate’s jaw at the tachiai. Tokihayate pulled and rotated right so Asasuiryu adjusted left and forced Tokihayate over the bales. Yorikiri.
Chiyoshoma (4-3) defeated Tobizaru (3-4). Tobizaru got his right hand inside. Chiyoshoma rotated clockwise in reverse, using that right arm to drag Tobizaru forward. Kotenage.
Asakoryu (4-3) defeated Wakamotoharu (4-3). It felt like Wakamotoharu was still trying to come up with a plan of attack as he was being shoved over the bales. He was stiff and far too high. Asakoryu shoved him back and out. Oshidashi.
Kinbozan (5-2) defeated Abi (4-3). Kinbozan was the more powerful Abi. His tsuppari forced Abi to the bales quickly. Kinbozan sustained the attack and shoved Abi out. Oshidashi.
Oho (2-5) defeated Toshinofuji (5-2). Oho wrapped up Toshinofuji and made him pay when Toshinofuji decided to pull. I’m just not even going to yell about it anymore, though I really, really want to… Aw, hell. Here goes. MOVE FORWARD!! This time I don’t have to yell it at Oho. He benefited when Toshinofuji pulled. Oho used that bearhug grip and forced Toshinofuji out. Yorikiri.
Asahakuryu (4-3) defeated Shishi (3-4). Asahakuryu forced Shishi to the bales. Shishi used the tawara for resistance and clung on for a long time. Shishi tried to move laterally left along the bales but Asahakuryu eventually overpowered him and forced him out. Shishi’s held his left leg up, awkwardly, a few times during this bout. I couldn’t tell if he was just trying to step forward or if he was cradling it because it hurt. He was still able to plant it in the tawara, put weight on it and resist, so I’m not convinced it was because of injury. But I’ll watch that. Yorikiri.
Shodai (1-6) defeated Ura (5-2). Ura charged ahead but Shodai moved laterally to the right and slapped Ura down. Hatakikomi.
Ichiyamamoto (1-6) defeated Nishikifuji (2-5). Nishikifuji pulled and Ichiyamamoto capitalized, bulling his way forward. Oshitaoshi.
Fujiseiun (5-2) defeated Asanoyama (5-2). Fujiseiun went belly-to-belly against Asanoyama. Though Asanoyama got his right hand inside, Fujiseiun resisted and even went on the attack. Asanoyama’s right leg strayed forward a bit so Fujiseiun used his left leg to try a trip. Asanoyama stayed up but changed his position, keeping that right leg away. Fujiseiun was then able to rotate slightly and pull Asanoyama forward by his shoulder. Katasukashi.
Halftime
Oshoma (4-3) defeated Hiradoumi (3-4). Oshoma crab-walked left along the tawara and shoved Hiradoumi to the ground. Tsukiotoshi.
Roga (5-2) defeated Takerufuji (4-3). Takerufuji just couldn’t make any forward progress. He pulled, briefly, but that helped Roga gain some forward momentum. Roga forced him back and out. Yorikiri.
Takayasu (3-4) defeated Takanosho (3-4). Takanosho opted for a yotsu battle instead of his usual tsuppari. Takayasu kept trying to get his right hand uwate grip but Takanosho’s belt was too far away. Takayasu shifted left and cut Takanosho’s grip, propelling Takanosho forward. Takayasu pursued and shoved him out from behind. Okuridashi.
Yoshinofuji (2-5) defeated Kotoeiho (2-5). Yoshinofuji pivoted on his right foot and dragged Kotoeiho around to the bales with his big right hand uwate grip. He then forced Kotoeiho to hop over the bales. It took forever for them to decide it was a run-of-the-mill yorikiri. Maybe they were debating uwatenage? Yorikiri.
Sanyaku
Kotoshoho (3-4) defeated Hakunofuji (1-6). Hakunfuji planted his left foot in the tawara and tried to pivot for a throw. But Kotoshoho used his right hand grip and charged through his opponent. Kotoshoho used Hakunofuji as a sled and rode him down the dohyo. Yoritaoshi.
Fujinokawa (5-2) defeated Daieisho (2-5). Daieisho seemed to execute his strategy but Fujinokawa just hung in there and kept blasting away with his own thrusts and parries, shoving Daieisho out. Oshidashi.
Aonishiki (4-3) defeated Atamifuji (5-2). You really shouldn’t allow Aonishiki to get a morozashi. Don’t get me wrong, Aonishiki had to work for this win and Atamifuji sure made him work, but he got that left hand inside early. Then, when he got his right hand inside, he was able to really start driving Atamifuji back. Yorikiri.
Kotozakura (6-1) defeated Fujiryoga (2-5). Without moving backward, Kotozakura rotated right and pulled Fujiryoga down. If you’re always running backward, your opponent doesn’t have to push hard and put their weight forward. Katasukashi.
Kirishima (5-2) defeated Gonoyama (2-5). After Gonoyama’s shift nearly caught Kirishima out, Kirishima adapted, grabbed Gonoyama’s right arm and pulled him down to the ground. Tottari.
Onosato (6-1) defeated Churanoumi (5-2). Calm, collected. Churanoumi tried to shift and attack from the side but Onosato pivoted and struck out with his own thrusts. Onosato quickly shoved Churanoumi back and out. Oshidashi.
Wrap-up
Onosato and Kotozakura lead and I’m not even upset. Excellent sumo from both men today. That’s exactly what I have been looking for from these guys.
Nakabi tomorrow and we will turn, in earnest, to the yusho race. Onosato will cap off that action tomorrow against Takanosho. Takanosho will hope to get the Yokozuna moving backward but Onosato must not let that happen. Kotozakura will fight Hakunofuji, and Aonishiki will take on Daieisho. Kirishima is set to square off against Churanoumi. Fujinokawa versus Takayasu should be a highlight. Atamifuji will fight Kotoeiho.
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Yokozuna and Ozeki leading the yusho – have we entered some sort of bizarre parallel Universe suddenly?
Toshinofuji’s pulling was him trying to go makikae to get out of morozashi – Oho’s timing was too good so that movement ended up morphing into a pull. Toshinofuji’s expression afterwards suggested he thought he should have persisted with what he had, which was my view, too.
I actually thought Shishi’s footwork was pretty good, although to no avail eventually. Admittedly, I wasn’t looking for evidence of an injury, though.
“Oho wrapped up Toshinofuji”: Yep, and this was key to winning. You wouldn’t have been able to slide a piece of paper between their bodies.
Shishi: Amazing footwork, staving off defeat multiple times.
Shodai wins…for the first time…and gives a little shrug like victory is commonplace. Made me laugh.
Asanoyama: I thought it was good sumo. Just got beat.
Aonishiki vs Atamifuji: Quite the bout! Could have gone either way.
Onosato: There ya go! Yokozuna-sumo. No quarter given.
Edit: Shishi subsequently loses. (I should have wrote that in my original comment.)
Lose against Hakunofuji but beat the at least one class better Atamifuji two days later: with Aonishiki everything can happen. But that’s not only Aonishiki, that’s sumo, isn’t it?
Oh Ura, the ignominy of being beaten by Shodai..tsk, tsk. As ever, you all whet my appetite for the highlights show, thanks!
Ref Kayo, I saw his name down in the bottom end of Juryo and wondered how he was doing so well, given his brief visit to Makuuchi last year, ands subsequent slippage rank-wise. Maybe he’s found his niche; either that or he’s been eating his Weetabix (refers to an advert for ‘healthy’ breakfast ceral on UK commercial tv – sometimes I just want to watch tv in English). Mind you, Juryo looks like the pre-retirement division for ex-Makuuchi rikishi right now.
May I whisper, very quietly, that I get a bit bored of Onosato’s overpowering sumo, just forcing people out of the dohyo. Just one technique, a bit like Daieisho and his pushing and shoving.
See, this is why I am a Hosh fan, despite his difficulties, he’s innovative, exciting, and fun to watch. For me, Onosato, not so much. I know what Onosato does IS sumo, however, it’s bit one dimensional for me. I know lots of you will disagree, and that’s good too.
I think that’s the problem with all the really heavy rikishi. One does admire them but it’s difficult to love them because they seem to be advantaged by nature. And their fighting style is triggered by their body, too. Imagine an Onosato with Hoshoryu‘s skills or Fujinokawa‘s energy: he would be nearly unbeatable and that would be a bit boring, too (re Hakuho).
For sumo it’s great that there are the Onosatos, Atamifujis and Kazumas but also the Hoshoryus, Aonishikis and Fujinokawas. The magic lies in the mix.
That’s a very good point herbern, thanks! The sheer mix of styles, and ups and downs keeps it exciting. As we know, Onosato is not unbeatable, he’s just very good. We had the whole ‘rock paper scissors’ thing with Hosh, Onosato, and Aonishiki. The excitment of Fujinokawa pushing Daieisho out of the ring. The non stop energy of the smaller rikishi is something else isn’t it?
I know, I was gutted by Ura’s loss today. I just assumed that Shodai would be an east win today for Ura, silly me for assuming. I was so enjoying seeing Ura’s name on the leaders list!
Easy win…
Wow, when I saw the matchup, I felt that Aonishiki was going to have rough going today, and it sure wasn’t easy. But boy did he show just how much pride and grit he has. He really gutted that one out against an equally lively, and much healthier, Atamifuji. The look on his face as Aonishiki was walking back to the shikiri-sen to be declared the victor showed just how much frustration he had built up with those three consecutive losses. I don’t think his condition and record will let him challenge for the yusho, but it also looks like he really doesn’t want to go kyujo. Crossing fingers that he gets to kachi-koshi and doesn’t make his ankle worse.
Conversely, the look on Aonishiki’s face showed a lot of pride and relief. He was really happy to win that one.
So here’s more of a request than a comment for the Tachiai team, sorry not related to today’s matches, but a general question, that relates to current Juryo wrestler Nabatame’s one day kyujo “for mumps”, I think he was out day 5 and back day 6, which I’m still grappling with to try to understand on a few levels how this is even possible….. this has been playing on my mind. What is JSA protocol, if any rikishi is sick with a contagious virus? Mumps is highly contagious, that one could get through contact sports. Wouldn’t JSA want to prevent spread among the rikishi? I know during Covid times, if one rikishi in a heya had it, all rikishi in the heya were prevented from competing. That really messed up those torikumis…..Perhaps the difference is severity of a given virus? But like Andy mentioned, mumps can lead to some very severe medical issues, complications, and consequences. Would love to hear your thoughts.
I wondered that Karen; I ended up concluding that it couldn’t have been mumps, which, I am sure you know, is a notifiable disease in most western countries. If it is mumps, well, I simply don’t understand the JSA’s response tbh.
also a legally notifiable disease in Japan under the Infectious Diseases Control Law apparently. The mystery deepens!
This law would be mainly installed to keep an eye to the spread of it as a child‘s desease. I think the impact on the adult section isn‘t that high, because ‚everyone‘ had it as a kid – or their (voluntary) vaccination had the same effects. It‘s a lifelong protection. Probably Nabatame‘s opponent was checked for immunity?
Yes, we are vaccinated for mumps… more recently with the MMR vaccine. Nabatame’s submitted medical certificate for his kyujo day said the scientific name for mumps, so we have to think that’s what he has? Hoping wrestlers in Juryo don’t get it. And I would hope he’s isolating himself within futagoyama beya, there are 18 wrestlers in that stable. And biggest of all, that he’s looking after his health properly!
Thanks Betty and Justme for your responses. I feel better knowing that most likely this is a mild adult case and if others are vaccinated, little likelihood of an epidemic of rikishi sickness as I originally feared.
Ikarigata, don‘t be unbeaten at makushita top, or they‘ll give you Hitoshi. Forget that Yusho hope…
First win for Shodai. Why did his well known classic approach work so perfectly with Ura?
Asahakuryu always invests patiently in a firm, secure mawashi grip. Precious time, convincing result.
Kirishima bounced back strong from his second loss, it‘s marvellous how he turns threatening situations around to a win in the end.
I think that rikishi who are in the yusho race of their respective division should be dispensed from those „exchange bouts“. It’s so unfair that their chances for a championship are compromised like this. Only the Jonokuchi division had to be excepted from that rule because it is too small. (And at the same time Jonidan is much too big… it’s so strange.)
I agree on the comments re Onosato’s boring sumo .. To be fair .. when he is wrestling well . his footwork + form are a thing of beauty .. e.g. I had hoped Churanoumi would get inside the flurry is tsuppari + keep changing his angle of attack .. But Onosato kept on the attack and when Churanoumi moved to his left, Onosato said “fine”, pressed forward, + shrunk the dohyo to the size of a postage stamp .. Not pretty, but extremely effective ..
Ao’s win was impressive .. it shows the importance of his winning/surviving the tachiai .. the tachiai is Ao’s weakness .. blasting him uprigtht erases his best strengths .. Anyway .. i was surprised how readily he got to Atamifuji’s belt .. If Atamifuji can’t escape/turn the match at that point, i doubt any of these rikishi can .
Today .. i kept noticing rikishi who got inside positions, but did not grab the belt + lost .. often via a slap down .. e.g Fujiriyoga .. got his head under KTZ’s chin but had nothing to protect him from a slap down .. Even Asanoyama neglected grabbing the belt + got slapped down ..
Staying w the theme .. Oho’s matched turned quickly once he got his head under Toshinofuji’s chin + moved forward .. not pretty, but effective + a different sumo than his recent indifferent efforts