Author: Liam R

Five Interesting Matches on Day 5

Liam R Kyushu Basho 2017 , , , , , , , , ,

 

Day 4 was a major improvement over day 3, and it looks like things are going to continue to ramp up as we reach the end of the Kyushu basho’s first act. Here are five matches of interest for tomorrow and additional highlights of day 4.

Tokushoryu vs. Myogiryu

Tokushoryu will be making a brief visit back to the Makuuchi division on day 5, and will kick off the NHK broadcast with Myogiryu. While Tokushoryu has an even 2-2 record, Myogiryu has not had a great start to his top division return. Winless after four days, he will be looking to turn things around with his first victory tomorrow. A win tomorrow will also draw Myogiryu even with Tokushoryu, who leads their series 5-4.

Kagayaki vs. Kaisei

Kagayaki is off to a fantastic start this basho and is one off the pace in the yusho race. He has been executing his sumo with more authority this basho, which is refreshing to see. Much like Aoiyama in Nagoya, I believe Kagayaki is perfectly ranked in the banzuke to find success this time around. Kagayaki will be taking on Kaisei tomorrow, who he has yet to lose to. Should the man in gold win on day 5, he will equal the number of wins he achieved during the entire Aki basho.

Chiyoshoma vs. Ichinojo

Chiyoshoma has been putting on a fantastic throwing clinic in Fukuoka and won his day 4 match against Daishomaru with a beautiful uwatenage over-arm throw. He meets fellow Mongolian and current yusho co-leader, Ichinojo, who has so far proved difficult to move, much less throw, on the dohyo. The two have had four previous matches, of which Chiyoshoma has won them all. Will Ichinojo be able to break the streak and keep his yusho hopes alive?

Kotoshogiku Vs. Chiyotairyu

With his father watching from the stands, Kotoshogiki was finally able to snap his losing skid on day 4. Giku may as well have been wrestling a couch cushion, however, as  Terunofuji once again failed to produce any offense on the dohyo. Many were looking forward to Kotoshogiku getting some revenge on the man who caused him to lose his Ozeki status, but at this point, watching Terunofuji lose is just too sad to revel. The Kyushu bulldozer meets Chiyotairyu tomorrow, who is coming off a resounding loss to Hakuho. Giku and Chiotairyu have met seven times before, with the man in blue winning the last six straight bouts.

Takayasu vs. Tamawashi

Takayasu showed the patience of a seasoned Ozeki today when he and his opponent, Shohozan, became gridlocked in the middle of the dohyo. Takayasu called his shot the second he felt weakness in the Fukuoka native, and Shohozan was far too spent to stop himself from going over the tawara. The Ozeki can look forward to another fierce competitor in Tamawashi on day 5. Let’s not forget, it was his match with Tamawashi that put Takayasu out of commission in September.

Takayasu (left) vs. Tamawashi (right), Aki basho, 2017

 

Five Quick Thoughts on Day 3

Liam R Endo (遠藤), Hakuho (白鵬), Hokutōfuji (北勝富士), Ichinojo (逸ノ城), Kisenosato (稀勢の里), Kyushu Basho 2017, Shōdai (正代直也), Takayasu (高安) , , , , , , , , ,

Asanoyama

 

With day 3 done and dusted, and day 4 on the horizon, here are a few quick thoughts on some of the lower Makuuchi matches that I wanted to give a little extra time and attention to.

1. Mr. Happy and the Day 3 Blues

Let’s start with one of my favorite rikishi, Mr. Happy himself, Asanoyama. Today he went head to head with Kagayaki, who not only defeated Asanoyama but also beat his own archenemy, gravity. In September, Asanoyama remarked that he felt jinxed by the east entrance early on in the basho, as his first two losses came from that side of the dohyo. He doesn’t seem to be jinxed in Kyushu so far, as he has now lost on the east and the west side, marking the first time Asanoyama has had consecutive losses in the top division. This is not the start he or his fans had hoped for. It is still very early in the tournament though, and it will be interesting to see how Asanoyama handles this setback.

2. Shodai Comes Alive

Now where has this Shodai been!? After two lackluster basho, Shodai appears to have found a bit of the fighting spirit that had carried him to such great success in 2016. His match with Endo began with a shocking turn of events, as Shodai actually looked like he took a step forward at the tachiai! From there, the two young mawashi-grapplers fought with some uncharacteristic otsu-sumo thrusts. Despite Endo putting up most of the offense early in the bout, once he strayed into Shodai’s grip he was done for, and quickly found himself on the wrong side of the tawara. Shodai showed some much-needed passion today, and I hope this is the beginning of an upward trend for him.

3. What is Up With Chiyomaru?

On the opposite side of the passion spectrum, was Chiyomaru. The rotund rikishi looked deflated (not physically of course), and put up no resistance against Daishomaru. This has led me to speculate that he may be dealing with an as of yet undisclosed injury. Considering his physique, it would not be a surprise if he is dealing with back or knee issues. Chiyomaru could benefit from following Kaisei’s example and shedding a bit of mass to improve his health and sumo. I’d hate to see sumo lose its most kawaii rikishi because of injury.

4. The Great Wall of Ichinojo

There are only three certainties in life: death, taxes, and a genki Ichinojo is nearly impossible to push around. Today it was Hokutofuji’s turn to take on the immovable object, but he was not up to the task and immediately fell to the clay after making contact with Ichinojo’s mighty frame. The giant Mongolian is undefeated thus far and could be a major force in the yusho race. With Terunofuji a shell of his former self, Ichinojo could one day find himself taking on the mantle of sumo’s resident Kaiju.

5. A Look on the Bright Side

With the shadow of the Harumafuji scandal cast on this basho, it is important to recognize that there are still many positive stories coming out of Fukuoka. For starters, the young crop of rikishi continue to make their mark in the Makuuchi division and their matches remain competitive and enjoyable. Kisenosato and Takayasu seem up to the task of competing this basho, with the later of the two looking like an early contender for the yusho. Finally, Hakuho appears focused and determined to make more history this November, and become the first man to ever to win forty yusho. With so much to look forward to, let’s remember that there is still some great sumo to come.

 

Five Quick Thoughts on Day One

Liam R Hokutōfuji (北勝富士), Kyushu Basho 2017, Terunofuji (照ノ富士), Tochinoshin (栃ノ心), Yoshikaze (嘉風) , , , , , ,

Aminishiki

Five Quick Thoughts

With Bruce knocking it out of the park with his daily highlights, I thought I would write up five quick thoughts on a few things I noticed while watching today’s action. I’ll try and make these posts every day that my work schedule allows me to.

1. Aminishiki Returns

Right from the start, it was obvious that Aminishiki’s popularity from Aki had carried over into November, and he had one of the biggest crowd reactions of the day. The old veteran also attracted the attention of sponsors and had a fairly large kensho parade before his match. While I was expecting wile Aminishiki to make Kotoyuki pay for his multiple mata with a quick sidestep, Uncle Sumo surprised me with a beautiful throw to win his first bout. It was clear in his post-match interview just how much being back in Makuuchi means to Aminishiki.

2. Injury Woes Continue for Tochinoshin

Despite being the bigger, stronger rikishi in his bout today, Tochinoshin continues to suffer from a nagging lower-body injury. He was unable to overpower Chiyoshoma, who deftly threw the Georgian strongman down to the clay. Things may go from bad to worse for Tochinoshin, as he seemed to be limping as he made his way back to the dressing room.

3. Less of a Kaiju, More of a Kitty cat.

Any hope of Terunofuji returning to the Ozeki rank may have died today, as Hokutofuji easily manhandled everyone’s favorite Kaiju, and sent him flying off the dohyo into the crowd. As Bruce pointed out, Terunofuji barely had any fight in him, and he’s lucky he didn’t injure himself further when he landed on the floor.

4. A Heroes Welcome

Hometown boy Shohozan got the largest reaction of the day from the Fukuoka crowd, which erupted in cheers when he ascended the dohyo for his bout. Taking on Yoshikaze in a blistering brawl, the Fukuoka native sidestepped the veteran Yoshikaze at the tawara’s edge to get his first win. Despite prevailing in front of his hometown, Shohozan didn’t seem too happy with the way he won his match; a rikishi’s harshest critic is usually himself.

5. East Vs. West

Taking a look at the scorecard today, we see that the East and West sides of the banzuke are tied, taking ten wins each. Now I’ll admit, this is pretty much a pointless statistic and does not affect the basho nowadays. In the past, however, East and West were treated like teams and competed for an award called the Tozai-sei, which went to the side with the best overall record. For a bit of fun, I’ll be keeping track of each sides records throughout the tournament, and I’ll announce the unofficial Tozai-sei winners when the Kyushu basho comes to an end.

Kyushu Basho Scorecard

Liam R Kyushu Basho 2017


With sumo returning in just a few short days, I’ve put together a Kyushu Basho scorecard for all you fans who’d like to follow along at home and keep score during the tournament. I started making these scorecards for myself when I first got into sumo, and I found having them really helped me learn the rikishis’ names and ranks. They were also a great way to help me keep track of how each rikishi’s basho was going (it’s one thing to hear Chiyomaru is 7-1, but another to see he’s had six consecutive wins). With so many people discovering this fantastic sport and the Tachiai site, I’ve decided to start making these scorecards for upcoming tournaments. Hopefully, they will help new fans in the same way they helped me, and add another layer of enjoyment to the sumo watching experience.

Have fun playing along at home!

Kyushu Basho Score Card Part 1
Kyushu Basho Score Card Part 2