Author: Josh K

Some Juryo Hot Takes

Josh K Akua, Chiyomaru, Chiyonokuni (千代の国), Daiamami (大奄美), Daishoho, Enho, Hidenoumi, Juryo (十両), Kotokuzan, Mitoryu (水戸龍), Shimanoumi, Tokushoryu, Tsurugisho, Yutakayama , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The long title of this post is Some Juryo Hot Takes That Will Almost Certainly Be Proven Wrong, but that’s not good for formatting, and you get the point anyway.

Sumo Prime Time (in which Hiro Morita is rapidly achieving Cult Icon status of late) has recently done a Juryo spotlight which is worth checking out. It got me thinking about the state of the division at present, if it’s exciting and what makes it exciting.

I concluded that it is exciting and the reason for this is that we actually are seeing the realisation of what should be the next wave of makuuchi mainstays. Juryo has not been very good for the past several years. Lots of old guys have either retired or stopped clogging up the promotion lanes, and as a result we’ve seen an infusion of new, young talent.

I can’t write 6000 more words like I did for makuuchi after the last tournament [edited to add: apparently I can do 2300 though], so please don’t blame me for not writing absolutely comprehensive scouting reports about everyone’s sumo style. With some time you can find that on the web, there are lots of good sumo resources and hopefully we will be able to contribute some in-depth articles as well. But hopefully this can help some folks at least identify some names to watch.

J14W Gonoyama

As the name implies, he’s the first sekitori developed by former Ozeki Goeido. If this makes you feel old then you may not enjoy the next year as several of Goeido’s contemporaries will be bringing up their new stars as well. Gonoyama is a former Sandanme tsukedashi (accelerated start in sumo’s fourth tier for a formerly accomplished collegiate star), who picked up a yusho in Makushita and he’s hit the wall a bit in his first two Juryo tournaments. At 24 he needs a strong basho.

J14E Tsushimanada

The David Benjamin sumo book starts with a detailing of how newcomers to the sport might give rikishi a silly nickname. Sushi Man is a 29 year old journeyman from Kyushu making his sekitori debut at his home basho, who had come close on several occasions previously before being scuppered by performance or injury. This is the achievement for the Sakaigawa-beya man. The rest from here will be the icing on the cake.

J13W Roga

Before the pandemic, I sat down with Murray Johnson and he identified Roga as a lower division one to watch. Murray might well be right, and time is on the 23 year old’s side, but the Russian has made an awfully plodding run through Makushita (19 basho!) to get to his Juryo debut. He’s also the first sekitori produced by Futagoyama oyakata, former Ozeki Miyabiyama.

J13E Shimazuumi

The 26 year old enters his fifth Juryo tournament and hasn’t been entirely convincing. He’s been slightly better than average over the last several years and looks like he may be stuck in Juryo for a while, if he doesn’t drop out. He’s the first sekitori produced by the new Hanaregoma beya (former Sekiwake Tamanoshima), but in reality is a product of the former Nishonoseki beya and took his shikona later in his career in deference to the old shisho, former Ozeki Wakashimazu.

J12W Oshoma

Continuing the theme, here’s another first, the first sekitori produced by the new Naruto beya, led by former Ozeki Kotooshu. We’ve talked quite a bit about the heya’s comprehensive recruitment and lower division performance on this site but the Mongolian 25 year old is the first to make the breakthrough earlier this year, helped in no small detail by his Makushita tsukedashi debut placement (for the top collegiate champions). His May Makushita yusho (where he knocked off some very notable names) is looking more like an outlier at the moment, so hopefully he can properly bed into the division and find his feet. The expectation on a Makushita tsukedashi is that they will turn into a top division star, with names like Mitakeumi, Ichinojo and Endo achieving titles and notoriety, although in rare cares that doesn’t happen (Mitoryu, Daiamami).

J12E Tokushōryū

Not going to spend a lot of time here: the storybook champ is on the downswing of an unlikely end of career run. The blue jacket beckons for the man who made Nara proud.

J11W Takakento

The former Takanohana product is on his third Juryo stint, with only 1 winning record in his first six tournaments at the level before Aki’s 9-6. In the absence of an overpowering skill it may be a struggle to project the 26 year old as a makuuchi talent, especially with a tough crowd of prospects to fight through at the moment.

J11E Enho

Injuries and scouting reports have zapped the talented pixie of his mobility and unpredictability, but he is still able to be a chaos agent and others have shown there is still plenty of mileage in that approach, even in the top division. I hope he makes it back. He’s been largely a .500 rikishi over the last year, and while the new Miyagino oyakata (the legendary Hakuho) has been lauded for his recruitment, his coaching of Enho – who at 28 should be in his career prime – will be an intriguing watch.

J10W Kaisho

The first sekitori product of Asakayama oyakata, former Ozeki Kaio, he’s one of those guys that seems to have been around in sumo for absolutely ages. He had a laboured route to the salaried ranks, but despite mixed results (4 kachi-koshi from 10), the eye test does tell me he’s someone who could go a bit further than his Juryo 2 peak, and I feel like his belt work is projectable.

J10E Chiyosakae

The 32 year old made his debut nearly 14 years ago and now reaches his career high rank in his third Juryo basho, having successfully fought (by slim margins) in his first two. He’s on a wonderful 7 basho kachi-koshi run but is almost certainly due for a course correction sooner or later. It would be very surprising to see him continue his run into the top division.

J9W Daishoho

It’s been three years since the 28 year old last reached the top division, but he’s carved out a decent run for himself in the second tier. The Mongolian’s results have looked like a slightly less successful Azumaryu (albeit, he does have one top division winning basho), as he’s loitered mostly in the division’s bottom half since that top division spell. We shouldn’t expect too much more from the yotsu-zumo enthusiast.

J9E Daiamami

The rare former Makushita tsukedashi man that just doesn’t make the grade, Daiamami’s awkward oshi-zumo style has translated largely to good results in Juryo, but only 2 kachikoshi in 11 top division basho tells us he’s what baseball scouts would call a “AAAA” player – too good for the minors top AAA level, but not quite strong enough to hang in the majors. At 29 he’ll probably return to makuuchi a couple more times for the odd basho.

J8W Kotokuzan

The Arashio-beya vet has been a real success story for the new oyakata, finally making the breakthrough to Juryo in 2021 after years of near misses, and then making short work of the division en route to his makuuchi debut. But since getting absolutely leathered at Natsu where his pushing-thrusting style lacked power, he’s found the second division a bit tougher on the second go.

J8E Shimanoumi

It’s awful to say, but Shimanoumi has looked absolutely wretched and listless on the dohyo since his wedding earlier in the year. Hopefully it’s a coincidence. Assuming he doesn’t free fall right out of Juryo this time, he’ll reach 30 sekitori tournaments in January and become eligible to eventually take up the name he (allegedly) picked up the rights to upon marrying the daughter of the sadly deceased former Izutsu. He’s meant to be one of sumo’s nice guys, so hopefully he can turn it around.

J7W Kinbozan

Sumo’s lone Kazakh debuted a year ago as Sandanme tsukedashi and has rattled off six consecutive dominant performances including a pair of yusho. Entering Juryo at Aki, he posted double digit wins cementing his place in the prolific Kimura Sehei production line. Unlike many of his stablemates however, putting technique and experience aside he’ll be hoping to make Kyushu his second and final Juryo basho en route to a 2023 that could take him up to the san’yaku ranks at his current rate of progress.

J7E Tochimushashi

The top recruit formerly known as Kanno has blitzed his way from his Sandanme tsukedashi entrance to the middle of Juryo with just one make-koshi in ten appearances, and a very timely first yusho in his Aki debut in Juryo. He should easily chart the course to Makuuchi by early next year. And there are reasons why he draws comparisons to his stablemate Aoiyama…

J6W Kitanowaka

Tipped for big, big things for a long, long time, his star has dimmed a bit after experiencing a fairly indifferent couple years in Makushita. At 190cm he’s a tall drink of water and, although there are other talents in the heya, he may eventually represent one of 60 year old riji-cho Hakkaku’s last products to challenge in the top division.

J6E Hokuseiho

Derailed by injury and covid kyujo, the enormous Hokuseiho (21 years old as of basho-time) will look to continue his impressive development. Questions still remain about his ultimate ceiling: he has the physicality and apparently the determination to reach the top, but his sumo is a bit slow and lumbering. Still, with a career record of 74-21 heading into his third Juryo tournament, it’s hard not to dream on him.

J5W Chiyonokuni

Riddled by injury and with all of his former epic brawling opponents having ridden off into the sunset, it’s tough to see a path forward for the 32 year old energetic street fighter. He may well make his way back to Makuuchi for the odd appearance as he is still competitive at this level, but even being only 18 months removed from the joi-jin, it seems his best days are behind him.

J5E Akua

I never thought he’d make it to makuuchi, so I think it’s a great credit that he’s been able to hang tough and carve out a solid career in the second tier. Now 32, I think the realistic goal is to make it to the middle of 2024 in the salaried ranks to try and qualify for elder status.

J4W Yutakayama

While it feels fairly shocking to see him ranked here, such have been the disappointing results from the former top prospect that it’s hard to make a case that he belongs even at the back end of the top division right now. While it’s easy to argue he might benefit from a couple confidence boosting 9-6s to keep expectations in check, that’s more or less what’s happened on his last few Juryo demotions. He may be playing yo-yo for the next couple years, but at 29 and with 26 sekitori basho under his belt, he at least looks a lock to secure the 30 basho required to qualify for a kabu.

J4E Hidenoumi

While his brother is getting all the plaudits right now, 33 year old Hidenoumi continues to solidly motor along. Demoted due to suspension, he was making a decent go of it in makuuchi and probably belongs somewhere at the bottom division at the moment. Although, with the wave of new talent pushing upwards, his comfortability slugging it out in Juryo bodes well for the final stage of his career.

J3W Mitoryu

The former Makushita tsukedashi took forever and a day (27 basho) to make it out of Juryo and his debut Makuuchi performance was… not good. Overpowered and short of mobility, he was sent packing with double-digit losses. At 28, the Mongolian is looking like another for whom Azumaryu’s career (lots of Juryo time with the odd Makuuchi make-koshi thrown in) looks like a reasonable ambition.

J3E Tsurugisho

Another Juryo lifer who benefitted massively from the reduction in top division quality, Tsurugisho has been pretty OK at doing a whole lot of things on the dohyo and not particularly incredible at any one. The jack of all trades dropped down for this latest spell after a pair of 5 win tournaments and may yet yo-yo some more, but he surely reached his ultimate ceiling 3 years ago.

J2W Bushozan

Former Ozeki Musoyama’s starlet performed admirably in his first year in Juryo after spending an eternity (six whole years) in the third tier. This year though, he’s hit a bit of a wall. He’s been in promotion range several times before and not been able to get the job done, but after the basho he’ll be 27 and should be firmly arriving soon into the peak of his powers.

J2E Churanoumi

Churanoumi reaches his career high-to-date at Kyushu, and it’s not been a straightforward ride for him to navigate the penultimate division. He’s has several promotions and demotions back to Makushita, and while his current span in the salaried ranks has only been disrupted for a single basho since the start of 2020, he’s spent very little time in the top reaches of the division or fighting against the occasional top division opponent. This basho, then, is a real test for a guy who somewhat notably once defeated the likes of Kiribayama and Oho in title-clinching bouts in the lower divisions.

J1W Chiyomaru

This lovable character has made a career out of jostling at the top end of Juryo and lower end of Makuuchi and will go again as he enters his 10th year as a sekitori. He is what he is.

J1E Tōhakuryū

I often lament the lack of creativity in shikona assembly, and while the characters in play for Tohakuryu are fairly common, the order and reading is a little less so. I enjoy that. He’s yet another former Sandanme tsukedashi who made more or less quick work of the lower divisions (with one blip). But he’s not the biggest, and his run through Juryo has been plodding, steady if unspectacular. Here he arrives at his career high rank, in his prime at 26, at the position from which a kachi-koshi will certainly deliver him a promotion. However, should it be tight going into the second week, he’ll find many of these aforementioned talents breathing right down his neck…

Aki 2022: A (very lengthy) 42 Man Review

Josh K Abi (阿炎), Aki Basho 2022, Aoiyama, Chiyoshoma, Chiyotairyū (千代大龍), Daieisho (大栄翔), Endo (遠藤), Hiradoumi (平戸海), Hokutōfuji (北勝富士), Hoshoryu, Ichinojo (逸ノ城), Ichiyamamoto (一山本), Kiribayama (霧馬山), Kotoeko, Kotonowaka, Kotoshoho, Meisei, Midorifuji, Mitakeumi(御嶽海), Mitoryu (水戸龍), Myogiryu (妙義龍), Nishikifuji (錦富士), Nishikigi, Oho (王鵬), Okinoumi (隠岐の海), Sadanoumi (佐田の海), Shōdai (正代直也), Takakeishō (貴景勝), Takanosho, Takarafuji (宝富士), Takayasu (高安), Tamawashi (玉鷲), Terunofuji (照ノ富士), Terutsuyoshi, Tobizaru, Tochinoshin (栃ノ心), Tsurugisho, Ura (宇良), Wakamotoharu (若元春), Wakatakakage, Yutakayama, Ōnoshō (阿武咲)

After the Haru basho, I set out to review all 42 of the rikishi in Makuuchi and assess their performance. It was a well intentioned and horrifying experience to take on the challenge of analysing over three dozen members of the top division in one post. Scarred from that moment, I allowed half a year to pass, until, watching the now-completed Aki basho, I decided to do it again (and foolishly all in one post)…

M16W Hiradoumi (7-8)

Hiradoumi made his debut in the top division in this tournament. If this was your first time watching him, you will have noticed he has something very much in common with old timers like Myogiryu, Sadanoumi, and the dearly departed Goeido: his style of sumo is a very fast tachiai from which he wants to get both hands inside and from there, he’s comfortable winning either via yorikiri or oshidashi (for a young rikishi, where normally one’s kimarite is skewed very heavily towards either yotsu or oshi techniques, this is notable). The other thing Hiradoumi has in common with the aforementioned rikishi is that they all hail from the same heya. It might be worth a deeper dive in the future into Sakaigawa-oyakata’s coaching as he enters the final five years of his tenure. In any case, I think this basho will go down as a disappointment for Hiradoumi only in the sense that he started so brightly. He had only faced five of his opponents previously, and lost three of those matches, and somewhere along the way his new competition will have worked out that he is – at this stage of his development anyway – a less skilled version of the seniors in his heya. It will be good if he can bounce back (presumably from Juryo) and take the next step.

M16E Mitoryu (5-10)

Out of the two top division debutants, I expected Mitoryu to struggle more on account of his physical limitations and the difficulty he had progressing through Juryo over the past several years, the uncompetitive nature of his heya and the fact that he’s never truly shown the ability to dominate the opposition. Unlike Hiradoumi, I think it may be a while before Mitoryu returns to the top division, depending on the severity of his demotion. Even taking into account the matches he did win, I find it very difficult to make him the favourite for bouts against any style of competitor due to his rather plodding movement and power which appears to have been zapped by injury. However, such is the composition of the lower half of makuuchi right now (10 of the lowest 12 rankers all having make-koshi) that it’s anyone’s guess.

M15W Tsurugisho (5-10)

Tsurugisho is another guy who made his top division presence known after a long run in Juryo and that presence was probably largely due in hindsight to the retirements of a number of makuuchi long timers. I think it’s probably clear to say now that he hasn’t taken his chances and, at 31, will probably be a yo-yo guy between the two divisions over the next couple years. He’s likely too good for Juryo at this point but I don’t think, given that 3 of his 11 stabs at the top division have ended with a winning record, that we should expect too much more than what he gave us at Aki in the future.

M15E Terutsuyoshi (6-9)

The last 14 months have given Terutsuyoshi a pretty torrid time on the dohyo, with only one kachi-koshi now in seven basho, but I think he’s likely to be saved from demotion to Juryo after 21 straight top division appearances due to the incompetence of others around him and the lack of real promotable candidates. But he’s going to need to bring more next time, I think his opponents have largely figured him out and he’s missing the dynamism and surprise element of his early top division appearances.

M14W Yutakayama (4-11)

I don’t love the fact that I’m having to be so consistently negative about rikishi performance to start this review, but that’s what happens when get you a bunch of middling-to-hapless performances all in a row. It’s easy to blame Yutakayama’s injuries for stealing the power he displayed in his early makuuchi appearances, but it’s fairly clear now that the rikishi we saw before his late 2018 injury is not the rikishi we are going to have going forward, and it’s totally unfair to him to measure him against that level. He has been ranked for two full years between the bottom of makuuchi and the top of Juryo and while it’s not surprising to see him fail to be competitive even at the rank of M14, it is disheartening when we all saw earlier in his career what his capabilities used to be.

M14E Chiyoshoma (9-6)

The first kachi-koshi of the top division and, to be honest, while he’s always good for a flying henka, Chiyoshoma displayed plenty of competent sumo during the Aki basho and mixed in a fair few different kimarite. It’s nice to see it’s not just the younger guns like Kiribayama or Hoshoryu who can win via sotogake (as Mitoryu found out). He’ll be relieved to arrest a slide of four straight losing tournaments, and as long as he doesn’t benefit from crazy banzuke luck in Fukuoka, he might have a chance to make it two KK on the spin.

M13W Oho (7-8)

Kintamayama commented often about Oho’s consistent inability to get his 8th win, suggesting there’s a mental block somewhere that is lowering his projected ceiling. I think that shouldn’t overshadow a largely solid tournament from the youngster, but when you start a basho 5-0 that’s completely up for grabs with the sanyaku floundering, it is fairly shocking to not even see that seen through for a winning record. And Kintamayama’s comments are accurate by the way: his last year of sumo makes grim reading, having been 7-6 at Aki 2021 only to finish 7-8, 7-3 at Hatsu only to finish 7-8, 5-5 at Haru and then dropping 4 of his last 5 to finish 6-9, started 7-4 at Nagoya and dropped 3 of 4 to scrape through with an 8-7, and then started this tournament 5-0 and 7-3 only to lose his last five straight. He has of course had some other successes during that time, but it’s not like he’s consistently overmatched, he is starting most tournaments very competitively and then throwing away his chances at rapid progression. This may yet help him in the long run, as he’s still only 22 and hasn’t really developed a single dominant skill to his sumo beyond “is strong and powerful.” Still, heart has been said to be more important to rikishi than technique or physique and he’s going to need to find a way not to repeat these late basho collapses.

M13E Ichiyamamoto (6-9)

You can probably repeat some of what was said for Oho here for Ichiyamamoto, as he’s also displaying a worrying tendency recently to backslide in the final furlongs. Unlike Oho, however, time is not on the soon-to-be 29 year old’s side. The good news for all of us is that in the event that he only drops to somewhere around M15, he might get a chance to finally get that long awaited bout with Abi in Fukuoka!

M12W Ryuden (11-4, Jun-Yusho)

In some respects it’s a little surprising to see Ryuden with a share of the runners-up accolades having stuttered to a 1-4 start, but being heavily under-ranked, he was always likely to dominate his opposition as he did over his ten straight wins to finish out the tournament. His typically tenacious and ‘never give up’ attitude turned a couple of those matches in his favour, though I do wonder if, like Abi before him, this would have been his best chance to really factor in the yusho conversation from a rank where he could dine on a smorgasbord of less qualified opponents. In that sense, the runners-up notation is slightly misleading in that while he is legitimately a runner-up, he never factored in the yusho arasoi at any point due to the series of early losses which took him fully out of contention. While only a fool would bet against a kachi-koshi from him in Fukuoka, he’ll come up against a slightly higher-skilled and in some cases more desperate collection of opponents, which might limit him to a 9-6 or 10-5.

M12E Okinoumi (6-9)

You’d be crazy to write off the highly technical veteran, but this is the lowest rank at which he’s had a make-koshi in 9 years. Tamawashi’s success has showed us age is no impediment in this division, but Okinoumi has made a habit of pulling a kachi-koshi out of the hat to halt a run of losing tournaments and prolong his top division career by an extra 4 or 6 months. Kyushu may be his last opportunity to do that, and a losing record there may signal the end of an outstanding career, as he’ll have the opportunity to compete one more time in front of potentially a selection of local fans (while he’s not from Kyushu, Shimane prefecture is near to the November tournament, and it has just been reported that his elder stock – which had been on loan to ex-Kotoyuki – has now been vacated). While many top division stalwarts of the last decade were deprived to give their local fans something to cheer about one last time (Kotoshogiku, Ikioi, Goeido) before hanging up the mawashi, that’s at least something to look forward to in the upcoming tournament, and hopefully Okinoumi can conjure up one more solid performance from the division’s basement.

M11W Chiyotairyu (6-9)

Chiyotairyū is streaky and had an awful start to this tournament, but deserves a lot of credit for turning it around in the second week. Technically we know he’s going to deliver a cannonball tachiai and then set up for a pull down, and it’s a risky business to be in but it’s what he’s got. He’ll be 34 at the start of the next basho and has been in the top division for over 10 years with just a few short spells in Juryo, and probably has just a few more chances to prolong his top division career. He only has one winning tournament from the last eight, so the big question mark for stats fans will be whether he’s able to secure the kachi-koshi in Fukuoka in his 58th top division tournament that would almost certainly guarantee him to reach 60, the point at which a sumo elder qualifies to some-day open their own heya. Whether or not Chiyotairyu harbours that ambition or the resources is another matter, but there are less members of the kyokai to have reached that landmark than you might think, and it’s one of the more intriguing numbers for stats heads to watch out for in the next six months.

M11E Kotoshoho (7-8)

Kotoshoho’s fall from prospect to non-prospect status has been shocking, but it seems likely at this point that he’s another one of the guys in the category of Onosho and Yutakayama to have blitzed their way up to the joi upon their arrival in the division, only to get an injury and not return looking anything like the irrepressible force that got them there. The good news with Kotoshoho is that at 23, time is on his side, but someone with his ability is continuing to underperform at this rank and he’ll have to reload and give it another go in November. Now that it looks like there may be a stronger group of prospects forming around Juryo and upper Makushita, he may be in danger of washing out.

M10W Takanosho (8-7)

While I don’t think the Ozeki conversation around Onigiri-kun was ever especially realistic, he acquitted himself very well in the sanyaku ranks and looked to be a mainstay in the upper reaches of the banzuke before July’s kyujo dropped him into the nether regions of makuuchi, an area he hadn’t experienced in nearly 3 years since he rejoined the top division. Takanosho showed flashes of his ability upon return from injury, with his 3-0 start potentially signalling a title challenge. But he was also very streaky, and while he did give us a succession of entertaining bouts, he struggled to best those on form: he finished 7-1 against rikishi with losing records, while going 1-6 against rikishi with winning records. His ascent to Sekiwake was built on his ability to upset, and he will need to recapture it.

M10E Nishikifuji (10-5)

This was a big tournament for the latest in the long line of Isegahama products, and much more impressive than last basho’s 10-5, which was augmented by no fewer than three late fusen-sho among the covid withdrawal chaos. The yoritaoshi win over Tochinoshin on Day 8 was a particular highlight of this basho – it takes a brave rikishi to go chest to chest with the former Ozeki, whatever his condition – so to win via frontal crush-out, overpowering the one time yusho winner, was an incredible result. I always had his ceiling higher than Midorifuji, and while he’s taken longer to come good, he looks to be someone who can be a joi fixture sooner than later.

M9W Kotoeko (6-9)

Kotoeko has great fighting spirit but this was a bit of a blah tournament from him if we’re honest. There’s nothing in his results that stood out particularly for me, and the rank/result combination feels about right. Can move swiftly on…

M9E Myogiryu (8-7)

It’s a second straight kachi-koshi following four consecutive losing tournaments for the veteran. He doesn’t quite have the power from the tachiai these days but it is notable that even at nearly 36 years old he still has the speed to be able to defeat opponents who want the mawashi. His game – like that of stablemates Sadanoumi and Hiradoumi (and as we’ve covered, ex-Goeido) is modelled all around bursting inside from the initial charge. While they all have different preferences of finishing manoeuvres and Myogiryu has been more of a thruster than the rest of that lot, it is curious that his wins in this basho came – apart from Aoiyama – against opponents who will have invited him in.

M8W Hokutofuji (10-5)

Double digit wins is a great result, but there’s no question after his 9-0 start that everyone should have expected much more from the former top prospect in this basho. Hokutofuji had a real chance to challenge for his first yusho, and the way he fell from the pack in the second week was tough to watch. His opponents were much tougher down the stretch and that leads me to temper expectations for his eventual joi return – I think a kachi-koshi would be a wonderful result in November and it will be curious to see whether there is a lasting mental impact as a result of his 1-5 finish from a position of tournament leader. On the plus side, the improvement in his overall lower body balance has kept him in matches that he would have lost earlier in his career. The defeat to Takakeisho’s henka was particularly tough to watch, but more of that later.

M8E Tochinoshin (7-8)

It’s another creditable result for the former Ozeki who sometimes shows displays of incredible strength and dominance, and other times shows why he’s been mired in the bottom half of the division for the past couple of years. The senshuraku victory over a san’yaku opponent in the fading Ichinojo will rank as a rare highlight of the basho, but it’s still hard to watch the injury-plagued veteran struggle to put away lesser talents who would haven’t been deemed fit to tie his mawashi in years gone by. It’s been reported elsewhere that he’s committed to staying in the sport as long as possible to support his obligations back home in Georgia, so we should be able to enjoy him in the top division for some time yet. With five of his last seven basho being decided by the odd result, he seems fairly stable, health permitting.

M7W Onosho (5-10)

This is the first result that looks really perplexing to me, where the numbers just don’t quite match the eye test. I couldn’t help but think over the first week especially that Onosho looked better than he had in a really long time, with powerful oshi-zumo and a real fighting spirit. The results didn’t match though, and he went into nakabi at 2-5. He’s always going to suffer cheap losses on account of his style, but it’s tough to see the dimming of a star that once burned bright. It certainly didn’t look like this record was down to injury, he just wasn’t able to get the results and the make-koshi-sealing loss to Mitoryu in particular has got to rankle. After a 10-5 at M15 last time, I would back Onosho to bounce back in Kyushu from a lower rank.

M7E Aoiyama (6-9)

Big Dan looked hopeless in the first week, so credit where it’s due for finding the genki in the second week. He started 1-7, the win being a cheap pickup from Onosho. It’s notable however that he benefited hugely in his 5-2 finish from facing much lower ranked opposition, although that may stand him in better stead for November. At 36 however, he does appear to be on borrowed time.

M6W Endo (7-8)

This is the opposite of my reaction to Onosho’s result, as Endo – especially through the first week – looked awful. I can’t remember seeing a match I would have picked him to win before the tachiai, so how he’s come within a win of a kachi-koshi is beyond me. He’s still one of sumo’s real technical experts who can summon a magic moment from time to time, but there are just too many days where he shows up without fundamentals and gets blown away by tsuki-oshi sumo. Credit where it’s due for landing a white star from an Ozeki, although the less said about that opponent, the better. Endo is 32 this month and it wouldn’t be too surprising to see him fade into the middle of the pack.

M6E Wakamotoharu (10-5)

If only his brother knew how to start like him! It’s four KK in five for the Arashio-beya product, this time with a blistering 4-0 start that featured not one, but a pair of victories with the (somewhat) rare fisherman’s throw. It’s worth remembering Wakamotoharu is a sumo veteran despite his mere five makuuchi basho, but it’s very notable that he’s not preying on kids: some of his most impressive victories were racked up from the division’s elder statesmen (and Mitakeumi). If he keeps himself fit, he’s probably got a nice 1-2 year window to push his luck and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him ride the elevator up to Komusubi since he doesn’t seem to be fazed by the higher rankers whatsoever. I’d go as far as to say, after three 9-6s and a 10-5 in five tournaments, that there’s a question whether the more vaunted Kiribayama and Hoshoryu could better his combination of ability and consistency – it’s going to be a riveting angle to watch over the next couple basho.

M5W Sadanoumi (9-6)

Credit where it’s due. Last time I did one of these, I marked out Sadanoumi as a symptom of the division’s decline, but he’s been mostly brilliant in the last three tournaments and I actually found this to be a more enjoyable basho from him than the jun-yusho from May. He displayed impressive speed at 35, but unlike his stablemate Myogiryu, he’s going to try and execute more throws – which sometimes leave him a bit vulnerable at the edge (see: Wakamotoharu’s utchari). For him to take out Mitakeumi, Hoshoryu and Tochinoshin in a three bout stretch in the middle of the basho is marvellous. I don’t think it’s sustainable given his age and fitness record but you have to hold your hands up, he had a wonderful and entertaining basho.

M5E Takarafuji (5-10)

OK, listen: there’s no excuse for a make-koshi on day 9, and Takarafuji looked awful in that first week. In fact, this was his fourth consecutive tournament where he’s been at 5 losses or more by the middle weekend, and it arguably could have been worse if he didn’t conjure up a win against Aoiyama in the middle of his first eight losses. That all being said, he’s been able to stem the bleeding in these last 4 basho by beating a generous swathe of very low ranked opponents (claiming his kachi-koshi last time out against juryo guys in the weird Nagoya basho). He’s obviously not right physically and not able to “defend and extend” and commit the power that’s required to execute his brand of counter-attacking sumo. That said, his ability to grind out wins against poor opponents is what continues to extend the 35 year old’s career. For how much longer, is to be seen.

M4W Takayasu (11-4, Jun-Yusho & Kanto-sho)

I said in the Tachiai podcast before the basho that I expected “a big tournament” from Takayasu where he would challenge, but maybe not win the yusho. It’s good when you look like you know what you’re talking about. He always seems to benefit more than most from an extended rest, and coming on the back of a kyujo Nagoya, it was easy to predict a double digit result. In fact, I’d say he had a pretty flawless first week, apart from getting Ura’d by weird sumo. The senshuraku shootout loss, coming when he had his destiny to force a yusho playoff in his hands, was easy to foresee but hard to watch. The subsequent grimace in defeat was telling of a man who knew, yet again, he couldn’t shake the bridesmaid tag. Ultimately he simply had no answer for Tamawashi’s powerful nodowa-based attack, but his smiles and graciousness backstage with the victor afterwards showed a competitor and sumotori worthy of his place at the sport’s top table.

M4E Nishikigi (6-9)

The thing about him is his ability to always get us thinking “what if…”? Nishikigi is able to put together freak results, which is always possible when your sumo strategy is largely based around wrapping the opponent up and wringing them either way until they’re immobile. He’s a bit streaky though, and just couldn’t get his sumo together after an impressive Ozeki scalp (even if that Ozeki was Shodai). He didn’t show enough against higher ranked opposition here (1-6 vs san’yaku, 3-1 vs lower rankers) though to prove himself deserving of a spot in the joi, and I think mid-maegashira might be as good as it gets from here. With a new talent infusion due in makuuchi, it seems unlikely he will get many more chances from this rank in the future.

M3W Ura (8-7)

Hard to find fault with Ura’s results at this level, another basho with another spectacular win (the tsutaezori on Day 4 against Takarafuji) and a second kinboshi against the hobbled Yokozuna, which will be career-altering for a rikishi who spent so many prime years outside of the top division recovering from injury. Add in the kimedashi against Midorifuji, and you’d expect he won’t be invited over for chanko at Isegahama-beya anytime soon. His 4-5 record against the san’yaku indicates he continues to be a thorn in the side of the top rankers.

M3E Tamawashi (13-2, Yusho, Shukun-sho)

We’re running out of superlatives for the soon-to-be 38 year old, sumo’s oldest ever champion. Tamawashi started hot, winning his first three bouts for the third consecutive tournament, and was never out of touching distance of the leadership of the title race. Both his losses were dealt by the Onami brothers (against whom he is now a combined 2-7), though while he is still susceptible to skilled belt practitioners, his thrusting attack was just too powerful for the rest of the field. While the Yokozuna was clearly injured, Tamawashi’s recent dominance over Terunofuji – the best rikishi of the past few years – is remarkable, as he knocked out his 4th kinboshi in 5 tournaments from the Yokozuna and the 7th gold star of his career. It felt like Tamawashi won this title twice: first on Day 11 when he claimed sole leadership by dealing Hokutofuji’s chances a hammer blow, and then again on senshuraku when his nodowa attack simply overpowered Takayasu. Tamawashi can of course be beaten by another rikishi on their day, but it says much about the veteran that it just didn’t ever seem likely that Takayasu would be able to beat him twice, even if he forced the playoff. A much deserved yusho to further decorate a remarkable career for the iron man.

M2W Meisei (8-7)

Meisei had a quietly sneaky good end to the basho, with five straight mostly unmemorable wins to grab his kachi-koshi on senshuraku. He belongs at this level and it was frankly jarring to see him in the nether regions of the division following his horrific 1-14 at Haru. It had felt like this basho might end up in similar fashion with a heavy make-koshi after a really tough first week of the tournament, so he deserves a lot of credit for powering through.

M2E Kotonowaka (8-7)

Kotonowaka was another of the three rikishi I tipped for a big basho, so in some ways his narrow kachi-koshi seems a bit disappointing as a result of him dropping 3 of the last 4 matches, including two to lower rankers. His 5-4 result against the san’yaku shows he has got what it takes to tango at the upper levels of the division, as his physicality is very difficult for almost all opponents to deal with, and his belt skills are continuing to improve basho on basho. It’s worth noting he’s now posted more wins than losses in five consecutive tournaments.

M1W Midorifuji (7-8)

I had him nailed on for a 6-9 or even a 5-10, so at face value he’s done well to get himself to within a win of a kachi-koshi. On the other hand, the fact he posted his last two wins against significantly lower ranked opponents, having already sealed his make-koshi, is slightly misleading. By and large he performed as expected against opponents of similar rank: largely overmatched but with the ability to deploy his famous katasukashi and other mobility-driven techniques to spring the odd shock. He was seeing a lot of top-ranking opponents for the first time, and his creditable score means he’ll see them again in Fukuoka, so I expect some regression to the mean next time out.

M1E Tobizaru (10-5, Shukun-sho)

Sometimes you have to hold your hand up and admit you were wrong, and I had Tobizaru pegged for the reverse score in our pre-basho podcast. While the poor state of his opponents can be blamed (particularly a number of the san’yaku he deposed), he deserves an awful lot of credit for dialing up the genki and raising the level of his ability to operate as a chaos agent. It’s undoubtable now that his sumo technique has improved. That said, his defining characteristic is his ability to unsettle the opposition by way of his remarkable speed and movement. The risk is that when he does get whomped, as he did by the yusho winner on the final weekend, the Flying Monkey can exit the dohyo in a manner that could risk an injury that could eventually sap his mobility. Still, he’s primed for a much deserved san’yaku role in Kyushu. He continues to be enjoyable to watch, and awfully easy to root for.

K2W Kiribayama (9-6)

It’s refreshing to see a rikishi who can be reliable at this level and that you feel you can believe in. While there won’t be room in Fukuoka, it’s clear that Kiribayama has the ability to go higher in the banzuke, and it was good to see him fight successfully at the san’yaku level for the first time. That’s four straight winning records, and his budding rivalry with Hoshoryu looks like it may deliver riveting sumo for fans for the next several years.

K1W Ichinojo (6-9)

We were always likely to see the post-yusho dip here, as Ichinojo is practically famous for fading from view when the oxygen starts to get a bit thin in the lofty heights of the san’yaku ranks. He still gets up for the big matches and was able to notch a couple Ozeki scalps, but his surprising shonichi push-out of Takakeisho proved to be a false dawn as he went on to lose 6 of 7. With Terunofuji looking unlikely to return in November, Ichinojo’s bid to add to his 9 kinboshi will have to wait, but this result seemed par for the course and normal service will likely be resumed with the giant alternating between the top maegashira and lower san’yaku ranks as space permits over the coming tournaments.

K1E Abi (0-0-15)

Did not participate and it will be curious to see what shape he’s in upon his recovery from specialist intervention, as he’s largely looked to have been in career-best form prior to the injury.

S2E Daieisho (7-8)

At first glance, when you look upwards it’s hard not to see the make-koshi as a disappointment, but he did remarkably well to rebound from a 1-6 start, even if he had help from a couple poor Ozeki and a walkover win from the Yokozuna’s kyujo. It’s hard to judge this record accurately, as he wasn’t scheduled against the top performers in san’yaku on account of his poor record heading into the second week. In that context, I would view his performance in the tournament slightly more negatively, but while he certainly wasn’t on song in September, he still very much belongs among the top men in the sport.

S1W Hoshoryu (8-7)

Some of us have taken some stick from Hoshoryu fans in the comments for being “anti-Hoshoryu,” but there’s a huge difference between that and pointing out the flaws of a developing rikishi. Especially one with a gigantic internet sized hype train thinking he’s the next Yokozuna. I pointed out in the tachiai podcast before the tournament that he’s exactly at the rank he deserves and is as consistent as you like with a 55% win rate which puts him between 8-7 and 9-6 on average, and he turned in another 8-7 this time out. For sure, he is capable of stunning, emphatic victories and technical marvel and his two wins over the Ozeki in this basho (plus the sotogake against Ichinojo) were examples of that. His matches against Kiribayama are absolutely fascinating. But the lingering fact remains that there’s just something missing mentally that actually reminds me a bit of Endo and Ichinojo in the sense that, with 6 of his 7 losses coming against rank and file opposition, he shows up when the lights are brightest but can’t seem to put it together against the guys he’s supposed to beat. And that’s a problem when you’re talking about someone with Ozeki potential. You need 70% win rate over 3 tournaments to get to that level, and the next year will tell us a lot about whether Hoshoryu has it in his locker to take the next step. Still, when you look at the guys in the rank above, he deserves credit for fighting successfully at his rank.

S1E Wakatakakage (11-4, Jun-yusho, Gino-Sho)

Imagine if he could just get started on time! Out of his 14 active makuuchi basho, only 4 times has he not lost 2 of the first 3 matches. That’s crazy!!! This time he went 0-3 before reeling off 8 straight wins, with only a revenge defeat to Takayasu standing between him and a potential playoff (had results gone otherwise on senshuraku). Apart from the injury-impacted Yokozuna, he’s probably the most competent, consistent and impressive rikishi in the top division right now, but I’ve never seen a basho that starts on a Wednesday. It’s looking less like a coincidence that the tournament he started 3-0 ended in a yusho, and while we should be guarded about his prospects given the situation in the rank above, he is developing a trait seen many times in this basho where there feels like a certain inevitability he will win a match regardless of the circumstances he finds himself in. Having restarted his run, the bar has been reset, and double digit wins in Fukuoka is a must.

O2W Mitakeumi (4-11)

The reason this review is coming so long after the basho is because I just really didn’t want to write about the Ozeki. It’s easy to be the Monday Morning Quarterback about Mitakeumi’s situation, but whether he was suffering the effects of his shoulder injury as had been reported, or still suffering the after-effects of his covid infection, he was clearly so far off the level required to clear his kadoban status that he’d have been better served fully resting. Obviously, that is not the way sumo necessarily works due to any number of reasons. While he started 2-0 and landed a thunderous victory over Ura on Day 5, in truth the warning bells were going off as early as Day 3’s loss to Meisei and his listless 1-9 conclusion to the basho doesn’t bear thinking about. Mitakeumi was an Ozeki-in-waiting longer than most rikishi in recent memory but he’s now staring down the barrel of one of sumo’s most historically unimpressive tenures at the rank. Whatever the reason for that, he needs to find a solution in the next few weeks.

O1W Shodai (4-11)

Shodai actually has an Ozeki tenure longer than several notable names. But still, while he’s a figure of fun for his near constant kadoban status (he’s either had a make-koshi or needed to clear kadoban for the entirety of 2022), Aki felt like a new low. It goes without saying that 9 consecutive losses is unbecoming of the rank, and it was perplexing given that, once the pressure was off, Shodai actually finished somewhat strongly, going on a hot streak that was briefly interrupted by Hoshoryu’s stunning kubinage. Shodai clearly is a powerful, strong rikishi deserving of a place in the joi but it’s clear he’s uncomfortable and unable to consistently fight successfully at this rank. Now the question is: will he escape yet again?

O1E Takakeisho (10-5)

One could be forgiven for thinking we were in for a real disaster after Takakeisho’s opening day defeat to Ichinojo, but their fortunes would reverse after that and our favourite meatball hung around the edges of the yusho race until going down to Wakatakakage on Day 13. There are those who will think the sumo gods have a sharp sense of humour and/or justice and it’s notable that his 5th defeat came a day after his henka of challenger Hokutofuji. It’s a legal move, but it did seem unbecoming of an Ozeki (not as cheap of a shot as Terunofuji v Kotoshogiku because of the stakes, but it didn’t feel far off). Takakeisho may be shaping up as something of a flat track bully having gone 9-1 against the rank-and-filers, but given the situation with the Ozeki crew in general, that’s more than good enough.

Y Terunofuji (5-5-5)

The Yokozuna pulled out on Day 10, with his knees having been thoroughly abused in the preceding loss to Takayasu, but in truth he never looked mobile in this basho. While the kinboshi conceded to yusho-winner Tamawashi was notable for many reasons, it was one of four handed out by the Yokozuna, a rarely seen total for any Yokozuna in any basho (again, for a number of reasons). The word on the street is that he may take November off to heal, which would seem to be the correct thing to do (and also open up some potential wins for the troubled Ozeki/wake whose matches against the Yokozuna would be replaced with a rank-and-filer). We knew when Terunofuji completed his remarkable comeback that his time would always be limited, but hopefully he can heal and return for a strong 2023.

The Unpredictable Wizardry of Arashio

Josh K Kotokuzan, Oyakata, Stables (Heya), Sōkokurai (蒼国来), Wakamotoharu (若元春), Wakatakakage ,
Arashio-oyakata (former Maegashira Sokokurai) promotes his upcoming intai-zumo event. Photo credit: Nihon Sumo Kyokai

Many rikishi are unable to craft a second act in sumo that’s as good as their first. That’s normal: the requirements to become an oyakata are such that you either need to create a career of some achievement, or just hang around long enough to have done your time in the dohyo and you’re then entitled to extend your career in the sport out of it.

In the former camp, there are plenty of oyakata who will have raised dozens of deshi over the course of their decades in the sport, never to see one come close to their own achievements. In recent years, former Yokozuna like Onokuni and Musashimaru come to mind, along with Ozeki like Chiyotaikai or Kirishima. Even the riji-cho, former Hokutoumi, who has raised plenty of top division talent, has yet to develop someone to even come close to his own achievements in the ring, as he nears the mandatory retirement age. Guys like the former Asahifuji (Isegahama oyakata) are rare: a champion who has raised (multiple) champions.

And on the flip side of the coin you have the long time coaches whose own careers didn’t amount to much beyond their longevity, but who have scouted and developed talent that has surpassed their own ability on the clay. The former Oginohana had a 44% winning record in the top division, never going higher than Maegashira 2, and he’s developed 3 time champion Ozeki Mitakeumi. Like his brother Terao, the former Sakahoko had a stellar top division career but never won a Yusho or made the top 2 ranks, and while the storied heya bearing the Izutsu name was more barren in later years, he still produced Yokozuna Kakuryu. Most famously of course, the former Chikubayama, veteran of a mere 2 tournaments in the top division, gave us the gift of record setting dai-Yokozuna Hakuho.

Over recent weeks, months and years, as many of our longtime favourites in the previous generation have gradually retired, our thoughts have turned to the question of “what kind of oyakata will they be?” Most people who read this site and some people who write on this site will be experiencing their first mass turnover of rikishi we have watched for years, as they become those blue-jacketed security guys we see next to the hanamichi when a rikishi is preparing himself for battle.

So the conversation has been: “wow, Hakuho has really recruited a lot of guys already,” or “Kisenosato is building an incredible new heya,” or “what’s going to happen with Takekaze’s new place now that he had Yoshikaze have split the rikishi from Oguruma beya” or “Goeido’s just branched out and already has a sekitori.”

But there was one guy that no one really talked about when he became an elder, and that’s ex-Maegashira 2 Sokokurai, who is now Arashio oyakata.

Arashio beya is a unique place. The previous oyakata, former Komusubi Oyutaka, coached for 15 years before branching out to open his own spot, and had a short and totally unremarkable sekitori career of his own. The heya became notable in later years among sumo fans for two things: 

If you have ever tried to visit a heya (in the before times), you’ll know that it’s not terribly difficult with the right connections, but that also a strict set of guidelines will apply for your visit. At Arashio beya, fans could simply walk right up on the street and peer in the giant window outside to watch morning keiko. The stable’s rikishi were known for being friendly with tourists and willing to snap a photo at the end of practise. It appears that after a stoppage to this practise during the pandemic, viewers may once again peep through the window to get a real live look at asageiko.

The other curiosity of this stable was the rise to prominence of its two cats, Moru and Mugi. During the days when rikishi were more able to share their lifestyle via social media, it offered sumo lovers and animal lovers a glimpse into the lifestyle where the stable’s rikishi cared for these two creatures. A coffee table book exists where fans can learn more. 

Oyutaka only ever produced Sokokurai as a sekitori over the 18 years he spent running the place, until Wakatakakage made it to Juryo just before he retired. Wakatakakage was always a talent of immense potential ever since his arrival on the scene, and is someone we’ve followed since his Sandanme tsukedashi debut. A skilled technician and incredibly athletic rikishi, it has been clear for some time that as long as his dedication and mental attributes were tuned to top level sumo, he could have a very high ceiling. This of course paid off in one way earlier this year as the now-Sekiwake clinched his first Emperor’s Cup.

It’s impossible to say whether Wakatakakage’s triumph was inevitable, but it is clear that since Sōkokurai took over the Arashio name, his coaching methods have translated to stark improvements in development across the heya. Both of Wakatakakage’s brothers had been languishing in Makushita, and Wakamotoharu has made a rapid ascent not only into the salaried ranks but all the way to the joi-jin, where he’s claimed an Ozeki scalp and taken the Yokozuna to the brink of a shocking kinboshi. He looks to be someone who can at least consolidate his place in the top division over the next couple of years, and certainly finish his career with the 30 sekitori basho needed to qualify for elder status himself.

The Onami family has some pedigree, with the three of Arashio’s Fukushima-hailing siblings descended from a grandfather who also plied his trade in Ozumo. But despite the lack of progress made by Makushita longtimer and eldest brother Wakatakamoto, the new Arashio-oyakata’s achievements don’t stop there.

Viewers of Makushita over the past several years will be familiar with Kotokuzan, the Filipino-Japanese rikishi who is surely sumo’s only Jasper. Kotokuzan (pronounced Ko-toku-zan, not “koto” like a Sadogatake beya rikishi) had struggled to make his way through sumo’s third highest division for nearly seven full years from his division debut until finally making the breakthrough to Juryo late last year. Kotokuzan is a pusher-thruster and possesses a very different style both to the other successful rikishi in his heya as well as how his shisho performed his own style of sumo (as a skilled yotsuzumo-technician) while he was active, and it’s perhaps most surprising of all that in his second bite at Juryo (after a quick demotion in mid-2021), he stormed his way into the top division.

Kotokuzan only has fought two tournaments as a Maegashira, both unsuccessfully and both looking somewhat overmatched, but at 28 still very much has time to solidify his place as a sekitori and go again. It wouldn’t be beyond the realms of possibility to see him settle into an Azumaryu or Daishōmaru style role in playing out most of his remaining career in Juryo, putting it together once in a while for a fleeting crack at the top division. It bears reminding that for a rikishi who didn’t seem to really look like he’d make the breakthrough to Juryo as of 3 or 4 years ago, that’s quite an achievement in itself. The success of Kotokuzan in recent years is perhaps the most indicative of Arashio’s ability to coax performances from his top talent, as other serial sekitori-impresarios like Kise, Oitekaze and, until recently, Oguruma-oyakata have shown the ability to get rikishi to the promised land with a wide variety of fighting styles.

While Arashio has never been a large stable, and very infrequently added new recruits, the new shisho has started to bring in his own deshi now that he’s got his feet firmly under the table. Famously sumo’s only Chinese rikishi for a period, and one who wasn’t short of opinions about the fate of his beloved Inner Mongolia region, it’s no surprise that his first foreign recruit hails from his own shusshin. Daiseizan has moved quickly to the top of the Sandanme division following three consecutive 6-1 tournaments, and that fortuitous banzuke placement this time out will give him a chance to make an auspicious debut in Makushita with a good score in the upcoming Aki basho.

16 year old Tanji has started his career with identical scores from his first two basho, and Jonidan pair Dairinzan and Sonoshun (18 and 19 respectively) may be intriguing prospects over the long term, with the latter the first rikishi to inherit his the prefix of his stablemaster’s shikona into his own ring name. We are in a period where other oyakata such as Nishonoseki, Naruto, Miyagino and others have been making waves for the sheer volume (and often quality) of their recruits putting their celebrity drawing power to good use, but it’s possible that the slightly more pinpoint recruitment strategy of the former Sokokurai will pay dividends for the heya when allied to his apparent coaching ability. And he seems more than willing to talk about his work, as evidenced by a series of appearances on NHK’s sumo content throughout the pandemic, showing how, as a new head of a stable, he was attempting to adapt his new home to the challenges presented by the unpredictable nature of COVID-19 in the sumo world.

Nishonoseki (former Kisenosato) has certainly positioned himself as a leader of the future by way of his remarkable rethink of what a heya should be, his political manoeuvring and what appears to be an interesting (if slightly voluminous) batch of early recruits. Miyagino (former Hakuho)’s pulling power and talent development has already made an impact on the top two divisions and had long before he hung up the mawashi himself. What Arashio is showing us is that there it doesn’t take a headline name to be an above average developer of talent, and that he does so in such a media- and fan-friendly environment is a welcome breath of fresh air in the sumo world.

The Silver Lining of Nagoya’s Sweaty Mawashi

Josh K Hoshoryu, Ichinojo (逸ノ城), Nagoya Basho 2022, Shōdai (正代直也)

 

We don’t need to beat around the bush: we have just witnessed what was in many ways a deeply unsatisfying tournament which culminated in a day-by-day missing persons storyline that wouldn’t have been out of place from some low budget horror film or an episode of Unsolved Mysteries.

But in some ways, obsessing over what we didn’t have in the Nagoya basho is to miss the point (and, by the way, this is in no way a counter-point to Bruce’s excellent opinions from yesterday). Culturally, the purpose of a basho is not to ensure that every rank and file dude is present for 15 days, “otherwise the whole thing might as well have not happened.” That doesn’t mean I think it’s cool that a third of the top division was absent or that I especially enjoyed this tournament. As a spectacle, I didn’t. I always love to watch sumo, and still, “endured” might be a more accurate descriptor of how I experienced this tournament. But I’m firmly in the camp that thinks the Kyokai was correct to finish the basho, even if I’m also in a camp that thinks they are correct to err on the side of caution (firmly agreeing with Andy’s comments from earlier in the week) and I’m also on the team that hopes they can evolve their covid-kyujo policies. There is room for nuance.

There are those who will say: “well whatabout if Isegahama or Minato beya had been visited by the coronavirus, forcing the removal of Terunofuji or Ichinojo?” Well, that didn’t happen. And yet, conspiracy theories aside, we have to concede that the departure of an exciting potential title contender like Kotonowaka from the race is not what we want to see. It weakened the basho.

But there were other things about this tournament that were good, so amongst all of the noise about things that were bad – because we really can and will talk about that quite a bit more – let’s take just a minute to focus on some of those good things:

Ichinojo Yusho

Ichinojo is not a popular rikishi in most senses of the word, but it is very unlikely to hear a bad word against him. No one will begrudge him this championship and it is likely that his ability would have merited a championship at some point in his career. And now he has one.

Since his debut, the jokes about “is being big a strategy” have largely served to offset the frustration that a rikishi of his obvious physical and technical gifts had been unable to put together the kind of run of success that – especially in recent years – seemed ripe for the taking.

The overwhelming feeling about Ichinojo over the past few years is that he’s someone who perhaps lacked focus, who could always find a way to get up for the big matches (as evidenced by his lengthy and impressive list of kinboshi victims), but who could never find the consistency to regularly succeed in sumo. Some of that has been down to his challenges to use and maintain his physique, and his back struggles have been well-documented. A staple of his sumo from across the past several years was that if you got him moving backward, it was very difficult for him to reverse that momentum.

But his weaknesses are offset by remarkable strengths. He is an above average yotsu-zumo practitioner, and when locked with an opponent, there are very few rikishi with the ability to outlast or go toe-to-toe with the giant. He is in an elite category when it comes to lengthy bouts, and has often displayed strong composure in the ring to complement that stamina. He is not someone given to losing the plot.

Longer term side effects aside, it should also not be lost on us that the covid-kyujo which enforced Ichinojo’s absence from the Natsu basho potentially led to him arriving in Nagoya fully rested and in better fighting shape than we have seen him in years. We can of course only speculate about this – much in the way that we can speculate without actually knowing whether Shimanoumi’s dreadful basho was the result of too much wedding cake.

Ichinojo has flirted with titles in the past, most notably taking an undefeated Hakuho all the way to senshuraku in an incredible 14-1 tournament a few years ago (fans will also remember his 13 wins, title challenge and kinboshi in his top flight debut). However, that 14-win runners-up basho from 2019 featured the unsustainable tendency to retreat and pull, a pattern which saw his results normalise when opponents were not lured into cheap slap-downs.

This basho’s success was of an altogether higher quality. Ichinojo took control of several bouts from the beginning, executing a game plan and landing a strong belt grip to square off and drive his opponents out. His yusho-clinching victory against Ura similarly displayed a strong sense of strategy to raise the centre of gravity of a much smaller and notoriously difficult opponent.

The championships we are likely to see over this next year will come from the Yokozuna, or rikishi who can take advantage of the odd occasions where the Yokozuna isn’t able to execute at 100%. Terunofuji is unquestionably the best rikishi in sumo. The only difference in this basho between Ichinojo and the Yokozuna is that Ichinojo beat the Yokozuna. You can’t say he isn’t deserving of the crown.

Hoshoryu’s Development

Like Andy, I think that Hoshoryu’s demeanour on the dohyo (a general observation, although it is punctuated with moments of greater petulance) makes him due for an attitude correction (be that in the form of mentorship or results). I do, however, believe praise is due for the way he turned around a frankly awful start in Nagoya to display some of the outstanding sumo of this tournament.

I don’t find a lot of difference technically between Hoshoryu’s sumo and Kiribayama’s (and I find the latter to be quite a bit more likeable and entertaining to watch), but the slight difference in results is owed to Hoshoryu’s will to win and the way that has manifested itself in many of his victories.

His positioning in order to execute throws has improved dramatically. He has always had good legwork – to the point that he is at times over-reliant on leg sweeps and trips that everyone can see a mile away. However, an under-discussed element of the ability to pull a routine or spectacular throw is the way that a rikishi can find the correct foot placement or manoeuvre their leg into the position that gives them the fulcrum upon which to rotate their opponent. We have been able to see Hoshoryu continually improve this feature of his sumo over the past several tournaments.

The continuing unreliability of the Ozeki to keep out of kadoban and mount consistent challenges has opened up an opportunity for Hoshoryu in particular to go on and become the next star. Wakatakakage is ahead of him in the current pecking order and also in terms of what’s in the trophy cabinet, but Wakatakakage is also more advanced in terms of age and Hoshoryu’s true rival over the next few years may be Kotonowaka. We may have been robbed from experiencing Kotonowaka’s breakout basho by the virus, so we can make do with the continued technical gains of Hoshoryu (even if the overall results will leave room for improvement). Hopefully, Aki will give us a proper look at the development of both rising stars.

The King of Comeback

You can’t bury Shodai. Not yet anyway. He seems set to prove John Gunning’s often repeated point that Ozeki is the easiest rank to hold, being that you only have to win 8 out of every 30 matches (albeit in the same tournament).

True though that may be, the willingness of some Ozeki to stoop down to that low bar has also provided some depressing sumo. However, there is something a bit thrilling in Shodai’s ability to conjure yusho-pedigree sumo when he looks dead and buried. And make no mistake, some of the wins he put together after digging himself into a 1-4 hole, winning 9 of his last 10, were absolutely yusho quality sumo. In some cases he defused his opponent from his tachiai, and on multiple other occasions we saw him battle back from the brink of the tawara in stunning fashion to take a match. If he could only show us his top quality sumo for all 15 days every time, we’d still be talking about how he wouldn’t be long for the Ozeki rank, but for very different reasons.

That being said, I don’t ever expect him to put together the kind of consistency that it will take for him to move to the next level. But against the current field, he has more than enough in his locker to put together 9 and 10 win tournaments with good content. While I and many others expected to leave this basho lamenting his inability to put it together, it was instead a happy surprise to exit the Nagoya tournament wishing for more of the same from Shodai.