I would have to say the standout match of the day was Kotonowaka and Asanoyama. I recall when Asanoyama returned to the top division, many fans and readers were skeptical of my boosterism for the guy. As with all things sumo, deeds over words is the order of the day. His win today showed both that he still can execute Ozeki class sumo, and that he is not quite at his level of performance he had in his prime. I think he can get back to that, if he can focus and train hard enough to rebuild his sumo skills. I think the fans in Japan would be happy to see him try to reach 33 wins, even though his prior infraction against the rules may preclude him from ever being considered to be re-promoted to Ozeki.

Highlight Matches

Tsurugisho defeats Kagayaki – Tsurugisho had his hands up early, I think he was trying to guide Kagayaki into trying for a grip rather than thrusting. To me this was a strange match, it was really just the yori, a turn to the right by Tsurugisho, and a Kagayaki step out. I expected more, I guess. Both end the day 1-1.

Atamifuji defeats Daishoho – Daishoho managed to get into a “hold steady” grip with Atamifuji following the tachiai, but then seemed to not have much of an idea of what to do. In spite of multiple bandages and tapings to his upper body, Atamifuji had little trouble consolidating his grip, and then walking Daishoho out, ending the day 2-0.

Kotoshoho defeats Chiyoshoma – That right forearm / elbow to Chiyoshoma’s face at the tachiai may have been the deciding element of this fight. I did like that Chiyoshoma got a right hand mawashi grip and tried to throw Kotoshoho, but I that head snap as the forearm connected – yikes. After a protracted grapple, Chiyoshoma tried to rally, but his forward pressure fed into Kotoshoho’s sukuinage. Both end the day 1-1.

Nishikifuji defeats Myogiryu – Nishikifuji quickly set up hidariyotsu (left hand inside) and from below, and kept Myogiryu too upright to generate much offense. It was a quick walk out for the yorikiri, and Nishikifuji’s first win of Aki as both finish 1-1.

Sadanoumi defeats Aoiyama – I will just say – combined age of… Ahem.. 73 between these two long serving rikishi. Aoiyama tried to deliver some blows to the base of Sadanoumi’s neck, but where was the power? Yeah, Aoiyama is not yet in fighting form. Sadanoumi figures this out by the second exchange. He gets Aoiyama turned and runs him out from behind for an okuridashi, as Sadanoumi improves to 2-0.

Mitakeumi defeats Takarafuji – I admit that Mitakeumi is past his prime, but then he has a match like today where he shows us brilliant form. Look at that body angle! Look at that ottsuke! At first Takarafuji was working to “defend and extend”, but that just seemed to delight Mitakeumi. It did not take long for Takarafuji to decide that was not going to work, but his choice of a pull worked less. Oshidashi win for the original tadpole, and he is 2-0.

Hokuseiho defeats Endo – What a fun match for a sumo fan. Endo put his chips on that right hand grip, and it worked pretty well for a while. Bonus – we got to see Hokuseiho react and defend. No surprise that an integral part of his defense was his enormity, which caused most of Endo’s sumo mechanics to fall to ruin. I mean, how do you practice for that kind of fight? Have one of your tsukebito ride around on another’s shoulders? Endo gets his grip, but then Hokuseiho gets him into an arm bar hold, and just waits for Endo to do something. When nothing comes to pass, Hokuseiho lifts and walks forward for a kimedashi, picking up his first win of Aki to improve to 1-1.

Kinbozan defeats Kotoeko – Really impressive lower body defensive work from Kinbozan. Kotoeko can be a tough opponent, and he certainly brought a lot of action to his sumo today, but Kotoeko simply was unable to disrupt Kinbozan’s stance. Sir, if you insist on employing excellent foot placement, you will be asked to assume higher rank. Kinbozan now 2-0.

Hiradoumi defeats Midorifuji – Hiradoumi really wanted to bounce back from his day 1 loss to Kotoeko. Midorifuji tried a number of combos once the two were chest to chest, but he could not disrupt Hiradoumi’s grip, or break his stance. The yorikiri was inevitable, and gave Hiradoumi his first win of Aki for a score of 1-1.

Onosho defeats Oho – I thought Oho had this one until he decided Onosho was off balance (hey, he frequently is) and tried a slap down far too close to the bales. No, Onosho’s right foot was under his chest and he was going nowhere. Having given up all forward pressure for the slap down, Oho caught a double arm blast to center mass and left the dohyo. Onosho with a 2-0 start to September.

Takayasu defeats Ryuden – I did not have Takayasu trying out Abi-zumo on my bingo card for Aki, but it was fun to watch. It seems to have caught Ryuden by surprise and he took the hikiotoshi with a roll to the clay. Takayasu picks up a second win to advance to 2-0.

Shonannoumi defeats Takanosho – Somewhat of a let down for Takanosho fans. He had this one ready for the oshidashi, but he was 1½ steps from the win. Rather than using 2, he tried to use 1 and found himself off balance enough that Shonannoumi countered with a sukuinage. Tough break sir, both end the day 1-1.

Ura defeats Gonoyama – Probably should have been a matta, as Gonoyama launched early. Gonoyama was clearly not ready for Ura’s angle of attack, and all of his offense landing impotently without disrupting the man in pink’s sumo. Ura pushed forward, and it was three quick steps to the oshidashi win. Both are now 1-1.

Tobizaru defeats Tamawashi – Tobizaru attempts a henka, which initially fails. But Tobizaru’s agility and speed of execution is so high that he recovers, and finishes the onrushing Tamawashi with a hikkake as his second sumo move. Daymm. Tobizaru scores his first win and is 1-1.

Daieisho defeats Shodai – My hoped for “Shodai as destroyer of dreams” shall not come to pas, I would guess. He’s looking moribund again. He’s upright, his feet are aligned, he’s a perfect mark for Daieisho’s big forward power. Yeah, not impressive. Daieisho now 1-1.

Asanoyama defeats Kotonowaka – Bloody hell, what defense! Asanoyama gets surprised by some clever combos from Kotonowaka, and is almost beaten twice. But he manages to recover, set his stance and counter with aggressive forward sumo that culminates with an uwatenage. The crowd loved it, and so did I. Asanoyama 2-0.

Abi defeats Wakamotoharu – Yeah, Wakamotoharu never does well against Abi, and today was no exception. He caught the double arm thrust and did not keep his weight centered over his feet, which made him easy meat for the hikiotoshi that followed. Abi gets his first win and is 1-1.

Kirishima defeats Meisei – Kirishima tried for a pull down at the tachiai, and it nearly cost him the match. Meisei was ready for it, and drove the Ozeki back. I guess a pull down was Kirishima’s plan, as we see him try it two more times, with the final one getting Meisei off balance enough that he fell to the clay. They scored it as an oshitaoshi, which just makes me shrug. Kirishima now 2-0.

Hokutofuji defeats Hoshoryu – I am both surprised and impressed that Ole’ Stompy pulled this one out. I think it came down to Hoshoryu getting too far forward for just a moment, and Hokutofuji catching him out, pivoting to completely disrupt the Ozeki’s balance and slamming him to the clay. Solid hatakikomi win, and Hokutofuji joins the 2-0 club.

Takakeisho defeats Nishikigi – Fans hoping that Takakeisho can clear kadoban can go ahead and take another breath. Takakeisho waited for Nishikigi to reach in to attempt a belt grip, and dropped him to the clay with a tsukiotoshi. Solid plan, solid execution. Both are now 1-1.

Day 2 features 3 high interest first ever match ups, including my favorite: Hokuseiho vs Endo. Does sheer mass bring enough advantage to overcome legendary skill and planning? Can a man who was once sumo’s golden boy of the future actually win against a portion of Tokyo’s famed Shuto Expressway?

As mentioned in my preview, I have worries that we may lose an Ozeki this tournament, and it will become evident at the end of act 1. But I am already concerned that Takakeisho is still too banged up to be much of an opponent this September. So far Kirishima seems to be doing well enough, so let’s take some hope in that.

The match with the most potential in my mind is Gonoyama vs Ura. It may look like a dud on the roster, and there is a good chance it will be. But then again the dimension bending plastic wizard of WTF sumo up against the latest GoeiDOS version just brings so much potential to the clay, that I have to see if some new form of sumo gets created today.

What We Are Watching Day 2

Kagayaki (1-0) vs Tsurugisho (0-1) – Both men are perilously close to the bottom of the banzuke, and are going to be especially focused on reaching 8 wins by the earliest possible date. We saw nothing that would indicate injury in the day 1 matches for either man, so I am going to expect this to be a full on battle of bulk vs fundamentals. Kagayaki holds a 5-3 career lead, but both have won one match against the other this year.

Atamifuji (1-0) vs Daishoho (0-1) – This is the first match the two have had in the top division, with all three priors happening in Juryo this year and last year. Atamifuji took 2 to Daishoho’s 1. I will look for Daishoho to try and set up a throw before Atamifuji can secure a hold for a yorikiri.

Chiyoshoma (1-0) vs Kotoshoho (0-1) – I have been waiting for Kotoshoho to bounce back since March. This means I am eagerly seeking any clue that he is past the injury that took him kyujo in May and helped propel him this far down the banzuke. He is fairly evenly matched against Chiyoshoma, who will try to disrupt as much of Kotoshoho’s attacks as he can. They share a 3-4 career record.

Myogiryu (1-0) vs Nishikifuji (0-1) – Nishikifuji has only had one strong showing this year, in Osaka with a 10-5 score. Nothing I have seen so far indicates that he is still fighting hurt, so maybe he can bring his best sumo to bare against Myogiryu, who holds the advantage in their 4-2 career record. Nishikifuji has won 2 of the 3 matches they have fought so far this year.

Aoiyama (0-1) vs Sadanoumi (1-0) – An impressive 23 career matches between the two, with a 12-11 split narrowly favoring Aoiyama. But given his banged up condition, I don’t think Big Dan has much of an advantage today. Sadanoumi has won 3 of their last 4, but notably Aoiyama won their most recent match, day 15 at Nagoya. When Aoiyama wins, it tends to be a pull down or slap down, so I will look for one of those early in the match before Sadanoumi can apply too much pressure.

Mitakeumi (1-0) vs Takarafuji (1-0) – Another long rivalry, with 15 carrier matches favoring Mitakeumi 11-4, with their first match happening in 2015! Takarafuji’s chance to take his 5th win from the Original Tadpole today will come down to him getting a working grip early, and being able to defend and extend against Mitakeumi’s forward pressure.

Hokuseiho (0-1) vs Endo (0-1) – First ever match between these two. For sumo nerds, this is one fascinating match. You have the enormity of Hokuseiho, who so far has shown us very little technique beyond being huge. Endo is a master of technique, and can always be counted on to plan something out, no matter how hurt he is. What will Hokuseiho do in response? I can’t wait to find out. A good size vs skill match.

Kotoeko (1-0) vs Kinbozan (1-0) – Both men won their opening day match, and both of them are looking strong and genki right now. All three of their prior matches were this year, with Kotoeko taking 2 to Kinbozan’s 1. Their matches tend to feature a lot of rapid combos and a fair amount of lateral motion, so I am expecting a nice fight.

Midorifuji (0-1) vs Hiradoumi (0-1) – Midorifuji have been disappointed by his performance this summer, with him having make-koshi results for both Natsu and Nagoya. It did not help at all that he lost his opening day match against Kinbozan. To heap on the gloom, he has yet to win in 2 tries against Hiradoumi. Is it time for a crowd pleasing katasukashi? Please say yes.

Onosho (1-0) vs Oho (0-1) – Oho fights well against Onosho. Possibly because Onosho gets into a rut where he is strictly and east-west fighter, though we can see him use a lot of good lateral motion when the mood hits him. Defeating Onosho can be a simple affair if you have the defensive acumen to endure him ramping up the forward pressure. Simply wait for him to max out his push forward, then get out of the way when he takes a step. It’s resulted in Oho having a 4-1 career record against him.

Takayasu (1-0) vs Ryuden (0-1) – They share an even 3-3 record, so it’s a even match. For Takayasu fans, we have to accept the fact that the big hairy moose has only had 10 wins over the last 2 basho. It was great to see him win day 1, but I am waiting for him to hurt something around the middle weekend.

Takanosho (1-0) vs Shonannoumi (0-1) – First ever match between these two, but in terms of size and skill it is a very even fight. If I had to guess, Shonannoumi will try to shut down Takanosho’s thrusting attack and attempt to set up a kotenage, or just go for an immediate slap down at the tachiai.

Gonoyama (1-0) vs Ura (0-1) – Another first ever match, and I am hoping that Ura is a bit more patient today than his day 1 loss against Takanosho. Ura was clearly on the attack, but was too eager to finish. He allowed Takanosho to side step a lunge forward handing Ura the loss. I am certain Gonoyama will have no trouble with that route as well, so I hope we get to see Ura pull out some magic against Goeido’s finest disciple.

Tamawashi (0-1) vs Tobizaru (0-1) – Tobizaru looked good day 1 against Kirishima, but the Ozeki was able to constrain Tobizaru’s sumo and incrementally shut him down. Tamawashi won’t even try any of that. He will put maximum power forward and try to see if he can get Tobizaru airborne. Tobizaru’s excellent mobility is why he holds a 5-3 lead in their career series.

Daieisho (0-1) vs Shodai (0-1) – Shodai once again shows why he is the heartbreak kid. He’s got oodles of talent, but for whatever reason can’t seem to deliver it when it counts. Today, we are going to see him catch a rocket sled to the chest, I would guess, as Daieisho has a lot of unexpended energy and frustration from his day 1 loss to Meisei. Daieisho leads the career series 18-8.

Kotonowaka (1-0) vs Asanoyama (1-0) – Both won their opening day matches, and Asanoyama won their only prior match – when both were in Sandanme during 2016. What does that imply for this match? Nothing! It’s no secret to readers I want Asanoyama to elbow his way into the current crop occupying the named ranks. But he’s going to have a big match today against Kotonowaka as part of that journey.

Abi (0-1) vs Wakamotoharu (0-1) – Wakamotoharu started the basho with a loss to Asanoyama, but I don’t think thats any kind of indicator that he is not at full fighting power. His fans would love to see him reach double digits and re-start hopes of a 4th Ozeki, but its all down to his health. He has only won twice against Abi in 7 attempts, so perhaps today is the day that Abi-zumo will score a first win for September.

Kirishima (1-0) vs Meisei (1-0) – The thing about Meisei, when he is dialed into his sumo, he can win against most of the current sekitori. he has a narrow 6-5 edge against Kirishima, with most of his wins coming via hatakikomi. So he’s good catching Kirishima off balance, and slamming him to the clay. Should be a fun one to watch.

Hokutofuji (1-0) vs Hoshoryu (1-0) – Hokutofuji has only ever won once against Hoshoryu in six attempts. But I am sure Hokutofuji’s inner honey badger could care less. Reading Hoshoryu’s list of kimarite against Hokutofuji, it’s a broad array of pushes, thrusts and throws, indicating that Hoshoryu’s superior mobility tends to be the deciding factor. The good thing for Hoshoryu is that Hokutofuji is very predictable with that opening nodowa at the tachiai.

Nishikigi (1-0) vs Takakeisho (0-1) – This match is simple. If Nishikigi can get a grip on Takakeisho, he wins. If Takakeisho can keep things on a strike-and-move cadence, he probably will win. The Ozeki has a 6-2 career record against Captain Battle Hug. Stay mobile, tadpole!

Opening day of Aki, and so far nobody looks to have too much ring rust. For some reason there was a huge streak of oshidashi today, and everyone and their deshi decided to shove the other bloke out. Two out of the three Ozeki won their opening day match, with Hoshoryu shutting down Abi-zumo in quick fashion and Kirishima staying steady against flying monkey sumo.

Oh yes, the much revered Satanofuji is back to perform the yumitori-shiki, let there be much rejoicing.

Highlight Matches

Kagayaki defeats Daishoho – This was a race to see who could get hand placement first, and it was Kagayaki by a mile. Leading with his right hand, he was able to get a double inside body grip while Daishoho was applying a few tepid thrusts. Straight walk back yorikiri once Kagayaki got the grip, he starts Aki 1-0.

Chiyoshoma defeats Tsurugisho – Excellent sumo mechanics from Chiyoshoma today. Note his tachiai is low, and strikes upward at the initial merge. He manages to get his left hand on the front of Tsurugisho’s belt and lift while his body is still pressing upward to the tachiai. Given their massive weight difference, this is a perfect attack strategy. It unweights Tsurugisho enough to let Chiyoshoma move him back, into the yorikiri. Chiyoshoma is 1-0.

Atamifuji defeats Kotoshoho – Bold opener from Kotoshoho, who wanted to immediately apply an under shoulder throw against Atamifuji. It nearly worked but Kotoshoho’s right hand could not maintain grip. Unfortunately this opening gambit gave Atamifuji a right hand inside grip, and he was on the attack. While the right hand shut down Kotoshoho’s offense, it was Atamifuji’s right hand outside that did all the work. Solid sumo by Atamifuji, keeping his hips square in spite of Kotoshoho trying to deflect. The yorikiri starts Atamifuji at 1-0.

Myogiryu defeats Aoiyama – Start of another basho, and Bruce gets to worry about Big Dan. It’s not because he’s a fellow extra tall, over weight, pasty white guy, nah! It’s because when you have such an unlikely athlete get this far into his life and still able to compete in the top ranks, you kind of want to see it keep going. But Aoiyama has just a fraction of his former power, and Myogiryu makes quick work of him for a 1-0 start to Aki.

Sadanoumi defeats Nishikifuji – Nishikifuji put all of his hopes on that arm bar hold on Sadanoumi’s left arm. It was a solid hold, but he decided he was going to use it to upend Sadanoumi with some sort of throw. Sadanoumi was able to break the hold, and get Nishikifuji turned around for a quick okuridashi, he is now 1-0.

Takarafuji defeats Hokuseiho – Hokuseiho falls for one of the classic blunders. The most well know of which is “Never get involved in a land war in Asia”. Only slightly less well known is, “Never use a neck attack against Takarafuji”. While mile-high Hokuseiho was getting a 404 trying to wrap an arm around Takarafuji’s neck, Takarafuji was walking him out. A winning start at 1-0.

Mitakeumi defeats Endo – Mitakeumi put a lot of power forward, but like most of Mitakeumi’s sumo in the past year, it seems to only be at about 60% power. Endo has a good counter, but loses his footing to Mitakeumi’s forward pressure. Thus began the festival of oshidashi, with Mitakeumi advancing to 1-0.

Kinbozan defeats Midorifuji – Kinbozan got the first attack move, relegating Midorifuji to trying to counter, and having to settle for reacting to whatever Kinbozan chose to do. What he wanted to do was join the oshidashi club, which he did three steps later, putting his day 1 score to 1-0.

Kotoeko defeats Hiradoumi – Kotoeko has always been his own sort of rikishi. Although he knew it was oshidashi day, he went his own way. Hiradoumi certainly was on board with the overall plan, and delivered a potent hit at the start that could have turned into an oshidashi had Kotoeko not been able to counter, change grip and set up the sukuinage. Excellent rotation gets Kotoeko an opening day win at 1-0.

Takayasu defeats Oho – With the amount of pressure Takayasu was putting on Oho’s upper chest, there was only one way this was going to end. An oshidashi, and 1-0 for Takayasu.

Onosho defeats Ryuden – There are so many different ways this match could have ended. Ryuden fought quite well, and applied several disruptive pulls and moves that nearly brought Onosho down a few times. But Onosho kept his feet, and eventually had a clear route inside to push Ryuden out for a (you guessed it) oshidashi and a 1-0 start.

Gonoyama defeats Shonannoumi – Shonannoumi had better position out of the tachiai, but Gonoyama hit while he was still pushing his body upright. With Shonannoumi holding firm, Gonoyama was able to lift Shonannoumi and attack from underneath. For a minute it looked like Shonannoumi would be able to brute out a win, but Gonoyama broke contact, got his hand center-mass and pushed forward. Points to Gonoyama for being careful to keep his hands from getting a body grip, and thus he preserves the oshidashi streak.

Takanosho defeats Ura – This match came down to Ura trying hard for yet another oshidashi, but getting a bit to eager and lunging past Takanosho into the front row. The little push from Takanosho made it an okuridashi, which was ruled “close enough” for the streak to continue. Takanosho now 1-0.

Nishikigi defeats Tamawashi – I saw that the kimarite was oshidashi yet again, but Tamawashi was not the winner. It’s not every day you get to see Nishikigi eschew his battle-hug sumo for a good old push out. His choice of attack styles may have caught Tamawashi a bit by surprise. Nishikigi get an opening day win on his first basho in san’yaku, and is 1-0.

Kotonowaka defeats Shodai – Kotonowaka put in a good effort to get to oshidashi, but Shodai insisted on a body hold, resulting in Kotonowaka winning by yorikiri. Shodai’s opening move was unable to find enough contact to dial up the forward pressure, as Kotonowaka had already deflected and moved to capitalize on Shodai’s poor foot placement. Yorikiri win, and 1-0 for Kotonowaka. Thus the oshidashi streak was broken.

Asanoyama defeats Wakamotoharu – Wakamotoharu’s opening move was an attack to Asanoyama’s face, which certainly delivered some pain, but Asanoyama was able to get his left hand inside during the tachiai. Wakamotoharu was not again able to make an effective sumo move, as Asanoyama bundled him up and walked him out. 1-0 for the former Ozeki.

Meisei defeats Daieisho – I think Daieisho was eager to put a lot of power forward and rapidly move into his preferred mega-thrust attack. Meisei delivered a henka, and put Daieisho on the clay, for a 1-0 start to Aki.

Hoshoryu defeats Abi – Abi continues to try and make the most of Abi-zumo, in spite of the fact that most of the rikishi in the joi-jin have figured him out, and know where to attack while he is busy trying to work their face over. Hoshoryu gets an opening day win and a first win as Ozeki, and is 1-0.

Hokutofuji defeats Takakeisho – Anyone else worried about our Grand Tadpole? He showed good thrusting attack sumo today, but fell to poor footwork, and well placed thrus from Hokutofuji. The judges decided a monoii was needed, and declared a rematch. In the second fight, Hokutofuji got a hold around Takakeisho’s head and flung him to the clay. No question this time, Hokutofuji starts 1-0.

Kirishima defeats Tobizaru – As expected, Tobizaru tried to throw the kitchen sink into this match. I give credit to Kirishima for setting up a hold, not letting Tobizaru break contact, and progressively containing him to the point he could hurl him across the bales. Brilliant effort by Tobizaru against the Ozeki, with Kirishima now 1-0.

With the first matches of Aki only hours away, it’s time to take a look at the first day’s fights, as we start Act 1. At Tachiai, we tend to think of a basho as three distinct 5 day periods, we call them “acts”. Each has their own purpose, and goals. For act 1, its to remove any ring rust, see who is hot and who is not. Previews for day 1 are always a bit of a strange beast. No one has actually fought anyone in a couple of months, and we generally have no clue who is coming in hurt.

Oh sure there are the practice matches, many of which have had footage end up on YouTube, much to the delight of us sumo fans. But hopefully most know that being good in practice is not an accurate way to forecast who is going to deliver the goods in the honbasho. As pointed out in my preview post, we should all keep an eye on the Ozeki corps. With 2 of the 3 kadoban this month, it may come down to a brutal zero sum game in the final 5 days. The Ozeki have the “easy” part of their schedule now, but it will all come down to injuries.

What We Are Watching Day 1

Kagayaki (0-0) vs Daishoho (0-0) – Oh lord, what’s that smell? Oh sorry, I had forgotten they let Kagayaki and his pungent sumo back in the top division. I was a big fan of this guy’s strict focus on fundamentals a couple of years back, but somehow, through injuries of whatever, he’s not able to hold form. He has a 5-2 career record against Daishoho, so maybe experience and an aggressive funk from rotting sumo technique can deliver an opening day win.

Tsurugisho (0-0) vs Chiyoshoma (0-0) – A great big man / little man match. Not that I would call a 137 kg Chiyoshoma “little” in human terms. But compared to the the battling patron saint of omurice, Tsurugisho, he’s a bit slight. They have a fairly even record, and I think it will come down to if Tsurugisho has gotten past whatever injury had him impotent during Nagoya.

Atamifuji (0-0) vs Kotoshoho (0-0) – Atamifuji makes an adorable return to the top division, and he’s up against Kotoshoho, who had a jun-yusho in January, and then three consecutive make-koshi results that included a stretch of kyojo in May. Kotoshoho can deliver the powerhouse sumo, if he’s healthy. If not, he’s going to be Atamifuji’s chew toy for day 1. This is their first ever match.

Myogiryu (0-0) vs Aoiyama (0-0) – After Aoiyama started Nagoya 2-6, I honestly thought this might be the exit ramp for him. At 37, his body is probably about ready to tell him it’s had enough of the daily thumping and bashing that sumo life expects of its athletes. But then he went on a 7 bout winning streak and saved his spot in the top division. So who knows when “Big Dan” is going to fade out? The guy is a beast, it seems. He has a 15-14 career record against Myogiryu.

Nishikifuji (0-0) vs Sadanoumi (0-0) – The past year has seen Sadanoumi make a brief visit to the joi-jin, and fight the top men in the sport for a couple of basho. But I would guess that based on his 4 consecutive make-koshi scores starting in January, that some injury had taken whatever power and energy he was using at the time, and now is is back to his career normal in the M13-M10 range. He has a 4-3 career record against Nishikifuji.

Takarafuji (0-0) vs Hokuseiho (0-0) – What does Miyagino’s giant have an 0-2 record against Takarafuji? Even the sharpest of sumo pundits in Japan are not sure. It could be that Hokuseiho is simply too tall to be effective against him. Or it could be that Takarafuji’s “brand of sumo” relies on making sure his opponent has every attack blunted, or shut down. I am hoping that Hokuseiho won’t fall into the Ichinojo trap – relying on his enormity as his primary weapon.

Mitakeumi (0-0) vs Endo (0-0) – If you had gone through a small time warp from a couple of years ago to now, you might be baffled to see these two veterans fighting it out in mid-Maegashira. But here they are. I am certain that whatever injury knocked Mitakeumi out of his Ozeki rank is still plaguing him to this day. He has turned in a make-koshi in 7 of the last 8 tournaments, and is showing no sign of rebounding in any way. He does hold a 12-8 record against Endo.

Midorifuji (0-0) vs Kinbozan (0-0) – Another potential kanban rikishi who seems to have gotten banged up, Midorifuji has had 2 consecutive make-koshi tournaments, the prior one being 4-11 from M3E. He’s further down the banzuke now at Maegashira 9, but if he’s still hurt, it may not make too much of a difference. Tough times at Isegahama, it seems. Midorifuji won their only prior match, on day 14 of Natsu.

Kotoeko (0-0) vs Hiradoumi (0-0) – Hiradoumi, of whatever reason, seems to have Kotoeko’s sumo down cold. In 5 attempts, Kotoeko has not been able to beat him, even once. That’s once per basho, every basho in the past year, except Nagoya.

Takayasu (0-0) vs Oho (0-0) – Ah Takayasu. I have been a big backer of your sumo, and hoped you would not follow your senpai’s path, but it may have been fate. At the end of last year you scored back to back jun-yusho, and people started to once more have hope in your future. But too many injuries that never really healed, and you have been in and out of competition since Hatsu. I hope you are in fighting form, because we would love to see you dominate Oho today.

Onosho (0-0) vs Ryuden (0-0) – Both of these guys are “streaky”, and no that does not mean they untie their mawashi and bolt into the zabutan zone for some fan service. They tend to have winning or losing streaks in a given tournament. Once they get cold, they stay cold. Onosho has not had a strong showing since Hatsu, where he went 10-5. Ryuden bounced back from a perilous M15E rank in July with a excellent 10-5 record, to find himself at M6W for Aki. They have an even 5-5 career record.

Gonoyama (0-0) vs Shonannoumi (0-0) – I love the advice that Miyagino oyakata gave Shin-Goeido, “you move too much”. Efficiency of motion is one of the hallmarks of the greats, if you watch any Yokozuna fight, they seldom waste motion of any body part unless it contributes directly to the match. The same is true in most sports. After at 10-5 score from his debut on the top division of M13E, Gonoyama is about to face an entirely new class of rikishi for September. Frankly I can’t wait to see how it goes (hint, likely not well). He has. 3-2 career record against Shonannoumi.

Takanosho (0-0) vs Ura (0-0) – It makes me happy to see Takanosho climbing back up the banzuke. He suffered some significant injury at Nagoya 2022, and has been struggling since. With a simple 8-7 kachi-koshi in July, he finds himself the beneficiary of some banzuke luck, and is now at Maegashira 4. He and Ura share a 3-2 career record.

Nishikigi (0-0) vs Tamawashi (0-0) – Nishikigi is ranked at Komusubi. Wow, it took you a long time sir, but well done. He has only won twice against Tamawashi in 9 attempts, so unless “The Baker” is rusty or hurt, I look for Nishikigi’s battle-hug sumo to be ineffective today.

Kotonowaka (0-0) vs Shodai (0-0) – Sometimes the September tournament earns the name “Wacky Aki”, and for good cause. It’s the basho where Goeido had a 15-0 zensho yusho, beating the likes of Kisenosato, Kakuryu and Harumafuji. In short, anything can happen. What gets my vote for “Wacky” this time? Shodai on a hot streak, maybe even a double digit score at the end. That would amuse the Great Sumo Cat of the Kokugikan, indeed. Call up Acme, we are going to need 15 days of cartoon sumo.

Asanoyama (0-0) vs Wakamotoharu (0-0) – In my book, Asanoyama did pretty well at M4 to end with 8-7, given he was out for 4 days kyujo. He managed to post to M2 this time, giving him a chance to throw spanners in the plans of both kadoban Ozeki, probably in week 1. He beat Wakamotoharu in their only prior match, day 15 of the Nagoya tournament this year.

Daieisho (0-0) vs Meisei (0-0) – Oh man, what is Meisei doing up here? Maybe he can hang in there, but more likely he won’t. Against the likes of Daieisho, he is little more than practice ballast should Daieisho come in healthy and ready to fight. I am looking for some big power forward from Daieisho, and probably a win for the Sekiwake.

Abi (0-0) vs Hoshoryu (0-0) – Shin-Ozeki Hoshoryu should dispatch Abi today without too much drama. Abi’s double arm attack style is not as potent as it once was, and Abi seems less mobile and less agile than he was when Abi-zumo was a thing. I think it might be the extra kilos he’s lumped on. Hoshoryu leads the career series 7-2

Hokutofuji (0-0) vs Takakeisho (0-0) – Now it’s really getting interesting. Takakeisho put up a reasonably good show in pre-basho practices, but as mentioned earlier, those don’t count for squat. Takakeisho can easily blast Hokutofuji’s upper body out, but his lower body is one tough defensive item. With a 14-10 career record, it tends to come down to Takakeisho being able to stay mobile, and away from Hokutofuji’s nodowa.

Kirishima (0-0) vs Tobizaru (0-0) – The second of our kadoban Ozeki is in the final match of the day. He has only won 7 out of 17 matches with Tobizaru, and has struggled with Tobizaru’s “kitchen sink” combos. If Kirishima can set up a throw, the match is likely his.