Aki Basho 2020

Aki Day 13 Highlights

Bruce H Aki Basho 2020, Aoiyama, Asanoyama (朝乃山), Chiyotairyū (千代大龍), Daieisho (大栄翔), Endo (遠藤), Enho, Hokutōfuji (北勝富士), Hoshoryu, Ichinojo (逸ノ城), Ishiura (石浦), Kagayaki (輝), Kaisei (魁聖), Kakuryu (鶴竜), Kiribayama (霧馬山), Kotoeko, Kotoshogiku (琴奨菊), Kotoshoho, Kyokutaisei, Meisei, Mitakeumi(御嶽海), Myogiryu (妙義龍), Okinoumi (隠岐の海), Ryuden (竜電), Sadanoumi (佐田の海), Shimanoumi, Shohozan, 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), Tokushoryu, Wakatakakage, Yutakayama, Ōnoshō (阿武咲)

In a surprising development early Friday, Chiyotairyu and Terunofuji were both declared kyujo. Chiyotairyu had not really appeared hurt, but his medical certificate cited injury to both feet. We hope he gets well and can come back in fighting form. Fans who had been cheering the remarkable comeback of Terunofuji were initially surprised to read he had dropped, and they are now worried as his medical certificate cites injury to his left knee. Terunofuji’s knees are little more than gristle and pain at this point, and we assumed it would be the first thing to fail on him. I wish him best of luck getting them back together and back in the fight. He had a score of 8-4 when he went kyujo, so he will (at minimum) keep h is Maegashira 1e rank for November.

In competition, Shodai prevailed over Takakeisho, and for at least one day, the yusho race is between Tobizaru and Shodai. The schedulers have chosen Asanoyama to face Shodai on day 14, and Tobizaru gets a try at Takakeisho. Depending on day 14 results, there could be as many as six (6!) rikishi tied for the yusho on the final day. A brilliant job of shaping the yusho race by the scheduling team.

Highlight Matches

Shimanoumi defeats Shohozan – Shohozan cements his position as captain of the slow barge of the damned headed to Juryo. He’s a great competitor, but injury seems to have robbed him of his sumo. Thanks for all of the great matches, “Big Guns”.

Hoshoryu defeats Ishiura – Ishiura had a lot of guts to jump back in the basho with a damaged ankle. I am sure it was an attempt to pick up any wins he could to soften his demotion. I can’t blame his motivation, and only time will tell if his judgement was sound. Hoshoryu picks up a much needed win, but his best possible outcome now is a day 15 Darwin match.

Ichinojo defeats Kotoshogiku – Also in the grizzled veteran who may be making his last top division appearance is dear former Ozeki Kotoshogiku. He had almost no defense today against Ichinojo, thanks to knees that are completely worn out from decades of sumo.

Sadanoumi defeats Kaisei – Kaisei was not happy with his hand and body position at the tachiai, and his moment of indecision was all of the opportunity Sadanoumi needed to win the match. Both men are on a solid trajectory for a day 15 7-7 Darwin match.

Meisei defeats Enho – Meisei starts the match taking Enho to his chest, but a moment later Enho breaks contact. The familiar cat-style fight ensues, with each pawing the other with a series of tentative strike and withdraw combos. Meisei loses interest in this, lunges forward to grab Enho and power him on a flight trajectory to the tarawa. Meisei kachi-koshi.

Kotoeko defeats Aoiyama – This match was full of suprises. The first that Aoiyama decided to go chest to chest with the much smaller Kotoeko. Second that Kotoeko somehow tapped into some kind of energy reserve and was able to out-brute the man-mountain Aoiyama.

Takayasu defeats Kotoshoho – Takayasu gets his 8th win to secure kachi-koshi for September. Kotoshoho had a lot of power and forward momentum in the tachiai, but Takayasu completely blocked out Kotoshoho’s attempt for a grip. Kotoshoho kept up the pressure, but lost footing while trying to swing Takayasu around. The kimarite is listed as tsukite, meaning Kotoshoho fell down and lost.

Onosho defeats Takarafuji – This match makes me wonder if Takarafuji has some kind of back / hip pain he is contending with. Not to detract from Onosho’s powerful and efficient attack. But Takarafuji had no chance to set up any kind of defense, and quickly found himself pushed out of the ring.

Kagayaki defeats Tochinoshin – Oh, I am sure the drama in sumo fandom will rage around this one. The match proper featured Kagayaki initially overpowering Tochinoshin. Tochinoshin responded by setting up a back of the neck pull, that seemed to take forever to deliver. But Kagayaki went face first to the clay, and the gumbai went to Tochinoshin. A monoii decided that Tochinoshin’s heel touched out before he even completed the pull against Kagayaki, and the match was awarded to Kagayaki. I can only imagine the shimpan saw something I could not from the video.

Myogiryu defeats Tamawashi – Myogiryu put a huge effort into this match, and found a way to deflect or nullify almost every move Tamawashi could deliver. Tamawashi was limited mostly to responding to Myogiryu’s attacks but showed some really great balance. The final move saw both men locked chest to chest, each throwing the other down. A very athletic twisting move by Myogiryu ensured that Tamawashi landed first. Great ring sense from Myogiryu. Tamawashi make-koshi.

Terutsuyoshi defeats Hokutofuji – I am going to guess that Hokutofuji is the only person in the sumo world who did not see this one coming from a mile away. Two matta by Terutsuyoshi followed by a henka. That’s loss number 8 for Hokutofuji, and he once again can claim “The most powerful make-koshi in sumo”.

Tobizaru defeats Takanosho – Takanosho had great position in the tachiai, but found himself with a bit too much forward power. Tobizaru gave way and allowed Takanosho to move forward while Tobizaru’s third step turned him to the side, and positioned him to drive Takanosho out. Tobizaru maintains his spot as co-leader.

Ryuden defeats Okinoumi – The word for this match – makikae (grip shift). Ryuden does this very well, and he was able to nullify Okinoumi’s early advantage, and get both hands inside and on Okinoumi’s mawashi. Sadly both were make-koshi before this match, so now they are just fighting to figure out how far down the banzuke they will drop.

Kiribayama defeats Daieisho – Kiribayama comes back from kyujo and brings some decent sumo with him. Daieisho generated almost zero forward resistance against Kiribayama. I am not sure if he had his heart set ons some kind of pulling move, could not get his feet set, or is nursing an injury. Kiribayama looked pained following the win.

Shodai defeats Takakeisho – Shodai absorbed everything that Takakeisho could land on him. Under a rain of blows from the Ozeki, he kept his feet and stayed in the match. Again I see Kakuryu’s sumo showing itself in Shodai, and it’s great. Shodai’s first attempt to swing Takakeisho by him on Takakeisho’s thrust failed, but the second one a moment later delivered, and the Ozeki hit the dohyo. Shodai maintains his portion of the lead in the yusho race. Perfect selection of tactics for this match on Shodai’s part. Well done.

Asanoyama defeats Mitakeumi – Mitakeumi looked like little more than practice ballast for Asanoyama today, and it did not take more than 3 steps to get the original tadpole airborne. Asanoyama stays in the hunt, and will have his one chance to pull himself back in the yusho race on day 14 when he faces Shodai. Frankly, I can’t wait.

Aki Day 13 Preview

Bruce H Abi (阿炎), Aki Basho 2020, Aoiyama, Asanoyama (朝乃山), Chiyotairyū (千代大龍), Daieisho (大栄翔), Endo (遠藤), Enho, Hakuho (白鵬), Hokutōfuji (北勝富士), Hoshoryu, Ichinojo (逸ノ城), Ishiura (石浦), Kagayaki (輝), Kaisei (魁聖), Kakuryu (鶴竜), Kiribayama (霧馬山), Kotoeko, Kotoshogiku (琴奨菊), Kotoshoho, Kyokutaisei, Meisei, Mitakeumi(御嶽海), Myogiryu (妙義龍), Okinoumi (隠岐の海), Ryuden (竜電), Sadanoumi (佐田の海), Shimanoumi, Shohozan, 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), Tokushoryu, Wakatakakage, Yutakayama, Ōnoshō (阿武咲)

lksumo already created a sterling post that details the storylines going into the final weekend of the Aki basho. There are a handful of high-interest matches for Friday, day 13 that I just wanted to comment on. Apologies if your favorite match is not listed here. So here we go!

What We Are Watching Day 13

Hoshoryu vs Ishiura – A first time match between smaller rikish, and Hoshoryu has make-koshi on the line. The best he can home for now is a day 15 Darwin match, which would be a fascinating shame. Ishiura is injured, so he may be an easy mark.

Enho vs Meisei – Enho’s sumo battery is reading 20%, and it’s been part of why I have found the third act of Aki a bit of a bummer. Some rikishi I really love to watch are on fumes, and not fighting at all well. On the positive side, a Meisei win would be kachi-koshi for him.

Tokushoryu vs Chiyotairyu – Loser is make-koshi. They both have matching 5-7 records, and a career record of 5-7 – with a 2 match advantage for Chiyotairyu.

Kotoeko vs Aoiyama – A win today is kachi-koshi for Aoiyama, he won their only prior encounter, and given that Kotoeko is not fighting well right now, it could be short and brutal. A loss today by Kotoeko is make-koshi for him.

Onosho vs Takarafuji – Their 10 prior bouts are split 5-5, and I am keen to see what a genki Onosho can do with Takarafuji’s defense today.

Kagayaki vs Tochinoshin – Part of me wants to see Kagayaki hand Tochinoshin his make-koshi, as he has been less than awesome this tournament. But Kagayaki is not genki himself, so lord knows how this one is going go. Their last match was in Osaka, when Tochinoshin slapped Kagayaki down.

Myogiryu vs Tamawashi – Loser make-koshi. Work it out guys!

Tobizaru vs Takanosho – Tobizaru has not beaten Takanosho in 5 attempts, but I think this is Tobizaru’s best sumo ever. Takanosho can do his stable make Takakeisho a huge favor and take the flying monkey down for a loss, knocking him out of the leader group. This one will be quite intense, I predict.

Terunofuji vs Wakatakakage – Both are already kachi-koshi, so they are fighting to determine promotion velocity. For Terunofuji, its about where he may end up in San’yaku, for Wakatakakage, I hope he does not end up over-promoted.

Shodai vs Takakeisho – Time to open the good stuff. A top of the banzuke show down between two co-leaders in the yusho arasoi. They have 11 prior matches, with Takakeisho holding a 7-4 lead. But worth noting – Shodai has won the last two (Hatsu and Osaka). Its going to come down to the first step, and I expect that Takakeisho is going to drive inside hard, perhaps too hard. If he can get a solid connection to Shodai’s chest, he can control the match. But I expect Shodai is ready for that, and I think we may see deflection from him and an attempt to use his superior balance and size to control the defensive aspect of the match. The winner of this match is going to be the yusho favorite, at least until tomorrow.

Asanoyama vs Mitakeumi – Not to be sold short, this match has a lot at stake. Mitakeumi needs to “win out” if he wants to reach double digits and keep any hope of his 4th or 5th Ozeki attempt alive. A win today by Asanoyama would give him a narrow but workable chance to challenge for the cup in the final days. Great end to day 13 with two solid, high stakes battles.

Bouts from the lower divisions – Day 12

Herouth Aki Basho 2020

Here we are, in the second day of round 6. The yusho eliminations for this round have all been played yesterday. Round 7 spans the last three days of the basho, with all yusho deciders taking place on day 13, and playoffs, if any, taking place on senshuraku.

But despite not having any yusho matches today, we still have plenty of familiar faces and some nice sumo. Let’s go.

Continue reading →

Aki Storylines, Day 12

lksumo Aki Basho 2020

The Yusho Race

We are down to 3 co-leaders with 10-2 records: Ozeki Takakeisho, Sekiwake Shodai, and surprise of the tournament, maegashira 14 Tobizaru, who is certain to receive a special prize in his top-division debut. Three additional wrestlers—pre-tournament favorite Asanoyama and high-performing maegashira Wakatakakage and  Onosho, who were both dropped from the lead group by Tobizaru—are one off the pace at 9-3.

The schedulers are not messing around, with the top-ranked co-leaders meeting tomorrow in what has to be the match of the tournament so far. Takakeisho leads the head-to-head 7-4, but Shodai has taken the last two. The next roadblock for Tobizaru is M1 Takanosho, who has taken all 5 of their lower-division meetings. Asanoyama takes on struggling Mitakeumi, who does hold a 5-2 career edge in their rivalry. Wakatakakage takes on Terunofuji, while Onosho is matched with Takarafuji.

The Named Ranks

Takakeisho is in the lead group, and a second career title would be the start of a Yokozuna challenge for him. Fellow Ozeki Asanoyama trails by one and still controls his fate, unless Tobizaru were to somehow win out without facing him. Co-leader Shodai has successfully defended his rank, can still hope for an Ozeki promotion and, barring that, will carry a 2-basho run forward into the November tournament. West Sekiwake Mitakeumi (7-5) will remain in san’yaku but still needs one win in the final 3 days to maintain his rank and three to continue an Ozeki run.

Shin-Sekiwake Daieisho (4-8) will drop from his career-high rank, and one more loss will drop him out of san’yaku altogether. Both Komusubi, Okinoumi and Endo, are make-koshi, and will be back in the rank-and-file on the next banzuke. The most likely number of open san’yaku slots is 2, but it could be as few as 1 if Daieisho wins out and limits his drop to Komusubi and as many as 3 if Shodai earns promotion. M1e Terunofuji (8-4) leads the promotion queue, closely followed by M1w Takanosho (8-4). If only one slot were to open, and Takanosho were to finish with a better record than Terunofuji, the banzuke committee would have a difficult decision to make.

Division Exchanges

Lots of losses by the demotion contenders on day 12; only Shimanoumi moved closer to safety, and Enho and Kaisei removed themselves from any danger entirely.

Certain to drop to Juryo: Abi and Kyokutaisei.

Likely to drop, barring favorable banzuke luck due to a lack of promotion contenders in Juryo and/or even worse performances by other demotion candidates: Shohozan, Ishiura.

3 wins needed: Kotoshogiku.

2 wins needed: Shimanoumi, Ichinojo, Hoshoryu*. *3 if everything breaks against him.

Not many wins among the Juryo promotion hopefuls. J2w Kotonowaka (9-3) remains the only man certain to rise to the top division. Fellow Sadagotake beya J2e Kotoyuki, 7-4, still needs a win to secure his kachi-koshi, which would almost certainly to see him promoted. J11w Chiyonokuni, 11-1, now leads the yusho race by 2 wins, and 2 more will not only clinch the championship but should return him to Makuuchi. Several other Juryo rikishi remain in the running for a lucky ticket to the top division.

As noted previously, the Makushita-Juryo exchange picture is complicated by the mandated absences and uncertain banzuke fates of J7 Azumaryu and J14 Fujiazuma. There are already two certain openings in Juryo, one created by Kizakiumi’s retirement and the other by Oki’s 0-10 sekitori debut. J14 Kitaharima (5-7) needs to win out to survive, and J12 Daishoho (5-7) needs 2. Everyone else has done enough to stay, so anywhere between 2 and 6 slots could be open.

Of the 7 rikishi still in contention in the Makushita promotion zone, only one was in action today: Ms1w Jokoryu (4-3), who got his kachi-koshi while handing Kitaharima his 7th loss, and will likely return to the salaried ranks for the first time since January 2019. Another promotion should be decided tomorrow in a Darwin match between Ms1e Takagenji and Ms3w Sakigake, both 3-3. The other 3-3 man, Ms5e Kotodaigo, will be last in the promotion queue even if he wins his final bout, and would need 6 slots to open. Ms2e Chiyonoumi and Ms4w Naya, both 4-2, and Ms5w Ura (5-1), are not on tomorrow’s torikumi, and will have to wait until the final weekend to have their fates decided.