At least three yusho were to be decided on Day 13, the first of which being Jonokuchi.
The match-up we’d been waiting for all week finally happened. Mifuneyama, on the left, against Setonoumi. As we’ve come to expect from Setonoumi, he charged in hard and then pulled. The experienced Mifuneyama was waiting and charged back. He kept his footing through the pull-down attempt and thrust forward. However, the deciding moment was when Setonoumi side-stepped and re-engaged from Mifuneyama’s right side, opposite the damaged knee. This pressured Mifuneyama laterally and there was no way he’d be able to use the tawara to stop Setonoumi’s charge. Congratulations, Setonoumi.
Next up, Jonidan. Hiroshi, with the untied zambara hairstyle on the left, faced Kotakiyama of Futagoyama-beya. Hiroshi over-powered Kotakiyama for the yusho but both men have punched their tickets to Sandanme.
Speaking of Sandanme, that yusho was a little bit more in doubt as three men were tied with 6-0 records at the start of the evening. Low-leader Suguro was paired with Asakishin in a battle between two guys who are basically allergic to mawashi and will do anything to stay away from yotsu-zumo. Asakishin has actually only won one bout via yorikiri in a 6-year career, while losing 28. More than 60 of his wins have been by oshidashi, so we could expect a slapfest for sure. The morning demon god is the swole bloke on the right. Suguro is on the left…oh, the anticipation…
HENKA! Beautiful side-step and slap down. Suguro’s defeat meant the yusho was decided in the matchup of undefeated Fujiseiun and Narutaki. Fujiseiun wanted to get in close and establish a belt-grip. He’s proven quite adept at yotsu-zumo. However, Narutaki much prefers a brawling, straight-forward oshi-style. He kept Fujiseiun away from the belt but couldn’t get in to establish his own attack as Fujiseiun drove him back. At the straw bales Narutaki tried a pulldown but it was far too late as Fujiseiun had already pushed him out to claim his 3rd straight 7-0 record and his second yusho.
With so many Makushita contenders out of the running early, the yusho came down to Fukai vs Kitanowaka, a young oshi-style recruit against a more established yotsu-veteran of the upper Makushita.
The decisive moment comes at the tachiai as Kitanowaka locks on target quickly and Fukai is briefly able to wrest himself from his opponent’s firm grip. But Kitanowaka is way too high and unable to launch any kind of counter attack so Fukai locked in again, and began to press forward. At the edge Kitanowaka tries a last-second twist but was not able to execute in time.
＊Correction: My original account had swapped Fukai for Kitanowaka mid-way through this paragraph. That has been fixed.
Thus ends the lower-division yusho races for Wacky-Aki. With Takagenji’s vacancy, one additional sekitori slot is open for a Makushita promotion and eyes turn to the final weekend and the yusho races in the pro-ranks.
If you have not read lksumo’s post on the macro-situation in the top two divisions going into the final weekend, go read it now. As always, he is Team Tachiai’s pro at knowing the chances for promotion and demotion, and it’s worth the read.
There are 5 rikishi up for kachi-koshi today, and 6 up for make-koshi. I expect at least half in each group to make their 8th and affirm their promotion or demotion for November. Then there is the broad group of 6-6 rikishi, 8 in all, who are prime candidates for Darwin matches. To make it to that state is going to require them to win one, and lose one over the next 2 days. If the schedulers were being complete bastards, this group of 8 would only fight between each other, with the goal of carrying them all to 7-7 to start day 15. but it looks like that is not quite the case.
Today’s action should be fast and brutal, and I can’t wait to see how it turns out.
Aki Leaderboard
With Terunofuji’s day 12 loss to Meisei, the yusho race has broadened considerably. The group 1 win behind do not have a single yusho between them, and I expect that none of them will be able to mount a respectable challenge. The group 2 wins behind contains 3 rikishi with prior yusho, but for them to get in range, it will require someone to put Terunofuji on the clay for a 3rd loss.
Kagayaki vs Tochinoshin – I am surprised that Tochinoshin has manage to get his score to 6-6. In the early days of this basho, he looked ready for the barber. But like so many long suffering veterans, he found some way to fight around his injuries and squeeze out enough wins to keep him in the hunt. He’s not kachi-koshi yet, but even if he “loses out” he is going to survive in the top division to November. He has a 7-2 career record against Kagayaki, and if those goes to Oshi-zumo like Tochinoshin’s day 12 match against Chiyonokuni, its going to be painful.
Yutakayama vs Hidenoumi – Yutakayama can pick up kachi-koshi if he can overcome his 0-6 career deficit against Hidenoumi. A Yutakayama win would send Hidenoumi to his 8th loss, but I think we will more likely see Hidenoumi take home the win.
Aoiyama vs Tsurugisho – Two massive near 200kg guys smashing it out – what could be better? Oh yeah, if Tsurugisho loses today, he’s make-koshi. In spite of the pain he is in every day, I guess he’s going to summon everything he can for these last 3 matches. Aoiyama at 6-6 is in that group that may be eligible for a Darwin match. Lots at stake, so I am expecting a lot of sumo.
Kaisei vs Tobizaru – Tobizaru has a chance to avoid make-koshi today, by staying mobile and not allowing Kaisei to latch on to his mawashi. If he fails to do that, he’s will pick up his 8th loss today.
Tokushoryu vs Terutsuyoshi – Both come in with matching, terrible, 3-9 records. Tokushoryu is already headed to Juryo short of some odd miracle, and Terutsuyoshi is now wearing his 4th make-koshi in the past year. This is a battle of the miserable, and I hope both men come back strong in November.
Shimanoumi vs Ichiyamamoto – A first time match up, and a Shimanoumi loss today would be make-koshi for him. It’s clear that Ichiyamamoto is still fighting hurt, and will be returning to Juryo in all likelihood.
Ura vs Chiyonoo – Both men are make-koshi, and Chiyonoo is likely on his way back to Juryo. So today is all about setting up how far down the banzuke Ura will fall. He’s got a chance to “win out” now, and end up in the middle of the rank and file in November. Ura has a 4-2 career advantage, and I am hoping he is past some of the poor sumo that plagued is day 12 match against Chiyotairyu.
Chiyoshoma vs Kotoeko – I now think one of the great stories of this basho could be Kotoeko’s come back. If he manages to pick up 2 wins, he could be kachi-koshi. Given his 4 match winning streak, I wonder if he is going to be able to make it work. He holds a 9-4 career lead over Chiyoshoma, who could use another win or two to keep him from falling too far down the banzuke.
Chiyotairyu vs Daieisho – Winner gets kachi-koshi, and given Chiyotairyu’s 6-2 hot streak, its going to be up to him to blast Daieisho at the tachiai before he can set up his big thrusting attack. If you want to see an explosive tachiai, this could be your match.
Wakatakakage vs Chiyomaru – Chiyomaru can reach kachi-koshi if he can overcome Wakatakakage’s speed and agility. Working in Chiyomaru’s favor – his absolutely enormous belly. His personal bollard, it makes it tough to do anything other than try to grab his head. Wakatakakage’s best attack route is to get to the side and attack.
Endo vs Kiribayama – Kiribayama has lost the last 2 in a row, and is still trying to come up with his 8th win. If he should prevail over Endo (they have a 1-1 career record), he would knock Endo out of the group 1 win behind Terunofuji. Both men have a lot on the line today, and I expect them both to be at maximum energy for this match.
Chiyonokuni vs Takanosho – A Maegashira 17 takes on a Maegashira 1, I am sure someone in the torikumi group was itching to do this, so here we are. Grumpy Badger Chiyonokuni is going to try to knock Takanosho into a 7th loss, and set him up for a Darwin match on day 15. Chiyonokuni has never won a match against Takanosho in 3 attempts, so it’s a tall order indeed.
Hoshoryu vs Tamawashi – Tamawashi is one loss away from make-koshi. He has had a middling tournament through and through, with a standout win against Takakeisho on day 6. Hoshoryu comes into day 13 at 3-9, and is going to take a big fall down the banzuke no matter what. His sumo is still getting stronger with each tournament, and if he gets pushed too far down the November ranking, he’s going to tear up his peers.
Okinoumi vs Ichinojo – Ichinojo is at 6-6, and needs 2 more wins to hang on to his sna’yaku posting. He has absolutely pounded the stuffing out of his last 3 opponents, and Okinoumi is going to need to mind his sumo today. Ichinojo has a 6-2 career lead, and it’s going to be rough.
Takarafuji vs Meisei – Meisei is coming from a day 12 win over Yokozuna Terunofuji, and may be on a well deserved adrenalin high. Takarafuji has had two rough matches in the past two days, and needs to win 2 more to hit kachi-koshi. I don’t have a good idea how this one is going to play out, but I think that Meisei has an advantage today.
Myogiryu vs Takakeisho – Myogiryu has lost every one of the 13 matches where he faced Takakeisho. This may have been a “gimmie” match to save Takakeisho should he have dropped his day 12 bout with Takarafuji. Myogiryu is part of the group one win behind Terunofuji, and I expect him to pick up loss #4 today.
Shodai vs Onosho – Another match intended to pick off one of the 9-4 chasers, but I don’t think that this one is a sure thing. Onosho is disposed to hot and cold streaks, and there is no denying he is enjoying a hot streak this September. I think there will be a narrow window where Onosho can blast Shodai into submission, but it may only be 3 steps before Shodai’s “wall of daikon” defenses kick in, and remove any chance for the junior tadpole to reach double digits.
Mitakeumi vs Terunofuji – The big match, it’s Mitakeumi’s chance to create an opportunity for his 3rd yusho. He has not beating Terfunofuji since Aki 2020, and has lost 5 in a row. The odds are not in his favor. But that discounts motivation. We don’t know what kind of shape Terunofuji’s knees are in. That dohyo-iri may in fact be taking a toll on his fighting ability, as we are seeing him drop matches into week 2. So all eyes will be on this one, with Mitakeumi wanting to end the match in the first 3 steps, and Terunofuji working to stalemate the original tadpole, and shut him down.
My initial reaction to day 12 was, “Where to start with this?”. It was a day of intense and pivotal sumo, full of good matches with some surprising results. I think it has to start with the last match of the day, where Meisei surprised the Yokozuna with a blistering tachiai and converted it to a shitatenage on the third step. With that loss, the yusho race expands once again, with 4 rikishi finishing the day 1 win behind the Yokozuna. I still expect Terunofuji to take the cup home on day 15, but the score will be no higher than 13-2.
But earlier in the torikumi, we saw Tochinoshin take on Chiyonokuni in a oshi-zumo battle, and batter the daylights out of the arch pugilist with enough power to knock a filling loose. We don’t see Tochinoshin engage in this kind of sumo much if at all, but that looked like it hurt.
While I am pretty sure the funnel project was set aside earlier, we now have 8 rikishi that go into the final three days with 6-6 records. This could make for a healthy crop of Darwin matches on day 15, but we have to get them (and maybe a few others) to 7-7 two days from now.
Lastly, poor Takayasu literally busted his ass. He is kyujo with an injury to his right side gluteus maximus, and will be out for the rest of the basho. Tamawashi picked up the fusensho and has a 5-7 score at the end of day 12. We hope that Takayasu can find a comfortable position to rest with that one. Man, it must hurt.
Highlight Matches
Daiamami defeats Chiyonoo – Juryo visitor Daiamami has the better hand and body position, and overpowers Chiyonoo for his 8th loss, rendering him make-koshi for September. Chiyonoo has lost 5 of the last 6 matches, and joins the crowd eligible for demotion back to Juryo.
Tochinoshin defeats Chiyonokuni – I do think that Tochinoshin may have found a new form of sumo to enjoy today. Chiyonokuni started with his normal wide, powerful slapping swings, battering Tochinoshin around mercilessly. And then, maybe, the former Ozeki connected with his 12 year old self battling with a sibling back in Georgia, and opened up his own smack-attack. As much upper body strength as Tochinoshin still has, that had to have really been effective. By the 5th volley, Chiyonokuni was clearly feeling it in his head and face, and Tochinoshin made fast work of shoving him out. Tochinoshin improves to 6-6.
Kotoeko defeats Chiyotairyu – Four in a row now for Kotoeko. His fight against Chiyonokuni on day 8 must have snapped whatever was damaged back into place, because he has won every match since after a long streak of losses. Chiyotairyu dictated that the match go chest to chest, which is a bit surprising. Kotoeko was able to mount a strong defense, and worked to get a double inside grip, which he converted to a win moments later. Kotoeko improves to 6-6.
Kagayaki defeats Myogiryu – This may have been intended to a straightforward win for Myogiryu to stay one behind Terunofuji, but Kagayaki got his hands inside, and hammered away against center-mass. Myogiryu could not hold his footing, and Kagayaki pressed forward to thrust Myogiryu out, improving to 6-6.
Yutakayama defeats Aoiyama – Yutakayama was able to get chest to chest with Aoiyama, who seemed to not really have a good formula for shutting down Yutakayama’s advance. Yutakayama made fast work of the match, with a tentative right hand inside position, he moved Aoiyama back and out to improve to 7-5.
Tsurugisho defeats Hidenoumi – Tsurugisho was not quite ready for make-koshi yet. He gets a right hand inside and marched Hidenoumi directly out. It was too slow to be denshamichi, but I think it was quite a good match from a man fighting through the pain on his right leg. Both end the day at 5-7.
Tobizaru defeats Tokushoryu – Tokushoryu was very eager off the line, causing a matta, and then rushing in fast on the second attempt. Tobizaru seemed wary of some kind of mischief from Tokushoryu, who had superior body position, But Tobizaru’s left hand inside and shoulders set up for a kubinage, which came through just as both men crashed across the bales. Tobizaru improves to 5-7.
Shimanoumi defeats Kaisei – Shimanoumi gave Kaisei a welcome start to the match, going chest to chest and keeping the lateral movement to a minimum. After setting up then struggling for hand placement, Shimanoumi established a hazuoshi (armpit attack) and pushed Kaisei across the tawara. Shimanoumi improves to 5-7, Kaisei hits loss #8 and is make-koshi.
Ichiyamamoto defeats Terutsuyoshi – I had expected Terutsuyoshi to dominate this match, but Ichiyamamoto was able to set up a two hand thrust on Terutsuyoshi’s shoulders before the tachiai was complete. Terutsuyoshi never found a way to defend or escape the attack stream, and was quickly thrust out of the ring. Ichiyamamoto improves to 4-8.
Chiyomaru defeats Ura – Ura gets under Chiyomaru’s initial attack, which went high and over Ura’s shoulder. But it put Chiyomaru’s hands in a perfect position for a pull down, and he launched Ura forward to tumble out of the ring. Chiyomaru improves to 7-5.
Wakatakakage defeats Chiyoshoma – Chiyoshoma was off balance at the second step, and that robbed him of both offense and defense at a critical moment of the fight. Wakatakakage took control and responded with a thrusting combo that caught Chiyoshoma wide open, and unable to compensate. Wakatakakage improves to 6-6.
Okinoumi defeats Kiribayama – Kiribayama fails to reach his 8th win yet again, and his hoped for posting to san’yaku is starting to look a bit more questionable. He put up a hell of a defense against Okinoumi, who was able to get superior body and hand placement, and at once point was pressing against Kiribayama’s chin with everything he could muster. But Okinoumi has enough sumo for any occasion, and sends Kiribayama out with an uwatenage, improving to 9-3.
Daieisho defeats Hoshoryu – Nice to see Daieisho back to his traditional form of sumo. Explosive tachiai, direct connect with maximum power thrust, and follow up with overpowering forward momentum. Hoshoryu had no chance to do anything other than go along for the ride. Daieisho improves to 7-5.
Endo defeats Takanosho – Takanosho had all of the offense in this match, but hit the clay thanks to a last moment hatakikomi from Endo as he was falling out of the ring. I expected a monoii, but I am going to guess the judges had a clear enough view that none was required. Endo improves to 9-3.
Onosho defeats Mitakeumi – When the schedulers put two tadpoles on the dohyo to fight each other, you know there will be sparks. Onosho, when he can be certain that there is enough mass to hold his pressure, can deliver a massive opening volley. He used it today to put Mitakeumi on his heels, and 2 steps later to shove him across the tawara to improve to 9-3.
Ichinojo defeats Shodai – It was a matta fest, as Ichinojo could not get his low speed launch quite right. To be fair, its a bit like launching a JAL 777 headed for Los Angeles. I saw Shodai trying the “big body” wall of daikon technique, and Ichinojo was having none of it. From his great altitude, a slap down is always just a moment away. With Shodai reaching forward to press the attack, Ichinojo reached forward and sent him down to the clay. Ichinojo improves to 6-6. Even Isegahama seemed frustrated.
Takakeisho defeats Takarafuji – I have no idea where Takakeisho found the guts to grind out 8 wins this month after losing the first 3 in a row. It was clear he was not 100%, but he was going to make it work through sheer force of will if necessary. This is why he’s an Ozeki. Takarafuji, to his credit, presents an excellent, stable defense, but can’t stay in with the amount of power Takakeisho is suppling. Takakeisho clears kadoban, retains his Ozeki rank with his 8th win, and his kachi-koshi for Aki.
Meisei defeats Terunofuji – Meisei shook off a poor record going into today to surprise the Yokozuna with a lightning fast tachiai, putting all of his force into a double arm thrust against Terunofuji’s neck, and immediately drove low to put a right hand deep inside. With his right hand on Terunofuji’s mawashi knot, Meisei had advantage, and he did not give Terunofuji any time to defend, rolling into a throw and sending the Yokozuna across the bales. Meisei improves to 5-7.
I tried to take a look at all the “underclassmen” yusho races today. First up, Jonokuchi
The Jonokuchi yusho will come down to Setonoumi vs Mifuneyama. Setonoumi faced Kokuryunami. Because of an odd-numbered yusho race in Jonidan, Mifuneyama was once again called up, this time to face Kakutaiki. He has fought three consecutive bouts in Jonidan, won all three, and solidified a decisive 7th bout in both divisions, Jonokuchi and Jonidan.
I’ll get to the Jonidan matchup next but before that, I included the sixth bout of Ito, the lone newbie competing in this tournament. He came into this bout with one loss but after a tough first round bout against Setonoumi, he faced yet another wall in Watanabe. Despite the 58kg difference in weight, Watanabe dropped Ito outside of the tawara with a thud. Let’s add this one to the watch list, shall we?
In Jonidan the yusho will be decided by Hitoshi vs Kotakiyama. Hitoshi is the surprising survivor of the July debut cohort after Kiryuko’s kotenage defeat to Kotakiyama (last bout from the compilation video above). Who knew going for a left-handed belt grip would almost cost you your arm? Kotenageyama sure swallowed that up. Then he proceeded to fling Kiryuko clear off the playing surface.
Hitoshi, on the other hand, came to play. He struck quickly and ushered Yashiroumi over the bales. He beat veteran Kenho as well as up-and-comers Nobehara and Mogamizakura earlier in this tournament. Kotakiyama will have his hands full…or, more precisely, he will hope to have his hands full of Hitoshi’s belt. So far, Hitoshi has not won any yorikiri bouts. He’s strictly an oshidashi/hatakikomi rikishi. This will be an interesting contrast in styles.
Sandanme & Makushita Yusho Races
Up in Sandanme, the race comes down to Fujiseiun, Narutaki, and Suguro. Fujiseiun won his Jonokuchi debut (with a playoff win over Suguro) and then lost the Jonidan playoff in July to Osanai. Other than that playoff loss, he’s undefeated and likely the favorite for the yusho.
He will face Fukai who executed this brilliant spin-o-rama against Hikarifuji, and who may earn an “Asa”-based tongue-twister shikona if his success continues.
