The schedulers did not pit Setonoumi against Mifuneyama. Mifuneyama was needed for another bout in Jonidan, against an undefeated Kogomaru so Setonoumi faced Agadzumazakura. Despite the advantage of a matta, telegraphing exactly what Setonoumi was going to do, Agadzumazakura was caught completely wrong-footed and blasted from the dohyo. Mifuneyama’s tsuppari was too much for Kogomaru as the latter rikishi’s knee buckled and he fell backwards. Both men remain undefeated.
There are now four challengers with one loss if they decide to avoid the battle of the undefeated until a possible seventh bout. Kokuryunami made short work of Chiyofuku so I skipped that bout. Instead, I have Kototaiko in an entertaining battle with Tamanotora. Ito then out-leaned Ariake and Watanabe muscled Wakayutaka over the tawara to remain one back.
Leaders: Setonoumi & Mifuneyama
Chasers: Kokuryunami, Kototaiko, Ito, Watanabe
Unfortunately, there was not much to the Byakuen or Kato bouts as they were quickly defeated. Kato seemed to regress a bit, looking like his previous performances in the last tournament. We’ll keep an eye on them going forward but today I’ve decided to add a great bout with Nangu from Jonidan. At first I just wanted to add him to the post because his shiko is usually much better than the average low-ranker. However, he actually won the bout with a nice shitatenage.
Good golly! Its the end of act 2 already! We certainly have a yusho race on our hands, and we are starting to sort the survivors from the damned, so that’s act 2. On the final day, we a number of head scratcher matches. Some of them have the chance to be “energetic”. Going into act 3, the conventions of how close in rank the contestants are are relaxed, and we will see some fun match ups. At times they will just be because they are interesting, and sometimes to test two rikishi against each others. Sadly, we can’t get a Wakatakakage vs Hoshoryu rematch until November. Frankly they could schedule those one per day, and we would all be happy.
I am starting to have hope that Takakeisho might be able to pull this one out. He has 6 matches left, and needs 3. He’s got to be as solid as he can manage given he may still be less than 100%, and that means defense for him, a tall order. Takakeisho is all about attacking with overwhelming power. But that power is not where it should be, and he needs to stay in the match longer than what he is used to in order to get his openings to win. In the long run, this may be beneficial for him, as a solid defense is a good thing for an Ozeki to have.
Aki Leaderboard
With Terunofuji’s day 9 loss to Daieisho, the race is a bit more open. But Terunofuji is still heavily favored to win.
Kaisei vs Ichiyamamoto – Oh dear, both of these guys are on the straight road to make-koshi. Both of them are in demotable range, so caution is urged. Kaisei is kind of fading out at this point, and Ichiyamamoto is nursing a banged up knee. If anything, I will give Kaisei a small edge for being enormous.
Chiyomaru vs Yutakayama – I do want to see Yutakayama apply a mighty push squarely in Chiyomaru’s “Chubstance”, and send him to 6-4. Right now Yutakayama is still in good shape to reach 8 wins, and I would like to see him secure a spot in the top division for a few more basho.
Chiyonoo vs Tsurugisho – Chiyonoo has been trying his utmost the past 10 days, but he’s seriously coming up short at the bottom end of Makuuchi. He was make-koshi last tournament, and I worry that another 8 losses (or higher) will send him back to Juryo. Tsurugisho is in slightly off with a 4-5 score today, and is likely to not be at any risk of demotion for November.
Chiyotairyu vs Kagayaki – Both men come into day 10 with matching 5-4 scores, and Chiyotairyu has a solid 7-4 career advantage over Mr. Fundamentals. Chiyotairyu has taken 6 of the last 7m so I think we can guess which way this one will go.
Aoiyama vs Tokushoryu – Man, this first set of matches is a veritable parade of the damned! Both of these rikishi are having a miserable basho, with Tokushoryu likely to captain the Juryo barge unless something magical can happen.
Chiyonokuni vs Hidenoumi – Chiyonokuni could reach kachi-koshi with a win today, and I expect him to dominate Hidenoumi from the start. As the bottom man on the banzuke, he was predicted to cause a lot of damage, and he played a part in the wide spread of poor scores among the bottom half of the banzuke.
Okinoumi vs Myogiryu – A battle for kachi-koshi! Both men are 7-2 to start today, the winner will reach the magic 8th win and stay in the yusho race, the loser will have to try again tomorrow, and likely fall out of the run for the cup. They have a 29 match history, with a 15-14 split.
Tochinoshin vs Tobizaru – I will take the flying monkey over the battered former Ozeki today. Tobizaru’s high agility sumo prevents Tochinoshin from setting his feet and using his strength.
Kotoeko vs Terutsuyoshi – Two smaller rikishi, both with poor (3-6) records for Aki. Both of them are likely to end up make-koshi, and that’s really a shame given that both of them have fought pretty fiercely this fall. Neither one is at any risk of dropping to Juryo, so hopefully they can recover for November.
Endo vs Onosho – Back to the plus side of the ledger, another elimination match. The winner is kachi-koshi, and stays in the group hunting for a shot at the yusho. The loser will drop back to the chase group, and have to try on day 11 for their 8th win. Endo holds a 6-1 career lead.
Chiyoshoma vs Shimanoumi – Chiyoshoma is already make-koshi, and frankly I would love to know what happened to his sumo. His offensive power is nowhere to be found, and it’s kind of sad. He holds a 4-2 career record over Shimanoumi, but given his 1-8 record so far at Aki, I am going to guess it won’t matter.
Hoshoryu vs Kiribayama – Another battle of the up-and-coming rikishi. Hoshoryu is at 3-6, Kiribayama at 6-3. I expect Hoshoryu to be make-koshi at the end of Aki, but he has delivered some great sumo. Kiribayama should be headed for higher rank, and I think has a solid chance to premier in san’yaku soon.
Takarafuji vs Takanosho – Both are at middling 5-4 records, and both have been straddling the make/kachi-koshi line for the last several days. Takanosho has been able to overcome Takarafuji’s defense in 4 of their 5 career matches, so I am going to look for him to prevent the Isegahama man from setting up a solid footing.
Takayasu vs Kotonowaka – Takayasu, what happened? At 3-6, this is a really bad tournament for you. Kotonowaka at 3-6 is a bit more understandable, given he is new to the upper echelon of sumo, and is going to need to learn how to consistently produce results like his day 8 win over Shodai. One of these guys is going to end the day 7-3… ooof.
Tamawashi vs Ichinojo – Another 6-3 pairing of rikishi from the joi-jin who have taken a beating this September. Both had early wins over Takakeisho, so not without achievement. The loser will inch closer to a make-koshi, needing to “win out” over the final five days of Aki to avoid demotion.
Mitakeumi vs Wakatakakage – Wakatakakage needs to win this one to keep hopes of a kachi-koshi at Maegashira 1 within a reasonable range of effort. He has only beaten Mitakeumi once in 5 attempts, so this is going to be difficult.
Shodai vs Daieisho – Daieisho, coming from a kinboshi against Terunofuji (third career kinboshi), is going to be hyped for his match against Shodai. Shodai is in no position to challenge for the cup, but he can plod around the dohyo with great effect. Daieisho holds a narrow 8-6 career lead over the “Wall of Daikon”, and may be able to pull off two upsets in a row.
Meisei vs Takakeisho – Meisei will need to stay mobile, and not let the Ozeki connect with both hands in a thrusting volley. If he can get into a working hit-move-hit pattern, he can overwhelm Takakeisho’s limited balance.
Ura vs Terunofuji – Today’s glowing WTF match: the musubi-no-ichiban. Its their first ever match, and frankly I only want one outcome for this match, both men to exit with their knees in no worse condition than when it started. This has to be some kind of twisted “kneeless wonder” match up. Ah, never change, sumo… never change.
The highlight of the day is, without a doubt, Hoshoryu’s ipponzeoi. He was a heartbeat from his 7th loss, when he turned the tables on Wakatakakage and threw him over his shoulder. These two are the future of sumo, and I am delighted to see the seeds of a strong rivalry start.
There are times when I look at the nightly preview posts and wonder what the hell. I think the topic that comes to mind first was the discussion of the “Darwin Funnel” that worked with terrible purpose in May and July. It was clear the schedulers were going to try it again at Aki. But reality had a different idea, as most of it fell to bits today, leaving only 12 rikishi in the funnel at the end of the day. The bulk of the X must win and Y must lose set ups went against the career trend, and many of the rikishi at the bottom end of the funnel lost their matches and are on firm make-koshi paths.
That being said, I am sure there will be a few Darwin matches on day 15, but the funnel may not be possible this time.
But then the musubi-no-ichiban stole all the excitement from a fairly exciting day of sumo, when Daieisho found a narrow opening in Terunofuji’s defense and blew a kaiju sized hole in the yusho race. It’s Terunofuji’s first kinboshi, and it was well earned. Even in his ultra genki state, Terunofuji can and sometimes will make choices in a match that lead to less than winning results. We all hope he does not let this loss worry him, and returns day 10 with power and poise against Ura.
Highlight Matches
Chiyonokuni defeats Tokushoryu – Chiyonokuni found that Tokushoryu was a bit too massive to push back at the tachiai. After a second volley, and with Tokushoryu advancing, Chiyonokuni pulled from Tokushoryu’s shoulders, which is a bit unusual. It worked well enough, and Tokushoryu fell over the edge of the dohyo. Chiyonokuni improves to 7-2.
Kagayaki defeats Kaisei – Kagayaki used a nodowa to start Kaisei moving backward. I swear, Kaisei catches more neck holds than anyone, it must be painful and annoying. Kagayaki finished him with a push against Kaisei’s chest, improving to 5-4.
Tochinoshin defeats Chiyonoo – Tochinoshin got a right hand inside grip, but never did connect with his left. Normally Tochinoshin will hold off from any kind of offense until he can get his left hand involved, but today he was able to take care of Chiyonoo without it. Both end at 3-6.
Kotoeko defeats Tsurugisho – Kotoeko has shown this good form for most of the 9 days at Aki, but today he was able to bring it together with some strength. He moved 200kg Tsurugisho around for his 3rd win (3-6), assuring that he will have a better score than his 2-13 in Nagoya.
Endo defeats Ichiyamamoto – Ichiyamamoto made first contact at the tachiai, with his hands at Endo’s neck. Endo grabbed the nearest arm and gave it a solid tug, sending Ichiyamamoto to the clay. Endo now at 7-2.
Chiyomaru defeats Hidenoumi – Great example of a “kitchen sink” match, its Chiyomaru on offense, throwing combos at Hidenoumi trying to get him out or down. Chiyomaru attacked high, low, from the side, on the belt and finally got Hidenoumi to step over the bales. Chiyomaru improves to 6-3.
Okinoumi defeats Tobizaru – Not so sure about this match. Okinoumi was clearly overpowering Tobizaru, but fell to a slap down the moment that he forced Tobizaru out of the ring. That timing will come eventually for Tobizaru, but today Okinoumi takes the win to improve to 7-2.
Yutakayama defeats Terutsuyoshi – Terutsuyoshi was caught trying to exchange brute pushing force with Yutakayama, and given their mass difference, it was never really going to work. Yutakayama’s win came when he reached around Terutsuyoshi’s shoulder, grabbed the back of his neck and propelled him forward and out. Yutakayama improves to 5-4.
Shimanoumi defeats Aoiyama – Aoiyama opened strong, and we got to see him finally use some of his double arm thrusting attacks. He looked like he was about to put Shimanoumi out, and then for some reason decided to pull. Shimanoumi was ready for this, and rushed forward to dump Aoiyama out. Both end the day 4-5.
Onosho defeats Myogiryu – The junior tadpole drops the man 1 win behind the Yokozuna. Myogiryu decided to pull against Onosho’s big initial thrust out of the tachiai. This is aways a poor gamble with Onosho, as he tends to not be off balance until his third step. As it was, he not only caught the full blast, but amplified it with his pull. Both end the day 7-2, joining an increasingly broad group behind Terunofuji.
Chiyotairyu defeats Ura – Traditional Chiyotairyu sumo – stand him up, then slap him down. Ura lasted just a moment before eating Tokyo clay. Chiyotairyu improves to 5-4.
Takarafuji defeats Kotonowaka – Everybody knew this would be a battle of strengths, chest to chest, pitting their endurance and balance against each other. Kotonowaka tired first, standing progressively higher, until he was nearly upright. I think he understood it was now or never and his attempt swing Takarafuji into a throw only powered his defeat. Takarafuji improves 5-4.
Hoshoryu defeats Wakatakakage – We expected big offenses from these two, and they certainly supplied. The match began with a furious slapping fest that favored Wakatakakage, who got a left hand deep, and turned Hoshoryu to the side. Normally this is the moment that Hoshoryu is completely doomed. But Hoshoryu rallied, and took advantage of Wakatakakage to unleash a spectacular shoulder throw, ipponzeoi. Hoshoryu improves to 3-6 with that amazing recovery.
Takanosho defeats Ichinojo – Ichinojo could not maintain forward pressure against Takanosho, and found himself backed up and forced out in short order. Takanosho improves to 5-4.
Meisei defeats Tamawashi – Tamawashi had more offense to start, but was unable to keep his hands inside. Meisei took the opening and never gave it back. A few combo thrusts and a Tamawashi off-balance thrust later, and he was out. Meisei improves to 4-5.
Kiribayama defeats Mitakeumi – Kiribayama gives a leap to the side at the tachiai, landing to Mitakeumi’s right side. A quick push from behind, and the original tadpole steps out of the ring. Both end the day at 6-3.
Takakeisho defeats Takayasu – Takayasu seems to really be off of his sumo now. He gets a big hit in at the tachiai, but leaves himself wide open to attack, and Takakeisho is happy to supply. Did you see Takayasu get on one foot a few times? No way to defend against that level of tsuppari unless both feet are firmly connected to earth. Takakeisho improved to 5-4, and needs just 3 more wins to clear kadoban.
Shodai defeats Chiyoshoma – Points to Chiyoshoma for a strong opening and bashing Shodai back to the bales. But the Ozeki rallies, and finds some power to advance. It did not help that Chiyoshoma threw a pull in there too, Shodai improves to 6-3, and Chiyoshoma is now make-koshi at 1-8.
Daieisho defeats Terunofuji – The subject of our day 9 preview was “who hand Terunofuji his first loss?”. It turns out we did not have to wait long. The first portion of this match was solid Terunofuji sumo. He shut down Daieisho’s opening gambit, and calmly advanced to control the center of the dohyo. But there is a moment where Daieisho gets one thrust combo to land from underneath. In response, Terunofuji returns the thrust but opens his chest to Daieisho. That was all it took. Terunofuji’s defenses were down, and Daieisho had a clear route to attack at full power. The Yokozuna had no chance to recover, and three steps later was across the tawara for his first loss of September. That’s a kinboshi for Daieisho, and he improves to 8-1.
With 7 days of competition left in this basho, the question is – who can put dirt on the Yokozuna? Short of a challenge being able to take a win over Terunouji, he will take the cup. With zero losses, he is one win ahead of Maegashira 10 Myogiryu, and 2 wins ahead of any credible challenger. The most eligible rikishi is none other than Sekiwake 1E, Mitakeumi. But a quick look across their match history shows just one win for Mitakeumi in 7 attempts during the current Terunofuji era. Shodai does not fare any better, with a 1-4 record since Terunofuji’s return. But Takakeisho, it’s an even 3-3 record. If everything goes according to convention, he should face Takakeisho on day 14. But Takakeisho of Aki 2020 is not operating at full power today, let alone on day 14 or 13. Then there is Takayasu, at 4-2. Yes, a distinct winning record over Terunofuji. This is probably the match with the greatest potential to bring a first loss to the Yokozuna, and put some spice into the yusho race.
Lastly, its time to talk about “The Funnel”. It a pattern that has shown up as of late, given that the broad field of competition in the top division seems to have even less differentiation than usual. At times its like Juryo plus with named ranks thrown in for flavor. In light of that, the crew that make up the torikumi (fight cards) have decided to treat them like they do rikishi in the lower divisions. They try to get as many of them as possible to 7-7 records on day 15, and let them fight it out for kachi-koshi. This is that I call “The Funnel”. Once you are in it, the only way out is to accept make-koshi and demotion. It’s one of the more brutal aspects of sumo, and it’s fascinating to watch.
Chiyonokuni vs Tokushoryu – I am going to mark this as a likely Chiyonokuni win. His power and agility tend to overwhelm Tokushoryu. He holds a 9-2 career advantage over Tokushoryu, and Chiyonokuni continues to fight really well.
Kagayaki vs Kaisei – I would say that both of these rikishi are likely to be driven into the funnel starting tomorrow. Kagayaki at 4-4 is right on the make/kachi-koshi line, and a loss today to Kaisei would leave them both at 4-5, which is prime for punishment in the last week.
Chiyonoo vs Tochinoshin – The best that Chiyonoo can hope for right now is to pick up a win today against the diminished Tochinoshin. That would leave him with a 4-5 record, too, and put him at the top of the funnel.
Tsurugisho vs Kotoeko – I don’t know what kind of injury or problem has taken Kotoeko’s sumo and turned it down to little bo peep land, but its brutal to watch. This guy should be knocking heads at this rank. Instead he has a paltry 2 wins, and may be on track for double digit losses once more.
Endo vs Ichiyamamoto – A high interest match next, this is their first time head to head. While Endo has a big advantage, I want to see what kind of sumo Ichiyamamoto is going to try. I am sure he is going to have some defense to the mawashi grip at the tachiai, maybe something creative?
Chiyomaru vs Hidenoumi – If we get a Hidenoumi win today, both of them will enter the top of the funnel on day 10. Their career record is an even 5-6, but Chiyomaru is clearly stronger this September.
Okinoumi vs Tobizaru – I look at Tobizaru’s 4-4 record, and I think about how he needs to win at least 4 of the last 7, and while he has a career lead over Okinoumi at 3-1, Okinoumi has been fighting better this September, and I think comes into today’s match with an edge.
Yutakayama vs Terutsuyoshi – I am hoping we get something along the lines of a tottari from Terutsuyoshi today, his sumo has been rather mild, and he has lost 3 of the last 4. Time to rally sir! You need 5 of the last 7 to get your kachi-koshi.
Shimanoumi vs Aoiyama – Big Dan Aoiyama is fighting well enough, but he is not quite as genki as we recall from a few years ago. This happens, the fade from too many injuries not completely healed. At 4-4 he is a prime funnel candidate, but if Shimanoumi can manage to win, well they both go into the funnel starting tomorrow.
Myogiryu vs Onosho – Its time to see if Myogiryu can be knocked back for a win. He has a 3-8 career record against Onosho, who is having a good tournament. My money is on the tadpole!
Ura vs Chiyotairyu – Both of them are 4-4, both are them are headed for the funnel. Ura lost their only prior match, and his sumo has gotten increasingly odd. He still wins with it, but it’s a style all of its own.
Takarafuji vs Kotonowaka – Takarafuji is almost always in the funnel each basho. He straddles the make/kachi-koshi line nearly every time. He has yet to win one over Kotonowaka in 2 tries, and a Kotonowaka win today sends them both into the funnel tomorrow.
Hoshoryu vs Wakatakakage – At this point, Hoshoryu is working to rack enough wins to cushion the fall down the banzuke. The role of M1E is really a tough billet, and I think that he has done well enough. If he can get his body back in good form for November, we could see him do a lot of great sumo.
Takanosho vs Ichinojo – Takanosho needs to try like hell to win this one. He has a decent chance to get out of the funnel, as he has his “easy” week ahead of him. I think 2 wins with 0 losses in the middle would make it happen. Ichinojo is on the wrong side of the funnel, but he too faces an easier schedule than he had week 1.
Tamawashi vs Meisei – Winner gets to join the funnel, loser gets kicked a fair part of the way to make-koshi. I would think that Meisei holds a slight edge today, as Tamawashi is finding himself about 15% down in power from his peak.
Mitakeumi vs Kiribayama – Kiribayama has shown himself to be a real challenger this tournament. He has a slight edge in career record over Mitakeumi, and the original tadpole is going to need to be careful to not let him drag the match on. Stamina is not one of Mitakeumi’s strengths.
Takayasu vs Takakeisho – Career record comes up an ever 7-7 between these two. Both of them are very much hit-or-miss this September. There is nothing more sad than a kadoban Ozeki in the funnel, but I fear that is the best possible case for Takakeisho now. Career Record (7-7) :
Shodai vs Chiyoshoma – Shodai’s soft tachiai is an excellent defense against a henka, so I don’t think we will see Chiyoshoma unleash one today. He’s going to need to find a way to overcome Shodai’s new “wall of daikon” offense if he wants to score his first ever win against the Ozeki. Nope… don’t think he will.
Daieisho vs Terunofuji – Hey, Daieisho – good luck against the Kaiju. He’s really something else to watch these days, and you will get the best view of all the action. Enjoy.
