Fascinating day of sumo. So many rikishi who were doing poorly in act 1 suddenly found their sumo, and turned in winning performances today. It was not just one valiant fellow, but it seems the whole top division crew took their vitamins today and showed up ready to fight. That includes nearly every winless rikishi picking up their first white star today. Amazing rally across the board.

This carried over to the musubi-no-ichiban, where Tamawashi surprised undefeated Yokozuna Terunofuji. His loss sends the emerging yusho race into the hands of Mitakeumi and Abi, who managed to end the day with their perfect scores intact. I still fully expect Terunofuji to compete for, and likely win, the emperor’s cup. But he’s going to need to tear through one or both of those two in order to get there.

Then there is poor struggling Chiyonokuni, who is the last rikishi on the torikumi who has yet to earn a single win. He’s a tough, fast fighter, but he’s lacking the undercarriage to transmit power to ground, which limits his ability to move forward, and leaves him little more than hitting people without winning matches.

Highlight Matches

Kaisei defeats Bushozan – Bushozan got an early advantage, and managed to get behind Kaisei. It looked to me like an okuridashi was next, but Bushozan suffered a tragic slippiotoshi, bringing 200kg of Kaisei down on his head. Such is the power of Kaisei’s broad, hairy Brazilian backside, I do suppose. He improves to 4-2.

Tsurugisho defeats Wakamotoharu – I am surprised by Tsurugisho today. He has looked just terrible at the start of this basho, and now he has won 2 in a row. He dominated his match today with Wakamotoharu, and maybe he’s going to find a way to stay at least minimally competitive. Tsurugisho improves to 2-4.

Oho defeats Tochinoshin – Tochinoshin worked for a left hand inside grip at the tachiai, and got it. Usually Tochinoshin will work for a left hand outside, and I think the shift left him more than a little off tempo. Oho responded in kind, and was able to out muscle Tochinoshin at the edge to finish the day 4-2.

Kotonowaka defeats Ichiyamamoto – Ichiyamamoto connected early in the tachiai, preventing Kotonowaka from closing in and going chest to chest. It looked like Ichiyamamoto was going to dominate the match, but Kotonowaka caught Ichiyamamoto with his head down, and his chest open. One combo sent Ichiyamamoto sprawling back, and gave the win to Kotonowaka, who is now 4-2.

Kotoeko defeats Yutakayama – Its official, something has happened to Kotoeko, and he’s actually not just fighting with vigor now, he’s winning matches too. Yutakayama had the upper hand to start, but was focusing on Kotoeko’s face and neck. Kotoeko responded by driving to open up an inside route to Yutakayama’s chest, and eventually found it. Now hitting center mass, Kotoeko put Yutakayama in motion, and then over the bales to improve to 4-2.

Chiyotairyu defeats Ishiura – Ok fine, it’s act 2 and a bunch of the “cold start” crew seem to have found their sumo. That was a two hit match. A big one at the start sent Ishiura from the shikiri-sen to the bales, and a second on sent him out over the east side. Wow! Chiyotairyu now 2-4.

Aoiyama defeats Sadanoumi – Even Aoiyama managed a win today! Though it was not quite at his normal power level, we did get to see elements of his normal sumo, and he did dominate Sadanoumi, so a good match for Aoiyama. He is now 3-3.

Terutsuyoshi defeats Chiyomaru – It’s been a while since we saw Terutsuyoshi employ a kirikaeshi, but today was that day. He robbed Chiyomaru of the wonderful agility we have seen over the previous days by going chest to chest at the tachiai, and then Terutsuyoshi carefully worked to get his hands and his body to bring Chiyomaru down with the leg trip. Terutsuyoshi improves to 3-3.

Akua defeats Chiyonokuni – This match was constructed to let one of these winless rikishi pick up their first white star. I admit I am surprised that out of this match up, it was Akua with the win. But Chiyonokuni was caught too far forward by Akua’s hatakikomi, and down he went. Akua now 1-5, Chiyonokuni still winless.

Tobizaru defeats Myogiryu – Myogiryu picks up his second loss of the basho as Tobizaru finds him off balance while Myogiryu is moving forward. A moment before, Tobizaru was losing ground, but his agility and speed contributed to a solid rescue move at the bales that put Myogiryu face down on the clay. Tobizaru improves to 3-3.

Abi defeats Shimanoumi – Points to Shimanoumi for disrupting Abi’s double arm thrusting attack. Shimanoumi rallied after that and pressed forward, but Abi employed a bit of the “grab and tug” sumo technique to swing Shimanoumi out to remain perfect at 6-0. Please, get this guy some tougher opponents.

Chiyoshoma defeats Onosho – Excellent match plan from Chiyoshoma. He immediately captures Onosho, shutting down his “mega-thrust” attack. As Onosho struggles to escape, Chiyoshoma drives him forward and puts him down with a resounding yoritaoshi. Nicely done! Chiyoshoma improves to 3-3.

Okinoumi defeats Hoshoryu – I really need to wonder now. Not that Okinoumi is not capable of beating Hoshoryu, but it seems everyone who was winless or doing poorly in act 1 has now, on day 6, found their sumo. Hoshoryu was on his game, but Okinoumi had just a bit more power today, and it was enough to put Hoshoryu away. Okinoumi picks up his first win and is 1-5 now.

Hokutofuji defeats Takarafuji – Hokutofuji had both hands inside Takarafuji’s defenses by the second step. Presented with this position, Hokutofuji knows exactly what to do, and rammed himself forward, applying maximum force to Takarafuji’s chest. It was a fast path to the edge, and Hokutofuji improves to 3-3.

Ura defeats Kiribayama – I can’t image Kiribayama’s disappointment. He was doing so well, you can see him initiate the finishing move to win the match, then suddenly Ura disappears, and the next moment he is behind Kiribayama, lifting him and carrying him out like a 4 year old who was not ready to leave the playground. Resounding okuridashi win for Ura, who is now 2-4.

Wakatakakage defeats Meisei – Brilliant back and forth oshi match, and I think it came down to Wakatakakage’s superior footwork. At no time did he take 2 steps that were off balance, where Meisei eventually got off his center-line, and became a target for Wakatakakage’s thrusting attack. Wakatakakage improves to 2-4.

Mitakeumi defeats Endo – Endo put all of his chips on that left hand grip at the tachiai. Easy to predict. It did him no good at all, as by the time his fingers had a hold, he was over the bales. Mitakeumi looking very strong right now, excellent sumo of the denshamichi variety as Mitakeumi is 6-0.

Takanosho defeats Daieisho – Daieisho never really set up a good position for attacking, and thought he landed a couple of combos, he left his chest wide open for Takanosho’s counter attack. When Takanosho rallied, he connected well, and pushed Daieisho out with very little fuss. Takanosho improves to 3-3.

Ichinojo defeats Shodai – Shodai, come on man. Ichinojo boxes him up, stands him up, and walks him across the bales. Not sure why Shodai lets the Boulder push him around, but Ichinojo improves his career advantage over the Ozeki to 11-4. Both end the day 3-3.

Tamawashi defeats Terunofuji – Tough moment for a slippiotoshi from the Yokozuna. But Tamawashi is a master at forcing his opponents off balance, and capitalizing on even the smallest problem during the match. A quick tsukiotoshi sends Terunofuji to the clay for his first loss of Hatsu as Tamawashi improves to 5-1 with a kinboshi.

Its the start of act 2, and I must admit that act 2 is my favorite, It wraps the middle weekend, and usually is the point where anyone who is going to snap out of a starting slump finally remembers their sumo. Team Tachiai defines act 2 as – where we narrow the field to find out who has what it takes to compete for the yusho, and to start sorting the survivors from the damned. I note with some interest just how many rikishi are 2-3 or 3-2. There is no way that the schedulers are not excited as can be to start running the funnel, with the prospect of getting nearly everyone except the top and bottom performers as close to 7-7 on the final day as possible. Sumo is at times a strange a brutal sport, and there is a LOT of math involved. Maybe that’s part of its appeal to me.

Rikishi I think will rally in act 2: Ura, Kribayama, and just maybe Waktatakakge. They are all 1-4, and will likely devastate their lower ranked opponents in the coming week.

What We Are Watching Day 6

Bushozan vs Kaisei – Well, Juryo sent up quite the dud today to fill the banzuke gap. Bushozan is coming in with a blistering 0-5 record. All Kaisei has to do is stand there and give him a firm tap on the top of the head, and he will probably crumple a preschool origami.

Wakamotoharu vs Tsurugisho – The numbers can and will lie to you. For example, Tsurugisho holds a 4-2 career advantage over Wakamotoharu, and Tsurugisho won 50% of his last couple of matches. But he stands zero chance of taking out Wakamotoharu today. He’s simply too banged up physically and maybe mentally as well by this point. Wakamotoharu needs one more win to improve to the .500 mark, and he needs to be careful not to get pulled into the funnel this weekend.

Oho vs Tochinoshin – Weekend? Maybe they are starting early. With the huge number of 3-2 / 2-3 rikishi right now, why not have them face off and try to keep them all within 1 match of the .500 mark. Feed the Darwin mills 10 days from now. Ugly stuff. But I think that Oho is probably a bit too bulky for Tochinoshin to even the limited version of his skycrane, and he is vulnerable to focused forward pressure. I think the advantage is to Oho today.

Kotonowaka vs Ichiyamamoto – These two have been beating on each other since 2017 in lower Makushita, and they have plenty of tensions and aggression to deliver to each other today. It’s like a violent Secret Santa, where the present is a face full of clay and the walk of shame back to the dressing room. These two are evenly matched across the board, with Ichiyamamoto a bit more thrusty, and Kotonowaka a bit more pushy / hitty. Lets have a good wallop boys!

Kotoeko vs Yutakayama – I had to look twice, Kotoeko is 3-2? Wow, thats unexpected, and quite welcome. I expect he is going to try to close range and go chest to chest, and Yutakayama will want to keep at least half an arm’s length between them to optimize the oshi attacks. I expect Kotoeko to take a beating and give Yutakayama a firm battle hug, and maybe some gaburi-yori? I saw that stuff on day 5, but Kotoeko needs to eat a LOT more curry for that to work.

Ishiura vs Chiyotairyu – I know Chiyotairyu picked up his first win yesterday against Akua, but I don’t think thats going to translate to any kind of momentum going into today. So this is Ishiura’s fight to control, at least during the opening moments. I would suspect that Chiyotairyu may try and “stand them up / slap them down” on Ishiura, which might actually work.

Sadanoumi vs Aoiyama – Where has Aoiyama’s umpf gone? I suspect it flies south to Okinawa for the winter, and stays there helping some poor farmer get his crops under control, or some school age child pound a bully into mush. But we need it back. Big Dan is a fraction of his normal self, and in this state, he’s kind of a sad pasty lump of sumo. He is literally a blubbery pile of flesh that I expect Sadanoumi will toss out in short order.

Chiyomaru vs Terutsuyoshi – Who else is up for some unbelievable sumo from Chiyomaru? Maybe a flying henka today? I am not sure what to expect from him these days. I do know that Terutsuyoshi has a 6-3 career advantage, and one of these days one of his ashitori attempts is going to connect.

Chiyonokuni vs Akua – Well, at least we will give someone their first win today. Both of these normally genki rikishi are painfully ineffective right now, and I want them to find some way to bounce back. I can’t even really bring up a career record, because both of them are fighting far behind their normal level, its anyone’s guess who has advantage here.

Myogiryu vs Tobizaru – Ok, this should be a strong match. I am looking for a lot of motion out of Tobizaru, and a lot of power out of Myogiryu. If he can bracket Tobizaru and keep his range of motion limited, he should be able to take him out in about 4 volleys. But of course, we know sumo’s flying monkey is in constant motion. Makes me wonder if we could somehow entangle him on a quantum level with an dark matter, and then no one (not even the best physicists) could find him, they could only predict that he might exist.

Shimanoumi vs Abi – No. no. no. nope. No. No. Nope. No. Thank you Shimanoumi, please remember to have your tsukibeto prepare your yukata for the trip home.

Onosho vs Chiyoshoma – Who hits first, and who hits hardest? I am eager to see Chiyoshoma evade the hell out of Onosho’s big mega-thrust attacks. The big risk to Chiyoshoma is that Onosho, who seems to have a sense of humor, might henka him. Note to self, do not be taking a drink at the start of this match.

Okinoumi vs Hoshoryu – Okinoumi is likely nursing a chronic injury, and will be little more than ballast today. Makes me damn sad to see this happen, but at least we are likely to see Hoshoryu pick up a 4th win. He’s adapted to his higher weight a fair measure since Kyushu, when he was all over the place with his sumo. I predict good things in Osaka.

Takarafuji vs Hokutofuji – Takarafuji has not had an opening this strong since November of 2020, when he went on to a solid 9-6 finish. I am still expecting Hokutofuji to yet again turn in “The most powerful make-koshi in all of sumo”, given how his basho is going. I wish I knew what controlled his “hot” vs “cold” basho. I would love to see him elevate his sumo a couple of notches and perpetually bash Mitakeumi around 6 times a year.

Ura vs Kiribayama – Only one win for Plasticman Ura. I would like to see him do better, but I keep in my mind that this is his first time ever at a rank this high. He may be to the point where he needs to figure the next evolutionary step in his sumo, and I am very optimistic on how that turns out for him, and for sumo fans. That being said, he defeated Kiribayama in their only prior match, which was during Nagoya of 2021.

Meisei vs Wakatakakage – Wakatakakage has just one win, and I think someone put his batteries in the wrong way around this time. He’s not quite fighting as he should, and may be an easy mark for Meisei today. They are at 2-3 over their career, but something is hampering Wakatakakage’s sumo, and I don’t think he’s going to debug it before day 6.

Mitakeumi vs Endo – If anyone can flick a big nasty Shodai sized booger on Mitakeumi’s run at Ozeki, it’s Endo. Endo loves to play spoiler, and I can point to many times he had a crummy basho, except when it was time to ruin somebody’s month (ahem, Hakuho…). So I am going to keep an eye out for a fast grab and fling to send the original tadpole bouncing down the hanamichi.

Daieisho vs Takanosho – Both are 2-3, they have a 5-5 career record, and both are at least one notch below their expected intensity right now. That does not mean they won’t elevate into the middle week, which sometimes happens. So we plow through day 6, and see what Saturday and Sunday hold. I give a tiny edge to Daieisho, because if he does connect, he can put someone like Takanosho away in a blink of an eye.

Ichinojo vs Shodai – Shodai. 3-2 Shodai. “What’s that in my ear?” Shodai. “Did you see the size of that booger last night?” Shodai. Come on big stuff, you have it in you to bash the stuffing out of just about all of these knuckleheads. Please give it your best. Oh wait, Ichinojo has a 10-4 career advantage over you. Never mind.

Terunofuji vs Tamawashi – Since Terunofuji’s return to the top division, Tamawashi has not won a single match against him. I don’t see that changing today, though he always pours on the power against the Yokozuna. Best of luck sir. But I wondering who, if anyone, can put dirt on the Yokozuna out of this crowd.

Act 1 of the Hatsu basho is in the records books, and several of the 4-0 rikishi did not make the cut to 5-0 today. What we. are left with are two rikishi with prior yusho experience, and a very genki Abi. I think it’s time (I hope) to start putting Abi up against the higher ranked rikishi to test his mettle. The last thing sumo needs is another “down the banzuke” yusho during a Hatsu basho, where the winner never really faced the top men in the sport. With Takakeisho out, Shodai looking moribund and Terunofuji trying not to put weight on that left leg, this rotation into the named ranks needs to happen sooner rather than later.

But damn, Abi looks really dialed into his sumo right now.

Highlight Matches

Kagayaki defeats Oho – I had guessed this might be a big grinding clash of sumo fundamentals, and we did get that. I have to wonder where this Kagayaki was in Kyushu. He muscled Oho’s hands out of the way at least half a dozen times to dominate the inside lane, landing his hands center mass and pushing with all he had. It worked, as it always does when done with power and skill, and Kagayaki advances to 3-2.

Tsurugisho defeats Aoiyama – Aoiyama opened with a rather tepid version of the V-Twin attack, but surprisingly went chest to chest with Tsurugisho about 10 seconds in. He furthermore let Tsurugisho change his grip around, which led to the yorikiri. Aoiyama must be pretty hurt, as this was low offense, low defense sumo against a clearly injured Tsurugisho, who picks up his first win of the basho to improved to 1-4.

Tochinoshin defeats Kotoeko – Well, Tochinoshin is not quite ready to limp off into the sunset. I had no idea if we would ever see another tsuridashi from him, but we got one today. Kotoeko got a bit too frisky in his attack, and the former Ozeki found he could in fact lift Kotoeko, and out he goes!

Kaisei defeats Kotonowaka – Kotonowaka took a strong start, but sometimes being enormous is a valid sumo strategy. Try as he could, Kotonowaka could not get Kaisei to move very much at all, he’s just too huge. Eventually though, even Kaisei decided he had had enough, he dropped his hips and advanced. Three steps later, Kotonowaka was out, and Kaisei improves to 3-2.

Ichiyamamoto defeats Yutakayama – Really fun to watch Ichiyamamoto cycle through combination attacks that rapidly. It disoriented Yutakayama for a bit, but Yutakayama did settle into an inside thrusting attack, just in time to decide to try and pull Ichiyamamoto down. Of course we know what happens then, with forward pressure released, Ichiyamamoto lands a solid shove center mass and out goes Yutakayama. Ichiyamamoto is now 3-2.

Chiyomaru defeats Wakamotoharu – Sumo fans, I have not seen this version of Chiyomaru in a long long time. I take no points away from Wakamotoharu who had a solid grip, fine footwork, and relentless drive. But what the hell, Chiyomaru? Every time Wakamotoharu had him a split second from going out, Chiyomaru would find an escape. Eventually (and yes, it took a while) Wakamotoharu decides to go bigger in his finishing attack, and Chiyomaru finds an escape to the side, sending Wakamotoharu to the clay. The Shimpan want to look it over, but somehow that round mass of sumo stayed inside while Wakamotoharu ate clay. Chiyomaru improves to a very nimble 4-1.

Sadanoumi defeats Terutsuyoshi – Terutsuyoshi attempts a flying ashitori, and ends up completely off balance, and in a flat spin. All Sadanoumi had to do was apply a modicum of downward force, and Mother Nature did the rest. Shame Terutsuyoshi did not get that leg hold, that would have been brilliant. Sadanoumi improves to 3-2.

Chiyotairyu defeats Akua – In the battle of the winless, it was the diminished sumo thunder god who was able to score his first win of the basho. A traditional Chiyotairyu “Stand them up, slap them down” combo, and it was kensho time for Chiyotairyu, improving to 1-4.

Ishiura defeats Myogiryu – Rapid hit and shift by Ishiura to start the match. This took Myogiryu off his sumo, but to his credit he reacted with equal speed. Ishiura was ready to follow through, and drove Myogiryu back with power, sending him out moment later with a “ramming speed” blast amidships. Myogiryu picks up his first loss of the basho, and Ishiura improves to 3-2.

Shimanoumi defeats Chiyonokuni – Sadly, this was not the day that Chiyonokuni picked up his first win. His thrusting attack is as sharp as ever, but that bandaged left knee tells the story. It seems to have robbed him of the ability to take or hold ground on the dohyo, and Shimanoumi ran the show today. Shimanoumi improves to 3-2, Chiyonokuni 0-5.

Hoshoryu defeats Tobizaru – Hoshoryu spent this match showing us excellent form, while Tobizaru when monkey-crazy and was tossing everything he could into the fight. It was quite the contrast to see Hoshoryu calmly working to get the win and Tobizaru flailing away. Eventually Hoshoryu decided to just take whatever came his way, and slapped down a lunging Tobizaru to advance to 3-2. Solid effort from both.

Takarafuji defeats Onosho – Picking up his first loss of Hatsu, Onosho allowed Takarafuji to set up his “Defend and Extend” sumo, and is almost always the case, you can fight all you want but you are just going to end up dirty when that happens. Masterful display of defensive sumo from Takarafuji today, and he advances to 4-1.

Abi defeats Hokutofuji – Hokutofuji had a brief window to establish the dominant position in this match, and he missed. You can see his opening combo fall flat as Abi connects with his first double arm salvo. The match was more or less over at that point, save the formality of Hokutofuji exiting the right. Time to send Abi up against the higher ranks, or he’s going to challenge for the yusho without a serious challenge.

Chiyoshoma defeats Endo – Chiyoshoma hits at the tachiai, lands a right hand outside grip and immediately circles right. This robs Endo of any chance of forward attack, and put him in the position of having to also track right to keep Chiyoshoma to his front quarter. With all of this lateral / circular motion, it was a sure bet someone was going to lose their footing, and Endo hits the clay for a loss. Chiyoshoma advances to 2-3.

Daieisho defeats Okinoumi – Also in the “can’t buy a win” column is dear old Okinoumi. To his credit, Okinoumi opened strong, and even had Daieisho’s heels on the tawara. At that moment, Daieisho landed a nodowa, and proceeded to run Okinoumin out. Daieisho improves to 2-3.

Meisei defeats Ura – Meisei came in strong against a crouching Ura, who could not hold position against the attack. Sliding back bustsugari style, Ura quickly found himself at the bales, where he caught a Meisei push full in the chest that sent him out of the ring. Meisei improves to 3-2.

Wakatakakage defeats Takanosho – Takanosho opened strong, but got his feet tangled up with Wakatakakage’s defensive stance. Not one to waste a moment of weakness, Wakatakakage attacked in response, surprising Takanosho with a quick trip to the clay for his first win of Hatsu, improving to 1-4.

Mitakeumi defeats Kiribayama – Kiribayama opened with a thrusting combo, and in response, Mitakeumi deftly twists him around, completely disrupting any offense Kiribayama may have been ready to employ. What struck me about this match is just how efficient Mitakeumi’s sumo was today. Very few moves, but each one of them with significant force. Kiribayama finds himself with his heel on the tawara, his chest wide open, and Mitakeumi’s hands on his chest. We know what happens next in this process, and Kiribayama steps out, giving Mitakeumi his 5th win for a perfect start to Hatsu.

Tamawashi defeats Shodai – I could talk about this match, but Twitter sumo commentator “Sumo Soul 相撲魂 (@TheSumoSoul)” supplied this translation of NHK commentator Mainoumi’s remarks: “Sure Washi caught him high but an ōzeki should be able to overcome that” and “the NSK’s purpose is not to make weak ōzeki” and “you’d think he could do more”. I share Mainoumi’s frustration. I know Shodai has some top-flight sumo in him, and just wonder what has happened to lock it up and keep it from being used on the dohyo. Tamawashi improves to 4-1 in a disappointingly one sided match.

Terunofuji defeats Ichinojo – Unlike some of his earlier matches this basho, there was no opening moment of hope for Ichinojo. It was straight into the throw factory for him. But it was impossible not to notice Terunofuji trying to keep weight and pressure off of that left leg. That is indeed a worry. But the Kaiju is a perfect 5-0.

Welcome, dear readers, to the final day of act 1 of the Hatsu basho. Its hard for me to believe that we have already reached the end of act 1. Here at Tachiai, we divide the basho into 3 five day segments, each that seem to have their own purpose and goals. For act 1 (aka Joban), its to remove ring rust, and see who is hot and who is not. On the hottie list, we have: Terunofuji, Mitakeumi, Onosho, Abi, and Myogiryu. Each of them started 4-0 thus far, and seem to be primed to just pave their way into act 2. On the “Not” list, we find the hapless group of: Wakatakakage, Okinoumi, Chiyonokuni, Akua, Chiyotairyu, and Tsurugisho. With not a single win between them. Man, I can smell it from Texas…

With Takakeisho kyujo, we will have daily visitors from Juryo until someone else calls it quits, so I think a few exchange matches are going to add a nice amount of spice to the daily grind.

What We Are Watching Day 5

Oho vs Kagayaki – The schedulers seem content to have Oho start each day’s matches for now, and that works for me. He has a classic form, and his sumo fundamentals are excellent. Wait, Kagayaki’s yo from Juryo for the day? Whoo hoo! It’s a showdown of the sumo basics by two guys who have never fought before! Sign me up!

Aoiyama vs Tsurugisho – The human stink-burger that is Tsurugisho is going to be bashed about by somewhat less damaged Aoiyama, and I am going to guess will rack his 5th loss in fairly short order. My heart goes out to Tsurugisho, who is getting on the dohyo every day and putting everything he can into each match, but he is clearly unwell.

Kotoeko vs Tochinoshin – To me, this one has a lot of interest. I can see no reason for Kotoeko to be getting results this basho, when he had a horrific 3-12 in Kyushu. But here we are, and he’s got former Ozeki Tochinoshin today. Tochinoshin must be in very bad physical condition, as he can’t even really seem to hold his position against an opponent who is pressing forward with any power. Kotoeko has only won a single match from Tochinoshin in 5 attempts, so maybe today is the day that Tochinoshin picks up his second win.

Kotonowaka vs Kaisei – On paper this one looks pretty lopsided. You have a long serving, high-skill veteran with an almost ridiculous body mass, up against a smaller, younger man. But on the clay they are an even 3-3, so this is a fair and even fight all the way down the line. I think Kaisei will try to capture Kotonowaka early, and keep his body square to whatever lines of force Kotonowaka may employ, and simply be huge.

Ichiyamamoto vs Yutakayama – Ichiyamamoto has shown surprising versatility thus far at Hatsu, and I am starting to think he is more than an Abi clone. While I am sure that Yutakayama will prefer an tsuki/oshi-zumo battle today, Ichiyamamoto would be well served to grab Yutakayama’s belt and make him work for it.

Chiyomaru vs Wakamotoharu – I think its been about 10 months since Chiyomaru was in the kind of fighting form we are seeing now. I really enjoy his sumo when he can move better than most men half his size. How the hell does he do it? No matter, its glorious to watch. Wakamotoharu comes in at 2-2, and I really hope he can hit kachi-koshi this tournament. He seems to be another fresh face with solid sumo skills, and I know we are not done rotating the old guard out of the top division.

Sadanoumi vs Terutsuyoshi – I am quite hyped for this match. It might seem to most that Terutsuyoshi would have the pole position for this fight, Sadanoumi has won 3 of their 4 prior engagements. Terutsuyoshi’s biggest potential will be to get underneath and try for one of his classic “inside” throws. It’s been several months since he uncorked one of those, and it’s always a tremendous treat.

Chiyotairyu vs Akua – The good news is that one of these pitiful specimens will get their shonichi (first win) today. Sadly, I think Akua his slightly less pathetic than a half power Chiyotairyu. I like the version of Chiyotairyu who goes zero to 70 kph in the first half meter, and can send an opponent half way across the zabuton section at the tachiai. But my guess is that he can’t summon that kami right now, and that he will be ballast for one of Akua’s throws.

Myogiryu vs Ishiura – Red hot Myogiryu has to fight someone, so lets make it journeyman Ishiura for day 5. Far from another mark for Myogiryu’s dominant march to 8 wins, Ishiura has shown quite a bit of development in the past year, and I think being out from Hakuho’s shadow is starting to help him quite a bit. Let’s face it, it would be impossible not to be awed by training with “The Boss” every day. But with the big man now in a blue jacket, he is finding his own path in the world of sumo.

Chiyonokuni vs Shimanoumi – What does Chiyonokuni need? An espresso? A nice bowl of curry udon? A huge frosty mug of fine ale? What will it take? The guy has the skills, he has the body, he has the fighting spirit. But thus far not a single blink’n win to his name. I scratch my head and consider that I can’t call Shimanoumi an easy mark for him, especially during Hatsu 2022, and I wonder what has gone wrong.

Hoshoryu vs Tobizaru – Ok, lets put that whole Chiyonokuni thing aside, because check this one out. Ok, yeah – can we just talk to the shimpan now and convince them these two need at least a dozen torinaoshi for today? Sure it will blow the TV schedule straight to hell, but think of the ratings! Two high mobility guys who are happy to pound the stuffing out of each other. Both with 2-2 records, a 5-5 career history, and enough genki energy to power the Yamanote line during rush hour. Bring It On!

Onosho vs Takarafuji – Much as I really liked Takarafuji’s “aggressive” mode on day 4, when Onosho is on a hot streak, you know you are going to get a big meaty palm in a tough location. We all know that won’t be Takarafuji’s neck, but center mass will do quite nicely.

Abi vs Hokutofuji – What the hell guys? The schedulers are clearly trying to give us a big show for day 5, and I am happy they are. Yeah yeah, Abi is unbeaten at 4-0, and Hokutofuji seems to be yet again working on “The Most Powerful Make-Koshi In All Of Sumo”, but I am going to guess that if anyone can put dirt on Abi, it’s ol’ Stompy. With any luck we will see Hokutofuji’s tremendous lower body at work in this match, which would rob Abi of his primary advantage.

Chiyoshoma vs Endo – Chiyoshoma used his “flying henka” chit for Hatsu already, and it got him pretty much nothing. So I think we are going to see a straight ahead fight against Endo, and that’s always a good thing. Endo, for his part, seems to be a bit off of his sumo right now, which robs his legion of fans from enjoying his high skill, high agility techniques.

Okinoumi vs Daieisho – 21 career matches between these two, and it would usually be a high interest fight. But to me it’s pretty clear that Okinoumi’s chronic lower pelvic injury is again degrading his sumo. So I think we will get whatever resistance he can muster to Daieisho’s super-thrusting attack, followed by a step out and a 5th loss today.

Meisei vs Ura – Yes, Ura has just one win right now. But Meisei really needs to mind his sumo today. I am sure Ura still has a big bucket of grab-and-tug ready for anyone who does not keep their arms and legs inside the ride at all times.

Wakatakakage vs Takanosho – Its time for Wakatakakage to win one. I am not sure he can pull one off against Takanosho, who seems to be fighting well enough right now, but he’s got the skill and power to win. Takanosho lost to Endo on day 4 when he was unable to consolidate his stance in the face of Endo’s sheering pressure from his upper body. Hopefully Wakatakakage watched multiple angles of Takanosho’s day 4 match.

Mitakeumi vs Kiribayama – Kiribayama has a 4-3 career advantage over Mitakeumi, which is quite impressive given that the near-Ozeki, original Tadpole is one tough opponent. With an unbeaten 4-0 run coming into today, Mitakeumi has the momentum against 1-3 Kiribayama. But as the rikishi like to say, take it one match at a time.

Tamawashi vs Shodai – Both have matching 3-1 records, and I really want Shodai to show us some good, Ozeki sumo today. I am not sure if its physical, mental or what that is keeping him from really employing his best, but I want him out there on the dohyo fighting like one of the top men in the sport. Every single day. That being said, it would serve him right to drop one to super-veteran Tamawashi today if he fights one notch below his Ozeki best.

Terunofuji vs Ichinojo – Oh dear, what now. You wold think that Ichinojo could have a real challenge for Terunofuji, given his immense size. But with a 2-11 career record, it seems he just can’t muster the fighting spirit to overcome the Yokozuna. We will likely once again see Terunofuji start a bit rough, consolidate his position, and then overwhelm his opponent with a sudden burst of almost inhuman power. Good luck to Ichinojo.