One line summary: a fantastic day of sumo, with high energy matches across the board.

At the start of day 4, the press reported that Ozeki Takakeisho had withdrawn from the Hatsu basho, as lksumo posted last night to Tachiai. I think the primary beneficiary of this unfortunate event is none other than Mitakeumi, who has a blazing 4-0 start to the tournament, and is really looking to run up the score as part of building the case for elevation to Ozeki. Mitakeumi has a strong record against Takakeisho, but hey, one less Ozeki to try to defeat.

In the named ranks, I continue to marvel at some of the fundamentals we see daily from Yokozuna Terunofuji. He had a real complex problem in today’s match against Ura, who’s high mobility and unorthodox combos can entangle even the strongest opponent. Ura kept his hips low throughout that match, and it really prevented Terunofuji from applying the force needed to outright defeat him, and it nearly cost him the match. But look at the Yokozuna’s foot placement and how much effort he puts into keeping his shoulders square to Ura’s line of force. I have to wonder what could have been if Terunofuji’s knees had remained intact.

Highlight Matches

Aoiyama defeats Oho – Color me relieved that Aoiyama was able to find enough power to limit Oho’s offense and eventually push him out. It was clear that Oho had the stronger position, and Aoiyama is still unable to really press ahead with too much force, but Big Dan got it done. Oho picks up his first loss to go to 3-1 as Aoiyama advances to 2-2.

Kotoeko defeats Tsurugisho – Tsurugisho’s opening surge was not enough to put Kotoeko over the bales, and Tsurugisho quickly found himself on the receiving end of a surprisingly forceful yorikiri. Under normal conditions, there is no way Kotoeko should have been able to move Tsurugisho back like that. But the big Oitekaze man seems to be hurt. Kotoeko improves to 3-1 while Tsurugisho remains winless at 0-4.

Kaisei defeats Tochinoshin – Tochinoshin got his preferred left hand outside grip, but it was against Kaisei. Even thought he has, in the past, lifted the big Brazilian, there is no way his body is healthy enough for that now. So both men spent a fair number of moments bearing down, lifting the other, with Kaisei getting the clear advantage. He walked Tochinoshin back one step at a time, and moved him out for the win. Kaisei improves to 2-2.

Kotonowaka defeats Wakamotoharu – While I had been hoping for a Wakamotoharu win, he spent precious seconds adjusting his grip. It eventually worked, but by then he was close to the bales, a bit too high, and Kotonowaka had latched in as driving him out. Kotonowaka improves to 3-1.

Chiyomaru defeats Ichiyamamoto – Chiyomaru, for a giant round fellow, is surprisingly agile. I am sure Ichiyamamoto was thinking to himself, “What the hell does it take to beat this guy”, as Chiyomaru spent most of the match fighting in reverse. Eventually he caught Ichiyamamoto off balance, and slapped him down. Chiyomaru improves to 3-1.

Yutakayama defeats Ishiura – Impressive combo from Yutakayama at the tachiai. It caught Ishiura between steps, with Yutakauama applying downward pressure on Ishiura’s shoulders just as Yutakayama stepped to the side. Classic hatakikomi, and Yutakayama improves to 3-1.

Terutsuyoshi defeats Chiyotairyu – Chiyotairyu was actually able to generate a bit of forward pressure today against Terutsuyoshi, but could not keep it running for long, settling to stalemate head to head in the center of the dohyo. The problem being that he was too low to maintain that position with any stability, opening the door wide for Terutsuyoshi’s to thrust him down. Terutsuyoshi improves to 2-2 while Chiyotairyu remains winless.

Myogiryu defeats Akua – Akua had a strong start, getting his hands in Myogiryu’s armpits and moving well. Myogiryu broke contact before he got in too much trouble, and re-engaged with a left hand inside position. Akua tried to throw, but yet again his opponent collapsed the pivot and sent Akua to the clay. Myogiryu improves to 4-0, while Akua has yet to find his firs win.

Shimanoumi defeats Sadanoumi – Shimanoumi may have broken free of whatever ring rust was hampering him today. Solid sumo against Sadanoumi, finishing with a well executed uwatedashinage. Shimanoumi captured Sadanoumi early, removing Sadanoumi’s advantage of speed and mobility and reducing the match to power vs power, which favors Shimanoumi. Both end the day 2-2.

Takarafuji defeats Tobizaru – What a surprising and delightful match. We saw Takarafuji quickly settle into his calm “defend and extend” mode of sumo, with Tobizaru reacting as expected by bouncing around and attacking from any angle he pleased. But a close call at the edge switched Takarafuji into “attack” mode (seldom seen) and he proceeded to shut down Tobizaru’s monkey sumo en route to tossing him across the bales. Takarafuji improves to 3-1.

Abi defeats Chiyonokuni – Abi-zumo again for 4 straight wins. I swear, Chiyonokuni can actually execute quality sumo, folks. I just don’t know where he put it this January. But yeah, the Abi train looks to be unstoppable right now. Hopefully they rotate him in to fight the named ranks, as I would like to see how far he can take his 4-0 record against the top men of sumo.

Onosho defeats Hoshoryu – Onosho achieved first contact, but was unable to really produce much offense against Hoshoryu at first. Clearly Onosho was delivering more force, and Hoshoryu struggled to keep his hips and shoulders squared against his opponent. When Hoshoryu finally was able to get a low grade but workable grip, Onosho turned up the forward pressure and moved to finish the match. A list moment throw attempt collapsed, improving Onosho to 4-0 with a mighty yoritaoshi.

Hokutofuji defeats Chiyoshoma – Chiyoshoma’s flying henka attempt missed its mark, as Hokutofuji was ready, and Chiyoshoma could not connect with Hokutofuji’s mawashi. The two lock up chest to chest, with Hokutofuji eventually swinging him to the clay, improving to 2-2.

Tamawashi defeats Okinoumi – Tamawashi won this one chest to chest, which we don’t get to see often enough. Okinoumi is clearly not at 100%, but put up more than token resistance to Tamawashi’s yorikiri drive. But it’s Tamawashi taking the win to improve to 3-1.

Ichinojo defeats Daieisho – Ichinojo was nearly upright at the tachiai, and caught the first two Daieisho volleys full in the chest. But poor timing cost Daieisho the inside position, and Ichinojo replied with his own thrusting combo. Granted, Ichinojo’s body position was poor, but when you are that big and strong, you just have to connect with someone Daieisho’s size, and it will work. Ichinojo improves to 2-2.

Mitakeumi defeats Meisei – A real car crash of a match, Mitakeumi hits strong at the tachiai, but Meisei’s sumo clicks in and drives Mitakeumi back. With both men headed out in a hurry, Meisei loads a throw, but it may have been a moment too late. The replay shows Mitakeumi airborne with Meisei’s foot headed out. There is really only one choice, fight it again. The second run, it was all tadpole power as Mitakeumi blasts Meisei out in a hurry, to remain perfect at 4-0.

Endo defeats Takanosho – Endo had a good tachiai today, and was able to get a left hand deep. Takanosho knew he had trouble by the second step, and spent the rest of the match trying to either use Endo’s left arm to execute a throw, or break Endo’s balance. Endo, like a master fisherman, kept Takanosho on the hook and just kept reeling him in until Takanosho had no room left to fight. Both end the day with 2-2.

Shodai defeats Wakatakakage – Wakatakakage overpowers Shodai, simply put. But Wakatakakage could not keep his feet inside the ring, and threw away a perfectly good win against an Ozeki. Shodai, sir, please rally soon. I know your score says 3-1 as of today, but your sumo says “Maegashira Shodai”, and it’s a shame.

Terunofuji defeats Ura – Ah, Ura. No opponent is too mighty or too fearsome for you to give anything less than a full measure. What more could the world ask of any man? Terunofuji wrapped Ura up early, and never really get much of his offense deployed. Nice rally by the man in pink, but it set up Terunofuji’s win, as we once again see that kaiju strength come from nowhere and another Terunofuji opponent go flying with what might look like the smallest of shoves. Terunofuji unbeaten at 4-0.

Some news came up today thanks to Herouth. It seems that Nakamura Oyakata, or as I call him “Yoshikaze” will be joining Kisenosato’s high tech sumo training camp in the far flung reaches of Japan, where he will be a coach. This comes about as Oguruma Oyakata is just weeks away from retirement, and the Kaze clan will be scattered to the winds shortly. Meanwhile, Oshiogawa Oyakata, aka “Takekaze” is likely planning his own stable soon.

Nakamura oyakata (former Yoshikaze) to join Nishonoseki beya together with Tomokaze and others, following Hatsu basho. Oguruma beya is closing after Hatsu due to Oguruma's retirement, due in April.https://t.co/F10mvIBpaL

— ヘルット (SPOILERS!) (@SumoFollower) January 11, 2022

But let’s not gloss over this Yoshikaze + Kisenosato team up. May I just say “Holy Crap!“

Long time readers will recall I am a massive Yoshikaze booster, and the prospect of him working with Kisenosato, who is open to new approaches to build a better rikishi have me unreasonably excited about the future of the sport. I guess I have to wonder if all the little deshi will be “Sato”s or will there be some “Kaze”s in there too? Either way, can’t wait to see how this one goes. I wonder if Yago and Tomokaze are going to end up with Yoshikaze or Takekaze.

What We Are Watching Day 4

Aoiyama vs Oho – Normally I would be quite excited for this match. But right now Aoiyama is in tough shape. Near the bottom of the banzuke, he is still struggling to produce any meaningful offense. I am going to guess a set of injuries that have robbed him of his massive strength, and left him an easy mark. Oho has a chance to go 4-0 today, and that would be quite a statement for the rookie.

Kotoeko vs Tsurugisho – Also on the list of “Not even close to what they are capable of” is Tsurugisho. He has yet to win a match, and he looks to be in pain each time he crouches to start a match. As the last man on the banzuke, Kotoeko probably has very positive outlook of finishing the first act with a winning record.

Kaisei vs Tochinoshin – 25 career matches between them, and I don’t think they matter too much for today. Tochinoshin is day-by-day, and on day 3 he was in no condition to really fight in any forward gear. If that’s the case on day 4, Kaisei’s massive body is going to be a considerable obstacle to any offensive sumo for the former Ozeki.

Kotonowaka vs Wakamotoharu – Both men come into today with good 2-1 records, and it’s a bit of a battle of the fresh faces for us early in the top division day. The career record is 2-1 for Kotonowaka, but to my eye, Wakamotoharu has been fighting better so far this month. I am going to look for him to get inside early and be in control.

Chiyomaru vs Ichiyamamoto – Its easy as a fan to think of Chiyomaru as this jolly round ball of mochi that sometimes wins sumo matches. Then you get a match like day 3 against Ishiura, and you realize that that giant mountain of a man can move with terrifying speed and power. But I have been surprised so far by Ichiyamamoto’s versatility, so I am looking forward to the possibility he may surprise Chiyomaru, and the fans today.

Ishiura vs Yutakayama – Ishiura at his first loss with Chiyomaru blasting him out of the ring on day 3, and today he has a chance to bounce back by given Yutakayama the business. Both come in at 2-1, so the winner will get a coveted 3rd win. I like Ishiura’s chances today, as it seems he’s in fair to good health, an fighting well.

Chiyotairyu vs Terutsuyoshi – Winless Chiyotairyu has a whole ramen bowl full of trouble. He’s not moving well, and his tachiai lacks its normal explosive power. He has a worrisome 0-3 score. Robbed of his two primary offensive elements, he’s not all that big of a threat. So day 4 against Terutsuyoshi looks like a clear advantage for the Isegahama man.

Myogiryu vs Akua – Myogiryu is back in good health, and he is quite far down the banzuke. I am going to guess he is going to do a lot of damage down here, and could have one of these “Cinderella” scores going into act 3, simply because of the quality of his opponents for the first 10 days. He has winless Akua, who I would also classifying as nursing some unknown injury.

Sadanoumi vs Shimanoumi – I am going to suggest this will be quite one sited, in Sadanoumi’s favor. Whatever injury Shimanoumi was nursing in Kyushu seems to still be haunting him. If that is the case, he is going to struggle against everyone, including Sadanoumi.

Tobizaru vs Takarafuji – Tobizaru has never won a match against Takarafuji. Mostly because Tobizaru’s sumo features dancing about, swatting at your opponent and lots and lots of motion. Takarafuji could care less. He’s like a mighty glacier, he has time, strength and power. Dance around, Monkey. I have all day, Takarafuji says.

Chiyonokuni vs Abi – I keep thinking, “Today is going to be the day that Chiyonokuni wins his first match”. And it keeps not being that day. He has Abi now, so once again – today will not be that day. I don’t think Abi is really going to meet too much resistance until he is near the top of the rank and file. So Osaka then?

Onosho vs Hoshoryu – A good pairing, they have an even 2-2 record. Their fights come down to who lands the first combo most of the time. Onosho will drive it to be a thrusting match, and I am going to guess Hoshoryu will try for a belt grip and to trip / throw Onosho. The contrast in opening move preference can make for some explosive tachiai…

Chiyoshoma vs Hokutofuji – Both come into day 4 with somewhat disappointing 1-2 records. Tachiai readers know that Hokutofuji is the man with the most powerful make-koshi in all of sumo, and I am starting to think this is one of the basho where this is true. He has a 4-1 career advantage over Chiyoshoma, so maybe he will be the one to leave the dohyo with a win today.

Tamawashi vs Okinoumi – Twenty six career matches, with an even 13-13 split between them. Okinoumi has yet to win one, and I am going to guess his chronic lower pelvic injury is once again impacting his sumo. If that’s the case, he is going to have a pretty rottens core this January.

Ichinojo vs Daieisho – Both men are 1-2, and I personally like Ichinojo’s chances today. I am sure Daieisho is plenty pumped after giving Shodai a fast exit from the dohyo on day 3, so I expect him to open strong and confident. Hopefully Ichinojo gets defensive foot placement early, and just wears Daieisho down.

Mitakeumi vs Meisei – I think we will continue to see good sumo from Mitakeumi, at least until Sunday. I would love to see him be competitive into week 2, but that’s going to be a tough ask in his case. I think Meisei is fighting well, but Mitakeumi has that September 2019 look in his eyes.

Endo vs Takanosho – Endo, get your sumo together sir.

Takakeisho vs Kiribayama – Takakeisho is in the unexpected position of having a losing record in week 1. I am sure the Ura match was a bit of a surprise to him, and he certainly hopes it did not embolden winless Kiribayama. Kiribayama has an ability to rally for a big match, and surprised upper ranked rikishi with unexpectedly aggressive and effective sumo. Advice to Takakeisho, don’t wait for the right opening, just take any contact you can and boost him out of the ring on the second step.

Wakatakakage vs Shodai – Wakatakakage has a 3-3 record against Shodai, who looked about as lost as I have ever seen him in his day 3 loss to Daieisho. I am starting to wonder if he is also hurt, as we have not really seen any of his signature sumo moves, including his “cartoon sumo”, which is sorely missed.

Terunofuji vs Ura – Initial reaction is, “Kaiju eats him whole and spits out some of the bones”. But this is Ura, master of WTF sumo, and just as likely as to have you hurtling out of the ring faster than you can say, “Wait, what?” I am sure Terunofuji is working with Terutsuyoshi employing grab-and-tug sumo to try and get a good formula for shutting down the pink mawashi. I think this match has a lot of potential when all factors are considered. Then again, there’s not a serviceable knee between the two of them.

Many times, day 3 is when we start to see the unusual and unexpected. Everyone has their opening day nerves out of the way, and are starting to settle into the tournament groove. We can have mawashi mean going for a pushing attack, and thrusters grabbing a handful of silk and trying their hand at yotsu-zumo. For today, if there was a theme, it was that some veterans took losses at the hands of the younger set. Oho continues to look really very solid, Wakamotoharu had a surprisingly easy match and even Takanosho seemed to rally at just the right time.

But to me, the big surprise was that Ura did not take a concussion kyujo, but rather showed up and put in quite an effort against Ozeki Takakeisho. I have no doubt that Ura is one tough, focused and tenacious human being. He has battled back twice after crippling injuries to land in the joi-jin to menace the named ranks with his unique approach to sumo. But a head injury is never something to trifle with. I do dearly hope that we don’t see him suffer some delayed effect in the next two weeks.

Highlight Matches

Kotoeko defeats Kaisei – Maybe Kotoeko is not quite ready for the scrapyard yet. He get chest to chest with Kaisei, even letting Kaisei set up a solid and preferred grip. But a well timed move to his left as Kaisei moved to take him out grabbed Kotoeko his second win at the moment of defeat, putting Kaisei on the clay. Any way you can sir! Kotoeko advances to 2-1.

Oho defeats Tsurugisho – Tsurugisho really wanted a mawashi fight, and even had solid control of the match at first. But he found he could not power forward against Oho’s defense. Oho broke contact, and started a thrusting attack, which Tsurugisho could not repel. The loss came when Tsurugisho tried a pull, and surrendered all forward pressure to Oho, who now has a 3-0 start to Hatsu. Golly!

Wakamotoharu defeats Tochinoshin – Ugh, Tochinoshin tries a pull immediately in the tachiai, and gives up any hope of power sumo. I guess if you know your body won’t support any real forward pressure or offensive sumo, this is what you have to try. In response Wakamotoharu blasts him back out of the west side, leaving him stumbling into the crowd. Wakamotoharu improves to 2-1.

Ichiyamamoto defeats Aoiyama – Two thrusters locked in am mawashi fight? Must be day 3… They struggle into a stalemate with neither man being able to overpower the other. But Ichiyamamoto gets a hand in Aoiyama’s arm pit (a natural leverage point) and is able to raise Big Dan up and move him. Ichiyamamoto improves to 2-1 with solid, if unexpected, fundamentals.

Yutakayama defeats Kotonowaka – Just around the time I worry Yutakayama is no longer taking himself or his sumo seriously, we get a good fight out of him. Kotonowaka locks him up and they are chest to chest. Not Yutakayama’s strong point, but he fights through it well. Yutakayama kept his hips lower, and at no point did Kotonowaka have a fighting advantage. The yorikiri win is Yutakayama’s first ever win over Kotonowaka in 5 attempts, and improves him to 2-1.

Chiyomaru defeats Ishiura – Ishiura had a statistical advantage going into this match, but none of that mattered as Chiyomaru connected well at the tachiai. It looked to me that he had borrowed Takakeisho’s wave-action machine, as two mighty double arm pushes was all it took to send the smaller Ishiura stumbling back over the salt basket. Chiyomaru improves to 2-1.

Sadanoumi defeats Chiyotairyu – Sadanoumi’s right hand frontal grip missed at the tachiai, and it was Chiyotairyu’s match for just a moment. But Sadanoumi’s superior speed helped him move to the side of the onrushing Chiyotairyu, and set up the push from behind for an okuridashi win. Chiyotairyu still winless as Sadanoumi improves to 2-1.

Myogiryu defeats Terutsuyoshi – Terutsuyoshi was far too low at the tachiai, and his attempt at a leg grab seems to have been expected. Myogiryu wrapped his upper body, and applied a firm 45° twist. At this point Terutsuyoshi is completely off balance, no defensive stance, and is little more than baggage. Myogiryu gives him a shove and sends him sailing into the crowd to remain perfect at 3-0.

Shimanoumi defeats Akua – Battle of the winless rikishi, and it was Shimanoumi who proved the stronger. Akua aimed high at Shimanoumi’s face, and Shimanoumi aimed center mass. We all know which one works best, yes? Shimanoumi gets Akua on the move and out in short order for his first win, advancing to 1-2.

Takarafuji defeats Chiyonokuni – Glorious example of Takarafuji’s sumo. Chiyonokuni is on offense, but nothing he delivers to Takarafuji’s body is really doing very much, and as Chiyonokuni recovers from each thrust, Takarafuji takes a small step forward, removing a foot or two of dohyo from Chiyonokuni’s area of control. With this pattern, Takarafuji gradually walks Chiyonokuni to the edge and with a final, tiny push, takes the match. Brilliant! Takarafuji improves to 2-1.

Abi defeats Tobizaru – The Abi train keeps rolling along, thought I did like Tobizaru’s opening combo. He was able to get inside Abi’s defensive flailing and connect solidly to center-mass. But in his enthusiasm, he ended a volley off balance, and Abi delivered a lateral push above the waterline to send Tobizaru sideways and down. Abi remains unbeaten at 3-0.

Hoshoryu defeats Hokutofuji – Solid fight from Hokutofuji today. He was low, inside and pushing with strength. He had Hoshoryu locked in for a loss until Hoshoryu hit an escape move and in passing applied a thrust to Hokutofuji’s shoulder, sending him down to the clay as Hoshoryu stepped away. Hoshoryu improves to 2-1 in a very nice reversal at the edge.

Chiyoshoma defeats Okinoumi – Maybe Okinoumi was expecting a henka? Okinoumi with a soft tachiai that sees him stand up, directly into Chiyoshoma’s stiff arm nodowa attack. At this point, all of Okinoumi’s amazing lexicon of sumo is somewhat worthless. He is standing upright, his feet are not planted and he has no defense. He walks back with Chiyoshoma pushing at every step, and takes the loss. First win for Chiyoshoma, improving to 1-2.

Onosho defeats Endo – Endo attempted a bit of a grab at the tachiai, but he left his chest wide open for Onosho’s opening attack. Onosho, when his balance is working as it seems to be this January, can delivery overwhelming power with every touch. Endo’s balance was broken, and three steps later was over the tawara. Onosho remains undefeated at 3-0.

Meisei defeats Ichinojo – Ichinojo had a great start, but found himself struggling to catch Meisei. This was never going to work as Meisei is too agile to be where Ichinojo is predicting to find him next. Ichinojo just seems to give up and adopts his “Boulder” stance and waits for Meisei to come to him. He does, and by then he has Ichinojo right where he needs him, and it’s a quick trot out for the Boulder. Meisei improves to 2-1.

Takanosho defeats Tamawashi – In a grand example of youth over experience, Takanosho keeps up the fight in the face of greater power from Tamawashi. As Tamawashi presses forward to end the match, Takanosho steps aside and applies the tsukiotoshi to hand Tamawashi his first loss of January, and improve to 2-1. I keep seeing moments where Takanosho shows excellent ring sense and timing. I wonder how that can be refined and brought out more frequently.

Mitakeumi defeats Wakatakakage – Excellent choice of opening move by Wakatakakage, he lands a left hand mawashi grip and tries to pivot. Mitakeumi reads the situation in less than a second and follows Wakatakakage’s roll left, and lands a right hand inside. From here, the original tadpole has the advantage in mass, power and body position, and grinds Wakatakakage out for his 3rd consecutive win of Hatsu. Nice reaction there, Mitakeumi.

Daieisho defeats Shodai – If ever there was a moment for Shodai to bring out the “Wall of Daikon” it was in the opening moments of today’s match. Instead, he let Daieisho get the drop on him, and blast away at center mass, more or less at will. Daieisho, happy in his moment, just dials up the power until the Ozeki gives ground. Three steps later, Daieisho has his first win, and Shodai his first loss.

Ura defeats Takakeisho – The previously concussed Ura shows up today, and gives Takakeisho a run through WTF land in a double header of sumo madness. First bout was traditional grab and tug sumo from Ura, and Takakeisho quickly figured it out, and dialed back the thrust frequency, leaving him more or less a big, round target. Ura takes a left hand shallow grip and its trouble for the Ozeki. Takakeisho goes out, Ura falls and it’s monoii time! Hell, the shimpan can’t figure this one out, make ’em fight again. Second match, Ura makes contact, takes a leap to the side and propels Takakeisho to the clay with a mighty shove. Yep, that’s about what was needed here. Takakeisho hits the clay, and Ura picks up his first win of the tournament by collecting an Ozeki scalp.

Terunofuji defeats Kiribayama – Much better form today from Terunofuji. Straight ahead sumo with force and power. Kiribayama had a moment to break free for just a moment, but it was not to be as he could not break to Yokozuna’s iron grip. Terunofuji dumps him in a heap over the west side of the dohyo and strides back for the kensho stack. Terunofuji improves to 3-0.

Your humble blog author is feeling the effects of the crud, so on to the matches in hopes that “fun with sumo” can help clear the COVID brain fog. Before anyone worries, it seems to be Omicron, I am on the back side of it, and things are improving. Just a rough day today.

What We Are Watching Day 3

Kotoeko vs Kaisei – I think I am a sucker for a guy who won’t quit. That’s why I keep hoping that Kotoeko is going to get it together and find a way to make his 8 this January. Reality is, he is still looking quite shaky in his daily matches, even though he is near the bottom of the banzuke at M17e. He faces 200kg Kaisei today, so he’s not going to have a roaring opportunity for a second win. But still – I keep hoping.

Oho vs Tsurugisho – Also in the ranks for “man, I hope he gets his sumo going” is Tsurugisho. He’s big, he’s strong, he has the skill, but right now he’s just too massive (also in the near 200kg mega-fauna class), and his body just does not seem to be able to support that much flesh. He won the only prior match with Oho last basho, so maybe Tsurugisho can pick his first win of January today.

Wakamotoharu vs Tochinoshin – First ever match for these two. Wakamotoharu seems to be a straight ahead, no-nonsense rikishi, with solid fundamentals. That, at least to me, means he has to tools to be a mainstay if he can find ways to win his matches. Tochinoshin is a day by day, hit or miss opponent now. It comes down to how bad that knee is, and if he can get a lucky break and make his opponent switch to defense. I am going to guess Wakamotoharu will guard his left side.

Aoiyama vs Ichiyamamoto – Another first time meet up, between a new rising star and a long serving (and suffering) top division mainstay. I worry Aoiyama’s body has finally declared itself “too old for this crap”, and he’s just finding a way to limit his slide down the banzuke as much as possible. Aoiyama’s big threat had been huge forward pressure connected to a brutal two arm thrusting / bludgeoning attack. All of that seems to be at a fraction of expected power now. I think if Ichiyamamoto can survive the obligatory pull attempt from Aoiyama, he should be able to win this one.

Kotonowaka vs Yutakayama – Yutakayama has yet to take a single match from Kotonowaka, and there really is not reason for that to change today. I worry that Yutakayama had decided a life as Shodai’s training partner is good enough for his legacy in sumo. What a sad waste that would be. I do recall him scoring an 8-7 kachi-koshi at Maegashira 3 in 2020. The man has sumo skills that can in fact pay the bills. But where his fighting spirit has gone, is the ugly mystery of the day.

Ishiura vs Chiyomaru – Oh good, most sumo fans love a competitive big man / small man match up. With a 20 career match history split at 10-10, this is the match to watch for a clash of sumo styles. Ishiura wants to get low in the tachiai, and with an opponent like Chiyomaru, he needs to watch out for a slap down. Many of Ishiura’s wins come from getting behind Chiyomaru, and running him out, pushing from the rear, so we will be watching for a fast shift at the tachiai.

Sadanoumi vs Chiyotairyu – Another veteran rivalry, they have a 15 match history, with a narrow edge going to Sadanoumi. Worse yet for Chiyotairyu, he still seems to be operating at a lower intensity than his fans and his opponents are expecting. I sort of want the old sumo thunder god back.

Myogiryu vs Terutsuyoshi – Myogiryu has had a nice 2-0 start, and has looked completely different than his pitiful form we last saw in Kyushu. During the entire basho, he only managed to win 2 matches, and I seriously wondered if he was permanently injured. No, the 35 year old veteran was having a crappy basho, may have been hurt, but seems in fighting form now. This far down the banzuke, he can really cause a lot of havoc if he can stay healthy.

Akua vs Shimanoumi – The good news on this match is that one of these men will exit the dohyo today with their first win of the January tournament. Both have had poor performance in the first 2 days, and both could really use a change. I am guessing make-koshi for both of them, but to my eye, Shimanoumi has looked uniquely underwhelming so far.

Chiyonokuni vs Takarafuji – Ah, Chiyonokuni – can you get it in gear? Probably not today. Your high energy, frantic hit and shift sumo does not work well against Takarafuji’s defenses. The career record is 2-9, with the nine portion being Takarafuji’s. So you may see Chiyonokuni end the day 0-3.

Tobizaru vs Abi – Well, two guys without a loss, and one of them is going to eat dirt for the first time this tournament. While I think the hype and momentum favors Abi, I am quite certain the Tobizaru could care less, and will be pushing to put Abi on the deck in short order. There could be some excellent or at least brutal sumo out of this.

Hoshoryu vs Hokutofuji – Hoshoryu has won both of their prior matches, and I am looking for him to take this one today as well. I think Hokutofuji is suffering from a fair amount of ring rust right now, and is not yet at full fighting form. Hoshoryu’s wins were okuridashi and hitakikomi, so I am going to say “anything goes” for this one.

Okinoumi vs Chiyoshoma – Again, the theme of pairing rikishi with matching records continue. Both men have yet to score their first win, and frankly I put the advantage squarely on Okinoumi’s side of the shikiri-sen. Not that I don’t want Chiyoshoma to do well and end up with 8 wins, but I think that Okinoumi has the deeper catalog of sumo to employ.

Onosho vs Endo – Time for Endo to put a dent in that perfect 2-0 start that the junior tadpole has going into day 3. Endo is an even 1-1, but has a 6-2 career advantage over Onosho. If Onosho gets an early connect with a bight right hand thrust out of the tachiai, look for Endo to circle away and use his superior balance to re-engage.

Meisei vs Ichinojo – Back to the matching record theme, both are 1-1, and both are looking to stay on track for 8 wins. Ichinojo did not look as sharp day 2 as he had on the opener, so I am going to expect him to renew his focus today. Any time you have that much Boulder looking stable and emitting powerful sumo, there is going to be trouble.

Tamawashi vs Takanosho – Although Tamawashi has a 1-3 career defecit against Takanosho, the veteran looks pitch perfect right now. I know Takanosho is really well situated in the Sekiwake slot, but I think this is going to be Tamawashi’s day. We have not seen him attempt a throw against Takanosho in any of their prior matches, so maybe that is on tap for today.

Mitakeumi vs Wakatakakage – Mitakeumi knows he has a tough task ahead of him. Team Tachiai have been covering everything about this guy, and how he really should be Ozeki, for several years. As he starts to “age out”, he may find fewer chances to credibly rack up 33 wins. Today is his best chance, and it looks like he’s pushing hard to take it. Wakatakakage has yet to score his first win, and he will be hard pressed to find an opening to attack Mitakeumi before the original Tadpole takes him out of the ring.

Daieisho vs Shodai – Daieisho needs his first win, and who better to face on a day like this than Shodai. Daieisho holds a 9-7 career advantage, and we have yet to see Shodai really be too dominant in his sumo. His 2-0 record is perfect thus far, but I think he is ripe for his first loss.

Takakeisho vs Ura – I do not want to see this match happen. Ura had his bell rung, and needs to sit out at least a couple of days while he gets checked for brain damage.

Terunofuji vs Kiribayama – Will Terunofuji have another wild, off balance start today? He has been very lose at the tachiai, and gradually tightens up as the match progresses. He typically wins with a powerful, overwhelming attack that completely disrupts his opponent, dashing their hopes have they had started off so well. Kiribayama has not won a single match against Terunofuji in 5 attempts.