The Great Sumo Cat of the Kokugikan has seen fit to make this yusho race interesting, and even the events that took place to get us to this state about as unusual as you could want. Some people take exception to my describing some of Shodai’s sumo as “cartoon”, and a few take umbrage. As it in play today, perhaps an explanation. As a child, I watched cartoons, a lot of them. Mostly the classic such as the Looney Tunes (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, etc) with a few more contemporary hits thrown in. Things in the cartoon world don’t work the same as they do in the real world, and typically the protagonist will use some physics or geometry defying move to overcome the bad guy’s actions.

Forward to the present day. A few years ago, we saw Shodai get into trouble in a match, and suddenly do things that were tough to explain and most times reversed an almost certain loss. Sometimes it happened while Shodai was a few feet away. I could not figure out what was at work until it hit me – this is no different than “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”, where the toons invaded the normal world, bringing their cartoon physics and props with them. Thus Shodai’s unexplainable escapes and wins were explainable, and Shodai was deemed to have “cartoon sumo”. He used it again today. Twice.

Highlight Matches

Akua defeats Sadanoumi – I had expected Sadanoumi to use his superior speed and agility to dominate this match, but instead Akua used his big body to shut down Sadanoumi’s mobility and just used good old Newtonian sumo to score his 3rd win for January.

Kotoeko defeats Akiseyama – Good grief! That’s 5 losses in a row for Akiseyama, who at one point was part of the leader group. Kotoeko over powered him quite effectively, which is an achievement given the difference in mass between the two. Kotoeko improves to 5-6.

Yutakayama defeats Aoiyama – Aoiyama had this match on even footing, but then decided to try a neck pull against Yutakayama. Given he has done that at least twice in previous matches, it was easy to anticipate. Yutakayama improves to 7-4.

Kotonowaka defeats Shimanoumi – There is a tendency for sumo matches to spend at least some time in the present day as mutual nodowa exchanges. I find it rather boring, and I wish it would fall out of favor. These two had their moment of mutual nodowa, and it got them precisely nowhere. They went into a leaning mode, and Kotonowaka won by reversing and pulling Shimanoumi into a throw. He improves to 7-4.

Myogiryu defeats Ichinojo – Did Ichinojo use his ponderous bulk to his advantage today? No! He decided he wanted to pull straight out of the tachiai, and Myogiryu was ready. Dear Boulder. You should have had him try to push you around or hold you up for a minute or two first. Myogiryu improves to 6-5.

Hoshoryu defeats Kiribayama – This match had a lot of sumo fans talking, and much of it was critical of Hoshoryu. While I would rather have seen them fight it out, Kiribayama could have been ready for Hoshoryu’s henka. He improves to 6-5.

Midorifuji defeats Tokushoryu – The answer is “yes”, Midorifuji can apply the katasukashi to someone that large and rotund. It was over in a flash, and Midorifuji advances to 6-5.

Terutsuyoshi defeats Ryuden – Another match won at the tachiai, Terutsuyoshi steps to the side and picks up Ryuden’s left leg to win in a flash by ashitori. Terutsuyoshi improves to 5-6.

Tobizaru defeats Kotoshoho – Kotoshoho now with 11 straight losses. He’s not a crummy rikishi, but he’s just not able to win right now for some reason. Tobizaru once again brings a lot of energy and movement to his sumo, and scores a much needed win to improve to 5-6.

Meisei defeats Takarafuji – For whatever reason, Takarafuji could not get step up to stalemate Meisei today, as Meisei kept the upward pressure on Takarafuji’s arms immediately from the tachiai. With the win Meisei improves to 8-3 and is kachi-koshi.

Onosho defeats Daieisho – Onosho does what we all hoped he would, handing Daieisho his second loss with a beautifully timed step to the side as Daieisho charges to send him over the bales. With this second loss, the one time sole leader is now within range of two Ozeki and Meisei, whom he will face on day 12. Onosho improves to 7-4.

Hokutofuji defeats Kagayaki – Sure, now that Ol’Stompy Hokutofuji has firmly secured “The Most Powerful Make-Koshi In All of Sumo”, here come the wins. We finally get to see that handshake tachiai, and it stands Kagayaki up. Kagayaki has long legs, and so his hips are high anyhow, and Hokutofuji uses these elements to get low and attack center mass. When Hokutofuji fights like this, he is unstoppable. He improves to 3-8.

Mitakeumi defeats Tochinoshin – Mitakeumi keeps Tochinoshin moving, and he is easy meat in that situation. Unable to set up any kind of position with his left leg to stop Mitakeumi’s charge, he’s out in a moment. Mitakeumi improves to 6-5.

Takayasu defeats Endo – Rather than going for a low frontal mawashi grip, Endo choses to meet Takayasu’s opening strike with his hands high. Trading thrusts and blows with Takayasu was never going to favor Endo, and he goes down on the 4th volley when Takayasu adds a pull. Takayasu improves to 7-4.

Terunofuji defeats Tamawashi – For a man with no knees, Terunofuji has impressive balance. He absorbs the disrupting pushing attacks from Tamawashi, and remains on his feet. With the win Terunofuji improves to 7-4. Keep the dream alive, Kaiju!

Asanoyama defeats Takanosho – Takanosho put up a great fight. Twice Asanoyama tried to get his preferred grip and stance against Takanosho, but Takanosho broke each attempt, and kept the Ozeki in motion. Again we saw Asanoyama revert back to his earlier oshi form, and pull out the combo that won the match. Asanoyama clears kadoban with his 8th win and is kachi-koshi.

Shodai defeats Okinoumi – First match: Okinoumi launches a moment earlier than Shodai, and starts the match chest to chest. But Shodai is able to move forward and runs Okinoumi to the bales. A twisting throw at the edge looks like an Okinoumi win as it happens, but the Shimpan want to review it. The call – rematch! Second match: A much more cautious tachiai from both, but once again its Okinoumi on offense. Shodai tries the same square dancing combo he pulled out on day 10 for a win, but Okinoumi shifts his offense seamlessly and puts Shodai on his back for what appears to be another win. But its close and the Shimpan want to review, again. Frame by frame shows that Okinoumi stepped out before Shodai slammed into the clay, and the match was awarded to the Ozeki with a kimarite scored as isamiashi or “accidental step out” non-winning move. Shodai improves to 9-2 and is tied for the lead with Daieisho, with Asanoyama and Meisei one behind.

Welcome to the start of act 3! In the final 5 days of the basho, we crown the yusho winner, and sort the winners from the losers. The race is under Daieisho’s control, and as long as he wins each day, he takes home the cup. If he goes down once, he’s fair game for Shodai, if he loses twice, well it gets a bit more interesting. The chance of that are not good, however. Daieisho is fighting very well, and looks completely comfortable in his sumo. This will maybe crack a bit on days 13/14/15, but Daieisho may run short of credible and challenging opponents.

Hatsu Leaderboard

Leader – Daieisho
Chaser – Shodai
Hunt Group – Asanoyama, Meisei, Yutakayama

5 Matches Remain

What We Are Watching Day 11

Akua vs Sadanoumi – Akua is already make-koshi, but he needs to rack up a few more wins to make sure he stays in the top division. Given how diminished he looks right now, I am fairly sure that 5-5 Sadanoumi will have the upper hand.

Akiseyama vs Kotoeko – Akiseyama has lost the last 4 in a row after opening 6-0. I am going to put a wager on injury day 6 or 7, and he’s got to find a way to come up with 2 more wins, or get on the barge back to Juryo. Kotoeko at 4-6 should be in better shape in staying in the top division from Maegashira 11. Akiseyama holds a 6-4 career advantage, so maybe things will go his way today.

Yutakayama vs Aoiyama – Yutakayama seems to be clicking along quite well going into act 3, so I think he will have the edge against “Big Dan” today. The two have a 3-3 match history, but Aoiyama has been a bit below par this January. He needs 3 more wins to reach the safety of kachi-koshi.

Shimanoumi vs Kotonowaka – A pair from the 6-4 pack, and it should be a good one. Both of them are young, strong and oshi-zumo specialists. if Kotonowaka gets the first hit, I would expect him to quickly work to set up a throw, vs Kotonowaka moving to thrust and push his way to a win.

Ichinojo vs Myogiryu – So, Myogiryu, do you want to go into a belt battle with Ichinojo? Make it a perfect trifecta of smaller, high output rikishi who try to grapple with the Boulder? He holds a 9-4 advantage over Ichinojo, so there is some real concern that he can get it done where Midorifuji could not.

Hoshoryu vs Kiribayama – First time match, and it’s time to check out how well Hoshoryu’s bounce back from his 0-5 start when he comes up against Kiribayama. Both come from the Mongolian school of sumo, so with any luck they may try to leg trip each other.

Tokushoryu vs Midorifuji – Tokushoryu, at 8 losses, has to have a focus on racking up enough wins to not be demoted from M14 East. Maybe, lksumo will post some information on that later in the basho. This is another first time match, and I am hoping we get to find out of Midorifuji can employ his under shoulder swing down on such a massive opponent.

Ryuden vs Terutsuyoshi – Both at 4-6, and I am favoring Ryuden, mostly due to Terutsuyoshi’s injured arm. With any luck he can somehow find 4 more wins before day 15 with only his right arm.

Kotoshoho vs Tobizaru – Why does Kotoshoho keep fighting? Well, he’s going to donate another white star today. This time to Tobizaru, who at 4-6, could certainly use a few.

Takarafuji vs Meisei – A Meisei win today would be kachi-koshi, but Takarafuji is an arch-spoiler. Meisei needs to act before Takarafuji can set up his defense, or it may be quite the long fight.

Onosho vs Daieisho – Onosho has an 8-5 career record over Daieisho, and for today – that matters. Clearly Onosho has the recipe to win over Daieisho, and this January he seems strong and healthy enough to actually take the fight to the Yusho race leader. A loss today would open the door for Shodai.

Hokutofuji vs Kagayaki – Now that Hokutofuji has a 2-8 make-koshi, maybe he will start winning matches. This would not be the first time this has happened to Ol’Stompy. He holds an 8-2 career advantage over Mr. Fundamentals, Kagayaki, and I think we just may see him use the handshake tachiai today, and get Kagayaki on the run.

Tochinoshin vs Mitakeumi – A Tochinoshin loss today would be make-koshi for him, so I expect him to throw everything he can into this match. Mitakeumi needs 3 more wins for kachi-koshi, but given how hit or miss his sumo has been, its tough to know what he is going to bring to todays match.

Takayasu vs Endo – Takayasu will bring wild energy to this match, and Endo will be efficient and precise. A great conflict of sumo styles, and it could be the kind of battle that deserves watching in slow motion a dozen times or so. It will be shoulder blast vs battle crouch, and if Endo gets that frontal grip, it will be Endo on the attack.

Terunofuji vs Tamawashi – Terunofuji needs to win 4 of his last 5 matches to hit double digits, which he wants to stoke a run to return to Ozeki. Tamawashi has been fightings surprisingly well for a man of 35, and he hold just a slim 5-7 minority against Terunofuji. Could be a solid match.

Asanoyama vs Takanosho – Asanoyama can clear kadoban with a win today, and I expect him to dispatch Takanosho with little trouble.

Okinoumi vs Shodai – The big if – can Shodai continue to win? He has a 4-5 record against Okinoumi, and needs to stay focused because Okinoumi has a vast library of sumo to use to counter anything Shodai might try. Will it be time for more cartoon sumo? I certainly hope so.

We have come to the end of act 2, which is all about shaping the yusho race, and starting to sort the winners from the losers. How did that go? Well, we have one rikishi in the lead, one rikishi one win behind, and a cloud of 10 that are just behind those two. For now the yusho race is all about Daieisho, and if Shodai can continue to keep pace with him. Daieisho already beat Shodai, so there is no way that the match making team can put them head to head to resolve any of this. It will be up to the rank and file rikishi he faces over the next 6 days to open up the race to the emperor’s cup. With that, lets take a look at the Hatsu leader board:

Hatsu Leaderboard

Leader – Daieisho
Chaser – Shodai
Hunt Cloud – Asanoyama, Terunofuji, Onosho, Meisei, Kiribayama, Shimanoumi, Ichinojo, Yutakayama, Kotonowaka, Akiseyama

6 Matches Remain

What We Are Watching Day 10

Azumaryu vs Akiseyama – Today’s Juryo visitor is Azumaryu, who had a 15 match history with Akiseyama, with a near 8-7 split. These two are well versed in each other’s sumo. Akiseyama has won 3 of the last 4 matches, but I am expecting a big fight to start the day 10 top division.

Hoshoryu vs Kotonowaka – In three attempts, Hoshoryu has not taken a single match from Kotonowaka, who seems to have a knack for disrupting Hoshoryu’s sumo. Hoshoryu has shown a noticeable improvement in the last few days, so maybe he can put up his first win against Kotonowaka today.

Ichinojo vs Midorifuji – Midorifuji is going to use his smaller size, higher agility and superior mobility to win against “the Boulder”. But in reality if Ichinojo focuses on stability, keeping his stance wide and his balance centered, there is about zero that Midorifuji can do to defeat him.

Sadanoumi vs Aoiyama – Both rikishi are turning in middling performance this January. They both have kachi-koshi within reach still, and are going to fight for their 8. Four of their last 5 matches have gone to Aoiyama, so maybe Big Dan will smack Sadanoumi around a bit before it ends.

Terutsuyoshi vs Myogiryu – With Terutsuyoshi’s hurt arm, he’s somewhat of an easy mark. I am looking for Myogiryu to pick up win number 6 today.

Tokushoryu vs Akua – Akua, already make-koshi, what kind of world would it be if you got your second win today to impose make-koshi on Tokushoryu?

Meisei vs Kiribayama – First time match between a pair of the 6-3 cloud. Up until yesterday, Meisei and Kiribayama had been keeping pace with Shodai, and I am sure they want to prevent any further slide down the leader board. Interesting that the scheduling team put them head to head on day 10, but let’s see who survives.

Kotoeko vs Tobizaru – After a really crummy start to Hatsu, Tobizaru has won his last 3 matches. Kotoeko has been fighting well, but is struggling to find any win. Kotoeko has taken the last 2 head to head match ups between them, so I think there is a good chance they both end the day 4-5.

Ryuden vs Yutakayama – Yutakayama, who is looking much better after a rough spot last year, is far up the banzuke to face off against Ryuden. Ryuden had a poor start to Hatsu, but is finally fighting and moving well. Ryuden is going to go for a right hand lead, I expect, and Yutakayama is going to want to counter to Ryuden’s face and neck. Whoever gets the first blow in will likely win the match.

Shimanoumi vs Kagayaki – Shimanoumi will fight to stay within the chaser cloud, and keep himself within 2 wins of Daieisho. Kagayaki is really just out to try to piece together 8 wins at this point, but has had a tough time winning on consecutive days this tournament. I give advantage to Shimanoumi.

Takarafuji vs Kotoshoho – This is more or less a “gimme” to Takarafuji, as hapless Kotoshoho may be going for a perfect 0-15 record this January. Its a tough tough score to hit, but right now Kotoshoho is setting a clear path to that mark. Whatever ails him, I hope he can overcome it by March.

Hokutofuji vs Daieisho – What are the odd that Ol’Stompy, the man who tends to have the most powerful make-koshi in all of the top division, can muster enough genki spirit to see Daieisho eat clay two days in a row? Wouldn’t that be quite the story indeed. They have split the prior 11 matches with it almost being an even back and forth trade. In all likelihood, it will be a solid confirmation of make-koshi for Hokutofuji with his 8th loss today.

Takayasu vs Tochinoshin – Two grizzled former Ozeki veterans, slugging it out. While it would be great to see them both at full power each try to outdo the other with “His brand of sumo”, what we have instead are a couple of strong guys who will each try to improvise their way to a win. Could be some creative moments, so do watch closely.

Onosho vs Mitakeumi – Another glorious tadpole battle. Mitakeumi has had some big wins this tournament, and a larger number of petty losses. Onosho loves to have a large mass to push against, so this really fits his preferred approach quite well. Have it it, croakers!

Terunofuji vs Takanosho – I am hoping that Terunofuji can find his first ever win over Takanosho today to remain in the chaser cloud. He still has a decent chance of reaching double digits by Sunday, and that would keep his Ozeki return hopes alive for March.

Asanoyama vs Tamawashi – Asanoyama looks like he has settled into his sumo. Tamawashi has shown some power. They are going to battle it out today and Asanoyama has at stake his position in the chaser cloud, and a dim outside hope of being able to contest for the yusho. Layer on that the clash of styles with Tamawashi bringing a thrusting attack and Asanoyama wanting to go chest to chest. It has the ingredients for a solid match.

Endo vs Shodai – Shodai is the only man within striking range of Daieisho, and that has to eventually weigh on his thoughts. Endo has nothing to lose by taking the fight to Shodai today. Given how well executed Shodai’s defensive sumo is right now, he may find it a tough proposition, but Endo has beaten more complex and sturdy foes.

Takakeisho vs Okinoumi – A loss today and the Grand Tadpole is make-koshi. Maybe then he will go kyujo and work on returning in March.