With the preview of day 11, we start the third and final act of the Haru basho. Act 3 is to crown the yusho winner, and sort everyone into make and kachi-koshi. This is also about the time we can start thinking about which rikishi might be demoted back to Juryo, and which Juryo rikishi might appear in the top division for the Natsu basho in Tokyo.

Ishiura is back in action, the banzuke is balanced once more, and we will stop seeing folks from Juryo in the top division for the first match each day. I am hoping his pinched nerve is good enough for him to fight, it looks like he was in quite a lot of pain.

With Mitakeumi taking a 2nd loss, the yusho race gets a bit more chaotic. Up until that point, Mitakeumi had been favored as the challenger as soon as Takayasu picks up his first loss. That is still possible, but quite a bit more unlikely now that he is 2 losses behind. This leaves Wakatakakage and Kotonowaka to be first in line to challenge, should the opportunity present itself.

One last note, though it is late in starting, it does seem that the schedulers are going to try some level of “Darwin’s Funnel” now in act 3. There is a preponderance of matches between rikishi with middling records, and maybe they are going to see if they can herd a bunch of them to 7-7 records to start day 15.

Haru Leaderboard

Everyone is waiting to see if someone can put dirt on Takayasu – I am sure it will happen before long, but who will be the one?

Leader: Takayasu
Hunt Group: Wakatakakage, Kotonowaka
Chaser: Mitakeumi

5 matches remain

What We Are Watching Day 11

Chiyomaru vs Ichiyamamoto – This will be a tough match, if Ichiyamamoto loses, he is make-koshi, and basically automatically demoted to Juryo except for some kind of miracle. I can’t say that he has really shown much in the way of effective sumo this month, and maybe he needs to re-group in the lower division. Chiyomaru is not doing well either, but may be safe at this rank and score from any speculation of demotion.

Nishikigi vs Chiyotairyu – A win today, and Nishikigi will have his first top division kachi-koshi since 2018. I kind of want him to do it. It will come down to him getting his hands on Chiyotairyu’s belt and shutting down the thunder-god’s oshi-zumo. Chiyotairyu has a 5-3 career lead.

Tochinoshin vs Terutsuyoshi – The second in the “win and in” series, Tochinoshin could pick up kachi-koshi today with a win over Terutsuyoshi. Terutsuyoshi still seems to be having wrist problems since that match earlier in the basho that saw him flexing his hands after a win. He will need to get inside on Tochinoshin and avoid the “sky-crane” effect.

Myogiryu vs Kagayaki – Both of these guys are 4-6, and are setting a pretty solid course for make-koshi right now. In the case of Kagayaki, it’s back to Juryo for him along side Ichiyamamoto unless he can take 3 wins from his final 5 matches. AT M11, Myogiryu should be safe from demotion, so I think Kagayaki is going to have much stronger motivation today. Both are good candidates for Darwin matches, if they can get that far.

Kotokuzan vs Aoiyama – Two more that are headed into Darwin territory, if they are lucky. This is their first ever match, and the sheer bulk of Aoiyama may be somewhat of a surprise to Kotokuzan. Kotokuzan is no dainty dumpling himself, but I must imagine being confronted with a wall of pasty flesh might unsettle even the strongest constitution.

Tobizaru vs Akua – Tobizaru at an even 5-5 to start today, and Akua already make-koshi. He has a number of folks below him on the banzuke in tough shape, but if he loses several more, he may find himself nominated to return to Juryo on the barge of the damned. Tobizaru has a 6-3 career lead, and there are rumors afoot that he is now able to levitate….

Kotoshoho vs Sadanoumi – Kotoshoho seems to have a good shot of reaching his 8, and cementing his spot in the top division for May. Sadanoumi is already a disimal 2-8, but at this rank unlikely to be considered for a demotion. This may, however, be a bit of an “exchange” match it see how Kotoshoho might fight against someone around mid level.

Chiyoshoma vs Yutakayama – Another match that just screams “Darwin” are these two. Both of them are fighting ok, but not great. Chiyoshoma is 4-6, Yutakayama 5-5. Both are susceptible to lose on any given day for any reason or no reason at all. In terms of the funnel, the ideal result here would be a Chiyoshoma win, leaving both with 5-6 records.

Hokutofuji vs Shimanoumi – After giving Mitakeumi the business, Hokutofuji is here to join the crowd trying out for Darwin’s Funnel. This time it’s Hokutofuji with 5-5, and Shimanoumi with 6-4. They have an even 2-2 record, so I would give Shimanoumi a fair chance of getting his 7th win and avoiding the funnel all together.

Okinoumi vs Ishiura – Oh man, Okinoumi at 2-8 facing a returning Ishiura, who has a composite score of 1-9. In addition, Okinoumi has a 6-2 career record. As is frequently the case, returning rikishi are skewered lengthwise and roasted over a crackling fire for their first day back./ It could be a lot worse, but it’s bad enough.

Kotoeko vs Endo – I really want to see Kotoeko pick up his 8th win today. He’s been showing a lot of drive and determination, and I think that kind of rikishi must prevail. Endo has not managed a win in either of their prior matches, and in fact a loss today might push him into the funnel.

Kiribayama vs Wakamotoharu – As with the match above, we have Kiribayama at 7-3 against 6-4 Wakamotoharu. I would be delighted to see Wakamotoharu win this one and surprise Kiribayama. Both top division Oname brothers seem to have having a banner tournament, and I hope it will motivate them to solid gains in their sumo.

Ichinojo vs Meisei – I am calling this a gimme for Ichinojo. He seems to have come to terms with his own immensity, and if he is clam, huge, patient and immobile today, the much smaller Meisei (who is only 1-9) will be less fun to toss than your average pony.

Tamawashi vs Ura – Also firmly in the 1-9 camp is Ura. May not matter much, everyone loves him anyhow. So I wonder how low his score is going to go. Hopefully not too far into double digits. Tamawashi has a 3-1 career win over Ura, so Ura is more or less oshidashi bait today.

Daieisho vs Hoshoryu – Daieisho has a 2-0 record over Hoshoryu, and in general both rikishi are finding the going a bit tough in the second half of Haru. This might be considered another funnel match, except I don’t really think they will end up 7-7 on the final day. I give a bit of an edge to Daieisho today as I think Hoshoryu is running low on mojo.

Takanosho vs Onosho – Takanosho at 2-8 is already out of the named ranks. I think he has a chance to cushion the fall but putting up as many white stars as he can in the last 5 matches, starting with today’s slap and push fest with Onosho. Takanosho holds a 7-3 career advantage in their match ups, and Onosho continues to have balance problems.

Wakatakakage vs Takayasu – I consider this to be the big match of the day, maybe the biggest match of the next couple of days. Takayasu needs to win this one, and it will be tough. Wakatakakage has a 5-2 career advantage, and has been fighting at or near his best ever form. I won’t even hazard a guess on what form the match will take. I am not certain that even if Takayasu locks Wakatakakage into a giant hairy battle-hug that he would be able to prevail in a stamina contest, as the lighter and smaller Wakatakakage has shown himself capable of escaping that trap.

Shodai vs Takarafuji – Shodai needs to win 3 of the last 5 matches, and sets up an ugly possibility. A final day contest where he is 7-7 and must win to preserve his rank. There have been a few Ozeki Darwin matches in the past, and they are usually heartbreakers. He has a 15-3 career record against Takarafuji, who is having one of his “bad” basho. So maybe a win for him again today?

Abi vs Mitakeumi – Both of Mitakeumi’s losses this basho came directly from him underestimating his opponent in the early moments of a match. Allowing Hokutofuji to surprise him with a solid yotsu match leaves no one but himself to blame. For him to have any chance at the yusho, he needs Takayasu to win against Wakatakakage, and then someone to take down Kotonowaka while Takayasu fades out with 2 losses. Yeah, not quite likely at this point. But at least he can run up the score and try for Ozeki 1 East in May.

Kotonowaka vs Takakeisho – On the subject of Kotonowaka, here he is against Takakeisho who needs just one more win to clear kadoban. Kotonowaka would be at less risk standing between Ichinojo and an ice cream truck. I am quite impressed with Kotonowaka’s sumo this March, I think they sent him up here to “face the music” and start collecting a few losses. Note – wins today from both Takakeisho and Takayasu would leave Takayasu 2 wins or more ahead of everyone.

I continue to marvel that Shodai is somehow able to find the power and strength not just to compete, but to dominate the last 4 matches. They have all been fairly quick, so maybe he does what he can before he runs out of juice and for now that is good enough. He is still kadboan, but now needs 3 more wins out of his final 5 matches to clear and retain Ozeki. He has Takarafuji day 11, whose defensive style of sumo is purpose built to keep opponents from a quick win.

Much to my surprise, Mitakeumi took a loss today, and in doing so lowered his odds that he might compete for the cup in the final days of the tournament. While I still think someone is going to put dirt on Takayasu before the yusho is awarded in 5 days, the race is more complicated now, as neither of the two chasers have prior yusho experience, and may have challenges with the mental focus required to finish strong.

Highlight Matches

Tochinoshin defeats Kaisei – They went chest to chest straight away, and it was Tochinoshin who proved to have the advantage today. Both of these guys are absolutely huge, and exerted significant force in that yotsu battle, but it seems that with that ankle injury, Kaisei is a bit less able to transmit power to ground than Tochinoshin is, so the former Ozeki picked up his 7th win. Wow, kachi-koshi for him tomorrow?

Kotoshoho defeats Kotokuzan – Kotoshoho tried twice to get a hand inside, but could not overcome Kotokuzan’s slapping attack, one of which connected with Kotoshoho’s head. That head slap left Kotokuzan’s chest wide open, and a single powerful thrust to the center of that chest was enough to put Kotokuzan out, improving Kotoshoho to 6-4.

Yutakayama defeats Akua – Two matta to front load this match, with the third attempt setting off a furious slapping / thrusting volley that saw Akua’s right knee crumple, and he hit the clay. Akua hits his 8th loss and is make-koshi for March while Yutakayama advances to 5-5.

Nishikigi defeats Chiyomaru – Blink and you will miss it. Nishikigi gave ground to Chiyomaru’s tachiai, but his right hand found its mark, and by the third step he was rolling Chiyomaru to the ground. Nishikigi improves to 7-3.

Kotoeko defeats Ichiyamamoto – Ichiyamamoto opened with his thrusting attack, and had control. But I love that quarter step to the side and grab move Kotoeko applied to go chest to chest against the much larger Ichiyamamoto. The fight shifted to yotsu, and Kotoeko could contain Ichiyamamoto, but lacked the last bit of power to send him out. A mutual throw attempt at the bales paid off, giving Kotoeko his 7th win to advance to 7-3, and picked up a bloody nose for his efforts.

Shimanoumi defeats Kagayaki – After a whopper of a matta, that flattened Shimanoumi, Kagayaki’s sumo was still, and largely ineffective. He could not get good hand placement, and struggled to do much other than hunch forward and advance. With his balance skewed this badly, it was easy for Shimanoumi to pull him farther forward, and send him down. Shimanoumi advances to 6-4.

Tobizaru defeats Chiyotairyu – Chiyotairyu tried for his formulaic “stand him up, pull him down” routine. Tobizaru was ready for each stage of it, and pushed strongly into the pull. Chiyotairyu had no choice but to step back, and then step out. Tobizaru improves to 5-5.

Terutsuyoshi defeats Wakamotoharu – One of the factors to keep in mind when fighting Terutsuyoshi, keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times. Wakamotoharu had a right arm left behind for a moment after a thrust attack, and it was an easy attachment point for Terutsuyoshi. Arms make wonderful levers, and one step later Wakamotoharu was tumbling forward as Terutsuyoshi pulled the arm and rotated. Both end the day with 6-4 scores thanks to that glorious katasukashi.

Chiyoshoma defeats Myogiryu – Again we get a matta. When the match did get started, the two danced about the ring exchanging blows, shoves and even a few kicks. It would not be unfair to call this a “kitchen sink” match, that ended with Chiyoshoma pulling Myogiryu forward and rotating him down. Matching scores to finish this match as well, both are 4-6.

Aoiyama defeats Sadanoumi – Another very sloppy “come as you are” match. They started with a bit of shoving, a bit of hitting and a bit of everything in between. Aoiyama grabbed Sadanoumi’s head and applied a pull, which only served to bring Sadanoumi closer, and Sadanoumi found a double inside position. With both men terribly off balance, Aoiyama pivoted and rotated Sadanoumi out. That’s loss 8 for Sadanoumi, and he is make-koshi for March, as Aoiyama advances to 4-6.

Kiribayama defeats Onosho – Not sure why Onosho decided he was going to fight this one chest to chest. But it worked out poorly, and his only real offensive move just fed power into Kiribayama throw that ultimately won the match. Kiribayama up to 7-3 now.

Okinoumi defeats Meisei – The battle of the battle damaged goes to Okinoumi, who picks up his second win of the tournament. Meisei opened with thrusting, but once Okinoumi captured him and established a hold, it was a fast walk to the bales, followed by a gentle escort out of the ring. Okinoumi now 2-8.

Ichinojo defeats Tamawashi – We got to see the “good” Ichinojo again today. Huge, patient, immobile, and in control. Tamawashi tried to apply some power to The Boulder’s upper body, but it went nowhere. Ichinojo calmly consolidated his hold, and took a nice stroll with Tamawashi in his arms, improving to 6-4.

Kotonowaka defeats Daieisho – Daieisho applied maximum forward power, most of which went straight into a series of nodowa. With his center of gravity so far forward, it was trivial for Kotonowaka to set up and execute the side step and thrust to win by hatakikomi. Kotonowaka improves to 9-1.

Takanosho defeats Ura – Another battle of the defeated, it seems that Takanosho is in slighting better condition that Ura right now. Ura continues to try to fight very low, and cannot really produce much offense, but is half way to the the clay already. Takanosho applies a few solid shoves, and gets Ura tumbling out of the ring. Takanosho improves to 2-8.

Takayasu defeats Hoshoryu – Hoshoryu opened really well, a nice hazu-oishi attack to Takayasu’s armpits, and he moved Takayasu back a few steps. Hoshoryu’s advantage was short lived, as Takayasu tangled up his arms and hands, and then gave him time to consider his sumo. Hoshoryu broke contact, and Hoshoryu tried to find the hand placement for some kind of throw, thwarted again by Takayasu. Break contact again and re-engaged with a right hand inside. No, Takayasu is immobile today, and you are going nowhere with that sumo, sir. Hoshoryu tries still more great responses, none of them are doing anything but inching him toward his 6th loss. Takayasu shoves the remainders over the west side, and remains unbeaten at 10-0.

Wakatakakage defeats Abi – Oh, that’s right. Its been a few matches since the last matta, and it is matta day, so Abi, feel free to launch early. Abi has some good power today, but then pulls into Wakatakakage’s forward advance, and is quickly out. Wakatakakage 9-1, and remains in the hunt behind Takayasu.

Hokutofuji defeats Mitakeumi – That was going to be a tough match no matter what, and when I saw that both men squared their shoulders and their hips, it was Hokutofuji’s match to win. He was lower, his arms were better positioned, and he had Mitakeumi bracketed. Mitakeumi realized this almost at once, but could not lower his hips fast enough to counter Hokutofuji’s push forward. Hokutofuji advances to 5-5.

Takakeisho defeats Takarafuji – Is Takakeisho nursing some injury? This form of sumo is quite different for him. I am all in for experiments and expanding the technique catalog, but I wonder about trying to clear kadoban and doing that at the same time. Takakeisho won with a grab/hold technique, katasukashi, which is quite out of character for him. He’s 7-3 now, needing just one more win out of the remaining 5 matches to clear kadoban.

Shodai defeats Endo – Yeah, he did it again. That’s 4 in a row. Even if he does not make his 8, he is scoring very high marks for tenacity and embodiment of ganbarimasu. Endo did get a grip, but there was enough daikon power rattling around Shodai’s COVID riddled body that he powered through Endo’s attempt to drop his hips and set up control. 5-5 for Shodai, 3 to go.

Welcome to the end of act 2. The idea behind act 2 is to 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 would say that has been accomplished with great effect. As of day 9, all of the rikishi that were 2 losses behind front runner Takayasu lost their matches, and a tight group of 4 men are now in contention to fight their way down to senshuraku, and one of them will hoist the Emperor’s cup on Sunday.

At the start of day 10, we have those 4 rikishi who are already kachi-koshi, and 5 that are make-koshi, and the rest of the field in the top division to be sorted in between the two.

Haru Leaderboard

The chase group disappears, and it’s down to these 4. Someone needs to put dirt on Takayasu to open this thing up.

Leader: Takayasu
Hunt Group: Mitakeumi, Wakatakakage, Kotonowaka

6 matches remain

What We Are Watching Day 10

Kaisei vs Tochinoshin – Hey, look who is back in the top division! It’s dear old Kaisei, and we are happy to see your giant Brazilian-Japanese self once more. He and Tochinoshin have an astonishing 26 career matches, with Tochinoshin having a narrow 14=12 lead. I wonder what will happen with Tochnoshin’s current favorite style – bashing and beating upon his foe until they decide they have had enough, will work on the mega-fauna that is Kaisei. In spite of Tochinoshin’s well documented ursine qualities, he would be ill advised to get Kaisei to rampage.

Kotoshoho vs Kotokuzan – A pair of 5-4 rikishi for our next match, and I think it’s going to be a even fight. They have split their only 2 prior fights. Kotokuzan is very much hit or miss in terms of good days vs bad days right now. Where as Kotoshoho has won 4 of the last 5. See, scheduling guys making number jokes / puns again.

Akua vs Yutakayama – A loss today gives Akua his 8th black star, and will render him kachi-koshi for March. Yutakayama has a slight 3-1 career lead over him, so this should be fairly straightforward.

Chiyomaru vs Nishikigi – Life can be odd. One day you wake up, and Nishikigi is 6-3, and only 2 wins away from his first kachi-koshi in the top division since bloody November of… 2018? He needs to pick up 2 more wins, and he has a 9-5 career advantage over Chiyomaru, so let’s see if he can notch that number down to “1” today.

Kotoeko vs Ichiyamamoto – Kotoeko seems to be continuing his good sumo from January, and I would love to see him inch Ichiyamamoto one more black star closer to the inevitable posting to the Juryo barge of the damed. We know he has a cabin reserved in the kansai deck, so he may as well embrace his fate and come aboard.

Shimanoumi vs Kagayaki – The battle of “men who can’t quite setting into their sumo this March”. I present you with two high skill rikishi that have nevertheless struggled in just about every match. Their scores mutually straddle the make/kachi-koshi line, and I would not be surprised to see either or both of them as Darwin candidates for day 15. Kagayaki has a slight 5-3 career advantage, but that only really counts when you are fighting well.

Tobizaru vs Chiyotairyu – My money is that Chiyotairyu won’t come blasting like a rocket sled off the shikiri-sen today at the tachiai. There are just too many wacky and unfortunate things that Tobizaru might be able to do with that much mass in motion. So I am looking for a “stand up” tachiai. Followed by Tobizaru bouncing about and having a lot of fun, even if he loses.

Terutsuyoshi vs Wakamotoharu – Terutsuyoshi enjoys a good yotsu-zumo battle, and he’s got a willing partner in Wakamotoharu. Wakamotoharu has won their only 2 prior meetings, but if Terutsuyoshi can get low enough an grab a dangling piece of undercarriage, it’s going to be his match to control.

Chiyoshoma vs Myogiryu – Both of these guys are moving well enough, but seem to be lacking power and strength in their sumo. Maybe one or both are injured? But I do look for Myogiryu to have a slight advantage today in this head to head.

Aoiyama vs Sadanoumi – A Sadanoumi loss today would indeed be sad, as he would have 8 losses, and be make-koshi for March. Aoiyama is not completely doomed to make-koshi yet, but he certainly looks like he is headed that way. As with a few other rikishi, he seems to lack the last 10%-15% that he would need to be genki this tournament.

Onosho vs Kiribayama – I like that the schedulers continue to park a high interest match in the middle of the torikumi. This one will be a clash of styles as well, pitting Onosho’s mega-thrust tadpole sumo against Kiribayama’s hit and move style. They have 5 career matches with a 3-2 split.

Okinoumi vs Meisei – Wow, a sad one here. Both are already make-koshi, and the only joy that will pop up from this depressing match is that one of these guys will get their second win. I should probably be Okinoumi, given his 7-1 career advantage, but who can tell when both of them are likely injured and trying just to make it to day 15.

Ichinojo vs Tamawashi – The back to the good stuff, this is a nice fight in that we can see both Maegashira 2 slug it out, and they have a fairly even record. They bring in symmetrical 5-4 / 4-5 records, and I can’t help but wonder if there is some funnel action starting up.

Daieisho vs Kotonowaka – Daieisho has been hit or miss, and his 5-4 record at the start of day 10 underscores that. He has the power and speed to best Kotonowaka, it’s a big question if he can summon it in his current condition, whatever that may be. Kotonowaka comes in kachi-koshi at 8-1, but I am going to bet he wants to run up the score.

Takanosho vs Ura – Oh my, back to a match of sadness once more. Both are 1-8 make-koshi, both are solid fighters, both are taking a trip south on banzuke street for May. Who is going to prevail in this contest of demote-ees? I will be watching to find out.

Takayasu vs Hoshoryu – Looks like its time for Takayasu to start fighting higher ranked, more capable foes. He’s never lost to Hoshoryu, so this may not be that big of a test just yet. I am sure Hoshoryu will get some good “explainers” from his uncle, but talking about fighting Takayasu can only go so far once you are face to face with that big hairy guy with the stamina of a tree trunk, and a new baby on the way.

Wakatakakage vs Abi – Well, this is their first ever fight! I imagine the double arm attack at the tachiai may disorient Wakatakakage, but hopefully he has all of the Sandanme guys lined up to double arm blast him this morning, as preparation. I guess this may be an Abi pickup.

Hokutofuji vs Mitakeumi – Hokutofuji has proven capable of giving Mitakeumi a lot of trouble, and while I still expect he is going to be competing for the cup at the end of the week, I would like to see Hokutofuji give him a tough match.

Takarafuji vs Takakeisho – Takarafuji, not fighting so well at 3-6, not moving so well either. I don’t think he’s going to pose too much risk to Takakeisho, unless things take an odd turn. Takakeisho needs just 2 more wins to clear kadoban.

Shodai vs Endo – This will be a big, ugly test for Shodai’s rally. I don’t know if he’s going to be able to take apart Endo today, as Endo is fighting pretty well for this stage of the basho at 6-3, and Shodai is fighting Endo and long Covid at the same time.

Might he do it? Shodai explained before the basho that he suffers with what doctors have labeled “Long Covid”, lingering effects of the pandemic. It can sap a person’s energy, their strength and leave them with drastically reduced lung capacity and blood oxygenation. People I know who suffer from it continue to have problems, nearly a year after their initial Covid-19 diagnosis. This was going to be a brutal tournament for Shodai, who came to Osaka kadoban after a 6-9 finish at Hatsu. He needs 8 wins to maintain his rank. He 5 of his first 6 matches, and had no energy, no power in any of his fights.

But he has now won 3 in a row, and somehow seems to be gutting it out in most admirable style. Should he manage to get his 8 wins, I think it will be a testament to his fighting spirit and determination. He needs to win 4 of the next 6, which is a tall order at any rank, doubly so for an Ozeki with reduced stamina and energy. The key to a success, should he reach his 8, may be Yokozuna Terunofuji’s kyujo. The lack of a fight against the kaiju may be the difference between make and kachi koshi for him.

Highlight Matches

Nishikigi defeats Hidenoumi – Amazing to see the patience Nishikigi displayed today. He secured each element of his victory a piece at a time, and was in no rush to put them together. 6-3 for him at the end of day 9, while Juryo visitor Hidenoumi goes home with a loss.

Yutakayama defeats Ichiyamamoto – Yutakayama breaks his 4 match losing streak, and I am sure is feeling quite relieved. It was a risky move for Yutakayama, he backed Ichiyamamoto up and then pulled him forward. Luckily he caught him unprepared, and dropped him on third step to improve to 4-5.

Tochinoshin defeats Kotoshoho – Whatever knee problems were plaguing Tochinoshin when he started Haru seem to be contained at the moment. Tochinoshin is moving well enough to take apart Kotoshoho with a second pulling combo after his first one failed. While we would all rather see Tochinoshin win moving forward, it’s a win and it counts. Tochinoshin 6-3.

Kotokuzan defeats Chiyomaru – One of the great things about Chiyomaru, people can rightly exclaim, “how can a guy that big and round be that agile?” It’s one of the wonders of Chiyomaru. His feet are dialed in today, but his tsuppari attacks seem powerless. Points to Kotokuzan for sticking with Chiyomaru, and eventually pushing him out. Kotokuzan 5-4.

Chiyotairyu defeats Akua – I think Akua’s choice to start the match with a big heaping spoonful of lateral motion was a good idea. But Chiyotairyu was ready for it, and kept Akua centered. They locked up, and worked to wear each other down. After a fair amount of stamina check time, Chiyotairyu advances to employ his favored “stand them up, pull them down” combo, which takes Akua to the clay, and gives Chiyotairyu a 4-5 finish for day 9.

Kotoeko defeats Kagayaki – Kagayaki on the attack early, but lets Kotoeko get a right hand inside position. Kagayaki counters with a left hand outside, lifting and moving forward. But he neglects his balance and leaves himself heavy on his right foot. In a flash, Kotoeko pivots into a sukuinage, dropping Kagayaki for a loss. Kotoeko advances to 6-3.

Terutsuyoshi defeats Sadanoumi – Terutsuyoshi is almost bent double at the tachiai, I immediately wonder; “Can he fight like that?” Sadanoumi reaches over Terutsuyoshi’s back, and grips the smaller man’s mawashi. But Terutsuyoshi has a hold of Sadanoumi’s left, and is pushing forward. Three steps later has Sadanoumi out of the ring. Ok then… Terutsuyoshi 5-4, they allocated the kimarite watashikomi for this match.

Shimanoumi defeats Chiyoshoma – My compliments to Chiyoshoma for the rapid fire offense. It had Shimanoumi unable to attack, and do much other than keep his feet and focus on staying in the match. As Chiyoshoma was attacking, bit by bit Shimanoumi was taking away territory, turning the tables at the end and forcing Chiyoshoma out. Shimanoumi improves to 5-4.

Myogiryu defeats Okinoumi – Okinoumi solidly on offense to start, had good hand placement, good footwork, but as we have seen all March, he just can’t get the power up to winning levels. We he starts his finishing combo, Myogiryu converts his forward push into the power for a kotenage, brining him to the clay for his 8th loss of Haru, and make-koshi. Myogiryu improves to 4-5.

Takayasu defeats Aoiyama – Takayasu remains the undefeated leader of the Haru yusho race. He took the fight to Aoiyama early. Both tried ill-advised pulls that had not positive effect. They pause a minute head to head to regroup, and Takayasu resumes on offense. Aoiyama put some effort into counter attack, but a Takayasu thrusting combo finished him off. 9-0 for Takayasu.

Kotonowaka defeats Tobizaru – Nice evasive maneuvers from Tobizaru, including a near escape at the bales that Kotonowaka responded to with the winning oshidashi. Kotonowaka’s sumo today was very calm and efficient, and I think that made all the difference in this match, a bit reminiscent of Kisenosato. That’s win number 8 for Kotonowaka, and kachi-koshi for Haru at 8-1.

Wakamotoharu defeats Hokutofuji – Hokutofuji had a great start to this match, and looked to be setting up a winning yorikiri. But at the moment of his final advance to send Wakamotoharu, Wakamotoharu was able to turn to the side and thrust him down. Great recovery from Wakamotoharu to improve to 6-3. It’s not easy to get Hokutofuji off balance, but you found your moment and made it work.

Kiribayama defeats Meisei – Kiribayama put good energy into the opening moments of this match, and I am sure Meisei had a solid plan to win. But he succumbed to a nefarious slippiotoshi following a Kiribayama pull that saw Meisei’s hands touch clay. That’s his 8th loss of March, and he is make-koshi for Haru. Kiribayama improves to 6-3.

Onosho defeats Ura – Ura today, large on energy, small on balance and footwork. Onosho gives him a bit of a lifting toss in passing, and Ura blasts out of the ring belly first. Ura will need to do some reconfiguration for his next attempt at the Joi, he has 8 losses and is make-koshi. Onosho advances to 4-5.

Daieisho defeats Takanosho – This was all Daieisho, he had a strong early combo, and kept Takanosho on the move. Takanosho did try to circle away, but Daieisho tracked him well. Takanosho is also make-koshi as of today, taking his 8th loss of the basho, while Daieisho advances to 5-4.

Takarafuji defeats Abi – After Takarafuji has had a really crummy tournament, its nice to see him win one. Abi’s initial double arm attack has limited effect given Takarafuji’s unusual head / shoulder configuration, allowing Takarafuji to counter. He gets close enough to set his hands well against Abi’s chest, and proceeds to muscle him out of the ring. Takarafuji picks up his 3rd win to finish the day 3-6.

Wakatakakage defeats Ichinojo – Wakatakakage shifts to the side, but impressively, Ichinojo is not phased one bit. Ichinojo closes in and takes the fight to Wakatakakage, who quickly finds his right arm locked up against the Boulder. Wakatakakage finds himself unable to do much in this position, and Ichinojo decides to give him a stamina check. Wakatakakage knows he’s running down his energy levels, and do we see a bit of gaburi-yori there? This match fell apart when Ichinojo moved to change his grip, and Wakatakakage exploited the change in pressure to push Ichinojo out. He’s now 8-1, and kachi-koshi at Haru. Nicely done sir!

Endo defeats Takakeisho – It was all down to Endo biding his time, and finding a belt grip. As long as Endo was able to keep his feet under Takakeisho’s attack, it was just a matter of time. The time did come, Endo took his grip, and blasted Takakeisho out by yoritaoshi. Both end the day at 6-3.

Shodai defeats Hoshoryu – This is the first time ever that Shodai has beaten Hoshoryu, in 5 attempts. It was rough, it was chaotic, it was Hoshoryu’s match for a time. But did you see it? With his heels on the tawara, Shodai somehow summoned the “Wall of Daikon”. Hoshoryu tried twice to unleash the uwate, but Shodai had him bracketed, and Hoshoryu could not rotate into the throw. Now side on to Shodai, Shodai bodily drove Hoshoryu from the ring to pick up a much needed 4th win. Both are 4-5 at the end of the day.

Mitakeumi defeats Tamawashi – Much respect to Tamawashi, who put a lot of power and energy into this match, and had the shin-Ozeki in the back seat for the opening moves of this match. But once Mitakeumi got that right hand on the front of Tamawashi’s belt, he rallied and attacked. It was 5 steps to the bales, and Tamawashi was going to take a trip to the front row. 8th win for Mitakeumi, and kachi-koshi. He stays 1 behind Takayasu.