With Nakabi behind us, its on to week two, and the march to the yusho. We have 2 days left in act 2, and I am a bit surprised and maybe relieved that it seems the schedulers are no running a “Darwin’s Funnel” this time. they are letting things unfold a bit more naturally. Part of it is that they don’t have a huge cadre of 4-4 rikishi to work with. I am sure there will be a handful of 7-7 rikishi on day 15, and there will be a Darwin match or two.

But the focus seems to be on what could be a barn-burner of a yusho race. As stated before, I expect someone to put dirt on Takayasu in the next 5 days, and that will open up chances for all 3 of the chasers, each of whom are fighting well enough to rack up the numbers into week 2. But when push comes to shove, and the pressure is on, it’s Mitakeumi who has the prior yusho race experience, and would be my favorite to try and take the lead in the final days.

Haru Leaderboard

I really like this set, everyone is strong, healthy and capable. Lets the the brawl started, please!

Leader: Takayasu
Hunt Group: Mitakeumi, Wakatakakage, Kotonowaka
Chasers: Takakeisho, Abi

7 matches remain

What We Are Watching Day 9

Nishikigi vs Hidenoumi – Hidenoumi visits from Juryo today to face Nishikigi. Unlike the prior Juryo visitors, Hidenoumi is not coming for his day in the top division with a strong record. At 4-4, a win today will make a big difference for him. He has a 5-3 career advantage over Nishikigi, so he has a fair chance.

Ichiyamamoto vs Yutakayama – Yutakayama has lost 5 in a row. Is he injured? I would guess yes. If so, he’s going to be an easy mark for Ichiyamamoto, who has a matching 3-5 record to start day 9.

Kotoshoho vs Tochinoshin – Tochinoshin is really surprising me right now. He started Haru looking ready for a sunset ride down to Juryo. But I don’t think you get to be Ozeki without a lot of fighting spirit in your soul. He has brawled his way to 5-3 starting day 9, and he’s going to take on Kotoshoho today, which I think he will likely win.

Chiyomaru vs Kotokuzan – First ever match between these two, they come in with matching 4-4 records. After a slow start of 4 straight losses, Chiyomaru rallied with 4 straight wins. Kotokuzan has been hit or miss, but seems to finally found his sumo during the middle weekend.

Akua vs Chiyotairyu – Both of these guys need to get their sumo in order. Both of them are fighting well below their peak capabilities, and I am going to assign that to injuries. Chiyotairyu missed out on a great opportunity to go to 4-4 on day 8, and it came down to poor timing on his tachiai. Maybe today he can make it work.

Kotoeko vs Kagayaki – Kagayaki has now racked up 3 straight losses, maybe yet another injury or problem with his lower body? Although he has a 10-6 career advantage over Kotoeko, Kotoeko is fighting much better right now, and I would give him a clear and distinct advantage today.

Terutsuyoshi vs Sadanoumi – Why I would love to see Sadanoumi rally and snatch a kachi-koshi in week 2, he’s just not moving well, and his attacks are lacking sufficient power to really dominate his matches at his rank. So now he is fighting lower ranked rikishi, and it is still not going well. He has a 4-1 career advantage over Terutsuyoshi, so maybe today will be his day.

Chiyoshoma vs Shimanoumi – Yotsu form from Chiyoshoma vs a preferred oshi style from Shimanoumi. I have noted that Chiyoshoma tends to get inside and get at least a hand hold. This may prevent Shimanoumi from fighting his preferred format. Chiyoshoma also holds a 7-2 career advantage.

Myogiryu vs Okinoumi – A battle of the damaged here, both of them on a clear make-koshi run, with Okinoumi facing that option today should he lose. They have a 31 match career history, with an even 15-16 balance.

Takayasu vs Aoiyama – I would rather see Takayasu starting to fight some of the other leaders, rather than the flagging Aoiyama. Aoiyama typically fights much better than this in Osaka, but something has him unable to get out of second gear. So I expect that Takayasu is going dominate today.

Tobizaru vs Kotonowaka – Tobizaru has lost 2 of his last 3, and he is at the unlucky 4-4 score. He normally does not do so well against Kotonowaka, but right now Kotonowaka is fighting in some of his best form ever. So I am going to look for Kotonowaka to dominate this match, and it will be up to Tobizaru to come up with something solid to deliver a challenge. A Kotonowaka win today will be 8, and a most welcome kachi-koshi for Haru.

Hokutofuji vs Wakamotoharu – There is a substantial mass difference in this first ever meet up. Wakamotoharu will want to go for the belt, but I don’t know if he will even get that far. Hokutofuji tends to delivery strong hits in the tachiai, and I will expect him to block Wakamotoharu’s opening combo.

Kiribayama vs Meisei – A loss today, and it’s make-koshi for Meisei. I am of the opinion that he will be back to good form in May, so hopefully he can find a few more white stars before Sunday.

Onosho vs Ura – Well, this should be interesting. A rikishi with balance issues (Onosho) vs the champion of grab and tug sumo. I expect Onosho to depart from his usual “guns blazing” opening and instead be quite defensive in an attempt to keep Ura’s sumo in check. A loss today would be make-koshi for Ura, and frankly I think he would be well served to regroup further down the banzuke for a couple of tournaments.

Takanosho vs Daieisho – At least Takanosho can be reasonable sure he will get to at least try some of his oshi-zumo today. He is the last of the group in the “one loss to make-koshi” crowd, and I would not be surprised to see him rally today and stave off an 8th loss for several days.

Takarafuji vs Abi – Yeah, this match, a least for this basho, is going to be terribly one sited, in my estimation. Takarafuji has not been able to set up his defensive sumo at all this month. When he can execute that well, he can shut down Abi and take him apart a piece at a time.

Wakatakakage vs Ichinojo – Normally, this would be considered a near automatic advantage for Wakatakakage, given how well he is fighting. But I really am enjoying the more patient, willing to use his enormity version of Ichinojo. I might guess that possibly Wakatakakage might make him a bit hasty given the intensity of Wakatakakage’s sumo, so I will be hoping that the Bolder stays calm, confident and huge throughout this match. A Wakatakakage win is his kachi-koshi for Osaka.

Endo vs Takakeisho – it will come down to the tachiai, if Endo can land a grip, he should be able to take the match. If it gets to the second step and Endo is still reaching for something to hang on to, it’s a fast trip over the bales and one win closer to clearing kadoban for Takakeisho.

Shodai vs Hoshoryu – Shodai has never beaten Hoshoryu. Shodai, in spite of his unexpected win on day 8, is still trying to compete in spite of lingering COVID symptoms. I predict that Hoshoryu will find win number 5 today.

Tamawashi vs Mitakeumi – 29 career matches between these two, and it favors Mitakeumi 28-3. With Tamawashi clutching his side at the end of his day 8 match against Meisei, it might be that he has re-injured his ribs, and may be operating at reduced ferocity today. A win today is kachi-koshi for the shin-Ozeki.

Some fine matches today, but there were a fair set of matta thrown in the mix, as rikishi struggled to get the fight started properly for some reason. I am really starting to think that Wakatakakage has made a step change to his sumo, and I think we will see double digits this tournament, which is a ringing achievement for his first time as Sekiwake. If he can up his consistency, I see him being considered for Ozeki before too long.

In the world of Ozeki, I have to note that Shodai won today. I am not sure where he found the energy given his condition, but I hope he can tap it again 5 more times. He needs to win 5 of the remaining 7 matches to survive as Ozeki. Its a tough road to be certain, and a healthy Shodai could do it, heck, Sekiwake Shodai could do it. But going into week 2, we get to see him try. Good luck sir, it will be quite the achievement if you can make it happen.

Highlight Matches

Azumaryu defeats Kotokuzan – Kotokuzan had a strong opening, and completely dominated Azumaryu, until the moment that Kotokuzan decided “and now I pull you down!”. That would have been bad enough, but then Azumaryu pulls in response, giving control back to Kotokuzan, who proceeds to (you guessed it) pull. Would one of you two just do forward sumo? That last pull was all the universe was willing to tolerate, and Kotokuzan took a shove to the chest and left the dohyo. Azumaryu improves to 6-2.

Tochinoshin defeats Yutakayama – A 5th consecutive loss for Yutakayama today. I have to wonder if he hurt something against Kotoshoho on day 3. Tochinoshin won with a few really strong thrusts, and is once again defying expectations. Good for you sir. He is now 5-3.

Chiyomaru defeats Kagayaki – Hey, Kagayaki, what was that? You launched from the shikiri-sen well enough, but where were your hands? Chiyomaru took advantage of the chaos to bundle up Kagayaki, and escort him to the exit. Both finish the day 4-4.

Kotoeko defeats Nishikigi – Kotoeko continues his absolute dominance over Nishikigi, now at 5-0 over their career. Nishikigi started well, but once Kotoeko got his grip, it was time for Nishikigi to go for a backwards walk. Both end the day 5-3.

Ichiyamamoto defeats Chiyotairyu – To my eye that should have been a matta, but the gyoji had them fight it out, which is how it should be. Robbed of his tachiai, Chiyotairyu had little to offer in this match. He was unable to capitalize on Ichiyamamoto’s pull, and was quickly thrust out. Both are now 3-5.

Akua defeats Myogiryu – We have not seen Akua fight with this much vigor in a while. He was still a bit of a mess, but he kept Myogiryu in front of him, and focused his strength on forward motion, and effective tsuppari. This is only the second win of the basho for Akua, and I am glad he was able to put it together, he’s now 2-6 for Haru.

Kotoshoho defeats Terutsuyoshi – Terutsuyoshi’s day off thanks to Chiyonokuni’s kyujo did not seem to help his sumo. He was very low at the tachiai, and never quite recovered from that. Immediately on defense, Terutsuyoshi withered under Kotoshoho’s attacks. Kotoshoho improves to 5-3.

Chiyoshoma defeats Aoiyama – Aoiyama started with a big forearm blast, which did not deter Chiyoshoma from setting him a mawashi grip and getting into “his brand of sumo”. He struggled a bit against Aoiyama’s ponderous bulk, but maintained a commanding hold that eventually Aoiyama broke. I am not sure if Aoiyama was trying some kind of escape, but he turned away from Chiyoshoma, and that was all it took for an okuridashi win for Chiyoshoma. Both end the day 3-5.

Shimanoumi defeats Sadanoumi – Sadanoumi opened strong at the tachiai, but Shimanoumi’s ottsuke shut down Sadanoumi’s attempt to establish a grip. Shimanoumi rallied, focused his force forward and drove Sadanoumi from the ring, improving to 4-4. Not sure what has Sadanoumi in poor condition, but I hope he can bounce back in May.

Takayasu defeats Wakamotoharu – Wakamotoharu is a fine yotsu-zumo practitioner, and for reasons on he can explain, he decided to engage in a stamina check with Takayasu. In fairness, it was his first time fighting Takayasu, and the fellow can be forgiven for wanting to find out for himself. Takayasu was in a bit of a hurry today, so he only stood Wakamotoharu up for about 20 seconds before finding a hand hold and delivering a hearty uwatenage. Takayasu remains undefeated at 8-0, the first man to reach kachi-koshi, and the sole leader. He faces Aoiyama on day 9, who is in no condition to present much of a challenge.

Hokutofuji defeats Tobizaru – The first match was a bast, a wild ranging battle that ended with a mutual throw and both men hitting the clay together. The gumbai went to Hokutofuji, but the monoii called for a rematch. The second go was no less energetic, but it was a bit more controlled. Tobizaru’s lateral moves kept Hokutofuji adjusting, his sumo, unable to finish Tobizaru, but Tobizaru seemed to tire, inviting Hokutofuji to finish him off with an oshidashi. Both end the day at 4-4.

Takarafuji defeats Okinoumi – Okinoumi had a solid hold, good body position, but could neither generate forward pressure or hold his ground when Takarafuji advanced. So I am going to ascribe Okinoumi’s terrible 1-7 record to injury, which is a shame. Takarafuji gets his second win and improves to 2-6.

Kotonowaka defeats Endo – Woa! First ever win for Kotonowaka over Endo. I know Endo is hit or miss, but this is a noteworthy milestone. Kotonowaka blocked his grip attempts, and was able to deliver a lot of forward energy into Endo’s body. By the time Endo got organized, he was out of the ring, and into the front row. Kotonowaka advances to 7-1.

Tamawashi defeats Meisei – For a brief moment, it looked like Tamawashi was going for the “arm breaker”, but he thankfully let Meisei go. Meisei was offering little defense and almost no offense, and it was Tamawashi’s win, improving to 4-4.

Ichinojo defeats Takanosho – The big difference of Ichinojo this basho from, say, a year ago is patience. We have seen Ichinojo wait out opponents, work his way through sub-optimal position and partially effective combos to win matches. Today is a great example of this. Takanosho comes in strong, but can’t quite find any kind of grip, and spends a good amount of time getting himself into a workable position. Ichinojo maintains control of the match the whole time, where a younger version would have prematurely moved to end the fight. He takes his time, looks for the best chance, and then calmly finishes Takanosho off. Ichinojo improves to 5-3.

Wakatakakage defeats Ura – Ura is really struggling at this rank, and needs to adjust his sumo to the high grade rikishi we currently enjoy in the joi-jin. I will hold up Wakatakakage as a shining example of that, this guy is tack sharp and really fighting well. Ura is unable to find any advantage, or any route to get a hold of Wakatakakage in a meaningful way. Wakatakakage finishes off Ura with a yorikiri, and advances to 7-1.

Abi defeats Daieisho – Abi effectively got Daieisho to dial up the forward pressure, then stepped clear as Daieisho pushed forward. A bit of an Abi shove from behind and Daieisho is out, and Abi is 6-2.

Shodai defeats Kiribayama – Maybe there is hope for Shodai after all. I am not sure where that came from, but I was delighted to see it. Kiribayama got the better of the tachiai, and had a winning grip from the first step. I think Shodai can still access some of his “cartoon sumo” because in the blink of an eye, Kiribayama went from having a firm hold to being tossed out of the ring. 3-5 for Shodai now.

Mitakeumi defeats Hoshoryu – I give Hoshoryu points for enthusiasm, but look at Mitakeumi’s instant hazu-oshi attack before the tachiai finishes. With that much power straight into Hoshoryu’s armpits, he was an easy mark for a fast finish, and Mitakeumi moved him to the side and tossed him out. Mitakeumi remains one behind Takayasu at 7-1.

Takakeisho defeats Onosho – Great to see these two hit with such power at the tachiai. It was a slight edge to Onosho, but Takakeisho’s match plan was to exploit Onosho’s poor balance on the second step, and it worked a treat. Onosho topples, and Takakeisho improves to 6-2, two more wins to clear kadoban.

Ah, the middle weekend of a basho. I have such fond memories of the privilege of being able to visit Japan and watch sumo in person. I hope the world evolves to allow such wonders to take place once more. I have never been fortunate enough to attend the Haru basho in Osaka, but maybe some day.

The action today featured a lot of short, quick, decisive matches. There was some brilliant sumo on display, and I continue to marvel at just how sharp the joi-jin is this tournament. I think we are in for some great sumo in the coming years as these guys battle their way to the top.

Early Saturday, in Japan, it was announced that Chiyonokuni had withdrawn from Haru. He seems to have re-injured that left shoulder in the prior days. A give away would have been the heavy taping across his back and left arm on day 6. We hope he recovers soon. As a result Terutsuyoshi picks up a most welcome freebie win, boosting him to 4-3.

In tonight’s day 8 preview, we will begin our coverage of the yusho race. While Takayasu is 1 win ahead of everyone, the pack behind him with one loss is rowdy, genki, and likely to be competitive. With Terunofuji out healing up his undercarriage, it’s anyone’s guess who will hoist the hardware a week from tomorrow.

Highlight Matches

Ichiyamamoto defeats Akua – That was more like Ichiyamamoto’s normal sumo, and it payed off with a win over Akua, who really can’t seem to get it together right now. Double arm thrusts against Akua’s head and shoulders is the recipe for today, sending Akua into the front row to visit (I think) Dr Takasu. Ichiyamamoto improves to 2-5.

Kotoshoho defeats Kagayaki – Only the second match of the day, and I am already loving it. Kotoshoho goes right hand inside at the tachiai, and Kagayaki’s arm lock is not enough to prevent Kotoshoho from going to work. As has happened too many times lately, Kagayaki is too high, and Kotoshoho has little problem dropping his hips and advancing. Both end the day 4-3.

Chiyomaru defeats Tochinoshin – Tochinoshin had Chiyomaru stalemated at the center of the dohyo, but a grip shift gave Chiyomaru a left hand outside mawashi grip, and it was time to take Tochinoshin out. Probably some of the better sumo from Chiyomaru this March, he improves to 3-4.

Chiyotairyu defeats Yutakayama – It must be “back to your roots” kind of day, because we also got Chiyotairyu’s “thunder god” tachiai today. Blasted Yutakayama clear out of whatever sumo he was going to try first, and three steps later he is out of the ring. Chiyotairyu improves to 3-4, and I am grinning.

Kotokuzan defeats Kotoeko – Kotokuzan read Kotoeko’s opening move perfectly. Kotoeko was working hard for any kind of frontal hold, and Kotokuzan slapped him down. While I would have rather seen them brawl it out, Kotokuzan really needed this win. Both end the day 4-3.

Nishikigi defeats Aoiyama – Solid tachiai from both, but for an unknown reason Aoiyama decided to immedately try to pull. Of course Nishikigi has that response wired into his DNA, advancing from underneath to motor Big Day out of the ring in 3 easy steps. Nishikigi improves to 5-2.

Tobizaru defeats Myogiryu – Not sure I would call that an henka, but Tobizaru moved back and to his left rather than forward at the tachiai, Myogiryu turned to pursue. Tobizaru quickly set up a right hand inside and pulled Myogiryu to the clay. Tobizaru’s 4th win, now at 4-3.

Wakamotoharu defeats Chiyoshoma – Chiyoshoma had his hands outside at the tachiai, I think to block Wakamotoharu’s initial grab. Chiyoshoma set up a right hand outside, but did not have a solid hold. After consolidating his grip, Wakamotoharu dropped his hips and moved forward to set Chiyomaru outside the ring. Wakamotoharu now 5-2, with some solid no-frills yotsu-zumo.

Shimanoumi defeats Okinoumi – We got to see a strong attack by Okinoumi today, but Shimanoumi picked an inopportune moment to slip to his right, sending Okinoumi forward to receive the hikiotoshi, and step out. Shimanoumi now 3-4, and Okinoumi at 1-5, having one of his “bad” basho.

Kotonowaka defeats Sadanoumi – The Kotonowaka train keeps rolling down the tracks, taking out Sadanoumi today. Sadanoumi blows his opening combo at the tachiai, and Kotonowaka immediately circles behind him, driving him out from the rear for an okuridashi win. Kotonowaka improves to 6-1.

Takayasu defeats Hokutofuji – Hokutofuji’s opening attack was to try for hazu-oshi (armpit attack) to raise Takayasu up, instead he fell a bit short and left hims chest open. Takayasu’s hands found center mass, and Hokutofuji reacted with a pull down attempt. Poor choice, and he found Takayasu deliver a series of relentless thrusting combos to his chest. Under blistering pressure, Hokutofuji stepped out of the ring, giving Takayasu his 7th straight win to improve to 7-0. Not sure where this is going for Takayasu, but he has not looked this good in quite some time.

Endo defeats Takarafuji – At this point I don’t need to see a medical report to know that Takarafuji is likely injured. His sumo still has the forms of normal, but he’s got no power, especially trying to set up his traditional defensive stance. He put up a solid fight today against Endo, with Endo getting advantage on his 3rd attack combo, grabbing Takarafuji and throwing him down to advance to 5-2.

Kiribayama defeats Ichinojo – I liked that Kiribayama used his superior mobility against Ichinojo, who did indeed seem to be ready to use his enormity as his primary weapon today. With Kiribayama latched on to his mawashi, Ichinojo decided to wear him down. Kiribayama wises up to this, breaks contact and attempts to thrust against Ichinojo’s chest. No, too huge to move. Kiribayama is relentless, and gets a left and behind, on Ichinojo’s mawashi knot, and pushes him out from the rear. Nice endurance match, and kind of impressed that Kiribayama could out last Ichinojo. He improves to 5-2.

Hoshoryu defeats Takanosho – There was plenty to love about this Komusubi fight. I liked that Takanosho’s opening strategy was to passivate Hoshoryu, and slow down his sumo. Takanosho, deciding he was ready to attack, lifted and moved forward. Hoshoryu was ready and countered with a throw into Takanosho’s advance. Hoshoryu made it stick, and picked up his 4th win to finish the day 4-3. Takanosho continues to fight well, but has a dismal 1-6.

Abi defeats Ura – Crazy ass match, I think that probably should have been a matta. Instead you get Abi launching early, Ura responding with a reverse tachiai, and then its two of sumo’s biggest chaos merchants turning their reality disfunction generators up to “what was that?” territory. I am not even sure of everything that happened in that 10 seconds as it was some kind of amalgam of Abi-zumo, Hokutofuji, Ura v1.2 Ura v2.1, and maybe even a little Hattorizakura around the edges. With Ura driving forward, Abi shows incredible agility and slams him to the clay just as both cross the bales. As reality snaps back into place there is a monoii, instant replay, a special session of the Diet and maybe a meeting of the UN Security Council to sort this out. The wisest of the world do conclude that Abi won this one, and he advances to 5-2.

Wakatakakage defeats Daieisho – Oh Lordy Lord! Daieisho opens with his power thrusting, but he gets a bit too far ahead of his toes and Wakatakakage captures him with a left hand frontal / right hand rear grip. If you are thinking back to Murray saying “That left hand is a bit of a worry”, YOU ARE NOT WRONG. Wakatakakage lifts Daieisho by the crotch and hurls him to the deck. A glorious okuritsuriotoshi, or as I might call it, kintamadashinage. Wakatakakage improves to 6-1, Daieisho makes an appointment to see a urologist.

Mitakeumi defeats Onosho – High marks for Onosho’s opening salvo, nicely done. He got Mitakeumi to step back, and that’s when trouble began. Onosho re-engaged without taking a step forward. Mitakeumi read this perfectly, and slapped him down with force. Quick and effective, Mitakeumi stays one behind Takayasu at 6-1.

Takakeisho defeats Tamawashi – Tamawashi had a good start, but immediately tried to pull against Takakeisho. His timing was terrible and pulled directly into the upward / forward cycle of Takakeisho’s wave action, and caught full power in his chest. Three steps forward for Takakeisho, and he had Tamawashi out. 5-2 for Takakeisho, 3 more wins to clear kadoban.

Shodai defeats Meisei – Maybe the saddest match of day 7, these two 1-5 rikishi, having terrible basho, face off to see who can squeeze out a measly second win. It turned into a wild see-saw match, mostly because Shodai could not stick any kind of foot placement, and was constantly off balance and dancing around. He managed to get an arm wrapped around Meisei as Meisei lost footing, and completed the motion for a sukuinage. Shodai improves to 2-5.