As we start week 2, it’s time to focus on the yusho race. Without further ado, here is the Haru leaderboard

Haru Leaderboard

It’s all Midorifuji for now, until someone can put him on the clay. That chore falls to Ura for day 9, but I have my doubts he can do it. I note with interest that Midorifuji and Daieisho have not yet fought, so we have that to look forward this week. Keep your eye on Shodai, as I think he’s going to be in the mix in the final 5 days. He’s back into a “good” mode after a six month string of make-koshi tournaments that cost him his Ozeki rank.

Leader: Midorifuji
Chasers: Daieisho
Hunt Group: Kotonowaka, Shodai, Endo, Takayasu, Kinbozan

7 Matches Remain

What We Are Watching Day 9

Hokuseiho (5-3) vs Chiyoshoma (5-3) – This ought to be good, we have a first ever match between the enormous Hokuseiho and the human henka dispenser Chiyoshoma, both at 5-3. I am not saying that its certain that Chiyoshoma is going to use a henka today, but you can bet it’s going to be an audible for him at the shikiri-sen.

Tsurugisho (5-3) vs Bushozan (3-5) – Tsurugisho with a 5-3 winning record is a good thing right about now. He is only Maegashira 16w this basho, and he would be well served by a kachi-koshi this time out. No such hopes for Maegashira 14 Bushozan, who I think is probably going to be on the bubble late in the week. Tsurugisho holds a 4-1 career lead in this match up.

Oho (4-4) vs Kotoeko (5-3) – I find it odd that Oho has a 3-1 career record over Kotoeko, but maybe its down to bulk. Numbers are wonderful, but this March, Oho seems to have left his sumo back in Tokyo, and I think Kotoeko has advantage here today, but he will need to be on his guard against Oho’s tsukiotoshi.

Mitoryu (3-5) vs Takarafuji (2-6) – One great thing about the second week, we tend to see lksumo’s wonderful posts on who is at risk for demotion in the top divisions. I would guess that Takarafuji is not going to be on the bubble this time, but I worry that unless he can get his body back to fighting form, he will exit the top division this year. Mitoryu won their only prior match, which was day 4 of Hatsu.

Kagayaki (3-5) vs Takanosho (5-3) – Their scores are mirror images of each other, but I would say that for this day in March, this is an even fight. Their career record is 5-5, and I think Kagayaki is finally dialed into his sumo, after three straight losses to start the basho. Kagayaki has won each of the last three matches.

Kinbozan (6-2) vs Nishikifuji (5-3) – I am quite excited for this match, as we have a first ever meet up between two rikishi who are fighting well, and have a large amount of room to move up the banzuke for May. I would give a slight edge to Kinbozan for the first 10 seconds of the match, but the longer it goes the more likely it will be that Nishikifuji can make something happen. I do note with concern that Nishikifuji has lost 3 in a row now. Injury?

Myogiryu (3-5) vs Daishoho (5-3) – Another match with mirror scores, with only one prior between them.. in 2019? Yes, day 8 of Nagyoa in 2019, and it went to Myogiryu. Myogiryu has lost 3 of the last 4, so I would guess it’s advantage Daishoho today.

Aoiyama (4-4) vs Takayasu (6-2) – These two share an evenly split 24 match history, and they tend to bash the stuffing out of each other when they fight. Four of the last five matches have gone to Takayasu, wth the most recent one being a year ago on day 9 of Haru. Takayasu has lost both of the last two matches, and I wonder if he’s just run out of sumo. Hopefully not.

Azumaryu (0-8) vs Sadanoumi (1-7) – A battle of two men with terrible tournaments. Azumaryu is already make-koshi, but if he picks up his first win it will be make-koshi for Sadanoumi as well. Sadanoumi has the edge in their 6-3 career record, but let’s face it. With scores this bad, it’s going to be whomever is less banged up who takes the win today.

Endo (6-2) vs Hiradoumi (4-4) – Hiradoumi surprised me on day 8, with a solid win against Takayasu. I know Takayasu can get out of his safety envelope and suddenly become easy to beat, but Hiradoumi showed solid technique in that win. He will have a different opponent today in Endo, who is now back in his focused and dangerous mode. They share a 1-1 career record.

Ura (5-3) vs Midorifuji (8-0) – Well, someone had to take on sole yusho race leader Midorifuji today. Why not Ura? They only met once before on day 12 of Aki 2022, and Ura won. Can he do it again today? I have doubts here, in spite of being a fan of Ura’s crazy sumo. Ura has won both of his last 2 matches, so maybe he’s got enough dark matter left to open a rift in spacetime and leave Midorifuji baffled.

Kotoshoho (1-7) vs Ichiyamamoto (2-6) – Day 8 was the first time this basho that I saw Ichiyamamoto fight in his normal style, and it netted him a win. He’s got an injured and suffering Kotoshoho today, who is looking terrible right now, having only a single win he picked up on day 7 against aptly named (for March anyhow) Sadanoumi.

Onosho (4-4) vs Hokutofuji (4-4) – Week two is great because you get these kind of matches. Both are either hot or cold, and right now Hokutofuji is ascendant and Onosho is hitting the skids, having lost three in a row now. Both are 4-4, and share an 8-8 career record.

Mitakeumi (3-5) vs Nishikigi (2-6) – I would hope that Mitakeumi is able to take care of arm-twister Nishikigi without losing an elbow. He has a 5-1 career lead, but the last time they fought was day 12 Aki 2022, and much has changed since then.

Daieisho (7-1) vs Tamawashi (1-7) – Daieisho needs to rack up the wins to keep in the chase against Midorifuji, and I like his chances here against a flagging Tamawashi. Tamawashi has a 14-9 career advantage, but he’s probably hurt, fighting poorly, and just not up to competing as the top rank and file man in sumo.

Shodai (6-2) vs Kotonowaka (6-2) – I love this match, as they are both 6-2, and its going to be an elimination from the hunt group for one of them. I have no clue what caused Shodai to revert to his “good” form, but I am happy to see him fighting well. Kotonowaka has a 5-2 career advantage against Shodai, with their last two matches going to Shodai, the most recent on day 3 of Hatsu.

Wakamotoharu (5-3) vs Abi (5-3) – Matching scores again, and a lopsided 4-0 career advantage for Abi in their career match ups. Abi has lost the last 2 matches, after a 5 win streak prior to his day 7 loss to Shodai, who handed Wakamotoharu one of his losses yesterday.

Tobizaru (4-4) vs Hoshoryu (5-3) – I don’t think we are ever going to see Ozeki Tobizaru, but he’s fantastic where he has been for much of the last year, providing high energy sumo to test the top men in the sport. I have no idea where he gets the energy and drive, but it’s a wonder to watch at times. He has a 6-8 record against Hoshoryu, who is on a solid path to a kachi-koshi by next Sunday.

Wakatakakage (3-5) vs Meisei (4-4) – It’s amazing to me that Wakatakakage tends to start many of his basho with a solid losing streak. That ended day 6, and how he has three wins in a row. I would be thrilled if he can fight his way back to kachi-koshi after that old start, and maybe bring his Ozeki hopes back into focus with a new run starting in May. He holds a 7-3 career lead in the series against Meisei.

Kiribayama (5-3) vs Ryuden (1-7) – May not be much of a fight, as Ryuden can’t find his sumo right now, and is nothing close to his normal fighting form. I expect a quick Kiribayama win.

A solid day of sumo for nakabi, with stand out matches across the board. With the middle day of the basho now in the record books, is on to the second week, where we will sort everyone into make-koshi and kachi-koshi, and award the Emperor’s Cup.

One thing that hit me today, with this being a Nokazuna-Nozeki tournament, the day sort of ends without any real high-stakes match. It has to be bad for ratings in Japan, which is a shame. I have a odd feeling we will get more of this in the next few months.

Stand out performance today from Daieisho, Kiribayama and Tobizaru, Endo, Ura, Hiradoumi, and it was fun to see Hokuseiho decide to pull out all the stops and win by any means available. Keep your eye on Shodai. It seems that Yokozuna Shodai from the mirror universe (where Spock has a beard) is in town this March, and he’s beating his opponents like a drum.

Highlight Matches

Kinbozan defeats Chiyoshoma – Chiyoshoma had a strong opening combo, landing a left hand frontal grip, and immediately lifted to get Kinbozan unweighted. Chiyoshoma could not complete his attack, and Kinbozan returned the hold, and both were right hand inside. Kinbozan stoped trying to wrestle, and started cleaning house, lifting Chiyoshoma up Tochinoshin style, and carrying him out. Power win by tsuridashi, Kinbozan is now 6-2.

Daishoho defeats Mitoryu – A surprisingly lethargic match, they grappled early, and mostly groped for some kind of working hold. Finding nothing but rubbery back fat to grab, Daishoho eventually launched a rather sloppy uwatenage that worked well enough to score the win. Daishoho improves to 5-3.

Hokuseiho defeats Kotoeko – He fights! Kotoeko worked overtime to sell that hazu-oshi, but Hokuseiho was not buying today. After a few minutes of receiving an armpit attack, Hokuseiho had enough, reached over Kotoeko’s back, grabbed his mawashi knot and decided to shut down Kotokeo by any means available. In a largely improvised move, he lifted and twisted, slamming Kotoeko out. Kimarite is listed as the seldom seen harimanage, and Hokuseiho break his 3 match losing streak to improve to 5-3. Sometimes being enormous is a valid sumo strategy.

Oho defeats Takarafuji – Takarafuji really does not have much sumo right now, and its all down to his entire lexicon being based on what had previously been his ability to defend endlessly almost any form of attack. Whatever happened to him has shut most of that down, and he can’t “defend and extend” any longer. The result is a match like today, where Oho runs him amok and pushes out whatever is left. Oho improves to 4-4.

Bushozan defeats Azumaryu – Quite the sad match, as Azumaryu picks up his make-koshi on day 8, having lost every single match since the start of the tournament a week ago. I was very happy for him in January when he scored his first top division kachi-koshi in multiple tries, but it looks like he’s not long for the Maegashira ranks. Today he was crumpled to the clay by Bushozan on the second step, giving Bushozan a 3-5 score to end day 8.

Tsurugisho defeats Myogiryu – Tsurugisho does a great job of blunting Myogiryu’s opening combo, stalemating him and standing him up in the center of the dohyo. Myogiryu tries to change up his grip and that sets up the throw that gives Tsurugisho the match. He is now 5-3.

Kagayaki defeats Nishikifuji – Nishikifuji literally bounced off of Kagayaki at the tachiai. Kagayaki followed up with a devastating thrust center-mass, and Nishikifuji was out, and headed into the crowd. Kagayaki improves to 3-5.

Ura defeats Takanosho – There are days when I watch Ura fight and just ask “What the hell is he doing?”, like today. He’s bent nearly in half, with his arms fully extended forward, like some crazed battle-crab jacked up on weapons grade espresso. But it seems Takanosho is just as puzzled by this as I am, and his reaction seems to be “Get that thing out of here!”. But for reasons only the cosmos can explain, Ura can fight from that position, and he drives Takanosho out in quick time. I have always heard that they do things oddly in Osaka, so maybe that explains Ura. Both end the day 5-3.

Hiradoumi defeats Takayasu – As a long suffering Takayasu fan, this is all too familiar. He’s 6-0! Great! This could be his big chance! Then his sumo goes all chaos, and he’s suddenly 6-2, and you realize he’s the Chicago Bears of sumo. Always a strong player, but not really ever going to take home the big prize. I saw Takayasu bring his hands up to attempt a slap/pull down twice, each time it gave Hiradoumi a broad open attack lane to Takayasu’s chest. Hiradoumi maintained his hold, and used it to bodily drive Takayasu back, and a step later, out. Hiradoumi improves to 4-4.

Ichiyamamoto defeats Sadanoumi – Both of these rikishi started the day with a single win, and are struggling this March, possibly due to injuries. Today was the first day I saw Ichiyamamoto actually execute his “Brand of sumo”, and it was more than up to the task of putting Sadanoumi on the clay. He picks up a much needed second win to improve to 2-6.

Hokutofuji defeats Kotoshoho – Ok, that’s 4 consecutive wins for Hokutofuji after 4 consecutive losses. I am not sure what is going on with ole’Stompy, but maybe he was able to remediate whatever was sapping his power. He made lightning fast work of Kotoshoho, finishing his oshidashi with a flourish, now 4-4.

Midorifuji defeats Aoiyama – The undefeated leader of the yusho race picks up his kachi-koshi on day 8 by trading Aoiyama blow for blow, no easy task. I note with some interest that the moment Midorifuji is able to grapple Aoiyama’s enormous pasty body, Aoiyama lost his ability to fight. I am putting more belief that Big Dan is injured. Midorifuji’s hand placement was nearly perfect, and he drove Aoiyama out of the ring with a yorikiri, now 8-0.

Endo defeats Onosho – Impressive match from Endo today, he was forced to work left hand outside vs his preferred left hand inside, but still managed to get Onosho lifted up, then moved back and out by yorikir. Solid work for his 6th win to improve to 6-2.

Meisei defeats Ryuden – Ryuden continues to have nothing but clumsy moves and poor sumo in Osaka, I feel for the guy. Meisei dumps him to all fours at the tachiai, for an insta-win, ending the day at 4-4.

Daieisho defeats Abi – Abi used some of his rapid attack sumo today. It’s been a while since we have seen him launch his double arm thrusts this quickly. I think he knew the longer the match went, the more likely Daieisho would settle into his offense. It did not take long for this to come to pass, as Daieisho got his hands on Abi’s elbows, and used his long, extended arms a handlebars to drive him back out of the ring. Daieisho remains in the yusho hunt at 7-1.

Kotonowaka defeats Tamawashi – Tamawashi continues to lose matches, apparently due to damage to his undercarriage. Kotonowaka is able to push through his initial stance, with Tamawashi unable to reset his feet to defend. It’s a quick run to the east side and over the edge into a waiting Wakamotoharu. Kotonowaka now 6-2.

Shodai defeats Wakamotoharu – You have to give it to Shodai, when that guy is dialed into his sumo, he can make almost anyone look like a chump. He grabs Wakamotoharu in the tachiai, turns on the “Wall of Daikon” and just blasts forward. He completely overwhelms Wakamotoharu’s normally solid defense, and dumps him out of the ring on the east side, following a similar trajectory that Tamawashi took. Shodai now 6-2.

Wakatakakage defeats Nishikigi – Good for Wakatakakage, he does not Nishikigi set up that arm-bar, or try for a kotenage. He gets to keep his elbow intact. A quick tsukiotoshi, and Nishikigi is face down on the clay, and Wakatakakage is 3-5.

Kiribayama defeats Tobizaru – Without a doubt the highlight match of a very solid day of sumo. The clash of styles was tremendous to see, and their bottomless reservoirs of fighting spirit drove this match to dizzying heights. Kiribayama was power forward, Tobizaru was strike and shift, over and over again. It was glorious. When they go chest to chest, the action slows for a moment, before they try a mutual throw. Only by sheer force of will does Kiribayama land last. Brilliant sumo! Kiribayama now 5-3.

Hoshoryu defeats Mitakeumi – Hoshoryu showed some solid sumo today, and was able to covert his left hand inside to a double inside after struggling for control with Mitakeumi. Once he had his hands set, it was a quick lift and walk forward to secure his 5th win by yorikiri, now at 5-3.

Welcome to nakabi, the middle day of a 15 day sumo tournament! We may see our first top-division kachi-koshi today if Midorifuji wins his match against Aoiyama, and we will start seeing the yusho race take shape, with the Emperor’s Cup awarded one week from today.

With lone surviving Ozeki Takakeisho now kyujo for the rest of the tournament, we will no longer see Juryo vistors. Its a bit of a shame, as there are quite a few familar faces now in the Juryo tank hoping to get their sumo back together and resume rank in the top division.

What We Are Watching Day 8

Kinbozan vs Chiyoshoma – First time ever match up for these two. Newcomer Kinbozan should be able to reach 8 wins in the next week and stay in the top division for May. It will be interesting to see if Chiyoshoma employs some of his more slippery combos, given he’s not going to have a history of fighting Kinbozan to guide his choices. Both are 5-2.

Daishoho vs Mitoryu – After starting 0-4, Mitoryu has won the last 3 straight. He’s going to try to make it 4 today when he goes up against 4-3 Daishoho. Daishoho won 2 of their 3 matches in 2022, which is part of a broader overall 9-6 career record.

Hokuseiho vs Kotoeko – 4-3 Hokuseiho will try to snap a 3 match losing streak today in his first ever match against 5-2 Kotoeko. This will be a tradition big man / little man sumo match, and I am interested to see if Hokuseiho will be a bit less passive today. He will have his hands full given Kotoeko’s agility and combo attacks.

Oho vs Takarafuji – I am nearly certain that Takarafuji (2-5) will end this basho with a deep make-koshi score, but I keep hoping he will pick up a win here and there to cushion his descent down the banzuke. His opponent today, 3-4 Oho, has very much been a hit or miss competitor this basho, and at Maegashira 15, he will need to be careful not to rack up too large of a losing record come day 15.

Azumaryu vs Bushozan – Sadly, a loss today will put Azumaryu make-koshi for March. It’s more or less inevitable at this point. You have to assume it’s an injury, and hope he can manage to get enough wins to hang on the in top division. He’s beaten Bushozan (2-5) in each of their 4 prior meetings, so maybe today will be the day.

Myogiryu vs Tsurugisho – This should be a fairly even battle. We have 3-4 Myogiryu against 4-3 Tsurugisho. To my eye Tsurugisho has lost a bit of energy since day 1, but then again he’s a massive fellow, and the first week of competition likely took its toll on his stamina. They share an even 2-2 record.

Kagayaki vs Nishikifuji – Interestingly enough, it’s their first ever match. 2-5 Kagayaki has lost the last 2 in a row. He’s facing 5-2 Nishikifuji who has also lost his last two in a row. My instinct tells me that Nishikifuji will have the advantage today.

Takanosho vs Ura – Takanosho (5-2) has a clear advantage today over 4-3 Ura. Takanosho is fighting well, has been showing fairly good balance and reaction times, and he holds a 3-1 career advantage over Ura. Ura seems to be in one of his modes where he is not quite certain about his fight plan, and just dives low and throws some chaos out, hoping some of it will work.

Hiradoumi vs Takayasu – In spite of his first day loss, Takayasu is very much in the mix in the race for the cup. Just one win behind Midorifuji, he needs to stay strong and wait for the leader to take his first trip to the clay, which should happen before act 1 is complete. He’s fighting against 3-4 Hiradoumi, who won’t be able to out-muscle Takayasu, so if he wants to compete, it will need to be on speed and agility.

Ichiyamamoto vs Sadanoumi – It’s sad to report that both of these fine athletes are starting the day with dismal 1-6 scores. I don’t know what has sapped their sumo, but it’s certainly not in Osaka this March. Who is going to win this will come down to who gets to use their approach to sumo before their injured bodies stop them. Not a fun contest at all. They share a 2-1 career record.

Kotoshoho vs Hokutofuji – 3-4 Hokutofuji’s sumo somehow found its way back to his akeni, and he has been cuddling with it nightly now for the past 3 days. He should be able to dispatch 1-6 Kotoshoho without too much trouble, given how poorly the Sadogatake man has been fighting this month.

Aoiyama vs Midorifuji – Tournament leader Midorifuji takes on Big Dan for his kachi-koshi. Aoiyama (4-3) has only beaten Midorifuji once in three tries, with that win coming 2 years ago on day 4, winning by hatakikomi. I think a far more likely outcome is a glorious katasukashi that takes Midorifuji to 8-0.

Onosho vs Endo – Onosho (4-3) sometimes struggles with his balance, and given his losses on both prior days, he’s ripe for yet another slap down today. I am certain that 5-2 Endo will use every combo he can to put Onosho off balance, and pick up is 6th win. They share a 6-7 career record.

Meisei vs Ryuden – Ryuden, starting the day at 1-6, is another one of those rikishi who are having a terrible tournament. He may find himself punted a fair distance down the banzuke for May if this trend continues. He has 3-4 Meisei as an opponent today, and I would think that we will see Meisei pull even today at 4-4.

Daieisho vs Abi – Like Takayasu, Daieisho remains part of the elite group that have a fair shot at the cup next Sunday. His day 7 loss to Wakamotoharu aside, he’s in excellent form, and will be the favorite in any match he’s in for the next week. He has 5-2 Abi today, who has 7 of their 15 prior matches, so count on lots of oshi-zumo action here, and some big hits.

Tamawashi vs Kotonowaka – Kotonowaka (5-2) is one of the few rikishi in the named ranks who is actually on track for double digits right now. If he can manage 5 more wins over the next 8 days, it would mark his first time achieving a kahci-koshi that strong in the upper reaches of the top division. He faces 1-6 Kotonowaka, who seems to not have himself in condition this March to put up a strong fight against rikishi in the named ranks. Kotonowaka holds a 6-3 lead in their career record.

Wakamotoharu vs Shodai – Oddly enough, Shodai is also on course for a double digit finish to Haru. I am sure that he and Wakamotoharu will gladly go chest to chest from the tachiai today, and I am eager to see how a genki Shodai does in this situation. Wakamotoharu has won 2 of their 3 prior matches. Both start the day 5-2.

Wakatakakage vs Nishikigi – Wakatakakage has won the last 2 in a row, and it’s a bit too early to consider if he is going to turn his fortunes around and get to the safety of 8 wins this March. He’s got “arm breaker” Nishikigi today, who has injured opponent’s elbows on previous days with his kotenage. They both start the day at 2-5.

Kiribayama vs Tobizaru – A pair of 4-3 rikishi, who are comfortable in multiple styles of sumo. I expect this to be a high mobility match, with Tobizaru using rapid combos and Kiribayama using fewer, but stronger attacks. They share a 5-9 career record that favors Tobizaru almost 2 to 1.

Mitakeumi vs Hoshoryu – With no Ozeki left in the roster for Haru, the day will end with a Sekiwake fight. Mitakeumi (3-4) remains a mystery right now. Some days he can fight well enough to win. Other days he’s just a mess. Hoshoryu at 4-3 seems to be more or less on course of a kachi-koshi, but his sumo as been a bit ugly this March, and I would love to see him clean up his approach. They share a 3-3 record on the clay.

The big news is that the lone suviving Ozeki, Takakeisho, has withdrawn from the tournament with knee injury. He will be kadoban for the May tournament in Tokyo, and we now set up the doom scenario that I mentioned in this post.

The Case For Yokozuna Takakeisho

I think most sumo fans agree that his win in January was not a qualifier for promotion, but I tried to make the case that the NSA needed him to be a Yokozuna for it’s own safety. They did not take that step, and now we get to find out what the alternate is going to be. None of their san’yaku regulars are in any position to make a bid for Ozeki, and won’t likely be until later this year if then. The one rikishi who might have been able to reliably pull it off, Asanoyama, was left behind in Juryo for March, ensuring he can’t even begin an attempt until 2024 at the earliest. So much now rests on Takakeisho getting 8 wins at Natsu that it’s just silly. All of this could have been, and should have been, avoided.

Of course there is an outside case that Yokozuna Terunofuji is not able to return to fighting at Yokozuna levels. He has now been out of active competition for 6 months, and it will be 8 months by the time Natsu begins. The risk here is what doomed Kisenosato’s Yokozuna reign – deconditioning. If you want to be able to win at sumo, you must do sumo regularly and frequently. After a long enough time off, the body’s muscles are not a conditioned, and may not work at the same performance level as they had prior to the time off. Terunofuji does not just need to come back and be able to do sumo, as ye did in 2018, he needs to come back and execute sumo at Yokozuna level intensity. This is something that Kisenosato was unable to do, in spite of relentless training with Takayasu.

The NSK needs 2 fresh, healthy Ozeki pretty much this year, and no one is in any position to answer that call.

Highlight Matches

Oho defeats Tsurugisho – Oho looked much more focused, and with more energy today than he has in the past several matches. He was able to eventually get superior hand placement against Tsurugisho, and move him out. Oho now 3-4.

Kinbozan defeats Chiyomaru – Kinbozan continues his hot streak, but the win against Chiyomaru means that he is now 0-7 at Juryo 4. It may be a while before we see Chiyomaru in the top division again. Chiyomaru put a lot of effort into it, but could not endure much forward pressure at all. Credit to Kinbozan for enduring that much disruption from Chiyomaru and still getting a yorikiri in. Kinbozan ends the day 5-2.

Mitoryu defeats Kotoeko – Mitoryu executes the combo we normally see from Chiyomaru; stand him up then slap him down. The key was that Kotoeko missed one forward step when Mitoryu reverse. He improves to 5-2.

Bushozan defeats Daishoho – Daishoho opens strong, moves Bushozan back, but does not survive a Bushozan step to the left. The resulting tottari nets Bushozan his second win, he advances to 2-5.

Chiyoshoma defeats Kagayaki – Kagayaki’s fundamentals failed him today, he took a Chiyoshoma’s opening left hand thrust straight to the chin. A combo from his right to pull him forward, and a follow up with a second thrusting attack to the head had Kagayaki out on the third step. Why is it we don’t get this kind of sumo from Chiyoshoma every day? He’s now 5-2.

Takanosho defeats Hokuseiho – Hokuseiho extended his losing streak to three consecutive matches, after Takanosho came at him with excellent power applied through a nodowa. Hokuseiho looked like he was going to try and endure that, but Takanosho was moving him back. The resulting oshidashi put Takanosho at 5-2 to end day 7. Hokuseiho has a lot going for him in the world of sumo, but its clear he is still a rather enormous work in progress.

Takarafuji defeats Azumaryu – It says quite a bit about the fighting condition of Azumaryu, that he lost his 7th consecutive match, against an injured Takarafuji to boot. Today we had Takarafuji able to move forward, and take the fight to Azumaryu, so maybe he still has some sumo left in spite of his injuries. Takarafuji ends today 2-5.

Ura defeats Nishikifuji – Ura was very low again today at the tachiai, but rather than trying to move forward and in, he stayed in place, letting Nishikifuji come to him. This seems to have turned out a bit better, and allowed him to shut down Nishikigi’s opening combo. Ura delivered a quick relay of thrusting attacks center mass, and had Nishikifuji out by the third step, improving to 4-2.

Ichiyamamoto defeats Myogiryu – Ichiyamamoto finally finds his first win, with a quick head lock and pull against Myogiryu. The shimpan decided to check for a hairpull, but the win was clean, and Ichiyamamoto finally racks up his first white star at 1-6.

Hokutofuji defeats Hiradoumi – After 4 consecutive losses to start the basho, Hokutofuji now has 3 consecutive wins. His defeat of Hiradoumi featured a wide, leaping combo attack to move to Hiradoumi’s side. Solid technique and fun to watch. Both end the day 3-4.

Endo defeats Aoiyama – What he hell was that? I can’t quite call it a henka, and it was not really at a tachiai. It took Aoiyama by surprise, and he mostly fell over with Endo’s push from behind to finish him off. Whatever it was, it’s still a win and Endo is now 5-2.

Midorifuji defeats Takayasu – In this pivotal battle of the undefeated, Takayasu opted for his right arm strike to start the match, which leaves him off balance. He followed up with a combo to Midorifuji’s face. But you can see he is too far forward, his left foot is not even in contact with the clay, and his right arm is high in the air. Midorifuji responds in an instant, hooking his right hand around Takayasu’s body and swinging him to the clay. They called it a tsukiotoshi, but it looked like a katasukashi to me. The net result is that Takayasu is knocked out of the lead as Midorifuji advances to 7-0.

Kotoshoho defeats Sadanoumi – Kotoshoho finally finds his first win of March. Tremendous oshi-zumo battle, with both men delivering rapid blows to their opponent. But it’s Kotoshoho who catches Sadanoumi out of his stance, and delivers a hatakikomi to win the match. His shonichi brings him to 1-6.

Meisei defeats Mitakeumi – Mitakeumi started strong, and had Meisei against the tawara. But Mitakeumi was too invested in his forward attack, and had no defense when Meisei escaped and pushed him forward, sending him into one of the judges. Both end the day 3-4.

Shodai defeats Abi – There is about 5 seconds of Abi-zumo to start the match, before Shodai once again brings out the “Wall of Daikon”, turning his wide, bulky body into a fleshy barrier. He closes the distance to Abi and body rams him back again and again, sending Abi tumbling from the ring with with a finishing shove delivered center mass. I hate to say it, but just how “2020’s” would it be if Shodai where the best hope for a replacement Ozeki? He is now 5-2.

Tobizaru defeats Tamawashi – Tobizaru moves to the side at the tachiai, and proceeds to get the inside lane. Tamawashi is hitting well, but Tobizaru seems to have a slight advantage. He finishes Tamawashi with a well timed pull, picking up his 4th win, and is now 4-3.

Wakamotoharu defeats Daieisho – Daieisho commits to his big “mega thrust” attack at the tachiai, and gets two good combos in before Wakamotoharu steps to the side, sending him to the dohyo. With Daieisho’s loss, Midorifuji is the lone leader going into the middle Sunday of the tournament. Wakamotoharu improves to 5-2.

Kotonowaka defeats Kiribayama – Kiribayama’s ottsuke could not endure, and he lost precious ground trying to maintain it against Kotonowaka’s forward pressure. But they time he decides its time to try something else, he is at the bales and Kotonowaka finishes him off with a diving push out of the ring. Kotonowaka improves to 5-2.

Hoshoryu defeats Ryuden – Simple and straightforward win, Hoshoryu grapples Ryuden for a moment, rolling his center of balance back, then bringing him forward and down with a katasukashi. Hoshoryu is now 4-3.

Wakatakakage defeats Onosho – Onosho cranked up the adrenalin a bit too much for this match, and found himself flinging his body around more than was wise against Wakatakakage. Wakatakakage was able to capture Onosho, and fling him out of the ring to find his second win, and is now 2-5.

At the end of day 7, we have a single leader: Midorifuji, unbeaten and 7-0, with two chasers in Daieisho and Takayasu at 6-1. The race to the cup begins!