The banzuke is out. Leonid has broken down his prediction. In the coming days we’ll be dissecting the new ranking list, tracking notable wrestlers, pointing out winners and losers. I have updated the interactive banzuke for Makuuchi and Juryo in Nagoya. I can never keep straight which wrestlers are in which heya (unless their names start with Koto) so if you click on the name of an ichimon or a heya, the banzuke will filter to just those wrestlers. I hope you all enjoy!
That’s right sumo fans, the long drought is nearly at an end. The rikishi has been training, healing and having some nice adventures during the last 6 weeks while there was no jungyo. But now many of the heya are in Nagoya to get used to the heat and prepare for the basho that starts on July 7th.
We will, of course, be all over the banzuke when it drops Sunday evening US time, though we are planning to do our podcast next weekend.
I created an updated banzuke in Tableau. This time the map shows where the heya are, which I thought was pretty cool. It’s interesting to see just how many of them are pretty far out from Ryogoku, into Chiba and Saitama prefectures. So if you’re staying in Tokyo, but not near Ryogoku, there may still be a stable nearby that you can visit.
http://sumo.or.jp/EnHonbashoBanzuke/index/
All across the divisions, this is shaping up to be a barn-burner of a tournament. Some highlights (at least as I see them)
Takakeisho – first tournament as Ozeki. Congrats!
Ichinojo – Back at Sekiwake, which he shares with Tochinoshin who is 10 wins away from regaining his Ozeki rank.
Aoiyama – Komusubi for May, his fans all hope that he is in top form and can stand up to the intense pressure.
Kotoshogiku – Top echelon of the rank and file Maegashira 1w, a winning record might put him back in the named ranks.
Enho – Debut in the top division, I know fans who only get to see the highlight shows are going to wonder where this powerhouse has been hiding the whole time.
Roga – At Sandanme 22, the March Jonidan yusho winner takes a huge leap up the banzuke.
Terunofuji – He looked like death warmed over in March, but maybe he is in better condition now. He punches in at Sandanme 49.
Wakaichiro – After a losing record in March, he finds himself back in Jonidan at 19. Time for him to regroup and move forward.