Abbreviated preview (posted late to boot) as work has overflowed into writing time.

What We Are Watching Day 6

Mitoryu vs Oho – Mitoryu should win this, he has a 6-0 record against Oho, even though Oho has a slightly better score

Shonannoumi vs Bushozan – Today’s Juryo visitor is Shonannoumi, who has drawn Bushozan as an opponent. Bushozan is suffering a 1-4 score right now, and may as well have himself ready to resume a Juryo rank for May. They have split their 2 prior matches at 1-1.

Daishoho vs Hokuseiho – Hokuseiho will be looking to bounce back after his day 5 loss to Ichinojo, which frankly was a great match for Hokuseiho. He will have to best Ichinojo at least once every two months for the foreseeable future, and he may as well figure out the Snorlax early. He has a 1-2 career deficit against 3-2 Daishoho, so this match is not an easy one for Hokuseiho.

Kinbozan vs Kotoeko – Both start the day at 4-1, with that one loss for Kinbozan being to Hokuseiho on day 3. Barring some injury, I expect Kinbozan to reach his 8th win before the final weekend, and secure his spot in the top division for a few tournaments to come. He faces 4-1 Kotoeko for the first time. I am looking for a lot of mobility in this match, as both like to stay in motion.

Tsurugisho vs Takarafuji – Takarafuji’s injury or injuries continue to be the headline item for his sumo, and I think he’s going to struggle to put up much of a challenge to an apparently healthy Tsurugisho at 3-2.

Azumaryu vs Chiyoshoma – When you have a rikishi with passable sumo skills like Azumaryu open with a 0-5 record, there is likely an injury or a distracting personal distraction somewhere in the mix. We don’t know what sapped Azumaryu’s sumo, but I am sure he misses it. He does have a 7-1 career lead against 3-2 Chiyoshoma, so maybe some hope after all.

Myogiryu vs Kagayaki – Both men are 3-2 at the start of the day, and are fighting at least one notch lower than what we are used to seeing from them. Their career record is 5-6, so it’s an even fight on paper.

Aoiyama vs Nishikifuji – First ever match, where co-leader Nishikifuji is going against Big Dan at 3-2. The rub being that Aoiyama is probably injured as well, and has not been fighting forward at all. Given Nishikifuji’s agility and compact body, he may give Aoiyama a lot of trouble.

Takanosho vs Hiradoumi – Takanosho won their only prior match, on day 9 of Aki 2022. I add to that that thus far Takanosho is 4-1, and fighting well enough to earn at least 8 wins this tournament. Maybe he’s ready to resume is work in the higher ranks later this year.

Hokutofuji vs Ura – Sure, Hokutofuji is not really fighting up to his typical levels right now, but when these two fight it’s always a fun match. Hokutofuji is one of just a handful of rikishi who don’t seem to be intimidated but Ura’s antics. I am looking forward to a straight ahead battle between these two.

Ichiyamamoto vs Takayasu – Well, no good way to explain this apart from saying Ichiyamamoto is 0-5, Takayasu is 5-0. Its their first ever match, and as long as Takayasu does not put himself off balance with his wild man sumo, this should be an easy win for him.

Endo vs Midorifuji – I suspect Endo likes a match that makes him think, and makes him hone his attack plan to a razor’s edge. This should be one of these matches as he takes on 5-0 Midorifuji, who beat him on day 14 of Kyushu, their only prior match.

Sadanoumi vs Meisei – I like Sadanoumi’s sumo, and it’s kind of sad to see him 1-4 starting day 6, a record he shares with Meisei. I am not sure who is going to come out on top of this one, as both are off their game at the moment, and are likely looking at make-koshi down the road.

Abi vs Kotoshoho – A healthy Abi vs a healthy Kotoshoho is a high interest match. But against an 0-5 battle damaged Kotoshoho, it’s a real yawner, I would guess. Abi won 2 prior matches, but the match on day 13 of Hatsu went to Kotoshoho.

Tamawashi vs Shodai – The Shodai hype train took a siding on day 5 when he lost against red-hot Daieisho. But today is a fresh day, and all he has to do is withstand Tamawashi’s brutal thrusting attacks. They share a 24 career match record that favors Shodai 14-10.

Wakamotoharu vs Tobizaru – Both men are ranked Komusubi, and have match 3-2 scores. It’s a great clash of sumo styles, with Tobizaru using high agility, unpredictable combos. Wakamotoharu is high stamina, high strength yotsu-zumo. Could be an interesting match.

Daieisho vs Kotonowaka – I would love to see Kotonowaka win this fight, as his 5-1 career advantage would indicate he could, but right now Daieisho is setting the pace for the entire top division, and may be able to pick up wins just on his momentum alone.

Onosho vs Hoshoryu – We will get to find out if Hoshoryu’s elbow is damaged following that Nishikigi kotonage on day 5. We all hope that he’s healthy given that he will need to endure a lot of frontal power from Onosho’s sumo today. They have an even 3-4 record.

Wakatakakage vs Ryuden – These two guys have just 1 win between them, and 9 losses. Normally this would be a high interest fight, but right now it’s a struggle between two injured men.

Kiribayama vs Nishikigi – I am expecting Kiribayama to have to work to evade Nishikigi’s persistent attempts to grapple and bring his opponents to his chest. If Kiribayama can stay mobile and avoid capture, he should be able to take this match.

Mitakeumi vs Takakeisho – In a different universe, this is a grand Ozeki battle between the Original Tadpole and the Grand Tadpole. But in this time line, it’s a fading Mitakeumi at Maegashira 3, and a struggling Ozeki that everyone hope can at least clear 8 wins by a week from Sunday.

Act one is in the books, and we now know that all four of the 4-0 rikishi are looking red hot right now. A few comments

Nishikifuji – This guy was 4-11 in January. We always knew that he was a potent force as evidenced by his 11-4, 10-5, 10-5 sequence earlier in 2022. Now he’s healthy and really wrecking people in the lower half of the banzuke.

Takayasu – Like most Takayasu fans, I keep saying “This time, maybe?”. He’s got a perfect start, and he looks healthy. Ok… maybe?

Midorifuji – Elbow wrap aside, he’s looking strong and healthy. His middling performances for the second half of 2022 may have just been a transient health problem or injury, and he looks back on the path to greatness.

Daieisho – Prior yusho experience, he is my favorite right now to lead the cup derby in week 2. We have seen this level of performance from Daieisho in past basho, and when he gets in a grove with his “mega-thrust” sumo, most of his opponents are going to hit the clay.

Highlight Matches

Ichinojo defeats Hokuseiho – This is the first time that Hokuseiho has ever fought against a Snorlax, and may not have understood his technique. You see, the Snorlax is never more dangerous than when he is asleep, and Hokuseiho’s patience was used against him. After locking up chest to chest, Hokuseiho decided to wait him out. As soon as Ichinojo fell asleep, his power surged, and Hokuseiho lost the match. The way to fight a Snorlax is with a thermos full of high test coffee and marching band music, kid. Ichinojo goes back to Juryo 5-0.

Mitoryu defeats Bushozan – Mitoryu picks up his first win of the basho in this jumble of a match. Mitoryu gets a deep left hand hold at the tachiai, and tosses the already off balance Bushozan to the clay with an uwatenage a moment before he stumbles out. It’s good enough for the shimpan, and it’s good enough for me. Both end the day 1-4.

Kinbozan defeats Tsurugisho – Kinbozan took one big step to the side at the tachiai, and caught Tsurugisho in motion, swinging him around and sending him out by what they decided to call a yorikiri. I call it a henka. Either way, Kinbozan disappoints the crowd and advances to 4-1.

Kotoeko defeats Chiyoshoma – Chiyoshoma had the better tachiai, putting Kotoeko on defense immediately and landing a right hand inside grip. But Chiyoshoma could not square his hips. and was at one point completely off the dirt. Kotoeko’s right hand was around Chiyoshoma’s shoulder, as Kotoeko pivoted and threw. The sukuinage worked, and Kotoeko is now 4-1.

Oho defeats Daishoho – Oho gives up the inside thrusting late to Daishoho at the tachiai, and has to endure a series of tsuppari, and step back. He did continue to fight, applying downward pressure on Daishoho, and got a lucky hit that sent Daishoho to the deck, scoring the win and improving to 2-3.

Takanosho defeats Takarafuji – Takarafuji’s defense looked a bit better today, but he still could not hold ground, or keep his feet as he maneuvered backwards. Takanosho took only a short time to get him out by oshidashi, and is now 4-1.

Kagayaki defeats Azumaryu – Azumaryu’s lack of performance may be down to that taped and bandaged left ankle, which seems to not be able to withstand much pressure. Kagayaki gets him put pressure on that left ankle, and finds he is able to move Azumaryu back, and it was three steps from there to an oshidashi win, leaving Azumaryu winless, and Kagayaki at 2-3.

Nishikifuji defeats Hiradoumi – Nishikifuji has the better tachiai, and is rewarded with a left hand inside grip. A bit of a struggle to place his feet, and then straight into an uwatenage for the win. Hiradoumi looked a little pained getting up, as Nishikifuji accepted the win and a perfect 5-0 score to finish act 1.

Aoiyama defeats Myogiryu – Myogiryu could not quite decide if he wanted to start or not, and maybe that indecision cost him at the tachiai. Aoiyama quickly had him moving back, and a step later off balance. What looked to be a neck grab instead finished the job of putting Myogiryu off balance, and he fell to the dohyo. Aoiyama now 3-2 by oshitaoshi.

Takayasu defeats Ura – No wild man tachiai today, Takayasu limited his forward motion to ensure he made contact with Ura, and opened up with a volley of thrusts to the upper body. Ura was persistent in getting into attack position, but I have to compliment Takayasu on staying focused, keeping his target, and just delivering the tsuppari by the bucket full. An attempt by Ura to duck in saw him too low and not centered, and Takayasu immediately thrust him down. That’s 5-0 for Takayasu, with some of his best sumo this week.

Hokutofuji defeats Ichiyamamoto – Hokutofuji was low at the tachiai, and connected head first to Ichiyamamoto’s chest. Presented with a wide open opportunity, Ichiyamamoto pulled Hokutofuji’s neck, and triggered some innate reaction from Hokutofuji, who launched Ichiyamamoto from the dohyo in response. A hearty first win for Hokutofuji, and he is 1-4.

Midorifuji defeats Sadanoumi – Sadanoumi was faster into the tachiai, but Midorifuji come out of the initial merge with the better position, including a right hand outside grip. Midorifuji went forward with a lift from that right hand, and three steps later had Sadanoumi out by yorikiri. Midorifuji joins stablemate Nishikifuji in the 5-0 club.

Endo defeats Kotoshoho – Kotoshoho successfully shut down Endo’s attempts to land any kind of grip, but fails to do much more than that. Endo swaps to oshi-zumo style, and delivers blow after blow to Kotoshoho. Kotoshoho does rally, and surges forward as Endo steps to the side, taking the win by tsukiotoshi. Kotoshoho winless at 0-5 as Endo advances to 4-1.

Abi defeats Meisei – Interesting tachiai from Abi, he let Meisei come to him, and in doing so immediately opened up the inside thrusting lane, and dialed up the pressure. Meisei struggled to keep his balance, and was quickly sent stumbling out of the dohyo. Abi now 4-1.

Daieisho defeats Shodai – The hoped for mega-match did not materialize, as Daieisho made certain that Shodai never had a moment to set his feet or bring out his “wall of daikon” technique. Instead, Daieisho switched to his mega-thrust attack and put Shodai away by the 4th step, remaining perfect at 5-0.

Kotonowaka defeats Tobizaru – Kotonowaka had the upper hand for most of the match, but could not do more than harass Tobizaru. Time and again he would deftly move to the side and escape from Kotonowaka thrusting attacks. Kotonowaka did not find any advantage until he was able to briefly grab a hold of Tobizaru’s head, preventing him from moving to freedom as Kotonowaka thrust him back. The oshidashi win puts Kotonowaka at 4-1 to finish act 1.

Wakamotoharu defeats Tamawashi – Tamawashi opened strong with a big combo to Wakamotoharu’s head and neck. Wakamotoharu by grabbing hold of Tamawashi’s shoulder, and pulling him forward and down. The hatakikomi connected well, and Tamawashi tumbled to the clay, giving Wakamotoharu a win to finish the day 3-2.

Mitakeumi defeats Wakatakakage – For a moment, it looked like Wakatakakage came back from a certain loss to score his first win. But a monoii reviewed the footage to determine that as Mitakeumi rushed forward on his second attack that Wakatakakage’s knee had touched down, costing him the match. The kimarite was the non-technique tsukihiza, and Mitakeumi improved to 2-3.

Onosho defeats Kiribayama – Kiribayama could not endure the pressure from Onosho’s forward attack, and lost his balance on the third volley. He nearly recovered, but was just a fraction too far away from his feet, and touched down on the dohyo. Onosho now 4-1.

Nishikigi defeats Hoshoryu – Just when I thought that Nishikigi might go 0-5 for the first act, he finds his sumo and defeats Hoshoryu. Hoshoryu came in fast and targeted at the tachiai, and had a good set up. But Nishikigi was able to bar Hoshoryu’s left arm, immediately converting it to a painful looking kotenage. Nishikigi picks up his first win and is 1-4.

Takakeisho defeats Ryuden – Takakeisho’s off tempo tachiai looked to have caught Ryuden off his timing, and he may have though it was going to be a matta. But the fight was on and Takakeisho was at full power, finishing Ryuden off three steps later for an oshidashi win, and a 3-2 score.

Welcome to the end of act 1! The team at Tachiai tend to divide the 15 days of a basho up into three 5 day “acts”, each that have their own purpose and goals. Act 1 – we get rid of the ring rust, and find out who is hot, and who is not. In the “hot” category we have: Daieisho, Midorifuji, Takayasu, Nishikifuji, and Hokuseiho, all of which start the day with 4-0 records.

As great as this group is, I think we have two strong candidates for “match of the day”. The starter, where the colossus Hokuseiho takes on the behemoth from Juryo, Ichinojo. Note to the NHK cameramen – may need to zoom out a notch for this fight. The second one is Shodai and Daieisho. Yes, you read me saying Shodai had the potential to be in the highlight match of the day. He’s once again in the form that got him to Ozeki, and he’s been employing some of his best sumo strategy each day since shonichi. I hope he can keep it up!

What We Are Watching Day 5

Hokuseiho vs Ichinojo – It was bound to happen at some point, two of the largest men in sumo are going to face off. Both of them are tall, broad and huge. Both of them come into today with unbeaten 4-0 records, and one of them is going to have their first loss. Honestly, I give a slight edge to Hokuseiho in this one.

Mitoryu vs Bushozan – Both of these rikishi are having a terrible start to their first tournament. Between the two of them they have one win and seven losses. But 0-4 Mitoryu has a slight 4-2 career edge over 1-3 Bushozan, so this might be the day he picks up his first win.

Kinbozan vs Tsurugisho – In contrast to Bushozan, Kinbozan continues to excel in his first tournament in the top division. He will try for a third time to score his first win against Tsurugisho, who last faced him during Hatsu 2023 when Kinbozan visited the top division on day 14. Both are 3-1.

Chiyoshoma vs Kotoeko – This has the makings of an exciting fight. Both are coming into today 3-1, and both are high agility fighters with no reservations about introducing a lot of variation into their sumo. Kotoeko has a solid 11-7 career lead over Chiyoshoma, who might just decide today is a great day to employ a henka.

Daishoho vs Oho – Oho (1-3) picked up his first win on day 4. I want to know if he was just in the right place at the right time, or if he really has broken through his ring rust and is finally ready to fight with skill and power. He’s against 3-1 Daishoho, who picked up his first loss on day 4 against Chiyoshoma, so I would expect him to want to rebound with a win. They share a 3-4 career record.

Takarafuji vs Takanosho – On paper this match looks like a clear advantage for 3-1 Takanosho. In reality it looks like another tough day of 1-3 Takarafuji, who is not even close to his normal level of performance, and seems to be soldering on in spite of whatever performance limiting injuries he continues to endure. It does not help that Takanosho holds an 8-2 career advantage, either.

Azumaryu vs Kagayaki – Still looking for his first win, 0-4 Azumaryu is going to likely be unhappy with his draw of 1-3 Kagayaki on day 5. He has only managed to beat Kagayaki 3 times in 13 attempts. In fact, Azumaryu has not won against Kagayaki since (checks notes) 2016. Woof.

Nishikifuji vs Hiradoumi – Nishikifuji continues to look strong and confident at 4-0, and he’s going to have a good chance of winning his day 5 match as well against 2-2 Hiradoumi. I don’t fault Hiradoumi’s score on this one, he looked solid in his day 4 win against Azumaryu, but the fact that out of 5 tries, he has only beaten Nishikifuji once.

Aoiyama vs Myogiryu – Much as I love some “Big Dan” sumo, it’s clear he has lower body problems this March, and all you need to do to win is get him moving backward a bit, and he’s toast. Both are 2-2 at the start of today, and share an impressive 27 match career record split 14-13.

Ura vs Takayasu – I think this match has a narrow chance at becoming a pivotal encounter in the March tournament. Mostly because Takayasu has shown himself eager to use his overly energetic tachiai style, that leaves him off balance and with arms and legs loose and unmanaged. This is perfect for Ura’s tug and pull style of attack, and may result in 4-0 Takayasu picking up his first loss of the basho. Or he may just connect full power against 3-1 Ura’s face and lay him out flat. Can’t wait to see which way this goes.

Hokutofuji vs Ichiyamamoto – The good news from this match? One of these poor guys is going to pick up their first win of the basho. Both are 0-4, and I am pretty certain that Hokutofuji is injured to boot. I can’t say the same for Ichiyamamoto, but it may likewise be correct. This is their first ever match.

Sadanoumi vs Midorifuji – After having a very rough basho in January, the Isegahama crew is really strong right now, and should finish the first act of this basho with solid winning records, well on their way to kachi-koshi. In this match we have 4-0 Midorifuji getting a chance to expand his 3-1 career lead against 1-3 Sadanoumi, who seems to have lost a fair amount of the edge that got him to this rank to begin with.

Kotoshoho vs Endo – As someone who has been enthusiastic about Kotoshoho’s sumo, its a really disappointment to see hims struggling with a 0-4 record going into day 5. He’s never lost against 3-1 Endo, but right now Endo looks healthy, and his sumo is crisp. I would expect this to be another tough day for Kotoshoho.

Abi vs Meisei – Abi has to be pleased with his day 4 win over Takakeisho. That was classic Abi-zumo, and it pretty much deflated Takakeisho’s hopes of earning the rope before Nagoya. He has an even 5-4 career record against 1-3 Meisei, but am not sure Meisei is going to be able to muster the power to take out Abi today. Out of their three matches in 2022, Abi won two.

Daieisho vs Shodai – Believed it or not, this could well be the match of the day. You have a surprisingly potent Shodai at 3-1 going up against unbeaten thrusting doom bringer Daieisho, and it’s going to be a fantastic clash of styles. We should see Daieisho put maximum power forward, and if we are lucky we may get a dash of Shodai’s “Cartoon sumo” to break Daieisho’s attack. Daieisho holds a 15-8 career advantage.

Tobizaru vs Kotonowaka – Another solid match, both men are 3-1, and they share a 4-4 career record. I like Tobizaru’s chances here today, as long as he does not repeat his day 4 mistake and allow Kotonowaka to get a hold of his mawashi. If he can stay mobile, he should win.

Wakamotoharu vs Tamawashi – Tamawashi has only a single win, in spite of fighting well this March. I chalk it up to him being in the “tough” part of a Maegashira 1 schedule, where he faces all of the named ranks. He will need to hit early and are against 2-2 Wakamotoharu, to make sure he does not let Wakamotoharu secure a belt grip, and dictate the form of the match. Like the prior bout, if Tamawashi can stay mobile, I like his chances of scoring his second win today.

Wakatakakage vs Mitakeumi – Both of these guys are injured, and not fighting an anything close to their actual potential. So it will come down to who is less wrecked, and in my book that’s 0-4 Wakatakakge. True, if he can grapple 1-3 Mitakeumi and get moving forward, he should be able to finish him. But given Wakatakakage’s injury, even that might be too much to expect.

Kiribayama vs Onosho – Maegashira 4 Onosho comes to call in the san’yaku, and I think he’s got a bucket full of big sumo to share. He has an even record of 4-4 against Kiribayama, and I do enjoy their fights, With both men at 3-1, the winner will be on a clear path to kachi-koshi before the end of the second act.

Nishikigi vs Hoshoryu – I do not expect Nishikigi to suddenly change his fortunes from his dismal 0-4 start and pick up a win today against 2-2 Hoshoryu. Nishikigi has never won a match against Hoshoryu, and that should not change today.

Ryuden vs Takakeisho – I am looking for 2-2 Takakeisho to bounce back after his day 4 loss to Abi with a win today against a struggling 1-3 Ryuden. Out of their five career matches, four have gone to Takakeisho. But their last encounter was day 12 of Osaka 2020, at the “Silent Basho”

Sing in me, oh Muse, and through me tell the story of how many who were winless have won, and how many who were lossless have lost.

Highlight Matches

Hokuseiho defeats Mitoryu – This match is yet another great example of how, at least for now, Hokuseiho is one of the best rikishi in the top division. My compliments to Mitoryu for being able to catch Hokuseiho too far forward with his feet aligned, and unable to maintain traction. He pushed Hokuseiho back to the bales before Hokuseiho could reset his feet. Did Hokuseiho switch to a pull or some other “rescue” move? Oh hell no. He waited it out, recovered calmly, and then took Mitoryu apart and walked him out. Size? Check, Strength? Check, Confidence? Check, An Odysseus like calm in battle? Big check. Hokuseiho 4-0.

Oho defeats Chiyonokuni – Let the bells ring out, Oho finally has his first win of March. Of course it would come at the expense of perpetually damaged Chiyonokuni, who once was going to be a big deal. It was a simple, match, that was mostly Oho slapping Chiyonokuni around, finishing with an oshidashi to end the day 1-3.

Chiyoshoma defeats Daishoho – A big hit, and a big bounce from Chiyoshoma at the tachiai. But he effectively cleared Daishoho’s defenses with that opening, so he lunges in and gets a right hand inside grip, and walks Daishoho out. That’s how it should be done folks! Chiyoshoma. 3-1.

Kotoeko defeats Tsurugisho – That Tsurugisho tachiai was full of problems, but I think he was trying to avoid any slippery moves that Kotoeko might have tried to use at the opening. Instead it cost him body position and hand placement. Kotoeko caught him upright with his chest exposed, and immediately went right hand outside. Tsurugisho realized he was in trouble at the second step, and could really only use his ponderous bulk as defense. But Kotoeko’s initial attack was dead on, and there was no escape. A yorikiri sealed his fate, and they both end the day 3-1.

Kagayaki defeats Bushozan – Not sure why Bushozan decided he needed to put so much effort into repeated pulling attempts against Kagayaki. These motions opened his chest to the full attack power that Kagayaki could deliver, which eventually broke Bushozan’s stance, and it was oshidashi time. Both end the day 1-3.

Kinbozan defeats Takarafuji – Another example of Takarafuji no longer being able to hold a defensive position and defend territory. Kinbozan did a masterful job of mixing up the tsuppari attack, and never letting Takarafuji set his feet. Kinbozan advances to 3-1.

Takanosho defeats Aoiyama – Takanosho led with his face and a lot of forward pressure, and pushed straight into an Aoiyama pull which boring Takanosho to the clay. I think Aoiyama is likewise having problems holding ground, and I would suspect some damage to his suspension system. A monoii was called because Aoiyama had stepped out early, and the gumbai was reversed to give the win to Takanosho, improving his score to 3-1.

Hiradoumi defeats Azumaryu – Nearly perfect from from Hiradoumi today at the tachiai, he landed his left hand and never gave any quarter. Azumaryu’s sumo was good today, but there was not overcoming Hiradoumi’s initial combo. He picks up his second win and is now 2-2.

Nishikifuji defeats Ichiyamamoto – If you ordered a wild and chaotic match for the middle third of today’s action, your order is here! Some tsuppair, some grappling, multiple changes of who is on the attack, this one had something for everyone. Ichiyamamoto chose to go chest to chest, and I think quickly regretted his move. Nishikifuji quickly consolidated to a double inside grip, and it was soon, giving Nishikifuji a score of 4-0.

Myogiryu defeats Ura – Myogiryu chose a short tachiai, catching Ura too far forward, and dumped him onto the clay with a single, fluid move. The look from Ura as he landed was, “What?” Good tactics from Myogiryu, and he improves to 2-2.

Takayasu defeats Kotoshoho – Compliments to Kotoshoho, he correctly anticipated a Takayasu “wild man” tachiai, and played the impact for maximum disruption of Takayasu’s balance. It nearly won him the match, except that Takayasu was able to get his feet back under him before Kotoshoho could square his hips. Once Takayasu had his feet set, it only too two thrusting volley to send Kotoshoho out, and Takayasu improves to 4-0.

Midorifuji defeats Hokutofuji – Another match where Hokutofuji cannot maintain forward pressure. Without his ability to defend, his excellent lower body skills cannot help him win matches. Midorifuji absorbs the tachiai, sets up his attack, and quickly overwhelms Hokutofuji for a quick win to improve to 4-0.

Onosho defeats Sadanoumi – A rather brutal combo attack from Onosho. He started by grappling Sadanoumi at the tachiai, broke contact by just a few inches, and shoved Sadanoumi out. Onosho now 3-1.

Endo defeats Meisei – This match was all Meisei until he decided to pull an off balance Endo, and put himself out of step. Endo wasted zero time in taking charge, and running Meisei to the nearest exit. A sterling example of how Endo can turn the tables in a blink of an eye, he is now 3-1.

Daieisho defeats Mitakeumi – We got our one “good” match out of Mitakeumi, and that may be all we see for a while, it seems. Daieisho was in full “mega-thrust” mode today, and quickly put Mitakeumi in a position where all he could do was try to keep his feet. Daieisho advances to 4-0.

Kotonowaka defeats Nishikigi – Nishikigi is so very predictable, that high skill rikishi like Kotonowaka can and do play his insistence on immediate right hand inside position against him, as Kotonowaka did today. It was a quick grapple into an almost immediate katasukashi, which dumped Nishikigi to the clay. Kotonowaka improves to 3-1.

Ryuden defeats Tobizaru – Tobizaru gets lured into fighting Ryuden chest to chest. This sets up Ryuden to use his superior size to contain and constrain Tobizaru’s best weapon, his agility. Ryuden works for a moment to get Tobizaru posed correctly, then swings him to the clay with a smooth uwatedashinage. Ryuden picks up his first win and is 1-3.

Kiribayama defeats Wakamotoharu – Wakamotoharu was intent on getting a yotsu-sumo match started, and Kiribayama used that to his advantage. It a variation of “stand him up, slap him down”, Kiribayama instead got Wakamotoharu pressing forward, then moved to the side and pushed him out from behind. Kiribayama now 3-1.

Hoshoryu defeats Tamawashi – A great match to watch, it had Hoshoryu largely attacking, and Tamawashi largely defending. I liked Hoshoryu’s attempt at a leg sweep, though it was no where close to Tamawashi’s feet. The match ended with a Tamawashi pull attempt, with an immediate thrusting response from Hoshoryu. He’s now 2-2.

Shodai defeats Wakatakakage – I don’t recall Wakatakakage looking so ineffective in recent memory. But against Shodai! Shodai? We somehow got the “good” Shodai back, and this guy is cleaning house. It was big-body sumo from the start, and the injured Wakatakakage could do little but go along for the ride. Shodai improves to 3-1.

Abi defeats Takakeisho – Takakeisho continues to struggle in his fights against Abi, underscoring that his efforts to reach Yokozuna are not yet complete. Normally a pull is so very risky against someone like Takakeisho, but Abi’s timing is superb, and sends the Ozeki staggering for balance. A single push on the shoulder, and Takakeisho is out. Abi takes an Ozeki scalp and is now 3-1.