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!

It’s the start of the middle weekend, when we will start to track the yusho race and the sorting of rikishi into winning and losing records. We have three rikishi with unbeaten scores: Daieisho, Midorifuji, and Takayasu:

• Daieisho – A prior yusho in January of 2021, a jun-yusho in May of 2022. If he keeps rolling, he is the man to beat.
• Midorifuji – He has not turned in a score about 10-5 ever in the top division, and I expect he will fade into week 2 as the pressure of the race comes into focus. He’s one to keep an eye on for the future
• Takayasu – 7 jun-yusho, never took home the cup. His fans are constantly frustrated because he always comes up short in the second week. He has lost in two yusho playoffs in the past year

All three of them have solid matches today, with Takayasu and Midorifuji going head to head to narrow the unbeaten gang to no more than 2.

What We Are Watching Day 7

Tsurugisho vs Oho – Although their 2-3 career record describes a close match, Oho (2-4) seems completely off his sumo right now, and Tsurugisho (4-2) seems to have things running pretty well. I would expect this one to go to Tsurugisho.
Career Record (2-3) :
[Tsurugisho 4-2] Shikona: 剣翔 | Heya: Oitekaze | Hometown: Tokyo | Size: 182 cm 191 kg
[Oho 2-4] Shikona: 王鵬 | Heya: Otake | Hometown: Tokyo | Size: 191 cm 170 kg

Kinbozan vs Chiyomaru – Today’s Juryo visitor is none other than fan favorite Chiyomaru. One of the roundest men in sumo, he is always a crowd pleaser. Sadly right now he has a terrible 0-6 score, and is likely headed deep into make-koshi territory. Paired with a rather genki Kinbozan, it’s a recipe for a 0-7 score for Chiyomaru today.

Mitoryu vs Kotoeko – Kotoeko’s win against newcomer Kinbozan on day 6 was quite impressive. He now is starting the middle weekend with a 5-1 record, and is part of the group that is 1 back from the leaders. He won’t face too much of a challenge from flagging Mitoryu, who has only found 2 wins out of the first six days.

Daishoho vs Bushozan – Bushozan (1-5) had the bad luck of picking up some kind of injury in the weeks leading up to his top division debut. He has been working hard, steadily plugging away for several years to reach to Makuuchi, and shows up unable to really execute sumo his way. He has won 5 out of 6 against 4-2 Daishoho, who I think will be able to improve his score today.

Kagayaki vs Chiyoshoma – Ah, that day six henka still has me feeling unsettled about Chiyoshoma. This used to be an everyday thing for him: have a sumo match, use a henka. But in recent years he has been trying to fight actual sumo, and getting mixed results. Maybe he’s decided to go back to his roots, which are to be a slimy devil. Kagayaki has a 14-8 career lead, so maybe he will be able to take care of Chiyoshoma today.

Hokuseiho vs Takanosho – Since starting 4-0, Hokuseiho has lost back to back matches on days five and six. I hope he is not having some sort of crisis of confidence and will endure a protracted losing streak. He is up against fellow 4-2 record Takanosho, fighting him for the first time.

Azumaryu vs Takarafuji – This is probably Azumaryu’s best chance at a win. Takarafuji looks to be in no condition to compete right now. He can’t hold ground, he can’t endure any kind of forward pressure. I am going to guess that whatever is wrong with him is grave enough that it’s not easy to fix, and will likely end his career. So he may be planning to fight as much as he can, continue to draw his pay, and ride the demotions to the bottom of Juryo.

Nishikifuji vs Ura – Ura is straddling the center-line with a 3-3 score, and needs to get his sumo into gear. He has had a three consecutive losses that were mostly Ura making a mistake, such as his deep dive against Hokutofuji on day six. Against 5-1 Nishikifuji, he is going to face a tough opponent, and likely struggle. Ura has won both prior matches.

Ichiyamamoto vs Myogiryu – I can’t quite figure out why Ichiyamamoto is still trying to find his first win at 0-6. He’s not fighting poorly, but he’s not winning. I think that we may see that streak continue as Myogiryu at 3-3 is not setting the pace, but is healthy enough that he is competing at close to his normal power. Ichiyamamoto holds a 3-1 career lead.

Hokutofuji vs Hiradoumi – Hokutofuji (2-4) is not looking anything close to normal, seeming to lack the defensive power that has made him a strong competitor. Maybe some problems with his lower body. He has only fought 3-3 Hiradoumi once before, at Kyushu last year. That match went to Hiradoumi.

Endo vs Aoiyama – These two have an 18 match career record, with the score 7-11 in favor of Aoiyama. They both have 4-2 scores. In spite of the size and 40 kg weight difference, this is a fairly even match, especially when you take into account that Aoiyama is not quite as potent as he should be right now, thanks to what may be a lower body problem.

Takayasu vs Midorifuji – They stuck the big show down right in the middle, like a glorious crispy katsu fillet proudly beaming in the center of a plate of curry. Both are 6-0, they have one prior match that Takayasu won by tsukidashi on day 6 of Aki last year. These two are going to go at it like champions, and frankly I can’t wait to see who prevails.

Kotoshoho vs Sadanoumi – Another match of men with dismal records. Its 0-6 Kotoshoho against 1-5 Sadanoumi. Both are high quality rikishi, but both of them are having terrible tournaments. Whatever crazy training got this many men banged up in the days leading up to Haru, they out to reconsider and think about preserving talent instead.

Mitakeumi vs Meisei – Mitakeumi (3-), though quite diminished, is still a potent force. This was evidenced by his win against the lone relic Ozeki, Takakeisho, on day six. He has 2-4 Meisei today, whom he has beaten on 10 out of their 13 prior matches.

Abi vs Shodai – I know that Takayasu vs Midorifuji is a big attention grabber, but this match has my interest too. Shodai is resurgent, showing us some of the sumo that took him to Ozeki, and I am glad to see him back. Abi is fighting nearly as well as he did when he took the cup in Kyushu, and this match could be fireworks. It’s a clash of sumo styles, with Abi having this rabid double arm thrusting preference, and Shodai fighting like a side of beef in a butcher’s freezer. Just be huge and impenetrable.

Tamawashi vs Tobizaru – This fight could be quite the crowd pleaser. Both of them are high mobility rikishi, with Tamawashi delivering powerful thrusting attacks, and Tobizaru focusing on off angle combos to win his matches. Right now Tamawashi at 1-5, and not fighting at his normal intensity, and he may be a bit easier for Tobizaru to pick off than normal. They share a 3-3 record.

Wakamotoharu vs Daieisho – Much as I love Wakamotoharu’s sumo, I think he’s going to struggle with 6-0 Daieisho today. Daieisho is fighting just about as well as he was in January of 2021 when he took the cup, finishing the basho with a blistering 13-2 record. I expect that Daieisho is going to contend for the yusho again this tournament, so today its Wakamotoharu’s turn to try and slow him down. They share a 2-2 career record.

Kiribayama vs Kotonowaka – This should be a solid match, with both men starting the day at 4-2, and being pretty evenly matched right now. Kiribayama has a 6-2 career lead and has won the last 4 in a row. Given that he seems to be in good form right now, I think it’s his match to lose.

Ryuden vs Hoshoryu – Hoshoryu is starting to act like a punk again, at least as I see it. It’s unnecessary, self indulgent and really degrades him as a competitor. He’s got 1-5 Ryuden today, and I am just praying that Hoshoryu can finish the match with some of his dignity left.

Wakatakakage vs Onosho – Normally this match would heavily favor Wakatakakage, but it seems that Wakatakakage can’t muster any better than 1-5 at the start of the middle weekend, and may be hurt. We can be certain that Onosho is likely to front-load his match with a big hit at the tachiai, I just hope we don’t see him get henka’d for the second day in a row. They share a 4-4 record.

Nishikigi vs Takakeisho – This is an interesting and unique match with a lot of options, most of which are bad. Nishikigi will attempt to grapple with Takakeisho. Should he capture the Ozeki, there are many bad ways this can turn out. Right now Nishikigi is on an arm bar and kotenage mood, and the last thing we need is Takakeisho with an elbow injury. The best possible outcome is that Takakeisho can connect with a thrusting attack at the tachiai, and put Nishikigi away in a hurry.

Welcome all to the first day of act 2 of the Haru basho. Act 2 is where we 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. We will see our early kahci-kochi and make-koshi scores during this period, and we should know who will likely compete for the cup by the end of this middle weekend of the Osaka tournament. There are six rikishi at the front of the pack following day 6, and each ofd them would make a fine yusho winner.

Sadly Ozeki Takakeisho is not among them, as he shows more signs of injury with each day of competition. As stated during January’s Hatsu basho, the sumo association might have a problem on their hands if their lone surviving Ozeki became injured, went kadoban and was demoted while their lone relic Yokozuna was still recovering from knee surgery. With the crowd of Ozeki hopefuls in tatters this March, the sumo landscape is incredibly flat right now, and we may see a period of intense change. This might force the sumo association to break with long standing tradition (which they loathe doing) and have a banzuke without a minimum two Ozeki. May Takakeisho get his body to gather in order for tradition to survive.

Highlight Matches

Mitoryu defeats Oho – Just when I thought Oho could not be any more lethargic, we get this glorious match. Mitoryu seems completely out of his league right now, but he makes fast work of Oho. What’s going on with Oho? I can’t hazard a guess. Both end the day 2-4.

Shonannoumi defeats Bushozan – I think Bushozan’s sumo is hiding in the same cabinet that Oho’s sumo ran to for a holiday. He’s not that terrible of a rikishi, but something happened between January and the start of Osaka. He looks completely worn out, and is an easy win for Shonannoumi, who heads back to Juryo 5-1.

Daishoho defeats Hokuseiho – I was a bit worried about this, as it’s not uncommon in younger rikishi. Take a loss and you get into a losing streak. Hokuseiho again shows a lot of patience waiting out Daishoho, but waiting around and employing good defensive sumo are not the same thing. He allowed Daishoho to consolidate his grip and his stance, and gradually work up what he needed to lift and move Hokuseiho back and out. Both end the day 4-2.

Kotoeko defeats Kinbozan – Kotoeko side stepped the tachiai, which was less awesome than I was hoping for. Kinbozan was only momentarily disrupted, as Kotoeko could not finish him off. Kinbozan attacked, but did not set his feet well, and Kotoeko threw him down with a sukuinage, improving to 5-1.

Tsurugisho defeats Takarafuji – Takarafuji tried some offense at the tachiai, and it did not really connect. When Tsurugisho countered, we saw Takarafuji try to use his defensive sumo, but it quickly fell apart, and he was unable to hold his ground. Tsurugisho pushed him out and ends the day 4-2.
Kimarite: oshidashi

Chiyoshoma defeats Azumaryu – Azumaryu can’t buy a win, now 0-6. It does not help when you have Chiyoshoma using a henka against a winless opponent. Chiyoshoma is now 4-2.

Myogiryu defeats Kagayaki – Kagayaki got the better of the tachiai, and was driving forward with strength against Myogiryu’s faltering defense. But Myogiryu was far from beaten, with Kagayaki putting his head down and pushing, he was ripe for a side-step, and Myogiryu’s was timed well to send Kagayaki into the salt basket. Myogiryu improves to 3-3.

Aoiyama defeats Nishikifuji – Nishikifuji picks up his first loss after opening strong and taking the fight to Aoiyama. Nishikifuji was in the driver’s seat from the tachiai, but chose to grab a hold of Aoiyama’s belt, and Aoiyama countered. An attempt by Nishikifuji to rotate into a throw found Aoiyama too large, his stance too stable to complete the move, and Aoiyama walked Nishikifuji out. Aoiyama now 4-2.

Hiradoumi defeats Takanosho – Takanosho put all of his effort in the tachiai on a big hit to Hiradoumi’s face. It connected, but his mawashi was wide open, and Hiradoumi latched on. Takanosho was never able to gain the upper hand, trying to pivot into a throw, only to find himself unable to complete. Hiradoumi countered with an uwatenage, and picked up his third win, finishing 3-3.

Hokutofuji defeats Ura – Ura was too far forward, maybe he was trying to grab one of Hokutofuji’s legs? Hokutofuji reads it perfectly and dumps Ura immediately to the clay with his hatakikomi, improving to 2-4.

Takayasu defeats Ichiyamamoto – Points to Ichiyamamoto for putting a lot of effort into this fight. I like that Takayasu calmed his tachiai, and went straight into a battle for upper body control, which saw him trading volley after volley with Ichiyamamoto. Once Takayasu landed a right hand inside grip, he went to work setting up the shitatenage, which connected a few moments later to hand Ichiyamamoto his 6th straight loss, while Takayasu remains perfect at 6-0.

Midorifuji defeats Endo – You know what we have not enjoyed in a while? Yes, that’s right, a Midorifuji katasukashi! Thank you Endo for providing a platform for a fan favorite, as Midorifuji advances to 6-0.

Meisei defeats Sadanoumi – Straight ahead sumo from both, Meisei had more power and more focus center mass. Sadanoumi could not maneuver nearly enough to blunt Meisei’s attack, and was moved out by oshidashi. Meisei now 2-4.

Abi defeats Kotoshoho – It looks like Abi-zumo is starting to really click. I give a nod to Kotoshoho for a solid opening combo that forced Abi to move back, but it simply set up the hatakikomi that sent Kotoshoho tumbling to the clay. Nice recovery and employment of plan B form Abi today, he’s now 5-1.

Shodai defeats Tamawashi – Where in God’s good earth has this version of Shodai been hiding? He absorbs Tamawashi’s initial opening attack, and waits for the second. As Tamawashi moves forward, Shodai calmly swipes forward with his right hand and brings Tamawashi tumbling to the clay. Exquisite timing and hand placement, Shodai is now 4-2.

Wakamotoharu defeats Tobizaru – In the abbreviated preview, I noted that to win, Tobizaru had stay mobile. Wakamotoharu captured him early, and in spite of a basked of energetic gyrations, kept Tobizaru in his grip. Tobizaru managed to briefly escape, but was so off balance that he was easily slapped down by Wakamotoharu, who finishes the day 4-2.

Daieisho defeats Kotonowaka – Even a fairly genki Kotonowaka is not a match for Daieisho when he’s in good form. Kotonowaka came out of the tachiai strong, and controlled the match with a solid close range oshi-zumo strategy. It cased Daieisho to move back, and give up forward pressure. But Daieisho managed to get Kotonowaka too far forward, and thrust him down a moment before Kotonowaka pushed him from the ring. Great recovery and solid sumo, Daieisho keeps a perfect record at 6-0.

Hoshoryu defeats Onosho – Yeah, that was crap. We all know the hallmark of a champion is a hearty side step against a lower ranked opponent. Hoshoryu now 3-3.

Wakatakakage defeats Ryuden – I am happy to see Wakatakakage pick up his first win. It was a sloppy match, as you might expect from two rikishi with losing records and a set of injuries each. But Wakatakakage managed to keep his ottsuke running long enough to get Ryuden’s balance behind his heels, and ran him for the bales. Both end the day 1-5.

Kiribayama defeats Nishikigi – Nishikigi tried to employ his favored arm bar again today against Kiribayama, but Kiribayama was able to counter by hooking Nishikigi’s leg and toppling him back for a win by sotogake. Kiribayama now 4-2.

Mitakeumi defeats Takakeisho – My attention is drawn to the tape around Takakeisho’s knee. He opened strong, but then decided after two volleys of thrusts, to try to pull. Mitakeumi has 25 or so career matches against him, and knew this combo was likely to show up. Mitakeumi responded with a potent attack from underneath, moving the Ozeki back and driving him from the ring by oshidashi. Tough loss for Takakeisho, who I worry may be kadoban soon enough. Both end the day 3-3.