Takayasu down, and its going to be a brawl to the end, I predict. As he and his day 11 Wakatakakage share the yusho lead now, they will not fight again unless they are tied at the end of day 15. That’s a pretty dramatic scenario, and it would be devilishly tough to construct. They would need to ensure that Takayasu and Wakatakakage have the same win/loss record over the next 4 days. Or they may just throw them both into the mill and let the scores sort themselves out.

We have 6 rikishi that could get their 8th win today, so we may mint a fair number of kachi-koshi on day 12. This list includes: Ichinojo, Kiribayama, Endo, Wakamotoharu, Kotoeko, and Nishikigi

Last and certainly not least, the injured Chiyonokuni returns to try and squeeze out a couple more wins, hoping to save his position in the top division.

Haru Leaderboard

With Takayasu’s first loss, the yusho race has opened up, and we now have a more complex situation heading into the final weekend. Who is that at the back, who has a shot at the hardware… Tochinoshin?

Leaders: Takayasu, Wakatakakage
Hunt Group: Mitakeumi, Kotonowaka
Chasers: Takakeisho, Tochinoshin

4 matches remain

What We Are Watching Day 12

Akua vs Azumaryu – Azumaryu is up from Juryo, with his kachi-koshi secured, and looking to run up the score to make the case to re-ascend to the top division in the Natsu banzuke. He has a 4-1 career advantage over Akua, who is already make-koshi, and likely headed for Juryo.

Kotoeko vs Chiyonokuni – Welcome back, Chiyonokuni! You can start by trying to prevent Kotoeko from getting his 8th win. While Chiyonokuni has a 4-2 career advantage, he is likely in no condition to slow down or stop Kotoeko from running amok today and bagging his kachi-koshi.

Kagayaki vs Chiyotairyu – Chiyotairyu still has hope of a kachi-koshi, and it may come at Kagayaki’s expense. With a 4-7 record, and once again looking vague and under powered, Kagayaki is a natural to return to Juryo for another tune up. His prior top division finish was 5-10, and earned him the captaincy of the Juryo barge at the end of Kyushu.

Myogiryu vs Kotokuzan – Maybe a bit of a funnel match. Both are 5-6, the winner will be 6-6 and on course for day 15 Darwin, but it’s clear to me that the schedulers are not hitting it too hard this time. Or are they?

Yutakayama vs Terutsuyoshi – Ok a pair of 6-5, loser goes to the magic 6-6 that the Darwin acolytes are looking for. They have an even 5-5 career record, and both are fighting about 15% below their best this basho. This is an even fight, and should be of significant interest.

Shimanoumi vs Kotoshoho – Well, maybe there is something to this Darwin stuff. Both of these are 6-5 as well, and having them face each other optimizes for another 6-6 score at the end of today. Kotoshoho has a 2-0 career record over Shimanoumi.

Chiyomaru vs Aoiyama – A battle of the mega-fauna, with close to 400 kg of rikishi on the clay, these super-heavies have a lot of force when they are in motion, and both are agile and love to move around in a fight. If Chiyomaru loses, is 8 losses and make-koshi for him.

Tobizaru vs Tochinoshin – Tochinoshin is already kachi-koshi, but seeing as he has no idea just how banged up he is going to be in May, he wants as much safety rank cushion as he can manage. So expect him to run up the score. Will we get to see him left Tobizaru today?

Chiyoshoma vs Nishikigi – Once again having some fun with numbers then… We have 4-7 Chiyoshoma vs 7-4 Nishikigi. If Nishikigi wins, They will have a 7-4 career record, favoring Chiyoshoma. I do expect Chiyoshoma to pick up his 8th loss today, and be make-koshi.

Ichiyamamoto vs Okinoumi – First ever match between these two, and if Okinoumi can find his 4th win today, it will be an 8th loss and make-kishi for Ichiyamamoto. Not bad motivation.

Kiribayama vs Hokutofuji – This one has big potential to be a crowd pleaser. Both of them have done pretty well this March, with Hokutofuji winning 3 of the last 4. I predict good motion, lots of strong oshi/tsuki moves, and maybe someone with a bloody nose in this match today. A Kiribayama win is kachi-koshi for him.

Wakamotoharu vs Endo – Wakamotoharu moving up to take on Endo for the first time is a bit of a flex. I really like Wakamotoharu’s yotsu mechanics this tournament, and I think it may be a bit early to see if he can overcome Endo’s technical brilliance. Winner today gets kachi-koshi.

Takarafuji vs Meisei – A battle of the make-koshi, these fights make sure that none of the rikishi who are fighting to stay out of the Darwin funnel from picking up an easy escape win. It’s tough to say if anyone has an advantage going into this match, as both are banged up, and have horrible scores coming into day 12.

Daieisho vs Tamawashi – Back to the funnel matches, this pair come in at 5-6, and the winner gets to advance to the center line at 6-6. I honestly think Tamawashi is doing slightly better this basho, and his day 11 victory using Ura as a bowling ball underscores that point.

Sadanoumi vs Ura – Speaking of Tamawashi’s favorite projectile… He has a chance to pick up just his second win of the entire tournament today. Wow is he in having a bad basho. He has faced Sadanoumi 3 times and won them all. If he loses today, well, best not watch his matches for the rest of the basho and hope for May.

Takanosho vs Ishiura – I think Ishiura’s day 11 match was all about being rusty again, coming back into the basho after consecutive days of trying to recuperate from a pinched nerve, and finding out he’s not quite sharp enough for honbasho competition. With any luck he worked out with “The Boss” since then, and will fight closer to his capabilities today. He has an even 3-3 record against Takanosho on the clay, and I would love to see him pick up another win at least.

Onosho vs Hoshoryu – Back to the funnel, a pair of 5-6 rikishi fight to see who can join the likely crowd at 6-6. I like Hoshoryu’s chances here, even though the 3-2 career record slightly favors Onosho. Hoshoryu is fighting better, and fighitng harder opponents as a Komusubi.

Wakatakakage vs Kotonowaka – One way to clean up the leaderboard, have the leaders fight the hunt group, that is the plan of the day, and we get Wakatakakage bringing his 3-0 career record against Kotonowaka to the dohyo for day 12’s kanban matches. A Kotonowaka win is not likely, but would completely blast the doors off of the yusho race, so I am hoping to see a surprise over night.

Ichinojo vs Abi – An Ichinojo win against Abi-zumo today would be kachi-koshi for the Boulder, and well deserved. He has shown better sumo more constantly than he has in recent memory. He only needs 1 win out of the last 4 matches, so I think his 8 is a safe bet. Abi seems to have run out of mojo following the middle weekend, and has lost the last 3 in a row.

Shodai vs Takakeisho – A high stakes Ozeki fight. Shodai only needs 2 more wins in the last 4 days to clear kadoban, but I fear that he will be 7-7 on the final day, and end up fighting for his rank. He has a 5-10 deficit against Takakeisho, and I don’t think he’s going to be favored in any way today.

Takayasu vs Mitakeumi – The big battle of the day, Takayasu needs to defend his spot at the top of the leaderboard. Mitakeumi needs to give him a second consecutive black star to put himself in closer contention for the cup. Takayasu comes in with a 19-8 career advantage, Mitakeumi comes in with consistent execution of some of the best sumo of his career. Mitakeumi’s best opportunity will be within the first 5 seconds, after that I am going to guess it may devolve into a wild and chaotic chase across the clay with both men trying to knock the other off balance.

The first day of act 3 of Haru is in the books, and the crew wasted no time getting the yusho race into interesting territory. With 4 days left in Osaka, we can count on the scheduling team to make the most out of the race for the cup, and we should see some barn-burner matches in the final days.

I have to give a shout out to Tochinoshin, who defied early indications of a terrible basho, and has been strong at the bottom end of the banzuke, winning his last 4 in a row, and securing kachi-koshi on day 10. His sunset ride is not that far off, but it was great to see him strong and fighting well again.

There are now six rikishi with 7-4 records, and I think day 12 will see several new kachi-koshi records minted. I also note there is a somewhat gentle attempt to funnel a few rikishi to 7-7 records for day 15, but nothing near as obvious as Hatsu or Kyushu.

Highlight Matches

Ichiyamamoto defeats Chiyomaru – Ichiyamamoto dodges make-koshi with a crucial win over Chiyomaru. Chiyomaru tried for the “Stand him up, pull him down” combo, and failed. Ichiyamamoto pushed strongly into the pull while keeping his balance centered and shoved Chiyomaru out, both end the day 4-7.

Chiyotairyu defeats Nishikigi – The formula failed for Chiyomaru, but paid off for stablemate Chiyotairyu. He used a left forearm strike to raise Nishikigi up, the immediately slapped him down with the right. Chiyotairyu improves to 5-6.

Tochinoshin defeats Terutsuyoshi – Day by day it’s tough to know how Tochinoshin is going to fare. He started this basho looking to be in tough condition, and today we got a reprise of the Georgian bear, and his sky-crane sumo. Once he had a firm two hand hold on Terutsuyoshi, why wouldn’t he just pick him up and lift him out of the ring? Win #8 for Tochinoshin, and he is kachi-koshi for March.

Myogiryu defeats Kagayaki – Myogiryu shut down all attempts by Kagayaki to get any kind of thrusting attack going, and all Kagayaki could do was push against Myogiryu’s body from close range. Myogiryu’s foot work was superior, and kept himself lower, moving Kagayaki to the edge of the ring and tossing him into the front row. Myogiryu improves to 5-6.

Aoiyama defeats Kotokuzan – I counted at least 3 pull down attempts between these two, the second one, initiated by Kotokuzan, left him off balance, and Aoiyama returned the favor. I note with some disappointment we really have not seen Aoiyama fire up the V-Twin this basho, and I have to wonder if he is still capable. Both end the day at 5-6.

Akua defeats Tobizaru – An odd, soft and early tachiai from Tobizaru got the match off to a somewhat awkward start. Akua immediately went for a left hand inside hold, and the remainder of the match, Tobizaru struggled for any kind of hand placement. A throw attempt fell apart, leaving Tobizaru turned, and Akua pushed him out from the rear. Akua improves to 3-8.

Sadanoumi defeats Kotoshoho – Kotoshoho hit hard and high at the tachiai, leaving Sadanoumi a wide open counter-attack lane. He was not one to pass it up, he grabbed an arm and pulled Kotoshoho past him, finishing with a hearty right hand push from the rear. Sadanoumi improves to 3-8.

Yutakayama defeats Chiyoshoma – Chiyoshoma opened trying for an arm pit attack, but had problems landing any kind of force against Yutakayama. Chiyoshoma resorted to random body and shoulder slaps to keep Yutakayama guessing where he was going to strike next. Yutakayama countered by pulling Chiyoshoma in with a left hand inside grip. They traded lifts, and then Yutakayama advanced, overpowering Chiyoshoma for the win, improving to 6-5.

Hokutofuji defeats Shimanoumi – Hokutofuji’s super low fighting position again carried the match, he was able to square his shoulders against Shimanoumi, and really overwhelm Shimanoumi’s defensive footwork. My only knock on Hokutofuji is that we don’t get to see this kind of sumo from him starting on day 1. His lack of consistent delivery is what robs him of a durable position in the named ranks. Both end the day 6-5.

Okinoumi defeats Ishiura – Back from kyujo, Ishiura celebrated in the traditional sumo way. By losing his first return match. The match switched modes at least twice, and Ishiura struggled to generate any coherent offense, allowing Okinoumi to push / slap him out of the ring, advancing to 3-8.

Endo defeats Kotoeko – I admit I am disappointed that Kotoeko did not win today, but Endo gave him a tough, blow for blow match. Realizing he was not going to be able to overcome Endo’s defense with tsuki/oshi, Kotoeko went for a grip. But his attempt to rotate into a throw was poorly set up, allowing Endo to collapse the rotation and send Kotoeko to the clay. Both end the day primed for kachi-koshi fights tomorrow at 7-4.

Wakamotoharu defeats Kiribayama – What are they feeding these guys at Arashio heya? Both Onami brothers are having break-out performances this March, and the result is some great sumo for the fans. This fight was another chest to chest battle that Wakamotoharu prefers, and he quickly discovered that Kiribayama was up to the challenge. After setting up left hand inside, they took a pause to figure out their next moves. Wakamotoharu moved first, getting Kiribayama off balance, then pressing forward strongly to move Kiribayama out by yorikiri. Both end the day 7-4.

Ichinojo defeats Meisei – Poor Meisei seems to have zero power in his sumo right now. He literally bounced off of Ichinojo at the tachiai. Meisei then tried for an immediate pull, and met an onrushing Ichinojo instead. It was 3 steps and done for Meisei, and Ichinojo improves to 7-4.

Tamawashi defeats Ura – Not sure what is plaguing Ura right now, but he seems to be in no condition to actually win a match, and he’s reduced to the role of acrobat of the dohyo. Today Tamawashi gave him a hearty toss, sending him end over end out of the East side. Sadly one of the shimpan caught a full impact of Ura’s landing. Tamawashi now 5-6.

Hoshoryu defeats Daieisho – Hoshoryu captures Daieisho, and holds onto his body, moving him back before he can unleash his first thrust against Hoshoryu. Hoshoryu grabs a leg and pivots, Daieisho cannot keep his feet, hitting the clay for a loss. Both end the day 5-6.

Onosho defeats Takanosho – Onosho worked early in the match to get Takanosho off balance, and then never let him regain his footing. You can see Takanosho trying to stabilize, but each time he almost found his footing, another Onosho thrust would arrive. Onosho improves to 5-6.

Wakatakakage defeats Takayasu – The big match of the day shattered Takayasu’s unbeaten streak. Wakatakakage’s right foot lost traction at the tachiai, but Takayasu was unable to capitalize. In the first volley, Wakatakakage’s hips were lower, and was attacking well from below. He pressed his hands in and found a double inside grip. Takayasu knew he was in trouble. Wakatakakage lifted and moved forward, carrying Takayasu back and tossing him into the front row on the East side. With that 10th win, Wakatakakage can be considered to have started the process to rack up 33 wins between now and Nagoya to make a bid for Ozeki. With this kind of sumo, it’s easy to see him at the second highest rank. Both end the day 10-1.

Shodai defeats Takarafuji – Good hit from both at the tachiai, Shodai worked to circle right, and the timing caught Takarafuji by surprise, leaving him open air as he lunged forward to grapple. That’s the 8th loss for Takarafuji, and he is make-koshi for March, Shodai advances to 6-5, and needs 2 of the last 4 to clear kadoban.

Mitakeumi defeats Abi – Abi’s poor footwork took him out of the match. He was attacking well, but allowed himself to get on his toes, and to place his feet in line, leaving him no forward stability. Mitakeumi slapped him down at the moment he was most unbalanced, and put Abi on the clay. Mitakeumi advances to 9-2.

Takakeisho defeats Kotonowaka – While it’s great to see Kotonowaka take on the “heavies”, he’s not quite ready to be competitive against the likes of Takakeisho. I am sure that day is coming, but he’s got another step change to make in his sumo. He has some nice attacks in the opening parts of the match, and at one point is pushing Takakeisho back. But I would guess Kotonowaka is watching something other than Takakeisho’s center of gravity, as the Ozeki steps to the side and thrusts Kotonowaka out. Win #8 for Takakeisho, he is kachi-koshi and clears kadoban.

With the preview of day 11, we start the third and final act of the Haru basho. Act 3 is to crown the yusho winner, and sort everyone into make and kachi-koshi. This is also about the time we can start thinking about which rikishi might be demoted back to Juryo, and which Juryo rikishi might appear in the top division for the Natsu basho in Tokyo.

Ishiura is back in action, the banzuke is balanced once more, and we will stop seeing folks from Juryo in the top division for the first match each day. I am hoping his pinched nerve is good enough for him to fight, it looks like he was in quite a lot of pain.

With Mitakeumi taking a 2nd loss, the yusho race gets a bit more chaotic. Up until that point, Mitakeumi had been favored as the challenger as soon as Takayasu picks up his first loss. That is still possible, but quite a bit more unlikely now that he is 2 losses behind. This leaves Wakatakakage and Kotonowaka to be first in line to challenge, should the opportunity present itself.

One last note, though it is late in starting, it does seem that the schedulers are going to try some level of “Darwin’s Funnel” now in act 3. There is a preponderance of matches between rikishi with middling records, and maybe they are going to see if they can herd a bunch of them to 7-7 records to start day 15.

Haru Leaderboard

Everyone is waiting to see if someone can put dirt on Takayasu – I am sure it will happen before long, but who will be the one?

Leader: Takayasu
Hunt Group: Wakatakakage, Kotonowaka
Chaser: Mitakeumi

5 matches remain

What We Are Watching Day 11

Chiyomaru vs Ichiyamamoto – This will be a tough match, if Ichiyamamoto loses, he is make-koshi, and basically automatically demoted to Juryo except for some kind of miracle. I can’t say that he has really shown much in the way of effective sumo this month, and maybe he needs to re-group in the lower division. Chiyomaru is not doing well either, but may be safe at this rank and score from any speculation of demotion.

Nishikigi vs Chiyotairyu – A win today, and Nishikigi will have his first top division kachi-koshi since 2018. I kind of want him to do it. It will come down to him getting his hands on Chiyotairyu’s belt and shutting down the thunder-god’s oshi-zumo. Chiyotairyu has a 5-3 career lead.

Tochinoshin vs Terutsuyoshi – The second in the “win and in” series, Tochinoshin could pick up kachi-koshi today with a win over Terutsuyoshi. Terutsuyoshi still seems to be having wrist problems since that match earlier in the basho that saw him flexing his hands after a win. He will need to get inside on Tochinoshin and avoid the “sky-crane” effect.

Myogiryu vs Kagayaki – Both of these guys are 4-6, and are setting a pretty solid course for make-koshi right now. In the case of Kagayaki, it’s back to Juryo for him along side Ichiyamamoto unless he can take 3 wins from his final 5 matches. AT M11, Myogiryu should be safe from demotion, so I think Kagayaki is going to have much stronger motivation today. Both are good candidates for Darwin matches, if they can get that far.

Kotokuzan vs Aoiyama – Two more that are headed into Darwin territory, if they are lucky. This is their first ever match, and the sheer bulk of Aoiyama may be somewhat of a surprise to Kotokuzan. Kotokuzan is no dainty dumpling himself, but I must imagine being confronted with a wall of pasty flesh might unsettle even the strongest constitution.

Tobizaru vs Akua – Tobizaru at an even 5-5 to start today, and Akua already make-koshi. He has a number of folks below him on the banzuke in tough shape, but if he loses several more, he may find himself nominated to return to Juryo on the barge of the damned. Tobizaru has a 6-3 career lead, and there are rumors afoot that he is now able to levitate….

Kotoshoho vs Sadanoumi – Kotoshoho seems to have a good shot of reaching his 8, and cementing his spot in the top division for May. Sadanoumi is already a disimal 2-8, but at this rank unlikely to be considered for a demotion. This may, however, be a bit of an “exchange” match it see how Kotoshoho might fight against someone around mid level.

Chiyoshoma vs Yutakayama – Another match that just screams “Darwin” are these two. Both of them are fighting ok, but not great. Chiyoshoma is 4-6, Yutakayama 5-5. Both are susceptible to lose on any given day for any reason or no reason at all. In terms of the funnel, the ideal result here would be a Chiyoshoma win, leaving both with 5-6 records.

Hokutofuji vs Shimanoumi – After giving Mitakeumi the business, Hokutofuji is here to join the crowd trying out for Darwin’s Funnel. This time it’s Hokutofuji with 5-5, and Shimanoumi with 6-4. They have an even 2-2 record, so I would give Shimanoumi a fair chance of getting his 7th win and avoiding the funnel all together.

Okinoumi vs Ishiura – Oh man, Okinoumi at 2-8 facing a returning Ishiura, who has a composite score of 1-9. In addition, Okinoumi has a 6-2 career record. As is frequently the case, returning rikishi are skewered lengthwise and roasted over a crackling fire for their first day back./ It could be a lot worse, but it’s bad enough.

Kotoeko vs Endo – I really want to see Kotoeko pick up his 8th win today. He’s been showing a lot of drive and determination, and I think that kind of rikishi must prevail. Endo has not managed a win in either of their prior matches, and in fact a loss today might push him into the funnel.

Kiribayama vs Wakamotoharu – As with the match above, we have Kiribayama at 7-3 against 6-4 Wakamotoharu. I would be delighted to see Wakamotoharu win this one and surprise Kiribayama. Both top division Oname brothers seem to have having a banner tournament, and I hope it will motivate them to solid gains in their sumo.

Ichinojo vs Meisei – I am calling this a gimme for Ichinojo. He seems to have come to terms with his own immensity, and if he is clam, huge, patient and immobile today, the much smaller Meisei (who is only 1-9) will be less fun to toss than your average pony.

Tamawashi vs Ura – Also firmly in the 1-9 camp is Ura. May not matter much, everyone loves him anyhow. So I wonder how low his score is going to go. Hopefully not too far into double digits. Tamawashi has a 3-1 career win over Ura, so Ura is more or less oshidashi bait today.

Daieisho vs Hoshoryu – Daieisho has a 2-0 record over Hoshoryu, and in general both rikishi are finding the going a bit tough in the second half of Haru. This might be considered another funnel match, except I don’t really think they will end up 7-7 on the final day. I give a bit of an edge to Daieisho today as I think Hoshoryu is running low on mojo.

Takanosho vs Onosho – Takanosho at 2-8 is already out of the named ranks. I think he has a chance to cushion the fall but putting up as many white stars as he can in the last 5 matches, starting with today’s slap and push fest with Onosho. Takanosho holds a 7-3 career advantage in their match ups, and Onosho continues to have balance problems.

Wakatakakage vs Takayasu – I consider this to be the big match of the day, maybe the biggest match of the next couple of days. Takayasu needs to win this one, and it will be tough. Wakatakakage has a 5-2 career advantage, and has been fighting at or near his best ever form. I won’t even hazard a guess on what form the match will take. I am not certain that even if Takayasu locks Wakatakakage into a giant hairy battle-hug that he would be able to prevail in a stamina contest, as the lighter and smaller Wakatakakage has shown himself capable of escaping that trap.

Shodai vs Takarafuji – Shodai needs to win 3 of the last 5 matches, and sets up an ugly possibility. A final day contest where he is 7-7 and must win to preserve his rank. There have been a few Ozeki Darwin matches in the past, and they are usually heartbreakers. He has a 15-3 career record against Takarafuji, who is having one of his “bad” basho. So maybe a win for him again today?

Abi vs Mitakeumi – Both of Mitakeumi’s losses this basho came directly from him underestimating his opponent in the early moments of a match. Allowing Hokutofuji to surprise him with a solid yotsu match leaves no one but himself to blame. For him to have any chance at the yusho, he needs Takayasu to win against Wakatakakage, and then someone to take down Kotonowaka while Takayasu fades out with 2 losses. Yeah, not quite likely at this point. But at least he can run up the score and try for Ozeki 1 East in May.

Kotonowaka vs Takakeisho – On the subject of Kotonowaka, here he is against Takakeisho who needs just one more win to clear kadoban. Kotonowaka would be at less risk standing between Ichinojo and an ice cream truck. I am quite impressed with Kotonowaka’s sumo this March, I think they sent him up here to “face the music” and start collecting a few losses. Note – wins today from both Takakeisho and Takayasu would leave Takayasu 2 wins or more ahead of everyone.

I continue to marvel that Shodai is somehow able to find the power and strength not just to compete, but to dominate the last 4 matches. They have all been fairly quick, so maybe he does what he can before he runs out of juice and for now that is good enough. He is still kadboan, but now needs 3 more wins out of his final 5 matches to clear and retain Ozeki. He has Takarafuji day 11, whose defensive style of sumo is purpose built to keep opponents from a quick win.

Much to my surprise, Mitakeumi took a loss today, and in doing so lowered his odds that he might compete for the cup in the final days of the tournament. While I still think someone is going to put dirt on Takayasu before the yusho is awarded in 5 days, the race is more complicated now, as neither of the two chasers have prior yusho experience, and may have challenges with the mental focus required to finish strong.

Highlight Matches

Tochinoshin defeats Kaisei – They went chest to chest straight away, and it was Tochinoshin who proved to have the advantage today. Both of these guys are absolutely huge, and exerted significant force in that yotsu battle, but it seems that with that ankle injury, Kaisei is a bit less able to transmit power to ground than Tochinoshin is, so the former Ozeki picked up his 7th win. Wow, kachi-koshi for him tomorrow?

Kotoshoho defeats Kotokuzan – Kotoshoho tried twice to get a hand inside, but could not overcome Kotokuzan’s slapping attack, one of which connected with Kotoshoho’s head. That head slap left Kotokuzan’s chest wide open, and a single powerful thrust to the center of that chest was enough to put Kotokuzan out, improving Kotoshoho to 6-4.

Yutakayama defeats Akua – Two matta to front load this match, with the third attempt setting off a furious slapping / thrusting volley that saw Akua’s right knee crumple, and he hit the clay. Akua hits his 8th loss and is make-koshi for March while Yutakayama advances to 5-5.

Nishikigi defeats Chiyomaru – Blink and you will miss it. Nishikigi gave ground to Chiyomaru’s tachiai, but his right hand found its mark, and by the third step he was rolling Chiyomaru to the ground. Nishikigi improves to 7-3.

Kotoeko defeats Ichiyamamoto – Ichiyamamoto opened with his thrusting attack, and had control. But I love that quarter step to the side and grab move Kotoeko applied to go chest to chest against the much larger Ichiyamamoto. The fight shifted to yotsu, and Kotoeko could contain Ichiyamamoto, but lacked the last bit of power to send him out. A mutual throw attempt at the bales paid off, giving Kotoeko his 7th win to advance to 7-3, and picked up a bloody nose for his efforts.

Shimanoumi defeats Kagayaki – After a whopper of a matta, that flattened Shimanoumi, Kagayaki’s sumo was still, and largely ineffective. He could not get good hand placement, and struggled to do much other than hunch forward and advance. With his balance skewed this badly, it was easy for Shimanoumi to pull him farther forward, and send him down. Shimanoumi advances to 6-4.

Tobizaru defeats Chiyotairyu – Chiyotairyu tried for his formulaic “stand him up, pull him down” routine. Tobizaru was ready for each stage of it, and pushed strongly into the pull. Chiyotairyu had no choice but to step back, and then step out. Tobizaru improves to 5-5.

Terutsuyoshi defeats Wakamotoharu – One of the factors to keep in mind when fighting Terutsuyoshi, keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times. Wakamotoharu had a right arm left behind for a moment after a thrust attack, and it was an easy attachment point for Terutsuyoshi. Arms make wonderful levers, and one step later Wakamotoharu was tumbling forward as Terutsuyoshi pulled the arm and rotated. Both end the day with 6-4 scores thanks to that glorious katasukashi.

Chiyoshoma defeats Myogiryu – Again we get a matta. When the match did get started, the two danced about the ring exchanging blows, shoves and even a few kicks. It would not be unfair to call this a “kitchen sink” match, that ended with Chiyoshoma pulling Myogiryu forward and rotating him down. Matching scores to finish this match as well, both are 4-6.

Aoiyama defeats Sadanoumi – Another very sloppy “come as you are” match. They started with a bit of shoving, a bit of hitting and a bit of everything in between. Aoiyama grabbed Sadanoumi’s head and applied a pull, which only served to bring Sadanoumi closer, and Sadanoumi found a double inside position. With both men terribly off balance, Aoiyama pivoted and rotated Sadanoumi out. That’s loss 8 for Sadanoumi, and he is make-koshi for March, as Aoiyama advances to 4-6.

Kiribayama defeats Onosho – Not sure why Onosho decided he was going to fight this one chest to chest. But it worked out poorly, and his only real offensive move just fed power into Kiribayama throw that ultimately won the match. Kiribayama up to 7-3 now.

Okinoumi defeats Meisei – The battle of the battle damaged goes to Okinoumi, who picks up his second win of the tournament. Meisei opened with thrusting, but once Okinoumi captured him and established a hold, it was a fast walk to the bales, followed by a gentle escort out of the ring. Okinoumi now 2-8.

Ichinojo defeats Tamawashi – We got to see the “good” Ichinojo again today. Huge, patient, immobile, and in control. Tamawashi tried to apply some power to The Boulder’s upper body, but it went nowhere. Ichinojo calmly consolidated his hold, and took a nice stroll with Tamawashi in his arms, improving to 6-4.

Kotonowaka defeats Daieisho – Daieisho applied maximum forward power, most of which went straight into a series of nodowa. With his center of gravity so far forward, it was trivial for Kotonowaka to set up and execute the side step and thrust to win by hatakikomi. Kotonowaka improves to 9-1.

Takanosho defeats Ura – Another battle of the defeated, it seems that Takanosho is in slighting better condition that Ura right now. Ura continues to try to fight very low, and cannot really produce much offense, but is half way to the the clay already. Takanosho applies a few solid shoves, and gets Ura tumbling out of the ring. Takanosho improves to 2-8.

Takayasu defeats Hoshoryu – Hoshoryu opened really well, a nice hazu-oishi attack to Takayasu’s armpits, and he moved Takayasu back a few steps. Hoshoryu’s advantage was short lived, as Takayasu tangled up his arms and hands, and then gave him time to consider his sumo. Hoshoryu broke contact, and Hoshoryu tried to find the hand placement for some kind of throw, thwarted again by Takayasu. Break contact again and re-engaged with a right hand inside. No, Takayasu is immobile today, and you are going nowhere with that sumo, sir. Hoshoryu tries still more great responses, none of them are doing anything but inching him toward his 6th loss. Takayasu shoves the remainders over the west side, and remains unbeaten at 10-0.

Wakatakakage defeats Abi – Oh, that’s right. Its been a few matches since the last matta, and it is matta day, so Abi, feel free to launch early. Abi has some good power today, but then pulls into Wakatakakage’s forward advance, and is quickly out. Wakatakakage 9-1, and remains in the hunt behind Takayasu.

Hokutofuji defeats Mitakeumi – That was going to be a tough match no matter what, and when I saw that both men squared their shoulders and their hips, it was Hokutofuji’s match to win. He was lower, his arms were better positioned, and he had Mitakeumi bracketed. Mitakeumi realized this almost at once, but could not lower his hips fast enough to counter Hokutofuji’s push forward. Hokutofuji advances to 5-5.

Takakeisho defeats Takarafuji – Is Takakeisho nursing some injury? This form of sumo is quite different for him. I am all in for experiments and expanding the technique catalog, but I wonder about trying to clear kadoban and doing that at the same time. Takakeisho won with a grab/hold technique, katasukashi, which is quite out of character for him. He’s 7-3 now, needing just one more win out of the remaining 5 matches to clear kadoban.

Shodai defeats Endo – Yeah, he did it again. That’s 4 in a row. Even if he does not make his 8, he is scoring very high marks for tenacity and embodiment of ganbarimasu. Endo did get a grip, but there was enough daikon power rattling around Shodai’s COVID riddled body that he powered through Endo’s attempt to drop his hips and set up control. 5-5 for Shodai, 3 to go.