The first thing that caught my eye when putting this post together was that Asanoyama is back. A doctor told him to take 4 weeks off to recover from a partial tear to his left bicep from his match against Hoshoryu. At the time I complimented him for not “going all Kisenosato on us”, but it seems it was too early to assume that. The shockingly poor state of sports medicine around professional sumo continues to depress me.

With Hokutofuji’s loss to Wakamotoharu on day 11, it’s now Nishikigi’s yusho race to win. I am certain they are going to hope someone puts dirt on him soon, but he has already faced all of the top rikishi, including Kirishima. He still has yet to face Hokutofuji, thought.

There are 4 rikishi up for possible kachi-koshi today: Kotonowaka, Shonannoumi, Ryuden, and Takarafuji, along with 6 up for possible make-koshi, including Asanoyama, the big dummy.

Nagoya Leaderboard

This is all Nishikigi right now, and we have the two chasers facing each other today as Hoshoryu and Hokutofuji fight in the penultimate match of the day. The 4 in the hunt group have to hope that things fall apart a bit to give them a chance to try and get into a leading score in the final 4 days.

Leader: Nishikigi
Chasesr: Hoshoryu, Hokutofuji
Hunter Group: Daieisho, Wakamotoharu, Endo, Hakuoho

4 Matches Remain

What We Are Watching Day 12

Daishoho (4-7) vs Oshoma (5-6) – With Asanoyama back, the top division had an odd number of athletes again, so we get a Juryo visitor today in Oshoma. He and Daishoho share a 1-1 career match history, with Daishoho winning the most recent one on day 9 of Hatsu.

Kinbozan (6-5) vs Aoiyama (5-6) – Interesting to me is that Aoiyama, with 3 straight wins, managed to work his way from the make-koshi lane into the middle / Darwin lane. He’s got a first ever match against fellow middle lane rikishi Kinbozan today. All “Big Dan” needs is 3 wins out of the last 4 matches to reach kachi-koshi and rescue himself from near certain demotion as the second to last man on the banzuke this July.

Takarafuji (7-4) vs Myogiryu (5-6) – Takarafuji going for his 8th win today, and kachi-koshi. He has a 26 match career history with Myogiryu, with Myogiryu owning the better of it 17-9. But this is equalized today in that Takarafuji seems to be fighting much better than Myogiryu is this July.

Takanosho (6-5) vs Chiyoshoma (5-6) – Another middle lane match up, featuring Takanosho coming into today with 6 consecutive wins, after an ice cold 0-5 start to Nagoya. He has an 8-4 career advantage over Chiyoshoma, and I am once again going to ask – is it time for a henka?

Sadanoumi (2-9) vs Bushozan (3-8) – Both of these guys are already make-koshi, and Bushozan is likely to be the captain of this month’s barge of the damned headed back to Juryo. He has won both prior matches against Sadanoumi, the most recent was day 12 of Aki, 2021, when they were both ranked in Juryo.

Ryuden (7-4) vs Nishikifuji (5-6) – A win today for Ryuden and it’s kachi-koshi for him. He has done surprisingly well this July, maybe in part because he was over-demoted down to M15E, where he has been able to build a strong winning record at 7-4. Out of their 3 prior matches, Nishikifuji has won 2.

Takayasu (5-6) vs Gonoyama (6-5) – Both are on the middle / Darwin path right now, and I could see either or both of them in day 15 Darwin matches. There is no way that Takayasu is anything other than hurt right now, as he can only tolerate about 5 seconds of full power sumo before he tries some kind of escape move like a head pull. This is a first ever match against rising star Gonoyama, who needs just 2 more wins out of the final 4 matches for kachi-koshi.

Hokuseiho (5-6) vs Kotoeko (5-6) – Two more rikishi that are part of an 16 man middle lane headed down the highway looking for a Darwin match on Sunday. It could be epic. Hokuseiho has won both prior match ups against the much smaller and lighter Kotoeko, so I would guess unless Kotoeko can get the giant turned about, it will be a Hokuseiho win today.

Kotoshoho (4-7) vs Oho (4-7) – An even up match where the loser gets his 8th loss. Both come in at 4-7, and they have a 4-4 career record. They last fought in 2022, and of the 4 matches that year, they split them 2-2.

Tsurugisho (3-8) vs Onosho (6-5) – Tsurugisho is too hurt to fight, but I am sure he is remaining in competition to try and make sure he does not rack up enough losses to be sent back to Juryo. Sumo can be incredibly brutal some times, and this is a prime example of that brutality. Onosho will likely be able to chose the manner he defeats him, as Tsurugisho won’t have the mobility to avoid his massive forward thrusting power.

Midorifuji (3-8) vs Hiradoumi (3-8) – Both are already make-koshi, so this is all about padding their fall down the banzuke. Hiradoumi won their only prior match, which was day 10 of Hatsu 2022.

Shodai (5-6) vs Meisei (4-7) – Shodai may be in a bit of a late basho rally right now, having won 3 matches in a row. Should he best Meisei today, it would relegate him to a losing record with an 8th loss. Shodai leads their career series 9-5.

Ura (5-6) vs Mitakeumi (2-9) – In normal circumstances, Mitakeumi can beat Ura without too much trouble (7-1). But right now Mitakeumi is just going through the motions most day, and Ura may get his second career win against the former Ozeki today.

Nishikigi (10-1) vs Shonannoumi (7-4) – First of the big matches, we get a first ever fight with rising star Shonannoumi in an attempt to get some dirt on the yusho race leader. A Shonannoumi win would be kachi-koshi for him, but he will need to be far more aware of his spot in the ring than he was in his day 11 loss to Kotonowaka if he wants to take down the ultra-stable Nishikigi, who needs to win this one to stay in the lead.

Asanoyama (4-4-3) vs Tobizaru (6-5) – In a bit of a “What are you thinking?” moment, we have Asanoyama back in action with a partially torn bicep. Hes up against the ultra-mobile Tobizaru, who would be well advised to throw his most chaotic combos at the former Ozeki straight from the tachiai. Asanoyama won their only prior match, day 5 of Natsu 2021.

Kotonowaka (7-4) vs Endo (8-3) – Endo continues his tour of the upper ranks, visiting from near the bottom of the banzuke. I might guess they are trying to figure out where to rank him for September, and they are seeing how he fares against various folks in the san’yaku for some reason. He holds a 4-2 career lead over Kotonowaka.

Hakuoho (8-3) vs Abi (4-7) – The last man on the banzuke for July takes his kachi-koshi into the san’yaku to see how he can stand up to Abi-zumo. Abi needs this win to rescue himself from almost certain make-koshi, which I would not be surprised to see show up today.

Tamawashi (6-5) vs Daieisho (8-3) – Daieisho needs to win 3 of the last 4 to hit 33 and punch his ticket to be considered for Ozeki. Right now Tamawashi is not that potent a threat, as he seems to be about a half step slower than his recent top form. They have 24 career matches, favoring Tamawashi 14-10, with the most recent being a Daieisho win on day 9 in Osaka.

Hoshoryu (9-2) vs Hokutofuji (9-2) – Unless something odd happens, this match will knock Hokutofuji out of realistic contention for the cup. He has not defeated Hoshoryu in 5 prior attempts, and will be hard pressed to take him down today. Whomever wins this match will be the lone chaser against Nishikigi, unless Shonannoumi should manage a win, in which case the winner of this match will be tied for the yusho at the end of the day. Hoshoryu needs 3 of his last 4 to reach 33.

Wakamotoharu (8-3) vs Kirishima (5-4-2) – In a fantastic demonstration of the brutal, zero sum game that is sumo, Wakamotoharu must win today against the lone competing Ozeki to keep his dreams of being promoted to Ozeki ahead of his brother Wakatakakage alive. Kirishima is not at his normal fighting power, but so far has done a fair job in defeating the rest of the upper ranked rikishi. Kirishima needs to win 3 of his last 4 to reach the safety of 8, and kachi-koshi to avoid kadoban in September.

The start of act 3 delivered some great matches, as the final push by the 3 Ozeki hopefuls runs squarely into the tougher part of their schedules. Both Wakamotoharu and Hakuoho earned their kachi-koshi today with an 8th win, as the roster of rikishi with winning records grows to 7.

Following the loss by Hokutofuji to give Wakamotoharu that 8th win, Nishikigi stands alone on the leaderboard for the Emperor’s cup. Seriously, what kind of crazy time line / universe are we in right now? One party glorious, one part WTF. This is the sumo I am here for, as we have 4 more matches before someone goes home with the hardware. It could be a screamer down to the wire, and I could not be happier.

Highlight Matches

Ryuden defeats Daishoho – Ryuden keeps it simple, getting a left hand frontal grip at the tachiai which Daishoho manages to break. From there its morozashi and some belly bumping to bounce Daishoho back and then out. Ryuden is now one step closer to kachi-koshi at 7-4.

Bushozan defeats Chiyoshoma – Chiyoshoma was far too focused on Bushozan’s head and face. That included head pulls, face slaps and generally focusing on attacks as high as he could. Bushozan got down to business center-mass and took care of business, still make-koshi, but now 3-8.

Aoiyama defeats Tsurugisho – Battle of the banged up behemoths, it was a classic Aoiyama “stand him up and pull him down” as the hatakikomi hit almost at once. Given Tsurugisho’s poor condition this basho, it was almost certain to work. Tsurugisho is now make-koshi at 3-8, Aoiyama improves to 5-6.

Kotoshoho defeats Kinbozan – Quite the straightforward oshi-zumo match from these two. They spent most of the time standing their ground and shove-hitting each other with as much upper body motion as they could muster while keeping their balance. It was Kinbozan who broke Kotoshoho balance first, but as Kotoshoho stepped away, Kinbozan lunged to finish him. Big gamble there, as he caught Kotoshoho’s hikiotoshi and stepped out. Kotoshoho now 4-7.

Kotoeko defeats Sadanoumi – For a moment I thought that Sadanoumi would dominate this match. He opened strong, set up a good working hand hold and immediately had Kotoeko stepping back. But at the third step, Kotoeko loaded up a sukuinage and laid Sadanoumi out on the clay. This guy cannot catch a break. Kotoeko improves to 5-6.

Hakuoho defeats Takayasu – Whatever is damaged in Takayasu’s body seems to limit him to about 5 seconds of sumo. After that he is easy meat. About about the “5” count, we see Takayasu shift his stance and try some kind of headlock rotation-pull-something. That works so poorly that it sets up an immediate okuridashi, giving Hakuoho his 8th win, and kachi-koshi for July at 8-3.

Hokuseiho defeats Myogiryu – Hokuseiho is still overly reliant on that right hand, but it was good to see him employ a somewhat modified form today. He was able to make some offensive moves with his left to keep Myogiryu from defending against the right, and that led to a workable yorikiri. Good to see. Both end the day 5-6.

Onosho defeats Gonoyama – Ah, youth. Gonoyama seems to want to go power-to-power with Onosho, which granted would be massive fun if you had the body and skill of Gonoyama. But this is not practice, it’s honbasho. Onosho works defense for 2 steps, then pivots and lets Gonoyama eat the sukuinage and a face full of clay. Both end the day 6-5.

Takanosho defeats Hiradoumi – Takanosho’s right hand did the bulk of the work in this fight, one that he very nearly lost. Hiradoumi was giving a lot of pressure back to Takanosho, but that right hand kept connecting high on Hiradoumi’s body, forcing him back. Hiradoumi cleverly deflected as he stepped back, putting Takanosho off balance, but Takanosho had just enough connection to earth to lay one more right on Hiradoumi, sending him out before he hit the clay. Hiradoumi, who has been fighting well, now make-koshi at 3-8. Takanosho improves to 6-5.

Ura defeats Nishikifuji – Good to see Ura continue his absolute dominance over Nishikifuji, and snap his 4 match losing streak today. Once Ura connected a hand to Nishikifuji’s mawashi, it was all forward pressure and quick, small steps to rush Nishikifuji out. Both end the day at 5-6.

Oho defeats Midorifuji – A wild, chaotic and out of control match that had the gyoji on the run trying to stay out of the way. It ended with both off balance and stepping wherever they could, and Midorifuji out. Midorifuji pick up his 8th loss and is now make-koshi, Oho avoids the same fate by improving to 4-7.

Shodai defeats Mitakeumi – This battle of the battered former Ozeki was all Shodai from the tachiai. Mitakeumi never really was able to get his feet set, or get any kind of defense started as Shodai ramped up the pressure and walked him out. Shodai now 5-9.

Tobizaru defeats Meisei – Meisei seemed to be committed to keeping Tobizaru front and center, which is usually a good idea. Tobizaru played along, to his advantage. After about 4 volleys between the two, Tobizaru stepped back, then to the side at the worst possible time for Meisei. The hatakikomi sent Meisei to the clay, and advanced Tobizaru to 6-5.

Nishikigi defeats Endo – One of the things I love about sumo is some of the small, subtle things that happen that you can only enjoy watching the video where you can pause, slow step and rewind as much as you want. One of Endo’s signature moves is that frontal grab at the tachiai. Watch Nishikigi’s block that he rolls into and inside body hold before Endo can defend. Endo breaks Nishikigi’s right hand loose, but the left hand is in play as Nishikigi powers forward and takes Endo out of the ring before Endo can counter. Whatever kami has a hold of Nishikigi, it’s glorious and I hope the whole lovely cinderella story continues. He is now 10-1.

Takarafuji defeats Abi – Long standing sumo fans were in on the joke embedded in this match. Abi’s double arm thrusting attack is always aimed at his opponent’s neck. Takarafuji has no neck, as it was surgically removed following a tragic accident when he was just a boy. Left with nothing to attack, Abi blindly tries to hit something that simply is not there, making him an easy mark for Takarafuji to bodily thrust and slap out of the ring. Takarafuji now 7-4.

Kotonowaka defeats Shonannoumi – Shonannoumi sets up a right hand outside grip early, and after a brief battle for stance, rotates into a throw. But he’s completely overlooked where he is in the ring, and steps well out before he can complete the rotation. Match goes to Kotonowaka, and both end the day 7-4.

Hoshoryu defeats Tamawashi – Tamawashi really wanted that nodowa, he worked to reestablish it after Hoshoryu broke through the first time, and was working for a third one as Hoshoryu put all of his force against Tamawashi’s chest and shoved him out. 9-2 now for Hoshoryu, who need just 3 more wins to get to 33.

Wakamotoharu defeats Hokutofuji – Impressive sumo from Wakamotoharu today. He endured Hokutofuji’s opening attacks, which tend to disrupt his opponents enough to allow him to finish. But Wakamotoharu stayed calm, focused and managed a left hand inside belt grip, which set the terms of the match that followed. Hokutofuji countered, but without more than a couple layers of silk in his hand, he did not have enough purchase to lift or move Wakamotoharu. Wakamotoharu countered with a strong advance and a commanding yorikiri, knocking Hokutofuji off the leader position and giving Wakamotoharu his kachi-koshi victory at 8-3. He needs all of his 4 remaining matches to hit 33.

Kirishima defeats Daieisho – Brilliant defensive strategy by Kirishima, he ensured that Daieisho could not square his shoulders or his hips, and deflected Daieisho’s first two volley attempts. The failed thrusts left Daieisho dangerously off balance, which his feet in the wrong spot as Kirishima delivered a hatakikomi to put Daieisho on the clay. Kirishima now 5-6.

With day 11, we are at the start of the third and final act of the 2023 Nagoya basho. Act 3 is where we sort everyone into make-koshi or kachi-kochi, and someone wins the yusho. We will start to see the schedule include matches with huge rank gaps, as we are going to see a tendency toward “interesting” combinations, or matches to keep the three groups – kachi-koshi, make-koshi, and middle / Darwin, guided toward their outcomes. We also have two story lines that will wrap up in the final 5 days.

Ozeki Hopefuls – there are three of them: Daieisho, Hoshoryu and Wakamotoharu, all who might possible hit 33 wins and make a bid to be promoted. Daieisho needs 11 wins (must win 3 of his final 5 matches), Hoshoryu needs 12 wins (must win 4 of his 5 remaining matches), and Wakamotoharu needs 12 wins (must win all of his final 5 matches). Odds are best that Daieisho makes it, about even for Hoshoryu, and growing mighty slim for Wakamotoharu. With each of them entering the “hard” part of their schedule, this is where the losses may show up and scuttle their runs. Also, do not be surprised if the NSK decide to make some or all of them who get to 33 wait another tournament for whatever reason they cook up.

Yusho Race – The schedulers now have 2 men with 9-1 records, and ideally they could get dirt on both of them one more time leading into the final weekend to open up the race to Daieisho and Hoshoryu, which would cause the Ozeki run and the yusho race to intersect. I am not sure what kami is powering Nishikigi right now, but it’s on a mission and wants our adorable bottom heavy cinderella to contend until the end.

Nagoya Leaderboard

Nishikigi continues to have the better path to the yusho, having already defeated the san’yaku in week 1. Hokutofuji starts his tour through the named ranks today, and we may see some of the best sumo of his career.

Leaders: Nishikigi, Hokutofuji
Chasers: Hoshoryu, Daieisho, Endo
Hunter Group: Wakamotoharu, Shonannoumi, Hakuoho

5 Matches Remain

What We Are Watching Day 11

Daishoho (4-6) vs Ryuden (6-4) – Ryuden’s straight ahead sumo on day 10 against Myogiryu would be an excellent plan for today. He has a 5-3 career record against the much heavier Daishoho. They will both likely try to go chest to chest, so it will come down to Ryuden getting his preferred grip at the Tachiai, or if Daishoho can shut it down.

Chiyoshoma (5-5) vs Bushozan (2-8) – Bushozan is already make-koshi at 2-8, so he may be set for a trip on the Juryo barge back to the lower division. I look forward to lksumo’s prognostication on the subject in the coming week. Will that motivate him to try and get to a 7-8 final score to ease his drop, or will he let Chiyoshoma take him apart? Hey, isn’t it about time for a henka?

Aoiyama (4-6) vs Tsurugisho (3-7) – A loss today would have make-koshi for Tsurugisho, and I think that with a 5-3 career advantage, Aoiyama has at least a decent chance of getting that result. They are both hurt, moving poorly, and unable to execute the kind of sumo that wins matches for them. Should be a genuine struggle with heaping servings of painful expressions and winces of agony.

Kinbozan (6-4) vs Kotoshoho (3-7) – Kotoshoho’s next loss will be make-koshi for him, but he’s ranked high enough at M13 that he should be safe from the demotion queue. Kinbozan lost their only prior match, day 1 of Natsu, by yorikiri. Expect he will have a better defense set up this time.

Sadanoumi (2-8) vs Kotoeko (4-6) – Sadanoumi is hurt, and not likely to be able to generate much if any sumo offensive power. I have to wonder if he’s being used to “rescue” scores of some other rikishi, or it’s simply a matter of “he has to fight someone”. At 4-6, Kotoeko needs every win he can find. Kotoeko holds a 10-5 career advantage.

Takayasu (5-5) vs Hakuoho (7-3) – First ever match, and I wonder if Takayasu has enough energy and health left to give this guy a solid fight. Normally I criticize Takayasu’s “wild man sumo”, but I think in this match it would be the best approach. I am not sure Hakuoho has ever fought against a bear that has the strength of two bears. A win today for Hakuoho would be kachi-koshi.

Hokuseiho (4-6) vs Myogiryu (5-5) – Time for Myogiryu to try the turn and push trick with Hakuho’s giant. I can’t help but wonder if Hokuseiho was robbed of a win on day 10 against Shodai. I am sure his oyakata told him “Them’s the breaks, kid!” At the end of the day. He beat Myogiryu in their only prior match, which was day 11 of Osaka.

Gonoyama (6-4) vs Onosho (5-5) – This is a high interest match to me. You have two pretty strong rikishi, both with middling records headed for a likely day 15 Darwin match. Onosho will take this if Gonoyama makes the mistake that Wakamotoharu made on day 10 – keeping his hips and his shoulders square to Onosho and just soaking up all of that forward power Onosho can deliver. Word to the wise, hit and move, hit and move. Keep one foot back and keep your hips at 28°

Hiradoumi (3-7) vs Takanosho (5-5) – Takanosho comes in on a hot streak, with a blistering 5 wins in a row. Should he extend his run to 6, he will send plucky Hiradoumi to make-koshi on day 11. Hiradoumi holds a 2-1 career lead, winning both prior matches this year.

Nishikifuji (5-5) vs Ura (4-6) – On paper looks like a clear Ura win. But given how tenderly Ura was moving about after his day 10 loss to Kirishima, I am not even sure we will see Ura in action today. Nishikifuji has been struggling since he started a losing streak on day 4, so maybe a win today against a struggling Ura is just what Nishikifuji needs.

Midorifuji (3-7) vs Oho (3-7) – So a bit of a mini-Darwin here. Both of these guys have 7 losses, and are pretty clearly not up to fighting at the rank to which they were posted. So the loser of today’s match will be make-koshi for July. Midorifuji has won 5 of their 8 prior matches, although Oho won their match during the Natsu basho in Tokyo.

Shodai (4-6) vs Mitakeumi (2-8) – 32 career matches, with Mitakeumi holding a narrow 18-14 lead. Both of them are fighting well below their peak capabilities, and it’s kind of down to who wants the win more. Mitakeumi is already make-koshi, but up until the middle weekend, Shodai did not really seem to have any motivation.

Meisei (4-6) vs Tobizaru (5-5) – Another pair with middling records, both of them are strong candidates for day 15 “Darwin” matches. Tobizaru with a slightly better record at 5-5 has been fighting better this month. But their overall career 6-6 record would indicate they are evenly matched. Both have won a match this year, so this should be a strong head to head contest.

Nishikigi (9-1) vs Endo (8-2) – I adore this match. I love this match. This was a stroke of genius. Endo has beaten Nishikigi in 7 out of their 8 prior matches. But wait – their most recent match, day 2 of Kyushu 2022, was Nishikigi’s win. Both are already kachi-koshi, and lord only knows how this one is going to play out. I am certain they will try to go chest to chest at the tachiai. Hopefully Nishikigi is ready to block Endo’s left hand at the first step.

Takarafuji (6-4) vs Abi (4-6) – The second 15 rank gap match in a row, we have an even 6-6 career head to head between the master of defend and extend and the all out double arm thrusting attack master. Neither one of them are in top form this July, plus its hotter than Satan’s front porch in the venue. But this should be a fun contest.

Kotonowaka (6-4) vs Shonannoumi (7-3) – They could not quite muster another 15 rank gap match, so they had to settle for 14. You might think this one is going the way of the Komusubi, no questions asked. But no sir! These two have fought twice before, and split them 1:1. These were back when Kotonowaka was known as Kotokamatani. They had a match on day 15 of Osaka 2019 that Kotonowaka won, and then all the way back on day 3 of Hatsu 2017, Shonannoumi won. Hey, Act 3 is all about these kind of fights. Bring them on!

Hoshoryu (8-2) vs Tamawashi (6-4) – Ok, the fun stuff is good, but it’s time to torture some Ozeki hopefuls, and maybe a yusho race leader too. Hoshoryu has dominated his matches with Tamawashi at 7-3 over their careers, winning 6 of the last 7 matches. So it’s a fair chance that he will dominate Tamawashi today. That being said, don’t count Tamawashi out. He may want to play spoiler, and give a most potent nodowa to Hoshoryu for good measure.

Hokutofuji (9-1) vs Wakamotoharu (7-3) – As mentioned above, Wakamotoharu has to win all of his final 5 matches to reach 33 wins. Put that up against a surprisingly genki Hokutofuji who needs to win to stay in the leader slot for the yusho race. Make sure you have a big glass of sake and a bowl of popcorn for this one. I predict fireworks.

Daieisho (8-2) vs Kirishima (4-4-2) – Daieisho comes up against the lone, partially functioning Ozeki. He needs 3 wins out of his final 5 to hit 33, and I wonder how much sumo Kirishima can deliver. He needs 4 of his last 5 to avoid kadoban for September, which is most likely why he came back to competition after going kyujo, and still appearing to be hurt. The career score is 7-6, narrowly in Kirishima’s favor, with Kirishima winning the majority of their prior matches this year.

Act 2 starts with fireworks as we see one of the leaders take a loss, two of the Ozeki hopefuls take losses, and some high energy / high creativity sumo in nearly every match. The heat is crushing everyone this summer in Japan, but its fantastic to see the rikishi corps fight with everything they have for their wins. For those looking for new Ozeki to be minted following the tournament, the next 4 days are where the prove their merit or go down hard trying. Fingers crossed at least one of them makes it.

Highlight Matches

Shonannoumi defeats Bushozan – A super sweaty Shonannoumi absorbs Bushozan’s tachiai from a high stance, and immediately thrusts him down. They listed the kimarite as uwatedashinage, but that looked like a tsukiotoshi to me. Ah well. Simple but effective and Shonannoumi is now one win away from kachi-koshi at 7-3. For Bushozan, that is loss #8 and he is make-koshi.

Gonoyama defeats Takarafuji – Takarafuji takes his second consecutive loss as Gonoyama stops his losing streak at 4. I think it came down to Takarafuji trying to change up his grip, and leaving himself open to Gonoyama’s attacks center-mass. Both end the day 6-4.

Aoiyama defeats Kotoshoho – Kotoshoho allowed his initial stance to be disrupted by Aoiyama’s immediate pull attempt after the tachiai. Caught without a foot in front to steady himself against the pull, he stumbled forward and out. Aoiyama picks up the white star and is now 4-6.

Endo defeats Chiyoshoma – Chiyoshoma’s plan seems to have centered around a strong pull with the left hand on the second step. It brought Endo forward, but also brought him full force into Chiyoshoma’s chest. A quick shove followed, and Chiyoshoma was out. Endo now kachi-koshi at 8-2 and escapes any peril he might have been in ranked so far down the banzuke.

Hakuoho defeats Kotoeko – In this first ever match, I am quite sure Kotoeko was not quite sure what to expect from Hakuoho. There seems to have been an assumption that he might be able to plant a foot and set up some kind of defense to allow himself to get a grip. Instead Hakuoho goes in hard, breaks Kotoeko’s stance and butsugari’s his shapely behind right out of the ring. Hakuoho now 7-3. Note to future Hakuoho opponents, he has a lot of power forward.

Ryuden defeats Myogiryu – Ryuden executes an outstanding impersonation of Terunofuji with that double arm lock / kimidashi hold, and even finishes in one of Terunofuji’s preferred moves, the kotenage. Myogiryu takes a tumble, and Ryuden is now 6-4.

Takanosho defeats Daishoho – Takanosho has now won 5 straight matches, and this is the rally I am here for sumo fans. This guy has a lot of headroom if he’s healthy, and I pray he can stay healthy for a while now. The far more massive Daishoho made him work for it, and I really liked his defensive stance and that finishing move looked like it won the match by dropping Takanosho on the clay. But a monoii ensued and a rematch was declared. The second run – Daishoho dials up the power at the tachiai, but the two settle into almost the exact same grip and stance as the first try. But this time Takanosho has far better foot placement, and is able to drive Daishoho out three steps later. Takanosho earns his star today and is 5-5.

Tsurugisho defeats Sadanoumi – My compliments to Tsurugisho, for finding a way to defeat someone while barley having to move your feet. It was a rapid push – pull – turn – toss that let him stay more or less in the same place and put Sadanoumi out of the ring. Sadanoumi now 2-8 and make-koshi while Tsurugisho improves to 3-7.

Kinbozan defeats Takayasu – As a long suffering Takayasu fan, it’s clear the man is back to being injured. Maybe he never stopped, but his big power sumo is nowhere to be found right now. Kinbozan deflects or dodges at the tachiai, gets enough of a hand on Takayasu to escort him past and then shoves him out. Simply, kind of ugly, but a win. Kinbozan is 6-4 and Takayasu looks angry.

Hokutofuji defeats Tamawashi – One of the big matches of the day, Hokutofuji successfully defends his spot at the front of the yusho race. I had been hoping for much more brutal oshizumo today, but Tamawashi lost traction and took a fall. They called it oshitaoshi, but yeah.. ok. Hokutofuji takes the win and is 9-1.

Nishikifuji defeats Oho – Oho tries a thrust-thrust-pull combo a couple of times in a row. It nearly works the first time, and after that it was just slop. With no defensive sumo coming from Oho, Nishikifuji finds center mass and pushes with everything he can land. The result was a tsukidashi that sent Oho off to visit Nishikigi waiting ring side. Nishikifuji improves to 5-5.

Shodai defeats Hokuseiho – I am really glad to see Shodai attempt a “wall of daikon” against Hokuseiho, because I was curious if it would work. Short answer – I bet it could be made to work, but it came up a bit short today. Hokuseiho tossed Shodai from the ring, but rather than a victory, there was a monoii. The shimpan ruled that Hokuseiho’s size 18 gunboats were over the tawara, and the win went to Shodai. Frankly, I did not see it, and they should have had them fight it again. Both end the day 4-6.

Nishikigi defeats Meisei – Meisei brought a lot of power and skill into the match today, and twice he nearly had Nishikigi ready to fall. But that makikae from Nishikigi instantly set up the grip that he used to yoritaoshi Meisei for a 9th win. Wow, the Nishikigi magical mystery tour rolls on at 9-1.

Midorifuji defeats Tobizaru – In the preview, we had guessed that we would get an even match between these two high mobility, rapid combo throwing rikishi, and they really poured it on. Midorifuji eventually found a clear lane to center mass, and finished Tobizaru three steps later. Excellent fight, and Midorifuji really needed that win. He is now 3-7.

Mitakeumi defeats Abi – Mitakeumi rides out the initial volley of Abi-zumo, closes the gap and uses a body hold to turn Abi around and walk him out. Ah, I miss Ozeki Mitakeumi. Already make-koshi, Mitakeumi improves to 2-8.

Onosho defeats Wakamotoharu – Wakamotoharu’s Ozeki bid takes a torpedo amidships as Onosho gets the right conditions to bring his full sumo power to bare. This was a shortcoming of Wakamotoharu’s sumo or just his approach to today. He left his shoulders and hips square to Onosho at both the tachiai, and the first step, allowing Onosho to go to full power forward immediately, and connect that power through Wakamotoharu’s body into the clay. Two steps later, Wakamotoharu is off the dohyo and into the front row. Onosho now 5-5.

Daieisho defeats Hiradoumi – I know he lost, but damn sir, look at Hiradoumi’s sumo today. He brings the fire with a tachiai that may have knocked a filling loose, then he ramps up the pressure into a flurry of Daieisho’s favorite attacks. Does Hiradoumi go down? Oh hell no! He keeps pressing forward into Daieisho, who finally resorts to a grab, spin and toss to win by tsukiotoshi. Brilliant match, and I wish I could give Hiradoumi some kind of award for that. Daieisho kachi-koshi at 8-2, and he keep his Ozeki dreams alive.

Kotonowaka defeats Hoshoryu – Another Ozeki hopeful takes a knock as Kotonowaka reverses the trend and beats Hoshoryu for the first time in 10 matches (since 2020!). Kotonowaka was more potent and genki today than we have seen for some time, and he bruted his way to owning control of the match in the opening seconds. Hoshoryu found himself without a working grip, and attempted a makikae, only to find himself at the bales and without a way to counter. Kotonowaka now 6-4 by oshidashi.

Kirishima defeats Ura – Not sure what Ura tweaked during this match, but he is clearly not ok when it ends. Rather than a quick attack on some unexpected vector, Ura fights Kirishima using solid fundamentals mixed with his gift of agility and creativity. Respect to Kirishima for riding out some of Ura’s combos that would have upended most other rikishi, and sticking it out to get the yorikiri. Both end the day 4-6.