Harumafuji (日馬富士)

Shohozan (松鳳山) Kinboshi Also 200th Career Makuuchi Win

Bruce H Harumafuji (日馬富士), Hatsubasho 2017, Yokozuna (横綱) ,

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Maegashira 2 surprises Yokozuna Harumafuji

Shohozan scored an impressive win over Harumafuji on the 3rd day of the Hatsu basho in Tokyo. Any win by a rank and file rikishi over a Yokozuna is a termed a “gold star win” or Kinboshi. These wins permanently boost the pay of the winning wrestler.

Shohozan unleashed a blistering attack, similar to the one used against Yokozuna Kakuryu on day 2. Today Shohozan prevailed and scored his third kinboshi. All of Shohozan’s gold star wins have been against Harumafuji, who lost to his second consecutive rank and file Maegashira.

Harumafuji has now lost twice in the first three days, and it’s clear his ankle injuries are reducing his ability to deliver of his fast paced, run-and-gun sumo.

Hatsu Day 3 Preview

Bruce H Hakuho (白鵬), Harumafuji (日馬富士), Hatsubasho 2017, Kakuryu (鶴竜), Kisenosato (稀勢の里) , , , , , , ,

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Can Mitakeumi’s Kensho Loot Pile Grow?

Day two is in the record books and it’s clear that some of the rikishi are still struggling to clear the cobwebs and settling into their sumo.

  • Osunaarashi – He came in locked down and ready to win. After his brutal kyujo demotion in 2016, all the man has wanted was back in the top division. Clearly he is still hurt and in quite a bit of pain, but he is laying the doom on the Chiyo crowd.
  • Kaisei – After so many poor tournaments, it’s really good to see Kaisei actually winning again. Maybe he has dropped own the banzuke far enough that he is competitive. I think he may have gotten too much mass to effectively work.
  • Kisenosato – Kise is bored, let’s be honest. No one has put up much of a contest to the Great Pumpkin so far. It sometimes irks me that everyone wants to take a great Ozeki and cast him as a Yokozuna. Because his does Ozeki so very very well.
  • Mitakeumi – The kid is on fire right now. We may see a second week collapse, like we did for Okinoumi, but right now he is moving well. The fact that he shut down Harumafuji’s death spin impressed me quite a bit.
  • Hakuho – I would guess he is done with his recovery and back to what is the new Hakuho normal. Still amazing but not quite what he was. Everyone ages, and loses some physical strength in the process. He is still a joy to watch.

Notable Matches

Osunaarashi vs Chiyotairyu – Just how many Chiyos can one man take? Let’s see if it’s at least three! This would be Osunaarashi’s first win against this Chiyo, should be prevail.

Nishikigi vs Sokokurai – Both of these guys has a strong first two days, and both are looking good this basho. Looks like the first match between these two.

Kaisei vs Takanoiwa – Can the Brazilian make it 3 in a row, or will the resurgent Takanoiwa keep his own record clean? Kaisei has a distinct 3-1 advantage in wins between them.

Ishiura vs Chiyonokuni – Two small and strong rikishi go head to head. Ishiura is suffering the NHK curse – he went on NHK World for a highlight piece, and now he is failing hard. Chiyonokuni has bulked up quite a bit in the last 6 months, and is still re-working his sumo to handle the extra mass. Ishiura has lot both of their previous bouts.

Tamawashi vs Shodai – in a Sekiwake head to head, we see them both come in 1-1, each trying to survive sumo’s toughest rank. In their only prior match, Shodai lost.

Shohozan vs Harumafuji – Shohozan brought a masterful attack against Yokozuna Kakuryu on day 2, losing because he mis-timed the throw. Given Harmuafuji’s ankle problems, it maybe time for another Kinboshi. It’s a long shot, as Harumafuji leads their series 12-2

Hakuho vs Mitakeumi – Mitakeumi has a good start, with one Yokozuna and one Ozeki scalp already. Now he faces the most difficult foe in sumo. Clearly Hokuho has the advantage here, but I am keen to see if Mitakeumi can gamberize. Hakuho has won both their prior meetings

Hatsu Day 2 Preview

Bruce H Harumafuji (日馬富士), Hatsubasho 2017, Kakuryu (鶴竜), Osunaarashi (大砂嵐), Takayasu (高安), Yoshikaze (嘉風) , , , , , , , ,

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Kokugikan Sellout Continues

The popularity of sumo is on the upswing both in its home country of Japan and indeed world wide. For a good period of time I considered attending several days of Hatsu myself, but the entire venue quickly sold out. This happens at a great time for the sport, as there is a fantastic crop of young, eager rikishi who are present in the upper divisions to test and train with some of the greatest men ever to wear a mawashi.

Day one was a really solid opening day, but there were very few upsets, and as Andy quipped, things turned out pretty much as expected. I note that Ishiura is still working hard to get a consistent attack plan together for these mid and upper level Maegashira, but I have a lot of faith that under Hakuho’s tutelage he will get winning recipe.

Notable Matches

Chiyootori vs Osunaarashi – Osunaarashi pulled a fantastic utchari twisting throw at the edge of the ring on day 1 to win over Chiyoo. In his second bout against the Chiyoo twins, he faces to much larger Chiyootori, who is a far more even match at 3-5 in favor of Chiyootori. Strong chance of a Chiyootori henka or early pulling attack.

Sokokurai vs Ishiura – Ishiura’s day 1 bout was nothing special, and he was pretty easily contained. Early basho bouts, and Hatsu specifically see a lot of cob webs being cleared as the rikishi get back into their sumo. This will only be the second meeting between these two, with Sokokurai winning the last match by getting behind Ishiura and pushing him out. (okuridashi)

Kotoyuki vs Yoshikaze – Yoshikaze is prone to have streaks of amazing sumo performance. The last example was Nagoya 2016, and it was a joy to watch. With his strong opening day disposal of Chiyoshoma, Yoshikaze fans globally are hoping that his new mawashi has brought renewed vigor. Yoshikaze has a slight edge over Kotoyuki. These two really love to let the slaps fly, so I expect Yoshikaze to get the expected battle damage to his face in today.

Endo vs Ikioi – Two crowd favorites face off in a match where you wish they both could win. Endo looked to have a flat tire on day one, hopefully his cobwebs are gone now and he is ready to bring his sumo. Sadly Ikioi tends to dominate their matches, with a 6-1 advantage.

Arawashi vs Shodai – On day one, Shodai got the Tsukiji treatment from Hakuho. It’s time to see if that rattled his confidence as he faces Maegashira 2 Arawashi on day 2. The have only met once before, with Arawashi prevailing with am underarm throw on day 15 of Kyushu.

Terunofuji vs Takayasu – It kind of hurts to watch Terunofuji. He has, in the past, been one of the most feared men in sumo. Now he struggles just to get off the line. Takayasu, if he still wants a shot at Ozeki, needs to help Terunofuji vacate a slot for him. Takayasu has been struggling, and he needs to really step up before he has too many losses for a shot at Kachi-koshi and a return to contention for Ozeki. His record with Terunofuji is an even 6-6, and I am hoping we see some great yotsu-zumō.

Kakuryu vs Shohozan – It went largely unnoticed, but Shohozan looked very good day 1 against Terunofuji, doing just as much to win the match as Terunofuji did to lose it. Now he faces a very strong Yokozuna Kakuryu, who is clearly fired up and ready to defend the Emperor’s cup. Their prior 10 matches have all gone to Kakuryu. Shohozan’s chance comes if he can wrap up the Yokozuna and fight the match via the belt.

Mitakeumi vs Harumafuji – Mitakeumi handled Goeido very cleanly on day 1. Now it’s time to face the frenzied attack of Yokozuna Harumafuji. I would expect The Horse to deploy his famous nodowa today, as is his custom against Mitakeumi. Mitakeumi’s one chance before he lands the death grip is likely a henka.

NOTE – Monday is the day of Wakaichiro’s first bout. He will face Tatsunofuji in the second match of the day, at a fairly early hour of the morning. Eternal gratitude to any soul that can put video of this on YouTube.

Hatsu Day 1 Preview

Bruce H Gōeidō (豪栄道), Hakuho (白鵬), Harumafuji (日馬富士), Hatsubasho 2017, Kisenosato (稀勢の里), Osunaarashi (大砂嵐), Takayasu (高安), Tochiozan (栃煌山), Yoshikaze (嘉風) , , , ,

hatsu-1

またなし(Matanashi) – The Gyoji’s Order To Begin Combat

At long last sumo fans, we come to the start of the glorious 2017 new years basho, at Tokyo’s palace of sumo, the Kokugikan. While it may seem that the period between Kyushu and Hatsu is unusually quiet, plenty has happened in the sumo world. It’s true that many rikishi enter Hatsu at less than full capability, in part because of the New Year’s break, everyone is competing starting Sunday morning.

Please keep in mind that day 1 is more or less an exhibition of who is ready and who is not, but each of these matches count for the tournament champion. Some news from the grape vine before we handicap individual bouts

  • Harumafuji’s Undercarriage – He has had ankle problems for 6 months now, since some bad steps in Nagoya. During a period during the run up to Hatsu, he had a difficult time putting power to ground. I expect him to use his mini-henka and choke hold as much as he can.
  • Kakuryu’s Strength – He has continued to absolutely dominate everyone and everything he practices against. His fighting style has never been as agile as Hokuho’s or as frenzied as Harumafuji’s. But right now it seems Kakuryu is bringing his A game with a goal to repeat his Yusho
  • Hakuho, Is He Healthy Yet? – He has looked very good in training. But in Kyushu he was only about 80% of what we have come to expect from the Boss. Every sumo fan is hoping that was only recovery, and we get some fantastic sumo from him this year, as he pushes to exceed Kiao’s total win record.
  • Kisenosato Not Quite Ready? – In the days prior to the basho start, Kisenosato has looked unready, and frankly unwell. He has also skipped important inter-beya training days to stay back and work privately.

Highlight Matches

Chiyoo vs Osunaarashi – Time to see if the Egyptian is back in form. He has been wearing a massive leg brace that is almost a flexible cast, and some elaborate shoulder taping. Look for him to attack strong. He has met Chiyoo 3 times in the past, and won every meeting.

Takanoiwa vs Ishiura – The Maegashira have had time to study Ishiura’s play book since Kyushu. This will be the first meeting between these two, and I look for Ishiura to come in low and fast, and try to move Takanoiwa sideways.

Chiyoshoma vs Yoshikaze – This is the first time Yoshikazi will have faced the up and coming Mongolian. Both men like to thrust and throw, so it’s going to be a whirlwind battle if it survives the tachiai.

Takekaze vs Endo – Fan favorite Endo finds him self at a comfortable Maegashira 4, and he is facing hanka king Takekaze. These two are even at 4-4. If Endo can survive the tachiai, he will try to push out Takekaze before he can wrap Endo up.

Tochiozan vs Ikioi – Ikioi draws a tough match against Tochiozan, who has a good record of tossing Ikioi around and pulling him down. Their historical record is 8 for Tochiozan and 4 for Ikioi.

Mitakeumi vs Goeido – Mitakeumi has skill and hunger, and he wants to be a serious contender for an Ozeki slot. Goeido still has his mind fixed on a Yokozuna rope. We will get an early peek at which Goeido we are going to get. As always I want to see the Goeido that dominated Aki. The one that commits everything to his offense from the moment the match starts.

Hakuho vs Shodai – This is likely the highlight match of the day, even though we are going to see Hakuho dismantle Shodai rapidly. This will show us what kind of condition Hakuho is in, and what kind of strategy Shodai can bring to a high profile match. Many look to Shodai as a future top man of sumo, he may get there, but he has to learn to work the big fights.

Takayasu vs Harumafuji – If Harumafuji is healthy, this may be a great match. But as I think The Horse is injured, I look for him to either mini-henka or choke the daylights out of Takayasu. Takayasu has enormous fighting spirit, and if needed he can and will wear Harumafuji down and drop him like a sack of rice. I don’t expect Harumafuji to let it go that long. Harumafuji has a lifetime 12-4 advantage.

Kakuryu vs Tochinoshin – Tochinoshin brings massive lower body and back power into the ring against Kakuryu, who seems cranked up to 11 right now, and capable of defeating anyone. As long as Tochinoshin does not try to bear hug and lift the Yokozuna, this has a lot of potential. I look for Kakuryu to get him too far forward, off balance and pull him down. in their 20 prior bouts, Kakuryu has won 19