Goodness me, there are some delightful looking matches queued up for today. Personally, I want to see Tobizaru vs Terutsuyoshi result in blood and organs strewn about and the NHK cameras panning the ceiling, while the Abema guys keep rolling video. I think that if you want to see fireworks today, the best chance is going to be Shodai vs Hokutofuji. I fully expect Shodai to finally produce some fine Acme cartoon sumo soon, and who better to use it against than Hokutofuji.

What We Are Watching Day 3

Daiamami vs Tokushoryu – Juryo 2 Daiamami may have hoped for a quick return to the top division with a solid score this September. But a 0-2 start put that on a big block of ice. It it’s any consolation, he faces Tokushoryu today when he visits the top division, who is also off to a cold start. Tokushoryu has a solid career advantage, but that may only count when he is fighting well, which he is not.

Ichiyamamoto vs Chiyomaru – Ichiyamamoto’s long arms are sufficient to reach around Chiyomaru’s spherical chanko reserve tank, and establish mawashi holds against his mighty roundness. This may help account for Chiyomaru’s 0-2 career deficit against Ichiyamamoto.

Chiyonokuni vs Yutakayama – Yutakayama, give up the love affair with the nodowa for now. Your size let you use that as a primary weapon in Juryo, but may not take you far in the top division. I fully expect Chiyonokuni to big Yutakayama a right proper pounding today, possibly picking up his third win if Yutakayama does not engage with vigor.

Kaisei vs Chiyonoo – I really liked Kaisei’s form against Tsurugisho on day 2. Huge and moving forward with strength is an unbeatable combination in sumo, and when Kaisei is on his sumo, he can plow nearly any man from the dohyo.

Tsurugisho vs Tochinoshin – Tsurugisho, I think you put on too much weight. It’s really cut down your attack speed, and you are now at a ponderous bulk that makes it easier for opponents to get out of your frontal quadrant and attack from a flank. With Tochinoshin’s bum knee, attacking at an angle is on the menu, so just beware.

Kagayaki vs Kotoeko – I look at this match and just know that Kotoeko is going to maybe pick up his 15th consecutive loss. Kagayaki seems to have finally straightened out his sumo, and is fighting well. Sure, the “center mass” target box on Kotoeko is kind of small, but I have faith that Kagayaki will find it early and use it well.

Chiyotairyu vs Endo – This strikes me as an even match for the most part, regardless of their ranks. Endo finally looked like himself on day 2, and I hope we get to see that same level of cunning sumo today, too. Chiyotairyu’s tachiai seems have been dialed back a bit from its normal cannon ball form, and he’s thinking his way through his matches a bit more. This one has potential.

Myogiryu vs Hidenoumi – I favor Myogiryu in this one. Not only does he hold a strong career advantage over Hidenoumi, Myogiryu seems to be opening Aki with strong sumo. The career record does show that Hidenoumi has taken the last two in a row, so another one with potential.

Okinoumi vs Aoiyama – A match of long serving veterans. Both are over 35, both are in the latter part of their sumo careers, and both are having a rough start to Aki. They have 28 career matches, with Okinoumi have a distinct 17-11 advantage.

Tobizaru vs Terutsuyoshi – Good golly! This one has battle deluxe written all over it. Terutsuyoshi bashed the stuffing out of Ura on day 2, and I wonder if we are going to see more of that kind of sumo against Tobizaru today. I very much believe that Tobizaru would return in kind. Get the bandages ready…

Ura vs Onosho – Ura is looking decidedly flat at the start of Aki. His tachiais have been tentative, his sumo vague and minimally aggressive. But I think Onosho is going to struggle with Ura today, as Ura’s sumo does not accommodate Onosho’s preferred “mega thrust” attack.

Shimanoumi vs Takarafuji – Takarafuji should control this one from the start, and will likely shut down any offense Shimanoumi may try to deliver.

Tamawashi vs Daieisho – Daieisho can still deliver oshi/tsuki sumo at a frantic pace, but to my eye it’s lost quite a bit of its power. I contrast that with Tamawashi whose advancing years may have slowed his pace of attack, but has removed none of its power. For today, I think power will carry the match.

Chiyoshoma vs Kotonowaka – Kotonowaka has never dropped a match to Chiyoshoma, and I don’t see any reason for that to change today. A kachi-koshi at this rank would be a nice achievement for young Kotonowaka, and I look forward to see how he fares against some of the named rank rikishi.

Takayasu vs Kiribayama – Normally I would say, “Time for Takayasu to pick up a few wins”, but Takayasu is not yet fighting well, and Kiribayama is. Takayasu holds a 4-1 career advantage, but Kiribayama won their last match, at Nagoya, in solid fashion.

Wakatakakage vs Meisei – I was excited to see Meisei at Sekiwake, but so far he has not been able to produce much if any offensive sumo. Wakatakakage, in contrast, dispatched both Komusubi and seems to be working toward higher rank for November.

Mitakeumi vs Hoshoryu – Mitakeumi needs to get his sumo dialed in, and stop messing around. Hoshoryu is noticeably better with each no basho, and it’s clear he has the potential to be a mainstay of the named ranks soon, if not now. So this will be a nice test match. Their only prior fight was 2 months ago and went for Mitakeumi.

Ichinojo vs Takakeisho – Under normal conditions, Ichinojo represents nothing but square acreage to deliver overpowering tsuppari, leaving him a ripe, juicy target. But even in his COVID weakened state, I think Ichinojo may have the upper hand today against Takakeisho. Both men are 0-2, and 8 wins looks a long way from here.

Shodai vs Hokutofuji – Which Shodai shows up today? I want it to be the day 2 Shodai with the solid defense and the breakable ottsuke. The good news is that Hokutofuji’s lower body could care less. Even if Shodai can shut down Hokutofuji’s upper body thrusting offense, his legs and feet will find some way to make it competitive.

Takanosho vs Terunofuji – Takanosho actually has a 4-3 career advantage over Terunofuji. At this point, what are you going to do? The Kaiju hungers for more! With onigiri-kun being the next plate on the conveyor belt.

Mark the day, I am going to say that some of the best sumo today came from Shodai. That ottsuke was simply excellent, and he used it against Kisenosato’s long term training partner Takayasu. The same could not be said for kadoban Ozeki Takakeisho who once again tried to pull down his opponent in the first moments of a match. To me this indicates that he quite possible is still in less than Ozeki condition, and may set up a demotion to Sekiwake for November. Fans are already starting to worry about an aggressive thinning of the Ozeki ranks. Yes, this is all part of the transition era, and we may see things get a bit weedy at the top end for a time.

But wait, what’s this? Long time master bow twirler Satonofuji makes at least a brief return to the closing ceremony of day 2. Considered by many sumo fans, including myself, to be the best yumitori-shiki in recent history, he stepped in when the current bow twirler, Shohoryu, is kyujo. What a treat!

Highlight Matches

Chiyomaru defeats Akua – A surprisingly vigorous match from them both. Chiyomaru tries for his tradition “Grab your face and toss you to the clay” battle plan, but Akua instead decided to try and win. After a couple of stanzas of the dohyo dance, Chiyomaru tries it again, and takes Akua down to improve to 2-0.

Chiyonokuni defeats Ichiyamamoto – Chiyonokuni goes inside first, stands Ichiyamamoto and immediately slaps Ichiyamamoto down. It’s yjr hatakikomi two for one deal! Two hatakikomi, two rikishi with 2-0 records.

Chiyonoo defeats Tokushoryu – Chiyonoo watched too many Tokushoryu match videos. He goes left hand inside, gets Tokushoryu on the move, and side steps with a thrust down at the tawara. This move, over the course of 15 days a couple of years ago, won Tokushoryu a yusho. Chiyonoo is 1-1.

Kagayaki defeats Yutakayama – Kagayaki kept his focus center-mass while Yutakayama was hell bent to land that nodowa again. Kagayaki endured it much better than Kaisei did on day one, and drove forward under Yutakayama’s attack. Kagayaki joins the 2-0 crowd.

Kaisei defeats Tsurugisho – Straight ahead sumo today. No surprise that given each man is huge, there is little chance for controlled lateral movement. Kaisei started strong, and finished strong with a loud grunt to lift Tsurugisho across the tawara. Kaisei gets his first win.

Endo defeats Tochinoshin – As predicted, Endo went for an early shallow right hand grip. He locked it in with no problems or fuss, and immediately marched Tochinoshin out of the ring. Endo looking much more like himself today and improves to 1-1.

Myogiryu defeats Kotoeko – Kotoeko had nothing today. I have to wonder if whatever injury took him to 2-13 in July continues to rob him of his sumo. I do feel sorry for the guy, as he has the capacity to be a solid performer in the top division. Myogiryu starts 2-0.

Hidenoumi defeats Aoiyama – Hidenoumi was able to close the gap and stay inside Aoiyama’s effective minimum thrusting range. Big Dan did get a few pushes in, but to his credit Hidenoumi stayed locked in and wait it out. When the chance came, Hidenoumi applied a throw and brought Aoiyama down for the first time in 4 attempts. Hidenoumi improves to 1-1.

Tobizaru defeats Chiyotairyu – Chiyotairyu went with a tentative tachiai to avoid any flying monkey business at the start of the match. Tobizaru’s initial attempt at capture went astray, and Chiyotairyu went to work slapping and thrusting. Tobizaru kept his feet, kept focus and worked for his opening, eventually getting under the thrust plane, getting a right hand mawashi grip, and rolling Chiyotairyu left and down with a shitatenage for the win. Tobizaru also joins the 2-0 group.

Shimanoumi defeats Okinoumi – Quick match, Okinoumi the aggressor at the tachiai, but gets his balance too far forward, and is easy to bring down with a simple hikiotoshi, Both exit the dohyo 1-1.

Terutsuyoshi defeats Ura – Terutsuyoshi street fighter mode, repeatedly bashing Ura’s head with long-arm right hand blows. Ura endures it and maintains stalemate until he gets his chance, and lunges forward to move Terutsuyoshi. Nice move by Terutsuyoshi to step to the side and hurl the onrushing Ura to the clay. Terutsuyoshi leaves the dohyo with his first white star, and Ura leaves with a bloody nose.

Onosho defeats Takarafuji – I loved watching Takarafuji work hard to stay stabled, keep his feet steady and absorb Onosho’s mega-thrust attack. But when the junior tadpole gets rolling, he’s going to push right through you, and eventually even the immobile Takarafuji gives ground, and catches a big push to step out for a loss. Onosho with a solid 2-0 start.

Tamawashi defeats Chiyoshoma – Both men went straight for the neck at the tachiai, but Tamawashi was inside and had his elbows lower. Two big double arm thrusts, and a pull down from the right ended the match after the third step. Tamawashi at 2-0, and Chiyoshoma sill looking for his first win.

Kotonowaka defeats Daieisho – Kotonowaka does a masterful job of sapping most of Daieisho’s thrusting power by directly attacking Daieisho’s arm pits. The thrusting mechanics are still working, but the energy is gone. With his hands lower and inside, Kotonowaka was able to get a few big pushes to connect center-mass, sending Daieisho out. Both end the day 1-1.

Wakatakakage defeats Ichinojo – Sad to say that thus far, the mighty version of Ichinojo has not mounted the Aki dohyo. My friends who have endured COVID tell me it leaves you diminished, some time for months, following the initial recovery. I do hope that Ichinojo is not suffering lingering effects of his early bout with the virus. But in his diminished state, he has little to offer against a sharp and effective Wakatakakage, who picks up his second win by throwing the massive Ichinojo to the dohyo.

Hokutofuji defeats Mitakeumi – Hokutofuji launched a bit early at the tachiai, catching Mitakeumi still flat on his feet. To try to clear Hokutofuji, Mitakeumi dialed up the forward power and pressed forward, but did not meet resistance as Hokutofuji moved away. Mitakeumi was unable to slow in time, and stepped over the bales for a loss. Hokutofuji joins the 2-0 group.

Takanosho defeats Meisei – A textbook example of the advantage of focusing thrusting power center mass. Takanosho gets Meisei uprooted, and then keeps pouring on the force to bring the shin-Sekiwake down. Takanosho picks up his first win to improve 1-1, and Meisei seems to be suffering a cold start with 0-2.

Shodai defeats Takayasu – Kind of surprising that Shodai was able to control Takayasu’s offense with what looked to be a really outstanding ottsuke, given that is / was Kisenosato’s trademark. Takayasu could not find a route to get his hands into any kind of attack position, and had to settle for stalemate, and a test of stamina. With control of the inside, it was up to Shodai to make his move, and almost at once, Takayasu gets onto one foot, and hands Shodai his first win.

Kiribayama defeats Takakeisho – For a second day, kadoban Ozeki Takakeisho cant hold his feet to the clay and gets put in motion and loses. Takakeisho did much of the work, with an early pulling attempt (same as day 1) which released whatever defense Takakeisho may have had. It’s either a thick layer of ring-rust, or Takakeisho is still healthy enough to compete as an Ozeki. Failure to pick up 8 this September will see him demoted to Sekiwake for November. Kiribayama starts 2-0 for Aki.

Terunofuji defeats Hoshoryu – Did anyone else notice that for a moment there toward the end, Hoshoryu had a morozashi double inside grip? It did exactly nothing for his chances, as Terunofuji had him boxed and shipped before Hoshoryu mount a credible attack. The lone Yokozuna improves to 2-0.

With day 2 set to launch in a few hours, we are well and truly into act 1 of the Aki basho. We divide any basho into 3 distinct acts, each with their own tempo, objectives and flavor. For act 1, its focus is to remove ring rust, and see who is hot and who is not. With just 1 day’s worth of matches on the scoreboard, our worries about the Ozeki are once again front and center. Takakeisho may not be healthy enough to compete yet, though he must find his way to 8 wins to clear kadoban. Shodai continues to be a hot and cold running sumo mess, which must be driving the NSK crazy. We know both of them are arch competitors who have the potential to best anyone on the clay, including shin-Yokozuna Terunofuji. But only if their body and minds are in tune with their fighting spirit. We hope that by the end of act 1, both will be in better form, and dominating their daily matches.

What We Are Watching Day 2

Chiyomaru vs Akua – The banzuke imbalance continues, and today’s its Akua’s turn to visit the top division to fill the gap. Both men won their opening day matches, and seem to have their sumo ready for competition from the start. But this one is likely to go to Chiyomaru, as he has won the last 3 head to head matches. Akua’s best shot is to try to catch Chiyomaru’s belt somewhere on the far side of that bulbous mass of flesh on his belly.

Ichiyamamoto vs Chiyonokuni – I was really impressed with Ichiyamamoto’s performance day 1, and I wonder if he’s going to be able to keep thing rolling today. Chiyonokuni’s sumo is based on constant, rapid hit and move attacks. If Ichiyamamoto can use those long arms to establish and maintain a hold, he will shut down Chiyonokuni’s primary weapon.

Tokushoryu vs Chiyonoo – Tokushoryu looked unprepared for day 1, and I hope the rapid loss to Chiyomaru has him re-focused for today. He’s got a healthy 7-4 career advantage over Chiyonoo going all the way back to 2014! I am looking for a traditional Tokushoryu step back and thrust down gambit today.

Kagayaki vs Yutakayama – Goodness me! I like both rikishi, and I am going to be thrilled for this match. They are evenly matched on height and weight, and employ similar sumo styles. It may come down to who can get inside first, with Kagayaki preferring a center-mass attack, and Yutakayama going high for the face and neck. This could lead to the two of them bashing the daylights out of each other. Dare we hope?

Kaisei vs Tsurugisho – A battle of super-giants, each of which have expanded well beyond the radius predicted by the standard model. I have to think Kaisei is looking to bounce back after that pride destroying nodowa loss on day 1.

Endo vs Tochinoshin – Endo remains an enduring mystery to me. The guy has some firm followers, but to me he is tough to support. He’s able to bring a big fight to Hakuho and put him on the clay, but he throws out “gimme” matches against the likes of Myogiryu. Clearly a career full of injuries has trashed his body, which puts him in good company with Tochinoshin. I am looking for a frontal grip at the tachiai from Endo, and for Tochinoshin to struggle to keep his feet.

Kotoeko vs Myogiryu – Life is not getting any better for Kotoeko, who has a 6-1 career deficit against his day 2 opponent, Myogiryu. I have no doubt he is going to fight with power and courage, but man, this guy is on the mother of all losing streaks.

Aoiyama vs Hidenoumi – Note to Aoiyama – don’t let Hidenoumi close the gap and get inside. You need to keep him at optimum slapping distance, and just V-Twin (alternating hand combos) into submission. Hidenoumi has yet to take a match from you (0-3), and Aki day 2 is not time to start.

Chiyotairyu vs Tobizaru – Another match with high potential. It seems from his day 1 fight against Aoiyama that Tobizaru is ready to nestle into his opponents fleshy lumps to deliver winning sumo. I am sure Chiyotairyu will make it tough for Tobizaru to keep his footing, and deliver a maximum tachiai.

Shimanoumi vs Okinoumi – Its an Umi on Umi battle, with Shimanoumi probably looking to rectify his blundering loss to Onosho, where it seemed he was completely unprepared to get slammed with that much chanko nabe in motion at the tachiai. A different opponent today in Okinoumi; more guile and wit than brute forward power. Prep well, Shimanoumi!

Ura vs Terutsuyoshi – Battle of the smalls, with their last match in 2016. I did not like the tentative tachiai we saw from Ura on day 1, and I hope we don’t see it again today. Terutsuyoshi needs to stash his hit and shift moves for now, everyone is expecting it.

Onosho vs Takarafuji – Takarafuji’s defensive sumo against Onosho’s offense only mega-thrust attack. It has worked in Onosho’s favor for 3 of the last 4 matches, and I expect he is going to open strong today. Takarafuji would be well advised not to square his hips against Onosho’s charge, and attempt to encourage him to over-balance to the front.

Tamawashi vs Chiyoshoma – In spite of his day 1 loss, I like Chiyoshoma’s straight ahead sumo. He lost patience in his match against Daieisho, and tried to pull. If he can stay calm and trade blows with Tamawashi, I think he’s got a solid chance. Tamawashi is going to dial up the thrust energy early and hope he does not have to keep it going for too long.

Daieisho vs Kotonowaka – First ever match up between these two, and I am expecting some good action. Maybe Daieisho has gotten his body healthy enough to compete this tournament. He has struggled since January, and could use a solid kachi-koshi this September. Kotonowaka is new to this level of sumo, and I am expect him to struggle quite a bit this time out. It’s all part of the process where he becomes a big deal in a few years.

Wakatakakage vs Ichinojo – Hopefully, now that Ichinojo has his fight against Terunofuji out of the way, he can get his head around his sumo and exploit his massive size advantage over everyone and everything expect the nearby Tokyo Edo Museum to dominate his remaining matches. He has never lost to Wakatakakage, and I hope he does not change that today.

Mitakeumi vs Hokutofuji – Well hello there! These two share a 20 match career record, with a small edge to Mitakeumi. Hokutofuji looked super sharp collecting an Ozeki scalp on day 1, and I have to think that Mitakeumi is going to try to repeat his day 1 match plan today. Get close, hands on his opponents upper body and just blast forward.

Takanosho vs Meisei – Takanosho has never done well against Meisei (1-7), so he’s probably going to have to live with a 0-2 start to Aki.

Shodai vs Takayasu – This match shall either be tremendous, or tremendously lame. There are just so many sumo malfunctions that are possible when both of these guys are on the dohyo at the same time, that I feel the urge to cue up the Benny Hill yakety sax music now.

Kiribayama vs Takakeisho – Takakeisho has not yet shown that he has actually recovered his sumo, in spite of his confident remarks prior to the start of the Aki basho. I dearly want him to clear kadoban, but if he is still suffering motor-neurological problems, it may not be a reasonable expectation. He has a 4-1 career advantage over Kiribayama, so this is one I expect he should win, if healthy.

Hoshoryu vs Terunofuji – It’s all fun and games until you have to fight the kaiju. Ahem, that’s Yokozuna Kaiju there, buddy.

Sumo is back on our televisions, and is splattering itself across social networks. It’s a joy to have it return, and I am delighted with the first day’s worth of matches that are now online for our global enjoyment. A really rough start for the surviving Ozeki today, as both of them drop their opening day matches. Takakeisho when he decided to try to pull against Hokutofuji, and Shodai for being Shodai. My vote for outstanding performance of the day goes to Wakatakakage, who seems to have studied all the ways that Takayasu likes to lose sumo matches, and was ready for the former Ozeki to unweight his left foot, as seems to be his custom.

Highlight Matches

Chiyonokuni defeats Mitoryu – Chiyonokuni’s opening combo was a hit, shift left and pull down on Mitoryu’s arms. It had no useful effect, and handed Mitoryu the upper hand. Mitoryu had plenty of power, and excellent defensive foot placement. In fact, it was all Mitoryu until he opened his chest to Chiyonokuni just a moment before he could finish him. Chiyonokuni rallied, and put everything against Mitoryu’s chest. Good enough! Back he goes in a hurry and exits the dohyo, giving Chiyonokuni the win.

Chiyomaru defeats Tokushoryu – Chiyomaru had a right hand inside at the tachiai, and stood Tokushoryu upright. As both of them are super-heavy types, the ratio of mass to foot area is tenuous at best, and any misplacement can rapidly become a loss in sumo. Chiyomaru waited for Tokushoryu to dial up the forward pressure, and then stepped aside and thrust him to the clay.

Ichiyamamoto defeats Chiyonoo – Sloppy match that found Chiyonoo struggling to nullify Ichiyamamoto’s long arms and superior reach. Chiyonoo threw everything he could think of, but Ichiyamamoto stayed low, kept his shoulders and hips as square as he could to his opponent, and drove forward. Excellent sumo fundamentals in this win.

Yutakayama defeats Kaisei – Painful nodowa, forever. I am sure Kaisei’s still feeling that tonight.

Kagayaki defeats Tsurugisho – Tsurugisho put all of his chips on that left hand outside mawashi grip at the tachiai, and only got a handful of segari instead. Kagayaki drive his hands inside and went on the attack against Tsurugisho’s neck, and then thrust him down for a quick win.

Tochinoshin defeats Kotoeko – Points to Kotoeko for putting a lot of effort and fighting spirit into this one. He lasted longer than I thought he would against Tochinoshin, who holds a nearly 50kg advantage over this Kotoeko. As we saw in Nagoya, Kotoeko can bring everything he has most days, fight like he means to win, and still come up short. Tochinoshin gets his hands set and delivers an uwatedashinage to roll him to the clay.

Myogiryu defeats Endo – Endo wanted a hand hold at the tachiai, but found Myogiryu’s ottsuke instead. It seems that at this point Endo was not quite clear about plan B, and yielded the inside lane to Myogiryu, who happily went to work. About this time, Endo figures out this is not practice, and puts forth some effort to take control of the match. But every move is a bit more off balance, and Myogiryu helps him find a face full of dirt.

Chiyotairyu defeats Hidenoumi – Sumo fans know that Chiyotairyu front-loads his matches, and tends to burn through his stamina in the first few seconds. Rikishi who can beat him find ways to survive the initial surge and stay upright. Hidenoumi caught a broadside in the chest on the second volley, and found himself scrambling in reverse for a fast loss.

Tobizaru defeats Aoiyama – Tobizaru had a miserable July in the Nagoya heat. Few and far between were the days where he could muster good sumo, and win with gusto. I am delighted he was able to get close enough to nullify Aoiyama’s primary weapon, and proceeded to latch on and just keep chipping away. The look on Tobizaru’s face at the end of the match reminds me of some poor fellow who just had to lift a refrigerator.

Okinoumi defeats Terutsuyoshi – Terutsuyoshi opening gambit was predictable, and clearly anticipated by Okinoumi. Okinoumi captured him mid-henka and proceeded to crumple him in an progressively more compact space as he marched him out of the ring. Points to Terutsuyoshi for attempting to channel Ura, but Okinoumi never gave him enough space to pull that one off.

Onosho defeats Shimanoumi – Onosho landed his right hand inside at the tachiai, and set up for his big push, which he delivered with gusto against a shabby Shimanoumi defensive stance. Three steps later, Shimanoumi was across the tawara and it was all except for the rei.

Takarafuji defeats Ura – Ura attempts for a zero-contact tachiai, which seems to suit Takarafuji just fine. They make tentative contact, and Takarafuji dials up his defensive sumo, and waits. Ura seems lost at this point, and I frankly can’t believe that he is letting Takarafuji control this match. It seems this dawns on Ura, and he switches to attack, only to find that Takarafuji has his feet set, his defense is strong, and he is ready. Ura gets in one combo before Takarafuji drops his hips and moves him back and out.

Daieisho defeats Chiyoshoma – Things went wrong for Chiyoshoma when on the second volley he tried to finish his attack with a pull. Daieisho was ready for this move, and it robbed Chiyoshoma of any defensive position at all. Daieisho pressed the attack, put Chiyoshoma in motion, and ran him out for the win.

Tamawashi defeats Kotonowaka – Kotonowaka put all of his hopes on a right hand frontal mawashi grip that never paid off, but left his upper body and easy target for Tamawashi’s superb oshi-zumo. The thrusting attack broke Kotonowaka’s grip, then broke his balance, and finally sent him off the dohyo to open Aki with a loss.

Wakatakakage defeats Takayasu – I know I am hard on Takayasu, mostly because I have been a huge fan of his, and love it when he brings his good sumo to tournaments. His worst habit of the past few years is to keep his weight mostly on one foot, making him an much easier target for a crafty opponent. Is it being too eager to load up a throw? He did it today on the second step past the tachiai, and Wakatakakage was primed for the move, and cashed it in a moment later to start Aki with a win.

Kiribayama defeats Meisei – Meisei had the clear advantage for most of this match, but could not keep his weight centered and his feet planted with a mis-timed high right hand slap. My complements to Kiribayama for staying in the match, and looking for any advantage.

Mitakeumi defeats Takanosho – We have not seen the navy blue mawashi on Mitakeumi in a while, maybe it can change his fortunes. Mitakeumi had excellent control of his balance today, and kept himself focused on forward power against Takanosho’s center mass. Great, if simple, sumo from Mitakeumi today.

Hokutofuji defeats Takakeisho – I sometimes joke about Hokutofuji being two independently operating battle-units. When he can do that trick, its a wonder to behold. Today, they were working in concert and completely dominated kadoban Ozeki Takakeisho with great effect. Takakeisho opened strong, but by the third step he reached his left hand around the back of Hokutofuji’s neck to pull. That release of forward pressure opened the door for Hokutofuji to attack with overwhelming power.

Hoshoryu defeats Shodai – Shodai high at the tachiai – check! Hoshoryu reached for a left hand outside grip, but found Shodai’s massive body pressing him back in a hurry. A tidy weight shift and side step at the tawara reversed his fortunes, giving him a double inside hand placement. Shodai had no answer except to go rather soft and let Hoshoryu rampage across the dohyo to deposit the Ozeki over the side of the dohyo.

Terunofuji defeats Ichinojo – As is sadly the case with Ichinojo, he lost this match a couple of days ago about 5 seconds after the torikumi was published. Not to take anything away from Terunofuji, but you can really see when Ichinojo has psyched himself out of a match.