Act 1 of the basho is complete, and only 2 men remain undefeated: Hakuho and Terunofuji. This is precisely the outcome most fans were hoping to see, and we start to get a whiff of the tension that should continue into the middle weekend. Both area far from top physical shape given their injuries, but both are driven to dominate each match and incredibly tough, and unwilling to let something like a bum knee stop them from winning each day. Both of them understand that they are being carried toward what all the fans hope is a day 15 show down, possibly for not just the Emperor’s cup, but the final verdict on Terunofuji to add one more impossible accomplishment to his already improbable redemption.

In the early hours of day 5, it was announced that Endo had joined the kyujo list, after injuring his left leg. Given the doctor’s directive of 3 weeks recovery, he is unlikely to return. Mitakeumi picks up the fusensho to advance to 4-1.

Highlight Matches

Ichiyamamoto defeats Tokushoryu – The obligatory two hand neck attack at the tachiai from Ichiyamamoto led to a pulling opportunity that surprisingly worked for once against Tokushoryu, who seems to have had a poor step in there somewhere. Ichiyamamoto advances to 4-1.

Chiyonokuni defeats Tsurugisho – Chiyonokuni shook off Tsurugisho’s big hit at the tachiai, and turned on the power. A strong left hand to face prompted Tsurugisho to try to respond in kind. Chiyonokuni stepped aside and slapped with his right to bring Tsurugisho to the clay. Chiyonokuni joins the group at 4-1.

Ishiura defeats Daiamami – I am happy to see some solid Ishiura sumo today, and it brought him a much needed win. He had excellent lateral motion, getting to the side of Daiamami and putting him on “spin” before dropping him to the clay like a sack of potatoes with a kirikaeshi. Ishiura improves to 2-4.

Chiyonoo defeats Kagayaki – Chiyonoo gets close and has both hands inside one step past the tachiai, disabling Kagayaki’s preferred thrusting attack. Kagayaki tried to force Chiyonoo back, but that just devolved into a belly bumping contest that Chiyonoo dominated, raising Kagayaki up and putting him across the tawara. Chiyonoo improves to 2-3.

Kotonowaka defeats Ura – Ura’s submarine tachiai is not working well at all thus far in July, and most of his opponents are able to blunt its effects. Ura is hard pressed to come up with much offense from that position if he does not end the tachiai inside his opponent’s reach. Today its Kotonowaka who shuts it down, then send Ura tumbling into the zabuton. Kotonowaka improves to 4-1.

Chiyomaru defeats Kaisei – In this battle of the mega-fauna, Chiyomaru got in the first attack, and it worked well. The thrusting under the chin raised up Kaisei, and Chiyomaru made short work to send him back and out to improve to 2-3.

Tochinoshin defeats Terutsuyoshi – I am delighted to see Tochinoshin pick up his first win before the end of act 1. He is still in grim shape, but fears of him ending July winless are now gone. Sure it’s was a cheap ass henka, but I would expect Terutsuyoshi to be ready for that one, given Tochinoshin can’t actually do much sumo in his physical state.

Aoiyama defeats Tamawashi – Aoiyama stayed much lower than he typically does, and expertly exploited a pull attempt from Tamawashi, giving the Mongolian a hearty blast from the V-Twin to propel him back and out. Aoiyama improves to 2-3.

Takarafuji defeats Shimanoumi – I love to see how Takarafuji shuts down his opponent, and works to keep himself in the center of the dohyo, and his opponent attack from the outside to the middle. By dominating the middle of the ring, he grants himself control of the match, and when he does this, he tends to win. Points to Shimanoumi, who knew exactly what Takarafuji was up to, and fought him for every inch, hand and foot. Both men got low on stamina, and broke their deadlock at the center, with Takarafuji applying a tsukiotoshi to improve to 3-2.

Hidenoumi defeats Chiyoshoma – Chiyoshoma lost this match with a moment of poor balance and stability when Hidenoumi connected with a sharp left to Chiyoshoma’s shoulder. Hidenoumi improves to 3-2.

Hoshoryu defeats Myogiryu – Solid, commanding grappling sumo from Hoshoryu today. He took control early and danced Myogiryu round until Myogiryu had had enough and was escorted out. Hoshoryu’s sumo is looking better than ever right now, and he improves to 4-1.

Kiribayama defeats Okinoumi – Kiribayama got the edge at the tachiai, and converted that into a left hand inside grip. Okinoumi defended well, and shut down at least 2 attempts by Kiribayama to lift him up and send him out. Okinoumi rallied, and marched Kiribayama out, but stepped across the tawara as he shifted his opponent out. A monoii reversed Kimura Konosuke’s gumbai and gave the win to Kiribayama. Kiribayama improves to 4-1.

Onosho defeats Chiyotairyu – Chiyotairyu attempts his traditional blast and pull at the tachiai, and Onosho is well prepared to receive. As Chiyotairyu starts to pull, Onosho dials up the pushing power, and runs Chiyotairyu out in a hurry. Onosho improves to 2-3, and Chiyotairyu is 1-4, and in desperate need of better sumo choices.

Takanosho defeats Kotoeko – Takanosho’s tachiai had a few problems, his head was down, and he did not follow Kotoeko’s shift to the left. But Takanosho managed to get a left hand inside, and halted Kotoeko’s advance. Kotoeko attempted to rally, but received a slap down from Takanosho as Kotoeko charged forward. That’s a first win for Takanosho, as he improves to 1-4.

Daieisho defeats Wakatakakage – Wow, Wakatakakage had at least 3 escapes in that loss to Daieisho. Daieisho had his mega-thrust dialed up to “murder”, and was moving at speed against Wakatakakage. Even thought Wakatakakage lost that one, I am quite impressed how well he moved and kept himself in the match. Daieisho picks up a well earned first win, improving to 1-4.

Meisei defeats Takayasu – Takayasu picks up his first loss of the tournament as Meisei effectively disrupts Takayasu’s attack plan, then upsets his foot work, disrupting his balance, and then unleashes a really nifty katasukashi (under shoulder swing down) to roll Takayasu to the clay. Meisei advances to 2-3.

Terunofuji defeats Hokutofuji – Hokutofuji started low, with a solid tachiai, getting his hands more or less where he like to place them at the start of a match. As Terunofuji counter-attacked, Hokutofuji tried twice to pull the Ozeki down, neither attempt finding any success. Really impressed with Terunofuji’s ability to absorb all of that, and not just stay in the match but to stay on offense. Terunofuji set up and rapidly delivered a blistering kotenage that sent Hokutofuji to the clay. He remains undefeated at 5-0.

Tobizaru defeats Shodai – I had to watch this match a couple of times, as it features Tobizaru rapidly switching from push to pull to grab and tug and back to push again. It completely shut down any kind of offense Shodai wanted to deliver, and in the end I think Shodai went out just to make it end. I am starting to worry about Shodai at 2-3 headed into the middle weekend.

Hakuho defeats Ichinojo – Anyone else notice the appliance under Hakuho’s knee bandage today? I am not sure I saw that on prior days. But it raises the question: How does a one legged man beat a giant in a fight? Hakuho did not seem to try and run any power through that right knee, but managed to yorikiri a nearly 200kg boulder with apparent ease. He remains undefeated at 5-0.

We come to the end of act 1 in fine and glorious order. Act 1, the first 5 days of the basho, is where we watch the rikishi break free of their ring-rust, and find out who is hot, and who is not. Act 1 has done a fine job of both, so let’s have a look:

Hot

Hakuho – He looks a bit tentative, but the dai-Yokozuna is back, and still the most formidable man on the dohyo.
Terunofuji – Hopefully the shimpan will agree, he continues to fight at Yokozuna levels, and is ripe to take the rope.
Tamawashi – He has one prior yusho, and from Maegashira 10, is really cleaning up.

Not

Daieisho – A cold 0-4 start for the Hatsu yusho winner has us wondering if he’s hurt or just having a Maegashira 1 time of it
Takanosho – Unseated from his Sekiwake rank by a 5-10 score in May, he continues to suffer in July
Tochinoshin – This might be the sunset ride for the former Ozeki. His body seems completely spent.

What We Are Watching Day 5

Ichiyamamoto vs Tokushoryu – They have met only once before, with the win going to Ichiyamamoto in September of 2019. I think this basho, Tokushoryu is really fighting well, and his sheer bulk and surprising agility will be a tough mark for Ichiyamamoto. This match actually has some potential. Both are 3-1.

Tsurugisho vs Chiyonokuni – Another pair of 3-1 rikishi from the lower ranks, with Chiyonokuni having a distinct 3-1 career advantage over the much larger Tsurugisho. To my eye Chiyonokuni seems to have overcome his physical challenges that saw him sit out the May tournament, and ranked at M16, he’s going to do a lot of damage to the bottom edge of the banzuke.

Daiamami vs Ishiura – The scheduling team flip the pattern and match up the 1-3 crew now, with Ishiura having a clear 3-1 career advantage over Daiamami. I think back to that May 2018 kirikaeshi that Ishiura delivered to take the match on day 6, and hoping maybe we can see something like that again today.

Chiyonoo vs Kagayaki – After 4 straight make-koshi tournaments, I am starting to have hope that Kagayaki can arrest the slide and finally pull off 8 wins. With a 7-2 career advantage over Chiyonoo in his favor, maybe so? But the last time they met, Chiyonoo won – but that was 2017!

Ura vs Kotonowaka – First ever match for these two, and I hope that Ura has debugged whatever went haywire on day 4 and can fight with some kind of plan today. Kotonowaka is finally having a good basho start, after two straight bad starts leading to make-koshi.
[Kotonowaka 3-1] Shikona: 琴ノ若 | Heya: Sadogatake | Hometown: Chiba | Size: 188 cm 166 kg

Kaisei vs Chiyomaru – A battle of mega-fauna, it’s going to be bulk on bulk in a battle to see who gets to eat the last of the chanko today. They have a 4-4 career record, and they have traded wins every other basho. So it would seem that it’s Kaisei’s turn to win one.

Tochinoshin vs Terutsuyoshi – I am not sure if Tochinoshin is going to be able to score even a single win in July, and that would be a really sad mark for a remarkable rikishi who battled a crippling injury to return and rise to the rank of Ozeki. He has a 1-3 career record against Terutsuyoshi, but Terutsuyoshi is likewise struggling this basho, so maybe Tochinoshin can pick up his first white star today.

Tamawashi vs Aoiyama – Tamawashi seems to be completely comfortable in his sumo right now, and ranked all the way down at Maegashira 10, he’s lethal. He has a 14 match career history against Aoiyama, with a 6-8 deficit. But to me, I think Aoiyama is hurt, and only fighting at about 70% of his capabilities, so I give a clear advantage to Tamawashi.

Takarafuji vs Shimanoumi – The last 2 matches have seen Takarafuji get his sumo in order, and really work to start the match by shutting down his opponent’s offense. If he can keep that rolling, I think he’s a good candidate for a long overdue kachi-koshi. Both men start the day with 2-2 records.

Hidenoumi vs Chiyoshoma – Another match between 2-2 records, I really like how technical Chiyoshoma has become, and I would love to see him end the tournament with at least 8 wins. His record against Hidenoumi is 6-5, so it should be an even match today.

Myogiryu vs Hoshoryu – I credit Hoshoryu’s 3-1 score going into day 5 to some outstanding sumo instincts. It’s clear he has a large amount of natural talent, and has worked very hard to turn that into effective sumo. Myogiryu continues to struggle, and has 4 make-koshi out of the last 5 tournaments.

Okinoumi vs Kiribayama – Back to a pairing on the 3-1 theme, I like how Okinoumi is moving right now, and he is ranked low enough that he should be the favorite for most of his matches. I see this contest as Okinoumi at the lower end of his natural rank range against Kiribayama, who is toward the upper end of his current natural rank range. A great chance for Kiribayama to pick up experience.

Onosho vs Chiyotairyu – Both of those very competent rikishi are having bad starts to Nagoya. But I would say that Chiyotairyu may be doing slightly worse. Chiyotairyu seems to be resulting to a big opening blast followed by a pull, and everyone knows it, and has found a way to blunt that. Onosho seems to be having problems getting any real offense going, and has only a single win. Both men are 1-3.

Takanosho vs Kotoeko – Takanosho has more or less completed his tour of the named ranks, and can finally try to work his way toward 8 wins and try to begin the journey back to san’yaku. At 0-4, the biggest challenge will likely be damage to his fighting spirit. He and Kotoeko have a 2-2 career record.

Wakatakakage vs Daieisho – Daieisho has faced all the Ozeki, and Hakuho, so maybe he can start to start working toward 8. He needs to keep Wakatakakage away from his belt, and just open hard with the oshi attack and never let up off the throttle.

Endo vs Mitakeumi – Endo almost always opens with an attempt at a mawashi grab, and I think that Mitakeumi is a tough man to grab from the front, given his girth. So the sooner Endo gets into an oshi-fight or somehow gets to the side, the better his chances will be for a win. But it is somewhat unlikely, as Mitakeumi holds a 10-6 career advantage.

Takayasu vs Meisei – Takayasu seems to have come back from his 2 day kyujo in good condition, and he has certainly looked strong and stable against Ichinojo and Endo. Meisei is maybe a level of intensity lower than those two right now, so I think Takayasu has a fair chance at expanding his 3-2 career advantage.

Terunofuji vs Hokutofuji – Oh my, firstly Terunofuji has to be the fan favorite for this match, but Hokutofuji’s duel-mode sumo leaves this one in the “very unpredictable” territory. Terunofuji needs to find a way to limit Hokutofuji’s mobility, and a hearty double arm bar is the best bet for that.

Shodai vs Tobizaru – Perhaps the only rikishi more ridiculous than Shodai this July is Tobizaru. Tobizaru will bring speed an over-active lateral motion, and Shodai will bring bulk and power. So far Tobizaru has yet to defeat Shodai even once, and I don’t see that changing today.

Hakuho vs Ichinojo – I think this match is already lost for Ichinojo, as Hakuho seems to live rent free in the Boulder’s head. It’s seldom that you see Ichinojo put in much of a fight against Hakuho (12-3 advantage for Hakuho), and we may not see any sign of that today.

Both top men had tough matches today, and were well on the path to their first loss, when somehow each managed to find victory just inches from defeat. This is the hallmark of a champion, and it was unusual to see twice in one day’s matches. For Hakuho, this is just par for the course with him. For Terunofuji, this is fairly new. We had seen some of this in his early period as an Ozeki, but that was some world class rescue sumo from him today.

All around it was a great day for fans of technical sumo. A lot of high skill matches with rikishi showing us some of their better techniques. Readers may have guessed I love a day where I am compelled to step through the video frame by frame and watch the skill of these men as they fight it out on the dohyo, and today had that aplenty.

Highlight Matches

Ichiyamamoto defeats Tsurugisho – Ichiyamamoto attempts to set the match into a thrusting battle, but Tsurugisho locks in on the mawashi, and the struggle is on. Impressive use of the left hand outside by Ichiyamamoto, who was able to work to raise Tsurugisho, in spite of Tsurugisho’s excellent defensive foot placement. Ichiyamamoto abandoned his drive to get his right hand inside, switching to pushing against Tsurugisho’s chest while lifting with his left hand, and driving forward. Nice recovery today from Ichiyamamoto – showing a lot of promise. Both end 3-1.

Chiyonokuni defeats Daiamami – Daiamami had the inside position at the tachiai, but he could not convert it into an effective offense as Chiyonokuni shoved him back, then delivered a mighty blow to his head. From there Chiyonokuni repeatedly tests to see if Daiamami’s head is firmly attached, and drives him over the west end into a shimpan. Chiyonokuni improves to 3-1.

Tokushoryu defeats Chiyonoo – Tokushoryu has that January 2020 vibe going on, where you ask “Where has this sumo been?”. He uses his enormous belly to just broom Chiyonoo out of the ring in short order, improving to 3-1.

Ishiura defeats Chiyomaru – Ishiura’s sumo today was just the tonic I needed. He moved out of Chiyomaru’s fairly narrow attack zone early, got to the side and gave the round one no rest. Applying force from Chiyomaru’s right side, Ishiura just kept moving, and Chiyomaru just kept struggling. First win for Ishiura, improving to 1-3.

Kagayaki defeats Ura – Ura had a solid start, but quickly found himself trapped by Kagayaki’s arm lock. From there he was short of options, and tried to pull to at least release the arm lock. But Kagayaki was going nowhere, and ran Ura to the tawara and won with a hearty final shove into his oyakata as if to say, “Take this guy back, sir!”. Kagayaki improves to 3-1.

Kaisei defeats Tochinoshin – Today’s loss to Kaisei increases my worry about Tochinoshin. At least today he was able to offer some level of defense, but he was unable to move Kaisei, or generate any offense at all. Its rare to see Kaisei win by a throw, but that sukuinage was dead on and well delivered. Tochinoshin now at 0-4 while Kaisei improves to 2-2.

Tamawashi defeats Kotonowaka – I really liked this match, as it showed the kind of sumo that Kotonowaka can employ when he is in good condition. He was inside at the tachiai, and delivered a solid opening combo. But Tamawashi has at least a dozen ways to disrupt an early advantage, and reset the balance of control, focusing on Kotonowaka’s face. Kotonowaka was having none of that, and drive center-mass, pushing Tamawashi back. Tamawashi’s heels touch the bales, and you can see him shift gears. Out comes the big right hand blow to the side of the head, and Kotonowaka staggers, and Tamawashi pushes him out. Excellent sumo from both today, but Tamawashi improves to 4-0.

Hidenoumi defeats Terutsuyoshi – Terutsuyoshi could not get any kind of grip on Hidenoumi, and was little more than practice ballast for Hidenoumi’s sumo today. Knowing what Terutsuyoshi is capable of, its tough to see him struggle like this. Hidenoumi improves to 2-2.

Shimanoumi defeats Aoiyama – Big Dan Aoiyama got his hands inside at the tachiai, engaged the V-Twin attack and had free fire against Shimanoumi’s face and neck for a while. But Aoiyama chose to try to pull Shimanoumi down, and found himself quickly run out of the ring. I am going to guess Aoiyama is suffering some kind of problem with that left knee, and will possibly have a tough basho ahead of him. Shimanoumi improves to 2-2.

Takarafuji defeats Myogiryu – Master class in defensive sumo taught by Takarafuji today. Myogiryu drove hard at the tachiai, but Takarafuji denied him any manner of hold, or even a working hand placement. Takarafuji angles his body, opens his stance, and he is going exactly nowhere now. He expertly read Myogiryu shifting his hips for a charge, and attacked, running Myogiryu out of the ring. Takarafuji improves to 2-2.

Kiribayama defeats Chiyoshoma – Kiribayama got the better of the tachiai, and managed a left hand inside grip in short order. This left Chiyoshoma’s right hand stalemated, and he switched to defense. With the two battling to improve their grip, Chiyoshoma lost traction while trying to move to his right, and Kiribayama swung him to the clay. Kiribayama improves to 3-1, but solid sumo from both today.

Okinoumi defeats Onosho – Onosho gets his body set at the tachiai, and goes into his favorite nodowa forward leaning mode against Okinoumi. Okinoumi is only on his heels for a moment, and comes roaring back with a tidy thrusting attack to push Onosho back and then out. Okinoumi improves to 3-1.

Hoshoryu defeats Chiyotairyu – Chiyotairyu had the advantage at the tachiai, but in an easy to predict move, Chiyotairyu tried to pull Hoshoryu down the moment after his opening thrust connected. Hoshoryu was ready, and charged ahead to run Chiyotairyu out. Hoshoryu improves to 3-1.

Hokutofuji defeats Kotoeko – Hokutofuji continues his dominance over Kotoeko (who has never beaten Hokutofuji). Hokutofuji opened strong with a pair of combo attacks, catching Kotoeko full in the chest. The first combo disrupted Kotoeko’s stance, the second propelled him back and out for a quick win for Hokutofuji, as he improves to 3-1.

Ichinojo defeats Meisei – Meisei worked really hard for any advantage he could find against Ichinojo, and had a tough road the entire time. He was stalemated at the tachiai, but managed to get his hands inside. He then found himself unable to attack, and worked to switch his grip. But Ichinojo was on the attack, and the sheer mass difference began to bite. Ichinojo took control, and strode forward, taking Meisei out with little fuss. Ichinojo improves to 3-1.

Takayasu defeats Endo – Takayasu did a great job at the tachiai, shutting down Endo’s opening try for a frontal mawashi grip, and setting up a right arm ottzuke to completely shut Endo down. Realizing he was not getting a mawashi grip today, Endo shifted to oshi, and traded blows with Takayasu, finding no better fortunes there. A neck pull by Takayasu took him off balance, and the former Ozeki battered him until Endo’s hand touched the clay. Takayasu improves to 2-2.

Mitakeumi defeats Tobizaru – Tobizaru had the better tachiai, getting his hands inside and pushing against Mitakeumi’s chest. But Tobizaru’s foot placement was poor, and Mitakeumi was able to hold ground. Realizing he was stalemated, Tobizaru tried a leg kick – pull combo that fueled Mitakeumi’s charge that took Tobizaru out of the ring. Mitakeumi improves to 3-1.

Wakatakakage defeats Shodai – Shodai was slow off the shikiri-sen, and high at the initial hit. Wakatakakage tried for a grip as he took control, but Shodai’s defenses were good enough to shut that down. So Wakatakakage attacked center mass and found the Ozeki easy enough to move, and proceeded to piston-arm Shodai around and send him stumbling out. Both end the day 2-2. Get it together, Shodai!

Terunofuji defeats Daieisho – Both men got their desired position in the tachiai – Daieisho’s hands high and inside, Terunofuji with his arm bar locking out Daieisho’s thrusting attack. Terunofuji’s grip could not keep Daieisho contained, and Daieisho was able to begin to attack, and had Terunofuji in real trouble. But it seems Terunofuji has gotten fairly good at improvising, first rescuing himself from near certain loss as Daieisho tried to run him out, and then to win when Daieisho failed to fall to his rescue move. It was sloppy, but it was a brilliant example of Terunofuji’s mental endurance and agility. He improves to 4-0.

Hakuho defeats Takanosho – Hakuho had a strong match, but a pull attempt against Takanosho went sour, and nearly cost to Yokozuna his first loss. Frankly, only Hakuho could have rescued himself from that situation, and rescue himself he did. I had to watch it several times to try to figure out how he managed that, and it comes down to a deft left hand thrust at just the right moment to send Takanosho down. Hakuho remains unbeaten at 4-0.

Quick preview today, as time is short – but really interested in Ura vs Kagayaki, and Takayasu vs Endo!

What We Are Watching Day 4

Tsurugisho vs Ichiyamamoto – After a really terrible 4-11 result in May, I was expecting Tsurugisho to be on the fast track out of the top division to regroup and try again. Now he has a 3-0 start to Nagoya, and looks quite solid. He is moving well, he is using his bulk effectively, and its adding up to an unbeatable combination. This is his first ever match against Ichiyamamoto, so I will be looking to see if Ichiyamamoto’s Abi-zumo style can disrupt Tsurugisho’s balance.

Daiamami vs Chiyonokuni – Ever since that difficult to watch Enho – Takagenji match, I have noticed a lot more rikishi in all divisions willing to lay down the giant round-house slaps. We certainly saw them employed with good effect by Chiyonokuni on day 3, and given it is a staple of his sumo, we may see them again today against Daiamami. Daiamami best bet is to get to the side of Chiyonokuni, and away from the brunt of his thrusting attack.

Tokushoryu vs Chiyonoo – Thankfully Tokushoryu lost his day 3 match, and I doubt I will be required to once again eat both my own buttocks should he claim the yusho. I give him a solid advantage on day 4 against Chiyonoo, as Tokushoryu is moving very well right now, and his sumo seems to be fluid and natural this basho.

Chiyomaru vs Ishiura – I have no idea what malfunction is plaguing Ishiura, but he is looking terrible. His sumo is without focus, and seems to be a daily improv based on what he had for lunch. He has a 9-9 career record against Chiyomaru, but my guess is the round mound or resound will be able to slap Ishiura down at the tachiai.

Ura vs Kagayaki – This match has potential. They both come in with 2-1 records, and it is a good clash of styles. Kagayaki with powerful single arm thrusting style, and Ura with his traditional grab and tug sumo. These two last fought in 2017, so a 4 year gap.

Kaisei vs Tochinoshin – I am quite worried this is the sunset run for dear Tochinoshin. He does not seem to have any power on his left, nor stability from his lower body. He and Kaisei have a 9-13 career record, but I think this match may be all Kaisei.

Tamawashi vs Kotonowaka – I am not surprised that a Maegashira 10 Tamawashi can start a basho 3-0, but Kotonowaka also at 3-0 is a welcome change. He has had a string of bad performance since the first of the year, and he seems to have his sumo in order this July. The winner will advance to 4-0.

Hidenoumi vs Terutsuyoshi – Terutsuyoshi is in a bit of a slump to start Nagoya, and I would love to see him unleash a hearty “throw from below” like we have not seen for a few tournaments. Maybe a uwatedashinage or sukuinage to put some vigor back in his sumo. He has a slight 7-5 career lead over Hidenoumi who also comes into day 4 at 1-2.

Shimanoumi vs Aoiyama – Andy put it well, “Aoiyama can’t get the V-Twin out of 2nd gear”. It’s possible that time and cumulative injury are finally wearing Big Dan down, but I sincerely hope he’s got a bit more sumo left to share. Both are 1-2, and need a win to stay even.

Myogiryu vs Takarafuji – Yet another group in the 1-2 crowd, and this one features two rikishi suffering a cold start in the heat of Nagoya. Both of them see to be just a few points low on the intensity gauge, and I wonder if its injuries, the humidity or bad luck. They have 20 career matches, with Myogiryu holding a 13-7 advantage.

Chiyoshoma vs Kiribayama – Chiyoshoma took his first loss on day 3, but still looks to be in solid form. I don’t expect him to start any kind of losing streak, and I maintain my hopes he will have a solid kachi-koshi on day 15. Both rikishi are 2-1 to start the day, and share a 2-1 career advantage with Chiyoshoma having the 1 match advantage.

Okinoumi vs Onosho – Okinoumi has been showing his patience and experience in ample amount thus far in Nagoya, and he is wise to rack up as many wins as he can before he has to rotate through the named ranks. His approach of pacifying and constraining his opponent seems to be effecting against Onosho, who depends on using the whole dohyo to mount his attacks.

Hoshoryu vs Chiyotairyu – Chiyotairyu has reverted back to his cannon-ball tachiai form. Which I think just about everyone has figured out, and really is not working so well. With luck Hoshoryu will know how to let him defeat himself, as we know Chiyotairyu is likely to do.

Hokutofuji vs Kotoeko – I think Hokutofuji is in winning form this July, and I expect he will actually pick up kachi-koshi in Nagoya, which will be most welcome. He has a spotless 3-0 record over Kotoeko, whom he tends to grab and toss about like a cork in a storm.

Ichinojo vs Meisei – Meisei could use this win, and I think he is likely to pick it up today. I almost wonder if Ichinojo is distracted by what happened to Takakeisho on day 2, as he looked a couple of notches lower in intensity on day 3.

Takayasu vs Endo – These two have a 19 match career record, and it favors Takayasu 11-8. I think if Endo can get together a frontal grip at the tachiai, he may be in business, especially if Takayasu starts dancing around like a madman.

Tobizaru vs Mitakeumi – I am still hoping that Tobizaru can figure his sumo out, and become a credible “Shin Yoshikaze” rikishi. But with each match that goes by without him doing much for effective offense, these hopes fade. I am looking for Mitakeumi to overwhelm, overpower and then toss Tobizaru out for a run through the crowd.

Shodai vs Wakatakakage – Perhaps now that Shodai took his first loss, he can settle down and just work on his cartoon sumo. Wakatakakage has shown himself to be at least somewhat resistant to Shodai’s odd and random moves, holding a 2-1 career advantage over the Ozeki, both wins by yorikiri.

Terunofuji vs Daieisho – Hapless Daieisho at 0-3 against a really genki Terunofuji at 3-0? This is going to hurt.

Hakuho vs Takanosho – Takanosho should savor his time with the dai-Yokozuna, as the chances to face him are few. I expect he will end the day with a face full of clay.