For those who may have missed it earlier, Yokozuna Terunofuji has withdrawn from competition, citing knee and foot problems. This explains his inability to maintain his defensive stance, and why he suddenly became fairly easy to move around the dohyo. We dearly hope that he can recover and return strong for May.

It my humble opinion as a sumo blogger, the Haru banzuke may be the sharpest joi-jin we have seen in some time. I think its a natural process following the sunset run of an overwhelmingly dominant, generation defining rikishi like Hakuho, that a short time later we would see strong young rikishi dramatically improve their sumo. For a few years, Team Tachiai have been on a theme that the competition plane was very flat, and that anyone could yusho in a given month. But I look at Abi, Wakatakakage, Hoshoryu, Kiribayama, and even Kotonowaka, I see strong competition for the next few years, and it’s glorious.

I find myself wondering, will any of them be called upon to put dirt on undefeated front runner Takayasu? As a former Ozeki, Takayasu’s sumo is technically capable of shutting down any of them. I hope the schedulers give us a weekend treat with a match between the early favorite, and one of these rising stars.

Highlight Matches

Tsurugisho defeats Kagayaki – Kagayaki had a deep grip at the tachiai, but there is just too much Tsurugisho to push back when Tsurugisho is healthy and wants to move forward. Tsurugisho improves to 3-3.

Kotoshoho defeats Ichiyamamoto – Kotoshoho had his hands inside, and dialed up the forward pressure. Ichiyamamoto tried something at the tawara, but had already stepped out, then fell down as well. Ok… Kotoshoho improves to 3-3.

Nishikigi defeats Yutakayama – Yutakayama put a lot of his hopes on that right hand nodowa at the tachiai, which he could only maintain for a moment. Nishikigi went center-mass, found good hand placement, and moved Yutakayama first back, and then out. Nishikigi advances to 4-2.

Kotokuzan defeats Chiyonokuni – Chiyonokuni has a nice opening volley, and then Kotokuzan just explodes with tsuppari. I have not seen him do that for most of this tournament, and Chiyonokuni can’t keep his feet under the torrent of blows raining down on him. Kotokuzan pick up win number 3 to finish 3-3.

Kotoeko defeats Akua – Akua resorted to pulling early, I am going to guess because he knows Kotoeko has his number. All that happened was Akua helped speed up the result with that move, as Kotoeko rapidly drives him back, then across the bales to advance to 4-2.

Tochinoshin defeats Chiyotairyu – I was surprised to see Chiyotairyu reach for Tochinoshin’s belt and take the match chest to chest. I think that Tochinoshin’s strike and smash combat sumo must be rather painful, as it does not take too much of it before opponents are looking for some way to make it stop. Chiyotairyu succeeds in his gambit, and the two lock up chest to chest for some time. After consolidating his grip, we get to see Tochinoshin use what he has left of the sky-crane to lift Chiyotairyu over the bales, improving to 4-2, which to me is a pleasant and welcome surprise.

Chiyomaru defeats Myogiryu – News flash, Osaka – Chiyomaru has won 2 in a row, he must of secured a steady supply of the correct kind of yakitori. As we have seen before, going chest to chest with Chiyomaru may seem like an accomplishment on the road to victory, but you quickly realize you are now attached to Chiyomaru, which comes with it’s own set of problems. So Chiyomaru seems comfortable wearing down Myogiryu standing in the middle of the ring, until Myogiryu and Chiyomaru drives him down to advance to 2-4.

Terutsuyoshi defeats Aoiyama – Terutsuyoshi continues his dominance over Aoiyama. Aoiyama starts with strong V-Twin rope-a-dope on Terutsuyoshi’s head, juggling it like a koosh-ball. As Aoiyama is busy discombobulating Terutsuyoshi, Terutsuyoshi gets his right hand inside, and finds Aoiyama’s belt. The match changes tone and tempo as Aoiyama puts everything into stopping multiple and repeated attempts by Terutsuyoshi to rotate and throw. He eventually gets far enough under Aoiyama to raise him up and turn, and Aoiyama hits the clay. Both men finish 3-3.

Sadanoumi defeats Tobizaru – As expected, a wild flailing match that showcased both Sadanoumi’s speed, but Tobizaru’s agility as well. It looked to end with a glorious mutual throw, but a monoii ensued. Truth be told, Tobizaru had touched down about half way through the match, but kept fighting on. That cheeky monkey! Win goes to Sadanoumi, who picks up a much needed second white star to finish 2-4.

Takayasu defeats Shimanoumi – Takayasu goes directly for the arm pits (hazu-oshi) and shuts down anything Shimanoumi might have thought he wanted to try. Three steps later, Shimanoumi is off of the dohyo, and Takayasu has win number 6 to be 6-0, and the sole leader for Haru going into the middle weekend.

Wakamotoharu defeats Okinoumi – We could see this yatsu battle from yesterday, and they did not disappoint. Okinoumi defended well, but could not maintain his defensive foot placement. I think this comes down to Okinoumi’s accumulated career damage. Wakamotoharu kept control with his left hand inside grip, and worked Okinoumi out a piece at a time. Solid work. Wakamotoharu now 4-2.

Kotonowaka defeats Chiyoshoma – It was surprised to see Kotonowaka on defense, and allowing Chiyoshoma to control the starting stages of this match. Chiyoshoma put himself chest to chest with Kotonowaka, and found the Sadogatake man’s higher mass a bit of a challenge to shift. He tried a leg pick and a couple of rapid shifts, but Kotonowaka was set on defense, and grew roots into the clay. Chiyoshoma tried to finish with a throw, but he hit the clay a moment before Kotonowaka, giving him the win. Kotonowaka improves to 5-1.

Endo defeats Hokutofuji – I had some hope for this match, but Hokutofuji lost his nerve and tried to pull Endo down on his second step. Huge mistake and it would never have payed out. Instead he had no defense against Endo’s charge, and he was out of the match by the 3rd step. Endo now 4-2.

Daieisho defeats Takarafuji – Takarafuji certainly is having one of his bad tournaments. I am sure there is an injury in there somewhere, but right now he can’t do much with his trademark defensive sumo. Today Daieisho dialed up the pressure center mass while Takarafuji tried to set his feet, but could not hold. Daieisho improves to 4-2.

Ichinojo defeats Ura – Compliments to Ichinojo, who played the considerable size difference with Ura with great effect. Ura has a single win so far, and I think he’s going to have to consider what changes he might make to his sumo to actually win matches in the joi-jin. For Ichinojo, now 4-2, thank you for the reminder that being enormous is sometimes a valid sumo strategy.

Wakatakakage defeats Takanosho – Takanosho opened strong and was on the attack for the bulk of this match. I think we got to see Wakatakakage use some very nice reactive sumo today, on defense, staying in the match and in the ring, in spite of Takanosho’s sharp offense. Wakatakakage waited him out, and when the chance presented itself, slammed Takanosho to the clay. Wakatakakage now 5-1.

Hoshoryu defeats Abi – Abi attacked strongly with his traditional double arm style, and had the match a heartbeat away from victory. But man, Hoshoryu decided he had had enough of this stuff, found center mass and connected to Abi’s torso with both hands. Now in control, he ran forward, pushing Abi out at speed and into the crowd. The loss knocks Abi out of the group 1 win behind Takayasu, and increases his own record to 3-3 for March.

Takakeisho defeats Kiribayama – I think Takakeisho is done screwing around, and is focused on maintaining his rank. This comes as a relief as his first few matches of Haru were pretty rough by most standards. Today he took Kiribayama out with some fine wave action tsuppari, and like most rikishi, Kiribayama really had no idea what to do after the first wave it. Takakeisho 4-2, 4 more wins to clear kadoban.

Tamawashi defeats Shodai – No, Shodai will most likely not clear kadoban. He just does not have the strength to fight right now, at least not at Ozeki level. Shodai took a big hit at the tachiai from Tamawashi, and was immediately out. Just sad to watch. Tamawashi picks up a much needed win to improve to 3-3.

Mitakeumi defeats Meisei – Mitakeumi back to quality sumo today, he keeps Meisei in front of him, and well bracketed. Meisei tries a couple of escape moves, but can’t break contact. Mitakeumi keeps his feet heavy and keeps moving forward, working Meisei out for a win. Mitakeumi stays 1 behind Takayasu at 5-1.

Ugh, SumoDB is down again. I want to send them money so they can do what it takes to keep that thing solid and running well. As an operator of a sumo fan site, I know it can be a challenge when you have other high priority items to turn your attention to content, server tweaks, or just finding out what the hell went wrong. So I have nothing but gratitude for whomever runs that thing, its invaluable.

Today we start act 2, and in act 2 the purpose is to narrow the field to find out who has what it takes to compete for the yusho, and to start sorting the victors from the damned. We have a single man in Takayasu in the lead right now, but I fully expect someone to put dirt on him before the end of the middle weekend. It should not be that tough to do, as already on day 5 his form was slipping. Just behind we have 7 rikishi with 4-1 records, including both Sekiwake and an Ozeki. This will be a tough field for the yusho. I would also urge fans not to discount Terunofuji yet. Though I am assuming he is injured, if he is not, he can still be a force in the second week.

What We Are Watching Day 6

Kagayaki vs Tsurugisho – Today it’s Kagayaki up for a visit into the top division. He has been bouncing between the top of Juryo and the bottom of Makuuchi for the last year at least, and he really needs to get his sumo tightened up and pick. Meanwhile, Kagayaki does seem to have a good regulator on his sumo, and may be ready for a 5th win today, he holds a 4-1 career lead.

Kotoshoho vs Ichiyamamoto – Both of these guys are on a make-koshi path right now, and I worry they are already relegating Kotoshoho to the “loser bracket” that will keep him below the make-koshi line. He has a 1-4 career deficit against Ichiyamamoto, so the chances of him pulling even at 3-3 are not the best.

Nishikigi vs Yutakayama – This is a fun one, both of them are 3-2, and have a fairly long history in the top division with some trips to Juryo. they are very close in size and weight, and close to equal all around. Nishikigi prefers to go chest to chest, and Yutakayama prefers and oshi style, but has fairly good yotsu skill as well. This one has my interest.

Kotokuzan vs Chiyonokuni – First ever match for these two, and I have to say I would give the edge to Chiyonokuni right now. I think Kotokuzan’s higher mass will help him some when Chiyonokuni starts smacking him around, but unless he can respond to force with force, it’s just a matter of when.

Kotoeko vs Akua – I have to assume that Akua is in one of his cold phases. It’s disappointing to know that he is capable of some solid sumo, yet here we are at the start of act 2, and he has a 1-4 score. While it’s mathematically possible for him to finish with a kachi-koshi, in reality, it’s a long shot at best. He’s got a fair 3-4 record standing up to Kotoeko, who packs a lot of power into 177 cm.

Tochinoshin vs Chiyotairyu – If Tochinoshin holds to his current form, he will be brawling up a storm against Chiyotairyu. To be honest, I am not sure what the thunder-god is going to do in response to that. Maybe lower his head, battle hug the Georgian and just run pell-mell forward? Might be worth a try….

Myogiryu vs Chiyomaru – Sure, Chiyomaru has his first win now, and that’s fine news. He’s going to be working against Myogiryu, who is fighting very well this March. He has won 2 matches against larger opponents, and his manuverablity has been very good. So if he can keep his balance centered, he should do fine against Chiyomaru’s predictable pulling attacks.

Terutsuyoshi vs Aoiyama – A great big-man / little-man sumo contest. Big Dan has been bashing opponents with great effect, I think we can say that his ring rust is mostly behind him now, and that we can count on some power-sumo from him for the next 10 days or so. Terutsuyoshi is in a bit of a hole now with a 2-3 record, so I am looking for him to be a bit more adventurous with his combos. We know he has taken 6 of their prior 10 matches, and has a habit of putting Aoiyama on the clay.

Tobizaru vs Sadanoumi – Sadanoumi is having a bad tournament so far. This 1-4 record he brings into the start of act 2 is well below his abilities. Normally he’s better than Tobizaru, by a bunch. But with him fighting poorly, I would give my nod to the flying monkey. Both of them are very quick fighters, but Tobizaru has been fighting better thus far.

Takayasu vs Shimanoumi – Its your daily dose of Takayasu, once again nicely placed toward the middle of the torikumi. Do I think Shimanoumi has much of a chance? Only a narrow one, and he’s going to need to be at the top of his sumo to make it pay. We saw a bit of the “Bad Takayasu” on day 5 when he went “Wild Man” against Takarafuji. When that happens, he is out of control, un-balanced, and vulnerable. He Takayasu gets into that mode, Shimanoumi has an opening.

Wakamotoharu vs Okinoumi – First ever match, and I have to ponder what might be ailing Okinoumi. It’s true that he’s among the oldest rikishi in the top division, and he suffers from a chronic lower pelvic injury that sometimes limits his sumo. But normally you don’t see him end up with a ice cold 1-4 start. I do hope he can bounce back. I think Wakamotoharu’s really top drawer yotsu style will mean we have a fine display of Okinoumi’s favorite sumo moves.

Chiyoshoma vs Kotonowaka – The most important thing to know is the 7-1 career record of Kotonowaka over Chiyoshoma. I know Chiyoshoma will deploy at least 1 henka this tournament, but I am going to guess he may save it for later. Kotonowaka has a way to go before he reaches his ultimate sumo form, but he is evolving along nicely right now.

Hokutofuji vs Endo – 16 match history, tied at 8-8. Both rikishi with 3-2 scores. Both needing to rack more wins to put them safely outside of this weekend’s funnel. Oh goodie. Will the win go to Hokutofuji’s impossibly low center of gravity, or will Endo’s fast hands and quick throws come out on top. Great match for day 6.

Daieisho vs Takarafuji – Takarafuji is having one of his “bad” basho. He has had dreadful months where he has only been able to come up with 4 or 5 wins over 15 days, and this may be one of those tournaments. Given how well Daieisho is fighting, I don’t think Takarafuji is going to prevail today.

Ichinojo vs Ura – Back to the big man / little man paradigm. They are fairly even (3-2) on the clay, and it’s Ichinojo working grab and contain Ura vs Ura’s trademark grab and tug sumo. I think that if Ichinojo holds his ground for the first 20 seconds of the match, stays stable and lowers his center of gravity, Ura will be completely stumped on what to do.

Wakatakakage vs Takanosho – Mirror image records, Wakatakakage at 4-1, Takanosho at 1-4. Takanosho comes in with a 7-4 career advantage, but a dismal records so far in Osaka. I would give the edge today to Wakatakakage, who I think is actually going to content for the cup up until the start of act 3.

Hoshoryu vs Abi – Will Abi continue to mix up his sumo? Do we get another attack that starts with a double arm thrust and transitions into something else? I have maintained for years that with Abi-zumo 2.0, this guy is Ozeki or Yokozuna. I wonder if he is going to give it a go. A win today would be his first over Hoshoryu, who could use a win to improve his 2-3 record.

Kiribayama vs Takakeisho – Takakeisho, please blast this guy off of the dohyo. You need the wins, and he needs the air time. Much as I love me some Kiribayama (see day 5 highlights), We need more than one Ozeki in May.

Shodai vs Tamawashi – Shodai gets what may be his only win of the basho, then they send him to be tuned up by Tamawashi. Tamawashi is not fighting that well this tournament, but the fact that he does NOT suffer from long COVID, and holds a 10-8 career advantage sets the stage for what is likely to happen.

Meisei vs Mitakeumi – Mitakeumi has the size advantage to just dominate Meisei (7-2 against Meisei), if he can keep himself focused. On day 5, he let Kiribayama attack, either through sloppiness or a false belief that it would be impotent. Tragic under appreciation of his opponents sumo. I would guess that won’t happen again this March.

Terunofuji vs Onosho – We saw it again day 5. Terunofuji cannot hold position with some attack angles. If Onosho can get that opening and push, he can kinboshi Terunofuji for the second day in a row. Much as I love the junior tadpole, I would rather see the Yokozuna maintain his dominance.

Act 1 is complete, and we are left with a single rikishi atop the leaderboard. In addition, both winless rikishi picked up their first white stars today, as the basho sets up for a tumultuous middle weekend. I think its time for sumo fans to take a moment to study Kiribayama. After a pair of consecutive 6-9 make-koshi dropping him out of the san’yaku, he seems to be in good form for Osaka. Although he can produce some solid sumo, he seems to lose the “big” matches against high ranking opponents. I believe that some component of that is mental, as in maybe he does not quite have the confidence yet of someone like Tamawashi or Yoshikaze, who sees every opponent as another piece of meat to bash into submission. But there is some evidence he is starting to set aside that habit and just fight with whatever he can. I am going to guess that he and Hoshoryu will be toe to toe in the san’yaku once they setting into their sumo, and could possibly become rivals. Some of the best sumotori honed their skills through rivalry, and those rivalry make for storied sumo history. ?Here’s to hoping for the future.

Highlight Matches

Oho defeats Ichiyamamoto – Where was this version of Oho in January. He looked poised, confident, and heavy. He barely lifts his feet, and just shoves Ichiyamamoto aside. Brilliant stuff. Oho advances to 4-1, and may have another shot at the top division soon.

Tochinoshin defeats Kotokuzan – Once again we see Tochinoshin trading blows with his opponent rather than working for a battle hug. As odd as it is to my eye, who is used to seeing him fighting yotsu all these years, its actually working for him. He keeps batting Kotokuzan about until Kotokuzan loses his footing and hits the clay. Tochinoshin advances to 3-2.

Kagayaki defeats Yutakayama – So I am going to proclaim that Kagayaki’s ring rust is no longer present, he’s up to 4-1, and just dispatched Yutakayama. Sharp tachiai, and he found his hands inside, but his body too close for a good thrust. Rather than back up, he just worked with it, put his hands around Yutakayama and enjoyed his double inside grip to quickly win by yorikiri.

Kotoshoho defeats Akua – A swift move by Kotoshoho re-routed Akua at the tachiai, and put Kotoshoho behind him. It was fast work to then push Akua out from behind, as Kotoshoho improves to 2-3, picking up a much needed win.

Chiyonokuni defeats Nishikigi – Chiyonokuni read that match perfectly. Knowing Nishikigi really needs to maintain contact with his opponent, Chiyonokuni kept close, and drew Nishikigi forward. With Nishikigi reaching for a belt hold, Chiyonokuni slapped him down for a quick win, to advance to 4-1.

Chiyomaru defeats Terutsuyoshi – Chiyomaru picks up his first win of Haru. Terutsuyoshi came in low at the tachiai, but pretty much bounced off his enormous belly. Chiyomaru turned this match into a chase, and as Terutsuyoshi circled away, slapped him down in traditional Chiyomaru style. Always best to mind your balance around Chiyomaru. He is now 1-4.

Aoiyama defeats Chiyotairyu – Aoiyama connects first at the tachiai, shutting down Chiyotairyu’s forward rush. From there it was outstanding hand placement that kept Chiyotairyu moving back, and three steps later, out. If you want to see a textbook oshi match, review this one. Aoiyama was about perfect today, and ends the match 3-2.

Kotoeko defeats Shimanoumi – Kotoeko continues his unexplainable dominance of Shimanoumi, now at 12-3. Shimanoumi put in about twice as much sumo action into this match as Kotoeko, but in a brief moment, allowed Kotoeko a left hand mawashi grip, and that was all he needed to put Shimanoumi away. Kotoeko improves to 3-2.

Wakamotoharu defeats Myogiryu – Myogiryu did not keep at thrusting range at the tachiai, and allowed Wakamotoharu to get a belt grip and dictate the match to be yotsu. This really gave him a firm advantage, and the rest of the bout was Wakamotoharu showing great form, and walking Myogiryu out. Both men end the day 3-2.

Tobizaru defeats Chiyoshoma – Chiyoshoma’s right foot was a bit too far back at the initial merge, and it cost him the ability to advance strongly at the second step. As a result, he did not move Tobizaru out of the center of the ring, and allowed monkey-boy a chance to rally and advance. Tobizaru gets a left hand grip, and tugs Chiyoshoma’s mawashi back and forth quite a bit, and for some reason Chiyoshoma goes soft and lets Tobizaru walk him out. Ok… Tobizaru now 3-2.

Kotonowaka defeats Okinoumi – Okinoumi count not overcome Kotonowaka’s solid, well-placed grip. Sure, Okinoumi is fighting at what looks like reduced power, but Kotonowaka’s sumo really seems to get better each week. He’s now 4-1.

Hokutofuji defeats Sadanoumi – Man, look at how low Hokutofuji stays during this match. For a man his size both in height and girth, that is quite impressive. In fact, Sadanoumi sets up in great form, but just can’t contend with that much mass at that height. Solid performance for Hokutofuji, and he improves to 3-2.

Takayasu defeats Takarafuji – Takayasu, for the first time this basho, showed a hint of his “wild man sumo” that was probably the cause for him losing Ozeki. But he does settle down and takes a chest to chest fight to Takarafuji. He keeps up the pressure, never letting Takarafuji plant his feet and lower his hips to defend. He remains unbeaten at 5-0.

Ichinojo defeats Endo – My 5 year old son sometimes refers to Ichinojo as “Big Sumo”, and on days like today, that moniker fits nicely. He breaks Endo’s grip and renders him little more than ballast as “Big Sumo” walks forward to place a clearly disappointed Endo on the back side of the bales. Both end the day 3-2. Sometimes, being enormous is a valid sumo strategy.

Daieisho defeats Ura – Big change in tachiai from Daieisho today, and it was well warranted. Whatever Ura had in mind at the tachiai was discarded, and it left him poorly balanced for the rest of the match. Although we got to see Ura try a couple of energetic combos, he never did quite have his feet stable, and Daieisho waited for his moment to blast Ura off the dohyo with a forceful tsukidashi. Daieisho improves to 3-2.

Abi defeats Takanosho – Ok, that’s two days in a row. Abi is up to something, and I like it. Today he augmented his double arm thrust combo with a grab and tug against Takanosho to finish the match. Takanosho was completely unprepared for that one, as was I. They assigned the kimarate as hikkake, or “arm-grabbing force out”. Abi is 4-1, and growing more inventive by the day. Oh yes, and for the second match in a row, Hoshoryu gets a rikishi deposited in his lap. Quite the popular fellow.

Wakatakakage defeats Hoshoryu – Perhaps it was all of the effort Hoshoryu had to put into dodging Ura and Takanosho. But Hoshoryu really did not have much offense today, and it was a rapid butsugari style grab and push for Wakatakakage. He joins Abi as a member of the Sekiwake 4-1 club.

Shodai defeats Onosho – Well, it was rough, it almost didn’t happen, but Shodai did in fact win his first match today. Onosho charged in with a lot of power, and controlled the match until Shodai landed a right hand inside. At that moment Onosho could have escaped, but then Shodai’s right hand found Onosho’s mawashi, and the Ozeki had a chance to win. He wasted no time, rotating into a most welcome uwatenage, sending Onosho to the clay. Shodai finally puts his first white star on the board at 1-4.

Kiribayama defeats Mitakeumi – Firstly, Kiribayama is starting to take on almost Yoshikaze levels of “on any given day, this guy can beat you” sort of feel. He was in the back seat for the first ¾ of this match, but for some reason Mitakeumi decided he was going to pause and try to consolidate his controlling position. I am going to guess because he had Kiribayama left hand outside, Mitakeumi assumed that Kiribayama was not much of a threat. Bad choice, shin-Ozeki. Kiribayama worked with what he had, and marched a surprised Mitakeumi out. That’s Mitakeumi’s first loss of Haru, and both end the day 4-1.

Takakeisho defeats Meisei – Takakeisho continues to put himself in sub-optimal positions for “his brand of sumo”. Today he stayed closer to Meisei than is typical for a Takakeisho match, but he made it work. Meisei had a few good returns in the first few steps from the tachiai, but Takakeisho found his mark and kept the pressure going, sending Meisei out. Takakeisho now 3-2.

Tamawashi defeats Terunofuji – We saw it again today. In Terunofuji’s run to Yokozuna, and even in January, his match style was to absorb the tachiai, set up a strong and stable defense, and wait his opponent out. Something has him unable to do that. I have heard some reports of a foot injury troubling the Yokozuna, and if true he should just go kyujo now. It manifested itself today in Terunofuji not being able to maintain his position in the face of Tamawashi’s thrusting attack, which sent the Yokozuna over the side of the dohyo to land with an oversize resounding thud inches away from the yobidashi’s pedestal. That’s a kinboshi for Tamawashi, his 5th, as he advances to 2-3.