Basho day 3 usually presents a great opportunity for the scheduling crew to pair off 1-1 rikishi and start the sorting process early. This happens with gusto today, so expect everyone below the san’yaku to have an even pairing, and you will likely be correct.

Given what happened to Terunofuji on day 2, I have to say that it’s time to see if he has a bit of a performance problem this March. Like Shodai he had a turn with COVID-19 in the break between Hatsu and Heru. It would be a massive shame if he was also suffering with lingering strength and endurance problems, which is all to common among people who recover from COVID. We all hope that is not the case, but day 2 Terunofuji got jumped by Daieisho, and that was a bit of a surprise to me.

What We Are Watching Day 3

Kagayaki vs Kotokuzan – I would like to think that Kagayaki is going to get his sumo in shape for a 10-5 run this time out, but so far its looking more like 7-7 going into day 15. What I liked in prior days about his sumo was that it was all fundamentals based, and these sumo mechanics simply work when they are executed well. They may not take you to Ozeki, but they can get you a firm spot in the top division. I have no idea what has gone wrong with him, but I want it to pass. I am guessing Kotokuzan of picking up the win today in this 1-1 match.

Nishikigi vs Ichiyamamoto – Nishikigi has a 2-0 start, and before we start thinking he will get one more Cinderella trip to san’yaku, he’s going to take down many more rikishi. He has a 1-3 career deficit against Ichiyamamoto, so another day to gamberize for him.

Kotoshoho vs Yutakayama – in spite of the mega-bandage on Yutakayama’s right arm, he seems to be moving well enough to have a 2-0 start to this tournament. So time to see what he has against Kotoshoho. Kotoshoho is lighter and faster, and may evade Yutakayama’s standard approach of bracketing his opponent and then driving him out. It’s a mini version of stablemate Shodai’s “Wall of Daikon”, and he has been using it with great effect since last tournament.

Tochinoshin vs Chiyonokuni – Raise your hand if you want to see Tochinoshin use that forearm strike on Chiyonokuni’s chin? Not that I want to see sumo’s “Grumpy Badger” injured. Rather, I think it would be considered an invitation to brutal Chiyonokuni delivered beat down the likes of which we have not seen since 2017. Go ahead, piss him off.

Chiyomaru vs Akua – The good news? One of these poor guys is going to get their first win. The bad news? Someone is going 0-3. I like Chiyomaru’s chances today, as Akua seems to be encrusted with ring rust right now, and nothing short of a steel brush and bucket of WD-40 will improve his sumo.

Chiyotairyu vs Terutsuyoshi – Another solid 1-1 match, its big man vs small man sumo, and frankly I like Terutsuyoshi in this one. He’s shown that up against a large opponent, he is quite capable of getting inside and causing a lot of havoc. Chiyotairyu seems to be running at reduced power so far, and I hope that’s just the local seafood giving him a bit of a digestive surprise.

Myogiryu vs Kotoeko – Yes, its true that in this 1-1 match Myogiryu has a 7-1 career advantage over Kotoeko. But hey, Kotoeko has looked pretty sharp both days, in spite of his day 1 loss. So I am going to guess that he has a solid chance to take a white star from Myogiryu today, doubly so if he can convince Myogiryu to go chest to chest.

Aoiyama vs Wakamotoharu – It Osaka, and while the local food seems to unsettle Chiyotairyu, it appears to really benefit Big Dan Aoiyama. Year after year, he turns in good scores in Osaka. Is it the beer? The Okonomiyaki? Please note, good Okonomiyaki is tough to come by in Tokyo. I think that it’s going to be fun to watch what he does with Wakamotoharu today. They met once before, and it was all Aoiyama.

Tobizaru vs Shimanoumi – I don’t know why, but each tournament I find myself wanting Tobizaru to do well. Now that he has a little warm up routine that is oh so simian prior to the tachiai, he’s even better in my book. He is 6-8 against Shimanoumi, who is still looking for his first win.

Sadanoumi vs Okinoumi – Both of these excellent veterans are winless. At least one of them will get their shonichi today. But that means that one of them will have a 0-3 start. Terrible.

Takayasu vs Chiyoshoma – Oh man, what a great match. I can’t wait to see this one. Chiyoshoma seems to be “born again” in terms of serious sumo. He’s going up against a surprisingly genki Takayasu. Both are 2-0, and this one may have fireworks. Takayasu has a 3-1 career advantage over Chiyoshoma, but will Takayasu go for an endurance contest? Oh, we can only hope.

Kotonowaka vs Ishiura – For reasons we can only guess at, Kotonowaka has never beaten Ishiura in 5 attempts. Given their size difference, this comes as a surprise. Ishiura has a 1-1 before today, Kotonowaka 2-0. Two great matches in the middle of the torikumi. I better put another can of Yebisu in the fridge for this.

Takarafuji vs Hokutofuji – One of these days, Hokutofuji is going to win his first match. At least that is what we think will happen. Someone make sure he’s getting enough chanko, ok? I know he’s the owner of the “Most powerful make-koshi in all of sumo” but a 0-3 start would be pushing the meme a bit far.

Onosho vs Endo – This is my favorite out of all the 1-1 matches today. I think Onosho will be a bit more reserved today given how he was completely run amok and dumped across the tawara on day 2. If Endo can get a right hand grip, it’s time for Onosho to get a clay facial, I fear. Endo holds a 6-3 career record.

Takanosho vs Tamawashi – Tamawashi comes into day 3 with a 0-2 cold start. I am not sure his fortunes will improve today, as he has a 1-4 career deficit to Takanosho, who brings a 1-1 to the dohyo in the second half of today’s action. I think a big opening salvo may be enough to give him the advantage today, but I am skeptical that he has the power right now to produce that.

Kiribayama vs Abi – Interestingly enough, a first ever match up. I would be surprised if Kiribayama can figure out Abi-zumo on the first try. Its a lot like learning how to dodge an arrow the first time you see one coming your way. As Abi has a 1-1 start, he may get his second win today, unless Kiribayama can find an opening on the first step.

Wakatakakage vs Meisei – Wakatakakage certainly looks to be fighting strongly so far, but all it is going to take is one bad day to break his run. Will Meisei disrupt him? I don’t think its too likely. Meisei has a 2-4 career deficit, and is not fighting above his average right now.

Hoshoryu vs Takakeisho – One of these days, Hoshoryu will win his first match. If he can get a hold of Takakeisho’s mawashi, then it’s his match to win. But after the soft performance from the Ozeki on day 2, I don’t think we are going to see him let anyone near his belt again this March.

Shodai vs Ichinojo – I hate to say it, but I am calling for Shodai to likely lose this one as well. He’s clearly not in fighting form, and I expect everyone is going to use him as a door mat this tournament.

Daieisho vs Mitakeumi – Fresh from collecting a kinboshi, Daieisho pulls up against possibly the most genki person in the tournament. I would love to see Mitakeumi just crush Daieisho today, but I expect that Daieisho is going to give him a hard fight, and I consider this fairly close to even as of right now, in spite of Mitakeumi’s 13-7 career record.

Terunofuji vs Ura – How banged up is Terunofuji foot? There are some reports that he injured a heel, and if true, he needs to consider going kyujo before he turns into a kinboshi dispenser deluxe. Ura has never beaten him, and if Terunofuji is healthy, I don’t expect he will today, either.

While we are only on day 2, there are some clear early standouts for the first act of Haru. I would put shin-Ozeki Mitakeumi at the head of this list. It’s easy to wonder if Mitakeumi had just managed to put together enough wins over the past 6 months to finally hit the 33 mark. But looking at his sumo in the opening two days, his sumo really does seem to have improved to a new level. Close behind is Wakatakakage, whose sumo is tack sharp right now. Daieisho picked up a kinboshi today with a 2-0 start, and then there is Takayasu, who has not had a really good basho in some time looking more like that Sekiwake guy who was on the road to Ozeki years ago. While it is only day 2, it’s great to see some favorites having strong start to a tournament.

Highlight Matches

Kotokuzan defeats Ichiyamamoto – Ichiyamamoto reverts back to straight oshi today, but to my eye, it looks like he is keeping his head down in response to Kotokuzan’s tsuppari attacks. This leaves him wide open for the hatakikomi slap down that Kotokuzan serves up to take the match. Both end the day 1-1.

Kagayaki defeats Akua – Kagayaki started strong, but he could not hold the inside hand position, and Akua rallied. After pushing Kagayaki back, Akua reaches forward to pull, directly into a Kagayaki thrust combo. Akua takes a second push to his chest and launches into Dejima (shimpan Onaruto oyakata), who did not look to be in good condition afterward. Kagayaki advances to 1-1.

Nishikigi defeats Tochinoshin – Another opening hit from Tochinoshin, but Nishikigi powers through it and goes right hand inside against the former Ozeki. Unable to get any kind of grip against Nishikigi (he blew his chance with that opening hit), Tochinoshin struggles a bit for any kind of offense as Nishikigi keeps moving forward, and puts Tochinoshin out of the ring. Nishikigi with a 2-0 start.

Yutakayama defeats Chiyomaru – Chiyomaru focuses all of his thrusting power high against Yutakayama’s neck and face, while Yutakayama attacks center mass. It was an even fight until Yutakayama’s hands found Chiyomaru arm pits. With a hazuoshi in place, Yutakayama found it easier to move forward, and made quick work of Chiyomaru, improving to 2-0.

Chiyonokuni defeats Kotoshoho – Kotoshoho had a solid start, but a poorly timed pulling attack left him off balance, and gave Chiyonokuni a chance to regroup. Chiyonokuni pressed forward on offense, and from there it was his match. The finishing move came with Kotoshoho lunging forward, and Chiyonokuni stepping to the side, striking him down as he passed. Both are now 1-1 for March.

Myogiryu defeats Chiyotairyu – Chiyotairyu went for his standard “stand them up then slap them down” opening combo, but Myogiryu was having none of it. Myogiryu found room to push, moving Chiyotairyu, who then chose to pull against Myogiryu’s forward pressure. Chiyotairyu tumbled at the edge of the dohyo, taking a significant chunk of clay from the corner. Both end the day 1-1.

Kotoeko defeats Terutsuyoshi – Terutsuyoshi had the opening advantage, but you can see the point where Kotoeko gets his feet set, and shuts down any further frontal offense from Terutsuyoshi. To me that looked a bit like some gaburi-yori, and it was quite effective against Terutsuyoshi. Kotoeko picks up his first win to improve to 1-1.

Aoiyama defeats Tobizaru – Ah springtime, the month of March is when Aoiyama really seems to have his sumo together each year, and right now he’s looking fairly strong. He can’t quite seem to get the V-Twin attack going, but he manages to grab a hold of Tobizaru, and never lets him get any offense started. Aoiyama improves to 2-0.

Wakamotoharu defeats Shimanoumi – Wakamotoharu’s opening gambit rewarded him with a left hand inside position. Try as he might, Shimanoumi could not lower his hips to power forward, and could not break contact to switch to oshi-zumo. With a solid right hand mawashi grip, Wakamotoharu was in no rush to conclude the match, and waited for Shimanoumi to tire a bit, then walked him out. Wakamotoharu picks up his first win to go to 1-1.

Takayasu defeats Sadanoumi – A bit of a “kitchen sink” match that featured an oshi start and a yotsu finish. Sadanoumi did a great job of taking the fight to Takayasu, but I am going to guess that Takayasu is fairly genki right now, as that finishing throw was a bit like Terunofuji deciding it was time to finish a match. Wow. Takayasu now 2-0.

Chiyoshoma defeats Okinoumi – This match was all Okinoumi up until the last moment. Okinoumi carefully assembled a solid hold of Chiyoshoma a piece at a time, then worked to position for a throw. As Okinoumi rotated, Chiyoshoma turned, and threw Okinoumi down first. Great recovery from Chiyoshoma, and solid sumo again today. He’s 2-0 and looking good.

Kotonowaka defeats Takarafuji – Its rare to see Takarafuji lose a match where he had an early advantage. Kotonowaka was high at the tachiai, and his opening volley was vague. Takarafuji’s did not answer strongly, and circled away. You can see him stumble for a moment, and Kotonowaka used that moment to finish Takarafuji off. Kotonowaka with a 2-0 start.

Ishiura defeats Hokutofuji – You can see Hokutofuji move a hand to behind Ishiura’s head in the opening moments of this match, ceeding the inside position to Ishiura, and more or less giving up any chance for offense. We see Hokutofuji try multiple times to pull, and each one gives Ishiura a bit more advantage. Try a different combo tomorrow, Hokutofuji. Ishiura gets his first win and is 1-1.

Endo defeats Meisei – Meisei did a great job of blocking Endo’s right hand at the tachiai, and during the early portion of the match. But Meisei could not convert his advantage to a win, and Endo was relentless, eventually getting his right hand frontal grip. Two steps later, it was uwatenage time, and Meisei hit the clay. Endo takes his first win, and is 1-1.

Kiribayama defeats Hoshoryu – Hoshoryu opened strong, but it looks like he did not keep his eyes on Kiribayama, and managed to allow Kiribayama to evade him, get to the side and set up an asymmetrical grip. The moment Hoshoryu realizes his shoulders and hips are not facing his opponent is just a single step before Kiribayama executes the throw, and its down to the clay Hoshoryu goes. I am going to chalk this up to ring rust. Kiribayama improves to 2-0.

Wakatakakage defeats Onosho – A pair of poor choices from Onosho led to his rapid defeat today. He came in high at the tachiai, and immediately attempted a pull. He may have gotten away with it against some rikishi, but Wakatakakage gad a solid hold of his opponent, and blasted Onosho out of the ring, throwing Onosho face first into the clay. Wakatakakage starts Haru 2-0. 20 bonus points for Onosho’s expression following the match, a clear “Well, that was dumb” if ever there was one…

Abi defeats Tamawashi – Much better demo of Abi-zumo today, he gets his hands up and inside at the tachiai, and Tamawashi just cannot respond in time. I am not sure what has Tamawashi at about 20% off his normal intensity, but at this rank he is going to have a tough two weeks if he can’t find a way to rally. Abi improves to 1-1.

Takanosho defeats Shodai – Man, Shodai, this is going to be brutal sir. You can see him try to set up defense and use even a fraction of the “Wall of Daikon”, but Takanosho has control of the attack lane and its a fast trip over the bales for Shodai. Takanosho 1-1. I don’t know where Shodai can go at this point, it seems the lingering COVID problems are going to keep him from executing any real sumo. Brutal.

Mitakeumi defeats Ura – Well, Ura was left without much to try today. Mitakeumi applied a battle hug and just plowed the man in pink into the waiting lap of Futagoyama oyakata. Absolutely impenetrable defensive footwork from Mitakeumi today. 2-0 start for Mitakeumi.

Ichinojo defeats Takakeisho – Takakeisho could not get an opening thrust in, and Ichinojo went chest to chest with the Ozeki. At this point there is exactly nothing Takakeisho was going to be able to do, and it was just of question of when Ichinojo was ready to win this match. Ichinojo’s first win, he’s 1-1.

Daieisho defeats Terunofuji – Daieisho picks up a kinboshi, surprising Yokozuna Terunofuji with a strong counter attack. The match started evenly, with Daieisho taking advantage of his superior maneuverability, forcing the Yokozuna to persue. This is a risk for Terunofuji as his injured knees limit his mobility, especially his ability to pivot. Moments later Daieisho catches Terunofuji turned to the side, and runs him out. Solid match from Daieisho, and maybe an off day from Terunofuji. Daieisho with a 2-0 start to Haru.

It’s day 2 in Osaka, and the big matches are (for me) Ishiura and Hokutofuji, Chiyoshoma and Okinoumi, Onosho and Wakatakakage, and Ura against Mitakeumi. Lets take a look at the fight card.

I will point out to folks that Team Tachiai tend to divide the basho in 3 distinct acts, as each 5 day period seem to have different goals, and purpose. For Act 1, the purpose is to remove ring rust, see who is hot and who is not. With just one day behind us, its still quite early to see who will emerge hot from the first few days, but day 2 always has a surprise or two.

What We Are Watching Day 2

Ichiyamamoto vs Kotokuzan – Was day 1 an improvisation for Ichiyamamoto, or a peek at a broader array of sumo skills? I would love to think that it’s the latter. I know that one dimensional sumo can still be quite successful sumo, but I find myself missing the versatilty of some rikishi of recent days. Kotokuzan is still looking for his first win of March, and he has a 1-1 record against Ichiyamamoto, so I am looking for an even battle here today.

Akua vs Kagayaki – Neither one of these guys won their day 1 match, with Akua absorbing that brutal forearm strike from Tochinoshin that may have left him a bit disoriented. He has not lost to Kagayaki in either of their 2 prior matches, so this may be a fair test to see if there is any lasting damage for Akua from his day 1 fight.

Nishikigi vs Tochinoshin – Nishikigi’s poor eyesight means he always fights from close range, and his sumo is squarely in the yotsu school. Will we see Tochinoshin attempt another first step win today? That was a bold move on his part, brutal and quite effective. While I don’t prefer to see rikishi injuring their opponents, it’s still well within the rules.

Chiyomaru vs Yutakayama – In spite of his day 1 win, Yutakayama looks really sloppy. That right arm seems to almost have some kind of soft cast on it, and it is going to limit his performance this March. I would think that Chiyomaru, if he can resist the urge to pull, should have the upper hand today.

Kotoshoho vs Chiyonokuni – I worry that Chiyonokuni is still hurt enough that his sumo is not up to top division standards. He just seems to struggle to generate the power needed to make his move and strike sumo really pay off. His whole technique comes down to massive hits from the side as he shifts away from where you are working to counter attack. Kotoshoho lost their prior match back in November, but I think he has a strong chance to prevail today.

Myogiryu vs Chiyotairyu – Myogiryu got dropped on the first step on day 1, and I am sure he was duly embarrassed by that. I expect he is going to come back strong against Chiyotairyu today. Chiyotairyu managed a very clever win on day 1, but I am going to guess he can’t quite muster the power he once enjoyed, so lets see what he can employ today.

Kotoeko vs Terutsuyoshi – Two compact, highly aggressive rikishi going head to head, yes please! Hopefully Kotoeko keeps his eyes on Terutsuyoshi’s center mass. It would be a shame for “Little T” to pull a stunt two days in a row.

Tobizaru vs Aoiyama – Great clash of styles here, megafauna Aoiyama’s low-gear stump blasting power vs Tobizaru’s high agility combo attack style. They have an even 2-2 record across their career, and history shows that they are going to have an even fight. Make sure to have your sake ready for this one.

Shimanoumi vs Wakamotoharu – Both men are looking for their first win of Haru, and the bad news is that one of them will exit today’s match 0-2. I think Wakamotoharu may have a slight edge in dexterity, and Shimanoumi going to have an edge in overall power. So I expect this will come down to who can get their hands to the inside, and who can get a working defensive foot placement first.

Takayasu vs Sadanoumi – This one should be a “gimme” for Takayasu. He looked strong, calm and confident on day 1, which I would expect after getting forced into taking a basho off due to COVID kyujo. He has a 5-0 record over Sadanoumi, and I see no reason for him not to continue his winning streak today.

Chiyoshoma vs Okinoumi – Chiyoshoma continues to show skillful, clever sumo. But I really prefer Okinoumi’s chance in this match. His superior catalog of sumo moves and counter moves should be enough to overcome whatever advantage Chiyoshoma may have in terms of youth and speed.

Takarafuji vs Kotonowaka – I say that I think Kotonowaka is “going to be a big deal”. This match is a way for him to underscore that prognosis, if he is overcome Takarafuji’s strong defensive sumo. Kotonowaka bring plenty of mass and power tp this match, but Takarafuji gets to train with Terunofuji, which more or less prepares him to survive any opponent.

Hokutofuji vs Ishiura – Great clash of styles here, we have the smaller more “inside” fighter in Ishiura, and the larger more thrust powered Hokutofuji. I like Hokutofuji’s chances today, even though they share as 3-3 career record, and both have yet to score their first win.

Endo vs Meisei – Endo showed up with what I am going to guess is a healthy amount of ring rust. He looked vague and not very focused on day 1. I know he can fight, and I know he can win. He has a 6-2 record over Meisei, so hopefully he will be sharp and aggressive today.

Kiribayama vs Hoshoryu – I did not expect Hoshoryu to really give much of a contest to Terunofuji on day one. So for me, this is the first “real” day of the basho for him. I hope he can bring his best sumo against Kiribayama, who would probably like to get a named rank back some time soon.

Wakatakakage vs Onosho – This match just oozes blinding offense. Will Onosho get too far over his toes again and eat Osaka clay, or will we see Wakatakakage catch a full broadside and end up in the 3rd row? Either way, I think this match has a high potential for fireworks.

Tamawashi vs Abi – I am surprised that Abi tends to dominate matches with Tamawashi (4-2), when Tamawashi has more mass and excellent stability in most cases. But I supposed Abi puts so much power in each thrust, it just takes one to get any opponent in trouble.

Shodai vs Takanosho – I am going to dread watching Shodai’s matches, knowing that he’s still trying to shake the effects of his COVID infection from weeks ago. Although he has an 8-4 career advantage over Takanosho, I would give onigiri-kun a clear advantage over the man with the damaged lungs.

Ura vs Mitakeumi – Ura could not get a win on day 1 against Takakeisho, but he looked solid enough in his match that I don’t think he’s anything short of “good” for week 1. He has a 0-2 record against Mitakeumi, so I guess he is going to get bounced around today and tossed out for loss. I hope Ura can keep his fighting sprint intact until his “easier” week 2.

Ichinojo vs Takakeisho – I think Takakeisho is probably healthy, and if he is, he should dominate Ichinojo. I know myself and Ichinojo fans get frustrated the the Boulder seems to lose patience when he’s in the drivers seat in a match, and let advantages slip through his fingers. I don’t expect him to do much against Takakeisho today.

Terunofuji vs Daieisho – This should be a good fight, much more chance for real battle than the day 1 match against Hoshoryu. Daieisho is happy to fight full power against anyone, any time, and I think we will get to see how tuned up Terunofuji is for Osaka.