Bruce is nursing an ugly cold, so just the basics for today’s highlight post. No changes to the leaderboard as the top men all take their matches. The funnel is running quite well at the moment, and I predict a good crop of 7-7 rikishi on day 15, including some famous names.

Highlight Matches

Daiamami defeats Aoiyama – In spite of his loss, Aoiyama looked better today in terms of power and movement than he has all basho. He puts up a solid fights against Daiamami as the two trade thrusting attacks. But a missed slap by Aoiyama followed by a quick slap down by Daiamami gave him the match, he improves to 5-4 and returns to Juryo.

Kotonowaka defeats Tochinoshin – Tochinoshin established his preferred left hand outside against Kotonowaka early, but then for some reason gave it up. What followed was a series of pulling attempts from Tochinoshin that left him jumping backwards out of the ring. Kotonowaka improves to 7-2.

Oho defeats Yutakayama – This match was all Yutakayama until his attempt at a finishing move with Oho at the bales fell apart. Oho rallied and surged forward, dispatching Yutakayama with a sukuinage, sending him over the bales. Oho improves to 6-3.

Kaisei defeats Chiyomaru – Kaisei closed the distance to Chiyomaru, and kept the big Kokenoe man at his chest. Normally Chiyomaru wants to get to the side or behind Kaisei in these matches, but Kaisei pined him to the front quadrant and walking him out with power. Kaisei improves to 5-4.

Kotoeko defeats Chiyotairyu – Chiyotairyu opened fast and powerful, and was clearly going for a “stand him up / pull him down” attack. His pull failed, and that gave control of the match to Kotoeko. He took a double inside grip against Chiyotairyu, and drove him from the ring. Kotoeko improves to 7-2, his next win will bring him kachi-koshi.

Ishiura defeats Tsurugisho – Great match plan by Ishiura. He hits and immediately moves to Tsurugisho’s left side, getting a left hand inside grip. He pauses for a moment to consolidate his position, then unleashes a twisting hineri that sends Tsurugisho to the clay in a heap. Ishiura improves to 5-4.

Wakamotoharu defeats Terutsuyoshi – Wakamotoharu captures Terutsuyoshi early, and it looks like Terutsuyoshi had zero response ready to this situation. Wakamotoharu walks him back, and puts him across the bales for the win. Wakamotoharu improves to 5-4.

Sadanoumi defeats Chiyonokuni – No, today was not the day that Chiyonokuni won his first match of Hatsu. Chiyonokuni gets in exactly one combo, which was off balance enough that Sadanoumi gets behind him and shoves him out for a win. I do have to wonder if Chiyonokuni is going for a zenpai now. I mean you have gotten it to 9-0, why not take it all the way? Sadanoumi 5-4.

Tobizaru defeats Ichiyamamoto – An Ichiyamamoto pull down attempt on the 3rd exchange of thrusts threw this match away. Up to that point, he was holding his own against Tobizaru, and could probably worn him down, and gotten him off balance while Tobizaru was on the move. Instead, its Tobizaru with the win, improving to 5-4.

Takarafuji defeats Akua – Look at how efficient Takarafuji’s sumo is today. I doubt he took more than 10 steps to get that win. Akua tries his kakenage and Takarafuji puts him down, improving to 7-2. Akua picks up his 8th loss and is make-koshi.

Abi defeats Myogiryu – Abi lands a couple of hits, but Myogiryu responds in kind, and with excess power. This was probably part of the plan to begin with. Now that Myogiryu is dialed up to maximum energy, Abi steps to the side, sending Myogiryu plunging down. Abi improves to 7-2.

Chiyoshoma defeats Shimanoumi – Chiyoshoma has to the favorite rikishi of the funnel, as he is very much in the win one / lose one tempo most tournaments. He sails a straight path right on the make / kachi-koshi line most basho, and that’ what Darwin’s funnel is all about. Offensively, it was all Chiyoshoma today, who landed a couple of thrusting combos, then delivered a nice under shoulder swing down (katasukashi) to improve to 4-5.

Hoshoryu defeats Endo – Endo showed his greater experience and years of training early. He shut down Hoshoryu’s route to thrust center mass, and robbed him of any meaningful hold. Points to Hoshoryu, who stayed in the match and improvised well. He got to the side of Endo an cranked up the power, sending him on a one way trip to his 7th loss. Hoshoryu improves to 6-3.

Ichinojo defeats Ura – Once Ichinojo captured Ura, the match was basically won. I think Ura took a while to try and figure out what if anything he could do from underneath the Boulder. But really there was nothing for it. What I take exception with was that shove by Ichinojo after the match was already won that sent Ura to visit one of the NHK camera men in the crowd. Bad form, sir. Ichinojo improves to 5-4.

Wakatakakage defeats Tamawashi – Its an amazing thing, Wakatakakage has never lost to Tamawashi. I am not sure why this would be the case, but here we are again today. Wakatakakage gets his hands inside against Tamawashi’s chest, and uses them to push him around and then out. Wakatakakage improves to 4-5.

Kiribayama defeats Daieisho – Daieisho’s opening thrust attacks missed their marks, leaving him wide open for Kiribayama to take whatever hold he wanted. With Kiribayama at his chest, Daieisho really had very little offense to employ, and was at that point just along for the ride. They both end the day at 3-6.

Takanosho defeats Onosho – Onosho is able to get a couple of solid hits to land, but Takanosho stays in the match and works to bracket him. By the 3rd step, Takanosho has Onosho pinned down with a superb hazu-oshi, and starts walking him back, taking the win a moment later as Onosho crosses over the tawara. Takanosho improves to 5-4.

Mitakeumi defeats Okinoumi – Yet again we get a Mitakeumi express rip through the station at full throttle. Okinoumi was barely a speed bump as the Original Tadpole rushed westward, taking his opponent with him. A perfect 9-0 for Mitakeumi now.

Meisei defeats Shodai – Shodai, you puss bucket. Shodai had a strong start, although his typical crummy tachiai was evident. Shodai even trotted out the “Wall of Daikon” for a moment, and it was working well. But then Meisei quips, “Nawh, not today, mate!”, shifts his balance and puts Shodai out. Both end the day at 4-5. That’s only the second time Meisei has won over Shodai in 10 attempts. Shows you where Shodai is on his relative genki scale…. Oh, then the gyoji blows the call. Perfect match.

Terunofuji defeats Hokutofuji – Well, good effort by Hokutofuji. We get to see him do a number of his favorite things, including that right hand nodowa. I am sure it hurt, but Terunofuji did not let it impact his sumo. While Hokutofuji is busy with that useless right hand nodowa, in comes the Yokozuna’s left hand and connects with Hokutofuji’s mawashi. The rest of the match is Terunofuji trying to get his right hand grip as well. After a few minutes, he decides he’s not going to get it, and unleashes a throw instead. Hokutofuji hits the clay as Terunofuji picks up his 8th win and is kachi-koshi for Hatsu.

With the middle weekend done, it’s time to get to the all important second week. We start this final run to senshuraku with a single man atop the yusho leaderboard, perpetual Sekiwake Mitakeumi. Already kachi-koshi with a perfect 8-0 score, he could go kyujo today and retain his Sekiwake 1 East rank, no questions asked. But on his sumo “to do” list is a promotion to Ozeki. He has come close at least twice, just to have the attempt fall apart in the second week. So many sumo fans, both boosters and detractors of Mitakeumi, are eagerly watching to see what he is able to do in the final 7 days. I think the most recent failure caused him to utter the word “FORK” loudly while walking back to the shitaku-beya following a crucial loss. Then again I may have translated that wrong, my Japanese is very poor.

In numerical terms, he needs 5 more wins to hit the 33 wins over 3 basho criteria, by hitting at least a 13-2 result. This would be equal to his best ever basho score, where he won his first yusho. I know he can do this, but the next 7 days are more about him keeping his head together, keeping his focus sharp and his sumo sharper. His toughest matches will include bouts with Terunofuji, Shodai and Takanosho, and the one I think may be the spoiler – Hokutofuji. They have a 22 match career history that favors Mitakeumi 12-10, but you know that Hokutofuji wants to be the man that takes out the yusho leader. I think we will get our look at that match sooner rather than later.

Hatsu Leaderboard

Leader: Mitakeumi
Hunt Group: Terunofuji
Chasers: Tamawashi, Onosho, Abi , Takarafuji, Kotonowaka, Kotoeko

7 matches remain

What We Are Watching Day 9

Aoiyama vs Daiamami – Daiamami up from Juryo to fill that stubborn banzuke gap, and he faces a diminished Aoiyama, who is near the bottom of the top division, and squarely in the middle of the funnel at 4-4. Aoiyama has a 6-2 career advantage, so he clearly has a recipe for defeating Daiamami, but can he execute today…

Kotonowaka vs Tochinoshin – Kotonowaka is not small or light enough to be a good “sky-crane” candidate in Tochinoshin’s current injury plagued condition. Like Aoiyama we may see Tochinoshin fighting to keep his spot in the top division this week. Kotonowakak is fighting well at 6-2, and needs just 2 more wins for his kachi-koshi.

Oho vs Yutakayama – Oho has a 2-0 career advantage over Yutakayama, but let’s face it, this the same guy 6 years in the past. Oho has none of the injuries and problems that hamper Yutakayama today, and I think the fact that he is young, fresh and healthy will be the deciding factor in this match.

Chiyomaru vs Kaisei – If there is a theme here, I don’t like it. We have a whole raft of long serving top division men at the bottom of the banzuke with 4-4 records starting day 9, squarely in the middle of the funnel, and quite possibly fighting their final week in the top division for a while or for their careers. All of them are arch competitors that are aging out of the sport, so I expect them to go down fighting – hard. Sadly, I would give Chiyomaru and edge in this match.

Kotoeko vs Chiyotairyu – I find myself not really believing that Kotoeko needs just 2 more wins for his kachi-koshi. After a disastrous 3-12 score in Kyusho, it was easy to imagine him too injured to maintain his status as a Sekitori. But he seems to be back into his sumo and fighting well. The best his opponent Chiyotairyu can hope for is a win today, and a chance to break back into the funnel group. Brutal.

Ishiura vs Tsurugisho – Like Chiyotairyu, Tsurugisho’s 3-5 score have placed severe limits on his chances of getting to a winning record this January. He would need to win 5 of the remaining 7 matches, and that would be a rough rode if he was not fighting hurt. If he is feeling ok on day 9, he can use his superior size to dominate Ishiura, but we will see if he can summon the energy to do that.

Wakamotoharu vs Terutsuyoshi – If you wonder why so many rikishi with 4-4 and 3-5 scores are facing each other, its part of the funnel process. The team that make the fight roster each day are working hard to bring as many men to a 7-7 score at the end of day 14. I call this “Darwin’s Funnel”, and you can see it’s gruesome imprint on this pairing. Terutsuyoshi at 3-5 needs 2 wins just to be in the middle on the funnel, Wakamotoharu needs 2 wins to exit the funnel on the “Winning” side. But because the competition in the top division is so even in skill and power right now, the fight list pairs these evenly matched rikishi together, day after day, to try and keep them all wining one day, and losing the next.

Chiyonokuni vs Sadanoumi – One fellow who is not going to participate in any of that is Chiyonokuni, who is already make-koshi with a perfect zenpai so far. I know he’s going to win at least 1 match this time, so it’s just a question who is going to be the first to take a loss. It would be interesting if it’s Sadanoumi.

Ichiyamamoto vs Tobizaru – Two guys with excellent agility and mobility. Both of whom love to bash and move for as long as they can each tournament day. I am not sure I can give an advantage, both are squarely in the middle of the funnel with 4-4 scores, both need 2 wins to exit the funnel right now on the winning side, and both are likely to be 7-7 at the start of day 15.

Akua vs Takarafuji – The funnel works both for the 4-4 crowd and the people who are on the clear road to kachi-koshi. Here we have 6-2 Takarafuji going up against Akua with just a single win. This is their first ever career match, and I am curious to see what Akua does with Takarafuji’s “defend and extend” sumo. Akua like to dive in with gusto, grab a hold and toss things about. I am not sure he will get too many chances for that today.

Myogiryu vs Abi – Folks may feel let down that Abi has 2 consecutive losses. His 1 dimensional sumo is prone to hot and cold streaks, and he simply hit a soft spot. It’s my guess he will end up with at least 8 wins, and find himself in the joi-jin in March, which will be wonderful to see. I can’t wait to see what Yokozuna Terunofuji does with him.

Shimanoumi vs Chiyoshoma – Chiyoshoma has a 6-2 career advantage, he also needs at least 2 wins to make it back to the middle of the funnel, where Shimanoumi is today. Yep, another brutal funnel match and I think the goal is to have Chiyoshoma win this one and knock Shimanoumi back one.

Hoshoryu vs Endo – Endo is a gloopy mess of uncoordinated sumo right now. It’s a shame because he has a finite number of basho left in him, and it’s a shame he’s not doing well this time out. He’s up against 5-3 Hoshoryu who has never won against him. Should Hoshoryu pull out the white star, he would exit the funnel on the winning side for now.

Ura vs Ichinojo – Much as I love both of these guys, they have matching 4-4 scores and are both marching toward a day 15 Darwin match right now unless they can string together consecutive wins. This is harder in week 2 than it is in week 1, because the rikishi already have 8 days worth of drain on their bodies from fighting at their highest intensity each and every day. I think Ura has an advantage here, as Ichinojo is unlikely to muster the patience to grind Ura down over a long haul match.

Wakatakakage vs Tamawashi – Tamawashi is headed for kachi-koshi land is my assumption right now, unless he hits a soft spot and picks up a few consecutive losses. That may happen today, as he has a 0-3 career deficit against Wakatakakage. Wakatakakage’ superior maneuverability allows him to get to the side or behind Tamawashi, and nullify his considerable defenses. Can he make it 4 in a row?

Kiribayama vs Daieisho – Two from the losing bracket, they are going to fight to see who goes make-koshi first. Both of them are competent fighters, and will be back with renewed vigor (I hope) in March, albeit lower down the banzuke. The split their 4 matches last year 2-2, so there is no way to guess which one holds any kind of edge today.

Onosho vs Takanosho – Onosho is having one of his “good” basho. He’s quite streaky, and he’s on a winning streak right now. He comes up against the much higher ranked Takanosho, who finds himself in the middle of the funnel at 4-4, and like the others of this score, needs consecutive wins to escape. Takanosho has a 6-3 career advantage over Onosho, so I am looking to see if he can shut down Onosho’s mega-thrust attack.

Mitakeumi vs Okinoumi – A battle of the Umi, this is not a one sided battle, though the more recent matches slightly favor Mitakeumi. At this point the pressure of needing to win every day is going to start eating at Mitakeumi’s focus if he is not strictly limiting his thoughts while on the dohyo. Okinoumi is headed for make-koshi anyhow, so maybe he will crank up something stunning from his catalog of sumo techniques and put that round Sekiwake on the clay.

Meisei vs Shodai – Of course Shodai is in the funnel group. Hell, he owns the funnel group. If anyone deserves a Darwin match, it’s shodai. But I am suspecting they may try to protect him this time around. He has a 8-1 career advantage against Meisei, and should be able to dispatch him without too much trouble.

Terunofuji vs Hokutofuji – Ol’ Stompy Hokutofuji always puts on his best sumo, but at 3-5 its clear that he is once again headed to “The Most Powerful Make-Koshi In All Of Sumo“. I wonder if Terunofuji’s 1 loss is helping him at this point. He does not have to worry about his first loss, it’s already happened, and he can focus on just blowing everyone off the dohyo and preparing for the day he goes head to head against Mitakeumi.

With the middle day behind us, it’s time to launch into the second week. Week 2 is fraught with peril. For starters, its where current yusho race leader Mitakeumi tends to fade out, and long term fans of the sport know not to pin any yusho or Ozeki hopes on that guy just yet. While we all hope that he can elevate his sumo and remain strong all the way to day 15, we understand how draining the fight schedule can be.

But to me, the big news is the 15-18 people who are now caught in Darwin’s funnel. This is a good sized cohort, and I look forward to the scheduling committee’s efforts to deliver as many of them as possible to a score of 7-7 at the end of day 14. If they decide to do this, you will see 3 match groups, a “loser track” where everyone is headed for make-koshi. A “winner track” where everyone is headed for kachi-koshi, and the “funnel”. Funnel members fight each other except if they get a score high enough to escape, then they fight someone from the “Winner track” to push them back in. It’s become a bit of a hobby for the folks who draw up the torikumi, and after initially being annoyed by it, I can now see how it’s another subtle layer of brutality woven into sumo. So Japanese, I love it.

Highlight Matches

Kotoshoho defeats Tsurugisho – Chest to chest at the tachiai, and then a battle of strength. Tsurugisho seems to be moving a bit better, and can actually return power when fighting yotsu, so that may be why we see him prefer fighting chest to chest now. He tries to rotate Kotoshoho out a couple of times, but can’t quite get the timing right, and Kotoshoho lines up a big push center-mass when they are at the bales, taking the match and improving to 7-1. I would guess he’s back in the top division in Osaka.

Kotonowaka defeats Aoiyama – Another high-mass thruster relegated to yotsu due to what we suspect is an injury. Aoiyama kept trying to find a way to execute a pull forward / down, and Kotonowaka was having none of it. I think Aoiyama got frustrated, and tried a leg trip, which only took him perilously off balance and gave Kotonowaka the match. Kotonowaka now 6-2.

Oho defeats Ichiyamamoto – Oho wisely did not let Ichiyamamoto get any kind of thrusting attack going. Rather Oho simply blasted ahead with full power, with his hands in direct contact with Ichiyamamoto’s chest. It’s denshamichi time, and Oho is the Yamanote line, improving to 5-2.

Yutakayama defeats Kaisei – Glad to know Yutakayama has studied this month’s prior matches. He sets up to attack Kaisei from the side, which seems to work every time it’s tried. Yutakayama drives Kaisei out with a yorikiri, and both end the day at 4-4, squarely in the funnel.

Wakamotoharu defeats Ishiura – Ishiura found himself in a tough spot after his opening combo did not quite connect. He was able to set up a right side ottsuke to keep Wakamotoharu from getting a left hand grip, but then it was stalemate at the center of the dohyo. Not really able to evolve his position from there, it was up to Wakamotoharu to make the next move, which was an hitakaikomi, winning the match. Both finish at 4-4 and join the growing crowd in the middle of the funnel.

Kotoeko defeats Sadanoumi – Where has this version of Kotoeko been? This is the one I really like, he’s fast, tenacious and wins more than he loses. Sadanoumi launched out of the tachiai slower than is his custom, and I think he was suspecting something like what happened. Kotoeko pulled Sadanoumi forward, stepped to the side and thrust him down to advance to 6-2, leaving Sadanoumi at 4-4 to join the funnel group.

Tochinoshin defeats Terutsuyoshi – Terutsuyoshi immediately latches on to Tochinoshin’s left arm, in a bit to keep Tochinoshin’s primary weapon out of the match. But Terutsuyoshi can’t maintain the hold, and Tochinoshin gets his left hand outside grip. Three steps later Terutsuyoshi is out, and Tochinoshin has improved to 4-4, and joins the funnel.

Chiyotairyu defeats Myogiryu – Off speed tachiai from Chiyotairyu, as I think he suspected some mischief from Myogiryu at the tachiai. Rather than his normal “Win in the first 5 seconds” match plan, Chiyotairyu works to center Myogiryu and takes his time. When he is ready, he drives Myogiryu out for his 3rd win to improve to 3-5. Myogiryu is 4-4, and his ticket is punched to enter the funnel.

Chiyomaru defeats Akua – Chiyomaru with a standup tachiai, he caught Akua and went directly into a thrusting attack combo. The two then proceeded to dial up the power on their blows, with Akua trying for a round-house right hand slap at one point. Not content with bashing each other’s face, these two then took to running each other back and forth across the dohyo. Both kept their footing well enough, but with that much mass in motion, the energy drain was enormous. But Chiyomaru caught a lucky break as Akua attempted to break contact. Finding himself behind Akua, Chiyomaru took him down from behind, picking up the win. He’s now 5-3.

Takarafuji defeats Shimanoumi – I have to say it again, I love how efficient Takarafuji’s sumo is. He keep his body movements to an absolute minimum to reduce opportunities for counter attack. Most days it works. Today, it worked very well indeed. He let Shimanoumi do most of the work, and at one point Shimanoumi rallies and nearly takes the match, but Takarafuji recovers, consolidates his stance, and then slaps Shimanoumi to the clay. Takarafuji improves to 6-2, Shimanoumi joins the funnel.

Hoshoryu defeats Abi – Wow, I guess that’s one way to beat Abi-sumo. Abi opens with his traditional double-arm attack, and Hoshoryu absorbs it, and delivers maximum force center mass. Done with the right timing (as it was today) there is a narrow window where Abi resets his arms to attack again. That attack never came as Hoshoryu already had him tumbling back and one step later he’s in the front row visiting Dr Takasu and the posture princess. Hoshoryu improves to 5-3, and Abi gets blown out of the yusho race for now.

Onosho defeats Chiyonokuni – No, this wasn’t the day that Chiyonokuni won his first match. But he did open quite well, and took control of the match. He threw it out the window with a clumsy pulling attempt that gave Onosho the initiative. At that point it was all Onosho, who ran Chiyonokuni down, got behind him and pancaked him on the east side tawara. Onosho improves to 6-2.

Tobizaru defeats Chiyoshoma – Alas, the double flying henka did not materialize. But we did get a Tobizaru hit and shift, which netted Tobizaru a strong right hand outside grip. Tobizaru rode that right hand grip all the way to the win, putting Chiyoshoma on the “spin” cycle and then muscling him over the bales. Tobizaru improves to 4-4 and adds his name to the funnel.

Tamawashi defeats Hokutofuji – Tamawashi took the early advantage, and kept Hokutofuji from getting either a mawashi grip or a nodowa. With both of his opening gambits blown, Hokutofuji rode the thrust, hoping for a chance to break contact. It came, but Tamawashi immediately re-engaged, though this time Hokutofuji had better lower body configuration. As Tamawashi ran Hokutofuji out, Hokutofuji delivered a massive thrust down, slamming Tamawashi to the clay with a reverberating thud as he had the win knocked out of him. Hokutofuji was already out, so the match went to Tamawashi who improves to 6-2. That mark on the janome where Tamawashi landed was epic.

Wakatakakage defeats Ichinojo – Wakatakakage decided to let Ichinojo use his “Boulder” technique, which was a gutsy move. There they stood, with Ichinojo holding Wakatakakage’s arm in a double arm bar. Where this went wrong for Ichinojo is he did not wait Wakatakakage out nearly long enough. When Ichinojo advanced, Wakatakakage had plenty of stamina left, and he brought Ichinojo down with a step to the side followed by a tsukiotoshi. Wakatakakage improves to 3-5, and Ichinojo joins the funnel with 4-4.

Kiribayama defeats Meisei – Meisei had a fair opening combo, and neither man wanted to take up defensive sumo, so attack vs attack it was. Kiribayama generated slightly more forward pressure, but he was able to catch Meisei off balance, and bring him down with an oshitaoshi. Kiribayama picks up his second win of the basho improving to 2-6.

Mitakeumi defeats Daieisho – Daieisho attacks first, and takes control of the match at the tachiai. He’s hitting well, but Mitakeumi is not moving back even a half step. After adapting to Daieisho’s thrusting rhythm, Mitakeumi picks just the right moment to step back, and re-engage. He lands a right hand grip, and at that point Daieisho’s match has ended. Mitakeumi runs him about for a moment, and then ejects what’s left over the east side bales. Mitakeumi remains perfect at 8=0, is kachi-koshi, and in sole lead for the cup awarded 1 week from today.

Ura defeats Takanosho – Well, thank you for trying Takanosho. As sometimes happen in first ever matches against Ura, the opponent is not quite sure what to do. Ura has a plan, he takes a half step to the side, grabs Takanosho’s right leg and walks Onigiri-kun out for a quick win. Both end the day at 4-4, and muscle their way into the growing crowd in the funnel.

Shodai defeats Endo – Ok, feeling a bit better now, as we got a half assed “wall of daikon” today, which is better than none. Endo took early advantage and had Shodai struggling to respond. Thankfully he remembered his spirit vegetable and invoked the holy radish. The best news? Shodai is now 4-4 and lumbers into that over-sized funnel group.

Terunofuji defeats Okinoumi – Okinoumi did a fair job with this match, he attempted some well considered hand placements at the tachiai, but was shut down by Terunofuji’s double outside grip. Rather than try to out sumo Okinoumi, Terunofuji opted to “lift and carry”, which did the trick and secure his 7th win, now 7-1.

Welcome to Nakabi! The middle day of the basho. This is a wonderful period where it’s finally time to start looking at the yusho race, and start speculating on who is going to go the distance. The leader board is below, but first, some commentary.

I am impressed with Mitakeumi, but I think the chances of him going zensho are quite slim. His best score ever is 13-2 which he racked up in front of his home town crowd in Nagoya for his first yusho. A repeat of that 13-2 would be damn impressive, and likely give him an Ozeki nod. He would need to take 6 of the remaining 8 matches to hit that mark. A tough route indeed.

I expect Yokozuna Terunofuji to continue to be in the hunt. He is one loss behind, and if you share the notion that someone (maybe even Terunofuji) will put dirt on the Original Tadpole, then we have to recognize that the Kaiju is still very much in play for the cup. But what about Abi? I think he’s strong, maybe even 10-5 strong, but the second week is where the Great Sumo Cat of the Kokugikan separates the champions from the contenders. Both Mitakeumi and Terunofuji have multiple prior yusho, and I think that will make all the difference in the world.

Last, where would I be if I don’t mention Darwin’s funnel. It looks to me, the funnel is back on for Hatsu. 24 rikishi with 4-3 or 3-4 records going into day 8. That is a ridiculous number of men who are straddling the make/kachi-koshi line. As long as the scheduler just have them fight each other, they can funnel them toward an 7-7 finish at the end of day 14, and have a roster full of Darwin matches. I am going to watch this unfold over the next week with anticipation.

Hatsu Leaderboard

Leader: Mitakeumi
Hunt Group: Terunofuji, Abi
Chasers: Tamawashi, Onosho, Takarafuji, Kotonowaka, Kotoeko

8 matches remain

What We Are Watching Day 8

Kotoshoho vs Tsurugisho – Kotoshoho comes to visit today from Juryo to fill the banzuke gap, and he comes packing a solid 6-1 record. With few of the upper Juryo rikishi looking promotable right now, we may find Kotoshoho back in the top division in Osaka. Tsurugisho is a bit of a mystery, as he has looked pretty crummy in week 1, but seems to have found some way to execute some sumo. He won their only prior match.

Kotonowaka vs Aoiyama – Like Tsurugisho, Aoiyama is not quite ready for the Juryo barge, and may have a spark of sumo left in him after all. In good health, he should send Kotonowaka airborne with a blast from the V-Twin, but Aoiyama does not have that kind of power right now. He has a 1-2 career gap against Kotonowaka, and I am not going to be surprised if Kotonowaka takes this one.

Oho vs Ichiyamamoto – Oho has lost 3 of his last 4, and I would put him squarely in slump territory. Ichiyamamoto is doing only slightly better, and day 8 is where stamina starts to play an increasing role in the daily matches, as the constant grind of high intensity competition start taxing the rikishi. Both of them are 4-3, so this is a funnel match.

Kaisei vs Yutakayama – Another funnel match, I am looking for Yutakayama to win this one. Kaisei has found himself with an opponent to the side or behind him far too many times this basho. Dare we hope for another resounding tushie-o-tochi from the Brazilian?

Ishiura vs Wakamotoharu – Another funnel match as 4-3 Ishiura goes against 3-4 Wakamotoharu. Ishiura has a 2-0 career advantage, and has generally been fighting pretty well for a Maegashira 12. This is their first ever match in the top division, their prior contests were both in Juryo, with the most recent being March of last year.

Sadanoumi vs Kotoeko – Kotoeko showing some fighting form by hitting 5-2, so they put him up against speed rikishi Sadanoumi. It will come down to the second step, and if we see a Sadanoumi hit-and move or a Kotoeko grab and tuck. My money is on Kotoeko this time, and I think I would love to see some his tiny gaburi-yori.

Tochinoshin vs Terutsuyoshi – A pair of 3-4 rikishi compete to see who gets to stay in the funnel, with the winner getting the nod to continue the grind toward Darwin. Terutsuyoshi has been hit or miss this January, and I am not sure if it’s because he is trying to expand his sumo, or if he’s just a hot mess right now. If we get a Tochinoshin left hand outside grip, Terutsuyoshi is small enough at 114kg for what’s left of Tochinoshin’s legs to manage a sky-crane.

Myogiryu vs Chiyotairyu – I would love to hype this match, but Chiyotairyu just does not seem to have it in him. They have a tied 9-9 career record, but that assumes a full power Chiyotairyu, which I am going to assume he won’t be today.

Chiyomaru vs Akua – Speaking of wreckage, we have Akua. Much as I want him to do well, he just can’t put it together this January and he’s getting pantsed evert day. Maybe his sumo just isn’t competitive at Maegashira 10 like it is at Maegashira 15 or Juryo 3. We have not seen superior Chiyomaru agility in a couple of days, so maybe a bit of break dancing today, sir?

Shimanoumi vs Takarafuji – You know what would make me happy? To see Takarafuji get his kachi-koshi early. With 5 wins right now, he is on course to hit his 8 well before day 15, if he does not twist and ankle or some other mishap. Shimanoumi, try as he might, is funnel-fodder to be certain. He was in Darwin matches at least twice in the last year, so he may be comfortable there.

Hoshoryu vs Abi – First ever match, and I am going to guess that Hoshoryu may not quite know what to do with Abi-zumo. So maybe we are going to see a rampaging double arm attack toss young Hoshoryu about before he drops to the clay or rockets over the East side.

Onosho vs Chiyonokuni – One of these days, Chiyonokuni is going to get his first win of the Hatsu basho. Will it be today? Not unless he can match Onosho’s massive forward pressure, which we know is exactly where Chiyonokuni struggles.

Tobizaru vs Chiyoshoma – A pair of high agility, high maneuverability rikishi who may or may not have shenanigans in the tachiai? Dare we pray for the coveted double flying henka? Unlikely, but something that would be magical if it could take place. Tobizaru holds a 5-1 career advantage.

Tamawashi vs Hokutofuji – Both of these guys rely on heavy broadside thrusting as their primary attack mode. Hokutofuji has incredible lower body stability, and Tamawashi has what I can only call “unstoppable drive”. I think advantage will go to whomever gets their hands inside first.

Wakatakakage vs Ichinojo – I think most fans prefer the rampaging, pony tossing Ichinojo. But we are not seeing him this basho. I think we do get the “Boulder” this January, and an enormous Ichinojo is a formidable Ichinojo. Stay patient, stay put, and don’t fall for any of Wakatakakage’s invitations to pull.

Meisei vs Kiribayama – Kiribayama is better than his 1-6 score lets on. But right now he’s going to be hard pressed to limit his make-koshi to 7-8 given that he starts day 8 at 1-6. Meisei is part of the funnel group, and a win today would center him in the funnel at 4-4.

Mitakeumi vs Daieisho – Yusho race leader up against mega-thruster Daieisho. If Daieisho connects and gets an open route, he is more than capable of moving Mitakeumi around at great speed, putting the first 3 rows of fans at significant risk. The Original Tadpole is going to need to think about another denshamichi session to put Daieisho away before he can get started. A win today is kachi-koshi for Mitakeumi.

Ura vs Takanosho – I love watching Ura fight, even when he loses. He runs his own sumo, and it’s distinct from the rest of the top division, and its typically quite entertaining. This is his first match ever against onigiri-kun, and a Takanosho loss today would shove both of them into the middle of the funnel group, which is where they belongs right now.

Endo vs Shodai – Oh why!? Two guys who are fighting like it’s spring break and they are perpetually hung over. Hell if I know which one of them is going to have the edge today. I would love to see Shodai snap out of whatever is limiting him right now, but its probably an injury, and he is probably doing the best he can. Same for Endo, but a Shodai win would keep him in the funnel group.

Terunofuji vs Okinoumi – Terunofuji should be able to dominate this match. The concern being that Okinoumi can, on any given day, beat any rikishi if he gets the right set up. This is always one of the reasons why he’s great to follow, as he can have a crummy basho, but be able to put an Ozeki on the clay in the midst of a make-koshi run. I hope Terunofuji locks in his stance and his balance early before Okinoumi can get on offense.