It was matta day today at the Kokugikan, with Dr Takasu in attendance in a corner box. Maybe it was rikishi ring rust, or shimpan working to tighten up the flow of the matches. Nice early surprises, I would have to say: Takakeisho, Shodai, Takayasu and Tobizaru. All 4 of these guys look strong and focused in the first few days, and I would love to see them stay in the hunt into the middle weekend. It’s clear the lack of joint training has really degraded some of these athlete’s sumo, and there is some rumor that the degeiko ban may be at least partially lifted after Aki.

I am sure a number of our readers are watching Asanoyama’s first 2 days, and recalling the brilliant piece by Josh that was published a few days before the start of Aki, A Surplus of Almost. If you have not had a chance to read through it, please do.

Highlight Matches

Ichinojo defeats Kyokutaisei – After a weak start on day 1, Ichinojo focused on fundamentals and mechanics today, and it payed off. Although Kyokutaisei got inside, and an early grip, Ichinojo’s left hand outside at the back of Kyokutaisei’s mawashi was the control point of this match, which Ichinojo used to great effect.

Shimanoumi defeats Hoshoryu – Nod to Shimanoumi for turning this into a raw power match, which was greatly to his advantage. Hoshoryu struggled to react to Shimanoumi’s sumo. I am impressed by how low Shimanoumi was able to keep his hips today. There was also a monoii, with a good amount of mumbling.

Tobizaru defeats Shohozan – A pair of matta appetizers, and it was on! Once again Shohozan really seems to have lost his mojo, and can offer only moderate defensive pressure against Tobizaru’s attack. Shohozan tried a pull, and that set off a cascade that saw him on the receiving end of a hatakikomi.

Kotoshoho defeats Kaisei – Kaisei allowed Kotoshoho a right hand inside grip, and that was all that was needed for control of the match and a win. Kaisei looks rather rusty right now, starting 0-2.

Meisei defeats Kotoshogiku – I think that the Kotoshogiku no-tape revival is over. Meisei cleverly kept Kotoshogiku turning, and never able to square his hips and drive forward for more than a moment. The resulting torque on Kotoshogiku’s knees seem to have taken a toll, as he seemed a bit pained following his loss.

Chiyotairyu defeats Sadanoumi – Chiyotairyu has in fact lost a decent amount of weight, and it seems to have greatly helped his sumo. Chiyotairyu sacrificed hand placement at the tachiai for delivering a brutal body slam, and getting his arms inside. From there it was a quick move to stand Sadanoumi up, and immediately knock him down.

Onosho defeats Kotoeko – Kotoeko seemed slow off the shikiri-sen, and gave Onosho an open route to his chest. For a moment, Onosho was too far forward over his toes, and Kotoeko could have released forward power and brought him down, but instead absorbed it all with his face. A quick pull from Onosho took Kotoeko to the clay.

Tokushoryu defeats Enho – Like a strong, highly trained hedge hog against a locomotive, the sumo was brave and potent but completely pointless, and Enho is seen once again reeling backward, landing in a heap.

Aoiyama defeats Wakatakakage – Big Dan Aoiyama gets his sumo back, and we see the power of the V-Twin attack against Wakatakakage who seems to be completely disrupted. Rather than slap him down right away, Aoiyama plays with him a bit, batting him about the dohyo before Wakatakakage succumbs to repeated blows to the face.

Takayasu defeats Ryuden – As a Takayasu fan, it’s really good to see him in this genki mode for the first time more than a year. Ryuden works hard to get that left hand past Takayasu’s ottsuke (clearly this guy fights former Kisenosato before breakfast), and spends so much focus and energy on that, he fails to thwart Takayasu’s right hand frontal grip. That front grip is the deciding element in the match, as Takayasu lifts and advances for the win. Solid sumo from both men today.

Takarafuji defeats Kagayaki – I love how focused Takarafuji is in this match. Kagayaki gets the better of the tachiai, and gets inside and forward. For a tall guy like Kagayaki, it’s only 2 ½ strides to the edge of the ring, and Takarafuji times his response with exquisite precision. As Kagayaki presses ahead to finish, Takarafuji steps to the side, reverses and with one shove sends Kagayaki out.

Kiribayama defeats Yutakayama – Yutakayama, sadly, continues the slide started in July, and really looks to only be running at about 80% power. Kiribayama deploys a hit and shift which Yutakayama buys for cash up front, and finds himself spinning off balance and out.

Terutsuyoshi defeats Tochinoshin – Tochinoshin’s sumo is powerful, but seldom rapid. This leaves him open to a busy little fellow like Terutsuyoshi who serves up offensive move at nearly twice the rate of the former Ozeki. After turning Tochinoshin twice, Terutsuyoshi presses hard against Tochinoshin’s bandaged knee. Yeah, I would release pressure too at that point.

Myogiryu defeats Endo – After giving Asanoyama a trip to the clay on day one, fans might assume that Endo was going to be a force this basho. But sadly true to his form, he wiffs this bout with Myogiryu. A puzzling and patently ineffective quasi-pull, moments after the tachiai, releases attack pressure. That’s a mistake Myogiryu was never going to let pass.

Shodai defeats Tamawashi – To my eye this should have been a matta, as Shodai launched a half step late, and was stood up smartly by Tamawashi’s tachiai. But Shodai managed to get his arms inside, and pressed forward. To my surprise, Tamawashi was not able to turn him. Shodai ran him to the bales and shoved him out. Nice 2-0 start for Shodai. I wonder where this is going…

Daieisho defeats Hokutofuji – Hokutofuji continue to look quite rusty, and drops his match to Daieisho. After letting Daieisho run the first moments of the match, Hokutofuji backs him up to the tawara, and then inexplicably backs up, inviting Daieisho to slap him down, which he was happy to supply. Well, ok then…

Mitakeumi defeats Terunofuji – Mitakeumi did a great job of getting to the side of Terunofuji today, and pushing for all he was worth. Terunofuji’s knees would have been hard pressed to overcome that lateral force if they were healthy, but in their gristly state they had no resistance to offer.

Takanosho defeats Asanoyama – I know fans were hoping that Asanoyama was going to dominate this basho, and maybe he still can, somehow. But he’s looking vague and distracted. His yotsu style is executed with great strength and poise, but it’s quite predictable, and it seems his first two opponents of this Aki basho have read him precisely. The great Yokozuna hope drops to 0-2 to start September.

Takakeisho defeats Okinoumi – Takakeisho once again uses his short stature, short legs, and spheroid shape to bring a double hand thrust of tadpole doom to the dohyo. Today he lets Okinoumi appear to get the better of the tachiai, but Takakeisho has both hands on Okinoumi’s chest. It’s almost comical to see Okinoumi struggle to apply any force as his hands grasp for an attack route, as Takakeisho powers him out. Solid Takakeisho sumo again today.

It’s early evening in the central US, and I am eager for sumo. The top division is still 8 hours away, so I am going to find some way to spend the time. I know, watch sumo! If you have not checked out Herouth’s fantastic post, you can find it just below this one, or click here!

What We Are Watching Day 2

Kyokutaisei vs Ichinojo – I am still expecting Ichinojo to at least eek out a 8-7 kachi-koshi from this far down the banzuke, and day 2 is the time to start that campaign. He has been able to win 3 of the 3 prior matches with Kyokutaisei, which are this year. So chances are good he can dominate the much smaller man from Hokkaido.

Shimanoumi vs Hoshoryu – First time facing Shimanoumi for young Hoshoryu. Shimanoumi wants to bounce back after a very shabby 5-10 in July, and his day 1 loss to Tobizaru is not helping his cause. I am keeping a close watch on Hoshoryu, as he is going to be largely untested against most or all of his top division opponents.

Tobizaru vs Shohozan – I have high hopes for this match, as both rikishi have high mobility, and “Big Guns” Shohozan is probably looking to deliver some punishment to the flying monkey. Hopefully Tobizaru can execute his opening gambit before Shohozan sets the cadence and form for the match.

Kotoshoho vs Kaisei – Kaisei tends to have hot or cold basho, and its far too early to tell which way this one is going to go. He typically stays close to a 7-8 / 8-7 line, so he man win today. No knock against Kotoshoho, but there is just enormous amounts of Kaisei to manage! Sometimes, in sumo, being enormous is an effective strategy.

Meisei vs Kotoshogiku – Big question – will Kotoshogiku feature more tape on day 2? Are his knees doing better? Is he a mandroid sent from a future world where an automaton Kotoshogiku is the only thing that can defeat robot Hakuho? Which ever reality he comes from, he will have a his mind set on giving Meisei a brutal battle hug.

Sadanoumi vs Chiyotairyu – Chiyotairyu has a distinct advantage at Aki. Coming from Kokone heya, he has a broad set of training partners at or near his skill level. I think this may not pan out to an advantage against Sadanoumi. Sakaigawa has Myogiryu and and (I think) former Ozeki Goeido. If Sadanoumi can keep his feet in the first 5 seconds, he can make use of his superior speed.

Kotoeko vs Onosho – I really really want to see if Onoshi can execute that tuned up tachiai again. Readers are aware I am hoping he becomes a regular in the joi-jin, as he is a natural foil for Mitakeumi and Takakeisho. He is evenly match (5-6) against Kotoeko.

Tokushoryu vs Enho – Enho is small enough he can disapear underneath that enormous forward protuberance that counts as Tokushoryu’s most visible feature. This may account for Enho’s 5-2 career advantage. One has to assume that what Enho must do is like trying to juggle an enormous ziplock bag full of ham.

Wakatakakage vs Aoiyama – Oh no, Wakatakakage! It’s your first ever match against Big Dan, and you may not be ready for what may happen. Aoiyama will distract you with his pasty white body parts jiggling and flailing about. All the while his massive arms are delivering stone-breaking blows against your head and chest. Good luck!

Takayasu vs Ryuden – Out of their 4 prior matches, Takayasu has only taken 1 from Ryuden. The Takadagawa man seems to have the former Ozeki’s number, but I suspect Takayasu is genki this time out. Today’s match should give us a better look at how he is doing.

Kagayaki vs Takarafuji – Takarafuji may try to blunt and mis-direct Kagayaki, who will have a tough time with his fundamentals based sumo, which Takarafuji has shown for years he can execute with skill. The career record (4-7) shows a clear Takarafuji advantage.

Yutakayama vs Kiribayama – Yutakayama had strong offense on day 1, but made a tactical mistake in his attempt to pull. Maybe that was just first day nerves, or maybe it’s an indication that Yutakayama is not at full strength, and finds himself lost for the last 10% of energy needed to finish a match.

Tochinoshin vs Terutsuyoshi – Big stuff Tochinoshin is likely to struggle with this match, even though he bests Terutsuyoshi in height, mass, reach and many other categories. But Terutsuyoshi has speed and just outright moxie on his side. I expect Terutsuyoshi to stay mobile and keep Tochinoshin off his belt.

Myogiryu vs Endo – Coming off his win against the top ranked man in the tournament, Endo takes a turn against M3 Myogiryu. What can be maddening for Endo fans it that one day he can completely dominate a match against a top competitor, and the following day drop a match that is comparatively less challenging. The two have a 5-6 career record.

Shodai vs Tamawashi – Can Shodai keep it going? He has a 4-9 career deficit against strong. mobile Tamawashi. Tamawashi tends to strike and move with great effect (we saw this day 1), but Shodai can unleash random, unexpected sumo that more often than not takes care of business. Will we see another effective Shodai tachiai?

Daieisho vs Hokutofuji – I suspect Hokutofuji comes into Aki with a fair amount of ring-rust, and we may not see him up to full fighting power until closer to day 5. He has had Okinoumi to train against, but the big man from Shimane looked rather rusty day 1 as well.

Terunofuji vs Mitakeumi – Oh goodie! A rematch of the final day match from July, can Mitakeumi settle the score? I would give Terunofuji a slight advantage today if his head is in this match. There was some indication on day 1 that he’s not nearly as focused as he was in July. (Apologies for the inaccuracies of the prior version of this post)

Asanoyama vs Takanosho – Hey, Ozeki! Get it together. Settle in and fight like you are back in the rank and file. You have beat Takanosho twice today, and you can do it again today. Just stay low and let him spend his energy early, then clean him up.

Okinoumi vs Takakeisho – I think I would put Okinoumi in the ring-rust category, as he looks to be a half step slower than July. Meanwhile, Takakeisho has had to fend off Takanosho every morning and sometimes at lunch the whole year. Takakeisho with a 6-3 career advantage.