We enter the final three days of the tournament, and the story threads at the front of everyone’s mind are still waiting to be resolved. With the win/loss combos on day 12, we once again have a tie for the yusho with two unlikely contestants. Furthermore, it is not mathematically out of the question that as many as 10 people are currently in position to eventually take the cup.

The three Ozeki hopefuls are still pushing for double digits, but as predicted last weekend, now that they are in the “tough” part of their schedule, at the end of their endurance, in the sweltering heat of Dolphins Arena, some are finding it difficult to continue the campaign. I know that most folks work by the “33 wins over 3 basho” metric, but it’s really up to the NSK who they promote and when. So we won’t know for sure if anyone gets the nod until after the tournament. For folks hoping for a new Ozeki, there are a few paths that lead to none of the 3 reaching promotion criteria.

Nagoya Leaderboard

Oh, what a difference day 12 made. We are back to having Nishikigi and Hokutofuji tied for the cup, with Hoshoryu and Hakuoho (??!!!) one win behind. So far the two leaders are the only rikishi to reach double digits. The Ozeki hopefuls are on thin ice right now, with Wakamotoharu unable to reach 33, and Daieisho and Hoshoryu needing to win all of their remaining matches – unlikely as we will see them to head to head before the final day.

Leader: Nishikigi, Hokutofuji
Chasers: Hoshoryu, Hakuoho
Hunt Group: Daieisho, Wakamotoharu, Kotonowaka, Shonannoumi, Ryuden, Endo

3 Matches Remain

What We Are Watching Day 13

Aoiyama (6-6) vs Tohakuryu (6-6) – Aoiyama can still rescue himself from a near certain demotion to Juryo by winning 2 of his last 3 matches. Given how poorly he was fighting in the first week, it was easy to predict that him getting this far would be very difficult, and indeed he has struggled daily, but he’s fighting his way through. He faces Juryo visitor and fellow 6-6 score holder Tohakuryu today in the first match. It is their first ever meeting.

Chiyoshoma (6-6) vs Takarafuji (7-5) – All Takarafuji needs is one more win to rescue himself from a risk of demotion to Juryo for the first time in over a decade. But in this second week, his winning sumo seems to be unavailable. He has a 7-10 career deficit against Chiyoshoma, who is well below his henka quota for July.

Gonoyama (7-5) vs Tsurugisho (4-8) – A Gonoyama win today over already make-koshi Tsurugisho would be kachi-koshi for him, and a posting closer to mid-banzuke for September. But don’t count out Tsurugisho yet – that fight on day 12 against Onosho was quite a bit more sumo than I thought he was capable of in his current condition. Another first ever match.

Kotoeko (6-6) vs Bushozan (3-9) – Kotoeko needs 2 more wins over the final 3 to reach the safety of 8, and he’s a strong candidate for a day 15 Darwin match at this point. I would like to think they gave him Bushozan today to let him pick up a 7th win and possible avoid the Darwin fate on Sunday. This is yet another first ever match.

Kinbozan (6-6) vs Ryuden (8-4) – Likewise, Kinbozan needs 2 more wins out of the final 3 to reach kachi-koshi, and is a likely Darwin candidate for Sunday. He’s never fought against Ryuden, who is already kachi-koshi, and may want to run up the score to get him close to his normal rank near the middle of the banzuke.

Endo (8-4) vs Hokutofuji (10-2) – One of a series of consequential matches for day 13, we get co-leader Hokutofuji up against Endo, who has lost the 2 prior matches. Hokutofuji has faced Endo 22 times, and they have a career score of 11-11, with Hokutofuji winning 3 of the last 4. That Endo win was the most recent match, Day 3 of Osaka this year.

Shonannoumi (8-4) vs Nishikifuji (5-7) – With his first ever top division kachi-koshi, Shonannoumi comes up against a man he has not beaten in both prior attempts – Nishikifuji. A loss today would mark Nishikifuji as make-koshi, which I am sure he would rather avoid. His only hope is to win the remaining 3 matches, including a day 15 Darwin bout.

Sadanoumi (3-9) vs Daishoho (4-8) – Both are already at 8 losses or above, and are fighting now to determine how far down the banzuke they will fall for September. Their prior matches break 2-1 in favor of Daishoho, but with both of them fighting poorly, it may come down to who can get a lucky break in the first 10 seconds.

Myogiryu (6-6) vs Tamawashi (7-5) – Tamawashi needs one more win for kachi-koshi, and I think today he has a good chance of getting that 8th win. He has a 10-7 career record against Myogiryu, but Myogiryu has won 3 of the last 4 matches against him, going back to September of 2020. The last two went to Myogiryu by hikiotoshi, so allow me to encourage Tamawashi to keep the nodowa going, and don’t lean into the thrusting attack.

Hokuseiho (5-7) vs Kotoshoho (4-8) – Hokuseiho id on the cusp of his career first make-koshi. He can still make it to kachi-koshi by winning all 3 of his remaining matches, and facing down a Darwin match on Sunday. Not impossible, but unlikely. I think we had more or less reached a point where his sumo has been deciphered, and most rikishi now have something they can try to overcome his size advantage. Time for more skill, young Hokuseiho! This is his first ever match against the already make-koshi Kotoshoho.

Takanosho (6-6) vs Onosho (6-6) – It’s the battle of the “noshos”! They are both 6-6, they have an even 7-7 career match record, and this match is right in the middle of the torikumi for day 13. Are the numbers nerds in the scheduling crew having fun with us again? You bet they are, and I love it.

Oho (5-7) vs Meisei (5-7) – A bit of a “mini-Darwin” here as the loser of this match will pick up their 8th win and be make-koshi at the end of the day. Both of their prior matches went to Meisei, and I think there is a good chance he will prevail today, as Oho continues to be hit-or-miss.

Midorifuji (3-9) vs Takayasu (5-7) – Takayasu is too hurt to fight properly right now, so lets just get him make-koshi today and wish him a speedy recovery, the poor hairy moose. Midorifuji is already make-koshi, but has a nominal 2-1 career advantage over the former Ozeki.

Hiradoumi (4-8) vs Mitakeumi (2-10) – Normally, this would be a chance to watch Mitakeumi completely mangle a smaller, less capable rikishi who somehow managed to stray onto his fight card. But given how poorly Mitakeumi’s been fighting, there is a fair chance that Hiradoumi might win their first ever match. Both are already make-koshi, but Mitakeumi seems to not have much fight in him right now.

Shodai (5-7) vs Asanoyama (5-4-3) – A glorious old rivalry, that favors Asanoyama 7-4. Both are nowhere near the expected rank we would want to see in competition, but I expect them to have a pretty spicy match regardless. Asanoyama needs to win the remaining 3, including a day 15 Darwin match, to manage 8 wins. A loss today for Shodai would be make-koshi for him.

Ura (6-6) vs Tobizaru (6-6) – Two high energy, high mobility rikishi going head to head. There is an even chance that one of them opens a portal to a parallel universe to swap back our version of Shodai for the good one, and that would be acres of fun. Both come into today 6-6, with Tobizaru having a 5-2 career lead.

Nishikigi (10-2) vs Hakuoho (9-3) – For the bottom man on the banzuke, they are giving Hakuoho some of the toughest jobs of the tournament. His shoulder was not good at the start, and after taking the brunt of a fall on day 12 against Abi, I would wonder wether he is fit to fight. Its a first ever match, with a real chance that he may forcibly tear Nishikigi out of the leader spot and drop him in the front row.

Kotonowaka (8-4) vs Abi (4-8) – Kotonowaka hit 8 wins on day 12, and Abi reached 8 losses moments later. They have a 5 match history, that probably does not matter much, as Abi is not even close to full offensive power. I predict this will help boost Kotonowaka’s score, further biasing him toward a Sekiwake rank should one of the Ozeki hopefuls get the nod.

Wakamotoharu (8-4) vs Daieisho (8-4) – Time for Wakamotoharu to play spoiler and set the stage for his next Ozeki attempt in September. He can blow a hole in Daieisho’s hopes with a win today. They share an even 3-3 score, and I think this match will come down to who sets the form on the second step. If Daieisho can keep distance and start his thrusting attacks, he holds a clear advantage over Wakamotoharu’s yotsu-zumo style.

Hoshoryu (9-3) vs Kirishima (6-4-2) – Kirishima’s chance to scuttle Hoshoryu’s Ozeki dreams, a win here today would make it impossible for him to reach 33 wins. Hoshoryu holds a 7-5 advantage on the clay, but with each winning one match so far this year. This one will be big, brutal and possibly quick.

My compliments to the scheduling team at the Japan Sumo Association. Through skilled match making and probably as fair amount of planning, you have constructed a marvelous yusho race going into the final 3 days. The matches today were consequential, thrilling and so much happened today that it may have the most engaging day of the basho so far.

We exit day 12 with the yusho race tied up once more between Nishikigi and Hokutofuji, and one of the three Ozeki hopefuls likely relegated to trying again next basho.

Highlight Matches

Oshoma defeats Daishoho – Juryo visitor Oshoma puts the doom on Daishoho, handing him his 8th loss and make-koshi. It was kind of a weird match, with a mutual side step slow motion tachiai, and very tentative arm’s length mild fighting, and a soft step out by Daishoho. Not what I call sumo. Oshoma now 6-6.

Aoiyama defeats Kinbozan – Aoiyama now with 4 wins in a row, and I would be amazed if this arch-competitor can self-rescue from near certain demotion. He may be as flabby as a manatee, busted up and hurt, but he’s not giving up and going home, he’s fighting with everything he can muster. After an initial battery of shoves, Aoiyama gets Kinbozan turned around and sends him out by okuridashi. Both end the day 6-6.

Myogiryu defeats Takarafuji – Takarafuji, on the cusp of a much needed 8th win, is sputtering. Myogiryu opens with an off-angle tachiai, which lets him get both hands inside for a body hold. Takarafuji does not quite have his feet set for defense when Myogiryu turns on the forward power and walks him back for a yorikiri. Myogiryu now 6-6.

Chiyoshoma defeats Takanosho – I was hoping for a Chiyoshoma henka, but instead I got him executing some fantastic disruptive sumo. Lots of slapping and knocking Takanosho off balance. It shows a great sense of the best time to hit someone to make them stumble. Granted, an odd skill to have, but it’s solid gold for sumo. Takanosho can’t keep his feet, and Chiyoshoma helps him visit the clay with a dandy hatakikomi. Both end the day 6-6.

Sadanoumi defeats Bushozan – Bushozan does a great job of shutting down Sadanoumi’s mobility, and the two trade volleys of thrusts trying to set up a working grip. When Sadanoumi gets his left on Bushozan’s belt, he goes for the uwatenage. But did I see Sadanoumi’s right hand on Bushozan’s mage? Perhaps not – the judges did not ask to review the footage. Both end the day 3-9.

Ryuden defeats Nishikifuji – Things start off very well for Nishikifuji, until the moment when he decides that moving forward was not going to work for him, and attempts a pull. The release of forward pressure is all Ryuden needed to charge ahead, and send Nishikifuji out by oshidashi, giving Ryuden his kachi-koshi win at 8-4.

Gonoyama defeats Takayasu – Shin-Goeido makes short work of Takayasu after Takayasu tries some manner of henka. Clearly hurt and not used to big lateral moves at the tachiai, it fails miserably. Gonoyama with the win, advancing him to 7-5.

Kotoeko defeats Hokuseiho – Hokuseiho has now lost 3 of his last 4, and seems to be on course for a make-koshi. Brilliant work by Kotoeko keeping Hokuseiho off of his mawashi for most of the fight. Once the giant landed a hold, Hokuseiho worked to contain Kotoeko and walk him out. It nearly worked, but somehow Kotoeko got a pivot in there, and against the odds completed the rotation to take Hokuseiho down by uwatenage. Kotoeko now 6-6.

Oho defeats Kotoshoho – Another match where Kotoshoho is too far forward over his feet. Points to Oho for understanding his opponent’s body position, and taking full advantage of it. He managed to get Kotoshoho airborne for a moment, which is always a good finish in my book. Oho now 5-7, Kotoshoho with his 8th loss is make-koshi at 4-8.

Tsurugisho defeats Onosho – Color me surprised that Tsurugisho found enough fortitude to handle a straight ahead match with Onosho given his level of injury and pain. Apart from a brief moment where he nearly fell forward, Tsurugisho had the upper hand and finished Onosho with a glorious rolling throw. They scored it oshitaoshi, close enough. Tsurugisho now 4-8.

Hiradoumi defeats Midorifuji – Midorifuji worked hard to execute some kind of sumo move with that right hand grip, but when his best try failed, he also lost the hold on Hiradoumi’s mawashi. At that point Hiradoumi put power forward and walked Midorifuji out. Hiradoumi now 4-8.

Meisei defeats Shodai – Shodai managed to reverse on Meisei and put Meisei’s heels on the tawara. It looked like Shodai was about to ramp up the pressure when Meisei brought his right leg into the match, toppling Shodai with a sotogake. Power move from Meisei, both end the day 5-7.

Ura defeats Mitakeumi – Mitakeumi can still execute the motions behind “his brand of sumo”, but they seem to be only about 80% of required strength and power. Great example today as he is unable to break through Ura’s “chaos defense”. Multiple times we see Mitakeumi have Ura bracketed, square his hips and push forward, only to see Ura break free and scamper away. Ura’s finishing tottari was messy, but glorious, he is now 6-6.

Shonannoumi defeats Nishikigi – Shonannoumi makes the yusho race interesting, by taking down sole leader Nishikigi with an arm bar throw. The key was that initial left hand inside hold from Shonannoumi, which he was able to hold through Nishikigi’s attempt to first break the hold, then grip shift. Shonannoumi gets his 8th win and is kachi-koshi at 8-4.

Asanoyama defeats Tobizaru – “Asanoyama risks career ending injury” is how I look at this match. Like that tape is going to do anything. This match is quite the mess, as Asanoyama can’t use his left to set up the throw we knew he wanted against Tobizaru. Tobizaru tries a counter move, and the two collapse in a heap in the middle of the dohyo. They scored it as a sukuinage, but the win went to Asanoyama. He is now 5-7.

Kotonowaka defeats Endo – Good lord! Kotonowaka not only blocks Endo’s opening move, but uses his trapped left arm as a lever to lift him up and into a throw. Sukuinage win for Kotonowaka, what a move. Kotonowaka is kachi-koshi at 8-4.

Hakuoho defeats Abi – The start of this match was a matta festival, as each man tried out a false start or two. When they finally got around to the match, Abi’s initial surge at the tachiai was nearly enough. Sadly he then resulted to a series of pulling attempts, that opened the door for Hakuoho’s offense. Hakuoho set his forward power to “11” and sent Abi into the second row. Hakuoho fell on that injured shoulder and was clearly in pain. He did score the win, and is now 9-3, while Abi is make-koshi at 4-8.

Tamawashi defeats Daieisho – Perfect execution from Tamawashi. He presenting an opening push to Daieisho, who responded by powering forward with everything he had, spot on for “his brand of sumo”. Of course Tamawashi pushed gently again, stepped back and to the right as Daieisho thrust forward into the open air. Scored as a hatakikomi, it was the exact way you let Daieisho defeat himself. Tamawashi now 7-5.

Hokutofuji defeats Hoshoryu – Hokutofuji’s upper body sumo today was good, not great. But his lower body sumo was amazing, once again keeping him in the match by keeping him upright. Hoshoryu was pouring in the power, but was not quite patient enough to move properly. A poorly executed step to the right gave Hokutofuji the opening to collapse Hoshoryu’s stance, and he crumpled at the tawara. Oshidashi win for Hokutofuji, and he pulls even with Nishikigi again at 10-2.

Kirishima defeats Wakamotoharu – Kirishima’s ottsuke shut down anything Wakamotoharu had in mind. Followed by an expertly timed left hand body grab, Wakamotoharu was done. With this loss, Wakamotoharu’s aspirations to reach Ozeki this month are likely gone, as Kirishima picks up the yorikiri win to improve to 6-6.

The first thing that caught my eye when putting this post together was that Asanoyama is back. A doctor told him to take 4 weeks off to recover from a partial tear to his left bicep from his match against Hoshoryu. At the time I complimented him for not “going all Kisenosato on us”, but it seems it was too early to assume that. The shockingly poor state of sports medicine around professional sumo continues to depress me.

With Hokutofuji’s loss to Wakamotoharu on day 11, it’s now Nishikigi’s yusho race to win. I am certain they are going to hope someone puts dirt on him soon, but he has already faced all of the top rikishi, including Kirishima. He still has yet to face Hokutofuji, thought.

There are 4 rikishi up for possible kachi-koshi today: Kotonowaka, Shonannoumi, Ryuden, and Takarafuji, along with 6 up for possible make-koshi, including Asanoyama, the big dummy.

Nagoya Leaderboard

This is all Nishikigi right now, and we have the two chasers facing each other today as Hoshoryu and Hokutofuji fight in the penultimate match of the day. The 4 in the hunt group have to hope that things fall apart a bit to give them a chance to try and get into a leading score in the final 4 days.

Leader: Nishikigi
Chasesr: Hoshoryu, Hokutofuji
Hunter Group: Daieisho, Wakamotoharu, Endo, Hakuoho

4 Matches Remain

What We Are Watching Day 12

Daishoho (4-7) vs Oshoma (5-6) – With Asanoyama back, the top division had an odd number of athletes again, so we get a Juryo visitor today in Oshoma. He and Daishoho share a 1-1 career match history, with Daishoho winning the most recent one on day 9 of Hatsu.

Kinbozan (6-5) vs Aoiyama (5-6) – Interesting to me is that Aoiyama, with 3 straight wins, managed to work his way from the make-koshi lane into the middle / Darwin lane. He’s got a first ever match against fellow middle lane rikishi Kinbozan today. All “Big Dan” needs is 3 wins out of the last 4 matches to reach kachi-koshi and rescue himself from near certain demotion as the second to last man on the banzuke this July.

Takarafuji (7-4) vs Myogiryu (5-6) – Takarafuji going for his 8th win today, and kachi-koshi. He has a 26 match career history with Myogiryu, with Myogiryu owning the better of it 17-9. But this is equalized today in that Takarafuji seems to be fighting much better than Myogiryu is this July.

Takanosho (6-5) vs Chiyoshoma (5-6) – Another middle lane match up, featuring Takanosho coming into today with 6 consecutive wins, after an ice cold 0-5 start to Nagoya. He has an 8-4 career advantage over Chiyoshoma, and I am once again going to ask – is it time for a henka?

Sadanoumi (2-9) vs Bushozan (3-8) – Both of these guys are already make-koshi, and Bushozan is likely to be the captain of this month’s barge of the damned headed back to Juryo. He has won both prior matches against Sadanoumi, the most recent was day 12 of Aki, 2021, when they were both ranked in Juryo.

Ryuden (7-4) vs Nishikifuji (5-6) – A win today for Ryuden and it’s kachi-koshi for him. He has done surprisingly well this July, maybe in part because he was over-demoted down to M15E, where he has been able to build a strong winning record at 7-4. Out of their 3 prior matches, Nishikifuji has won 2.

Takayasu (5-6) vs Gonoyama (6-5) – Both are on the middle / Darwin path right now, and I could see either or both of them in day 15 Darwin matches. There is no way that Takayasu is anything other than hurt right now, as he can only tolerate about 5 seconds of full power sumo before he tries some kind of escape move like a head pull. This is a first ever match against rising star Gonoyama, who needs just 2 more wins out of the final 4 matches for kachi-koshi.

Hokuseiho (5-6) vs Kotoeko (5-6) – Two more rikishi that are part of an 16 man middle lane headed down the highway looking for a Darwin match on Sunday. It could be epic. Hokuseiho has won both prior match ups against the much smaller and lighter Kotoeko, so I would guess unless Kotoeko can get the giant turned about, it will be a Hokuseiho win today.

Kotoshoho (4-7) vs Oho (4-7) – An even up match where the loser gets his 8th loss. Both come in at 4-7, and they have a 4-4 career record. They last fought in 2022, and of the 4 matches that year, they split them 2-2.

Tsurugisho (3-8) vs Onosho (6-5) – Tsurugisho is too hurt to fight, but I am sure he is remaining in competition to try and make sure he does not rack up enough losses to be sent back to Juryo. Sumo can be incredibly brutal some times, and this is a prime example of that brutality. Onosho will likely be able to chose the manner he defeats him, as Tsurugisho won’t have the mobility to avoid his massive forward thrusting power.

Midorifuji (3-8) vs Hiradoumi (3-8) – Both are already make-koshi, so this is all about padding their fall down the banzuke. Hiradoumi won their only prior match, which was day 10 of Hatsu 2022.

Shodai (5-6) vs Meisei (4-7) – Shodai may be in a bit of a late basho rally right now, having won 3 matches in a row. Should he best Meisei today, it would relegate him to a losing record with an 8th loss. Shodai leads their career series 9-5.

Ura (5-6) vs Mitakeumi (2-9) – In normal circumstances, Mitakeumi can beat Ura without too much trouble (7-1). But right now Mitakeumi is just going through the motions most day, and Ura may get his second career win against the former Ozeki today.

Nishikigi (10-1) vs Shonannoumi (7-4) – First of the big matches, we get a first ever fight with rising star Shonannoumi in an attempt to get some dirt on the yusho race leader. A Shonannoumi win would be kachi-koshi for him, but he will need to be far more aware of his spot in the ring than he was in his day 11 loss to Kotonowaka if he wants to take down the ultra-stable Nishikigi, who needs to win this one to stay in the lead.

Asanoyama (4-4-3) vs Tobizaru (6-5) – In a bit of a “What are you thinking?” moment, we have Asanoyama back in action with a partially torn bicep. Hes up against the ultra-mobile Tobizaru, who would be well advised to throw his most chaotic combos at the former Ozeki straight from the tachiai. Asanoyama won their only prior match, day 5 of Natsu 2021.

Kotonowaka (7-4) vs Endo (8-3) – Endo continues his tour of the upper ranks, visiting from near the bottom of the banzuke. I might guess they are trying to figure out where to rank him for September, and they are seeing how he fares against various folks in the san’yaku for some reason. He holds a 4-2 career lead over Kotonowaka.

Hakuoho (8-3) vs Abi (4-7) – The last man on the banzuke for July takes his kachi-koshi into the san’yaku to see how he can stand up to Abi-zumo. Abi needs this win to rescue himself from almost certain make-koshi, which I would not be surprised to see show up today.

Tamawashi (6-5) vs Daieisho (8-3) – Daieisho needs to win 3 of the last 4 to hit 33 and punch his ticket to be considered for Ozeki. Right now Tamawashi is not that potent a threat, as he seems to be about a half step slower than his recent top form. They have 24 career matches, favoring Tamawashi 14-10, with the most recent being a Daieisho win on day 9 in Osaka.

Hoshoryu (9-2) vs Hokutofuji (9-2) – Unless something odd happens, this match will knock Hokutofuji out of realistic contention for the cup. He has not defeated Hoshoryu in 5 prior attempts, and will be hard pressed to take him down today. Whomever wins this match will be the lone chaser against Nishikigi, unless Shonannoumi should manage a win, in which case the winner of this match will be tied for the yusho at the end of the day. Hoshoryu needs 3 of his last 4 to reach 33.

Wakamotoharu (8-3) vs Kirishima (5-4-2) – In a fantastic demonstration of the brutal, zero sum game that is sumo, Wakamotoharu must win today against the lone competing Ozeki to keep his dreams of being promoted to Ozeki ahead of his brother Wakatakakage alive. Kirishima is not at his normal fighting power, but so far has done a fair job in defeating the rest of the upper ranked rikishi. Kirishima needs to win 3 of his last 4 to reach the safety of 8, and kachi-koshi to avoid kadoban in September.

The start of act 3 delivered some great matches, as the final push by the 3 Ozeki hopefuls runs squarely into the tougher part of their schedules. Both Wakamotoharu and Hakuoho earned their kachi-koshi today with an 8th win, as the roster of rikishi with winning records grows to 7.

Following the loss by Hokutofuji to give Wakamotoharu that 8th win, Nishikigi stands alone on the leaderboard for the Emperor’s cup. Seriously, what kind of crazy time line / universe are we in right now? One party glorious, one part WTF. This is the sumo I am here for, as we have 4 more matches before someone goes home with the hardware. It could be a screamer down to the wire, and I could not be happier.

Highlight Matches

Ryuden defeats Daishoho – Ryuden keeps it simple, getting a left hand frontal grip at the tachiai which Daishoho manages to break. From there its morozashi and some belly bumping to bounce Daishoho back and then out. Ryuden is now one step closer to kachi-koshi at 7-4.

Bushozan defeats Chiyoshoma – Chiyoshoma was far too focused on Bushozan’s head and face. That included head pulls, face slaps and generally focusing on attacks as high as he could. Bushozan got down to business center-mass and took care of business, still make-koshi, but now 3-8.

Aoiyama defeats Tsurugisho – Battle of the banged up behemoths, it was a classic Aoiyama “stand him up and pull him down” as the hatakikomi hit almost at once. Given Tsurugisho’s poor condition this basho, it was almost certain to work. Tsurugisho is now make-koshi at 3-8, Aoiyama improves to 5-6.

Kotoshoho defeats Kinbozan – Quite the straightforward oshi-zumo match from these two. They spent most of the time standing their ground and shove-hitting each other with as much upper body motion as they could muster while keeping their balance. It was Kinbozan who broke Kotoshoho balance first, but as Kotoshoho stepped away, Kinbozan lunged to finish him. Big gamble there, as he caught Kotoshoho’s hikiotoshi and stepped out. Kotoshoho now 4-7.

Kotoeko defeats Sadanoumi – For a moment I thought that Sadanoumi would dominate this match. He opened strong, set up a good working hand hold and immediately had Kotoeko stepping back. But at the third step, Kotoeko loaded up a sukuinage and laid Sadanoumi out on the clay. This guy cannot catch a break. Kotoeko improves to 5-6.

Hakuoho defeats Takayasu – Whatever is damaged in Takayasu’s body seems to limit him to about 5 seconds of sumo. After that he is easy meat. About about the “5” count, we see Takayasu shift his stance and try some kind of headlock rotation-pull-something. That works so poorly that it sets up an immediate okuridashi, giving Hakuoho his 8th win, and kachi-koshi for July at 8-3.

Hokuseiho defeats Myogiryu – Hokuseiho is still overly reliant on that right hand, but it was good to see him employ a somewhat modified form today. He was able to make some offensive moves with his left to keep Myogiryu from defending against the right, and that led to a workable yorikiri. Good to see. Both end the day 5-6.

Onosho defeats Gonoyama – Ah, youth. Gonoyama seems to want to go power-to-power with Onosho, which granted would be massive fun if you had the body and skill of Gonoyama. But this is not practice, it’s honbasho. Onosho works defense for 2 steps, then pivots and lets Gonoyama eat the sukuinage and a face full of clay. Both end the day 6-5.

Takanosho defeats Hiradoumi – Takanosho’s right hand did the bulk of the work in this fight, one that he very nearly lost. Hiradoumi was giving a lot of pressure back to Takanosho, but that right hand kept connecting high on Hiradoumi’s body, forcing him back. Hiradoumi cleverly deflected as he stepped back, putting Takanosho off balance, but Takanosho had just enough connection to earth to lay one more right on Hiradoumi, sending him out before he hit the clay. Hiradoumi, who has been fighting well, now make-koshi at 3-8. Takanosho improves to 6-5.

Ura defeats Nishikifuji – Good to see Ura continue his absolute dominance over Nishikifuji, and snap his 4 match losing streak today. Once Ura connected a hand to Nishikifuji’s mawashi, it was all forward pressure and quick, small steps to rush Nishikifuji out. Both end the day at 5-6.

Oho defeats Midorifuji – A wild, chaotic and out of control match that had the gyoji on the run trying to stay out of the way. It ended with both off balance and stepping wherever they could, and Midorifuji out. Midorifuji pick up his 8th loss and is now make-koshi, Oho avoids the same fate by improving to 4-7.

Shodai defeats Mitakeumi – This battle of the battered former Ozeki was all Shodai from the tachiai. Mitakeumi never really was able to get his feet set, or get any kind of defense started as Shodai ramped up the pressure and walked him out. Shodai now 5-9.

Tobizaru defeats Meisei – Meisei seemed to be committed to keeping Tobizaru front and center, which is usually a good idea. Tobizaru played along, to his advantage. After about 4 volleys between the two, Tobizaru stepped back, then to the side at the worst possible time for Meisei. The hatakikomi sent Meisei to the clay, and advanced Tobizaru to 6-5.

Nishikigi defeats Endo – One of the things I love about sumo is some of the small, subtle things that happen that you can only enjoy watching the video where you can pause, slow step and rewind as much as you want. One of Endo’s signature moves is that frontal grab at the tachiai. Watch Nishikigi’s block that he rolls into and inside body hold before Endo can defend. Endo breaks Nishikigi’s right hand loose, but the left hand is in play as Nishikigi powers forward and takes Endo out of the ring before Endo can counter. Whatever kami has a hold of Nishikigi, it’s glorious and I hope the whole lovely cinderella story continues. He is now 10-1.

Takarafuji defeats Abi – Long standing sumo fans were in on the joke embedded in this match. Abi’s double arm thrusting attack is always aimed at his opponent’s neck. Takarafuji has no neck, as it was surgically removed following a tragic accident when he was just a boy. Left with nothing to attack, Abi blindly tries to hit something that simply is not there, making him an easy mark for Takarafuji to bodily thrust and slap out of the ring. Takarafuji now 7-4.

Kotonowaka defeats Shonannoumi – Shonannoumi sets up a right hand outside grip early, and after a brief battle for stance, rotates into a throw. But he’s completely overlooked where he is in the ring, and steps well out before he can complete the rotation. Match goes to Kotonowaka, and both end the day 7-4.

Hoshoryu defeats Tamawashi – Tamawashi really wanted that nodowa, he worked to reestablish it after Hoshoryu broke through the first time, and was working for a third one as Hoshoryu put all of his force against Tamawashi’s chest and shoved him out. 9-2 now for Hoshoryu, who need just 3 more wins to get to 33.

Wakamotoharu defeats Hokutofuji – Impressive sumo from Wakamotoharu today. He endured Hokutofuji’s opening attacks, which tend to disrupt his opponents enough to allow him to finish. But Wakamotoharu stayed calm, focused and managed a left hand inside belt grip, which set the terms of the match that followed. Hokutofuji countered, but without more than a couple layers of silk in his hand, he did not have enough purchase to lift or move Wakamotoharu. Wakamotoharu countered with a strong advance and a commanding yorikiri, knocking Hokutofuji off the leader position and giving Wakamotoharu his kachi-koshi victory at 8-3. He needs all of his 4 remaining matches to hit 33.

Kirishima defeats Daieisho – Brilliant defensive strategy by Kirishima, he ensured that Daieisho could not square his shoulders or his hips, and deflected Daieisho’s first two volley attempts. The failed thrusts left Daieisho dangerously off balance, which his feet in the wrong spot as Kirishima delivered a hatakikomi to put Daieisho on the clay. Kirishima now 5-6.