I could bang on about the Ozeki, and maybe I should. Or maybe I should stop the stream after the Wakatakakage match and just pretend the rest was not happening. But, it is happening. We continue to have problems with the top rankers. I can hear the crabby old men of the YDC now, raining disapproval via faxed documents. Whatever the cause, it is making for a nerve wracking basho.

Word came during Friday morning in Japan that Onosho had broken a rib in his day 6 loss to Takakeisho, and will be out for the rest of the basho. That must hurt quite a bit, we hope he can heal up and be ready for Nagoya in July. His day 6 opponent Tobizaru gets a fusensho and improves to 5-1. With the banzuke no longer balanced, we will have visitors from Juryo until someone else goes kyujo.

Highlight Matches

Midorifuji defeats Oho – Quick win for Midorifuji, he caught Oho by the elbows at the tachiai, and immediately slapped him down. Midorifuji now 3-3.

Chiyotairyu defeats Yutakayama – Chiyotairyu seems to be getting into his simple yet effective favorite combo now. Today he stood Yutakayama up, gave him one good tsuppari blast to center mass, them moved out of the way and slapped Yutakayama down. Chiyotairyu improves to 3-3.

Azumaryu defeats Meisei – Meisei was off balance at the moment of contact in the tachiai, but he quickly settled into a jab-and-move pattern, keeping Azumaryu on defense. Meisei drove inside to get a right hand grip, and Azumaryu pulled him forward and down to pick up the win, now 3-3. Meisei’s footwork was not quite right today, maybe that’s why he is struggling to find wins last basho and now in May.

Myogiryu defeats Kagayaki – Myogiryu got right hand inside at the tachiai, and shut down Kagayaki’s oshi-zumo from the start. Locked up in the center of the dohyo, the two struggle for hand position, with Kagayaki putting everything he could muster into an arm-bar hold. A quick series of shifts freed up Myogiryu left hand, which found Kagayaki’s shoulder, and the resulting katasukashi dropped Kagayaki to the clay. Myogiryu advances to 4-2.

Sadanoumi defeats Kotokuzan – Another day, and another loss for now 0-6 Kotokuzan. Its quite puzzling because when you watch the match, Kotokuzan is just blasting away at Sadanoumi, and is controlling the match. But Sadanoumi absorbs the punishment, waits for his chance and then drives Kotokuzan from the ring. Sadanoumi now 5-1.

Aoiyama defeats Ichiyamamoto – The much anticipated battle of the two remaining undefeated, there is a moment where Ichiyamamoto tries a pull, and you just know its all over. His balance is now disrupted, and Aoiyama delivers a quick stand up / pull down combo that puts Ichiyamamoto on the dohyo. The hatakikomi win leaves Aoiyama the sole leader of the Natsu basho with a 6-0 score.

Kotoshoho defeats Okinoumi – I am not sure where Okinoumi’s sumo was today, but after a few mild pushes to Kotoshoho’s upper body, Okinoumi seems to decide to take the loss. The yorikiri moves Kotoshoho to join the large 3-3 crowd that enter the middle weekend.

Tochinoshin defeats Chiyoshoma – Chiyoshoma spent the entire match struggling to find a workable grip. Likewise Tochinoshin had his favored left hand outside grip on Chiyoshoma’s mawashi but could not maintain it. The ended was rather rough, with Tochinoshin having a right hand arm bar on Chiyoshoma, but Chiyoshoma losing footing and tumbling to the clay. Tochinoshin improves with the win to 3-3.

Nishikigi defeats Terutsuyoshi – The sad story of Terutsuyoshi wanting to fight as low as possible, ending up being too low to do anything, repeats itself today. Nishikigi simply applied enough pressure from above to further crush Terutsuyoshi toward the clay, and Terutsuyoshi tried to back away, but was walked across the bales for his efforts. Nishikigi advances to join the ever growing horde at 3-3.

Shimanoumi defeats Takarafuji – Wow, Takarafuji can’t buy a win. He and Kotokuzan should be granted special dispensation to just take the rest of the basho off and go fishing in Fuji-goko. No? Well, more crummy sumo then. Today was like the prior five, Takarafuji did set up his defense, could not hold ground, and was an easy mark for Shimanoumi, who joins the 3-3 crowd.

Kotoeko defeats Wakamotoharu – If you let Wakamotoharu get his hands on you, and take up anything resembling a yotsu stance, he is one tough competitor. I like that Kotoeko kept him moving just enough that he could not dig in his toes, and managed to break Wakamotoharu’s balance, setting him up for the tottari that came three steps later. Both end the day at 4-2 after what was a fine match.

Endo defeats Ura – Ura goes for some fine grab and tug sumo today, and it immediately puts Endo into a reactive mode. Even when Endo gets a left hand under Ura’s shoulder, he’s still very careful, knowing Ura just needs on stray body part to fling you out of the ring. But Endo finds an opening, and delivers a few well placed pushes to take Ura out. Both end the day 3-3, and join the burgeoning crowd that enter the middle weekend ready for the funnel.

Kiribayama defeats Kotonowaka – Kiribayama set up a left hand inside grip early, and never gave up that hold on Kotonowaka’s mawashi. The rest of the match was Kiribayama trying to consolidate his position, and Kotonowaka trying to break his hold. Kiribayama never did release his grasp, and took the match. Both end the day at 3-3, and the crowd who will enter the funnel this weekend grows.

Hoshoryu defeats Daieisho – Daieisho’s opening gambit falls completely flat, as Hoshoryu closes the distance before Daieisho can push him away. Now completely upright and with Hoshoryu at his chest, Daieisho cannot stop being run out and into the shimpan. Both end the day at 4-2.

Wakatakakage defeats Takayasu – Wakatakakage set up a right hand outside grip, and used that to keep Takayasu from generating any real offense. Likewise Wakatakakage could not really find any route to break Takayasu’s defense, and the two stalemated at the center of the dohyo. A quick move to the side by Wakatakakage got the leverage he was looking for, and he walked Takayasu out from the side for an okuridashi win. Wakatakakage joins the crowd at 3-3.

Takanosho defeats Shodai – Traditional Shodai sumo – crummy tachiai, body upright, weight on his heels. He let Takanosho run the match, and really had very little sumo to show today. I am not sure where the real Shodai is, but please do come back soon. Takanosho advances to 4-2.

Mitakeumi defeats Hokutofuji – This match was over at the tachiai, as Hotkutofuji swan dives into the dirt with a little help from a Mitakeumi uwatedashinage. Mitakeumi, with the best score among the Ozeki group, is now 3-3. Grim.

Abi defeats Takakeisho – Abi puts pressure into Takakeisho at the tachiai, then pulls away and down to immediately drop the Ozeki. Abi improves to 4-2, while Takakeisho joins team 3-3.

Tamawashi defeats Terunofuji – As mentioned in the preview, Tamawashi has a solid record of defeating Terunofuji, and can defeat anyone in sumo on the proper day. Terunofuji was never able to set his feet or arrest the rearward slide that came from Tamawashi’s opening combo. A quick three steps and the Yokozuna was out on the east side, and Tamawashi is 5-1, scoring a kinboshi in the process.

Welcome to the start of act 2. Act 2 is a favorite, it has the middle weekend, and we start to shape the yusho race. The scheduling committee is wasting no time getting on task, and the fight card for today shows their focus. We have the two 5-0 rikishi, who are from the lower half of the banzuke, fighting it out for sole posessions of the lead. At the end of the day, in the musubi no ichiban. we have Terunofuji taking on Tamawashi, both at 4-1 with prior yusho experience. I personally think that there is a solid chance that at the end of the middle weekend, there will be no clear view of the yusho race.

Today, in the first day of act 2, the scheduling committee needs to do something about the enormous number of rikishi with 2-3 records. 18 of them. In order to get things in better shape for the middle weekend, most of the 2-3 rikishi will fight each other today, hoping to keep some of them riding the middle line. Of course, this opens up options for a “Darwin’s funnel” this weekend, which I am kind of looking forward to.

What We Are Watching Day 6

Oho vs Midorifuji – A battle of 2-3 rikishi, the only good news is that the winner goes back to the 3-3 center line for a score, and the loser takes a big step toward the make-koshi lane. This is the first time these two have met in the top division, but they share a 2-3 record from the lower ranks.

Chiyotairyu vs Yutakayama – Another 2-3 match up, with the same stakes. I am surprised that Yutakayama is at 2-3, he has been fighting fairly well, and at M14, he should be kicking these people around with great effect. Chiyotairyu, though, looks like he is struggling.

Azumaryu vs Meisei – Finishing out our starting trifecta of 2-3 battles, Its Meisei and Azumaryu. The best thing is that with his 2-3 record, Meisei has already bested his score from Osaka. These two share a 4-4 career record, and are not doing very well this May.

Myogiryu vs Kagayaki – From the 2-3 crew, lets try a pair of 3-2! These two have been fighting fairly regularly, and its an even 4-5 match. I think Kagayaki may make it to 8 this time, which would be his first top division kachi-koshi in 9 attempts. Myogiryu’s two losses came in back to back days against both of the 5-0 rikishi.

Kotokuzan vs Sadanoumi – Kotokuzan will get his first win at some point (he’s 0-5), but I don’t think it’s today against Sadanoumi, who is having his best start since November in Kyushu. His only loss was day 2 against Chiyoshoma. This is their first ever match.

Aoiyama vs Ichiyamamoto – I applaud the scheduling committee putting the two 5-0 rikishi head to head on day 6. Bold move that I hope pays off well. Ichiyamamoto won their only prior match, which was back in January. That should be tempered by the fact that Big Day Aoiyama has not had a 5-0 record on the clay since July of 2017, so consider him to be well ahead of his normal.

Kotoshoho vs Okinoumi – Back to the 2-3 grind, both of these guys are hoping to keep close to the break even line, set at 3-3 at the end of today. I like Kotoshoho’s chances here, only because Okinoumi seems to be only able to generate 60% of his normal forward power right now.

Chiyoshoma vs Tochinoshin – Another set of the 2-3 cohort (you see why the schedulers want to thin them out…), it’s fairly genki Chiyoshoma vs Tochinoshin and his mystery knees. This is now the second tournament in a row where he starts off pretty well hurt, gets better in act 1, and rolls on from there. I would love to see him pull in a second consecutive kachi-koshi this May.

Nishikigi vs Terutsuyoshi – Still more from the 2-3 cohort, and I expect Terutsuyoshi will dominate this one. A combination of his 3-1 career advantage, and the fact that his day 5 match against Okinoumi fell apart means that Terutsuyoshi will be looing for a soli win to move him into the center of Darwin’s Funnel for Saturday.

Takarafuji vs Shimanoumi – Only Takarafuji and Kotokuzan are winless, and I see that they keep giving Takarafuji opponents he has winning records against. Bless their heart for doing so, but I think Takarafuji is banged up and won’t have much to offer in terms of competition this tournament. I hope at M7 he is high enough up the banzuke that he’s not in any risk of being demoted to Juryo.

Kotoeko vs Wakamotoharu – Wakamotoharu has himself a nice slot at Maegashira 6. He’s high enough up the banzuke he gets to try his sumo against some of the kanban rikishi, but he’s not far enough up the roster that he will be in the Yokozuna and Ozeki rotation. Kotoeko is 3-2 right now, and a win today would keep him clear of the funnel for now, which is an outcome I am hoping to see.

Onosho vs Tobizaru – Onosho is another member of the 2-3 cadre, and he needs to find some mojo tomorrow to help him keep his balance set against the ace grab/tug/trip/bounce/slap machine that is Tobizaru. I like that he’s 4-1 to start act 2, and maybe he’s going to be able to come through with double digits this time out.

Endo vs Ura – Ura is holding on to a slight winning score right now at 3-2, and frankly I thought he would be doing much better at this rank. There is potential for some fun today, although most rikishi in the top half of Makeuuchi are wise to Ura’s quirky sumo. Even Wakamotoharu saw through his back lift attempt on day 5. Hopefully if his tricks are now expected, he can come up with some new moves to confuse his opponents and delight the fans.

Kiribayama vs Kotonowaka – Both of the Maegashira 2s facing off today, and this has the makings of a solid match. They have a career 2-2 record, and coming in 2-3 and 3-2 respectively. Of course to feed the funnel, they need Kiribayama to win and deposit both of these guys in the middle with 3-3 going into Saturday.

Hoshoryu vs Daieisho – I am starting to think Daieisho may be on the road to one of his “good” basho, and that would be most welcome. We have not seen him turn in double digits since September of 2021, and I would say that he is about due for a big basho. Hoshoryu is a bit of a puzzle right now, he lost to Takakeisho, but beat Mitakeumi. He lost to Endo, and beat Wakatakakage. Ok….

Wakatakakage vs Takayasu – Sadly, I would guess that Takayasu is setting course for a make-koshi now, having 1-4 record starting day 6. He could still come back with 7 wins over the next 10 days, but that’s a pretty steep hill to climb, especially when your sumo seems to be lacking about 20% of its former power. That being said, A Wakatakakage loss today would kick him out of the funnel, and course change him toward the make-koshi I expect from him this basho.

Takanosho vs Shodai – What can be said about Shodai that is not already apparent. On the outside, it’s tough to guess what has happened to his sumo and why. This situation is maddeningly similar to Goeido, who you know was capable of overwhelming, dominate sumo. Yet time after time he would come in and just be completely terrible. Frankly I hope Takanosho takes him apart today.

Mitakeumi vs Hokutofuji – Interestingly enough, they have a near peer 12-11 record against each other on the clay. A Mitakeumi loss today is something no one wants to see, but we face the prospect that the majority of the Ozeki corps may enter the middle weekend with losing records.

Abi vs Takakeisho – At least we can guess this will be an oshi battle royale, as both of these guys want to get both hands up, on their opponent and thrusting away like mad. Abi actually has a 3-2 advantage over Takakeisho, so could be a rough day for the Ozeki, and my new fax machine to lodge a formal complaint is still stuck somewhere in a shipping container in LA.

Terunofuji vs Tamawashi – Both of these guys are 4-1, and they both have prior yusho experience. They represent the (at the moment) most likely to contend for the cup next week, so it’s fun the pair them up now before the middle weekend and see who comes out on top. Terunofuji has a 10-7 career lead. I note that Tamawashi has won their last 2 matches out of a 10-7 overall career lead for the Kaiju.

With act 1 in the record books, there are a few things that are clear. We are going to have a messy act 2 is the biggest thing of note. None of the prior yusho winners are in the unbeaten group. With the exception of Yokozuna Terunofuji and Komusubi Daiesho, many of the named ranked rikishi are riding the make/kachi-koshi line, and may struggle to get their 8 wins in May. This is double true for Shodai, who is at 1-4 right now, and is a big mess of an Ozeki.

You know who really is over-performing right now? Tamawashi. Today he bested Mitakeumi, he last was able to do that at Aki 2020, and has had six consecutive losses against him since then. He has one prior yusho, and it would be just completely nuts if he were to be in a position to challenge for the cup next week.

Highlight Matches

Azumaryu defeats Midorifuji – Once Azumaryu had a double arm-bar on Midorifuji, there was only one way this was going to go unless Midorifuji could break Azumaryu’s grip. What impressed me is how long Midorifuji was able to stay in the ring and in the match. But Azumaryu throws him out with a kotenage, and both end the day at 2-3.

Ichiyamamoto defeats Oho – Ichiyamamoto uses a very straightforward “stand him up then pull him down” combo at the tachiai, and catches Oho too far forward. He advances to 5-0, with a perfect score for act 1.

Meisei defeats Kagayaki – Kagayaki had the better tachiai, and quickly put Meisei back. Kagayaki squared his hips and moved forward. Meisei had a ready move for this, getting to the side, turing Kagayaki then driving him out. That’s Meisei’s second win, and he is now 2-3.

Chiyotairyu defeats Kotokuzan – Chiyotairyu was able to put a bit more power in this tachiai today, and took charge of the match. A brief rally by Kotokuzan was short of what was needed, and Chiyotairyu shoved him out from behind. Chiyotairyu now 2-3, and Kotokuzan still winless at 0-5.

Sadanoumi defeats Yutakayama – No bursts of super human speed today, just straight ahead full contact sumo. Given Yutakayama’s higher mass, I was impressed by how well Sadanoumi was able to move forward. Sadanoumi now 4-1.

Aoiyama defeats Chiyoshoma – Aoiyama had the advantage in this match from the tachiai, and nearly gave it all up with a half hearted head pull about 15 seconds into a fight. Fortunately he did not throw too much into it, and was able to recover before Chiyoshoma could power into the pull. With his attack high getting him into trouble, Aoiyama found Chiyoshoma right arm, and gave Chiyoshoma a kotenage. Aoiyama finishes act 1 at 5-0.

Myogiryu defeats Nishikigi – Myogiryu wasted no time setting up a throw, placing his hands by the second step, and by the third step Nishikigi was tumbling to the clay. Kimarite was listed as tsukiotoshi, but it looked like an under shoulder swing down to me. Myogiryu improves to 3-2.

Tochinoshin defeats Kotoshoho – Tochinoshin continues his dominance (4-0) over Kotoshoho. Tochinoshin’s opening combo failed, and he transitioned immediately into a neck pull. As dangerous as that move is, today it worked, knocking Kotoshoho off balance. Tochinoshin finished him wiht a shove from the side, and both are now 2-3.

Okinoumi defeats Terutsuyoshi – Straight up quality sumo mechanics from Okinoumi today. Terutsuyoshi made contact lower than what I think he wanted, then found himself with no good route to attack. Both end the day at 2-3.

Kotoeko defeats Takarafuji – This was hoped to be a “gimme” match for Takarafuji, who is clearly not up to his normal fighting power. Takarafuji was able to set up the “defend and extend” gambit. I am not sure what injury has him operating in a degraded mode, but its a disappointment for his fans. Today, after controlling the match for about 30 seconds, Kotoeko breaks contact one step before Takarafuji has him out. Kotoeko pushes him out from the rear, finishing 3-2. Takarafuji finishes act 1 winless at 0-5.

Wakamotoharu defeats Ura – Wakamotoharu was able to grapple Ura, and channel the match into a chest to chest yotsu battle. This favored Wakamotoharu, and he was able to walk Ura around the ring. But everyone knew Ura was going to try and escape or counter attack at the bales, and he pivoted to throw Wakamotoharu out. The gumbai went to Ura, but they fell together and a rematch was proscribed. Second match was Ura attempting a back bend, and Wakamotoharu throwing that mess into the 5th row. Wakamotoharu improves to 4-1.

Shimanoumi defeats Tobizaru – Putting a big damper on my Tobizaru yusho story, Shimanoumi endured the frantic attacks of Tobizaru and stayed on his feet. Tobizaru kept up a very effective rolling set of disruption moves, but none of it did anything more than move Shimanoumi about. As Tobizaru started to run low on stamina, Shimanoumi attacked center mass and drove him out, improving to 2-3.

Takanosho defeats Kotonowaka – Takanosho had a really strong tachiai, and I think Kotonowaka was struggling to find a good route for his hands. While he worked to sort out his hand placement, Takanosho was moving him steadily out. Both end the day at 3-2.

Kiribayama defeats Takayasu – Fantastic defense today from Kiribayama kept Takayasu from ever really able to do much more than try to out power Kiribayama with his lower body. They lock up in the center of the ring, and it’s stamina check time. With his energy draining away, Kiribayama breaks Takayasu’s balance, and starts a combo of disruption moves that ends with Takayasu on the clay. Kiribayama picks up his second win of the basho to advance to 2-3

Daieisho defeats Abi – Abi had a solid opening combo, but Daieisho has been studying his match footage. As Abi moves his arms back to consolidate, he opens his chest, and Daieisho moved in to attack. With his blows landing center-mass, Abi was forced back, and three steps later out of the ring. Daieisho now is at 4-1.

Hoshoryu defeats Wakatakakage – Hoshoryu gets behind Wakatakakage immediately, and drives him out of the ring. Not sure if that was a micro-henka Harumafuji style or what, but it worked well. Hoshoryu now 3-2.

Tamawashi defeats Mitakeumi – Tamawashi prevailing over Mitakeumi is quite rare, this is only the 4th time he has won in 31 career matches. He simply out muscled Mitakeumi, eventually breaking his footing, and proceeding to tear right through him. A last minute pull down attempt by Mitakeumi did not work, and out goes the Ozeki. Tamawashi improves to 4-1.

Takakeisho defeats Onosho – Glad to see Takakeisho able to dial up the power today, in this battle of the tadpoles. I even saw him use his right arm with great effect in that final shove. Takakeisho now 3-2.

Endo defeats Shodai – Shodai, you puss bucket. Your tachiai was terrible, and it gave Endo free access to set up any kind of grip he desired, and Endo always desires a frontal grip. Shodai tried a bit of a rally at the edge of the ring, but this guy is Sandanme 23E Shodai, as opposed to the Ozeki Shodai. Endo advances 2-3.

Terunofuji defeats Hokutofuji – Terunofuji looked solid today, capturing Hokutofuji and bringing him to his chest. Hokutofuji did not have much sumo at that point, but tried a throw at the edge of the ring. Terunofuji collapsed that throw, sending Hokutofuji to the clay in a heap. Terunofuji remains at 1 loss with 4-1.