A spate of fall / slip / traction / balance failures in today’s matches. I will chalk it up to ring rust in most cases, and maybe some poor surface conditions on the Natsu dohyo. The surface, I am certain, will be addressed overnight. The ring rust? Well, that’s what act 1 is all about.

I need to give a shout out to Kotonowaka. He’s now put 2 Ozeki down for his first 2 days. Not usually what you see from a Maegashira 2, and I think it portends that he’s getting closer to his actual level of ability. He finishes the Ozeki trifecta with Mitakeumi on day 3. Then there is Tamawashi, who is also 2-0 to start, and has scored white stars against both Sekiwake, who have a fair amount of well deserved hype attached to their names. At 37 years old, this guy can still dog out these younger rising stars, and you just have to admire the guy’s mojo.

Highlight Matches

Midorifuji defeats Kagayaki – Midorifuji struggles to get any offense going at first, but I love how he stays in the match and is able to break contact one step before crossing the bales. Kagayaki did not change his sumo one bit when Midorifuji grabbed his shoulder, and a moment later, it was katasukashi time! Very nice, both are now 1-1.

Ichiyamamoto defeats Kotokuzan – Its common to compare Ichiyamamoto to Abi, both use a double arm thrusting style, I can see the similarity. Today is a great example of how Ichiyamamoto may be a touch better in terms of overall sumo. Kotokuzan delivered a strong counter-attack time and again, but Ichiyamamoto endured and just kept moving forward. Great fundamentals, and he’s now 2-0.

Oho defeats Azumaryu – Oho worked for a right hand outside mawashi grip, and the instant it landed he was in control. Nice work to keep Azumaryu fighting on the top half, but losing on the bottom half. Oho’s first win and is now 1-1.

Yutakayama defeats Meisei – If you want a big thrusting contest, this is your match. There are at least half a dozen moments where Meisei could have put Yutakayama on the deck, as Yutakayama was off balance, on one foot, and did not have his hips square to his opponent. But Yutakayama kept plugging away and gets Meisei to lose balance and step out. He is now 2-0.

Myogiryu defeats Chiyotairyu – Second day in a row, Chiyotairyu goes to immediately pull his opponent down, and gets a quick exit for his troubles. He had Myogiryu moving downward, but he was one step too late and exited the ring before Myogiryu hit the clay. Myogiryu advances to 2-0.

Chiyoshoma defeats Sadanoumi – Sadanoumi opened strong, but to me it looks like Chiyoshoma’s opening move was to set up the shitatenage, and it payed off wonderfully. Sadanoumi rotates and hits the clay with a satisfying thud, and Chiyoshoma picks up his first win to improve to 1-1.

Aoiyama defeats Okinoumi – “Big Dan” Aoiyama had his hands center-mass, and never gave up that advantage. This match is a great lesson about how effective that can be. Okinoumi made matters worse by attempting to pull, giving the advantage to Aoiyama, who picks up his second win for a 2-0 start.

Nishikigi defeats Tochinoshin – Tochinoshin had a great start, got his left hand outside grip, but lost it. When Nishikigi counter attacked, Tochinoshin collapses, falls off the dohyo and is clearly in pain. I have got to assume that right now his right knee is in poor condition. Man, you hate to see this kind of outcome. Nishikigi picks up his first win and is 1-1.

Kotoshoho defeats Shimanoumi – Very straightforward match, with Kotoshoho completely dominating the winless Shimanoumi. Seriously, Shimanoumi had nothing, and caught a Kotoshoho combo full force. Kotoshoho now 1-1.

Kotoeko defeats Terutsuyoshi – I had some fairly high hopes for this match, but Terutsuyoshi could not keep his feet and quickly ended up with his hands on the clay. Kotoeko seems to have had the same expectation, and was left standing waiting for the next Terutsuyoshi move. Kotoeko 2-0.

Ura defeats Takarafuji – Takarafuji wisely did not come in strong at the tachiai – you just never know what Ura is going to try. But today was straight ahead sumo day for the man in pink, and used some really good technique to never let Takarafuji get close enough to grapple. At one moment Takarafuji pulls forward on Ura’s neck, and from there it’s 2 steps and Takarafuji is out. Ura’s first win and is now 1-1.

Tobizaru defeats Wakamotoharu – While I was looking forward to grand clash of styles, what happened instead was Wakamotoharu loosing his footing and tumbling to the clay. Unexpected, but.. ok. Tobizaru, undeterred, takes one of his customary runs through the crowd anyhow to celebrate that he has a 2-0 start to Natsu.

Onosho defeats Endo – Classic Onosho sumo, Endo came in strong and hit hard at the tachiai, but Onosho was already moving forward. With his hand center-mass, Onosho blew through Endo’s stance and just kept moving. Quick oshidashi win and Onosho is 2-0.

Takanosho defeats Daieisho – Daieisho had the stronger offense at the tachiai: superior hand placement, attacking from underneath, everything you would look for. But As Takanosho moved to escape, Daieisho could not keep his feet and hit the clay. Both end the day at 1-1.

Tamawashi defeats Wakatakakage – As dialed in as Wakatakakage’s sumo is right now, you could wonder how Tamawashi pulled this off. Go watch the combo attacks against Wakatakakage’s upper body. There is a small pull in there that rather than attempt to drop Wakatakakage, is just there to put him off balance, and the second one works. Tamawashi finishes him with a hikiotoshi. Brilliant sumo, his first win against Wakatakakage in 6 attempts, and he’s 2-0.

Abi defeats Hokutofuji – Nice change of opening from Abi, did not immediately deploy the double arm attack before his opponent could stand up. I think this change threw off Hokutofuji’s timing and his balance. When the double arm thrusting attacks began, he found Hokutofuji not set up for defense, and rapidly took him off balance, and moments later out of the ring. Abi picks up his first win and is 1-1.

Hoshoryu defeats Mitakeumi – No other way to put this, Mitakeumi blew the tachiai. He let Hoshoryu dictate the opening move, and never had a second chance to generate any offense. This happens in sumo matches, and it just as easily could have gone the other way. Both end the day 1-1.

Takakeisho defeats Kiribayama – Takakeisho.. winning by… YORIKIRI? Ok, this is indeed seldom seen. But again we saw a somewhat soft tachiai, and Takakeisho leading his attack with his weaker left hand, protecting his right. Both are 1-1 now, but I am quite concerned with Takakeisho’s sumo these two days, and what it implies for his condition.

Kotonowaka defeats Shodai – Kotonowaka steals Shodai’s “cartoon sumo” and finds a way to stay in the ring and on his feet a moment longer than Shodai. The whole match was off balance and a heartbeat away from calamity, so crazy to watch. Kotonowaka has a 2-0 start.

Terunofuji defeats Takayasu – Great battle here, and I really was happy to see Takayasu keep both feet on the clay. Terunofuji was able to transmit power to earth through those knees, and the fight was on. But as Takayasu improved his grip, and broke the Yokozuna’s left hand hold, his right knee gave way and he hit the clay. Terunofuji improves to 1-1.

After the pasting the Yokozuna and 2 Ozeki took on day 1, it’s time for the top guys to show us what they can do. Of course all eyes are on Terunofuji, as I think most sumo fans want the Yokozuna strong and healthy, as it is the nature of the sport.

None of the top 4 men have easy matches today, and I think this is indeed going to be a theme this May – the men below Ozeki are really in strong shape, and they are looking to tear their way up the banzuke. Of special interest to me is Wakatakakage. I know I pointed out in the run up to Natsu that even a big blow out score here would not get him to Ozeki – he needs to prove he can repeat his big scores first. But The first part of that would be to, yes, run up the score once more. He looked very good day 1, and he needs to keep things rolling in act 1 to continue to make his case.

Speaking of which, yes, we are in act 1. Tachiai tends to divide up a basho into three 5 day acts, each has their own purpose. Act 1 is to clean off the ring rust, and figure out who is hot, and who is not. On to today’s matches…

What We Are Watching Day 2

Kagayaki vs Midorifuji – Its just possible that maybe Kagayaki and Ryuden were able to practice together and get their sumo into good shape. I would really like Kagayaki to repay the banzuke luck he has received so many times with an actual top division kachi-koshi. Odd fact, Shikimori Inosuke, the chief gyoji, is from his stable.

Kotokuzan vs Ichiyamamoto – Kotokuzan lost his opener against the aforementioned Kagayaki, but there is no reason he can’t or won’t come out strong today against Ichiyamamoto. Kotokuzan just needs to get underneath and stop the double arm thrusting attacks.

Oho vs Azumaryu – Both of these guys lost their opener, and both of them are looking for their first top division kachi-koshi some time next week. At least one of them will get their first white star today.

Yutakayama vs Meisei – If day 1 is any indicator, Meisei’s health and body problems from Osaka are in the past. If true, he’s really going to be knocking heads for the next couple of weeks. Yutakayama has beaten him once out of their six prior matches, so maybe he can summon some of his old fighting spirit and put up a stiff fight.

Myogiryu vs Chiyotairyu – 20 match history between these two, split evenly 10-10. Chiyotairyu looked terrible day 1, with an early pull that was not really set up correctly that lead to his quick defeat. If he shows up like that today, Myogiryu will start Natsu 2-0.

Sadanoumi vs Chiyoshoma – Both are very quick, and both are capable of some exciting sumo. Chiyoshoma has a 6-4 career lead, and I would say that he has a slight edge today, as long as he can stay focused and not be distracted by Sadanoumi’s tachiai.

Okinoumi vs Aoiyama – Twenty Nine matches between these two, with the split 18-11 in favor of Okinoumi. If Okinoumi can land a hand inside or a belt hold, it’s his match. If Aoiyama can keep it oshi-style, he’s likely to prevail.

Nishikigi vs Tochinoshin – Both lost day 1, Nishikigi because he got caught in Aoiyama’s V-Twin to pull down attack, and Tochinoshin because he is a one legged osteopath case who somehow does sumo. I love that he soldiers on, but some days I cringe watching him struggle.

Shimanoumi vs Kotoshoho – Another pair up between day 1 losers, I think that Kotoshoho did not guard himself against Terutsuyoshi well at all, and that was quite the lesson he received. He has never lost to Shimanoumi, so maybe today is the day he gets his first win.

Terutsuyoshi vs Kotoeko – Battle of the compact brawlers, this one has “hoo boy” written all over itself in English, Kanji, and German. 23 career matches, with a tiny 12-11 advantage to Terutsuyoshi. I think sparks are going to fly.

Ura vs Takarafuji – Ura still looking crummy following his crummy run in Osaka. As an Ura fan, I want to see him excel. But at least if he loses today, it will be to Takarafuji, who could really use a kachi-koshi for May.

Wakamotoharu vs Tobizaru – Another great clash of styles. It’s going to be Wakamotoharu’s strong yotsu vs Tobizaru’s monkey-sumo, and I am all about this. Tobizaru has a 6-1 career lead, but Wakamotoharu has been making noticeable improvements each basho, and I have to think this might be the day that Wakamotoharu can get a hold of Tobizaru and treat him to a fine, old-fashioned yorki-kiri.

Endo vs Onosho – It’s just a single day, but Endo really did look sharp on day one. He is closer to the tail end of his career than to the start, but it would be great to see him run a double digit score again while he still has enough fighting power to make it work. He’s going to need to withstand Onosho’s power forward opening combo, and that can be a lot. Endo leads the series 7-3.

Takanosho vs Daieisho – Fresh from beating Terunofuji on opening day, Daieisho gets to take on a still suffering Takanosho. I am used to seeing him in the named ranks, so him slumming down and M4, and still struggling, is somewhat unsettling. They two share a 6-6 career record, but if Daieisho brings the same tachiai he used against Terunofuji, it’s his match.

Wakatakakage vs Tamawashi – Tamawashi has never beaten Wakatakakage in 5 attempts, but don’t let that get in the way of what could be a fantastic match. With Wakatakakage firmly rooted in the Sekiwake position until he gets injured or promoted, its really time to study his sumo. Tamawashi, however, is well known, and if he can hit hard early, it would likely be enough to throw Wakatakakage off his match plan.

Hokutofuji vs Abi – Both lost on opening day when their individual opponents wrecked the preferred attack style. Both of these guys will likely consent to a oshi-battle deluxe, and I expect it to come down between Abi’s top end style, and Hokutofuji’s usually impeccable foot work.

Mitakeumi vs Hoshoryu – Mitakeumi has a 3-0 career record over Hoshoryu, who I worry is still not quite ready for the named ranks. I know he has a lot of pressure to climb the banzuke, but I would rather see him mature properly and really clean up in a year or two. For Mitakeumi, the next bell to ring would give him the rope if he can connect a pair of yusho, of if the YDC decide that a 4th haul of the cup is likely good enough.

Kiribayama vs Takakeisho – Takakeisho looked quite of out sorts on day 1, and he gave Kotonowaka a real confidence boost through his loss. Charity should end there, and it’s time for the Ozeki to pound the stuffing out of all challengers. He has a 6-3 career advantage against Kiribayama, and I would like to see Takakeisho really dominate today’s match.

Kotonowaka vs Shodai – Shodai, get it together man.

Terunofuji vs Takayasu – The big match of the day, this one could inform sumo fans around the glob on the condition of Terunofuji’s fractional knees. We all want them to be as sturdy as can be, but if we are honest with ourselves, we know the day is coming when they fail. We saw Takayasu on one foot during his day one match against Mitakeumi, and that normally spells a big hairy loss for the former Ozeki. Keep both feet on the clay, and all power forward, sir!

It was a tough day in the named ranks, as many of the top men in sumo struggled in their opening matches. I would shout out to Kiribayama’s excellent form, and Kotonowaka’s ability to stay calm in spite of that tachiai giving him an unexpected advantage.

How much of it is ring rust vs mechanical injuries in the top rikishi? We should figure that out over the next couple of days. But from our previews and work up for Natsu, it was clear that this joi-jin was going to be a brutal cadre for the named ranks. Fans should expect some tough matches for the Ozeki and the Yokozuna in act 1.

Highlight Matches

Kagayaki defeats Kotokuzan – This is the kind of sumo that Kagayaki had been known for. He had relentless focus on Kotokuzan’s center-mass. While Kotokuzan is working to attack Kagayaki’s head, Kagayaki is driving hard with control of the inside route. More like this please. Kagayaki starts Natsu 1-0.

Ichiyamamoto defeats Midorifuji – Midorifuji could not muster any response to Ichiyamamoto’s opening double arm attack volley. The first moments left Midorifuji moving back and attempting to circle away. But a bad step took his left foot onto the janome, and it was Ichiyamamoto’s match, giving him a 1-0 start.

Yutakayama defeats Azumaryu – Yutakayama’s nodowa attack carried the match for him. Azumaryu tried to rally and maintain footing, but Yutakayama dialed up the forward pressure and forced him back.

Meisei defeats Oho – Oho opened strong, but seemed to be focused on a strictly East-West match, and was not prepared for Meisei’s agility. As Oho moved to press his attack forward, Meisei circled away and counter attacked. A single powerful shove sent Oho out. Meisei – we are all counting on you to do much better than your 1-14 in Osaka. Good match sir.

Sadanoumi defeats Chiyotairyu – I really like Sadanoumi’s opening move here. Normally he leaps forward and attacks, today he changed up tempo, went in just a “regular human” speed and caught Chiyotairyu somewhat off tempo. Chiyotairyu immediately tried to pull him down, and Sadanoumi charged into the pull, sending Chiyotairyu out for a 1-0 start.

Myogiryu defeats Chiyoshoma – Chiyoshoma’s early try for a pull down wasted what was otherwise an excellent tachiai. Myogiryu kept his feet, and worked his hands inside and attacked from below with great effect. Once he had dismantled Chiyoshoma’s defenses, Myogiryu made quick work of sending him out.

Aoiyama defeats Nishikigi – Classic Aoiyama “Stand him up, slap him down” combo played out over the course of several seconds from the tachiai. This level of execution was more or less missing in Osaka, so it’s good to see “Big Dan” back in form and looking strong.

Okinoumi defeats Tochinoshin – A cold start is nothing new for Tochinoshin, and he looked unprepared for today’s opener to me. He tried for his left hand outside grip, but excellent hand placement by Okinoumi shut down any chance of Tochinoshin generating offense at first. While the former Ozeki tried to consolidate his position into anything useful, Okinoumi walked him out. 1-0 start for the man from Shimane.

Terutsuyoshi defeats Kotoshoho – Terutsuyoshi gave Kotoshoho the slip at the tachiai, and from that moment forward, Kotoshoho struggled to figure out what the hell was going on. For a brief moment, Kotoshoho actually was able to switch to offense, but that just opened the door for Terutsuyoshi to conjure up a glorious under shoulder swing down. Been a fair number of days since we had a katasukashi from him, and it was wonderful to see.

Kotoeko defeats Shimanoumi – Kotoeko’s superior power to weight ratio with a healthy gob of stamina carried that match. Both men put a lot of energy into the fight, but you could see that Shimanoumi tired first. From there it was Kotoeko’s match to win, and his patience payed off. 1-0 start for Kotoeko.

Wakamotoharu defeats Takarafuji – I had anticipated a big yotsu match today, and both men delivered, but it went a different direction than I had expected. Normally Takarafuji would be able to set his feet and blunt any attack his opponent might deploy. But it’s a testament to Wakamotoharu’s sumo that he was able to unseal Takarafuji’s feet from the clay and keep him inching back.

Tobizaru defeats Ura – With these two fighting, it was going to be volley after volley of probing attacks, and they certainly employed those in quantity. But once they figured out there was no future in the grab and tug mode, they went chest to chest to hug it out. Tobizaru rallied first, Ura tried to rotate but cold not complete as Tobizaru tossed him into the zabuton, crushing gyoji Shotaro in the process.

Onosho defeats Takanosho – It seems the job of the first man to face Onosho in any basho has the duty to check his balance. Some time, Onosho shows up to week 1 quiet wobbly, but not today. Takanosho rocked Onosho’s head back at the tachiai, but his body kept driving forward. Onosho turned and pulled Takanosho past him to the right for a tsukiotoshi win.

Endo defeats Hoshoryu – I was curious how this one was going to go, and the results surprised me a bit. Endo had a very compact body position in the tachiai, and like some spherical sumo bollard, Hoshoryu seems to have deflected off Endo’s right side. Endo finished him with a quick push down, and it was 1-0 for Endo.

Tamawashi defeats Abi – We had suggested this match would come down to the power and placement for the first hit. It went to Tamawashi, and it disrupted Abi’s opening combo. By the time Abi reset, Tamawashi had him on the run, and made fast work of what was left.

Wakatakakage defeats Hokutofuji – Hokutofuji was high in the tachiai, and allowed himself to be captured by Wakatakakage’s right hand. Unable to move or break contact, Hokutofuji’s thrusting attack was discarded for a straight yotsu battle. Wakatakakage never let him lower his hips, and Hokutofuji remained too high for the entire match, as Wakatakakage took him apart a piece at a time and racked up an opening day win for a 1-0 start to Natsu.

Kotonowaka defeats Takakeisho – Takakeisho got in a single combo at the start, and could not get a second volley started. As a result, Kotonowaka was surprised to find himself in the driver’s seat, but moved the Ozeki back, and finished him. Hopefully this is just ring rust on Takakeisho, but he did not look fierce today.

Kiribayama defeats Shodai – Shodai’s back in sloppy tachiai territory again. He was wide open to Kiribayama’s opening gambit, which resulted in a Kiribayama left hand frontal grip. Should could not find a way to shake that hold, and Kiribayama used it to win the match. 1-0 start for Kiribayama

Mitakeumi defeats Takayasu – The moment I saw Takayasu on one foot, I knew which way this was headed. But hey, Tate-gyoji Inosuke once again got in the way of the match, and it was (in my opinion) a factor. I think maybe its time for the fellow to hang up the gumbai and let someone else hold the top spot. Mitakeumi starts 1-0.

Daieisho defeats Terunofuji – Daieisho connected early with Terunofuji’s chest, and the Yokozuna could not hold position. As we have worried, this may mean his knees are not able to transmit power to ground, and will cause him to struggle with defense. Daieisho kept up the pressure, and walked Terunofuji back for a win.