Kyujo (休場)

Kyushu 2023, Day 4: The Return of the Joi

Andy Kyujo (休場), Kyushu 2023, Kyushu Basho

Sad news that Chiyomaru is kyujo in Juryo. After a full decade as sekitori, his status will be in jeopardy unless he is able to return and claim a few wins later in the tournament. He will probably need 3-4 wins to be safe and it’s not looking good. In Makushita, the eldest Onami brother, Wakatakamoto, is also kyujo. There are a few Makuuchi fellows whom I would like to see go kyujo, though I doubt either of them will. We can probably add shin-Juryo Hitoshi to that list, as well. He looked dreadful on that ankle today.

Well, let’s not dwell on the bad news. We’ve got a raft of heavy hitters who are performing well so far this tournament. It’s a bit of a surprise to see the sanyaku performing well early. Let’s hope they can keep it up!

Highlights

Kitanowaka (3-1) defeated Tohakuryu (3-1). Tohakuryu attempted a quick pull but it backfired even faster as Kitanowaka kept his wits, pursued and forced him out. Oshidashi.

Churanoumi (3-1) defeated Nishikifuji (1-3). Churanoumi prevailed in a lively slapfest. Both wrestlers had chances and slip-ups but Nishikifuji attempted a pull in a poor location (close to the tawara) and when Churanoumi didn’t fall for it, there was nowhere left for Nishikifuji to go. An easy pushout since Nishikifuji was in retreat mode. Oshidashi.

Ichiyamamoto (4-0) defeated Tomokaze (2-2). Ichiyamamoto had his hands full with Tomokaze.  Tomokaze did a good job of making forward progress, forcing Ichiyamamoto back a step or so toward the tawara. But when he pulled, it played right into Ichiyamamoto’s hands. Ichiyamamoto maintained his balance and sent both men tumbling three rows deep into the crowd. Oshidashi.

Roga (1-3) defeated Tsurugisho (1-3). Roga spoiled Oshidashi-Day and picked up an easy first win of the tournament as the obviously injured Tsurugisho offered little in the way of resistance. I was surprised that Tsurugisho had not joined Chiyomaru on the kyujo list. Yorikiri.

Roga will face Tohakuryu tomorrow while Tsurugisho will face Nishikifuji.

Tamawashi (4-0) defeated Sadanoumi (2-2). Tamawashi is cleaning up here at the bottom of Makuuchi. Any concerns of retirement for the division’s oldest competitor are firmly on hold as he owned Sadanoumi today. Tamawashi quickly, and forcefully, dispatched his Kumamoto-raised rival. Oshidashi.

Tamawashi draws Tomokaze for Day 5.

Hiradoumi (1-3) defeated Takarafuji (1-3). Takarafuji met him solidly at the tachiai but couldn’t make much headway against Hiradoumi’s determined attack. Hiradoumi soon had Takarafuji moving in reverse and scouting soft spots in the front row for landing. Oshidashi.

Takarafuji will have a lot on his plate tomorrow against Churanoumi in the pair’s first meeting.

Kotoeko (2-2) defeated Oho (1-3). Oho forced Kotoeko to play his oshi-tsuki game, but after a brief slapfest, lost his balance in the center of the ring handing Kotoeko the W. Oho is on a three bout losing streak after that initial, impressive win against Hiradoumi. Tsukiotoshi.

Myogiryu (2-2) defeated Mitakeumi (1-3). Mitakeumi nearly won early as Myogiryu circled in retreat after the tachiai. Myogiryu was able to stop his backward momentum in time to avoid bowling over the gyoji, Kimura Motoki. As he pressed forward and reasserted position in the center of the dohyo, he sought out a double inside grip on Mitakeumi’s trunk. With that grip he was able to press forward and force Mitakeumi back, and off the dohyo. Yorikiri.

Myogiryu will face Oho; Mitakeumi will square up against Sadanoumi.

Atamifuji (4-0) defeated Ryuden (3-1). Atamifuji fought hard, especially with his left arm as he tried to free himself of Ryuden’s right hand. Hatakikomi. He circled back, and around the dohyo desperately but Ryuden was always right there, with his head in Atamifuji’s jaw and left hand tantalizingly close to securing the dreaded morozashi. When the pair paused to catch their breath, Ryuden slipped his left hand in and grasped Atamifuji’s belt. Here, Atamifuji knew he had to act. With one last pull and slapdown attempt, he finally forced Ryuden down to the floor. Hatakikomi. It wasn’t until he was lying on the dohyo that Ryuden finally released his right-hand grasp of Atamifuji’s belt.  

On Day 5, Atamifuji will find himself punching down against Kotoeko, though Kotoeko won their only previous head-to-head. Ryuden will strike back against Hiradoumi.

Kinbozan (2-2) defeated Hokuseiho (2-2). Kinbozan had a much easier time of getting that morozashi, slamming into Hokuseiho at the tachiai with a nodowa, and following up by driving forward with both arms wrapped around Hokuseiho. Yorikiri.

Halftime.

Takanosho (2-2) defeated Endo (0-4). Endo brought no strength to this bout. Takanosho arrested his forward movement shortly after the tachiai and wrapped him up, neat and secure, like an expensive Christmas present. That wonderful forward-moving sumo soon gifted Endo to the fans in the front row. Yorikiri.

Midorifuji (3-1) defeated Onosho (1-3). Onosho pounded Midorifuji’s face from the tachiai and got that forward-moving sumo going…but then Midorifuji vanished and Onosho careened down the steps of the dohyo. Tsukiotoshi.

Midorifuji will fight Kinbozan tomorrow. Onosho will fight Hokuseiho.

Nishikigi (2-2) defeated Shonannoumi (3-1). Nishikigi with a false start, unhappy at Shonannoumi’s slow roll tachiai. Hidari-yotsu. Shonannoumi leaned in and got that right hand outside grip, and drove into Nishikigi. As he charged forward, though, Nishikigi pivoted at the very edge and threw Shonannoumi. Shonannoumi landed with a thud, a beat before Nishikigi. Shitatenage.

Nishikigi will battle Takanosho and Shonannoumi will bounce back against Endo.

Shodai (1-3) defeated Gonoyama (1-3). Shodai must be happy to be done with the slate of Ozeki. His schedule will get a bit easier from here. And he sure made this win look easy. Gonoyama was far too eager in his charge if he missed a target as large as Shodai shifting to his right. Shodai shoved Gonoyama to the ground as he went past. A wry smile from Shodai as Gonoyama contemplated how things went so wrong. Tsukiotoshi.

Kotonowaka (4-0) defeated Abi (1-3). Abi’s thrusts were unable to slow Kotonowaka’s advance so Abi jumped to the side but threw himself off balance. Kotonowaka turned around and pursued, quickly forcing an out of control Abi over the edge, like a Tesla on autopilot. Oshidashi.

Hokutofuji (1-3) defeated Wakamotoharu (2-2). Powerful, satisfying tachiai from Hokutofuji. Wakamotoharu’s poor Hatakikomi attempt left him nowhere to turn. He was already standing at the tawara when Hokutofuji pushed him over. Oshidashi.

Hokutofuji will face Abi on Day 5.

Daieisho (4-0) defeated Ura (0-4). Daieisho is dialed in. His tsuppari were landing, blow after blow, about Ura’s head, neck, and shoulders. Ura had no other option but to take flight into the crowd to escape the assault. Oshidashi.

Daieisho squares off against fellow undefeated Kotonowaka tomorrow. Ura will seek his first win against Wakamotoharu.

Hoshoryu (4-0) defeated Tobizaru (1-3). Is it just me or are belt battles very rare from Tobizaru? I feel like I just saw a blue super moon. Tobizaru locked in with Hoshoryu for in a grapple. Interestingly, the trip attempts seemed to come from Tobizaru rather than Hoshoryu. Hoshoryu ushered Tobizaru over the bales with a firm right-hand inside grip. Yorikiri.

Hoshoryu will defend his lead against Gonoyama. Tobizaru will fight Shodai.

Takayasu (2-2) defeated Kirishima (3-1). Kirishima is the first Ozeki to fall off the pace thanks to a fierce attack from Papa Bear, focused on the Ozeki’s head and face. He didn’t get attacked or assaulted, he got mauled. Don’t they always tell you to cover your face if a bear is on you? https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20231025/p2a/00m/0na/002000c Well, I guess sumo wrestlers don’t have that option. But wow, from the initial charge Takayasu battered Kirishima, and then finished him off with a thrust to his head. Tsukiotoshi.

Meisei (1-3) defeated Takakeisho (3-1). Meisei PAY DAY. Meisei picked up a stack of kensho after giving Takakeisho a taste of his own gravy. No, I don’t know what that means. Takakeisho employed his standard attack: tsuppari and slap-down attempts. He nearly caught Meisei out with a shift in direction but Meisei regained his balance at the edge. Then he followed up with some misdirection of his own. This time Takakeisho was caught backwards. By the time Takakeisho could turn around, Meisei was on him and forced him over the tawara. Yorikiri.

Meisei will fight Kirishima while Takakeisho will be wise to pack his bear spray for Takayasu. Both of these matchups are even Steven. Meisei has taken 6 of 12 bouts from Kirishima. Takakeisho and Takayasu have split their twenty fights, 10 wins apiece.

Aki’23 Torikumi Released, Terunofuji Kyujo

Andy Aki 2023, Aki Basho, Kyujo (休場), Terunofuji (照ノ富士) ,

The Nihon Sumo Kyokai released the Day 1 & Day 2 schedule for the top division, as well as the Day 1 schedule for Juryo, and in-so-doing confirmed that Yokozuna Terunofuji would be absent. Unfortunately, this has become rather normal but we are heartened that at least some of the No-Zeki drama has been put to rest as Takakeisho will participate and he is joined by two fellow Ozeki. Both he and Kirishima aim to clear their kadoban status (must have winning records or will be demoted to Sekiwake) but shin-Ozeki Hoshoryu will be eager to follow up his yusho with a strong performance in Tokyo.

Despite Terunofuji’s kyujo, there will be night full of interesting match-ups, culminating in Kirishima vs Tobizaru for the musubi-no-ichiban. There looks to be a lot of risk for upsets so many fans will probably be relieved if the three Ozeki start out strong. However, I have circled the Nishikigi/Tamawashi bout as a potential highlight. We will quickly learn how ready Nishikigi is after the injury suffered during last week’s open practice.

Asanoyama can potentially start his own Ozeki run with an exceptionally strong tournament from Maegashira 2. I know many of his fans are eager to see if he can quickly reclaim his former rank. Injuries are certainly taking their toll, though. But if we are realistic, this is the first opportunity he has to start making moves for Ozeki. There have been rare promotions where Ozeki runs begin from, or near, the top of the rank-and-file. He’ll face Wakamotoharu in his opener, whose own promotion hopes withered in the heat of Nagoya. Daieisho will also be starting from zero this tournament as he faces Meisei. Kotonowaka will face Shodai, who seems to be more reliable as a spoiler than anything. Will one of these four men be the next Ozeki? Will any be promoted by Osaka, or much later?

Hakuōho Shoulder Surgery Confirmed: Kyujo for Aki, Likely Longer

Andy Aki 2023, Aki Basho, Hakuoho, Kyujo (休場) , ,

Hakuōho, Miyagino-beya’s rookie sensation, has had surgery on his shoulder and will not compete in the upcoming Aki-basho. The shoulder injury is a subluxation of the left shoulder, or partial dislocation. It is a common injury among athletes in sports like boxing and American football. Non-surgical treatment includes icing to reduce swelling, medication for pain, wearing a sling, and limiting motion to avoid recurrence. This is followed by physical therapy and exercises to target strengthening the muscles associated with stabilization of the shoulder.

He had injured his right shoulder in high school and had surgery on it prior to “going pro.” But we’ve all seen the massive tape wrapping on his left shoulder recently, and we’ve seen him grimace in pain several times after bouts. He had been kyujo from the summer jungyo due to the injury and a desire to allow it to heal without surgery. However, the pain continued and he decided to have surgery, which was performed on August 31.

According to this study of NFL shoulder instability injuries, surgery may help limit risk of recurrence or extend the period of time he will be able to compete before suffering a recurrence. This study also mentions some of the benefits but also discusses the substantially longer time to “return to play” for those who opt for surgery, compared to those who do not. If he’s out for 26-36 weeks (the optimistic to average timelines from the study) that will mean he will not compete until March or May.

Hopefully the fact that it’s a partial dislocation may help mitigate some of the risks? I do not have details of his case or operation, whether it was performed arthroscopic or open, which seems to make a difference. These should also be assessed on a case-by-case basis, obviously. But it’s safe to say he will be out for the rest of the year.

He will fall to Juryo in November, likely Makushita in January and March. If he’s out until May, he might come back in Sandanme. His goal, however, is not just to be in Makuuchi. Clearly, hopes are pinned on him becoming Ozeki or Yokozuna. The current Yokozuna serves as an example that such comebacks are possible.