Kyushu 2023

Kyushu 2023, Day 7

Andy Kyushu 2023, Kyushu Basho , ,

Today, we close out the first week of sumo in Kyushu. It’s been a great tournament with a lot of great bouts and a compelling set of leaders. We got news that Asanoyama will be back for nakabi. He will need to win out in order to get a kachi-koshi. He doesn’t need any wins in order to stay in Makuuchi, so his determination to return is a bit of a puzzle…but it is what it is.

Highlights

Tomokaze (5-2) defeated Roga (2-5). Roga tried a pull at the tachiai but Tomokaze showed him how to actually execute a slapdown. Hatakikomi

Tsurugisho (3-4) defeated Churanoumi (5-2). Tsurugisho got a quick grip of Churanoumi’s belt and pivoted on his good leg to throw Churanoumi out of the dohyo. Uwatenage

Churanoumi will face Tomokaze on Day 8. So far, Tomokaze has had Churanoumi’s number taking all three of their head-to-head matches to date.

Takarafuji (2-5) defeated Kitanowaka (3-4). Takarafuji shrugged off Kitanowaka’s initial charge, wrapped him up in a bear hug, and drove Kitanowaka back and over the bales. Yorikiri.

Kitanowaka will face Aoiyama tomorrow in their first meeting. “But Aoiyama’s in Juryo, Andy.” Yes, but Asanoyama will be back so we will get our first Juryo visit. Aoiyama has been getting his job done in the second division, priming himself for a return to Makuuchi in January. We’ll see if he can keep it up in week two. Kitanowaka, on the other hand, has fallen off pace since his strong start. Right that ship!

Oho (3-4) defeated Nishikifuji (2-5). Both men traded punishing blows. Oho tried three times to shift and pull Nishikifuji down. It finally worked on the third try. Hatakikomi.

Oho will take on Roga.

Sadanoumi (4-3) defeated Ichiyamamoto (6-1). Sadanoumi caught Ichiyamamoto’s right arm and used it to attempt a throw but Ichiyamamoto kept his balance and kept up his own attack. Sadanoumi just seemed impervious to Ichiyamamoto-zumo and drove Ichiyamamoto to the edge. You knew Ichiyamamoto was in trouble when he abandoned his brand of sumo entirely and tried to wrap up Sadanoumi on the belt. Sadanoumi kept up his forward pressure and forced Ichiyamamoto over the bales. Yorikiri.

Sadanoumi will face Nishikifuji. Ichiyamamoto will face Takarafuji. Takarafuji has owned Ichi so far in their rivalry, taking six of seven. But Ichiyamamoto has been fighting well. Can Ichiyamamoto keep pace and stay in the lead?

Ryuden (5-2) defeated Kotoeko (2-5). Kotoeko came tantalizingly close to a twisting throw of Ryuden, but Ryuden maintained his forward pressure and crushed Kotoeko, forcing him to fall over the bales. Yoritaoshi.

Mitakeumi (3-4) defeated Tohakuryu (2-5). Mitakeumi’s tsuppari was stronger than Tohakuryu’s. Mitakeumi drove forward and forced Tohakuryu back and out. Oshidashi.

Tamawashi (5-2) defeated Myogiryu (3-4). Tamawashi established his brand of sumo with a strong thrust to Myogiryu’s face at the tachiai. Once he got Myogiryu going back, he kept up that pressure and pushed him out. I think I would henka Tamawashi. That would be fun and much more pleasant than his claw on my chin. Oshidashi.

Tamawashi will face Tohakuryu in their first meeting tomorrow.

Hiradoumi (4-3) defeated Atamifuji (5-2). Atamifuji was in retreat mode this entire bout. He tried to counter at the edge but Hiradoumi was able to keep up the pressure and drove Atamifuji out. Gah!, this has been several bouts in a row where Atamifuji is fighting back against someone else’s style of sumo. Some, he’s effective with the counter and wins. But times like this, he loses. I feel he needs to establish his sumo first and blast people away rather than fight from behind. Yorikiri.

Hiradoumi will face a Tsurugisho who has somehow found a way to win a couple of bouts.

Shonannoumi (5-2) defeated Takanosho (3-4). Takanosho was busy trying to get a belt grip, Shonannoumi used a swim move to shrug Takanosho to the side. He then drove him down. Hatakikomi.

Shonannoumi will face Mitakeumi and Takanosho will face Atamifuji.

Halftime

Hokuseiho (3-4) defeated Midorifuji (5-2). Hokuseiho is known as “tree” for his height. Midorifuji attempted a few kicks and throws while Hokuseiho contemplated the meaning of life and wondered, “what is my brand of sumo, anyway?” With his roots firmly established in Makuuchi, it is a bit late to be trying to figure that out. While Midorifuji kept kicking at the base of the tree the entire stadium seemed to be patiently waiting for Hokuseiho to actually launch an attack…for four full minutes, apparently. Mizu-iri, already? The gyoji paused the bout, marked their feet position with salt, and the two combatants went to get some power water before returning to their marks and re-establishing their grips. Maybe tree sumo is a bit like watching a tree grow. We need a drunk guy in the audience to shout, “つまらないぞ!” Finally, Midorifuji toppled the tree with a shitatenage…but like any lumberjack’s worst nightmare, the tree landed on him. Uwatenage.

Hokuseiho will face Ryuden. Ryuden won’t have the patience for this crap. Hokuseiho better be ready for some action. Midorifuji will face Myogiryu. So far, Myogiryu is winless against Midorifuji.

Endo (1-6) defeated Onosho (2-5). Onosho false start. Reset. Endo got in on the henka-action but Onosho caught him out. Onosho then started punishing Endo for his henka with powerful tsuppari. But Endo shrugged off the blows and pressed inside to get his hands on Onosho’s belt. Once he landed that second belt grip, he pulled Onosho forward to the clay. Tsukiotoshi. I thought it would be shitatenage but they know what they’re doing. I’m just happy Endo’s got one in the win column. I’d started to think he was just a massive Radiohead fan and got “Black Star” stuck in his head. (The good thing about getting that joke out now is that I can never use it again.)

Endo will face Kotoeko.

Nishikigi (5-2) defeated Kinbozan (3-4). As Kinbozan tried to pivot and throw Nishikigi, Nishikigi countered by just continuing to press forward. Kinbozan’s knee buckled and he tumbled to the floor. Yoritaoshi. Nishikigi continues his streak of five wins in a row.

Kinbozan will face Onosho.

Takayasu (4-3) defeated Meisei (1-6). Meisei locked in and tried to spin Takayasu down. Takayasu laid into Meisei with powerful tsuppari, forcing Meisei back. When Meisei got to the bales, Takayasu snapped him forward for a hatakikomi.

Ura (2-5) defeated Kotonowaka (6-1). I knew Kotonowaka was in trouble when Ura wasn’t immediately bouncing around the dohyo doing his best Tobizaru impression. Instead, Ura was patient. Why he chose today, I don’t know. The two locked horns and just when you thought we were settling in for “a lean,” Ura grabbed Kotonowaka’s arm and yanked him down. Tottari. Freaking brilliant. THIS is Ura-zumo. Not that hyper-active, sugar-high stuff from earlier in the week.

Ura will fight Takayasu.

Shodai (3-4) defeated Wakamotoharu (3-4). Shodai is actually trying and it’s awesome. He absorbed Wakamotoharu’s tachiai but from there he seized the initiative wrapped up Wakamotoharu and drove him back. WMH countered with his own charge but Shodai twisted at the edge, throwing Waka out. Both tumbled out at nearly the same time but Shodai clearly won this. but the shimpan are in disbelief so they needed a mono-ii to make sure they weren’t hallucinating. Gunbai-dori. Sukuinage.

Shodai will fight Kotonowaka. If Shodai brings it again, Kotonowaka will have his hands full.

Daieisho (5-2) defeated Hokutofuji (2-5). Daieisho sumo. Powerful tsuppari. Hokutofuji tried to counter with two pull attempts but Daieisho was keyed in today. Hokutofuji hit his head when he fell, hard. Oshitaoshi.

Hoshoryu (6-1) defeated Abi (2-5). Hoshoryu seemed in a different world. Is it just me or was Hoshoryu late to get up on the dohyo. He’s probably thinking, “oh, I can scout out Abi from here. Oh, I’m supposed to fight Abi! Crap!” The thing about Abi-zumo is that Abi pitches forward with his arms extended. Hoshoryu shifted left, pulled on Abi’s right arm and got completely behind him at the edge. From there it was a simple push. Okuridashi.

Abi will face Daieisho. This is always an interesting bout since Daieisho-zumo is basically Abi-zumo, coming from down, up and without so many pulls and henkas. Hoshoryu will face the Spoiler King, Nishikigi.

Kirishima (5-2) defeated Tobizaru (2-5). Tobizaru resisted Kirishima’s initial charge but Kirishima followed up with a twisting throw. Sukuinage.

Kirishima will face Hokutofuji. This is sumo so there are no concussion protocols. Otherwise, Hokutofuji would be on the bench. I think he got his bell rung with that landing. Tobizaru will face Meisei in another interesting bout of complimentary styles.

Gonoyama (3-4) defeated Takakeisho (5-2). Pre-bout, there was an appreciative reaction from the crowd at the number of kensho banners. Just when you think the yobidashi are done, they come out with more! Gonoyama just provided everyone with a blueprint for defeating Takakeisho. Takakeisho’s sumo is like this, Step 1: Powerful “wave action” tsuppari. Step 2: Slapdown. Gonoyama hit T-Rex hard at the tachiai, sending him back a step. Takakeisho got the wave action going, pushed Gonoyama back to his shikirisen and moved on to step 2, the pull and slapdown. But Gonoyama had kept his wits about him and kept Takakeisho centered as he pressed forward and forced the Ozeki out. Fortunately for Takakeisho, our leaders lost, as well.

Gonoyama will face Wakamotoharu in their first meeting. The outcome may hinge on whether Gonoyama blows his kensho partying tonight. As Leonid predicted, Takakeisho will hope to bounce back against Asanoyama, who’s coming off the couch for some crazy reason.

Wrap Up

After we got past the first few snoozer bouts, the action heated up and we got a lot of great sumo. The best of the day, though, was Gonoyama. Somehow, when I saw all of those kensho banners, I got a feeling the extra motivation might trigger an upset. Boy, howdy. Solid sumo from Goeido’s protege. The bummer here is that I think this solid sumo also illustrated all of the reasons that I am not ready for a Takakeisho rope run.

But with our leaders faltering, it’s still clearly a distinct possibility. The fact that Takakeisho now gets first dibs on a questionable Asanoyama, it leaves a sour taste in one’s mouth. I just want a Yokozuna to earn their rope when they show their best sumo, consistently. We get glimpses from T-Rex but, like today, he’s not blasting fools like he used to.

Kyushu 2023, Day 6

Andy Kyushu 2023, Kyushu Basho

Let’s just get right to the action, shall we?

Highlights

Tomokaze (4-2) defeated Kitanowaka (3-3): Both men locked in at the tachiai, Tomokaze with right-hand inside while Kitanowaka was obviously left-hand outside. Each tried to pitch his opponent forward, with the help of their feet tripping each other. I guess both succeeded? Both fell. Gumbai Tomokaze. No mono-ii. Uchigake.

Ichiyamamoto (6-0) defeated Nishikifuji (2-4). The thrusts from Ichiyamamoto’s initial charge drove Nishikifuji back to where his feet were at the bales. Ichiyamamoto then pulled and Nishikifuji launched across the dohyo and off the fighting surface. Hatakikomi.

Roga (2-4) defeated Takarafuji (1-5). Roga threw Takarafuji with an apparent shitatehineri. It looked like Takarafuji’s right leg tripped on his own left. Gunbai to Roga. Mono-ii to check whether Roga had stepped out during the long tussle which preceded the throw.

Roga will face Tomokaze tomorrow and Takarafuji gets Kitanowaka.

Tsurugisho (2-4) defeated Tohakuryu (2-4). Slapfest, thankfully. Tohakuryu focused on tsuppari around Tsurugisho’s shoulders and a couple of pull attempts. But his tsuppari was completely ineffective. Tsurugisho was able to corral Tohakuryu at the edge and pushed Tohakuryu out as he tried to spin around. Oshidashi. Not to dwell on the obvious point that Tsurugisho should go kyujo but it’s more obvious that even going through the sonkyo in the pre-bout routine is difficult.

Churanoumi (5-1) defeated Tamawashi (4-2). Tamawashi used insufficient tsuppari before his pull attempt, which left him with inadequate space for the pull. So, Churanoumi was able to drive him over the bales and out. Yorikiri.

Churanoumi will face Tsurugisho.

Ryuden (4-2) defeated Oho (2-4). The first half of this bout was Oho’s brand of sumo, oshi-/tsuki- with tsuppari, head-butts, and pull-down attempts. Immediately after the initial charge, Oho nearly brought Ryuden down with a hatakikomi attempt but Ryuden recovered. Ryuden chased and was able to stay upright and inbounds long enough to tire Oho. As Oho grew weary, the two locked into a yotsu battle and Ryuden got that first grip, a left-hand inside Oho’s right, and deep at the back of Oho’s belt. He then snaked his right hand up over Oho’s shoulder. Once he got that grip, it was over. This was what Atamifuji had been so afraid of. He pulled up and ushered Oho out.

Oho will face Nishikifuji tomorrow.

Myogiryu (3-3) defeated Kotoeko (2-4). Myogiryu wrapped up Kotoeko and drove forward, forcing him quickly over the bales. Yorikiri.

Myogiryu will face Tamawashi and Kotoeko will face Ryuden.

Hiradoumi (3-3) defeated Mitakeumi (2-4). As Hiradoumi established a belt-grip with both hands, he started pumping with the gabburi-yotsu and forced Mitakeumi out, Yorikiri.

Mitakeumi will face Tohakuryu.

Sadanoumi (3-3) defeated Atamifuji (5-1). It’s always the quiet ones. Sadanoumi established his brand of sumo, the migi-yotsu, which is also Atamifuji’s brand of sumo. But Sadanoumi did it better. Yorikiri.

Sadanoumi will be challenged by the undefeated Ichiyamamoto while Atamifuji will want to do better against Hiradoumi, in two sets of clashing styles.

Kinbozan (3-3) defeated Shonannoumi (4-2). After a short brawl, Shonannoumi got his right-hand inside grip. Kinbozan fought hard to prevent it, and retreated desperately to try to free himself and slap Shonannoumi down. But Shonannoumi stuck with him and even got a morozashi for a moment. But it was Kinbozan who was able to force Shonannoumi to the bales and out. Yorikiri.

Halftime

Takanosho (3-3) defeated Onosho (2-4). Onosho got his arms inside and drove Takanosho backwards. But Takanosho countered at the edge by dragging Onosho down with an armbar. At the last moment, Takanosho was able to free himself of Onosho’s right arm and with Onosho’s left wrapped up, he twisted down. Kotenage.

Takanosho will face Shonannoumi.

Midorifuji (5-1) defeated Endo (0-6). Midorifuji got both hands inside Endo’s arms and around his trunk at the start. He was able to get deeper, and establish a right hand grip at the back of Endo’s mawashi. Midorifuji got his Yorikiri.

Endo will take on Onosho.

Nishikigi (4-2) defeated Hokuseiho (2-4). Hokuseiho is letting his opponents push him to the edge. I don’t know if he hopes to counter there but Nishikigi established a morozashi and completely lifted Hokuseiho off the dohyo and carried him out…to the fans’ appreciation. Tsuridashi.

Nishikigi will face Kinbozan. Hokuseiho will face Midorifuji.

Ura (1-5) defeated Meisei (1-5). Meisei forced Ura back quickly to the bales but Ura resisted there and drove back into Meisei. Ura was able to reverse their momentum and drive into Meisei. Meisei tried to use the momentum shift to execute a pull and drive Ura down. Both tumbled out at the same time. Gunbai Ura. Mono-ii. The shimpan wanted to get it right. Meisei was out first. Ura claimed his first win. Oshitaoshi.

Abi (2-4) defeated Wakamotoharu (3-3). Brutal tsuppari to the head from Abi. Forceful nodowa sent Wakamotoharu back but not out. As Wakamotoharu fought to stay upright, Abi pulled back. The change in momentum allowed Wakamotoharu to come forward but as he did, Abi wrapped up his arm and drove him down. Kotenage. An unusual kimarite from an Abi bout but it was definitely Abi-zumo.

Daieisho (4-2) vs Shodai (2-4). Overeager Daieisho fell, literally, to a retreating Shodai. Hatakikomi.

Shodai will face Wakamotoharu tomorrow.

Kotonowaka (6-0) defeated Hokutofuji (2-4). This was a very impressive bout from Kotonowaka, for me. It seemed like he was going to let Hokutofuji do his thing, but he was just shrugging it off. “Sure, you can drive me back to the edge. But I stop here. You can try to push me down. But I stay here.” In the end, Kotonowaka took charge, drove forward and shoved Hokutofuji out. Oshidashi.

Kotonowaka will face Ura; Hokutofuji will have a tough matchup in Daieisho.

Gonoyama (2-4) defeated Kirishima (4-2). Ah, the Ozeki should have done better. Gonoyama threw hands and drove into Kirishima. Kirishima shifted to Gonoyama’s right and Gonoyama drove him down.  I think Kirishima planned to let his feet slide a little bit but they sprawled out further than anticipated. This is the flip-side, the danger, of what Kotonowaka was trying in the first bout. If you let the opponent attack and just try to absorb it before launching your counter-attack, sometimes you don’t get to launch that counter-attack. Tsukiotoshi.

Takakeisho (5-1) defeated Tobizaru (2-4). Henkazaru, or Tobihenka? He tried the hatakikomi but Takakiesho didn’t go down. Both followed up with tsuppari but Takakeisho’s was stronger. He forced Tobizaru to the edge so Tobizaru turned around to find a soft landing place and Takakeisho shoved him out. Frankly, this is the overpowering tsuppari I like to see, and I expect to see, from T-Rex. Okuridashi.

Takakeisho will face Gonoyama in the musubi-no-ichiban. Tobizaru will take on Kirishima.

Takayasu (3-3) defeated Hoshoryu (5-1). This was a wild bout that nearly took out the gyoji, started as an oshi-brawl, settled into a grapple, and ended with a spectacular kimarite which I don’t think I have seen before. (There have been far too many of these close calls with gyoji this tournament, in the same place in the dohyo, too.) Both men had belt grips, each trying to topple the other. It was kind of a mirror image of the Tomokaze/Kitanowaka situation from earlier. This time, however, instead of both men landing on their bellies, Takayasu reached down, grabbed Hoshoryu’s right knee, and pulled upwards. Ashitori? No, komatasukui.

Takayasu will have to face Meisei on Day 7; Hoshoryu will try to recover against Abi.

Wrap-Up

Well, wow. That was a rousing day of action in Makuuchi. The Ozeki have had some trouble but are still putting forward strong performances. Kotonowaka is really impressing me. He exercised complete control over Hokutofuji today, seemingly taunting him by allowing himself to be pressed to the tawara but demonstrating that Hokutofuji did not have the strength or guile to get him over those bales. At least, not today, anyway. Ichiyamamoto has had a great run but with close bouts at this end of the banzuke, I feel he’ll get overwhelmed if he faces higher ranked opponents.

Everyone else seems to show moments of brilliance, like Sadanoumi today. I guess Ryuden is always constantly there, and constantly a threat. I would say the same of Atamifuji but I didn’t see him pose a threat in the Sadanoumi bout. It seemed that he was completely on defense, trying to stay alive. I got from Takakeisho what I wanted to see, overwhelming tsuppari. Can he do the same against Kotonowaka instead of Tobizaru? I’m not so confident there. But we’ll find out next week!

The Daieisho/Hokutofuji bout should be a great one. Kotonowaka can’t allow himself to toy with Ura as he did with Hokutofuji. Ura’s got more tricks up his sleeve. But if Kotonowaka sticks to his fundamentals, that bout will be a lock.

Kyushu 2023, Day 5: “Gaze Into My Eyes”

Andy Kyushu 2023, Kyushu Basho

Great action so far in this tournament. Today offered up some more great action and some weird and wild scenes. So, let’s get straight to it.

Highlights

Tohakuryu (2-3) defeated Roga (1-4). Roga quickly gets his hand underneath for a grip on Tohakuryu’s maemitsu but Tohakuryu pulls while forcing Roga all the way to the floor. He was half-way there already, crouched over like that. That’s a close one but Roga fell first while Tohakuryu was still on the bales. Hatakikomi.

Ichiyamamoto (5-0) defeated Kitanowaka (3-2). Ichiyamamoto, head down and locked on his target, full steam ahead! Ichiyamamoto drove Kitanowaka over the edge quickly. Impressive. Oshidashi.

Nishikifuji (2-3) defeated Tsurugisho (1-4). Nishikifuji henka’d a dude who can barely move. Not very effective. Tsurugisho turned, slowly, to face Nishikifuji head-on. But when Nishikifuji responded, Tsurugisho braced with the wrong knee and immediately crumpled to the floor. Find a couch and stay there, please. Oshitaoshi.

Churanoumi (4-1) defeated Takarafuji (1-4). Churanoumi met Takarafuji head on at the tachiai but quickly wrapped up his arm and stepped to the side. It looked like he was trying to go for a kotenage but ended up getting in completely behind Takarafuji, instead. From here, it was just an easy force out from behind. Okuridashi.

Tomokaze (3-2) defeated Tom O’washi (4-1). Tomokaze forgot that he had to get both hands down. Too much 80s music will do that to a man. Matta. Tamawashi hit Tomokaze hard at the tachiai with bruising nodowa but Tomokaze stood his ground. When Tamawashi reared forward for another attack, Tomokaze shifted and helped Tamawashi tumble off the dohyo. Hikiotoshi.

Hiradoumi (2-3) defeated Ryuden (3-2). Straight-forward yotsu-zumo. Ryuden offered a bit of resistance at the edge so Hiradoumi used forceful gabburi-yotsu to thrust him over the bales. Little offensive maneuvering from Ryuden today. Maybe he just got caught on a bad day or is still gassed from yesterday’s bout with Atamifuji? Yorikiri.

Mitakeumi (2-3) defeated Sadanoumi (2-3). We saw some offensive drive from Mitakeumi but he wasn’t able to finish the deal and Sadanoumi pressed back. Mitakeumi pulled as Sadanoumi pressed forward and both tumbled from the dohyo. Gunbai to Mitakeumi. Mono-ii. Too close to call, boys, do it again! In the rematch, Mitakeumi pressed forward into Sadanoumi but Sadanoumi pivoted. Mitakeumi went with the rotation and rolled Sadanoumi completely over. Interesting. Tsukiotoshi.

Oho (2-3) defeated Myogiryu (2-3). Solid tachiai, Oho was able to get his hand up on Myogiryu’s head and drive him down to the floor. Rather than a dramatic pull where the wrestler goes engines full reverse (like we saw from Mitakeumi, previously) this was a simple shift to the left. Effective. Frankly, that’s how it (the pull) should be done. Subtle. Hatakikomi.

Atamifuji (5-0) defeated Kotoeko (2-3). Kotoeko locked horns but none of his throw or trip attempts worked. Patiently, Atamifuji used his great footwork and guided Kotoeko slowly to the edge, and then over. Yorikiri.

Shonannoumi (4-1) defeated Endo (0-5). Shonannoumi nearly got Endo with a slapdown attempt but Endo saved himself by grabbing a handful of Shonannoumi’s sagari. Thus enraged, like pulling a bull’s tail, Shonannoumi pursued Endo and blasted him from the playing surface. Yorikiri.

Midorifuji (4-1) defeated Kinbozan (2-3). Henka! A pretty one at that. Full “Olé” on that. Hikiotoshi.

Onosho (2-3) defeated Hokuseiho (2-3). Bowling ball meets bowling pin and slams him out the back. Oshidashi.

Nishikigi (3-2) defeated Takanosho (2-3). Takanosho launched into Nishikigi with a fierce nodowa. But Nishikigi countered by shifting left and wrapping up Takanosho’s arm and driving him down. Kotenage.

Tobizaru (2-3) defeated Shodai (1-4). The first bout, Shodai had Tobizaru in his sights and probably could have done a better job finishing him off. But he tumbled out, too. Gunbai to Shodai. Mono-ii. The Shimpan say, “we need more action,” so a redo is called. In the redo, Shodai works up a full head of steam and Tobizaru shifted left, letting Shodai fly by. Tobizaru then gave Shodai a gentle nudge to finish him off. Oshidashi.

Hokutofuji (2-3) defeated Abi (1-4). Hokutofuji bulled through Abi’s thrusts. Oshidashi.

Kotonowaka (5-0) defeated Daieisho (4-1). Daieisho pitched forward a bit too far as he pressed full on into Kotonowaka. So Kotonowaka pulled him down. Katasukashi.

Wakamotoharu (3-2) defeated Ura (0-5). A wild cat-and-mouse chase where the mouse almost pulls off something spectacular but falls to the floor and gets eaten. I meant, “beaten.” Yoritaoshi.

Takakeisho (4-1) defeated Takayasu (2-3). Henkakeisho henka’d Papa Bear. Takayasu tried to recover but Henkakeisho pressed forward, driving Takayasu into the salt basket. Big mess. Oshidashi.

Hoshoryu (5-0) defeated Gonoyama (1-4). Gonoyama seemed ready to go but hoshoryu just wanted to gaze into his big brown eyes. Gonoyama was like, “what the hell? let’s go.” So they reset. Gonoyama heit Hoshoryu hard and drove him back with a nodowa. He couldn’t finish him, so he pulled backward…all engines, full reverse…And Hoshoryu followed and threw him out. Oshidashi.

Kirishima (4-1) defeated Meisei (1-4). Meisei pressed forward into Kirishima and twice Kirishima shifted. The second shift worked and Meisei fell to the floor. Hatakikomi.

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.