This is why I love sumo. I swear I’ve never seen Hakuho crack a smile until the end of this.
May 2015
May Tournament, Day 4: All Ozeki Crash Out
Harumafuji lost to Sadanoumi, who is now the top undefeated wrestler. They had a quick first match but after a questionable mono-ii the judges ordered a rematch. The resulting rematch was even less decisive but was given to Sadanoumi as he had dodged Harumafuji’s lunge. Both wrestlers ended up falling out at about the same time. On the other hand, Hakuho was decisive as usual. He blasted Toyonofuji off the dohyo.
Terunofuji has had some epic staredowns this tournament. Day 2, Oosunaarashi and Day 4, Ichinojo. Oosunaarashi pulled off the UINO, upset-in-name-only, as Goeido had nothing. None of the Ozeki showed up today. Kotoshogiku dropped one to a henka from Aminishiki. Lastly, Kisenosato fell to Tochinoshin, who picked up his first win.
Left undefeated: Sadanoumi, Takayasu, Kaisei, Amuru
May Tournament 2015, Day 3: All Eyes on Tomorrow – Ichinojo vs. Terunofuji
Yes, tomorrow Ichinojo faces Terunofuji. Today, Sadanoumi was the one who impressed me. Granted, he had a default win yesterday so he’s only got two real wins but wow, have they been good. First, he stunned the hell out of Terunofuji and me with a win on Day 1 – today he turned the tables on Kitataiki. From the tachiai, Kitataiki was able to push him straight back to the edge of the dohyo but Sadanoumi had a solid belt grip and was able to throw him at the last minute, just like against Terunofuji on Day 1. But we need to be realistic; it’s just two wins and he has Harumafuji tomorrow. That said, if I were Harumafuji, I’d not be lulled into shoving him to the edge…
Speaking of Harumafuji, today’s win was pretty cool. I’ve seen many bouts where a wrestler is driven to the straw bales but then is able to use the leverage to turn the tables and get momentum going the other way. Ichinojo v Kotoshogiku comes to mind. Today, Harumafuji had Toyonoshima up on those bales but bulled straight through, forcing the maegashira flat on his back – which had to hurt.
Endo got roughed up by Kyokushuho. If Endo is going to win any matches this tournament it will need to be with his upper body. Oosunaarashi had bum knees last year and beat the crap out of many opponents with his aggressive slaps. But today, Endo was chased out of the ring. It looked like another when he was more than happy to jump off the dohyo after getting absolutely pummeled. He had very little answer which was sad to see; I like Endo. I just want him healthy.
It’s still too early to be tracking the leaderboard but Harumafuji and Kisenosato are the lone sanyaku wrestlers undefeated so far. (Kotoshogiku and Goeido fell flat on their faces today, picking up their first losses.) Then we go down to M3 Sadanoumi, M6 Aoiyama, and 5 other lower wrestlers at 3-0.
Tomorrow there will be several “Battle of the Unbeatens” and interestingly, they are all Japanese vs Foreigner. It’s an interesting sign of just how international the sport has become.
* Harumafuji (Mongolia) vs Sadanoumi
* Takayasu vs Aoiyama (Bulgaria)
* Ikioi vs Kaisei (Brazil)
* Yoshikaze vs Amuru (Russia)
May Tournament Day 2: Hakuho One Back (sorry, I don’t often get to say that!)
Well, back on target. Myogiryu was the only sanyaku wrestler to lose. The biggest challenge was probably Tochinoshin against Harumafuji. The yokozuna gives up 30kg according to the Sumo Kyokai website but his skill is clearly on a different level. Tochinoshin and Ichinojo were able to leverage their size in the last tournament, securing kinboshi. This time, though, Harumafuji demonstrated amazing balance and power. Grappling mostly to a stalemate, it looked like Tochinoshin got the upper hand when he secured a double hand grip on Harumafuji’s belt. But Fujis* fought back. He was able to tip them up onto one leg and then through the maegashira. It’s an impressive win and worth watching the video multiple times.
