Nagoya 2015

Nagoya 2015, Day 1: Yokozuna survive, Goeido and Kotoshogiku fall (updated)

Andy Nagoya 2015 ,

Nagoya did not get off to a great start for the ozeki. Both Kisenosato and Terunofuji escaped with wins after surviving scares. And both Goeido and kadoban Kotoshogiku lost fairly quickly and weakly to their lower-ranked maegashira opponents. Kisenosato was driven to the edge by Tochinoshin who was very nearly able to plop the senior ozeki outside the ring but Kisenosato managed to get a toe hold against the bales and throw the top maegashira out. Terunofuji nearly slipped in his ozeki debut but was able to recover and eventually got the upper hand against Aoiyama.

Hakuho certainly faced a strong challenge against Takarafuji. He was never really out of control or in danger but Takarafuji held on in a standoff for quite a while before Hakuho was able to force a yorikiri forceout. Harumafuji’s elbow injury seemed to be seriously aggravated in this Day 1 match against Myogiryu. After a strongly met tachiai, Myogiryu forced Harumafuji into a sliding retreat all the way to the straw bales. The yokozuna used the leverage to regain control and force the action to the other side of the ring where he barely prevailed with a throw at the opposite bales as he was going down. While the officials congregated for a monoii, he could be seen clearly grimacing and nursing the elbow. Kakuryu saw off Ichinojo rather convincingly in his return.

Updated: Selected recaps from earlier matches below.

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Terunofuji v Aoiyama rematch on Day 1

Andy Nagoya 2015 , ,

I’m ready to get this thing started.

Isegahama beya now has 3 wrestlers in the sanyaku ranks. Terunofuji will be making his ozeki debut against Aoiyama. This will be their second bout in a row, a rematch of the Day 15 bout that sealed Terunofuji’s yusho and ozeki promotion. The shin-ozeki has dominated Aoiyama, winning all four of their previous meetings, three by straightforward yorikiri force out.

Harumafuji will need to be at the top of his game coming off surgery. He’ll be facing Myogiryu, against whom he’s had difficulty in the past, including a very disappointing, upset loss in May on Day 12 which effectively put any yusho hopes to bed. I know, there was still a chance on Day 15 but let’s face it, the odds on that massive playoff everyone wanted were minuscule and his chances of prevailing from that even smaller. Overall, Harumafuji has a slim lead in their rivalry 8-5 and has given up a gold star.

Takarafuji making his komusubi debut against Hakuho on Day 1. I’ll be praying for his survival. Hakuho is not only undefeated against Takarafuji, the connection to Harumafuji and Terunofuji will probably quite the motivating factor for Hakuho’s revenge.

I hope Kakuryu is healthy. He’ll have a tough match in his return from injury against Ichinojo. He’s been able to beat his junior compatriot twice since yielding a gold star in that epic debut last year. That makes for five Mongolians among the six wrestlers in the three premier matchups. It’s also very likely that at least one yokozuna will fall on Day 1 – if not two.

Now, for the ozeki who haven’t won yusho yet, Kisenosato will have his hands full against Tochinoshin. The big Georgian has won their last two and leads 2-1 since his return from injury. Goeido actually trails in his rivalry with Takayasu. Takayasu is always dangerous and has actually won 8 of their 13 meetings (excl. fusen win in May). Goeido has won the previous two in a row but it will certainly be a challenge to win on Day 1. Kadoban Kotoshogiku probably has the easiest day ahead against Sadanoumi. The maegashira has had nothing to really challenge Kotoshogiku in their two previous meetings. Kotoshogiku should certainly win this one if he is to remain ozeki. A loss here will be a surprise and could be a clear sign of an ozeki on his way out.

In the final sanyaku matchup, Tochiozan (my man from Kochi) will face Ikioi (my man from Osaka). I like both of these wrestlers and this will likely be a fairly even match with a skill/technique edge to Tochiozan. A surprise win here for Ikioi will give him confidence in his top bouts since he hasn’t had much success when ranked this high.

Banzuke for Nagoya: Ozeki Terunofuji! Maegashira 1 Tochinoshin?

Andy Nagoya 2015

Hat-tip to Yohann at Dosukoi.fr for reminding me that the banzuke is out today.

The yokozunas are as expected: Hakuho leading the East, Harumafuji leading the West, and Kakuryu at Y2W. Harumafuji is coming off surgery on his arm so I doubt he’ll be competing. I hope Kakuryu is finally healthy.

I’m sure everyone’s been eager to see Terunofuji at Ozeki. As it happens, Kisenosato claimed the top Ozeki slot in the East while clutch Goeido got the top in the West. Kadoban Kotoshogiku is the second ozeki in the East while fresh Ozeki Terunofuji is the second ozeki in the West.

For the rest of the sanyaku, Tochiozan and Ichinojo moved up from komusubi to sekiwake on the basis of their 8-7 records in May. Takarafuji’s strong 9-6 record was rewarded with the East Komusubi position.

But, in a bit of a surprise, Myogiryu remains in the sanyaku as the West Komusubi and Tochinoshin shifts from top Maegashira in the West to top in the East. I think that’s a bit of a disappointment as he had a strong May at 9-6, where he not only beat Myogiryu, he also beat Ichinojo. Both wrestlers beat Kisenosato, effectively ending the Ozeki’s strongest hopes at a yusho. Perhaps it was Myogiryu’s victory over Harumafuji that kept him in the sanyaku, even though it was a visibly weakened Harumafuji? I thought perhaps they’d have a third komusubi but I guess not.

Sadanoumi joins as the top maegashira in the West. Takayasu and Aoiyama follow at M2, followed by Ikioi and Kaisei. All four had a strong Natsu basho and appear to be returning to form. Ikioi struggles when he has to face the sanyaku gauntlet, with 34 wins and 71 losses when ranked M4 or higher. So it may be a tall task for him to pick up 6-7 wins, much less a winning record. Here’s hoping he can turn it around and stay toward the top of the maegashira.

Terunofuji’s rise seems to have lit a fire under some wrestlers, notably Ichinojo, so I think we’ll see some strong sumo next month.