I think it is a good sign that many of the rikishi who had yet to win a match picked up their first white star today. There are still 5 in competition without a win, and that balances against the five rikishi without a loss at the end of day 3. There are four days to go before the middle weekend, and there will need to be some kind of yusho race starting to emerge by the end of nakabi.

Of course 2 of the 3 Ozeki continue to drop matches like they are mae-zumo recruits still trying to figure out how to shiko. Maybe a more coherent grumble on that on for this afternoon’s preview.

The group of unbeaten rikishi was narrowed today when Kotonowaka failed to best Takakeisho, but I have to give special mention to Ichinojo. When that guy is healthy and rested, he can just have his way with nearly anyone. I know he will lose to Terunofuji, as he is completely intimidated by the Yokozuna, but he is fighting very well right now.

Highlight Matches

Chiyomaru defeats Yutakayama – As predicted, Chiyomaru’s strategy was to lift then pull early in the match. I can’t believe Yutakayama fell for it. Actually if you look at the footage, Yutakayama can’t believe he fell for it either. Yutakayama picks up his first loss, and both end the day 2-1.

Nishikifuji defeats Oho – Impressive that Nishikifuji was denied twice his win by Oho’s solid defense, but he continued to press forward. I am aware that everyone expects Oho to eventually be a big deal, and maybe he will. But this far I just don’t see excellence. I see strong Juryo level sumo, but not really top division class work – yet. Nishikifuji gamberizes for all he is worth, and gets the win to advance to 2-1.

Onosho defeats Myogiryu – Onosho picks up his first win of July. He had a solid tachiai, but was once again too far forward, but had good hand placement against Myogiryu’s body. Myogiryu thought he had this one easy, and pulled Onosho forward and down. To his credit, Onosho was able to work with this, and used the pull to ram Myogiryu center mass, sending him out before Onosho himself exited the ring. He improves to 1-2.

Takarafuji defeats Tsurugisho – Takarafuji picks up his first win after Tsurugisho does not pay attention to his foot place.. Tsurugisho attacks well, but has his feet aligned by the third step, and that’s not a mistake to make around Takarafuji. He loads the throw and sends Tsurugisho to the clay for his first win.

Ichiyamamoto defeats Terutsuyoshi – I really liked the attempt at the leg sweep that Terutsuyoshi threw into that match. But appart from that bold move, Terutsuyoshi had zero offense, and Ichiyamamoto pushed him around with his double arm thrusts and sent him over the salt basket and out into the crowd. A 3-0 start to Nagoya for Ichiyamamoto, and still no wins for Terutsuyoshi.

Midorifuji defeats Chiyoshoma – Chiyoshoma got a left hand inside grip at the tachiai, and set to work getting Midorifuji under control. Midorifuji did not have much of a grip in return, but kept low, and maintained enough pressure on Chiyoshoma that Chiyoshoma could not really finish off Midorifuji. This evolved into a protracted strength contest, with Midorifuji being the aggressor and Chiyoshoma trying to wait him out. Chiyoshoma decided to try to win before he had consolidated or improved his position. Chiyoshoma nearly prevailed, but a swift throw in reverse gave Midorifuji the win to end the day 2-1. Solid match from both.

Kotoshoho defeats Chiyotairyu – Sauce for the goose – Chiyotairyu receives a perfect copy of the combo that he has used for most of his matches in the last 6 months: stand them up then slap them down. It’s not great sumo, but it did give Kotoshoho his second win to improve to 2-1.

Kotoeko defeats Meisei – Meisei attacks out of the tachiai, and has Kotoeko on the bales. But somehow Kotoeko finds enough room to pivot and throw Meisei to the clay with his right hand inside grip. I had to watch it a few times myself, that was some surprising sumo. Kotoeko improves to 2-1.

Tochinoshin defeats Shimanoumi – Shimanoumi is part of the winless crew, and is not really able to perform quality sumo right now. Maybe some injury. Tochinoshin makes fast work of him with a hatakikomi on the second step from the tachiai. Tochinoshin improves to 2-1.

Nishikigi defeats Hokutofuji – They traded pull attempts in their opening moves, neither of which had any effect. Nishikigi followed up with a right hand inside, and suddenly Hokutofuji seems to have forgotten his defensive sumo. Unable to hold ground, Hokutofuji was marched back and placed over the bales by Nishikigi. He remains part of the no-loss group at 3-0.

Aoiyama defeats Okinoumi – In the first of two battles of grizzled veterans, we had a very sloppy match. A good tachiai from both, Aoiyama pulled and looked to be in trouble, but both men lost traction and fell to the clay, Okinoumi landing first. Aoiyama manages to keep a perfect record at 3-0.

Tobizaru defeats Sadanoumi – I think Sadanoumi was pivoting for a throw, but did not have his hands in position or his feet set. As a result, Sadanoumi’s sumo went all directions at the same time. Tobizaru scooped up the mess and escorted Sadanoumi out of the ring, improving to 2-1.

Tamawashi defeats Endo – The second battle of the grizzled, we get treated to Tamawashi’s “who are you and why are you hear?” routine. He dismisses Endo utterly, bundling him up and shoving him back from where he came from (West side cushions). Tamawashi remains unbeaten at 3-0.

Ichinojo defeats Hoshoryu – A rested Ichinojo is a fearsome rikishi. He systemically dismantled Hoshoryu a piece at a time, and had the size, strength and stamina to maintain control as he tightened his grip bit by bit. Hoshoryu worked hard to keep Ichinojo away from his mawashi, but once the Boulder had that left hand deep, it was all over and even Hoshoryu knew there was no stoping him. Ichinojo now 3-0.

Daieisho defeats Wakamotoharu – Daieisho picks up his first win by a clever escape and counter-attack combo at the tawara. Wakamotoharu opened strong and was delivering force center-mass to Daieisho, and Daieisho could not hold his ground. With Wakamotoharu advancing, Daieisho pivoted and thrust Wakamotoharu down. Daieisho improves to 1-2.

Wakatakakage defeats Ura – Wakatakakage picks up his first win of Nagoya, by staying focused and keeping his body compact and low. He left Ura no spot to grab and no appendage to tug. From there it was power against power, and when Ura pivoted to his right, Wakatakakage poured on the pressure and ran him out. 1-2 for Wakatakakage.

Abi defeats Mitakeumi – Its wild to watch Abi be such a flailing mess of a human being, and ultimately dominate an Ozeki like that. But I guess it’s that he’s concentrating on his double arm thrusts against Mitakeumi’s neck and face, and the rest of his body does whatever it take to ramp up the pressure flowing through those arms. Abi improves to 2-1.

Takakeisho defeats Kotonowaka – At least Takakeisho can still manage to muster a reduced form of his Ozeki sumo. He puts a lot of power into his attack and breaks through Kotonowaka’s defenses. No third Ozeki scalp for you, young rising star. Takakeisho improves to 2-1.

Kiribayama defeats Shodai – This is the third consecutive basho where Shodai has lost his first 3 matches. Ever since his jun-yusho in January of 2021, he’s not been in solid fighting form. Its a shame to watch a rikishi with that much talent wither away as he is. Kiribayama locks up Shodai, gets him turned to the side and runs him out the ring for an okuridashi. He improves to 2-1.

Terunofuji defeats Takanosho – There were at least three places where Takanosho could have won that match, but Terunofuji stayed upright, balanced and in the fight. Clearly the Yokozuna is not fighting as well as he had recently, but today he picked up that win because he was able to stay in the fight, and take an opening and turn the match to his advantage. I did like how he bodily threw Takanosho down to finish. Nice touch. Terunofuji 2-1.

If you are the kind of person who enjoys distilled for fermented beverages, its time to consider laying in a healthy supply for this basho. There are early signs its going to be an odd one. There is not much you can tell only 2 days in, but a couple of things are already showing themselves. First of are the Maegashira 2 pair: Kotonowaka and Ichinojo. Not only have they started 2-0, they are fighting like they are just getting warmed up. In the case of Kotonowaka, that includes knocking off 2 Ozeki so far, with the third one on tap today. I would also like to note stand out matches from Tamawashi and “Big Dan” Aoiyama in the first two days. They are also part of the 2-0 start crowd, and have been known to compete for the cup into week 2.

In other news, the crummy results coming from the top ranks continue to stink up the place. I think I will start with Grand Sumo Breakdown’s tweet.

For the first 113 years of recorded daily matchups there was never a basho where all San'yaku rikishi had one loss after 2 days. After the past 2 basho that has now happened twice in history.

— Grand Sumo Breakdown (@GSumoBreakdown) July 11, 2022

One loss per rikishi is bad, but then we have knuckleheads like Shodai (who is kadoban) and Daieisho at 0-2. Anyone can have a bad tournament, but this seems to be systemic. I expect the grumpy old men who advise sumo (YDC), along with Isegahama Oyakata to commence grumbling immediately following the basho.

Ok – end on a better note. Returning former Ozeki Asanoyama fights his second match tonight. If you are able to watch it via one of the pirate streams of Abema, he should be on around 11 PM Eastern / 8:00 PM Pacific in the last few matches of Sandanme.

What We Are Watching Day 3

Yutakayama vs Chiyomaru – Chiyomaru had a day off thanks to his fusensho over Daiamami. He has yet to win a match in July. He faces 2-0 Yutakayama who holds an 8-4 career advantage over the “round one”. My hunch is Chiyomaru going for a pull or slap down in the first 2 steps.

Nishikifuji vs Oho – Given the number of journeymen maegashira who are in the bottom half of the banzuke this time around, rikishi like Nishikifuji may find it tough going trying to pick up his 8. Both he and opponent Oho have 1-1 middling starts to Nagoya, and Nishikifuji needs to overcome the 1-4 career deficit he has against Oho.

Myogiryu vs Onosho – It’s a bit early, but I worry that Onosho is having on of “those” basho, at the exact moment he can’t afford to do so. All the way down an M15, a strong losing record could kick him out of the top division all together. He should be able to beat the stuffing out of everyone down there, but instead he has a cold 0-2 start. He has a 10-3 career advantage over Myogiryu, so maybe he can halt the losing streak (6 matches) today.

Tsurugisho vs Takarafuji – Also part of the dismal 0-2 crowd is Takarafuji, who is in better form this basho than May, and actually seems to be able to transmit power to ground right now. How he’s 0-2 is unknown, but likely lingering effects of injuries in the past. Tsurugisho will want to run “big man sumo” against Takarafuji’s defensive sumo style. Could be an interesting clash of techniques.

Terutsuyoshi vs Ichiyamamoto – Mirror image records, with Terutsuyoshi arriving with 0-2, and Ichiyamamoto brining his 2-0 record to the dohyo today. There is no denying that Ichiyamamoto has opened up strong in Nagoya, but I have to hope that Terutsuyoshi can turn things around at some point this July. He finished May with a dreadful 5-10, and really needs a strong kachi-koshi this month.

Chiyoshoma vs Midorifuji – I am only slightly surprised that Chiyoshoma is part of the 2-0 crowd, he seems to have been carefully working away to tune up his sumo for the past couple of years. Gone are the days when he used every slimy gimmick possible, and now he fights with solid straight ahead sumo. He shares a 2-2 career record with Midorifuji, so an even match up today.

Chiyotairyu vs Kotoshoho – Both are bringing 1-1 records to the dohyo today. I worry that the only sumo Chiyotairyu has left to him right now is the “stand them up, slap them down” combo that has been every match he has won in 2022. It still works some of the time, but people will come to rely on it and anticipate it.

Meisei vs Kotoeko – Another pair of 1-1 rikishi who are similar in that they are compact, highly agile fighters with a lot of strength. I am looking forward to see who wins, as I think Kotoeko is still working through some ring rust.

Tochinoshin vs Shimanoumi – Shimanoumi turned in a 7-8 make-koshi in May, and has continued to look unimpressive in Nagoya. counting his matches in May, he has now lost 6 in a row. I was disappointed on day 2 when Tochinoshin got his left hand outside grip, but could not set his feet for the “skycrane” move. Perhaps we may get to see it today.

Nishikigi vs Hokutofuji – Nishikigi (2-0) has rather poor eyesight. So, his sumo is simple. Go hug the other guy, hold on like your life depended on it, and wait to find your opening to win. Thus far its worked twice, and he seems to be doing quite well. He’s up against 1-1 Hokutofuji, who a can beat any opponent if his stars align.

Aoiyama vs Okinoumi – There has been a parade of grizzled veterans that are in the middle of the banzuke fighting each other. These two have a 30 match history going back 10 years to 2012. Over the decades, its been an 18-12 advantage for Okinoumi, but today I think Aoiyama’s hot streak may be more of an indicator.

Tobizaru vs Sadanoumi – This may be the day that Sadanoumi picks up his first white star. He has been fighting well, but caught a flubber wave on day 1 from Aoiyama, and got boxed up and sent to the wrong forwarding address by Wakamotoharu on day 2. So today may be his day, if the flying monkey can be tamed.

Tamawashi vs Endo – We have not yet had enough of grizzled vets pounding on each other, so lets have these two long-suffering guys fight it out. Tamawashi has taken 16 of their 29 career matches, and I personally think that Endo is on his last year or two of his active competition career. So lets see some sand, clay and sweat today, gentlemen!

Hoshoryu vs Ichinojo – I hope Ichinojo stays genki all 15 days. A rampaging boulder is something we have not been allowed to enjoy for years, and why not now? He’s got Hoshoryu, who has hopefully watched some of the older, healthy Ichinojo footage in the archives to see what its like to fight him. Word of advice? Prepare to be pony tossed.

Wakamotoharu vs Daieisho – First ever match up, and I am looking for Daieisho to win this one. He’s really got to be very disappointed with his 0-2 start, and today is an excellent day for him to fix that. He needs to keep Wakamotoharu away from his mawashi, and be careful not to open up his chest.

Wakatakakage vs Ura – Back to back Onami brothers, a solid draw for the second half of day 3 in Nagoya. I am sure they are hoping for a picture of Wakamotoharu passing Wakatakakage the chikara mizu. I admit, I want to see that too. Ura tries to get his first ever win over Wakatakakage and I think he is as inventive today as he was day 2 against Abi, he has a chance.

Abi vs Mitakeumi – Mitakeumi has a 9-3 career advantage over Abi, and he was one of the first to get a solid combo to break the Abi double arm thrusting attack consistently. Mitakeumi seems to be hit or miss right now, and his lack of training (due to injury) in the run up to Nagoya is certainly a cause for concern. Both are 1-1 to start today.

Takakeisho vs Kotonowaka – I continue to eagerly await the return of Takakeisho’s famous double arm mega-thrusts. We have not seen it in many months, and it’s why his performance has been flagging. I am going to assume it is somehow related to an injury. If Kotonowaka can take him down today, that will be all 3 Ozeki scalps, which will make him eligible for a “bonus life” the the boss fight.

Kiribayama vs Shodai – What is sumo going to do with Shodai? He has proven that when he is healthy, engaged and eating plenty of boogers he can with matches against anyone. But none of that seems to be happening, not even the boogers. He has a 7-2 career record over Kiribayama, but that may not matter today.

Terunofuji vs Takanosho – I would love to see a repeat of his 2 to technique. Lock up Takanosho and just grind him down until he’s limp, rubbery and ready to be placed in a greased cookie sheet, then handed over to Tamawashi for frosting.

As we mentioned in the lead up to the start of the basho, this was the first tournament following the end of Asanoyama’s 1 year suspension, which saw him drop from Ozeki down to Sandanme 22. Day two was his first match, which he won decisively. I expect he will work his way back through the ranks, and we may see him take the Sandanme yusho this month. If he still is backing Ozeki quality sumo, he should make a fast march up the banzuke.

Maegashira 16w Daiamami has gone kyujo with an injury to his left ankle. As a result, Chiyomaru got a fusensho, or default win. It is possible for Daiamami to return later in the tournament if his ankle improves.

There is still trouble in the Ozeki ranks, as yet again only a single one managed a win today. I worry we may have 2 Ozekiwake for September.

Highlight Matches

Hidenoumi defeats Nishikifuji – Hidenoumi continues his absolute dominance over Nishikifuji, increasing his career record to 4-0. Hidenoumi took control at the tachiai, moving forward with power and then pulling Nishikifuji down. Both men end the day at 1-1.

Yutakayama defeats Onosho – Onosho was in control of this match, overpowering Yutakayama from the start. But it may be the case that yet again, Onosho’s questionable balance robbed him of a chance to win. As he was driving Yutakayama out, Yutakayama was able to thrust Onosho down in the fraction of a second before he himself stepped out. The judges wanted to review it, but upheld the gyoji’s decision. Yutakayama improves to 2-0.

Oho defeats Tsurugisho – Tsurugisho attempt at a left hand frontal grip at the tachiai missed, and from that moment on, he was struggling to find any offense. Oho drove forward with pressure as close as he could get to center mass, but managed to bring Tsurugisho down. To me it looked like Tsurugisho’s right knee gave out, but it was ruled an uwatenage. Both end the day 1-1

Chiyoshoma defeats Myogiryu – Chiyoshoma went for a pull immediately from the tachiai, but had to haul on Myogiryu’s multiple times to get him off balance. It did, eventually, work, and Chiyoshoma improves to 2-0.

Ichiyamamoto defeats Takarafuji – Takarafuji had an open road to put Ichiyamamoto out of the ring and win the match, but was off balance and could not deliver. What resulted was a standing stalemate at the center of the dohyo that rolled into a Takarafuji attack combo. As Takarafuji was driving Ichiyamamoto out, Ichiyamamoto managed a throw at the bales to bring Takarafuji down first. Ichiyamamoto improves to 1-1.

Kotoshoho defeats Terutsuyoshi – Terutsuyoshi tried a diving tachiai, but Kotoshoho was prepared and captured him and took control of the match. Terutsuyoshi responded with a left hand inside grip, but Kotoshoho used that grip as the fulcrum for a kotenage, giving him his first win at Nagoya for 1-1.

Midorifuji defeats Meisei – Meisei attempted to overpower Midorifuji, and it nearly worked. Meisei came out strong at the tachiai, and moved Midorifuji back three times, the forth charge, Midorifuji stepped to the side, circled away and pused Meisei out. Excellent reactive sumo, both end the day 1-1.

Chiyotairyu defeats Shimanoumi – Traditional Chiyotairyu sumo, stand him up, then slap him down. He picks up his first win of Nagoya and is 1-1.

Nishikigi defeats Kotoeko – Nishikigi stayed compact and forceful, shutting down any route Kotoeko was trying to open to attack. What won the match was Nishikigi’s grip change that set up the throw, putting Kotoeko on the clay, Nishikigi now 2-0.

Okinoumi defeats Tochinoshin – Tochinoshin gets his left hand outside grip at the tachiai, and gets to work. Okinoumi counters with a morozashi double inside grip, and inch by inch works Tochinoshin back, stepping him over the bales while the former Ozeki was looking for the power to try a lift. Both are 1-1.

Hokutofuji defeats Tobizaru – Hokutofuji has never lost to Tobizaru, and that did not change today. I liked how Hokutofuji kept changing attack plans, not letting Tobizaru settle into offense or defense. As a result, Hokutofuji commanded the match, and finished it with a flying yorikiri that sent Tobizaru out into the stands to say hello to the local population. Both are 1-1.

Aoiyama defeats Endo – For fans who wonder about me describing Aoiyama’s big attack as the “V-Twin”, you can see it in action today. Both hands up in a simultaneous thrust. It absolutely blasted Endo back and left him no chance to escape or recover. Aoiyama picks up his second win and is 2-0.

Wakamotoharu defeats Sadanoumi – The two traded heavy pushes at the start of the match, with Wakamotoharu transitioning to an improvised shoulder hold, which Wakamotoharu used to toss Sadanoumi off of the dohyo. He picks up his first win and advances to 1-1.

Ura defeats Abi – I guess I would call what Ura did a “lateral tachiai”. I think Abi was expecting some shenanigans, but found himself out of position and off balance. Ura lunged back in and struck center mass, propelling Abi immediately out. Nice henka variation, Ura improves to 1-1.

Tamawashi defeats Wakatakakage – Tamawashi’s first hit was a bit one, and caught Wakatakakage in between steps, and he fell to the clay. Sorry about the Ozeki run sir, it’s harder than it looks. Tamawashi improves to 2-0.

Ichinojo defeats Daieisho – I admire Daieisho’s brass, going straight into Ichinojo. But a healthy rested Ichinojo is a force of nature. Daieisho is merely baggage in Ichinojo’s festive romp and is quickly ejected. Ichinojo improves to 2-0.

Takakeisho defeats Hoshoryu – Takakeisho opened with a brutal neck attack, and left Hoshoryu off balance and out of step. The resulting move was labeled a throw, but that would never happen with Takakeisho’s tiny stump arms. I not with some trepidation that we have not seen any wave-action tsuppari from Takakeisho in a long time. Takakeisho improves to 1-1.

Takanosho defeats Shodai – Takanosho lands a nodowa, grabs Shodai bodily and tosses him out like last night’s sushi. I am not sure what has robbed Shodai of it’s sumo, but I am willing to set up a go fund me to buy it back for him. Takanosho improves to 1-1.

Kotonowaka defeats Mitakeumi – At least for now, Kotonowaka, is showing so very good sumo, and he’s collecting Ozeki scalps. This is usually a sign that he will contend for a durable berth in the named ranks soon. The challenge being that the san’yaku is occupied by some very capable rikishi. Maybe Ichinojo can help him clear some of that out. Mitakeumi had some good power in today’s match, but could not find a way to turn it into any kind of effective offense. Kotonowaka wrapped and bagged him up, and took the match to improve to 2-0.

Terunofuji defeats Kiribayama – This was a much more satisfying match. Terunofuji wrapped up Kiribayama, shutting down Kiribayama’s offense and passivating him. The Yokozuna then went to work grinding down his stamina. As Kiribayama tired, Terunofuji improved his grip until he had enough advantage to walk Kiribayama out. Terunofuji improves to 1-1.