Nagoya 2024

Nagoya 2024: Day Ten Highlights

Andy Nagoya 2024, Nagoya Basho

Down in Juryo, Takerufuji is kyujo again. He picked up the two wins he needed to keep his Juryo status in Aki. Now, it’s back to the couch to rest that foot. Shishi ran into Hakuyozan today and picked up his second loss. He is now tied with Shirokuma and the two will fight tomorrow. Hakuoho and Shimazuumi are just off pace at 7-3. Hakuoho will fight Myogiryu and Shimazuumi fights Daishoho.

Weird things with the Jme.tv service. I’ll be reaching out to tech support as the stream suddenly switched from Japanese to English commentary and back again. Their support chat is a little annoying but so is this glitch.

Anyway, let’s turn to the action.

Makuuchi Division

Bushozan (6-4) defeated Tsurugisho (Juryo 6-4). Bushozan persevered through multiple slapdown attempts from Tsurugisho and forced his Juryo-ranked opponent out. Oshidashi.

Hokutofuji (4-6) defeated Chiyoshoma (3-2-5). Hokutofuji’s blue shimekomi came embued with yotsu-boosting properties. Hokutofuji locked on to Chiyoshoma’s left arm and dragged him out of the ring with it. We are definitely witnessing the evolution of Hokutofuji’s sumo. And this is a good thing. Yoritaoshi.

Endo (6-4) defeated Churanoumi (7-3). I need data on bout duration because I swear this was Endo’s longest bout in years. He was confident on the belt, locked in with a right-hand inside and eventually ushered Churanoumi over the bales for the win. Steady pressure and endurance that I have not seen from that man in AGES. Yorikiri.

Nishikifuji (5-5) defeated Ichiyamamoto (5-5). Nishikifuji charged ahead for about two seconds before executing a slapdown. Down goes Ichiyamamoto. Hatakikomi.

Kagayaki (6-4) defeated Nishikigi (1-9). Nishikigi offered the offensive output of a blocking sled today. Once Kagayaki got inside and seized his belt, he was toast. Yorikiri.

Wakatakakage (7-3) defeated Midorifuji (6-4). Thrilling bout. Midorifuji struggled to find Wakatakakage’s belt through all of the tsuppari coming at him. Once he finally established a grip and pressed forward, Wakatakakage slipped deftly to the side. Beautiful inashi. Midorifuji charged past and WTK finished him off with a shove. Oshidashi.

Takarafuji (4-6) defeated Tamawashi (5-5). Tamawashi was pressing forward when he suddenly stumbled in the middle of the ring. Hikiotoshi.

Ryuden (3-7) defeated Roga (5-5). Ryuden’s relentless yotsu is back. He quickly locked on with a left-hand outside. Roga fought hard to release Ryuden’s right hand but Ryuden kept up the pressure and steadily walked forward, blocking Roga from escape. Yorikiri.

Shodai (7-3) defeated Kinbozan (3-7). Shodai looked like he was going over the edge with help of a Kinbozan nodowa. He slipped to the side and when Kinbozan followed, Shodai grabbed at his belt and shoved him down. Tsukiotoshi.

Oshoma (5-5) defeated Sadanoumi (3-7). Oshoma executed a swift slapdown. Hatakikomi.

Halftime

Tobizaru (5-5) defeated Kotoshoho (5-5). Kotoshoho charged forward into Tobizaru’s tsuppari but Tobizaru sidestepped to his left and Kotoshoho fell onto the bales. Hikiotoshi.

Ura (4-6) defeated Oho (6-4). As Oho charged forward (yay!) Ura seized his arm and yanked him forward. Well, at least the youngster seems to be making progress. Tottari.

Takanosho (7-3) defeated Gonoyama (3-7). Strong tachiai from both men but Gonoyama backed Takanosho to the edge. From the bales, Takanosho worked his way inside Gonoyama’s arms and wrapped him up. As Takanosho drove forward, Gonoyama tried to pull and slapdown but Takanosho had him secured in front. Yorikiri.

Mitakeumi (4-6) defeated Meisei (2-8). Meisei charged forward, driving Mitakeumi to the edge with force. But it was a trap. Mitakeumi twisted and drove him down to the ground. No mono-ii. Meisei makekoshi. Tsukiotoshi.

Sanyaku

Daieisho (6-4) defeated Atamifuji (4-6). Atamifuji demonstrated the danger of “pulling” sumo of the variety that Mitakeumi used today. Sometimes, you go back too far and step out. Atamifuji wanted to deflect Daieisho’s attack and send him forward over the bales but Daieisho knocked Atamifuji over the bales instead. Oshidashi.

Hiradoumi (6-4) defeated Wakamotoharu (4-6). Forceful tachiai as usual. Hiradoumi blasted Wakamotoharu to the bales and as Wakamotoharu resisted, Hiradoumi shifted to the side. Wakamotoharu stumbled forward to the clay. Tsukiotoshi.

Abi (6-4) defeated Takakeisho (4-6). Abi pulled, Takakeisho flopped forward. Gunbai Takakeisho. Mono-ii. Video review shows Takakeisho’s hand touching the ground before Abi went out. Abi’s slapdown gamble paid out today. Hatakikomi.

Hoshoryu (7-3) defeated Shonannoumi (5-5). It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Hoshoryu use kicks and trips. Against Shonannoumi he used his left foot and wrapped it around Shonnanoumi’s right. Sotogake.

Kotozakura (8-2) defeated Onosato (5-5). After a great oshi battle, Kotozakura saw an opening to Onosato’s belt and latched on. He grabbed Onosato’s belt with his left hand, rotated and threw Onosato to the ground. Uwatenage.

Terunofuji (10-0) defeated Kirishima (5-5). Terunofuji locked on to Kirishima with both arms and drove forward. When he reached the bales and Kirishima resisted, he rotated and threw Kirishima to the ground. Kotenage.

Wrap-up

Takakeisho can only lose one more bout and preserve his rank. He will face Gonoyama tomorrow but he still needs to fight Terunofuji, Hoshoryu, Kotozakura and Onosato. That will be…difficult. Kirishima, though, must win out. Kotozakura can put the final dagger in Kirishima’s hopes tomorrow. Kotozakura secured his kachikoshi today. Churanoumi missed out with his loss today. So, Terunofuji remains sole leader and the field narrowed even further.

There are some great matchups on tap for us tomorrow. The musubi-no-ichiban features Terunofuji and Onosato. The May tournament champion will hope to keep his Ozeki run alive but he still has work to do in order to secure his kachikoshi. A loss to the Yokozuna tomorrow will hand him a 6th loss and he gets closer to having to start from scratch.

Hoshoryu versus Abi and Takakeisho against Gonoyama are not at the top of my list for tomorrow but they are important bouts, nonetheless. Hoshoryu will fight for his kachikoshi and Takakeisho falls ever closer to makekoshi and demotion. Daieisho will fight Wakamotoharu and Atamifuji will fight Hiradoumi. It is difficult to have a favorite in that bout. The highlight bout tomorrow, though, is undoubtedly Takanosho versus Shodai. Two guys who have really disappeared of late are looking strong. Be careful. They might end up back in sanyaku.

Nagoya 2024: Day Nine Highlights

Andy Nagoya 2024, Nagoya Basho

No news from the infirmary. This tournament has been rather quiet, so far, in the kyujo department.

In Juryo, Shishi was first in the division to pick up his kachi-koshi. He leads at 8-1. Onokatsu lost to Tohakuryu so Shirokuma is the only competitor at 7-2. He fought Tsurugisho who has found new life in the second division and sits at 6-3 with Onokatsu, Fujiseiun, Shimazuumi, and Hakuoho.

If any NHK folks are listening, I wish you would have the profile pages for Juryo wrestlers on your video pages, like you have for Makuuchi. In the NHK pages for Makuuchi Videos (e.g., Day 9 Part I and Part II), there are links to profile pages in between the videos. On these profile pages, the NHK has a string of video links to previous bouts for that wrestler. If they had that for Juryo, we would be able to view Shishi’s run all in one page!

I want you to notice, however, that you CAN do this for Makuuchi wrestlers. Our Makuuchi leader, Terunofuji, has his profile page here.

Makuuchi Division Highlights

Nishikifuji (4-5) defeated Daishoho (Juryo 3-6). Nishikifuji was the aggressor here. He slammed into Daishoho, shoved him with tsuppari, backed up and slammed into him again. Daishoho stepped back over the bales as Nishikifuji drove headlong into him again. Oshidashi.

Kagayaki (5-4) defeated Roga (5-4). Both men locked up belt grips. Roga bellied up and drove forward toward the bales. As they neared the edge of the dohyo, Kagayaki released his grip, pivoted, and shoved Roga down. Tsukiotoshi.

Churanoumi (7-2) defeated Chiyoshoma (3-1-5). This was a great back and forth yotsu bout. Someone asked in the comments why we don’t see many kicks from Hoshoryu anymore. I wonder if Chiyoshoma’s attempted trip in this bout presented Churanoumi with the opening and the leverage he needed to throw Chiyoshoma. Chiyoshoma kicked out and wrapped his foot around Churanoumi for a moment. That’s when Churanoumi was able to rotate and throw Chiyoshoma to the ground. Shitatenage.

Nishikigi (1-8) defeated Bushozan (5-4). Nishikigi is still here and still fighting. Today we saw him pick up his first win of the tournament! He went chest to chest with Bushozan, rotated with all of his might and threw him. Shitatenage.

Tsurugisho will visit from Juryo tomorrow to face Bushozan in the heavy-weight bout. Nishikigi will fight Kagayaki.

Ichiyamamoto (5-4) defeated Hokutofuji (3-6). Ichiyamomoto shifted left and grabbed Hokutofuji’s belt with his left hand, driving him forward and out. Okuridashi.

Ichiyamamoto will mix things up with Nishikifuji. Hokutofuji will face Chiyoshoma.

Endo (5-4) defeated Oshoma (4-5). What was this harite from Oshoma? Endo shifted right and pressed Oshoma with solid tsuppari, shoving him from the ring. Oshidashi.

Endo will fight Churanoumi on Day 10. Churanoumi has a shot at kachi-koshi.

Wakatakakage (6-3) defeated Kinbozan (3-6). After the tachiai, the two wrestlers settled into a long lean. It may not have looked like much was going on but Kinbozan was desperately trying to keep Wakatakakage’s right hand away from his belt. Wakatakakage eventually decided he would never get that belt grip so he yanked Kinbozan hard with his left hand and used the right to shove Kinbozan in the face. Once he got Kinbozan moving toward the bales, Wakatakakage pursued and shoved him out. Oshidashi.

Tamawashi (5-4) defeated Ryuden (2-7). Tamawashi did Tamawashi things and blasted Ryuden from the dohyo. Ryuden has been completely ineffective this tournament. He is usually able to wrap up his opponents and attack with his powerful yotsu. Oshidashi.

Ryuden will fight Roga.

Takarafuji (3-6) defeated Sadanoumi (3-6). Sadanoumi pulled and tried to slap Takarafuji down but Takarafuji reacted well, maintained his balance and drove forward. Sadanoumi tried another throw at the edge but Takarafuji’s footwork was solid today as he shoved Sadanoumi over the bales. Oshidashi.

Takarafuji will fight Tamawashi. Sadanoumi has been paired up with Oshoma.

Midorifuji (6-3) defeated Kotoshoho (5-4). Midorifuji tried to sneak that right hand up behind Kotoshoho’s shoulder but Kotoshoho shrugged it away. Midorifuji slipped to his right and Kotoshoho stumbled forward. As Kotoshoho tried to regain his footing Midorifuji followed up and shoved him from the ring. Oshidashi.

Midorifuji versus Wakatakakage will be a highlight from the first half of action on Day 10.

Halftime

Oho (6-3) defeated Shodai (6-3). Guess who moved forward? Oho. He forced Shodai to the edge where Shodai tried Shodai tricks. Oho’s sumo was solid today as he kept Shodai centered and forced him from the ring. Yorikiri.

Shodai will face Kinbozan on Day 10.

Takanosho (6-3) defeated Wakamotoharu (4-5). Takanosho went for the jugular. He drove Wakamotoharu backwards with powerful nodowa. Oshidashi.

Atamifuji (4-5) defeated Shonannoumi (5-4). I expected Shonannoumi to move backwards but he went chest to chest with Atamifuji and held his own for a while. Eventually, Atamifuji was able to overpower him, though and forced him over the edge. Yorikiri.

Sanyaku

Gonoyama (3-6) defeated Onosato (5-4). Gonoyama hit Onosato hard in the face with his head at the tachiai. Onosato reacted poorly by trying a pull. Gonoyama pressed ahead and forced the Sekiwake from the dohyo. Oshidashi.

Abi (5-4) defeated Ura (3-6). Ura tried a pull and Abi ran past but Abi had enough space to regain his footing and reengage. He took revenge by slapping Ura down and falling on top of him for good measure. Hatakikomi.

Kirishima (5-4) defeated Meisei (2-7). Kirishima put his head down and drove forward, forcing Meisei from the ring. Yorikiri.

Hoshoryu (6-3) defeated Tobizaru (4-5). Henka! Hoshoryu slipped right at the tachiai, grabbed Tobizaru’s belt and flung him from the dohyo. Uwatedashinage.

Kotozakura (7-2) defeated Hiradoumi (5-4). It took Kotozakura a while to figure out what he wanted to do here. Hiradoumi had been holding Kotozakura at bay but when he tried to slip his right hand inside, Kotozakura used the moment to charge forward and drive Hiradoumi out. Oshidashi.

Takakeisho (4-5) defeated Mitakeumi (3-6). Takakeisho charged forward powerfully and drove the impotent blocking sled backwards to the edge where he stepped out. Oshidashi.

Terunofuji (9-0)defeated Daieisho. After a wild brawl, Terunofuji was able to grab Daieisho’s belt and Daieisho flopped onto his belly. Quelle surprise. Uwatedashinage.

Wrap-up

Terunofuji continues to lead, alone. Kotozakura and Churanoumi are the only two wrestlers at 7-2 and the only two wrestlers who will have a shot at kachi-koshi tomorrow. Kotozakura will have to go through Onosato while Churanoumi faces Endo. I think Churanoumi is more likely to pick up that kachi-koshi tomorrow.

The rest of the Sanyaku fight card tomorrow is interesting, too. Daieisho will face Atamifuji. Wakamotoharu will face Hiradoumi and Abi will fight Takakeisho. Shonannoumi is being thrown into Hoshoryu and Terunofuji will fight Kirishima. Kirishima only has room for one more loss. Otherwise his demotion becomes permanent. There is no room for error and he will need to pull off several huge upsets down the line here. Terunofuji would be the biggest upset.

Nagoya 2024: Day Seven Highlights

Andy Nagoya 2024, Nagoya Basho ,

No changes in attendance today but we have news that Takerufuji will show up on Day 8. He will fight Onokatsu on Day 1. Geez, no relief for the weary!

Down in Juryo, Onokatsu and Shishi lead the pack at 6-1. So, Takerufuji is being immediately injected into the second division yusho race by fighting one of the leaders.

In retirement news, we do have an announcement that Asabenkei, a former Juryo-level wrestler from Takasago-beya, is throwing in the towel. He has battled injury over the past few years. We wish him well in his next career.

On to the action. NHK videos available here.

Day 7 Makuuchi Action

Chiyoshoma(2-0-5) defeated Mitoryu (3-4). Chiyoshoma slammed into Mitoryu and dictated the pace of action. He grabbed Mitoryu’s right arm and rolled the big man down to the floor. Tottari.

Wakatakakage (5-2) defeated Nishikifuji (3-4). Wakatakakage hit Nishikifuji hard and drove him back to the bales. Nishikifuji tried to lose Wakatakakage by shifting left along the bales but Wakatakakage was not fooled and rotated with him. Yorikiri.

Kagayaki (4-3) defeated Takarafuji (2-5). Kagayaki planted his big paw in Takarafuji’s chest and shoved him backwards to the tawara. He followed up with another shove to send Takarafuji over. Oshidashi.

Bushozan (4-3) defeated Hokutofuji (3-4). Hokutofuji brought both arms up behind Bushozan’s head and tried to shove him down. Bushozan kept his balance and moved forward, forcing Hokutofuji from the dohyo. Oshidashi.

Bushozan will face Takarafuji. At this stage, Takarafuji appears to be the one who should have stayed in Juryo.

Endo (3-4) defeated Nishikigi (0-7). Endo executed the slowest shift ever at the tachiai, popping Nishikigi right in the head with his head. Nishikigi shifted with him and pressed forward. Endo shoved down on Nishikigi’s arms and brought him down. Hikiotoshi.

Asakoryu will visit from Juryo to face Endo. Nishikigi will face Chiyoshoma. If Chiyonoshoma has any sense of mercy, he might want to dust off his henka-ing boots.

Roga (4-3) defeated Ichiyamamoto (3-4). Roga shifted left at the tachiai and grabbed at Ichiyamamoto’s upper body as Ichi ran past. Roga then twisted and yanked Ichi down by his shoulder. Sukuinage.

Roga will fight Hokutofuji. Ichiyamamoto will square up against Kagayaki.

Churanoumi (5-2) defeated Midorifuji (4-3). A wild brawl. Churanoumi pulled Midorifuji down. Hatakikomi.

Churanoumi will face Nishikifuji on Nakabi.

Shodai (5-2) defeated Sadanoumi (2-5). Shodai got inside Sadanoumi and pursued well as Sadanoumi rotated and retreated. Sadanoumi ran out of space and Shodai forced him over the bales and off the dohyo. Yorikiri.

Shodai will fight Wakatakakage as the Kyokai seek to whittle down the challenger group.

Kotoshoho (5-2) defeated Ryuden (2-5). Ryuden’s power has been absent this basho and he has not been able to find his usual belt grip. Today, Kotoshoho grabbed the front of Ryuden’s belt with his right hand and rotated, dragging Ryuden to the floor. Shitatedashinage.

Ryuden will fight Midorifuji.

Oho (4-3) defeated Tamawashi (4-3). Oho got his hand into Tamawashi’s armpit and shoved upward. Moving forward, Oho drove Tamawashi from the ring. Oshidashi.

Tamawashi will fight Sadanoumi.

Halftime

Kinbozan (2-5) defeated Takanosho (4-3). This bout had three phases. In the first phase, both men tussled for a belt grip. Kinbozan drove forward during the tussle, forcingin Takanosho to the edge. At the edge, Takanosho planted his foot and seized Kinbozan’s belt, stopping Kinobozan’s forward progress and starting Phase Two. In Phase Two, Takanosho asserted more pressure and both men were locked in a Yotsu position. Takanosho pulled up and drove Kinbozan backwards. Kinbozan was able to stop Takanosho at the edge and shift toward Phase Three. In Phase Three, Kinbozan reasserted his control and pressed forward, forcing Takanosho out. Yorikiri.

Kinbozan will fight Kotoshoho.

Shonannoumi (5-2) defeated Oshoma (4-3). Shonannoumi punished Oshoma for his henka by grabbing him and driving him into the ground. Hatakikomi.

Oshoma will face Oho.

Wakamotoharu (4-3) defeated Gonoyama (2-5). Wakamotoharu fought aggressively today. Hi hit Gonoyama with a kachiage at the tachiai and pressed forward with a fierce nodowa and tsuppari. Gonoyama resisted at the bales but Wakamotoharu reset by seizing Gonoyama’s belt. He hoisted upward, pivoted, and drove Gonoyama from the ring. Yorikiri.

Sanyaku

Daieisho (5-2) defeated Meisei (2-5). Blast and pivot, blast and pivot. Meisei tried a slapdown but missed. Daieisho drove forward and caught Meisei with a finishing blast as he was changing direction. Oshitaoshi.

Onosato (4-3) defeated Atamifuji (2-5). Onosato tried hard to keep Atamifuji’s right arm off his belt but to no avail. Atamifuji was able to lock on with both hands. However, he was not able to use the grip to generate offense. Instead, Onosato churned forward with his right arm inside and left arm shoving hard into Atamifuji. It was almost a half-yotsu, half-oshi attack as he pressed forward and drove Atamifuji from the ring. Yorikiri.

Atamifuji will fight Wakamotoharu on Nakabi.

Abi (3-4) defeated Mitakeumi (3-4). Brutal nodowa from Abi and he put all of his weight and drive into it. At the edge, Mitakeumi twisted and threw him to the side but the counter attack was too late as both tumbled into the crowd. Abi had won. Oshidashi.

Abi will fight Gonoyama and Mitakeumi will take on Takanosho.

Hiradoumi (4-3) defeated Takakeisho (2-5). Takakeisho opened with his Old Faithful: the wave action. It was completely without power. As if Takakeisho was playing patty-cake, Hiradoumi generated forward pressure and drove into Takakeisho. The Ozeki switched things up, swinging with wild haymakers, then turning in retreat. He tried to lose Hiradoumi but Hiradoumi followed well. As Takakeisho tired at the edge, Hiradoumi wrapped him up and drove the Ozeki from the ring. Yorikiri.

Hiradoumi versus Meisei could be a great brawl.

Kirishima (4-3) defeated Hoshoryu (4-3). A quick shift and pulldown from Kirishima and Hoshoryu fell forward. Hikiotoshi.

Kirishima will fight Takakeisho. WOW. Must win for each. Hoshoryu will face Daieisho.

Kotozakura (5-2) defeated Tobizaru (4-3). Tobizaru pulled and Kotozakura pressed forward. Both fell and the gunbai went to the forward-moving rikishi. No mono-ii. Meanwhile Tobizaru fell into and destroyed the Yobidashi station, knocking his bucket over and chair away. My old “Office of Safety”-hat comes out of me as I am reminded of the tripping hazards everywhere. Oshidashi.

Kotozakura will face Ura. Tobizaru gets Onosato.

Terunofuji (7-0) defeated Ura (3-4). The crowd applauded and gave an appreciative “ooh” as yobidashi bring more and more banners onto the dohyo. The crowd applauded and yelled much louder after the action on the dohyo. What a bout! Ura took it to the Yokozuna. He had one of those fancy things called, “a game plan.” That plan was to grab Terunofuji’s arm and drag him down. It nearly worked, too! Ura had Terunofuji on the edge but the Yokozuna kept his balance. As he regrouped, Ura launched another attack, and another. Each attack was progressively less powerful and Terunofuji began to assert his size advantage, eventually succeeding in wrapping up Ura at the edge. One can imagine a quiet plea from the condemned, “I’m tired. Be gentle,” as Terunofuji eased Ura over the bales. Yorikiri.

Terunofuji will fight…checks notes…Shonannoumi. Interesting. This bout should not be interesting, though. Should be one-sided. We’ll see how it works out.

Wrap-up

It is always a good day when the musubi-no-ichiban brings us the bout-of-the-day. Terunofuji showed both his vulnerability and his strength in that bout as he remains undefeated. Pretty much the entire field is in a small band between 2 and 5 wins; Terunofuji alone on top and Nishikigi on the other end with no wins. Tomorrow, on Nakabi, Terunofuji can be the first in the division to secure kachi-koshi while Nishikigi is heading for Juryo with Asanoyama. If he keeps up this pace, he will be at the front of the line. I put together a quick little graphic to show just how tightly distributed the field is here, with a ton of guys on 4 wins. This is sumo, so that might actually be a couple of tons of guys at 4 wins, to be honest.

Kirishima won today but still looks shaky and has a long road ahead. Takakeisho’s road seems even longer now and the pair will be pitted against each other tomorrow. If folks are scratching their heads about how Terunofuji got paired with Shonannoumi, this should be the lowest-ranked fighter to take on the Yokozuna this tournament. Takayasu and Onosho are kyujo and Atamifuji is from the same stable. From here in, the Yokozuna will start churning through sanyaku competition as the title race heats up in Week Two.

Nagoya 2024: Day Six Highlights

Andy Nagoya 2024, Nagoya Basho

A quiet day in the infirmary today. YAY!

Day 6 Makuuchi Action.

Kitanowaka (Juryo 3-3) defeated Roga (3-3). Really solid yotsu from Kitanowaka here. He nearly had a beautiful uwatenage but Roga fought hard to stay on his feet and inbounds. But from there Kitanowaka just shoved him out. Yorikiri.

Kagayaki (3-3) defeated Wakatakakage (4-2). Wakatakakage charged forward and won a belt grip. Kagayaki wrenched himself free and held WTK at bay with his elbow. Wakatakakage charged forward nonetheless. Kagayaki deftly slipped to the left and Wakatakakage stumbled forward at the dohyogiwa. From there it was a simple shove for Kagayaki to finish him off. What an upset! Oshidashi.

Endo (2-4) defeated Bushozan (3-3). Endo actually making forward progress? What bizarre alternate universe have I fallen into? The oshi shoves did not really faze Bushozan until Endo started leading with the elbow. From there he backed Bushozan out. Oshidashi.

Hokutofuji (3-3) defeated Nishikifuji (3-3). Hokutofuji was even on the belt for a bit in this match. As others have noted in the comments, his sumo is evolving away from using his noggin so much. That’s a very good thing. Nishikifuji worked him to the edge today but Hokutofuji wrapped up Nishikifuji’s left arm and threw him forward. Kotenage.

Chiyoshoma (1-0-5) defeated Takarafuji (2-4). I think Takarafuji was hedging his bets about a henka because he kind of stood up at the tachiai. Chiyoshoma drove forward aggressively and with Takarafuji’s high position, he was able to use his advantage to force Takarafuji back. Takarafuji tried to circle around the edge but ‘Shoma stayed with him. Oshidashi.

Churanoumi (4-2) defeated Ichiyamamoto (3-3). Churanoumi was not affected by Ichiyamamoto’s tsuppari and Ichiyamamoto’s slapdowns were never a threat. Churanoumi kept up the tsuppari and eventually drove Ichiyamamoto out. Oshidashi.

Midorifuji (4-2) defeated Nishikigi (0-6). Nishikigi turned Midorifuji’s usual inside grip into a trap as he squeezed Midorifuji’s left arm and used it to drag Midorifuji around the ring. Midorifuji extracted his arm in time and took on Nishikigi with effective tsuppari. He nearly spun Nishikigi around but still shoved him out. Oshidashi.

Shodai (4-2) defeated Oshoma (4-2). This one looked easy for Shodai. Oshoma tried to pull but Shodai does not really move fast enough to lose that way. As Shodai was moving forward and not in reverse, as Oshoma was today, it was really a solid win for him. Oshidashi.

Kotoshoho (4-2) defeated Tamawashi (4-2). This was a great, wild brawl that saw Kotoshoho get spun around. Tamawashi could not take advantage, though. Kotoshoho recovered and drove Tamawashi back to the edge and over. Oshidashi.

Takanosho (4-2) defeated Sadanoumi (2-4). Takanosho kept Sadanoumi at bay with a thrust to the head at the tachiai. This asserted an oshi-style bout as the two traded tsuppari. Takanosho landed a slap and ducked out of the way as Sadanoumi charged forward for revenge. Takanosho then finished Sadanoumi off with a shove. Oshidashi.

Halftime

Ryuden (2-4) defeated Oho (3-3). Ryuden did not fight hard to get a belt grip. Instead, he fought an oshi bout which should favor Oho. Oho was also moving forward and not retreating, which should favor Oho. However, Ryuden caught Oho with a well-timed, well-executed slapdown. Both hands to the back of the head and with a sidestep, rather than the backwards pull which catches so many guys out of bounds. Hatakikomi.

Kinbozan (1-5) defeated Shonannoumi (4-2). Kinbozan finally gets one in the win column, despite looking like a mess. His footwork was terrible at the tachiai. I do not know how he stayed up. Shonannoumi would try to sneak to the side for a belt grip but spent most of the bout in retreat. Kinbozan just pressed ahead and eventually caught up with Shonannoumi and shoved him out. Oshidashi.

Sanyaku

Mitakeumi (3-3) defeated Atamifuji (2-4). Atamifuji tried hard to keep Mitakeumi’s left arm from getting inside but not hard enough. The pressure from his ottsuke lessened for a moment and Mitakeumi wormed his arm inside for a morozashi. Mitakeumi’s legs kept churning forward and he drove Atamifuji over the bales. Sanyaku Mitakeumi is back? Yorikiri.

Onosato (3-3) defeated Meisei (2-4). Onosato landed a right-hand grip fairly quickly. But like Mitakeumi, he wanted both hands inside. He tried a slapdown attempt that went nowhere and then slipped his left hand inside. Once he got that morozashi, Meisei was toast. He drove Meisei over the edge. Yorikiri.

Daieisho (4-2) defeated Abi (2-4). Daieisho’s brand of oshi was more powerful than Abi-zumo. Abi launched the first several volleys of tsuppari and Daieisho just took the punishment. When Daieisho started his attack, he quickly bulled Abi through the ring and over the side. Oshidashi.

Hiradoumi (3-3) defeated Kirishima (3-3). Hiradoumi’s timing was off but his power was unstoppable. Kirishima hit Hiradoumi hard at the tachiai and tried to brawl but he was headed in the wrong direction pretty quickly. Hiradoumi charged forward and drove the Ozeki from the ring with relative ease. I wonder if Kirishima had been able to bait Hiradoumi into the initial two matta in order to force Hiradoumi to wait a beat at the tachiai, giving Kirishima the advantage there. But Hiradoumi erased whatever advantage Kirishima won rather quickly there. Oshidashi.

Hoshoryu (4-2) defeated Ura (3-3). Ura drove Hoshoryu back and down. Gunbai Hoshoryu? What the hell? Thank God a shimpan raised his hand because I did not know how Ura had lost that. Oh, somehow Hoshoryu’s slight lateral movement and his right foot flex deflected Ura’s foot out. Mono-ii. Shimpan decided both were done at the same time, so a rematch was in order: torinaoshi. This time, Hoshoryu launched himself forward and propelled Ura into Robocop with powerful tsuppari. Tsukidashi.

Kotozakura (4-2) defeated Gonoyama (2-4). Gonoyama’s aggressiveness had the Ozeki in trouble quickly and back against the bales. Kotozakura shifted to the side at the edge and used his big right hand on Gonoyama’s shoulder to force Gonoyama forward. Tsukiotoshi.

Wakamotoharu (3-3) defeated Takakeisho (2-4). Wakamotoharu recovered from Takakeisho’s slapdown attempt, locked his right arm on Takakeisho’s mawashi and spun him around. Now behind the Ozeki, it was easy to bowl Takakeisho forward from behind. Okuridashi.

Terunofuji (6-0) defeated Tobizaru (4-2). Terunofuji was just too powerful. Oshidashi.

Wrap-up

Terunofuji leads, undefeated. He’s even building separation between himself and the field as his closest competitors are 2-wins back. It’s still far too early to look at yusho races but if he stays healthy upright, he should be a force in the eventual yusho race next week.

Takakeisho is out of it, though, and Kirishima is looking increasingly shaky. For a change, no one is over-performing. I somehow doubt this will end up a runaway yusho for Terunofuji but he has been fundamentally steady + fierce. Who will challenge him?