Things are coming down to the wire in the Makushita yusho and promotion races. After ten days and five rounds of action, we have four undefeated rikishi, who will fight it out for the title.

Here’s the bracket:

• Ms1e Tokihayate vs. Ms28w Kitadaichi
• Ms37w Kayo vs. Ms54w Tochiseiryu

Tokihayate is the clear favorite, and he has already done enough to bounce right back up after his unsuccessful Juryo debut in May. Kayo is a solid prospect from Nishonoseki beya who debuted at Sd90TD a little over a year ago and has struggled a bit after reaching the upper half of Makushita. The other two semifinalists are lower-division journeymen.

As mentioned above, Ms1e Tokihayate (5-0) is a lock for promotion to Juryo, taking the spot of absent Fujiseiun. There are enough bad records in lower Juryo that a few more promotion slots should open. And we have 5 rikishi who are still in contention for any openings and will be looking to rack up wins in their final two bouts. In rough order of likelihood, they are Ms3e Onosato (3-2), Ms3w Mukainakano (3-2), Ms2w Kiryuko (2-3), Ms4w Takahashi (3-2) and Ms5e Ishizaki (3-2).

Day 11 action will help to sort out the promotion/demotion picture. Takahashi is visiting Juryo, where he will try to get his all-important 4th win while dealing J11w Tsushimanada (2-8) his 9th loss, which would put the latter on the brink of demotion. Onosato and Ishizaki are matched head-to-head (Ishizaki took their prior bout in May); a win by Onosato would keep him at the head of the promotion queue and all-but-eliminate Ishizaki, while the opposite result is less decisive. Kiryuko will seek to avoid make-koshi and elimination from contention against Ms6e Kazekeno, while Mukainakano will go for kachi-koshi against Ms9w Hitoshi. Come back tomorrow to see how everything turns out!

After 8 days and 4 rounds of bouts, let’s take a look at the action in Makushita, where exciting newcomers mix it up with veterans for a shot at the salaried ranks.

As a reminder, the Makushita yusho race is essentially a seven-round single-elimination tournament in which the 120 or so rikishi are reduced by half over two-day rounds until one man with a 7-0 record takes the title (occasionally, same-heya rikishi and other wrinkles throw a wrench into the works, and we end up with a playoff and a 6-1 champion). A 7-0 record from Ms1-Ms15 is a near-guarantee of promotion to Juryo, which otherwise usually requires a winning record from Ms1-Ms5. Four rounds have been completed so far, and we are left with 7 undefeated wrestlers. The next round, unfolding over Days 9 and 10, will aim to reduce the number to 4, with the first 6 rikishi paired up by rank and the lowest-ranked 4-0 man matched with the highest-ranked undefeated Sandanme rikishi.

Here’s the bracket:

• Ms1e Tokihayate vs. Ms16w Oshoumi
• Ms18e Kototebakari vs. Ms28w Kitadaichi
• Ms37w Kayo vs. Ms 50e Asashiyu
• Ms54w Tochiseiryu vs. Sd2e Kainoshima

Tokihayate has already done enough to bounce right back up after his unsuccessful Juryo debut in May. Other notable names here are injury-plagued Oshoumi and Asashiyu, as well as Kototebakari, who is Kotoshoho’s younger bro. All seven quarterfinalists hail from different heya, eliminating any potential scheduling complications.

After 4 rounds of bouts, all 8 active wrestlers in the Ms1-Ms5 promotion zone are still technically in contention for a Juryo spot (demoted veterans Enho and Chiyonokuni are sitting this one out, and it’s anyone’s guess when and if they’ll be back). However, promotion is a long shot for the 1-3 duo of Ms2e Tochimusashi and Ms2w Kiryuko, who must win out just to have a chance. Ms4w Takahashi is 3-1, while everyone else (aside from aforementioned Tokihayate) is 2-2, including Nishonoseki prospect Ms3e Onosato and Miyagino prospect Ms3w Mukainakano. All will be looking to pile up wins in the final 3 rounds in order to stake a claim to a coveted salaried slot.

I’ll try to keep these reports coming every two days or so, as additional rounds of bouts are completed.

After 6 days and 3 rounds of bouts, let’s take a look at the action in Makushita, where exciting newcomers mix it up with veterans for a shot at the salaried ranks.

As a reminder, the Makushita yusho race is essentially a seven-round single-elimination tournament in which the 120 or so rikishi are reduced by half over two-day rounds until one man with a 7-0 record takes the title (occasionally, same-heya rikishi and other wrinkles throw a wrench into the works, and we end up with a playoff and a 6-1 champion). A 7-0 record from Ms1-Ms15 is a near-guarantee of promotion to Juryo, which otherwise usually requires a winning record from Ms1-Ms5. Three rounds have been completed so far, and we are left with 14 undefeated wrestlers. The next round, unfolding over Days 7 and 8, will reduce the number to 7, after which the lowest-ranked 4-0 man is likely to be matched with the highest-ranked undefeated Sandanme rikishi.

The undefeated group ranges from Ms1e Tokihayate, who’s looking to bounce right back up after his unsuccessful Juryo debut in May, all the way down to the Ms54 duo of Marusho and Tochiseiryu, who fight tomorrow. Notable names include injury-plagued Naruto beya hope Ms16w Oshoumi and Kotoshoho’s younger bro, Ms18e Kototebakari. Half of the 3-0 group hail from just 3 heya (3 from Tatsunami and 2 apiece from Naruto and Nishonoseki) so scheduling could get complicated down the stretch.

After only 3 rounds of bouts, all 8 active wrestlers in the Ms1-Ms5 promotion zone are still technically in contention for a Juryo spot (demoted veterans Enho and Chiyonokuni are sitting this one out, and it’s anyone’s guess when and if they’ll be back). After today’s loss in Juryo to Shiden, promotion is a long shot for Ms2e Kiryuko (1-3), who must win out just to have a chance. Everyone else is either 2-1 or 1-2 aside from the aforementioned Tokihayate. The 2-1 records belong to Nishonoseki prospects Ms3e Onosato and Ms4w Takahashi, who were dropped from the undefeated ranks by Tokihayate and Hayatefuji, respectively, and Miyagino prospect Ms3w Mukainakano, who was bested by Onosato. Tokihayate can clinch re-promotion tomorrow by beating Hayatefuji, and the winner of the bout between Takahashi and Mukainakano will be in a strong position heading into the final 3 rounds.

I’ll try to keep these reports coming every two days or so, as additional rounds of bouts are completed.

We’re down to two yusho contenders in Makushita. In the semifinals, Ms2w Shishi was upset by Ms26w Kiryuko, while Ms42e Daishomaru took care of Ms58e Okinohama. So the title will be decided on Day 13 in a match between Kiryuko, a rising prospect, and Daishomaru, a former maegashira who’s broken a streak of 9 straight make-koshi.

At least three Juryo slots are open due to the retirements of Ichinojo and Tochinoshin and the withdrawal of winless Chiyonokuni. Several others may still open. The three open slots are spoken for by Ms1e Shiden (4-2), Ms1w Kawazoe (4-2), and Shishi (5-1). The next-best promotion case belongs to Ms5e Yuma (5-1), who could still use one more win given his relatively low rank. Ms3w Chiyonoumi (3-3), Ms4e Tochimusashi (3-3), and Ms4w Hayatefuji (3-3) all need a win and open slots. They’re likely to be matched with Juryo demotion contenders down the stretch in a series of potential “exchange bouts.”

Oh, and mega-prospect Ms10TD Onosato shook off his opening loss to Ishizaki and now has a 5-1 record.