I know I was very upbeat about day 3 action, and rightly so. But if I look at 4 for, it has even more potential for great matches. I don’t know if I am just pumped up for Aki (I usually am) or if the field is sorted in such an order as to make good matches possible this time. Some of the ones I really like are:

• Nishikifuji vs Takanosho
• Tochinoshin vs Hokutofuji
• Takarafuji vs Ura
• Kiribayama vs Hoshoryu (wowsers!)
• And the big potato
• Terunofuji vs Meisei

Set the DVR, chill the sake, its time for high amplitude sumo!

What We Are Watching Day 4

Terutsuyoshi vs Azumaryu – As much as I wanted Abi to compete this September, I am enjoying our daily visitors from Juryo. It’s like a classic highlight reel of past familiar names. Today its Azumaryu, and he bring a 1-2 record into his top division contest, matching Terutsuyoshi’s 1-2. At this point, the Isegahama man needs to start finding wins before he has a deficit so great he can’t avoid a posting to the Juryo barge at the end of the basho. He does have a 5-2 career lead over Azumaryu, so hopefully that helps.

Chiyoshoma vs Hiradoumi – First ever match, as we have hot-streak Hiradoumi coming up against Chiyoshoma, who has been fighting well. I would have to say that Hiradoumi likely has the edge, as right now his sumo seems to be some of the best on the dohyo. Hiradoumi is not afraid to go chest-to-chest, which is how I see Chiyoshoma starting this match.

Mitoryu vs Yutakayama – Both of these guys have majority losing records right now, with Yutakayama still working hard for his first win of September. It’s early days, but it would be a shame to see Yutakayama relegated back to Juryo come November for the first time since mid 2021. Working against his chances today is Mitoryu’s 3-1 career advantage.

Ichiyamamoto vs Tsurugisho – Should be a pick up win for Ichiyamamoto, as Tsurugisho has yet to win against shin-Abi in 5 attempts. The combination of long arms and effective ranged attacks shuts down most if not all of what Tsurugisho might bring to a match.

Okinoumi vs Oho – Another great first time match. This is Oho’s best ever top division sumo, and I am eager to see him get a chance against the sumo professor in the form of Okinoumi. With a vast catalog of sumo moves, and almost two decades in professional sumo, he’s going to find any weakness in Oho’s sumo, and make him pay.

Kotoshoho vs Ryuden – I can’t believe we are about to start day 4 and Kotoshoho does not have even a single win yet. I would suspect an injury, and if so this is just going to be a daily parade of misery for the fellow. With just a single win himself, Ryuden could certainly use the white start, should it turn out that way.

Nishikifuji vs Takanosho – Yet another high interest first time match. Nishikifuji has done really well so far, but today he’s up against what is more or less Sekiwake grade sumo. This will be a tall order for him to overcome, and I an curious to see if he tries something unexpected at the tachiai to try and throw Takanosho off his plan.

Chiyotairyu vs Kotoeko – These two are performing well below what they are capable of. Kotoeko at 0-3, and Chiyotairyu at 1-2. So far Chiyotairyu has been on-brand with his sumo, and I think he still stands a decent chance of kachi-koshi a week from Sunday. I am a bit more concerned for Kotoeko who fights like a wild man, but has yet to pick up his first win. They share a 7-7 career record.

Tochinoshin vs Hokutofuji – From a battle of two guys on the down and out to this possible barn burner. They share a 6-6 career record, but that really only works when Hokutofuji is fighting well. Right now, oh boy is he fighting well. It’s going to be tsuki vs yotsu today, and I won’t be surprised to see Tochinoshin have Hokutofuji in a vice-like left hand grip while Hokutofuji has his left hand on Tochinoshin’s throat. Prepare for high aggression combo sumo ahead!

Myogiryu vs Onosho – Maybe, just maybe, Onosho has resolved his balance problems and can fight a bit closer to his normal level. If so he is going to blast Myogiryu out of the ring with a brutal thrusting attack at some point before 30 seconds go by. He holds a 11-3 career record against Myogiryu, and I think we may see that dominance continue today.

Wakamotoharu vs Endo – Sadly, the days when Endo could be considered a contender are likely past. At one point he was the “next big thing”, how fitting to pair him with a hot shot younger fellow with a searing 3-0 record and plenty of room to move higher up the banzuke. They have split their two prior matches, with Endo taking the prior match in Nagoya. Maybe he can be a speed bump on Wakamotoharu’s act 1 run for 5.

Aoiyama vs Sadanoumi – Its about time for Aoiyama to win a match. I am almost certain he has undercarriage problems given his performance, but he is usually able to put up a strong fight against Sadanoumi. He has an 11-8 career advantage and has taken 3 of the last 4 matches.

Nishikigi vs Takayasu – Time for the next big stop on the “Magical Mystery Tour” for Nishikigi – former Ozeki Takayasu. He has faced Takayasu 4 times, and has never beaten him. So I am going to guess his day 4 match is going to be more of the same. Takayasu comes into Aki with an extended rest period thanks to COVID kyujo rules, and has been fighting like we have not see in a few years.

Takarafuji vs Ura – I am not sure why Takarafuji is 0-3 to start day 4. But he’s undoubtedly ready for Ura to conjure some mystical sumo from the elastic realm where only stretch Armstrong can be a Yokozuna. I expect Takarafuji to be very cautious, but try to capture Ura with at least one hand hold somewhere on that slippery fellow’s body. Good luck!

Daieisho vs Ichinojo – Ichinojo fade out? Well, he has 1-2 start, and he seems to be reverting back to his normal less genki form. This goes to show how much good that extended period of rest and training did him in the lead up to Nagoya. He could still do quite well, and have at least 8 wins, but I think he has his work cut out for him to try again for the cup. He holds an 8-5 career record against Daieisho, whose pusher-thruster sumo seems to just bounce off the surface of the Snorlax.

Kiribayama vs Hoshoryu – Oh good, two high agility, high mobility rikishi who have been willing to ready deep into the sumo lexicon to win, facing off head to head. Bonus points that they have matching 2-1 records and a career history that stands at 4-4. This could be a very good match indeed.

Wakatakakage vs Midorifuji – One of these day, Wakatakakage is going to win his first match. Why not today? Well, it seems like a fair bet, save that we saw Midorifuji uncork some serious chaos-sumo against Shodai day 3. If he can do it again, will Wakatakakage be able to keep up? This is their first ever match, so we will learn much then the gyoji points his gumbai.

Tobizaru vs Mitakeumi – Oh, flying monkey, when will thou become consistent? Purveyor of sometimes brilliant sumo antics, you struggle on days when you cannot conjure up your WTF moves. You have never beaten Mitakeumi, so for today we will settle for you taking a jog out into the crowd again, which is also the hallmark of your matches.

Tamawashi vs Shodai – Tamawashi looks to be all out of gum. Buckle up Shodai.

Takakeisho vs Kotonowaka – I was delighted we saw a burst of the old power out of Takakeisho day 3. We have not seen him send someone that far down range in a long time indeed. Much as I dig Kotonowaka, I really do want to see Takakeisho dominate this basho. So with any luck we may get too see a couple of volleys from the Ozeki today. Takakeisho holds a 3-1 career record over Kotonowaka.

Terunofuji vs Meisei – I could say (in Texican) “Terunofuji a-gonna ween this one!” But if we look at recent history, we see that Meisei has beaten him twice. No, not in the old days when he was a Sekiwake or Ozeki the first time. Since he has been a Yokozuna. So I hope to see Terunofuji make his feet impossibly heavy today, and keep Meisei from getting to the side or to far underneath. Caution is urged.

Many times the first few days of any basho are sort of obligatory. They are some crummy matches that sneak in because everyone is trying to get into honbasho form. But this Aki, the contests have been a tier better than the same days in Nagoya. Everyone is fighting pretty well, even if they are losing. I especially need to heap praise for the amount of enjoyment I am getting from the first half of the torikumi. Many times the lower ranks are a bash of whomever shows up ready to fight that day. But everyone seems really motivated, and ready to give it their all. Some solid technique, some excellent effort, and some highly entertaining sumo all around.

I point to the good number of 3-0 rikishi at the end of day 3 (six of them) and five with 0-3 records. I would love for there to be little or no chance for any kind of funnel nonsense this September, just a straight out, bare-knuckle sumo fest to the glorious end. I am starting to hope it might be exactly that.

Highlight Matches

Tsurugisho defeats Chiyonokuni – The good news – Tsurugisho got his first win of Aki. Conversely the bad news is Chiyonokuni is 0-3 near the top of Juryo, and he does not seem to be healthy right now. Chiyonokuni struggled to get any attacks to land center mass, and had to settle for hitting Tsurugisho in areas that would not move him back. It took a moment for Tsurugisho to realize he had his hands inside, and once he did he attacked with great effect. They only grappled for a moment before Tsurugisho finished Chiyonokuni off with a yorikiri. Tsurugisho now 1-2.

Hiradoumi defeats Yutakayama – As the last man on the banzuke, Hiradoumi is well motivated to reach the safety of 8 wins as early as possible. In fact he is following the pattern of many first time top division debuts, he is fired up and fighting like an Australian sailor in a seaside tavern. I loved today’s match against Yutakayama, and this is from someone who generally likes Yutakayama. His hands were inside early at the tachiai, and he did not pause a moment to consolidate or set his feet. Straight to driving forward, and Yutakayama was in the zabuton section in a heap before he even could say hello. Hiradoumi unbeaten at 3-0.

Chiyoshoma defeats Mitoryu – Man, I tell you – if I had an aggressive Chiyoshoma grabbing directly for my crotch, I would seek a way to end the match quickly. He latches on to Mitoryu’s mawashi just above his groin and establishes an iron grip. Mitoryu’s only response was an arm bar, which simply kept Chiyoshoma’s left arm in position to push. Without any real offense or much in the way of defense, Mitoryu was an easy mark for the sotogake that finished him off. Chiyoshoma improves to 2-1.

Ichiyamamoto defeats Terutsuyoshi – Oh dear, Terutsuyoshi is having one of “those” bashos again. Ichiyamamoto grabs his head with both hands and chucks him to the clay in one fluid combination. Down goes Terutsuyoshi to all fours. Ichiyamamoto improves to 2-1.

Oho defeats Ryuden – Dare we hope that Oho is finally comfortable in his bigger body, and he is able to execute his sumo? It’s starting to look that way has he polishes off Ryuden by simply overpowering the veteran. This includes Ryuden setting his feet for defense. That’s twice now we have see Oho just plow his way through an opponent. Watch out folks, he’s 3-0 and looking good.

Okinoumi defeats Kotoshoho – I am taking my Kotoshoho fandom, putting it in a box, and putting the box in the closet for now. For whatever reason, this bright youngster is having a miserable start to September. Today he was dispatched with ease by Okinoumi, who took a moment to place his hands, then immediately unleashed a kotenage to roll Kotoshoho to the clay. Okinoumi improves to 2-1, Kotoshoho winless at 0-3.

Takanosho defeats Chiyotairyu – Brilliant Chiyotairyu tachiai, that was total “thunder god” sumo at the start. Did it matter? Oh no, not at all. Takanosho had his response ready to go, he absorbed some of the initial charge, circled away, leading Chiyotairyu along and then rolled him to the clay. Takanosho at 3-0, with him being under ranked as much as he is, he’s got a real chance of competing for the cup this time. Sure if he continues to be hot, he will face higher ranks next week. But let’s be honest, when in good form, Takanosho can give all of them, even Terunofuji, a solid fight.

Myogiryu defeats Nishikifuji – Someone had to give Nishikifuji his first loss, and it came largely from his own over-commitment to forward pressure. I love how Myogiryu worked to narrow Nishikifuji’s axis for force as they pushed against each other, an when it was almost all directly ahead, stepped aside and pushing on his shoulder. Myogiryu advances to 2-1.

Tochinoshin defeats Kotoeko – Points to Kotoeko for a vigorous fight, with a lot of energy trying to get Tochinoshin off balance, out of position, or really create any kind of opening he could. But the former Ozeki got his left hand outside grip early, and you just know that is not going to end well when you consider the size difference. Show he could care less about physics, Kotoeko continues to attack, even trying a leg trip before that falls apart and Tochinoshin reverts to his early days as a nightclub bouncer and sends rowdy Kotoeko to the curb. Tochinoshin now 2-1.

Hokutofuji defeats Aoiyama – Hokutofuji continues his dominance over hapless and injured (I assume) Aoiyama with a vigorous display of “center mass” sumo. No, that kind of fighting does not get old to me. Aoiyama has a strong opening combo, takes his first step forward, and that was all he could deliver. Hokutofuji responded with power and focus, and Aoiyama was done. Hokutofuji unbeaten now at 3-0.

Onosho defeats Endo – Onosho finally wins his first match. Endo almost gets out of the way of Onosho’s attempt to set up a “mega-thrust” but does not quite clear the lane in time. Caught with a brutal stiff arm, Endo is pinned and forced out by Onosho’s forward momentum. Onosho improves to 1-2.

Wakamotoharu defeats Takarafuji – Is it possible that Wakamotoharu has borrowed his brother’s inner fire? At 3-0, and each match looking very strong, I am starting to wonder which one of the Onami brothers is going to reach Ozeki first. You know what I loved about this match – Wakamotoharu’s show of calculating patience. He took the fight to the kind of “Defend and Extend” sumo, and bested him. This guy has stamina, indeed. Oh, and Takarafuji, great effort, but you could have guessed that utchari was inbound by the angle of Wakamotoharu’s hips.

Takayasu defeats Sadanoumi – Takayasu continues his complete domination of Sadanoumi (now 7-0), he starts with a combo attack before setting up a right hand under shoulder grip, and immediately unleashes the katasukashi to put Sadanoumi on the clay. 2-1 for Takayasu, and he continues to look solid.

Tamawashi defeats Nishikigi – Nishikigi’s “magical mystery tour, chapter 2” hit a speed bump today in the form of sumo’s current iron man, Tamawashi. He has never beaten Tamawashi, and today was no exception. He started poorly, being late off of the shikiri-sen at the tachiai, and he was not able to close the gap and grapple the Mongolian. Tamawashi landed a left hand nodowa, and that was really the end of the match. Yes, Nishikigi rallied, but was badly off balance and Tamawashi slapped him down. Tamawashi remains unbeaten at 3-0.

Hoshoryu defeats Ichinojo – The Ichinojo hype balloon that was so big it filled the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium has a serious deflation issue now. Hoshoryu answers the question several of us had: What happens when you put that much rikishi on spin mode? Turns out Ichinojo is massive enough that he can in fact put the brakes on it. But as always, Hoshoryu is going to come after you with his feet. What’s for tea? Well it’s sotogake surprise, of course! Hoshoryu improves to 2-1.

Kiribayama defeats Wakatakakage – Ok, what’s going on with Wakatakakage? His sumo is about as sharp and aggressive as my son’s cuddly plush avocado toy. Honestly, Kiribayama completely owned this match, and Wakatakakage was left a step behind and a foot out of bounds before he knew what to do. Kiribayama advances to 2-1, while Wakatakakage is winless at 0-3.

Ura defeats Daieisho – Oh, the expression you can read into Daieisho’s tachiai. It’s like a poor fellow walking into an oral surgeons office. You don’t want to do this, but you know you have to. To his credit, Daieisho gets down to business soon enough, and starts beating the snot out of Ura, or so he thinks. The man in pink is absorbing it all, dialing up his aggression and power. He gains confidence blow after blow. He lunges forward to finish Ura off…. Where the hell is Ura? The man in pink improves to 2-1. The man is a self contained highlight reel.

Midorifuji defeats Shodai – Someone put an 18v battery in Midorifuji’s 9v socket today. He was making two sumo moves for every one that Shodai could deliver. He was attack furiously from multiple vectors at the same time. Normally I am critical of Shodai, but what on earth can you do with that. Midorifuji got the Ozeki disoriented, off balance and them shoved out to pick up his first win of the basho, improving to 1-2. Nice work!

Takakeisho defeats Tobizaru – Oh Lordy, that was nice. Did you see that stutter step from Takakeisho? It put his forward motion 180° out of phase, and he hit Tobizaru like a cement truck. That will wipe that kinboshi smile from his face, to be certain. Tobizaru ends up in the 4th row for a bit of fan service, and Takakeisho improves to 2-1.

Meisei defeats Mitakeumi – Mitakeumi, what the pulsating hell was that? You are bigger, stronger and more powerful than Meisei. There was no need to pull him and throw the match away. So bloody disappointing. Meisei improves to 2-1.

Terunofuji defeats Kotonowaka – I am happy that Terunofuji won, but for the second day in a row, the Yokozuna was not “heavy”. That’s all about the feet, and watch Terunofuji’s feet. He’s making little hops and leaps. This leaves you open to attack and counter attack. He’s at his best when his feet hardly leave the clay at all. You know who was super heavy most of the time? Kisenosato. I loved watching his footwork. But a win is a win, and Terunofuji advances to 2-1.

Welcome to day 3, the middle of the first act of the 2022 Aki basho. Team Tachiai divides a tournament into a trio fo 5 day segments, each that have their own purpose and goals. For act 1, we look at this goal as “Remove ring rust, see who is hot and who is not”. So far, there seems to be some amount of rust on our top rikishi, and we are starting to see some get into a rut of losing matches. There are still 3 days to go, so please don’t get too concerned just yet. Many of our favorites are just getting warmed up!

For those wondering Asanoyama won his first match in Makushita, on his bid to return to the paid ranks by November by turning in a 7-0 score with a yusho on top. It’s fun to see him go to work, as he’s still very much near Ozeki level sumo right now, and he goes through his hapless first opponent with overwhelming force. His first opponent? Kawazoe, a man entering sumo as a tsukidashi at Makushita 15. He is a former college Yokozuna. Here, in case you did not see it last night….

#九月場所二日目
朝乃山ー川副 pic.twitter.com/Y19f1XrbT9

— Lulit (@OneLoveLulit) September 12, 2022

What We Are Watching Day 3

Chiyonokuni vs Tsurugisho – One of the benefits of an Abi-sized banzuke gap is that we can get a daily dose of favorites who are recuperating further down the roster. Today it’s on of my favorites, Chiyonokuni. Given the state of Chiyonokuni’s body, this might be a tough match for him. In fact he has not won a single match from Tsurugisho this year in spite of 3 attempts.

Hiradoumi vs Yutakayama – first ever match up, and I am now a bit concerned about Yutakayama. He’s looking lethargic and a bit lost in his first 2 matches of Aki, and I wonder if he’s struggling in some way. In contrast, Hiradoumi is looking sharp, and comes in with a 2-0 record. This is their first ever tournament fight.

Chiyoshoma vs Mitoryu – This should be a fairly straightforward Chiyoshoma win. He has a 3-0 record against Mitoryu. The one wrinkle being they have not fought a match in 2½ years (January 2020, the last loud basho)

Ichiyamamoto vs Terutsuyoshi – Both rikishi are 1-1, but I think that Ichiyamamoto is in better fighting form right now. He lost to Okinoumi on day 2, in part thanks to the veteran’s encyclopedia of sumo strategies. For Terutsuyoshi, he needs to work now to avoid problems of demotion talk in week two. They share a 2-2 career match record.

Oho vs Ryuden – This will be a nice test for Oho, who may be fighting a bit better than we have seen so far this year. He has not won a single match from Ryuden in 2 attempts, both of them were earlier this year in Juryo.

Kotoshoho vs Okinoumi – Talk about falling short of your potential, Kotoshoho is 0-2 to start day 3. At one point I thought he had a lot of potential to be a solid mid to upper Maegashira rikishi. But after a kyujo in March of 2021, he has never been quite the same. He has not lost to Okinoumi in the past (2-0), so maybe he can score a much needed first win today.

Chiyotairyu vs Takanosho – It continues to look like Takanosho was under-ranked / over demoted coming out of July. He absolutely dominated his first two matches, and I am looking forward to see what he does against Chiyotairyu. Yes, Chiyotairyu is very one dimensional in his normal sumo. But given his size and speed, that one dimension works most of the time.

Myogiryu vs Nishikifuji – Myogiryu won their only prior match, which was last basho at Nagoya. I like how Nishikifuji has been fighting the first two days, and I genuinely think this could be a tough fight for both of them, as it’s an even match.

Tochinoshin vs Kotoeko – One of these days, Kotoeko is going to pick up his first win. He’s 0-2 right now, and I think that it may be in part because of ring rust issues. That’s all well and good until the smaller sized Kotoeko comes up against the extra large Tochinoshin. Thus far it’s been fairly tough for Kotoeko to get the best of the former Ozeki (2-6), and as long as Tochinoshin does not get that knee in the wrong place, he should be able to out-muscle Kotoeko today.

Aoiyama vs Hokutofuji – I am worried about Big Dan. Clearly that knee is not in the best of shape, and he is not fighting well right now. Maybe it’s some ring rust, or maybe he’s hurt enough that he can’t really execute his big brawny sumo. He faces Hokutofuji today, and that brings with it a 2-13 career record. In fact, Hokutofuji can count on Aoiyama to be a reliable win most basho. The last time Aoiyama won a match against ole’ stompy? Aki 2019.

Onosho vs Endo – Onosho put forth a massive effort on day 2, and it was maybe one of his better matches so far this year. But he still has yet to put his first win on the board. He is not likely to find it today against Endo, who comes in at 1-1, and not looking very genki right now. Endo also has a 7-4 career win advantage over the junior tadpole, Onosho.

Takarafuji vs Wakamotoharu – We can bank on this being a yotsu-zumo match, yes indeed. I have noticed that so far, Takarafuji is having a tough time getting his feet set, and holding ground. As his whole approach to sumo is “defend and extend”, this severely limits what he can do to try and win any contest. Could be a tough day for him against 2-0 Wakamotoharu.

Sadanoumi vs Takayasu – Takayasu got taken to the cleaners on day 2 with that Ura leg pick. Hopefully he won’t have that risk with Sadanoumi, who has never beaten Takayasu in 6 attempts. Both men come into this match with middling 1-1 records.

Tamawashi vs Nishikigi – Nishikigi, your current “magical mystery tour” gets a stop at iron-man’s house of sumo. I expect Tamawashi to go bowling with Nishikigi today. There is a 5-0 precedent for Tamawashi to dominate these contests, though the last time they fought was March of 2019.

Ichinojo vs Hoshoryu – Folks who were excited for Ichinojo’s yusho will note that he was able to bounce back from a disappointing loss or two last tournament. Today is his chance to do that again. He has a nearly even record against Hoshoryu (5-6), but he may struggle with Hoshoryu’s agility.

Wakatakakage vs Kiribayama – Hard to believe that Wakatakakage has an 0-2 start. But if you look at his recent history, he has cold starts to many of his tournaments. Hatsu of this year featured a 0-4 start, and Nagoya was 0-2. So a win today, should it happen, would be par for the course. But Kiribayama has a propensity to win against Wakatakakage (6-4), so this might be a real challenge for the Ozeki hopeful.

Daieisho vs Ura – Well, somebody had to fight Ura today. Load some big thrusts today, Daieisho. And don’t let your hands linger near his body after you deliver the force to center mass. He’s going to try to grab something and make you wish it was not there.

Midorifuji vs Shodai – My co-hosts on the podcast were correct, Midorifuji is seriously over ranked, and is going to get the stuffing knocked loose if he keeps fighting the big muscle of sumo. Today it’s Shodai. Now I would love to see some cartoon sumo from Shodai today, but I will settle for this basho’s first display of his “Wall of Daikon”.

Takakeisho vs Tobizaru – Fresh from flaying a kinboshi from the Yokozuna’s back, Tobizaru takes aim at the lead Ozeki, Takakeisho. Takakeisho has a 3-1 career lead, but I have not see him really crank up the tsuppari machine so far this month. He will need to stay mobile as Tobizaru showed up quite a bit of useful agility in his match against Terunofuji. Takakeisho leads their career record 3-1.

Meisei vs Mitakeumi – I still think Mitakeumi is on course for a very good performance this basho. If he can keep rolling, he should be able to compete for the cup in week 2. He has little trouble from Meisei in the past, holding a 8-2 career record against him. For his part, Meisei will need to somehow get past what is turning into quite a solid ottsuke from Mitakeumi.

Terunofuji vs Kotonowaka – Please, Terunofuji. Just put risking star Kotonowaka away with minimum fuss and drama. I am sure your knees are tenuous at best, but we fans want the Yokozuna to remain in this basho.

I would like to proclaim today “center mass” day. There were a larger than normal number of matches where the winner was able to overpower his opponent by getting his hands placed well, and pushing with tremendous force. Rikishi can use this general strategy in any number of ways, but its most effective when both hands are on their opponent’s torso. For a first rate demonstration, watch the Oho vs Yutakayama match from today.

I think that Terunofuji is note quite at 100% right now, I worry he is not quite at 80% right now either. His actual condition is a closely guarded secret, as the perceived power of the Yokozuna is a potent weapon in the battle before the match. But I would say that barring some miracle, we may not get that much more out of Terunofuji. Don’t get the scissors ready yet, but you can clearly see a slow progression at this point.

Highlight Matches

Chiyomaru defeats Mitoryu – It took Chiyomaru a couple of cycles to get Mitoryu off balance enough to thrust him down, but he kept working his preferred strategy with good effect. I do give points to Mitoryu for withstanding it for a above average length of time. Chiyomaru improves to 2-0.

Hiradoumi defeats Tsurugisho – Tsurugisho put too much faith in what he was doing with his left hand. A face slap and an immediate grab for the mawashi. The slap was fleeting and delicate, and the left hand could not find a hold. By the time he had finished that, Hiradoumi had him off balance, hand a right hand inside and was driving him back. Oops. With Tsurugisho’s chest wide open, Hiradoumi focused force center-mass, and Tsurugisho went out. Hiradoumi now 2-0.

Chiyoshoma defeats Terutsuyoshi – Fast initial attack by Chiyoshoma shut down whatever Terutsuyoshi had in mind low and inside. With both hands on Terutsuyoshi’s shoulders, Chiyoshoma froze him in place. Nice counter move by Terutsuyoshi to put both hands inside and on Chiyoshoma’s mawashi, but Chiyoshoma was already on the move, and Terutsuyoshi could not get his foot placement in before he was stepping back. Both end the day 1-1.

Oho defeats Yutakayama – Say it with me – Center-mass, Center-mass, Center-mass. Oho gives some defense to get his hands inside, and puts maximum force against Yutakayama’s chest. Try as he could, Yutakayama could find no way to overcome that forward pressure. Oho unbeaten at 2-0.

Okinoumi defeats Ichiyamamoto – Again, it’s Center-mass time. Okinoumi weathers Ichiyamamoto’s long arm thrusting attack to get his hands inside and against Ichiyamamoto’s chest. From there it’s time to dial up the power, and he breaks Ichiyamamoto’s stance, and them thrusts him out. Ichiyamamoto’s attempt to pull once his stance broke did a lot to end the match. Okinoumi improves to 1-1.

Ryuden defeats Chiyotairyu – Ryuden took Chiyotairyu’s big tachiai, and traded the impact for a forward right hand mawashi grip. That was the key to this match, as Chiyotairyu could not break Ryuden’s hold. With a left hand on Chiyotairyu’s shoulder, Ryuden moved Chiyotairyu back and out. Both end the day 1-1. Excellent sumo mechanics from Ryuden today, very clean and efficient.

Nishikifuji defeats Kotoshoho – Color me disappointed in Kotoshoho today. He had a fair chance to win this fight, but his endurance could not match Nishikifuji. After the tachiai they locked up and stalemated at the center of the dohyo, making this a contest of stamina. In spite of a tenuous grip on Kotoshoho’s loose mawashi, Nishikifuji was able to lift and toss Kotoshoho out for a yorikiri win to stay unbeaten at 2-0.

Takanosho defeats Kotoeko – Takanosho this far south on the banzuke is going to wreck a lot of people’s chances at kachi-koshi. Here it is again where he thumps Kotoeko, in spite of Kotoeko’s excellent fighting spirit. I loved his left hand mawashi grab, but to get there he had to raise himself up and reach across Takanosho’s back. Big loss of connection to the earth, and Takanosho rushed forward to drive Kotoeko out of the ring. Takanosho unbeaten at 2-0.

Myogiryu defeats Tochinoshin – Stalemate tachiai that left both men looking for a way to attack. For Myogiryu, it was a right hand nodowa. Tochinoshin tried to reach back and grab a handful of mawashi, but as with Kotoeko, he had to reach far enough that he unweighted his feet, and Myogiryu drove forward. A last minute throw attempt from Tochinoshin collapsed, and Myogiryu prevailed. Both are now 1-1.

Hokutofuji defeats Onosho – Brilliant match, the fans loved it and so did I. Hokutofuji had a brutal nodowa thanks to his “handshake tachiai”, and it was only by a bit of luck that Onosho was able to break that hold and establish some balance. They were locked together and pushing evenly for a time, but for a brief moment Onosho lost traction, and that was all that Hokutofuji needed to turn on the forward thrust and take Onosho out. Superb effort from both. Hokutofuji now 2-0.

Wakamotoharu defeats Aoiyama – Wakamotoharu continues his dominance over Aoiyama with today’s oshidashi. Aoiyama’s left knee seems to really be doing poorly, as Wakamotoharu should not have been able to stampede “Big Dan” back like that. Wakamotoharu joins the crowd at 2-0.

Sadanoumi defeats Endo – There are times when Endo’s patience is a virtue, but he took far too long to get any kind of offense going today, and let Sadanoumi control this match. When Sadanoumi powered up to forward, Endo really did not have anything other than his body and his foot placement to try and counter. Not enough today. Sadanoumi improves to 1-1.

Nishikigi defeats Takarafuji – Takarafuji, that should disappoint you sir. Nishikigi gave you everything you needed to win that match, but you could not quite put the pieces together in time. I will say that Nishikigi’s 2-0 start, and his generally good form are conjuring up memories of his “magical mystery tour” in July of 2019 that saw him score his first and only kinboshi. I admit, I would not complain if he can do t again, he is 2-0.

Ura defeats Takayasu – Oh Takayasu, were you the only one who did not guess that something like that was coming? I do love Ura’s gall at trying that, and that leg pick was spectacular. His execution is so fluid, that I am going to guess he goes into a McDonalds in Sumida-ku and grapples the fry cook for his snack at least three times a day. Both are now 1-1.

Meisei defeats Wakatakakage – Hey, Wakatakakage – get it together sir! We need you to be a bright beacon of sumo’s future. So far this Aki you have not looked at all well. Meisei disrupted you completely, and just pushed you about until you agreed to step out. 1-1 now for Meisei, Wakatakakage with a cold 0-2 start.

Tamawashi defeats Daieisho – Tamawashi is looking really sharp this September. Both of them open strong with solid pushing attacks, but Tamawashi gets a well placed glancing blow to Daieisho’s head, and that breaks his balance. Tamawashi closes in and finishes him before he can recover, and Tamawashi is no 2-0.

Hoshoryu defeats Kotonowaka – Kotonowaka allowed Hoshoryu to get a left hand outside grip, and that was the tool he used to win the match. With his left hand in firm control, he had a failed sotogake leg trip attempt, but it succeeded in putting Kotonowaka off balance, and Hoshoryu used what he had to bring Kotonowaka down. Both are now 1-1.

Takakeisho defeats Midorifuji – Somewhat better sumo today from Takakeisho, but we really only saw one opening volley and then a pull down. Midorifuji does not have the mass, experience of balance right now to survive that, and was soon enjoying a detailed look at the clay. Takakeisho picks up his first win and is now 1-1.

Mitakeumi defeats Ichinojo – Center-mass again. Ichinojo really has little defense against Mitakeumi’s relentless drive to get both hands against Ichinojo’s chest. He eventually connects, and then it’s three steps to take the Mongolian behemoth out. Mitakeumi with a 2-0 start to Aki.

Kiribayama defeats Shodai – Shodai got a taste of cartoon sumo himself today, as Kiribayama channels Speedy Gonzales, who was always uncatchable. This wild, chaotic match had both men flailing across the dohyo, and Kiribayama doing much better for it. Better luck next time, Shodai. Both are now 1-1.

Tobizaru defeats Terunofuji – Tobizaru’s high agility sumo kept him from being captured by Terunofuji, and eventually Terunofuji decided rather than wait Tobizaru out, he would go on the attack. One poor move by the Yokozuna, and Tobizaru had his hand placement, and then pivoted against Terunofuji’s worst knee. If that was on purpose, nicely done. If that was a happy accident for Tobizaru, then he’s a lucky fellow. Tobizaru now 1-1.