November Tournament 2014

November Tournament: Day Three

Andy Hakuho (白鵬), Harumafuji (日馬富士), Ichinojo (逸ノ城), November Tournament 2014 , , , , , , , , , ,

Harumafuji is my favorite Yokozuna. When I looked at the schedule and saw he was facing Takayasu, I got a little chill. Before Tuesday, Harumafuji had given up two kinboshi (gold stars) to Takayasu. Now, he’s given up his third kinboshi to Takayasu by accidentally stepping out of the dohyo. Before I continue, I must give a shout out to the SumoDB at SumoGames. They have fabulous data and a wonderful tool for drilling into historical tournament results. I queried the head-to-head record and saw Takayasu’s two victories against Harumafuji. Now, though, you’ll see three, this latest by the unusual kimarite of isamiashi:

Screenshot (39): http://sumodb.sumogames.de/Query_bout.aspx?show_form=0&shikona1=Harumafuji&shikona2=Takayasu

Both of the other Yokozuna won. Hakuho looks particularly hungry for this tournament. He’s been battling with some intense aggression. Goeido got his first victory against Ikioi who’s still looking for his first sanyaku win. Ichinojo’s size advantage was noticeably absent against Aoiyama but he still proved the better grappler. Kotoshogiku lost but Kisenosato stays unbeaten. Happily, Endo picked up his first victory of the tournament but Osunaarashi lost again and he seems a bit unstable on that left knee. Tochinoshin picked up his third win in his return to the makuuchi. He seems right at home among the big boys.

November Tournament: Day One

Andy Hakuho (白鵬), Ichinojo (逸ノ城), November Tournament 2014 , , , ,

It’s here! The November Tournament kicked off today with several story lines and some very interesting matchups, not least is Ichinojo’s first bout in the sanyaku, against this man, Yokozuna Harumafuji (photo: SumoKyokai).  Harumafuji seemed to catch Ichinojo off-guard, aggressively going right at the youngster and quickly pushing him off the edge of the dohyo. It’s good to see Harumafuji coming back so strongly off that eye injury.

harumafujiObviously, another storyline everyone’s following is Hakuho’s pursuit of his 32nd title. It’s amazing that this story seems to play second fiddle – but such is the hype around Ichinojo. Ikioi met Hakuho with a strong tachiai, and at one point seemed like he might have the yokozuna a bit off balance, but Hakuho was just too agile and too powerful. He quickly asserts control and bulled Ikioi out.

Endo’s first match of this tournament was against Tochinoshin, who’s been dominant in the lower divisions — even beating Ichinojo twice to get a perfect 15-win championship in Juryo. Endo’s heart was in it but Tochinoshin used his size advantage for all it was worth and garnered the win. These three battles neatly hit on all my key storylines for this tournament and I’m really looking forward to following their performances over the next fortnight.

One Week Until November Tournament

Andy November Tournament 2014 , , ,

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! We are less than one week out for day one of the November 2014 tournament. The big questions:

  • Will Hakuho win his 32nd title?
  • Will Ichinojo continue to impress, or will the strength of schedule expose a need for more experience?
  • Will Endo bounce back from a disastrous July?
  • Will either of the other yokozuna, Harumafuji and Kakuryu step up to contend for the title?
  • Will the return of Tochinoshin to the makuuchi bring more exciting matchups?

November 2014 Banzuke

Andy November Tournament 2014 , , , , , , , , ,

The rank list (banzuke) for the November Basho is out now. The Yokozuna and Ozeki rankings are unchanged from last tournament. Obviously the biggest story is Ichinojo’s leap from the ranks of maegashira to sekiwake – skipping the komusubi. He will have to battle the top ranked wrestlers from the beginning and won’t be able to henka his way through the whole tournament. I’m projecting a 5-10 record, if he competes. His size is formidable but Tochinoshin, Ikioi, and Hakuho proved he can be beat on the belt. Please visit the Dosukoi site. They’ve got some great material. The Sumo kyokai also has the banzuke published in English at the link below.

http://www.dosukoi.fr/actualites/banzuke-du-tournoi/
http://www.sumo.or.jp/en/honbasho/banzuke/index
Both of the above links are for “current” banzuke so for the November 2014 banzuke, an update:

Click to access banzuke-11-2014.pdf

Ikioi’s strong performance landed him a Komusubi rank. He’s very solid but a bit inconsistent. I’m hoping he can put together a solid tournament and stay in the upper ranks. Aoiyama joins Ichinojo as East Sekiwake. The immovable object always gets moved when battling the better wrestlers. He’ll struggle for his kachi-koshi. Takekaze stays in in the upper ranks at Komusubi.

Among the lower wrestlers, Aminishiki and Tochiozan had great tournaments and will be top-ranked maegashira. Osunaarashi drops one place while Jokoryu, Chiyotairyu, and Endo each plummetted into the midst of the middling maegashira. Joining them are Okinoumi, Tochinoshin, and Tokushoryu who did very well battling lower maegashira and juryo. Myogiryu’s and Homasho’s substantial falls are due to injury. I was disappointed to see Homasho go down. I enjoy his bouts.