As predicted, Okinoumi has announced his retirement from sumo competition. He will transition to life as an oyakata, taking the name Kimigahama. His retirement ceremony is scheduled for September 30th at the Kokugikan. We are looking forward to seeing him in a blue jacket soon.

I was already delighted with the quality of competition in this basho, but it seems the rikishi decided that the middle weekend deserved an extra dose of excellence, and day 7 is one to savor. We don’t always get this level of awesome, and I am happy I was around to see it.

In Juryo, Asanoyama won his day 7 match, and is now 7-0. Perhaps we will get to see if lksumo’s forecast may come to pass, if he can keep winning. He has 2 men chasing him at 6-1 as he continues to look more like Ozeki Asanoyama now than a Juryo man.

Highlight Matches

Bushozan defeats Takarafuji – Takarafuji looks to be back to trying to work in his “defend and extend” brand of sumo. It worked well for a time against Bushozan, until it seems Takarafuji decided to back up. I think it may have been part of a pull attempt, but it had a disastrous effect on his sumo. Bushozan advanced, and crumpled Takarafuji to the clay, advancing to 4-3.

Ichiyamamoto defeats Mitoryu – Ichiyamamoto gave Mitoryu a wide opening to take the match, but Mitoryu could not quite keep his body in position, or his shoulders square to his opponent. Ichiyamamoto reversed their positions, backing Mitoryu to the bales, and shoved him out. Solid attack play from Ichiyamamoto today, and he is now 4-3.

Kagayaki defeats Chiyomaru – Old Chiyomaru is really not up for this tournament. That ankle is day to day, and today was not a day where his ankle was willing to cooperate. He takes Kagayaki to his chest in attempt to limit the mobility in the match, but finds the best he can manage is to stand around and lean on Kagayaki. It seemed that Chiyomaru got bored with that, broke contact and tried to pull Kagayaki down. Of course Kagayaki counter-attacked and Chiyomaru was out three steps later. Kagayaki now 3-4.

Chiyoshoma defeats Kotoeko – No henka today, he goes chest to chest with Kotoeko, and then pulls him down with a quick hatakikomi. Chiyoshoma picks up his first win on the clay and is 2-5.

Aoiyama defeats Tsurugisho – This match was all Aoiyama, taking the inside lane at the tachiai, and just driving forward with the V-Twin thrusting attack blazing away. Tsurugisho had no response, and was quickly out. Aoiyama improves to 6-1.

Kotoshoho defeats Endo – When Endo got his left hand frontal grip at the tachiai, I was certain Kotoshoho would be on the clay a moment later. But Endo executed a makikae, and found himself it trouble as Kotoshoho reacted perfectly. He drove Endo back and out, with the two landing in a heap. Although Kotoshoho landed first, Endo had stepped out long before he finished his rescue throw at the edge. Kotoshoho now an impressive 6-1.

Takanosho defeats Azumaryu – Takanosho employed a “stand up” tachiai, forcing Azumaryu to close the distance on his own. This left Azumaryu on the wrong foot, and Takanosho drove in, connected with Azumaryu’s center-mass and pushed him out of the ring. A solid bit of sumo from Takanosho, who could really use some wins. He is now 4-3.

Onosho defeats Hiradoumi – I can guess that Hiradoumi was expecting a thrusting battle today. Instead he had Onosho set up the yori at the tachiai, and it was chest to chest for the brief moments of this fight. Credit to Hiradoumi, who tried to break Onosho’s hold, but it was three steps and out for Hiradoumi. Some nice versatility from Onosho today, he is 6-1.

Oho defeats Myogiryu – Let there be jubilation across the land, Oho finally got his first win. Myogiryu tried a number of combos, but none of them moved Oho with any real effect. Oho absorbed a few, then seemed to gain confidence, and counter-attacked, finishing Myogiryu with an okuridashi. Shonichi for him, and he is 1-6.

Ura defeats Nishikigi – Again today we saw that huge forward power from Nishikigi. Ura hit low, Nishikigi could care less, he got his hands in place, and powered ahead. Ura, always the master of grab-and-tug sumo, decided that Nishikigi’s left arm was forfeit, and gave it a hearty pull. Down goes Nishikigi, a victim of his own forward pressure. Konosuke called the match for Nishikigi, but in a rare reversal, the shimpan awarded the white star to Ura. Both end the day 4-3.

Hokutofuji defeats Ryuden – Hokutofuji opened strong with his nodowa attack. Quite impressed that Ryuden was able to break that hold, and take Hokutofuji in for a chest to chest battle. Unable to reach Ryuden’s neck in that position, Hokutofuji settled for an armpit with a left hand hazu-oshi. It was clear Ryuden was trying to set up a throw from the left, and Hokutofuji knew it. His lower body is quite impressive to see at work, and he dialed up the power nicely, pushing Ryuden over the bales with a yoritaoshi. Outstanding battle gentlemen, you are now both 4-3.

Daieisho defeats Sadanoumi – Which is more likely to get you flattened by a rampaging rikishi? Being between a hungry Chiyomaru and a plate of gyoza, or being Daieisho’s opponent? At least this week, it’s more dangerous to face off against Daieisho. Points to Sadanoumi for a good escape, but but each time Daieisho made contact, Sadanoumi’s body picked up more lateral motion, until he lost his feet and launched out of the ring, across the salt basket and down the hanamichi. Daieisho advances to 6-1.

Kiribayama defeats Mitakeumi – Impressive work by Kiribayama, as he was able to trap Mitakeumi’s arms and prevent him from getting any real hold. Mitakeumi had more forward pressure, so Kiribayama could not hold position, setting up a bit of a stalemate that ended with Kiribayama takeing a left hand outside mawashi grip. It turned out to be enough leverage to lift Mitakeumi up and walk him out for a yorikiri win. Kiribayama now 4-3.

Kotonowaka defeats Wakamotoharu – I am sure Wakamotoharu had a nice strategy for today’s match against Kotonowaka. But it was gone in the blink of an eye when Kotonowaka took overwhelming command at the tachiai, and moved Wakamotoharu directly and immediately out. No moment to think, no moment to react, just “Get the hell off my dohyo!”. Both end the day 3-4.

Meisei defeats Tobizaru – Brilliant combos from Meisei today. He more or less out monkey’d the flying monkey. I am a bit sad that Tobizaru succumbed to a slippiotoshi, as I really wanted to see what he was about to do. My guess was to set up an okuridashi. But he lost traction just as Meisei delivered a solid shove, and down he went. Both end the day 2-5.

Hoshoryu defeats Abi – Big opening morotsuki attack from Abi, but impressive that Hoshoryu endured it and countered. Abi reset, and attacked again, but this time Hoshoryu took a hold of Abi’s right wrist, and pulled. It was a moment of chaos, and Hoshoryu reacted brilliantly. He dove inside, grabbed a hold and bodily shoved Abi from the ring. Wow, what a combo attack. Excellent sumo from both, and they are now both 5-2.

Nishikifuji defeats Wakatakakage – Part of me feels for Wakatakakage. Maybe he’s just a bit injured. Maybe he believed the hype that he was that dominant. But he’s taking losses now that he should not take. That lateral move by Nishikifuji with the pull was lethal, and although its done before you notice, watch it on freeze frame. What a combo. Wakatakakage hits the clay for the third time in four days, and both are now 3-4.

Tamawashi defeats Shodai – Shodai’s going to Shodai it seems. Tamawashi stands him up, pushes him out, with no more complexity than if he was fighting a Sandanme rikishi. Its a shame as we know that Shodai can be such a potent fighter. I just wish the good version of him would come back. Tamawashi now 4-3.

Takakeisho defeats Midorifuji – Save the best for last? Why, yes they did. A marvelous “kitchen sink” match that saw Takakeisho win by kotenage. Yes, mark this day, Takakeisho engaged in offensive sumo that required a grip on his opponent. It was far from certain he would carry the day, as Midorifuji gave him one hell of a fight. I am not sure what was more impressive about his performance, his ability to absorb Takakeisho’s attacks, or his rally that took the fight back to the Ozeki. The icing on the cake was the howls from the crowd, long absent, that greeted this display of outstanding sumo. Takakeisho takes home a mountain of kensho, and a 6-1 share of the lead.

Welcome to the middle weekend, it’s a wonderful part of the 15 day honbasho cycle, as it’s when it finally get to start tracking the yusho race with focus, and we sometimes get to see our first kachi-koshi. With everyone on the banzuke having at least one loss, we won’t see anyone reach 8 wins on Sunday, but I am certain there will be a roiling storm of sumo as the 8 rikishi with 5-1 records try to best their opponents and take a lead in the race for the cup, which will be decided just about one week from now.

I am thankful that for the second tournament in a row, it looks like the schedulers are not starting their funnel in the middle weekend. It makes the whole second week a rather ugly process like slow torture as they grind the middling performers down, searching for a maximum crop of 7-7 finishes on day 14. That’s not to say that the funnel won’t show up later, just that it looks like we may get to enjoy the next two days of just flat out brawling, slapping, pushing and shoving without that doom waiting some beloved favorites.

What We Are Watching Day 7

Takarafuji vs Bushozan – Because we had two rikishi go kyujo, the banzuke imbalance persists, and we will continue to see daily visitors from Juryo. Today, its Juryo 1 West Bushozan, who comes in at 3-3, looking to climb out of the middle of the score range. He has never fought 5-1 Takarafuji, and I think given how Takarafuji is fighting right now, he may not find the win he hopes to take home.

Ichiyamamoto vs Mitoryu – A battle of 3-3 rikishi, they share a fairly even 3-2 record. They each scored one win in 2022, and one win each in 2021. Ichiyamamoto lost his day 6 match against Kotoeko, and had a fusensho against Okinoumi, and had a day to mostly rest, which may give him an advantage today.

Kagayaki vs Chiyomaru – These two have losing records, with Kagayaki at 2-4, and Chiyomaru at 1-5. They have been fighting poorly, with Kagayaki’s last win on day 3, and Chiyomaru only getting his first win of Hatsu on day 6 against Juryo visitor Akua. With a 19 match career score or 9-10, I don’t really know who I would favor to win this one.

Chiyoshoma vs Kotoeko – Chiyoshoma (1-5) got his first win via a day 6 hair pull in his match against Takanosho, so thus far he has not been able to win a match with strong sumo. I am not sure if he’s hurt, or just out of sumo power for now, but given he has a 6-11 career deficit against 4-2 Kotoeko, I predict another loss today unless he can suddenly find some spare power at the heya.

Aoiyama vs Tsurugisho – I am sure Aoiyama (5-1) was disappointed to lose his match on day 6 against Onosho, but he’s got a significant power advantage against fellow super-jumbo Tsurugisho (2-4). The last time Tsurugisho was able to win against Aoiyama was a year ago at Hatsu 2022, and given how the series has gone, if Tsurugisho can get a belt grip, he has a chance to get a win. If Aoiyama can keep the pushing and thrusting going strong, it tends to be his match to win.

Kotoshoho vs Endo – I think this one has the ingredients for an exciting match. We have 5-1 Kotoshoho, looking to bounce back from his first loss, against 4-2 Endo who is on a two match winning streak, looking to make it 3. Kotoshoho won their only prior match by oshidashi at Kyushu 2022.

Takanosho vs Azumaryu – I am starting to really pull for Azumaryu, who has been trying for years to get a kachi-koshi in the top division, only to fall short each time. With a 5-1 record, he needs 3 more wins any time in the next week and a day to finally reach that goal. He’s against 3-3 Takanosho, who had his fingers get tangled in Chiyoshoma’s top-knot yesterday, and was disqualified.

Onosho vs Hiradoumi – Sure, go ahead Hiradoumi (4-2), try a pull in the first two steps of this match. Just because it’s failed 4 times already this basho doesn’t mean it won’t work this time. This time, for sure, Onosho (5-1) will be off balance and ready to fall.

Oho vs Myogiryu – I really don’t want to see 0-6 Oho be the first rikishi to get a make-koshi this tournament. I have to assume that at some point he’s going to be able to squeeze out a win somewhere. Why not today? He has an even 1-1 record against 2-4 Myogiryu, who looks off his normal sumo pace.

Ura vs Nishikigi – At 3-3, Ura seems to be headed toward a 7-7 score to start day 15. I double that he like Darwin matches, but it seems to be a fact of life in sumo. He had a 3-2 career advantage over 4-2 Nishikigi, who broke his 4 day winning streak on day 6 with a loss to Ryuden.

Ryuden vs Hokutofuji – Ryuden (4-2) has won the last 3 in a row, and comes into today a bit of an underdog against 3-3 Hokutofuji. The overall career record is 5-9, but Hokutofuji has dominated the series since 2020, with a total of 5-2 favoring Hokutofuji. As well as Ryuden is fighting right now, this may be his best chance to claw back a win and close that gap.

Sadanoumi vs Daieisho – Much as I have enjoyed some of Sadanoumi’s sumo in the past, he is fighting poorly at 2-4, and he’s facing off against white hot mega-thruster Daieisho (5-1) today. But wait, there’s more. Daieisho holds a 4-7 career lead, and has won the last three in a row, going back to 2019.

Kiribayama vs Mitakeumi – Both of them are coming in 3-3, and seem to be struggling daily. Hopes I have for a future Ozeki Kiribayam vs Ozeki Hoshoryu rivalry are going to require both of them to tune up their sumo a couple of notches. He has an even 7-6 record against Mitakeumi, so he stands a fair chance of getting his 4th win today.

Wakamotoharu vs Kotonowaka – I think this match exists to give 2-4 Kotonowaka a chance to climb back toward the centerline by taking on 3-3 Wakamotoharu, who he holds a 5-1 career advantage against. Kotonowaka won all of their matches in 2022, and has won the last 2 matches after a cold 0-4 start.

Meisei vs Tobizaru – I think both of these guys are headed straight for make-koshi land, as we get 1-5 Meisei and 2-4 Tobizaru both having pretty crummy starts to the new year. Both of them seem to only be at about 80% of their winning intensity, so this match can be though of as a battle between two guys in need of recovery and recuperation.

Abi vs Hoshoryu – Having taken his first loss on day 6, Abi needs to keep pace with the rest of the 5-1 crew in order to try to forge a path to a second consecutive yusho. He needs to overcome 4-2 Hoshoryu, who has lost 2 in a row, and needs to get back on a winning streak and stay there. Hoshoryu has a 4-1 career lead over Abi.

Wakatakakage vs Nishikifuji – Wakatakakage, with a 3-3 score starting today, needs to really get his sumo together if he wants to make a case some time in 2023 that he should be the next Ozeki. Fortunately for him, he has not lost to 2-4 Nishikifuji in either of the two prior attempts.

Tamawashi vs Shodai – I would love to see Shodai rally and get his 10 wins, but with a 2-4 score starting day seven, he can only lose one more match and hit that goal. The chances of that are slim to none, although we all know he has the sumo to do it. We just don’t know where it’s gone. He has a 10-13 record against Tamawashi, who comes into today 3-3.

Midorifuji vs Takakeisho – Hello Midorifuji (4-2), please make sure you don’t have any loose dental work prior to today’s match. One good blast from the wave action machine, and you may be moving quickly without any control. I don’t think that 5-1 Takakeisho will drop a match today to Midorifuji today, but Midorifuji is going to do his best to put a dent in Takakeisho’s 2-0 career record against him.

We start our coverage with sumo news. Firstly, former Ozeki Takayasu has withdrawn from the tournament, due to a knee injury. He was fighting poorly this January, and it’s likely better for him to preserve what he can of his lower body. This is par for the course of Takayasu. He gets on the cusp of an achievement, and some gnarly problem slaps him down. Wakamotoharu gets the fusensho, improving to 3-3.

Also, it is reported that Okinoumi has withdrawn from the tournament after starting 0-5, and will announce his retirement from the ring tomorrow (Saturday). He owns a kabu, so we will see him in a blue jacket before long. As we mused earlier this basho, he was looking ready for a hair cut. He has been in professional sumo for the 18 years, since the age of 19. He had 67 basho in the top division, and a record of 3 Jun-Yusho, 1 Shukun-Sho, 4 Kanto-Sho, 4 Kinbosh. Well done, sir! Mitoryu picked up the fusensho, and is now 3-3.

In November, I lamented the poor quality of the competition in the tournament. Everyone was hugging the center-line, and it seemed that nobody wanted to really run up the score. Everyone was happy just to take it a bit easy and coast. What a difference 2 months can make. After the day 6 action, there are no unbeaten rikishi, and there are eight (8!) men tied for the lead at the start of the middle weekend. This is more like it, and I hope we get a big rolling battle for the next few days to sort out the dominant ones from the pack.

I will call out that in Juryo, one man remains unbeaten. None other than former Ozeki Asanoyama, at 6-0 at the end of today. He’s ranked Juryo 12, so even a zensho would be unlikely to boost him back to the top division, but I would not be surprised to see him return in May. Is he, in all honesty, the next man to be promoted to Ozeki? What a crazy thing that would be.

Highlight Matches

Chiyomaru defeats Akua – In a battle of the green mawashi whales, it’s Chiyomaru with his first win of the basho. Chiyomaru made contact first, stood Akua up, circled behind and pushed him out. Surprising agility from a fellow that large. Chiyomaru gets his shonichi, and is 1-5.

Azumaryu defeats Tsurugisho – Tsurugisho allowed Azumaryu to set up a strong left hand outside grip at the tachiai. That left hand provided enough leverage and power to raise Tsurugisho up, and pivot him to the bales for an easy step-out. I am starting to get excited that after all this time Azumaryu may finally get his first top division kachi-koshi. Just 3 more wins to go at 5-1.

Takarafuji defeats Kotoshoho – Takarafuji extends his streak of wins over Kotoshoho to 4. Kotoshoho came in strong, Takarafuji gave ground and then as smooth as could be slipped to the side and let Kotoshoho tumble to the clay. Kotoshoho picks up his first loss and both finish the day at 5-1.

Kotoeko defeats Ichiyamamoto – Kotoeko won the match, but took quite a pounding in the process from Ichiyamamoto’s double arm thrusting combos. Kotoeko stayed as close as he could manage, and endured the rain of blows coming in second by second. Kotoeko was able to get his hands underneath, and in a lift and push combo, shoved Ichiyamamoto to his right, sending him to the clay. Kotoeko improves to 4-2.

Chiyoshoma defeats Takanosho – A wild, flailing match where both men spent time slapping each other at arm’s length, grabbing each other’s head and tugging and generally carrying on. But it seems that somewhere between the tachiai and Takanosho throwing Chiyoshoma to the clay, Takanosho pulled Chiyoshoma’s mage (top knot), and was disqualified. Chiyoshoma gets his first win and is 1-5.

Endo defeats Kagayaki – Endo employs a mini-henka, and Kagayaki buys it wholesale. The win gives Endo a 4-2 record.

Onosho defeats Aoiyama – Big early pushing attack from Aoiyama to start the match, and I thought he was going to overpower Onosho. But as it looked like he was about to rock the tadpole back, Aoiyama decided to pull. Sir, we already established that was not a good plan this month. Releasing forward pressure, he opened the door for Onosho to blast forward, shut down Aoiyama’s offense, and run him out from behind, winning by okuridashi. That’s Aoiyama’s first loss, and both end the day 5-1.

Hiradoumi defeats Oho – Oho is the only man in the top division competition that has no wins now. Fans criticize him, but he’s not that bad. I have to wonder what published injury shut down all of his forward power. He had a good tachiai, but Hiradoumi quickly took him to his chest, and pivoted into a sukuinage, slamming Oho to the clay. Hiradoumi advances to 4-2.

Myogiryu defeats Hokutofuji – Impressively low early moves by Hokutofuji. He was so low that even his early, poorly executed pull attempt did not leave Myogiryu with an attack route. But there is “too much” of a good thing. Myogiryu realized that Hokutofuji was going to stay low. Myogiryu straightens up just enough to apply pressure from above to push Hokutofuji to the clay. Myogiryu picks up his second win of January, and is now 2-4.

Ryuden defeats Nishikigi – Ryuden really showing some quiet excellence here at Hatsu. He absorbed Nishikigi’s tachiai and immediately went chest to chest. In prior matches, this is when Nishikigi ramped up the power and plowed opponents off the dohyo. Ryuden shut him down, and the two entered an endurance check at the center of the ring. In the middle of this contest of strength, Konosuke stops the match for a quick mawashi check, as it looked like Nishikigi was about ready to give the fans a show they did not sign up for. It was a race to see if someone could win before Nishikigi lost his mawashi. Fortunately for the sumo world, Ryuden turned up the power just enough to get an increasingly disrobed Nishikigi over the bales before much more could be revealed. Both end the day at 4-2.

Ura defeats Sadanoumi – Strong, potent, straight-ahead sumo from Ura today. He came off the shikiri-sen into a hazu-oshi, lifting Sadanoumi up by the armpits. Ura walked forward, and three steps later had Sadanoumi out with one of his traditional finishing flourishes. That’s 3-3 for Ura.

Mitakeumi defeats Nishikifuji – Much better form from Mitakeumi today, but it still seems to me that he’s only at about 80% power again today. I have to wonder what is going on with his body, and I hope it gets better soon. He kept Nishikifuji boxed up the whole match, and just ran him around until Nishikifuji stepped out. Mitakeumi now 3-3.

Daieisho defeats Kiribayama – Daieisho looks like he’s going to make a serious play for the cup, and I am delighted. He put wave after wave of hard pushing attacks into Kiribayama’s chest, leaving him no opportunity to recover, counter-attack, or do much of anything other than go along for the ride. 5-1 now for Daieisho.

Kotonowaka defeats Meisei – After an 0-4 start, Kotonowaka now has two wins in a row. Maybe he will revert back to good form? That’s not to forecast that he’s going to win all of his remaining matches, but I am starting to hope that maybe whatever was causing him to fight poorly has been resolved. Meisei had the forward drive in this match, but Kotonowaka opened up just enough space to push Meisei down before he had to step out of the ring. Kotonowaka now 2-4.

Wakatakakage defeats Tamawashi – Wakatakakage decided to leave his sumo at home today, and instead showed up with this crummy henka instead. Not even hiding it, just a blatant jump to the side. Lame. Both end the day 3-3.

Shodai defeats Tobizaru – The Monkey sumo is not very strong this month, as evidenced both by Tobizaru’s majority loss record coming into today, and his loss to Shodai on day 6. Tobizaru jumped about quite a bit, but never was quite able to escape Shodai, who was surprisingly stable in pursuit. A final shove pushed Tobizaru out, and both ended the day 2-4.

Midorifuji defeats Hoshoryu – When Hoshoryu picked up his first loss on day 5, I suggested it was time to see if he was ready to be a champion, by shaking off the loss and going back to winning form. It’s too early to be certain, but a second consecutive loss would seem to hint that the answer is “not yet”. Hoshoryu came off the line fast, grabbed Midorifuji, pinning his arms, then seemed to not quite know what to do next. He surged forward once, to have Midorifuji repulse the attack at the bales, to the cheers of the fans in the Kokugikan. A second rush forward a few moments later took them both over the bales, but a last minute pivot by Midorifuji dropped Hoshoryu first. Of course there was a monoii. The shimpan ruled that Hoshoryu was a “dead body” and the win belonged to Midorifuji. Both end the day 4-2.

Takakeisho defeats Abi – Undefeated Abi gets a physics lesson from the Grand Tadpole. After an opening blast from the double arm attack, he is off balance at the moment the counter blast from Takakeisho shows up. The second Takakeisho hit finds his chest wide open, and Abi is sent reeling. He manages to almost get his balance back, when the third blast sends him out. Abi takes his first loss, and both end the day at 5-1.

Welcome to the start of act 2, the middle three days of the basho. During Act 2, we get to find out who has what it takes to fight for the yusho, and we will start sorting people into make and kachi-koshi. It’s where we will find the middle weekend of the tournament, and we will start to have our first look at the leader board.

Unlike Kyushu, I think we will have a leader board on day 8, and I think we will have a solid and exciting race to the cup. So let’s dive into the day 6 match, as there is plenty to look forward to.

What We Are Watching Day 6

Akua vs Chiyomaru – With Tochinoshin out, we now get daily Juryo visitors to fill the banzuke gap. First up is Akua, who last held a top division rank in March of 2022. He managed to work is way up to Juryo 1E, and able to return with a simple kachi-koshi. But unfortunately he starts today with a disappointing 0-5. He has only won twice in 11 attempts against 0-5 Chiyomaru. So the good news is that one of these round fellows will score their first win today.

Tsurugisho vs Azumaryu – At 4-1, Azumaryu is riding his best ever start in a top divisions tournament. His goal is to get his first kachi-koshi at a Maegashira rank in his career. The wrinkle today is that he has a 7-16 career deficit against 2-3 Tsurugisho, who has won their last 3 in a row.

Kotoshoho vs Takarafuji – Takarafuji sustained some kind of injury to his hand on day 4 against Mitoryu, and for a while we wondered if he would start day 5. But it looks like he was able to get his hand well enough to continue with the tournament, with a 4-1 score including the freebee win over Tochinoshin on day 5. He has a job to do today: Put dirt on white hot 5-0 Kotoshoho. Takarafuji has a working formula for doing this, winning all of their 3 prior matches.

Ichiyamamoto vs Kotoeko – Both men start the day 3-2, with the winner getting a bit ahead of in the climb to kachi-koshi next week. I am starting to wonder if the schedulers are going to run a funnel starting this weekend. I genuinely liked November, where they did not try the funnel, as I thought it provided for a more interesting tournament. Kotoeko leads the series 3-1.

Mitoryu vs Okinoumi – First ever match for these two, I just wish that 0-5 Okinoumi was in better fighting form this January. An up and comer like Mitoryu (2-3) could learn a lot from fighting a grizzled veteran with an encyclopedia full of sumo programmed into his mind and body.

Takanosho vs Chiyoshoma – At this point, 0-5 Chiyoshoma needs to take stock of his position in this tournament. No wins, a failed henka attempt on day 5, and looking rather pointless. He’s only won 3 of his 9 career matches against 3-2 Takanosho, so I hope he finds his sumo overnight and can bring it to the dohyo today.

Kagayaki vs Endo – At 3-2, Endo is just a bit better than even right now, and he has a distinct career advantage over 2-3 Kagayaki. Kagayaki has lost his last 2, against Aoiyama and then Hiradoumi, and could really use a win today. He has to hope that Endo does not get that left hand on his belt at the tachiai.

Onosho vs Aoiyama – I would guess that when the scheduling team put this match together, they were hoping that both would come in with 5-0 scores. Instead we have 4-1 Onosho against 5-0 Aoiyama. They have an even 7-7 record across their career, and both men are well know for having hot and cold basho. If they hold onto their pattern that each man wins 2, then the other man wins 2, this will be Onosho’s match today.

Hiradoumi vs Oho – Oho has been a mixed bag since he arrived in the top division. He comes from a family of sumo royalty, and thus expectations for him have been high. The reality has been quite another matter, as we have him now at 0-5, and struggling to beat anyone, in spite of still showing mostly good sumo mechanics. He’s against 3-2 Hiradoumi today, but I don’t have high expectations for Oho’s performance.

Hokutofuji vs Myogiryu – Myogiryu at 1-4? Seems rather odd to me, but every time he is ranked above Maegashira 7, he turns in a make-koshi. He’s against 3-2 Hokutofuji today, who holds a 9-6 career advantage over him.

Ryuden vs Nishikigi – Ryuden has affirmed that he can win against anyone near his rank, taking out the previously unbeaten Ohnosho on day 5. I have confidence that he has a fair chance to overwhelm Nishikigi today, who has really tuned up his forward pressure in the last two months, and looks like he could move a mountain if he could get the yori going.

Ura vs Sadanoumi – Fans hope that 2-3 Ura can keep his face out of the dirt today. With an unblemished 4-0 record against 2-3 Sadanoumi, everyone is looking for him to score his third win. This is the first time they have fought in a Hatsu basho since 2017.

Mitakeumi vs Nishikifuji – Both rikishi start the day 2-3, but I really have my doubts about Mitakeumi. His sumo seems to lack all potency, and even his muscle tone seems to have been moved down a couple of notches from this time last year. Its tough to see the perennial underdog fade out like this, we can only hope he can eventually bounce back.

Kiribayama vs Daieisho – Now that Daieisho has gotten his score up to 4-1 at the end of the first act, I want to see him continue to dominate. He’s got a marginal losing record to 3-2 Kiribayama, with the Mongolian holding a 7-5 advantage. Once Daieisho gets settled into his sumo this early, he tends to finish with double digits. I am looking forward to seeing him try to pull it off this tournament.

Meisei vs Kotonowaka – Both of them start day 6 with terrible 1-4 scores. I would not be surprised if both of them are make-koshi before the final weekend, as both are struggling now. Life is tough for a Komusubi, and these two are living the dream. They share a 4-1 career record that favors Meisei.

Wakatakakage vs Tamawashi – There has been plenty of talk over the last few months about how 2-3 Wakatakakage is the next hope for Ozeki. At times he does seem to fight with the consistent, high grade sumo required for such a rank. Sadly that seems to have escaped him the last few months, and he will be starting over shortly unless something very odd happens, more or less starting today. He has won 6 of 8 prior matches against 3-2 Tamawashi, who took a loss to lone Ozeki Takakeisho on day 5.

Tobizaru vs Shodai – This January, I think anyone and everyone is going to beat Shodai. He’s about as sad a case of an Ozekiwake as you would ever want to know, and at 1-4 he may want to just go kyujo now if he is already injured. Yes, I know there are going to be a swarm of people come and tell me I am wrong. Imagine that, one person telling another person they are wrong… on the internet of all places. Shodai’s won 4 out of 6 against Tobizaru in the past, and Tobizaru is none too shape right now at 2-3, so maybe we can see Shodai score his second win.

Takayasu vs Wakamotoharu – The seemingly injured Takayasu at 1-4 will try to find his second win of the basho today, against the other Onami brother, Wakamotoharu (2-3). Takayasu has won both of their prior matches, but right not Takayasu does not look like he can generate enough power to overcome a medium strong opponent, so I worry where the old hairy guy is going to end up in March.

Midorifuji vs Hoshoryu – Now that we had Daieisho put dirt on Hoshoryu (now 4-1), it’s time to really challenge the fellow, and see if he can bounce back and win some more. So they tee’d up 3-2 Midorifuji mostly because he has a 5-1 career advantage over Hoshoryu. As mentioned in the day 5 highlight post, it takes a lot of focus and guts to not get rattled by a loss you were not looking for, and to return to winning. This should be a good match.

Abi vs Takakeisho – Why not also finish with a really good match? Yes, let’s take 5-0 unbeaten double thrust Abi, and pair him up against the lone Ozeki, Takakeisho, at 4-1. Both of them are going to delivery monster-truck force into each other’s bodies, and I think it will be a lot of fun for the 10 whole seconds this one is going to last. Abi leads the series 5-2.