Onosato (大の里)

Kyushu Promotions

Andy Banzuke (番付), Breaking News, Onosato (大の里), promotion ,

We received the news today that Onosato’s promotion to Ozeki is official. The Kyokai made them stand there and wait for a half-hour before getting down to business. The actual ceremony lasted about 50 seconds. I mean, the kid isn’t used to waiting. He didn’t even wait to get an oicho-mage before earning this promotion. But they waited so long, he might be able to get one now.

Onosato’s promotion

Juryo

Leonid predicted the six Juryo promotions correctly. It did end up being six promotions, not seven. We will probably not know who was demoted, and who escaped, until the banzuke comes out. Do you think Kiryuko stays? The list of promotees is:

  • Wakaikari (Isenoumi)
  • Aonishiki (Ajigawa)
  • Kotoeiho (Sadogatake)
  • Tochitaikai (Kasugano)
  • Chiyomaru (Kokonoe)
  • Nabatame (Futagoyama)

The first three are new to the division. Kototebakari changed his shikona to Kotoeiho. The character for “ei” is the same for Sakae, as in his Saitama Sakae High School. Hō is the same as in his brother’s shikona, Kotoshoho.

Aki 2024: Day Twelve Highlights

Andy Aki 2024, Onosato (大の里) , , ,

News from the infirmary. Tsurugisho is checking out and will fight on Day 13. I’m not sure that complies with his physician’s wishes.

Takerufuji defeated Chiyoshoma in their head-to-head match and now has some separation from the field at 11-1. Chiyoshoma is now two back at 9-3. No henka, Chiyoshoma went toe-to-toe but got destroyed. Takerufuji dispatched him with the calm ease we have grown accustomed to.

Both Kayo and Tomokaze lost, so they fall back with Asakoryu and Tokihayate to 8-4. Unfortunately, Hakuoho fell to Tamashoho. The glass cannon ball is 5-7.

NHK Videos are available here: Juryo (ONLY ONE PART); Makuuchi Part I and Part II

Makuuchi Action

Takarafuji (8-4) defeated Shishi (7-5). Shishi displayed just about zero offensive power in this bout. After a long, impotent lean, Takarafuji got some forward movement and Shishi stumbled over the bales. Yoritaoshi.

Nishikifuji (6-6) defeated Sadanoumi (6-6). Nishikifuji blasted away at Sadanoumi, not letting him anywhere near his belt. Sadanoumi ducked to the side on his first contact with the bales but Nishikifuji pursued well and thrust him out the other side. Tsukidashi.

Tamawashi (6-6) defeated Onokatsu (4-8). Tamawashi’s thrusting attack was too much for Onokatsu. Oshidashi.

Roga (7-5) defeated Shirokuma (4-8). Any match-up between a bear and a Russian favors the Russian, right? After a long, back and forth, migi-yotsu grapple Roga drove the tired bear over the edge. Yorikiri.

Ichiyamamoto (6-6) defeated Kitanowaka (5-7). Kitanowaka tried an inashi sidestep at the edge and Ichiyamamoto took exception. Ichiyamamoto thrust Kitanowaka from the ring and into the pricey seats. Tsukitaoshi.

Midorifuji (5-7) defeated Ryuden (6-6). Ryuden knew that he had to keep Midorifuji away, so he tried oshi-zumo today. Weird tsuppari ensued. Ryuden could not generate enough offense to pressure Midorifuji to the bales. Eventually Midorifuji snuck inside and dragged Ryuden down. You can’t fault Ryuden for trying, this time. Katasukashi.

Churanoumi (7-5) defeated Bushozan (4-8). Churanoumi worked Bushozan to the edge but when Bushozan resisted, Churanoumi threw him back toward the middle of the dohyo. Tsukiotoshi.

Meisei (3-9) defeated Kagayaki (1-11). Kagayaki moved forward and forced Meisei to the edge. But Kagayaki is no shinkansen anymore. He’s a rusted old heap. No speed. No agility. When Meisei moved laterally, Kagayaki was lost. Meisei quickly shoved him out. Oshidashi.

Gonoyama (4-8) defeated Oshoma (8-4). Gonoyama drove forward and shoved Oshoma out. Oshoma already kachi-koshi, he can take bouts off, apparently. Don’t tell that to his former stablemates. Tsukidashi.

Ura (8-4) defeated Endo (7-5). Endo pulled, and pulled, and pulled. Ura kept pace and drove Endo down into the crowd for some fansa. Yorikiri.

Halftime

Shonannoumi (3-9) defeated Kinbozan (4-8). Kinbozan drove Shonannoumi to the edge but Shonannoumi resisted, established his left-hand inside belt grip and drove Kinbozan over the bales. Yorikiri.

Kotoshoho (6-6) defeated Mitakeumi (3-9). Mitakeumi henka and Kotoshoho made him pay. Kotoshoho dragged Mitakeumi to the edge by the belt and then trapped his left arm and threw him to the ground. Kotenage.

Oho (8-4) defeated Atamifuji (5-7). Oho pressed forward into Atamifuji but Atamifuji did not want to go backwards. Atamifuji charged forward into Oho and drove him back to the bales. At the tawara, Oho twisted and yanked Atamifuji down by his shoulder. Katasukashi.

Wakamotoharu (8-4) defeated Takanosho (3-9). Takanosho’s second nodowa forced Wakamotoharu back to the bales. But Wakamotoharu got low and seized Takanosho’s belt, at the front and the back. He then drove forward and forced Takanosho from the dohyo. Yorikiri.

Shodai (8-4) defeated Tobizaru (4-8). Tobizaru pulled and Shodai went with it and shoved Tobizaru from the dohyo. Oshidashi.

Sanyaku

Daieisho (7-5) defeated Nishikigi (9-3). Daeisho’s thrusts were too much for Nishikigi. Nishikigi could not get inside and couldn’t get any of his own offense going. Tsukidashi.

Takayasu (10-2) defeated Hiradoumi (6-6). Bar fight. Both men blasted one another with repeated volleys of tsuppari. An ill-conceived pull from Hiradoumi resulted in Takayasu showing him the exit. Tsukidashi.

Wakatakakage (9-3) defeated Onosato (11-1). I’m sorry, y’all. I forgot to bring out my Onosato support towel. I just realized it’s sitting there, neatly folded with my Shodai towel. Thus, Onosato would not be crowned today. Onosato, in cruise control, drove Wakatakakage backward. WTK resisted Onosato at the edge and obtained a deadly, double-inside grip. Onosato remained calm and tried a slapdown but again, Wakatakakage resisted. To me, resisting that slapdown was the most impressive. Onosato was trying to crush him but WTK stayed upright. Onosato went back to the oshi and shoved Wakatakakage back to the edge. Wakatakakage countered with his morozashi and heaved Onosato around to the edge and shoved him out. Onosato was too focused on offense and displayed no defense. He just allowed Wakatakakage, twice, to wrap him up with a morozashi. The dude is stronk, too stronk to just let him inside like that. Yorikiri.

Kirishima (10-2) defeated Kotozakura (7-5). Which one of these guys is the Ozeki? After trading tsuppari briefly, the bout settled into a migi-yotsu grapple, right-hand inside. The initiative and first heave was Kotozakura’s. He dragged Kirishima to the edge but could not get him over the tawara. Kirishima resisted and forced the action back toward center. Kirishima then worked Kotozakura to the bales, rotated, and threw him on the tawara. Kirishima is back! It’s just like three tournaments late! Uwatenage.

Abi (3-9) defeated Hoshoryu (6-6). Henka! Hoshoryu fell for it and blasted forward, finally stopping in front of the bales. When Hoshoryu stopped and turned around, Abi was all over him and finished him off. Yoritaoshi.

Wrap-up

Here we are, ready for Day 13. Onosato will fight Kotozakura. Onosato will try to recover from his first loss and reach that 33-in-3 benchmark. Meanwhile, the Ozeki will fight for his kachi-koshi for the third time, having lost to Daieisho and Kirishima on consecutive days.

Speaking of Kirishima, he remains one-loss behind Onosato because of his spectacular upset. He will fight Hoshoryu, who is now in real trouble and must win two bouts in the next three days to avoid kadoban. With Kirishima, Onosato, and Kotozakura left on his fight card, that is a heavy load, indeed.

Aki 2024: Day Ten Highlights

Andy Aki 2024, Onosato (大の里), Takerufuji (尊富士) , ,

No calls to the infirmary to report from the top divisions.

Tohakuryu got dirt on Takerufuji with a quick hatakikomi slapdown. Meanwhile, Chiyoshoma defeated Shiden with a quick and easy uwatedashinage. So, Juryo is now a tight contest with Takerufuji tied with Chiyoshoma. Takerufuji will fight Shimazuumi and Chiyoshoma will take on Hidenoumi.

The NHK videos for today are here: Juryo Part I and Part II; Makuuchi Part I and Part II. If the videos do not work, try a different browser. Chrome seems to be working well for folks. I have it working in Chrome, Firefox, and Edge but they all have their quirks.

Today, I’ll experiment with direct links to the sanyaku bouts in the descriptions below. They do not work for me (it gives an error that it can’t be linked from an external site) but I am curious if they will work for you. I doubt it, but let’s give it a go. They only work for me if I take the URL itself and paste it in my browser.

Ideally, I’d be able to get a link to the direct vids. Well, the ideal would be to embed the videos but that wasn’t working. So, next would be to allow you to click and go right to each one…but for now those four links seem to work.

Makuuchi Action

Takayasu (8-2) defeated Nishikifuji (4-6). Nishikifuji was unwise and tried to pull Takayasu back by his left arm. Takayasu lowered his head and used the momentum to run Nishikifuji out of the ring. The former Ozeki remains in the yusho race, two Oshidashi.

Shirokuma (3-7) defeated Bushozan(4-6). The Shadow of Bushozan was easily driven backward and forced out by Shirokuma. Yorikiri.

Onokatsu (4-6) defeated Kinbozan (4-6). Migi-yotsu. Kinbozan was just along for the ride as Onokatsu drove him backwards. Yorikiri.

Kitanowaka (4-6) defeated Sadanoumi (5-5). Kitanowaka kept Sadanoumi away with effective tsuppari and drove him to the edge. Sadanoumi tried to pull Kitanowaka out but Kitanowaka thrust Sadanoumi to the clay in retaliation. Tsukiotoshi.

Nishikigi (8-2) defeated Kagayaki (1-9). Nishikigi just bulled forward through Kagayaki. Kagayaki will be on the short list for demotion. Oshidashi.

Takarafuji (6-4) defeated Roga (5-5). Takarafuji established his hidari-yotsu and drove Roga back and out Yorikiri.

Ichiyamamoto (4-6) defeated Hokutofuji (6-4). Migi-yotsu bout here. The pair started with the oshi-style bout you’d expect for a few seconds but it soon settled into a grapple. Ichiyamamoto tried an uwatenage, followed up with a headbutt. This combo made Hokutofuji start moving toward the edge. Ichiyamamoto kept driving and forced Hokutofuji out. Yorikiri.

Oshoma (7-3) defeated Ryuden (6-4). Oshoma kept Ryuden at arm’s length, off his belt. Ryuden used his best oshi-zumo to press Oshoma toward the edge. At the edge, Oshoma slipped to the side and slapped Ryuden down. Hatakikomi.

Wakatakakage (8-2) defeated Endo (7-3). Wakatakakage hit Endo with a headbutt at the tachiai but quickly shifted right and threw Endo to the ground. Tsukiotoshi.

Tamawashi (4-6) defeated Churanoumi (6-4). Tamawashi established his style of sumo by assaulting Churanoumi with forceful tsuppari about the head. He then grabbed Churanoumi under the right shoulder and dragged Churanoumi around toward the bales and drove him over. Oshidashi.

Halftime

Shonannoumi (2-8) defeated Midorifuji (4-6). Shonannoumi pulled while keeping Midoruji at arm’s length with solid oshi zumo. Oshidashi.

Shodai (6-4) defeated Meisei (2-8). Meisei hit Shodai hard at the tachiai but Shodai just absorbed it. Shodai then pressed forward. Meisei tried to pull and throw with an uwatenage but Shodai used the momentum to shove Meisei back and out. Meisei makekoshi. Oshidashi.

Wakamotoharu (6-4) defeated Atamifuji (4-6). Atamifuji could not force Wakamotoharu over the edge so he tried to pull. Wakamotoharu rushed forward and maintained his balance, resisting Atamifuji’s slapdown attempts. Yorikiri.

Takanosho (3-7) defeated Mitakeumi (3-7). Mitakeumi seemed happy to slide back to the tawara but he could not escape Takanosho’s forward thrusts. Takanosho forced Mitakeumi onto his butt under the white tassel.

Sanyaku

Oho (6-4) defeated Daieisho (5-5). Oho withstood Daieisho’s thrusting attacks but kept pressing forward. Daieisho thrust forward with a brutal nodowa, with his left hand in Oho’s throat. Oho knocked Daieisho’s arm away and Daieisho fell forward. Hikiotoshi.

Hiradoumi (6-4) defeated Tobizaru (3-7). Migi-yotsu. Tobizaru tried to keep Hiradoumi’s right hand away but once established, Hiradoumi drove forward and forced Tobizaru into the first row of punters for some fansa. Yorikiri.

Onosato (10-0) defeated Kirishima (8-2). Henka! Onosato avoided the slapdown and drove into Kirishima before Kirishima could get in behind for an Okuridashi. Instead, Onosato pressed Kirishima at the bales. Onosato leads by two. Yorikiri.

Ura (6-4) defeated Abi (2-8). Abi-zumo. Abi roughly assaulted Ura about the head multiple times, driving him closer to the edge. Angry Ura grabbed Abi’s right arm and swung him forward to the ground. Tottari.

Kotozakura (7-3) defeated Gonoyama (3-7). Kotozakura was in danger as Gonoyama forced him back to the tawara. Kotozakura wisely realized that pulling for a throw was high-risk so he drove forward with his right-hand inside and forced Gonoyama out. Yorikiri.

Hoshoryu (6-4) defeated Kotoshoho (5-5). Kotoshoho did well. Hoshoryu barely avoided Kotoshoho’s slapdown attempt. He did recover and re-engaged with hazuoshi, shoving Kotoshoho back with his right arm in Kotoshoho’s left armput. Yoritaoshi.

Wrap-up

Abi is makekoshi and will be demoted from Sekiwake. Takakeisho will be falling with him and with Onosato’s possible promotion to Ozeki, we will likely have a vacant slot in the Sekiwake ranks. At the moment, that would go to Hiradoumi but Daieisho will fight for it, too. Looks like Oho might be first in line for the Komusubi slot left vacant? He has really turned it on and fought well.

Onosato will fight Kotoshoho tomorrow. Kirishima will fight Abi. Nishikigi will fight Wakatakakage and Takayasu will fight Endo. The Kyokai are probably thinking that the best-case scenario is only one rank-and-filer will remain in the yusho race with two losses after tomorrow but worst case they will have two. If one, I bet they will immediately have the winner of Wakatakakage/Nishikigi fight Kirishima. If two, they will probably pit them against each other with the winner fighting Kirishima on Day 13?

Onosato still needs to fight Abi and the two Ozeki. That leaves one bout available for another rank-and-filer. Ura would be next in line and that would be an interesting fight. But if Wakatakakage, or even Nishikigi or Takayasu are still in the yusho race, that could be a possibility. Obviously, Takayasu is former Ozeki, Wakatakakage has lifted the cup and been Sekiwake before his injury, and Nishikigi has been sanyaku recently, as well.

Either way, the path to Ozeki (and yusho) for Onosato will be a tough one in an effort to make him earn it. We should have a very entertaining, and consequential, final third of this tournament. Rather than Wacky-Aki, this is turning into…something else.

Aki 2024: Day Nine Highlights

Andy Aki 2024, Onosato (大の里)

Takerufuji had no problem dispatching Oshoumi. Oshoumi tried to shift direction but it merely delayed the inevitable. Takerufuji is a man among boys. Chiyoshoma is a henka machine. With his high-stakes bout against Hakuoho, he jumped to the side and dragged Hakuoho down.

Jason left a comment the other day that drew my attention to the NHK links. If these NHK links do not work, let me know what country or continent you are in. I’d like to troubleshoot and see whether there are different options for different regions. Since they work for me, these links should be working for folks in North America but I do hope they work internationally, too.

They are a little clunky. You have to click the play button twice. Well, at least I have to do that here. The first click seems to load the video, after a few seconds another play button appears, and you push play to show the video.

Juryo Part I and Part II

Makuuchi Part I and Part II

Makuuchi Action

Nishikigi (7-2) defeated Shirokuma (2-7). Nishikigi had no trouble acquiring his hidari-yotsu hold of Shirokuma at the tachiai. He drove forward and ushered Shirokuma back and out. Shirokuma has been unable to establish any sort of offense in this division. Yorikiri.

Takayasu (7-2) defeated Hokutofuji (6-3). Hokutofuji combined his ottsuke with firm oshi-zumo to drive Takayasu back to the edge. Takayasu shifted to his right to avoid going over the edge but Hokutofuji followed. As the pair reached the edge, Takayasu shifted again and slapped on Hokutofuji’s back forcing him to stumble forward and out of the ring. Hatakikomi.

Nishikifuji (4-5) defeated Bushozan (4-5). Nishikifuji was much more mobile than Bushozan. As Bushozan tried to get some momentum, Nishikifuji shifted to the side and pulled Bushozan down. Katasukashi.

Kitanowaka (3-6) defeated Kagayaki (1-8). Kagayaki could not get any sort of forward progress. Kitanowaka rotated to the left and forced Kagayaki’s back to the tawara. Kagayaki tried to shuffle along the bales but Kitanowaka had no trouble keeping up and keeping the pressure on him, eventually working him over the edge. Yorikiri.

Ryuden (6-3) defeated Sadanoumi (5-4). Firm migi-yotsu. Ryuden drove Sadanoumi back and out. Yorikiri.

Roga (5-4) defeated Onokatsu (3-6). One-sided bout here as Roga drove Onokatsu back and out. Neither of our top division debutants have been able to establish their sumo here and both seem ready for demotion. Yorikiri.

Kinbozan (4-5) defeated Tamawashi (3-6). Henka! Kinbozan jumped to the side and slapped Tamawashi down for a quick victory. Hatakikomi.

Takarafuji (5-4) defeated Oshoma (6-3). Oshoma was stronger than Takarafuji today and really dominated 99% of the bout. Takarafuji tried moving laterally but Oshoma kept up and drove him back. At the edge, Takarafuji yanked Oshoma forward and down while falling. Gunbai to Oshoma. Mono-ii. Video review showed Oshoma’s right arm hit the tawara first. I’ve got to disagree with Ross Mihara who declared, “Takarafuji showed zero offense.” He showed his offensive strike right there at the end and won with that pull. Sakatottari.

Wakatakakage (7-2) defeated Midorifuji (4-5). After a lengthy grapple, Midorifuji mistimed his pull. Wakatakakage took advantage and drove forward, forcing Midorifuji from the surface of the dohyo. Yorikiri.

Endo (7-2) defeated Gonoyama (3-6). Henka! Endo did switch things up by going to the opposite side. Gonoyama tried to get the jump on Endo by jumping early, before Endo got his hand down. But Endo jumped to the side with lightning speed. Hatakikomi.

Halftime

Meisei (2-7) defeated Ichiyamamoto (3-6). After a lengthy brawl where both men traded tsuppari, Meisei grabbed Ichiyamamoto’s trunk and pulled him forward and down. Katasukashi.

Churanoumi (6-3) defeated Kotoshoho (5-4). Churanoumi was steady and avoided Kotoshoho’s pull. This was another case where The Pull led to The Puller’s undoing. Tsukidashi.

Mitakeumi (3-6) defeated Oho (5-4). Oho churned forward but Mitakeumi shifted right at the edge and twisted Oho down. Gunbai Mitakeumi. Mono-ii. Video review showed Oho fell before Mitakeumi, confirming the ruling on the field. Tsukiotoshi.

Tobizaru (3-6) defeated Takanosho (2-7). Takanosho ran out of attack ideas and just quit, stepping back and out. Oshidashi.

Sanyaku

Atamifuji (4-5) defeated Daieisho (5-4). Daieisho was in a pulling mood today. Maybe the gearshift got stuck in reverse. Atamifuji pursued well and shoved Daieisho out when he caught him at the edge. Oshidashi.

Onosato (9-0) defeated Wakamotoharu (5-4). Onosato dominant. The youngster drove Wakamotoharu out forcefully. Yoritaoshi.

Shodai (5-4) defeated Abi (2-7). Abi-zumo churned forward at full speed but Shodai slipped to the side and pulled Abi down. Tsukiotoshi.

Kirishima (8-1) defeated Shonannoumi (1-8). This was a satisfying bout for Kirishima fans. Rather than a high-paced, high-energy tactical bout, Kirishima won with calm, dominant power. His hidari-yotsu was simply too much for Shonannoumi. Yorikiri.

Hoshoryu (5-4) defeated Hiradoumi (5-4). Hoshoryu locked up Hiradoumi and began his advance. Hiradoumi tried to cycle to the right and away from Hoshoryu but Hoshoryu cut off the escape lane and then twisted him down with a beautiful throw. Sukuinage.

Ura (5-4) defeated Kotozakura (6-3). Ura pressed forward and drove Kotozakura back and out. Kotozakura appeared uncertain as to how to execute any escape techniques at the edge. At least Hoshoryu showed up today. Oshidashi.

Wrap-up

Our Ozeki are in “observer status” this basho, unable to participate in the yusho race. Onosato continues to defeat his lower-ranked opponents. That is the kind of dominance we want from the upper ranks so Onosato is clearly moving toward promotion. Kirishima is the lone wrestler with one loss and both Sekiwake will fight each other tomorrow in a high-stakes bout.

We have four rank-and-filers in our chase group with two losses. Endo will face Wakatakakage on Day 10 as both men battle for their kachi-koshi and their position as potential yusho spoilers. Takayasu will fight Nishikifuji and Nishikigi will take on Kagayaki.

House-keeping

In a little administrative news, I’ll be shutting off the Google Ads on the site this week. Thank you for your patience as I tested that out. I’ve been extremely disappointed with them. When I visit the site, the ads are terrible and seem to have nothing remotely to do with anything. I reached out to the AdWords folks and they basically told me they’re worthless. So, bye-bye.

I’d only be interested in partners that would actually provide services for sumo fans. Not, “click here to see Megyn Kelly images.” My personal fave was the blank, “Click Here.” Seriously, what the hell? Nothing travel-related, nothing Japan-related, nothing sports-related, nothing relevant to anything. I mean, the only thing I’ve seen that wasn’t blatant spammy crap was…shoes? The last pair of shoes I bought were geta. So, Geta-outta-here with your crap ads, Google! As for you readers, see you on Day 10.