Osunaarashi (大砂嵐)

Preview of Hatsu Day 7

Bruce H Gōeidō (豪栄道), Hakuho (白鵬), Harumafuji (日馬富士), Hatsubasho 2017, Ichinojo (逸ノ城), Kakuryu (鶴竜), Kisenosato (稀勢の里), Kotoshogiku (琴奨菊), Mitakeumi(御嶽海), Osunaarashi (大砂嵐), San'yaku (三役), Takayasu (高安), Ōzeki (大関) , , , ,

kotoshogiku

First Look At Leaders and Contenders

The middle weekend of Hatsu is upon us! Rejoice sumo fans! If you are fortunate enough to get the full NHK feed (in english) for the matches, you can enjoy John Gunning’s color commentary in addition to Murray’s play by play. Sadly, that does not include your humble blogger, as I am on a 777 bound for London, where sumo will be hard to find.

We are closing in on the half way mark, and everyone faced enough opponents that we can start to plot out who is in contention for the yusho, who is scraping by, and who is in trouble.

In Juryo, Ura was dancing around, defying the laws of physics and undefeated. That changed on day 6, and now a broad group of sekitori are back in contention.

Juryo Leaders: Ura, Homarefuji, Satoyama, Daiamami
Juryo Hunt Group: Daieisho, Tokushoryu, Tsurugisho

Personally I am hoping Ura will be able to prevail here, and either take the yusho or runner up.

In Makuuchi, the picture is even a bit more exotic

Makuuchi Leaders: Hakuho, Kisenosato
Makuuchi Hunt Group: Hokutofuji, Takanoiwa, Sokokurai, Ichinojo, Sadanoumi

So in essence, you have 2 heavy hitters undefeated, and a pack of mid to lower ranked rikishi who have one loss each. This is absolutely fantastic news, as it speaks strongly to the strength of the middle and lower Makuuchi ranks this basho. With a real possibility of losing 2-4 sanyaku in the next 12 months, a strong farm team is a must. Sumo’s popularity in Japan (and indeed world wide) is on the upswing for a variety of very good reasons, and keeping the world of sumo competitive and exciting will continue to draw fans, new and veteran, to the world of sumo.

Notable Matches

Osunaarashi vs Toyohibiki – Osunaarashi’s accumulated injuries, maladies and pain are overwhelming his sumo. He has limited mobility on the dohyo, and it shows. Toyohibiki is up from Juryo to balance out the card due to Tochinoshin’s kyujo, so we shall see how he fares. Toyohibiki was in Makuuchi last tournament, and holds a 3-2 career advantage over Osunaarashi.

Takanoiwa vs Ichinojo – I had to look at this twice, as I really was not keeping a close eye on Ichinojo; he’s 5-1. This is a battle between two of the low / mid ranked rikishi who have only one loss going into the half way point, which is actually pretty impressive. Both men are 3 wins away from kachi-koshi already. Ichinojo won the only prior bout between these two.

Shodai vs Goeido – This should be another stage in Shodai’s education in sanyaku, but it’s really more of an open question as Goeido is not super potent this basho, and Shodai is hanging on at 3-3 in Sekiwake, which is actually quite an achievement. Shodai is almost done with his “hard” week, and will likely have some easier matches week 2. He might actually pick up kachi-koshi in one of the most punishing ranks in sumo. 3 career bouts in this series, with Goeido taking 2.

Takayasu vs Kotoshogiku – We will get a really good indication from this match if the sumo guys are going to try to let Kotoshogiku survive. In the past it has seemed that Takayasu is not beyond a “strategic loss” from time to time. In past bashos there has been a handful of curious losses to Ozeki who needed to hang on. Personally I would rather see Takayasu back at Sekiwake than to see Kotoshogiku hang on in mal-performing misery. Kotoshogiku leads the series 11-6, but in his current condition it’s not predictive.

Terunofuji vs Mitakeumi – This is going to be an ugly bout, Terunofuji is vague and weak due to injuries and medication. Mitakeumi should be able to win this one given the poor condition of Terunofuji. Mitakeumi has beaten Terunofuji once before in their prior matches, which was their bout in Kyushu last basho.

Ikioi vs Harumafuji – Harumafuji is banged up, beat up and each time he steps on the dohyo, he rolls the dice on an actual career ending injury. I know he continues on because he loves sumo and he is under an threat of retirement. Ikioi, as a pusher-thruster, is going to bring a very high impact sumo into this bout. My hope is for no additional injury to the Yokozuna. Ikioi has never won in their 10 prior matches, and it would be a monstrous kinboshi if he prevails on day 7

Hatsu Day 6 Preview

Bruce H Gōeidō (豪栄道), Hakuho (白鵬), Harumafuji (日馬富士), Hatsubasho 2017, Juryo (十両), Kakuryu (鶴竜), Kisenosato (稀勢の里), Kotoshogiku (琴奨菊), Mitakeumi(御嶽海), Osunaarashi (大砂嵐), Takayasu (高安), Ōzeki (大関) , , , , , ,

day-6-preview

The Second Act Begins

Sumo fans rejoice! The tune up period of the Hatsu basho is now complete, and it’s time to sort the wheat from the chaff. Already a sizable block of rikishi are in trouble, and a handful are dominating their matches. Starting as soon as Sunday, it will be useful to actually consider who is leading this basho, and who has decent chance of winning the Emperor’s Cup.

As Andy has pointed out, the Ozeki ranks are in terrible shape, with only Kisenosato actually performing like one of Sumo’s leading athletes. Distant second is Goeido, who has reverted back to his inconsistent and hesitant form. Terunofuji is simply not recovered from his multiple chronic injuries to be a serious contender, and Kotoshogiku is being openly discussed for retirement prior to the Osaka basho in March. For the Ozeki who are struggling, the toughest part of their schedule starts Sunday when the focus shifts to inter-sanyaku matches.

All five rikishi who went into day 5 undefeated, remain undefeated.

In Juryo, Ura remains the only undefeated wrestler, and has turned in some solid bouts.

Notable Matches

Gagamaru vs Osunaarashi – Once again this basho, Garamaru is not showing any real ambition, potential or remarkable sumo.  To day he faces Osunaarashi, whose injuries seem to be wearing him down now.  Each day it is more difficult for him to execute his sumo. Historically, he is tied with Garamaru 3-3 over their careers.

Takakeisho vs Sadanoumi – The Kyushu Juryo champion, Takakeisho, is unable to find an effective formula to compete in Makuuchi. Today he faces the undefeated Sadanoumi who is having a fantastic basho. This will be their first career match.

Hokutofuji vs Takanoiwa – Undefeated Takanoiwa faces Hokutofuji who has a single loss.  This could be a real highlight match as both rikishi are doing well right now. Expect throws and thrusts straight from the tachiai.

Sokokurai vs Chiyonokuni – Sokokurai is also undefeated, and he faces 3-2 Chiyonokuni. This is really a rebuilding basho for Chiyonokuni, who has bulked up considerably, and is nursing injuries to his legs. Sokokurai holds a 5-2 record over Chiyonokuni

Takayasu vs Tochinoshin – In the battle of the Komusubi, we have Tochinoshin who has yet to get a win, and is likely headed down the banzuke for Osaka. Takayasu is getting by with a slight winning record, but he is likely good enough for this match. Tochinoshin leads the career series 6-5

Mitakeumi vs Kotoshogiku – This may be the match that convinces Kotoshogiku to retire. Mitakeumi has been fighting strong with consistency, and the injured Ozeki is likely to get overwhelmed by the younger sumotori. These rikishi have met three times and Ozeki Kotoshogiku leads 2-1

Shohozan vs Goeido – This should not even be competitive, but it will be. Shohozan at Maegashira should be easy pickings for an Ozeki, but who knows which Goeido is going to show up on day 6. Goeido has the advantage with a  career record of 9-5 over Shohozan.

Tamawashi vs Harumfuji – Tamawashi is really playing like a solid Sekiwake this basho. Harumafuji is more hurt on day 6, with a possible ruptured muscle somewhere in his right leg. Harumafuji has actually lost 3 times to Tamawashi over the course of the 7 lifetime bouts.

Note: Day six will see the third bout for Wakaichirio, as always we will bring you his latest as we can get it.

Hatsu Day 4 Preview

Bruce H Gōeidō (豪栄道), Hakuho (白鵬), Harumafuji (日馬富士), Hatsubasho 2017, Kakuryu (鶴竜), Kisenosato (稀勢の里), Kotoshogiku (琴奨菊), Osunaarashi (大砂嵐), Takayasu (高安), Yoshikaze (嘉風) , , , , , , , ,

harumafuji-shohozan

Shohozan Can End Kisenosato’s Boredom

Sumo fans are now clear on some of the questions and stories unfolding during the New Years tournament. Harumafuji is clearly having ankle and foot problems, and has a fraction of his normal power. His second straight loss, to Shohozan, was stunning. Harumafuji was easily pushed around and once again forced to the edge of the dohyo, where he could find no way to maneuver. In his healthy state, he would have taken the radical forward position of Shohozan and used it to launch him towards the spectators. I am hoping that he decides to bow out and seek immediate treatment for his chronic problems Day 4 he faces a winless Arawashi, which had better be an easy mark.

Hakuho is back, or at least back enough to be interesting and dominant. His match against Mitakeumi was classic Hakuho, where Hakuho improvised in the blink of an eye and left Mitakeumi baffled, off balance and lost. Day 4 he faces a winless Tochinoshin, which should prove no challenge.

Shodai is good, but green. If he can stay healthy he is probably going to be a solid Maegashira, or possibly Ozeki. His youth and inexperience are fairly easy to exploit by the veterans, and he leaves many avenues for attack wide open. It may be a few years of work before he matures into his better form. Day 4 he faces Kotoshogiku, who is a shadow of the Ozeki who won Hatsu last year.

Mitakeumi is where we all hope Shodai will be in 2 years. He has transformed from a pure push and slap rikishi into a healthy blend with mawashi technique, which is improving quickly. Day 4 he fights the highly reactive Yokozuna Kakuryu, which will be highly instructive. Mitakeumi has shown some impressive reactions himself mid bout.

Notable Matches

Osunaarashi vs Sadanoumi – Both of these sumotori come into this with 3-0, and both of them are quite capable men who are slumming at the bottom end of the banzuke this tournament. Osunaarashi is clearly hurting a bit more each day, but the only way he is giving up is on a stretcher. Osunaarashi comes in with a strong career 3-1 advantage over Sadanoumi.

Kagayaki vs Ishiura – Ishiura is facing a rather embarrassing start to Hatsu. At this point I think he has probably been humbled, and I would like to see him re-assemble his sumo and win a few. But his sumo seems vague and frantic right now, and everyone knows you can slap him down. Ishiura has won all 4 of his prior matches with Kagayaki.

Takanoiwa vs Chiyonokuni – After having a string of mediocre to poor tournaments, Chiyonokuni seems to have finally adapted to his bulkier form. Takanoiwa has been doing very well, with a 3-0 record to date. Chiyonokuni will likely go for another thrust down (tsukiotoshi) in this pusher battle. Chiyonokuni has a career record of 6-3 over Takanoiwa.

Yoshikaze vs Endo – Battle of fan favorites today. Yoshikaze has added a nice blend of yotsu-zumō to his normal regimen of oshi-zumō. As a result it’s harder to guess what he is going to bring to any given bout. With Endo almost exclusively pushing, I would not be surprised to see Yoshikaze repeat his day 3 attack plan. It’s 4-4 between Yoshikaze and the younger rikishi, Endo

Tamawashi vs Takayasu – Takayasu skillfully dismantled a struggling Goeido on day 3. This is more of the form that had been present through much of 2016. Strong with the endurance to wait for his opponent to make a mistake, and the speed of mind and body to make them suffer. Tamawashi positively dismantled Shodai on day 3, and is looking strong. Their series is tied at 5-5.

Kisenosato vs Shohozan – Kisenosato has been bored. You can see his boredom clearly on day 2, where his match was clearly disappointing. The man looks like he is working out how to paint his house and for a moment remembered to Tamawashi aside. Shohozan has been bringing a lot of muscle and fierce energy to his bouts thus far. I am hoping that finally, Kisenosato has something to look forward to. Kisenosato has a career 9-2 advantage over Shohozan.

Kakuryu vs Mitakeumi – With Harumafuji hurt, Kakuryu is a clear contender for the yusho this early on. Today he will instruct Mitakeumi on assumptions. Mitakeumi will assume Kakuryu’s battle plan, and likely be mistaken. Or we could see a mighty zabuton snowstorm once again. Clear advantage to Kakuryu.
Note: Second match for Wakaichiro in the early hours of Wednesday in Tokyo. Again, if we can get video we will post it here.

Hatsu Day 2 Preview

Bruce H Harumafuji (日馬富士), Hatsubasho 2017, Kakuryu (鶴竜), Osunaarashi (大砂嵐), Takayasu (高安), Yoshikaze (嘉風) , , , , , , , ,

ishiura-hatsu-1

Kokugikan Sellout Continues

The popularity of sumo is on the upswing both in its home country of Japan and indeed world wide. For a good period of time I considered attending several days of Hatsu myself, but the entire venue quickly sold out. This happens at a great time for the sport, as there is a fantastic crop of young, eager rikishi who are present in the upper divisions to test and train with some of the greatest men ever to wear a mawashi.

Day one was a really solid opening day, but there were very few upsets, and as Andy quipped, things turned out pretty much as expected. I note that Ishiura is still working hard to get a consistent attack plan together for these mid and upper level Maegashira, but I have a lot of faith that under Hakuho’s tutelage he will get winning recipe.

Notable Matches

Chiyootori vs Osunaarashi – Osunaarashi pulled a fantastic utchari twisting throw at the edge of the ring on day 1 to win over Chiyoo. In his second bout against the Chiyoo twins, he faces to much larger Chiyootori, who is a far more even match at 3-5 in favor of Chiyootori. Strong chance of a Chiyootori henka or early pulling attack.

Sokokurai vs Ishiura – Ishiura’s day 1 bout was nothing special, and he was pretty easily contained. Early basho bouts, and Hatsu specifically see a lot of cob webs being cleared as the rikishi get back into their sumo. This will only be the second meeting between these two, with Sokokurai winning the last match by getting behind Ishiura and pushing him out. (okuridashi)

Kotoyuki vs Yoshikaze – Yoshikaze is prone to have streaks of amazing sumo performance. The last example was Nagoya 2016, and it was a joy to watch. With his strong opening day disposal of Chiyoshoma, Yoshikaze fans globally are hoping that his new mawashi has brought renewed vigor. Yoshikaze has a slight edge over Kotoyuki. These two really love to let the slaps fly, so I expect Yoshikaze to get the expected battle damage to his face in today.

Endo vs Ikioi – Two crowd favorites face off in a match where you wish they both could win. Endo looked to have a flat tire on day one, hopefully his cobwebs are gone now and he is ready to bring his sumo. Sadly Ikioi tends to dominate their matches, with a 6-1 advantage.

Arawashi vs Shodai – On day one, Shodai got the Tsukiji treatment from Hakuho. It’s time to see if that rattled his confidence as he faces Maegashira 2 Arawashi on day 2. The have only met once before, with Arawashi prevailing with am underarm throw on day 15 of Kyushu.

Terunofuji vs Takayasu – It kind of hurts to watch Terunofuji. He has, in the past, been one of the most feared men in sumo. Now he struggles just to get off the line. Takayasu, if he still wants a shot at Ozeki, needs to help Terunofuji vacate a slot for him. Takayasu has been struggling, and he needs to really step up before he has too many losses for a shot at Kachi-koshi and a return to contention for Ozeki. His record with Terunofuji is an even 6-6, and I am hoping we see some great yotsu-zumō.

Kakuryu vs Shohozan – It went largely unnoticed, but Shohozan looked very good day 1 against Terunofuji, doing just as much to win the match as Terunofuji did to lose it. Now he faces a very strong Yokozuna Kakuryu, who is clearly fired up and ready to defend the Emperor’s cup. Their prior 10 matches have all gone to Kakuryu. Shohozan’s chance comes if he can wrap up the Yokozuna and fight the match via the belt.

Mitakeumi vs Harumafuji – Mitakeumi handled Goeido very cleanly on day 1. Now it’s time to face the frenzied attack of Yokozuna Harumafuji. I would expect The Horse to deploy his famous nodowa today, as is his custom against Mitakeumi. Mitakeumi’s one chance before he lands the death grip is likely a henka.

NOTE – Monday is the day of Wakaichiro’s first bout. He will face Tatsunofuji in the second match of the day, at a fairly early hour of the morning. Eternal gratitude to any soul that can put video of this on YouTube.