Welcome to the end of act 2 of the Aki Basho. In act 2, we narrow the field to find out who has what it takes to compete for the yusho, and to start sorting the survivors from the damned. I would say we have hit the mark square on for the terms of act 2. We have 2 men that are in tight contention for the cup, and 3 who will try whatever they can to get in on the action if they can. But first someone has to get dirt on Hokutofuji. That task falls, on day 10, to Takayasu.

If you want to know what that tends to look like, check this stuff out

Not two men who hold anything back. Expect power, expect energy, expect blood.

To compliment the big show down between these long term competitors, we have a spate of first ever match ups. A high interest day to close out act two, and set the final run to the cup in motion.

Aki Leaderboard

I can’t shake the sense of creeping doom knowing that technically, Chiyoshoma is in contention for the cup. Is anyone making sure there is not a rogue solar eclipse headed our way for Sunday?

Leader: Hokutofuji
Chaser: Tamawashi
Hunt Group: Takayasu, Nishikifuji, Chiyoshoma

6 matches remain

What We Are Watching Day 10

Terutsuyoshi vs Tohakuryu – Tohakuryu is today’s Juryo visitor. He only started a tsukidash Sandanme 100 in May of 2019, and quickly made his way to Juryo, where he has been bobbing like a cork in the sea ever since, never quite able to muster the score to debut in the top division. Tohakuryu and Terutsuyoshi both come into their first ever match with 5-4 records. Should be an interesting way to start the division.

Ichiyamamoto vs Oho – Oho (6-3) only needs to win 2 more matches to reach his kachi-koshi, and my advice to him is to not worry past the match with Ichiyamamoto (5-4) today. He has an even 3-3 career record against the Abi compatible unit, and he will need to sharpen his balance to overcome the long arm double thrusting attack today. Like many of our readers, I am still trying to figure Oho out. Hopefully at least he knows what is sumo is all about.

Chiyoshoma vs Ryuden – No avoiding it, Chiyoshoma (at 7-2) is likely to get his kachi-koshi today. He holds a 4-1 career record over 5-4 Ryuden. The last time Ryuden took a match was September of 2018. That’s a blast from the past. The last match was day 13 of Haru (Osaka) in 2021. Look for a quick lock up center dohyo, and a fight to yorikiri.

Kotoshoho vs Hiradoumi – A first ever match between a pair of 4-5 rikishi, each needing 4 wins out of the remaining 6 matches to reach kachi-koshi. For Hiradoumi, the final man on the September banzuke, a make-koshi means a return to Juryo to try again no sooner than January. Hiradoumi has lost 5 of this last 6, after a 3-0 start to the tournament. For Kotoshoho, not sure what is ailing him, but his sumo is not up to par right now.

Mitoryu vs Chiyotairyu – Chiyotairyu (2-7) will once again try to stave off make-koshi for a second straight day. He’s never had a match against 4-5 Mitoryu before, and I am looking for Chiyotairyu to resort to his formula of “stand them up, slap them down” from the tachiai today. Should be easy for Mitoryu to practice trying to overcome.

Okinoumi vs Takanosho – It’s 4-5 Okinoumi against 5-4 Takanosho as both of these guys are trying to find a way to just survive until day 15. Both of them are high ranked enough that a mild make-koshi won’t put them at demotion risk. Keeping the four vs five theme, their career record of 5-4 narrowly favors Okinoumi.

Aoiyama vs Tsurugisho – Another day where a pair of 7 loss rikishi face off. Both Aoiyama and Tsurugisho will make-koshi with their next loss, and for one of them that loss comes today. I could cite historical numbers for their five previous matches, but both are banged up and at a fraction of their normal power. So lets just see who can scrape together enough genki energy to make it home after the day’s matches. For Tsurugisho a make-koshi would put him in the Juryo demotion queue in all likelihood.

Yutakayama vs Onosho – Another match up from the scratch and dent bin. Both men come in with 3-6 record, and a notable reduction in sumo power from their normally energetic standards. Onosho has a slight 6-5 edge on the clay, but given neither one of them is even close to fighting form, that won’t matter at all. It will come down to Onosho keeping his feet.

Wakamotoharu vs Nishikifuji – From the depths, to the heights. Two genki fellows with winning records and likely kachi-koshi are going to see who gets there first today. With Nishikifuji at 7-2, a win today will give him his 8, and mark his third consecutive winning record. At 6-3, Wakamotoharu needs two more wins to get his 8. They each have a single win in their prior matches.

Kotoeko vs Endo – The odds are getting longer that 3-6 Endo will be able to reach 8 this September, which seems fitting as his sumo this tournament has been largely forgettable. Kotoeko, with a 4-5, is getting by, but his sumo seems obligatory right now. He has not had a real winning streak since Osaka, but he is typically make-koshi in September.

Takarafuji vs Myogiryu – With Takarafuji already make-koshi, and clearly hurt, its time to use him as a blood bag to keep other rikishi in the hunt for their 8. Today it’s 5-4 Myogiryu, who with a 15-7 career record over Takarafuji, would be expected to win if Takarafuji (1-8) were healthy, But Takarafuji is not at all healthy.

Tochinoshin vs Sadanoumi – These two have an 11 match career record that stacks up 7 for Tochinoshin and 4 for Sadanoumi. Their matches are always fun because Sadanoumi tends to close in at warp speed and grab Tochinoshin before the big Georgian can react. I am keen to see how this match up will play out.

Hokutofuji vs Takayasu – This is one way to narrow the yusho race field. It’s 7-2 Takayasu’s option to hand Hokutofuji (9-0_ his first loss of Aki. He has a narrow 11-8 career lead, and their past matches have been high energy battles of guile, maneuver and brutal hits. I am sure everyone is expecting a big fight, and maybe a bit of blood today. Takayasu has won all of their matches this year, and he is coming in with an extended rest prior to Aki thanks to COVID kyujo in July. Have your popcorn ready.

Nishikigi vs Meisei – Nishikigi’s tour of the named ranks may be more or less over, and he’s back to fighting fellow Maegashira. At 4-5, he still has plenty of room to pick up a kachi-koshi and possibly be higher ranked in the joi-jin for Kyushu. How amazing would that be? He’s up against 3-6 Meisei who is probably headed for make-koshi himself, but I think will still put up a solid fight.

Kotonowaka vs Midorifuji – Another 5-4 (Kotonowaka) against 4-5 (Midorifuji) match, with the implied expectation they could end up both at 5-5 at the end of the day. Their short 2-1 career record would indicate they are evenly matched, so maybe some solid sumo before we has through the named ranks next.

Tobizaru vs Kiribayama – Both men are 6-3, and I think that this qualifies as a high interest match. Tobizaru has a 7-4 career edge over Kiribayama, and I think that comes down to Tobizaru’s agility. Kiribayama is excellent on the move as well, so with luck we are going to get a fast pace hybrid match that will change forms three or four times before we find our winner.

Wakatakakage vs Ura – Ura has never beaten Wakatakakage in 4 attempts. But the great thing about Ura is that he is capable of beating anyone on any day if he can get his opening. Will it be tug-and-pull today? It’s been a while since we have seen him grab an opponent’s body part and make it a weapon. Both men are 6-3, and each need just 2 more wins for kachi-koshi.

Tamawashi vs Mitakeumi – Credit to the scheduling team, they are going to try to make it interesting. Mitakeumi, at 3-6 and likely headed for Ozekiwake in Kyushu, has a 27-4 career record against 8-1 Tamawashi, who is one win behind yusho race leader Hokutofuji. Normally this would be where Tamawashi gets his second loss, but Mitakeumi is in such poor condition that I think that’s a big ask.

Ichinojo vs Shodai – Shodai… If you start winning now, it’s just going to be so very annoying. At 1-8 you are kadoban for November, and you have only won 5 times against Ichinojo out of 17 career matches. At 3-6, Ichinojo is probably headed for make-koshi as well. At least he will always have Nagoya.

Takakeisho vs Hoshoryu – If the Great Sumo Cat of the Kokugikan will entertain my plea, grant Takakeisho an overwhelming blast of wave action tsuppari today that he might send Hoshoryu deep into the box seats, where he can greet his fans. Loft him gently in a graceful arc that carries him directly at the NHK commentator booth, that they might view first hand his defeat. We thank thee for consideration. Takakeisho (6-3) has a 5-1 career record against Hoshoryu (4-5).

Terunofuji vs Daieisho – Terunofuji (5-4) is dangerously close to the make-koshi / kachi-koshi line at 5-4, and I worry that he won’t be able to even get 8 this September. Much as it would be a shame to have an intai prior Kyushu, it’s really down to him and Isegahama. Hopefully they know what they are doing. He’s normally dominates Daieisho (8-5) but without working knees, its going to be a guess who will prevail. 3-6 Daieisho is not in good fighting form either. Maybe it will be alright.

The sumo for this September continues to be good, and entertaining each and every day. We had some oustanding matches from the likes of Nishikifuji, Tobizaru, Tamawashi and Hokutofuji. But today was a tough day to be an Ozeki.

All three Ozeki lost their matches today. For Shodai that means he is kadoban, and need to get whatever is not right with his body back in working order by November. We all know he can dominate the dohyo when he is healthy physically and mentally. I just hope he can do it. But then there is Mitakeumi, who lost today and is down to 3-6. Already kadoban, 2 more losses and he will be Sekiwake for November, with a one-time chance to recover if he can turn in 10 wins. Now 10 wins for Mitakeumi is quite possible, if he is healthy. The guys at the top of the banzuke needs some time up on the hoist to get a full lube and alignment check.

Terunofuji – I still wonder why he remains in the basho. Maybe he wants to go down fighting. Maybe he thinks he owes it to the fans, and to sumo to remain in competition. But he’s not really able to fight at Yokozuna level this tournament. He’s not even Ozeki grade right now, and given the state of the Ozeki corps, that’s saying quite a bit. I just have to trust that this is all going to work out in the end.

Highlight Matches

Tsurugisho defeats Azumaryu – Facing make-koshi and a certain return to Juryo, Tsurugisho finds the additional motivation required to pick up his second win. He also has a strong career record against Azumaryu (15-7 now), which helped. They key to this one? Bulk! Tsurugisho was able to remain too heavy and balanced for Azumaryu to shift or throw. Tsurugisho improves to 2-7.

Ryuden defeats Mitoryu – Ryuden won this match at the tachiai, when his right hand found an inside hold, and he captured Mitoryu. At that point Mitoryu is on defense, and it’s up to Ryuden to keep the pressure high, and erode Mitoryu’s position. It took three tries, but Ryuden walked him across the bales to improve to 5-4.

Terutsuyoshi defeats Okinoumi – Okinoumi did not seem to have much in mind other than to keep his feet staggered, his shoulders square, and to push Terutsuyoshi away each time he lunged in. This worked pretty well until Terutsuyoshi managed to get a disorganized body grip, and Okinoumi pivoted to break away, but without breaking Terutsuyoshi’s hold. Terutsuyoshi improved his grip, and pushed from behind. Great way to make full use of your opponent’s mistake. Terutsuyoshi up to 5-4.

Takanosho defeats Hiradoumi – Hiradoumi launched from the shikiri-sen a bit early, and had an excellent first it. Points to Takanosho for going wide and low following that strike, he squared up against Hiradoumi, and engaged forward drive. This is the kind of sumo that I expect from Takanosho, and I am so very happy to see him employ it today. He’s now 5-4 following that yorikiri win.

Nishikifuji defeats Oho – A battle for the leader board, this one is a joy to watch on the slow motion replays for the subtle disruption Nishikifuji bundled into that tachiai. He hits Oho hard, and Oho charges out with full fury. But because of Nishikifuji’s hit, he is not quite balanced, and a half step out of sync. Oho remains off balance until the two go chest to chest, Now that we are squarely in “Nishikifuji’s brand of sumo”, Oho may have started to realize he had been played. I really like how Nishikifuji broke Oho’s stance to begin his drive to the yorikiri. That was solid top notch sumo today, Nishikifuji up to 7-2.

Ichiyamamoto defeats Kotoeko – Ichiyamamoto’s first ever win over Kotoeko featured two pulling attempts from Ichiyamamoto that were either going to lose him the match in a rather embarrassing way, or pay off brilliantly. The first one did little more than disrupt Kotoeko’s balance, but the second one, a moment later, sent Kotoeko into the zabuton. It was labeled uwatenage, but it’s a win for Ichiyamamoto, who improves to 5-4.

Tochinoshin defeats Kotoshoho – Tochinoshin continues to dominate his matches with Kotoshoho (now 5-0) with today’s win. This was a surprisingly mobile mixed-mode match. I did not think that Tochinoshin’s knee could support that kind of mobility. Once they established a grip on each other, Kotoshoho found Tochinoshin’s loose mawashi robbed him of any kind of attack plan. He played into it anyhow, and his attempt to throw was crushed to the clay by Tochinoshin’s superior strength. This is one of these cases where “uwatenage” does not adequately describe what happened. Both end the day 4-5.

Chiyoshoma defeats Onosho – Ok, we are about to end act 2, and Chiyoshoma looks likely to be part of the act 3 yusho forecast. I know Aki can be a topsy-turvy anything can happen basho, but I did not see this coming. That right hand outside grip did most of the work, and I am not happy to see what looks like Onosho’s left knee crumple as Chiyoshoma pivoted into a throw. He’s 7-2 now, and I hope Onosho is ok.

Aoiyama defeats Yutakayama – Points to Aoiyama for finding a way to squeeze out another win in spite of his injuries. He stood Yutakayama upright, gave him a quick choke and then threw him to the clay. Aoiyama dodges make-koshi to go to 2-7.

Myogiryu defeats Endo – Endo had the advantage at the tachiai, and a solid inside thrusting position. He was connecting against Myogiryu’s chest and moving him back. But Endo decided to lunge in for a grip, Myogiryu was ready, and swung him to the clay. Some days it sucks to be Endo. Myogiryu now 5-4.

Hokutofuji defeats Wakamotoharu – Hokutofuji got the faster tachiai, and Wakamotoharu only could muster a token defense. Might have been a matta, but they did not call it. Without any foot placement to speak of, Wakamotoharu could not withstand Hokutofuji powerful forward drive, and he tossed Wakamotoharu bodily from the dohyo. 9-0, sole leader, and maybe the man to beat for the cup in the final 5 days.

Chiyotairyu defeats Takarafuji – Takarafuji, no defense, poor balance, the man is hurt. Chiyotairyu is not actually in better condition, but managed to stand Takarafuji up and them throw him down. Chiyotairyu staves off make-koshi at 2-7, while Takarafuji picks up his 8th loss and has a 1-8 make-koshi.

Tamawashi defeats Meisei – Just one win behind, Tamawashi is not throttling back one bit. Meisei had the gall to put up a working defense, so Tamawashi slapped that notion out of his head. Following that hit, Meisei’s defense collapsed, and Tamawashi ran him out for a win. Nice attempt to take Tamawashi out right there at the end, but Tamawashi stays in and is now 8-1 and kachi-koshi for September.

Tobizaru defeats Kotonowaka – When Tobizaru is dialed into his sumo, he is a tough man to beat. His high agility and high maneuverability leave him with offensive space, even when he’s clearly on defense. Kotonowaka may have thought that going chest to chest with Tobizaru would cut down his dancing monkey sumo, but really what happened is that it allowed Tobizaru to incrementally improve his grip, until we see Kotonowaka standing upright, with Tobizaru holding a double inside grip. Kotonowaka realizes he’s in trouble, and moves to throw, but again Tobizaru’s agility allows him to get outside the throw’s power arc and collapse it on Kotonowaka. That guy is tough to beat, to be sure. Tobizaru earns his pay today, and improves to 6-3.

Ichinojo defeats Midorifuji – For Ichinojo today, being enormous was a valid sumo strategy. Like an overcast Tokyo day, he blanketed Midorifuji in over 200kg of Mongolian pony tosser, and wore him out. Pure Snorlax sumo today, Ichinojo lumbers his way to 3-6.

Sadanoumi defeats Hoshoryu – I hope Hoshoryu goes back to the heya and watches this match a few times. He could learn a few things from it. First of them being that he did not take his time and ensure he knew where his feet were, where his hands were and how his throw attempt would work. Second, it seems he may have assumed where Sadanoumi was and how he would move. Hubris? Inexperience? Just figured he could power through it and make it work? This is a match that Hoshoryu should have won, but instead Sadanoumi collapses Hoshoryu’s throw and pancakes him to the clay. Sadanoumi up to 5-4 now.

Wakatakakage defeats Nishikigi – Wakatakakage goes for the inside grip at the tachiai, and Nishikigi sets up his preferred double arm bar grip. He tends to win matches with that grip and body position, but Wakatakakage is strong enough to break the hold, and marches Nishikigi out. Wakatakakage now 6-3, with 6 straight wins after a 0-3 start. Word to Waka, lose your cold starts and you are at least an Ozeki.

Ura defeats Shodai – Well, Shodai is make-koshi and kadoban again. There are some sumo fans who think he has just given up the will to be an Ozeki, but I have not seen the “wall of daikon” since May. To me that means he is hurt. Today Ura delivers his standard bamboozlement at the tachiai, and decides to see where it leads. Shodai suffers a slippiotoshi, and Ura drops him with a single thrust. Ura now 6-3.

Kiribayama defeats Takakeisho – Takakeisho was a bit to eager today, and he accidentally closed the gap to Kiribayama on the second step. No longer having enough space to get a thrusting attack going, he was an easy target for a mawashi grip from Kiribayama, and what happened next is no surprise. Kiribayama grabs a hold and tosses Takakeisho down with a potent yoritaoshi. Both end the day 6-3, and Takakeisho drops out of the group one win behind Tamawashi.

Daieisho defeats Mitakeumi – With two Ozeki scalps on the wall, why not go for three? Mitakeumi continues to be underpowered this September, and can’t seem to find the power to withstand Daieisho’s greatly diminished mega-thrust attack. I have no idea if there was any kind of plan for Mitakeumi, but he left his chest wide open, and Daieisho went to work. Both end the day at 3-6.

Takayasu defeats Terunofuji – Interesting to me that Takayasu decided to start the match on defense, working to blunt Terunofuji’s sumo for the first few moments of the match. Terunofuji stayed caution but on the attack, as I think he was also expecting Takayasu to come in hot. It turned into quite the interesting match, with neither man putting too much into offense, and simply trying to out-last the other. Terunofuji decided, with those junkyard knees, to try a leg sweep. Oh no, so now he’s wide open, a bit off balance, and Takayasu pushes hard center mass. That’s a win, and Takayasu improves to 7-2, staying one win behind Tamawashi.

With the middle weekend behind us, we go hurtling into the second week of the Aki basho. It’s Hokutofuji and Tamawashi as they men to beat, but a lot can happen in the final 7 days. In fact I would say the chances of Hokutofuji remaining unbeaten are slim, and we can expect to see him face increasingly difficult opponents in the coming week. Thus far Maegashira 6 Endo was his highest ranked opponent. Time for that to change.

In my opinion the person to watch is Tamawashi. He has earned a yusho before (January 2019), and although he is now 37, he’s still showing he has quite a bit of sumo left in him. He’s already faced two of the Okzei (beat them both) and picked up a kinboshi from the Yokozuna, so his schedule is not going to be super tough for the coming week. I think he would be the favorite, at least on day 9, to be forecast to take the cup.

But just one win behind, there is Takakeisho. He is two off of Hokutofuji’s lead, which I don’t expect Hokutofuji to maintain. Right now Takakeisho is fighting better than I have seen him fight in over a year. It would take a difficult set of circumstances to get “just right” for the 6-2 group to have a chance, but I am going to guess the scheduling committee is going to do everything it can to bring that about.

Aki Leaderboard

Please, no talk of an Oho / Chiyoshoma playoff next Sunday for the cup….

Leader: Hokutofuji
Chaser: Tamawashi
Hunt Group: Takakeisho, Takayasu, Wakamotoharu, Nishikifuji, Oho, Chiyoshoma

7 matches remain

What We Are Watching Day 9

Azumaryu vs Tsurugisho – Azumaryu is back again for a visit to the top division. Is anyone else surprised there has not been a single kyujo so far except for Abi dropping out pre-basho? This may be an exchange match, with 1-7 Tsurugisho having a narrow chance for some manner of face-saving win here, as he holds a 14-7 career record over 5-3 Azumaryu.

Mitoryu vs Ryuden – I am starting to suspect that there is some effort to run a bit of a funnel. The preponderance of 4-4 vs 4-4 matches today would seem to indicate that. Here is our first pair – Ryuden has never lost to Mitoryu. So I am looking for Ryuden to advance.

Okinoumi vs Terutsuyoshi – our next 4-4 match, we have a strong 4-1 career advantage for Okinoumi over Terutsuyoshi, who has won his last 3 matches in a row. Has the makings of a good fight.

Hiradoumi vs Takanosho – Third 4-4 match, it’s a surprisingly un-genki Takanosho finding himself in a first ever match against Hiradoumi. Hiradoumi opened strong with 3 consecutive wins, but then lost his momentum, and has lost 4 of the last 5. Oddly enough, this is also true of Takanosho.

Nishikifuji vs Oho – With those middling matches out of the way, lets do some weeding on the leaderboard. Both men are 6-2, with Oho having 4 career wins over Nishikifuji to Nishikifuji’s 2 wins against Oho. Their last match was in Nagoya on day 3, and it went to Nishikifuji by yorikiri.

Ichiyamamoto vs Kotoeko – Enough of that leaderboard stuff, back to the slog! It’s 4-4 time again (4th one), and we have Ichiyamamoto against Kotoeko. Kotoeko has a strong 2-0 career record against mini-Abi, as he is usually able to duck under and attack beneath Ichiyamamoto’s pulverizing oshi-zumo.

Tochinoshin vs Kotoshoho – Well, now the recipe is a bit off balance as we have 3-5 Tochinoshin taking on 4-4 Kotoshoho. Tochinoshin has never lost to Kotoshoho (4-0), and I see no reason for him to do so today. Their last match was Natsu in May, featuring a Tochinoshin oshidashi win.

Chiyoshoma vs Onosho – Well, the theme has now been completely dismissed all together. We get 6-2 yusho contender Chiyoshoma (violating my own guidance here) up against the unbalanced sumo that is the hallmark of 3-5 Onosho’s Aki basho. Their 10 career matches have been split, 5 each, with Onosho taking the match on day 12 in Nagoya.

Aoiyama vs Yutakayama – Well, what can we do next? Two really bulky guys, with injuries, trying to stay away from 8 losses? Sure! It’s the pendulant 1-7 Aoiyama up against Shodai’s sparing partner, Yutakayama. Sure there is some kind of career record, but it does not matter here. Both of these guys are wrecked, and are just trying to get through the last 7 days. Maybe a slight edge for Yutakayama, but it’s like deciding which case of food poisoning you would rather have. An Aoiyama loss is make-koshi for him.

Myogiryu vs Endo – They try to get back on theme, but can only get close. They put 4-4 Myogiryu up against 3-5 Endo. A note scribbled in the margin reads “Hey, Endo was supposed to win 8 against Hokutofuji… Not our fault!” Given all that we have asked of the scheduling crew, maybe they have a point. They have split their 16 career matches at 8-8.

Wakamotoharu vs Hokutofuji – Speaking of Hokutofuji, some fans may be disappointed that we will not get “The most powerful make-koshi in all of sumo!” this time out of him. I for one hope he can take it all the way. The guy has been awesome since the start, and it would give me a 2 month grin to know he took the cup. But hey, he’s got 6-2 Wakamotoharu, who has beaten him once, and lost to him once. After starting with 4 consecutive wins, Wakamotoharu is fading out a bit, just 2-2 for the last 4 days.

Takarafuji vs Chiyotairyu – While the eagles soar, someone has to shovel out the stables. Here we have a pair of 1-7 rikishi, the loser gets their make-koshi today. I like them both, and their healthy state sumo is wonderful, but neither is healthy today. If it were possible for both of them to fight without moving forward, it would be fine. But today we are going to have two men without any forward power trying to move the other one out. This could take a while.

Tamawashi vs Meisei – Tamawashi (7-1) should be able to dispatch 3-5 Meisei without too much fanfare. Meisei is seldom a top performer, and right now is looking like he is headed for a mile make-koshi.

Tobizaru vs Kotonowaka – It would tickle me to no end of both Maegashira 1 ranked rikishi were able to reach kachi-koshi this September. I have to compliment Tobizaru, he has fought quite well this basho up to this point. He’s faced all of the Ozeki and the Yokozuna, so from here on out it’s the easier portion of this basho for him. Both men are 5-3, and need just 3 wins out of the final 7 matches to reach the safety of 8.

Midorifuji vs Ichinojo – The second half of the Maegashira 1 pair faces off against the July yusho winner, resident geological formation, pony tosser and ice cream sommelier, 2-6 Ichinojo. Can 4-4 Midorifuji find the last 4 wins he needs to stay at the top of the rank and file? Well, he has never won against Ichinojo. That’s a lot of Mongolian to put away in one afternoon.

Sadanoumi vs Hoshoryu – It’s the revenge of the theme! Back to a 4-4 pair off, I am sure Sadanoumi is happy to mount the dohyo today. Rumor has it that he is looking for one of the fillings that flew out of his mouth when he was swept away by Tamawashi’s forward rush. They have split their 4 prior matches. Hoshoryu has not faced a Darwin match since March, I think he’s due.

Wakatakakage vs Nishikigi – Nishikigi’s (4-4) magical mystery tour pulls into camp Wakatakakage today. We know Nishikigi will apply a battle hug, but what will 5-3 Wakatakakage do about it? They last fought in July of 2020 at that weird silent basho in Tokyo. That was enough to put anyone off their sumo. To make up for it, I urge the fans in the Kokugikan to bring the volume up another notch.

Ura vs Shodai – Normally, I would relish seeing two forms of WTF sumo go head to head. But it looks like Shodai (1-7) is too hurt to use any of his Acme sumo, so I think he’s just target practice for 5-3 Ura today. A loss today would give Shodai his make-koshi, and render him kadoban for November.

Takakeisho vs Kiribayama – Takakeisho (6-2) needs to stay focused a day at a time, and keep winning to hope for a shot at the cup. Today he’s going to take on 5-3 Kiribayama, who beat him on day 1 of Nagoya. There was no love lost in that match, and sometimes it’s good to even the score.

Daieisho vs Mitakeumi – I refuse be believe that Mitakeumi (3-5) being demoted to Ozekiwake is inevitable. He needs to find 5 wins over the last 7 days, not impossible. But Mitakeumi tends to have a week 2 fade, and that will cripple any chances he has to reach 8. The only piece of good news is that Daieisho is in worse shape than he is, and maybe Mitakeumi can expand his 14-8 career lead over Takakeisho’s buddy.

Terunofuji vs Takayasu – There are no easy days for the Yokozuna. Each of Terunofuji’s (5-3) competitors will be difficult, except maybe the day he has Shodai. He needs at least 3 more wins out of the last 7 days to avoid the barber. I think short of a total failure of one of those busted artifacts he uses as knees, he should be able to do it. But I think that today is going to be an ugly match. Takayasu (6-2) needs to keep winning, and he has enough matches against Terunofuji (12-12) to know how to exploit his injuries.

The middle day of the basho was full of excellent matches, and I really am thankful that Aki 2022 has been a noticeable improvement from the quality of sumo earlier in the year. I can’t help but wonder if the brief jungyo may have had something to do with it. The regional tour allows the top rikishi who are on the tour a chance to train together daily, and compete in practice matches each day. For rikishi from big stables like Kokenoe, it may not make much difference, but top division men from smaller stables, it may have given them a better preparation for Aki. Whatever the cause, it is noticeable and it is welcome.

We had our first kachi-koshi today, as Hokutofuji dispatched Endo and is now 8-0. Frankly, this is the kind of sumo that Hokutofuji was meant to deliver each basho, and it’s a performance I have been waiting years to see. Hokutofuji was a eager, high threat up and comer when he suffered a concussion in May of 2018, and has not been quite the same since. A second head trauma took place in 2021, and I figured that was going to be limiting him for the rest of his career. But I am very happy for him, and for the world of sumo to see him fairly close to his original level of intensity this September. Even if he is never this genki again, I think its wonderful to see.

Highlight Matches

Mitoryu defeats Shimanoumi – At no time was Shimanoumi ever on offense. He generally tried to keep up the forward pressure against Mitoryu, and kept him busy. But Mitoryu has a bit more power and a lot more mass, and kept working to wear down Shimanoumi, which happened after a long enough time that some people in the front row started checking their watches. Mitoriyu improves to 4-4.

Yutakayama defeats Ichiyamamoto – Yutakayama has looked underpowered and off his sumo for the first week, but today he was closer to normal and expected form. He took the attack to Ichiyamamoto at the tachiai and never gave an inch. He really did need that win, and is now 3-5.

Okinoumi defeats Tsurugisho – At Maegashira 15 and now 1-7, its time for Tsurugisho to start thinking about moving back to Juryo. He gives Okinoumi a double inside grip, and then aligns his feet for maximum fail. I am in the camp that says he’s injured, so go get healed up sir. Okinoumi improves to 4-4.

Ryuden defeats Hiradoumi – Nice left hand ottsuke from Ryuden in today’s match. It shut down Hiradoumi’s favorite attack route, and kept him from setting up any kind of offense. The net result was that both men had more or less arm-barred each other, and they could neither attack nor disentangle themselves. Ryuden worked out a kotenage, and finished the match. Both men end the day at 4-4.

Chiyoshoma defeats Kotoshoho – A time honored sumo formula from Chiyoshoma today – stand them up and slap them down. The hatakikomi win elevates Chiyoshoma to 6-2, and he remains 2 wins behind the leader. Much as I am enjoying Chiyoshoma’s genki streak, I am not optimistic of his chances too much further up the banzuke in November.

Terutsuyoshi defeats Chiyotairyu – Chiyotairyu just cannot buy a win this September. It’s tough to see. He tried to resort to tsuki-zumo today to keep Terutsuyoshi at distance. But the moment that Terutsuyoshi was able to get hand placement and dial up the pressure, Chiyotairyu was forced to retreat and was pushed out from the rear. Terutsuyoshi up to 4-4.

Oho defeats Takanosho – Takanosho was on the attack at the tachiai, had Oho on his back foot, but Oho deftly stepped to his left. Suddenly off balance, Takanosho was an easy mark for the katasukashi that dropped him to the clay. Oho improves to 6-2.

Nishikifuji defeats Tochinoshin – Nishikifuji picks up his first ever win against Tochinoshin, and did it in glorious style. Surprisingly, Tochinoshin was not able to get a left hand outside mawashi grip, but instead had to try and defend against Nishikifuji’s double inside grip. With both arms around the former Ozeki’s body, Nishikifuji squeezed, lifted and took Tochinoshin across the bales, crushing him out of the ring with a yoritaoshi. Nishikifuji joins the group at 6-2, that was quite the performance.

Kotoeko defeats Aoiyama – Aoiyama can’t hold his ground at all, so he is trying every reverse motion sumo move in the book. Today he tried to flip Kotoeko across the bales as he himself was being pushed out. But the timing was poor and Aoiyama was ruled out by oshidashi. Kotoeko improves to 4-4.

Wakamotoharu defeats Myogiryu – Myogiryu goes for the denshamichi, and it nearly works. The gumbai goes to Wakamotoharu, and a monoii ensues. The shimpan rightly call for a rematch. The second match is a longer lasting, much more balanced fight, but surprisingly ends in largely the same way at more or less the same spot on the dohyo. Gumbai again goes to Wakamotoharu, but this time there is no question. He advances to 6-2.

Hokutofuji defeats Endo – Endo was indeed “up” for this pivotal match, but Hotutofuji kept himself impossibly low again, kept Endo away from his belt, and pushed for all he was worth. Simple, effective, and relentless. Hokutofuji wins by yorikiri, and is the first rikishi to be kachi-koshi at 8-0.

Onosho defeats Takarafuji – We can sort Takarafuji in the scratch and dent bin with Aoiyama and Tsurugisho. He is down to 1-7 today, and continues to fade a bit more each day. Onosho seems aware that Takarafuji cannot push forward, and makes quick work of him today. Onosho needed that win, and he is 3-5.

Tamawashi defeats Sadanoumi – Wow, Konosuke had not even finished shouting “Hakkeoi!” when Sadanoumi was already crashing out of the ring and into the shimpan. There’s denshamichi, and then there shinkansen-denshamichi. Tamawashi stays on behind Hokutofuji at 7-1.

Kotonowaka defeats Meisei – Kotonowaka had to stronger opening attack, and prevented Meisei from moving forward but an inch here and there. That was quite impressive. But Meisei was relentless, and kept chipping away at Kotonowaka’s defenses, getting his hands in place. But Kotonowaka was doing the same, and once his hands were set, it was uwatenage time, and Meisei hit the clay. Kotonowaka improves to 5-3.

Tobizaru defeats Ichinojo – The match starts with Tobizaru’s expected frantic sumo, throwing combos at the boulder by the moment. It does seem to frustrate and annoy Ichinojo, but not much else. Quickly, Tobizaru recognizes that you can’t actually fight a geological formation in that way, and tries something closer to a grappling stance. He pacifies Ichinojo into settling into a leaning battle, and then in the blink of an eye rotates to his left, grabs him from behind and sends him packing. Razor-sharp gambit from Tobizaru, and he improves to 5-3.

Midorifuji defeats Kiribayama – I am not sure Kiribayama anticipated needed to protect his shoulder to the degree required to prevent Midorifuji’s attack. After an initial exchange of oshi-zumo formalities, Midorifuji went straight for the katasukashi, and delivered the win. Well now! Midorifuji up to 4-4.

Ura defeats Hoshoryu – Also in the “more than he bargained for” category is Hoshoryu. He gets a respectable oshi-zumo match started against the man in pink, but neglects to defend his chest to the degree required to keep Ura away. Hoshoryu probably assumed that Ura would try some grab and tug sumo today (not a bad guess), while not keeping in mind this guy can bench-press a Toyota. With the inside lane at his command, Ura opens up the thrusting attack, and it does not take more than two blasts of that much power to send Hoshoryu out of the ring. Solid, aggressive sumo from Ura today, and he is 5-3.

Takakeisho defeats Takayasu – I really have to compliment Takayasu on today’s match. Many times in this kind of fight, he will go “wild man” sumo, and is a complete chaos factory. Today he was controlled, focused and really had Takakeisho on the run. But Takayasu twice got too far forward attempting to reach for a retreating Takakeisho, and the second time Takakeisho deftly moved aside. Takayasu hits the clay as Takakeisho dances away. Both men are now 6-2.

Wakatakakage defeats Mitakeumi – Mitakeumi could not finish his initial attack, and I knew there was trouble when Wakatakakage rallied and pushed him back to the center of the dohyo. They stalemated up for some time, with the break coming when Mitakeumi went to change his grip. Wakatakakage used this narrow window to march the Ozeki across the ring and out, scoring his 5th win to finish the day 5-3. Five straight wins after a 0-3 start.

Daieisho defeats Shodai – I am adding Shodai to the “to hurt to fight” list. There is crummy Shodai sumo, and there is hurt Shodai sumo. This is most certainly the latter. He has absolutely no forward power, and without that he can’t really find any way to win at this rank. Daieisho picks up a very welcome win to advance to 2-6.

Terunofuji defeats Nishikigi – No second kinboshi for Nishikifuji, but he did get to once again fight a Yokozuna. I do like that Terunofuji took this as a serious match, and wasted no time in delivering his best sumo today. Terunofuji’s solid right hand ottsuke kept Nishikigi from generating any kind of offense, and that left hand set up the uwatenage. Terunofuji no 5-3, and looking a bit better than he did a few days ago.