Takagenji

Aki Day 12 Highlights

Bruce H Abi (阿炎), Aki Basho 2019, Aoiyama, Asanoyama (朝乃山), Azumaryu, Chiyotairyū (千代大龍), Daieisho (大栄翔), Daishoho, Endo (遠藤), Enho, Gōeidō (豪栄道), Hokutōfuji (北勝富士), Ishiura (石浦), Kagayaki (輝), Kotoeko, Kotoshogiku (琴奨菊), Kotoyuki, Meisei, Mitakeumi(御嶽海), Nishikigi, Okinoumi (隠岐の海), Ryuden (竜電), Sadanoumi (佐田の海), Shimanoumi, Shohozan, Shōdai (正代直也), Takagenji, Takakeishō (貴景勝), Takarafuji (宝富士), Tamawashi (玉鷲), Terutsuyoshi, Tochinoshin (栃ノ心), Tochiozan (栃煌山), Tomokaze, Toyonoshima, Tsurugisho, Yutakayama, Ōnoshō (阿武咲)
大蝌蚪

A pair of story threads for Aki came to a close today, and one more hangs by a thread. Ozekiwake Takakeisho scored his 10th win today, and returned to Ozeki status. It’s a remarkable story, and a great come-back from treatment for knee damage. In addition to getting his 10, he is (for the moment anyhow) the sole leader in the yusho race. Following Takakeisho’s win over Myogiryu, Goeido scored his 8th win, beating Ryuden, and clearing kadoban for the 8th time in his somewhat puzzling career.

But as one Ozekiwake exits, the final match of the day saw injured Ozeki Tochinoshin take one step closer to the drop. At 5-7, he needs to win all 3 remaining matches to clear kadoban, or he will be the shin-Ozekiwake for November. Tough times continue in the top ranks.

Highlight Matches

Yutakayama defeats Chiyoshoma – Yutakayama picks up his 8th win, and with his kachi-koshi moves away from the bottom edge of the banzuke, which has already gobbled up Toyonoshima and Takagenji.

Nishikigi defeats Takagenji – Nishikigi gets a left hand inside at the tachiai, and Takagenji is trapped. A valiant attempt by Takagenji to change his grip, but Nishikigi is latched on tighter than a tick in Texas, and uses his opponents gambit to escort him across the bales.

Daishoho defeats Tochiozan – Tochiozan has zero forward pressure today, and Daishoho stampedes him back and out. Tochiozan is perilously positioned should he end the tournament make-koshi.

Onosho defeats Kagayaki – Kagayaki meets Onosho’s push at the tachiai, but can only hold his ground for a few moments before the Onosho starts advancing. In spite of Kagayaki getting a good armpit attack going at the start, Onosho’s hips stay much lower, and his feet are much better set. Kagayaki cannot find a break to get lower, as Onosho is relentless. Much as I love Kagayaki, I think his long legs rob him of some natural sumo mechanics at times.

Tsurugisho defeats Sadanoumi – I think this kimarite should be renamed neko-nage, or “cat’s throw”. I see my cats do this to each other all the time. Grab your opponent by the whiskers and pull him down. Of course this would (in the cat world) be followed by biting and kicking, but… yeah whatever.

Terutsuyoshi defeats Azumaryu – Well, that was a henka. Sort of a crab-henka with a pincer move to the knee, so it had some interest to it, but it was still weak sumo.

Kotoyuki defeats Shohozan – This match tells me 2 things. First, the “fierce” Kotoyuki may be the next brawler we look to during honbasho. He takes it to Shohozan and overwhelms him at his own sumo. Second, Shohozan is only operating at a fraction of his power right now.

Okinoumi defeats Meisei – Former co-leaders battle it out, and the veteran takes the white star. Both are still in the hunt, as the group chasing the post day 12 leader is 5 men wide. Okinoumi prevents Meisei from setting up any offense at all, and just moves him away for the win.

Takarafuji defeats Enho – Takarafuji has always been a first-class sumo technician, and today we see that he has solved his version of the Enho puzzle with great results. Again and again Takarafuji stalemates everything Enho tries, and when Enho finally gets super-low and moves for the mawashi, Takarafuji gently lowers him to the clay.

Kotoeko defeats Ishiura – Ishiura brought all of the offense, but a great defensive pivot by Kotoeko at the tawara saved the match, and kept him from make-koshi. First rate effort.

Kotoshogiku defeats Tomokaze – Kotoshogiku had a superior tachiai, and just advanced well. Tomokaze could not respond in time to keep himself inside the ring. Perhaps some of Kotoshogiku’s frustration is now eased…

Daieisho defeats Asanoyama – Daieisho kept Asanoyama at arms length, frustrating the Natsu yusho winner in his efforts to get a mawashi grip. As Asanoyama’s efforts become more vigorous, they lead to him becoming unbalanced, which Daieisho reads perfectly to roll him to the clay.

Hokutofuji defeats Chiyotairyu – Chiyotairyu opens with his big tachiai, but Hokutofuji surges back after hitting the bales. Chiyotairyu is still looking wrecked after yesterday’s bloody result with Goeido, and as soon as Hokutofuji starts attacking Chiyotairyu’s face, he goes soft and concedes the match. I think a wise most given how painful that lip must be.

Aoiyama defeats Shimanoumi – Aoiyama takes his two-piston / V-Twin sumo out of the garage and runs over Shimanoumi. After some poor sumo from the man-mountain, it’s good to see him revert to “his brand of sumo” for a win.

Abi defeats Shodai – Well, now I am at the point where I am feeling sorry for Shodai. He is not really a 2-10 rikishi, he’s just having a bad basho. I am sure there are distractions outside of the dohyo that may have his mind less than sharp right now, and his chaos sumo is just not paying out like it normally would.

Tamawashi defeats Endo – Endo clearly had a high-skill match in mind, with a nuanced opening gambit with that left hand of his. But then Tamawashi just gunned the throttle and plowed him out of the way. The up-side being all of the fans along the west-side hanamichi who got up close to “Endo the Golden” for a moment as he struggled to bring himself to a halt.

Takakeisho defeats Myogiryu – Takakeisho stood Myogiryu up, and threw him down. Simple, effective and elegant. Welcome back, Ozeki Takakeisho. I once again anoint you as the Grand Tadpole – (大蝌蚪)

Goeido defeats Ryuden – So Goeido blows up Ryuden at the tachiai, but somehow it was a matta too. Shikimori came very close to a handing out a second jicchuugi-sho in as many days. Ok, let’s try again. Then… matta-matta-matta mo’matta. When they finally get things going, Ryuden is able to lure Goeido into a yotsu battle, and even Murray thinks Ryuden has the advantage here. But Goeido keep his cool and dominates Ryuden, expertly swinging him into an uwatenage for his 8th win, clearing kadoban. Crazy ass match.

Mitakeumi defeats Tochinoshin – You know what this match needs? That would be matta with a tart matta gravy. Is this because there are so many kyujo that they need to stretch the broadcast? It seems really out of place. Once they get going, it’s all Mitakeumi, but to be honest I am sure both contestants were probably expecting Shikimori to call them back again. Just one fan’s suggestion here, let the rikishi battle it out, sir. I know in the US, a lot of fans abandoned the NFL because the referees too frequently got in the middle of what should have been legitimate plays, and ruined the sport.

Aki Day 12 Preview

Josh K Abi (阿炎), Aki Basho 2019, Aoiyama, Asanoyama (朝乃山), Azumaryu, Chiyoshoma, Chiyotairyū (千代大龍), Daieisho (大栄翔), Daishoho, Daishomaru, Endo (遠藤), Enho, Gōeidō (豪栄道), Hokutōfuji (北勝富士), Ikioi (勢), Ishiura (石浦), Kagayaki (輝), Kotoeko, Kotonowaka, Kotoshogiku (琴奨菊), Kotoyuki, Kyokutaisei, Meisei, Mitakeumi(御嶽海), Myogiryu (妙義龍), Nishikigi, Okinoumi (隠岐の海), Ryuden (竜電), Sadanoumi (佐田の海), Shimanoumi, Shohozan, Shōdai (正代直也), Takagenji, Takakeishō (貴景勝), Tamawashi (玉鷲), Tochinoshin (栃ノ心), Tochiozan (栃煌山), Tomokaze, Tsurugisho, Yutakayama, Ōnoshō (阿武咲) ,

Aki Post Banner

Hello again sumo fans! Very few people have ever confused me with a Yokozuna, and one more key difference is that unlike them, I’m back in action again on Day 12 at Kokugikan. This means I’m here to bring you the preview of the day’s events, and what I will be looking for in the top division matches. So without further ado:

Aki Leaderboard

Leaders: Takakeisho, Meisei
Chasers: Mitakeumi, Asanoyama, Okinoumi, Takarafuji, Tsurugisho
Peloton: Goeido, Endo, Enho, Shohozan, Yutakayama

What We Are Watching Day 12

Quick little burst from Juryo: The schedulers continue to keep 9-2 leaders Ikioi and Kotonowaka away from each other, so we could be in for some senshuraku fun to decide the title. Future caddy Ikioi gets 7-4 Daishomaru in an attempt to add some intrigue to the race, while Kotonowaka contents himself with a duel against Hokkaido’s melon man, 6-5 Kyokutaisei. In Makuuchi action…

Yutakayama vs Chiyoshoma – Chiyoshoma, owner of one of the most sported yukata designs in sumo, gets a chance to stress his makuuchi credentials. His dance partner is the rusty pusher-thruster of Tokitsukaze-beya who is finding his way back into form. I think Yutakayama will be heyagashira by Haru and I think he’ll show why in this match, as long as Chiyoshoma doesn’t pull any rude tricks.

Takagenji vs Nishikigi – Sometimes a makekoshi can lift the pressure and weight off a rikishi’s shoulders and allow them to perform better, kind of like when a team gets relegated from the Premier League and all the sudden beats the team at the top of the table. Nishikigi is very much not at the top of the table, but with six losses on his ledger he will desperately be looking to knock off the doomed Takagenji. The two have only met once previously, on the hot dirt of Nagoya where the Chiganoura man was the victor. I fancy Nishikigi to even the score here.

Tochiozan vs Daishoho – It has been a laborious tournament for each of these men, who have winded their way to rather different results. Tochiozan hasn’t looked marvellous but can still eke out a kachikoshi. Daishoho needs wins to stave off relegation to Juryo. Difficult as it may be to watch, another laboured battle may be the tonic for Tochiozan, who lacks the power but perhaps possesses the better grappling ability and stamina than his counterpart here.

Onosho vs Kagayaki – Onosho has shown a bit of life in recent days, and has rebounded to 5-6, the same score as his opponent. “Tactics” Kagayaki has a 5-4 edge in the rivalry and the ability to win by keeping himself square to his man and blunting the smaller rikishi’s thrusting attack. Kagayaki is of course much taller and Onosho will likely be the attacker, looking to push up and raise the centre of gravity in search of a push out win. This feels a bit like a coin flip.

Sadanoumi vs Tsurugisho – Tsurugisho could actually be a bit of a weird dark horse at the moment as he may have had a lot of the matches that he would have against other contenders. That doesn’t mean he has a straightforward shot either at the yusho or even a special prize however: matches like this against a 6-5 rikishi looking to secure a kachikoshi still keep the stakes high, even if the opponents may be lower on the banzuke. Sadanoumi has a 2-1 edge and is better on the belt, and Tsurugisho is probably a better thruster, so this may come down to which style wins out at the tachiai.

Terutusyoshi vs Azumaryu – I haven’t been too impressed with Azumaryu in recent days, but with four matches left, he needs to win two for a kachikoshi. Terutsuyoshi has been largely pretty disappointing after his revelatory Nagoya basho. The goal here for the small man needs to be keeping Azumaryu off the mawashi.

Shohozan vs Kotoyuki – Shohozan has not looked amazing in this tournament but somehow finds himself a win from a kachikoshi and on the distant edges of the slow race for honours. Kotoyuki’s story is as always: uncontrolled momentum. Shohozan has been blasted at the tachiai before but if he can get some tsuppari/harite going and wind Kotoyuki up a bit, or even get a mawashi grip, he can deal with the Sadogatake man. Kotoyuki has a 4-3 edge in the head to head.

Okinoumi vs Meisei – Here’s the undisputed highlight match of the first half of the day’s action, pitting the new unheralded co-leader against the former unheralded leader. Okinoumi leads the career series 2-0, but neither of those matches came in a 2019 which has shown great development for Meisei. That said, I don’t think his sumo has matched up to his 9-2 record and a few of his victories have seemed more fortuitous than commanding, so I think this really comes down to whether Okinoumi, a more experienced practitioner of mawashi work as well as beltless throws, can escape the rot of his 3 bout losing run.

Enho vs Takarafuji – It’s a battle of two of the closest stables in sumo, an intra-ichimon affair as Miyagino-Hakuho’s Enho takes on Isegahama’s Takarafuji. Further to that, it’s a clash of wildly different sumo styles – and I don’t mean yotsu vs oshi. In this fascinating match, weaver of magic and bringer of chaos Enho comes up against an opponent in Takarafuji who specialises in defensive sumo and prefers to stalemate his opponents, kill off their attacking manoeuvres and shepherd them to defeat. While a first time meeting would tend to favour the trickster, Takarafuji will have seen plenty of Enho up close and personal and I think he will be wise to kill Enho’s movement and end his faint title hopes.

Ishiura vs Kotoeko – Ishiura has hit an ice patch and gets brought up the banzuke to take on the similarly fading Kotoeko. Ishiura has taken 4 of 6 from Kotoeko, using some serious kimarite (I love a tottari, even moreso when deployed by someone from Tottori). Ishiura has a habit of being a bit streaky so while I think he’s overall in the better form, I think this becomes more of a coin flip.

Kotoshogiku vs Tomokaze – Man alive, did Kotoshogiku ever get done by Enho on Day 11. He now faces makekoshi which seemed a bit unlikely earlier in the tournament, but those losses can pile up quickly. Tomokaze has beaten Kotoshogiku in their only prior meeting, and finds himself just two wins now from another incredible kachikoshi to continue his streak and push him further into the joi in Fukuoka. He has started doing more positive sumo since his bid to become the first all-hatakikomi yusho winner fell apart. The veteran is very capable of winning this if he lands his grip early, but the youngster’s in the better form, so I’ll tip him to send Kotoshogiku down the banzuke.

Daieisho vs Asanoyama – This is a very dangerous match for Asanoyama. Daieisho obviously hasn’t been perfect, but I think his 4-7 record is very misleading and he has worked hard to execute his oshi-zumo style in almost all of his matches. He also absolutely owns Asanoyama, winning the last 6 out of their 7 matchups. This may be the match more than any other that determines whether Asanoyama can take the next step in his development, never mind challenge for the yusho: will he be a left-hand-outside-one-trick-pony like a certain kadoban Ozeki or, when the chips are down, can he win a match that absolutely opposes his preferred style?

Hokutofuji vs Chiyotairyu – Hokutofuji comes into this match in great form, hoping to come from behind and salvage a decent record in this basho off the back of several strong wins. He has a 6-2 career edge over Chiyotairyu, who looks lost. We all know Hokutofuji likes to slap himself but he will kick himself if he doesn’t win this.

Shimanoumi vs Aoiyama – Shimanoumi fights deep into the second half of the day’s action in a match littered with disappointment, as the 4-7 Kise-beya man takes his talents to Kasugano’s 2-9 Bulgarian. Big Dan has showed glimpses of his potential during this basho but has more often appeared listless. This presumable oshi-battle will be a good match for Shimanoumi to show whether he’s more often been outclassed or just outgunned.

Abi vs Shodai – Speaking of whipping boys, Abi will look to get his kachikoshi run back on track against 2-9 Shodai. Shodai isn’t a great opponent for Abi as evidenced by the Tokitsukaze man’s edge in their rivalry, so Abi needs to really use his double arm tsuppari to blow him away at the tachiai and sustain the blows. Sometimes Abi can make make one solid push off the shikiri-sen but then not make any forward progress after that no matter how many blows he lands. We know Shodai is just going to stand up and take it, and then look to evade the flailing arms in search of a belt grip. Shodai is already makekoshi and if Abi wants to hang around in san’yaku these are the matches he needs to win.

Tamawashi vs Endo – Tamawashi may have said he didn’t like picking up fusen-sho but the 6-5 cake decorator may have a few other thoughts if he ends this basho with 8 wins. 7-4 Endo had a lovely win against Shodai on Day 11 and is just hanging around the periphery of the yusho race. This incredibly streaky rivalry (6 for Endo, then 11 for Tamawashi) may have turned back towards Endo after he broke Tamawashi’s run against him in Nagoya. Endo has displayed the better sumo this tournament, and while he’s been hit and miss against pusher-thrusters in this tournament, he’s been more good than bad and I back him to win here.

Myogiryu vs Takakeisho – Myogiryu hasn’t faced anyone above Maegashira 4 this basho, so it must be some shock for the Maegashira 6 to find himself all of the sudden pulled up to face the past and future Ozeki and tournament leader after his return from kyujo. I tend to agree with Bruce’s point yesterday that kyujo returns seldom go well, but I think he might still get his 8 wins if he fights in the same manner as his Day 11 victory. Takakeisho can seal his return to Ozeki in this match, and he has incredibly won all six of their past meetings. Like his stablemate Goeido, Myogiryu is speedy, well rounded when it comes to his skills and maddeningly inconsistent. I wouldn’t rule out a shock but Takakeisho will be the presumptive favourite to finish the first job here and shift his focus to an unlikely and heroic Emperor’s Cup win.

Ryuden vs Goeido – 6-5 Ryuden has really turned his tournament around with four straight wins, perhaps none more impressive than the tide-turning victory over Mitakeumi on Day 11 which up-ended the yusho race once again. Goeido seems to bounce back from every loss with that angry scowl, and he seems to show up when he has something to prove. He is one win from ending his latest kadoban spell, but I’m not sure he’s going to get it here. He’s still technically in the yusho race, but the key for him is to suffocate Ryuden straight from the tachiai in the manner of his win against the hapless Chiyotairyu on Day 11. Ryuden tends to grow into matches and grow in stature and pull victory from the jaws of defeat, and Goeido can’t let that happen, because….

Tochinoshin vs Mitakeumi – This may be the highlight match of the second half of action. These two know all about each other (Mitakeumi is said to frequently go to Kasugano for degeiko), and the Georgian has an 8-3 edge in this rivalry. So, let’s look at it tactically:

Mitakeumi on paper is the kind of rikishi Tochinoshin does not want to face. He possesses an explosive pushing and thrusting attack, and Tochinoshin’s main defence in those matches lately has been pulling or slap-down attempts. This being said, Mitakeumi is also a good mawashi handler, but not in the league of Tochinoshin. The Dewanoumi man is also maddeningly inconsistent, conceding matches where he appears to lose focus when he should be in the thick of a title race.

Now let’s think about this: After this match, Tochinoshin is likely to face two mid-Maegashira opponents before Goeido on Senshuraku. Goeido will meanwhile get the two Sekiwake who are in the thick of the yusho hunt. What price on a couple of kadoban 7-7 Ozeki going head to head on the final day?

Aki Day 11 Highlights

Bruce H Abi (阿炎), Aki Basho 2019, Aoiyama, Asanoyama (朝乃山), Azumaryu, Chiyotairyū (千代大龍), Daieisho (大栄翔), Daishoho, Endo (遠藤), Enho, Gōeidō (豪栄道), Hokutōfuji (北勝富士), Ishiura (石浦), Kagayaki (輝), Kotoeko, Kotoshogiku (琴奨菊), Kotoyuki, Meisei, Mitakeumi(御嶽海), Nishikigi, Okinoumi (隠岐の海), Ryuden (竜電), Sadanoumi (佐田の海), Shimanoumi, Shohozan, Shōdai (正代直也), Takagenji, Takakeishō (貴景勝), Takarafuji (宝富士), Tamawashi (玉鷲), Terutsuyoshi, Tochinoshin (栃ノ心), Tochiozan (栃煌山), Tomokaze, Toyonoshima, Tsurugisho, Yutakayama, Ōnoshō (阿武咲)

There has been a fair amount of discussion about the yusho race for this basho on Twitter and Facebook, yep and even in our comments section. I look at it like this: the winning score will be between 11-4 and 13-2. I tend to think given how evenly matched folks are right now it’s closer to 11-4. From that I look at who can put together 11-4 mathematically. From that group I look at who has the stamina and focus to go 11-4, as the pressure of being in the lead group can crush a rikishi’s concentration in the last few days. Using that benchmark, I would come up with the following hypotheticals

11-4 Yusho Candidates

  • Takakeisho
  • Mitakeumi
  • Asanoyama
  • Okinoumi
  • Goeido
  • Endo
  • Shohozan
  • Meisei

12-3 Yusho Candidates

  • Takakeisho
  • Asanoyama
  • Mitakeumi
  • Okinoumi

13-2 Yusho Candidates

  • Takakeisho

Why not Meisei? His best ever record in the top division has been 10-5, and his highest ever rank Maegashira 4. He has never earned a yusho in any of the lower divisions, and may not have endured the pressure of a championship race. I think he has fought well, but if he makes it far enough to be in contention the final weekend, he would probably struggle with the likes of Asanoyama, Takakeisho or Mitakeumi.

I do think this will likely be an 11-4 yusho, and that means a huge amount of competition right up until the end. So far, everyone is on course for a big brawl to end it all.

Highlight Matches

Tochiozan defeats Chiyomaru – Chiyomaru’s lengthy thrusting attack had surprisingly little effect of Tochiozan, who seemed content to stand his ground, and exhaust Chiyomaru’s limited stamina.

Yutakayama defeats Nishikigi – This looked like they could have called a matta, as Yutakayama was early off the mark, but the Gyoji let them fight it out. Nishikigi found himself 2 steps behind from the start, and never had a chance to recover. Yutakayama one win away from kachi-koshi now.

Onosho defeats Takagenji – Onosho completely dominates Takagenji, who takes his 8th loss and a confirmed return to Juryo. I have no doubt he will be back once he gets his sumo and his life in order. He’s in a tough spot.

Meisei defeats Ishiura – Ishiura once again takes flight, and finds that sumo is usually about keeping your feet firmly on the clay. For some odd reason, he makes a leap to his right, I think anticipating a charge forward from Meisei that never happened. Instead he made himself weightless and an easy mark for a shove into the zabuton. Meisei maintains his share of the lead.

Sadanoumi defeats Kagayaki – Kagayaki again used solid fundamentals to control the early stages of this match, but he could not match Sadanoumi’s intensity. With his heels on the tawara, Sadanoumi finds a route to morozashi and attacks. Kagayaki has no response and finds himself with his 6th loss.

Azumaryu defeats Kotoyuki – Kotoyuki, even the fierce one, is weak against lateral motion. After a strong opening attack, Kotoyuki finds himself lunging for the east side shimpan after Azumaryu deftly steps to the side.

Takarafuji defeats Daishoho – After a surprisingly weak tachiai, and a moment where both men are a bit “soft”, the two go chest to chest, which clearly favors Takarafuji. After a protracted leaning session, Takarafuji switches his grip and drops Daishoho to the clay. Takarafuji gets his 8th win, and Daishoho his 8th loss.

Tsurugisho defeats Okinoumi – Co-leader Okinoumi finds himself face down on the dohyo thanks to Tsurugisho’s acrobatics. This knocks Okinoumi out of the leader group, but still within range of most possible yusho outcomes. Tsurugisho reaches his 8th win, and kachi-koshi.

Shohozan defeats Kotoeko – Both men take a left hand inside grip at the tachiai. I have noticed that Shohozan is working more on the mawashi now than ever, and we seldom see his mobile “strike and move” sumo. In a battle of strength, Kotoeko finds out what “Big Guns” has loaded as Shohozan dances him over the bales.

Enho defeats Kotoshogiku – And for another day, Enho delivers some of the most exciting sumo on the torikumi. To his great credit, Kotoshogiku absorbs a fantastic amount of “tries” from Enho: a throw, a twist down, a leg pick – and remains upright and in the fight. But when Kotoshogiku grabs Enho around his neck and tries to pull, he gives up the match. Great sumo from these two. Maybe this is why Hakuho is kyujo so much, he trains with this guy who is throwing the kitchen sink at the Yokozuna several times a day.

Myogiryu defeats Terutsuyoshi – Welcome back Myogiryu. Terutsuyoshi did not even really get off of the shikiri-sen before he had Myogiryu attacking with vigor.

Shimanoumi defeats Daieisho – This match was all Daieisho, as Shimanoumi absorbed thrust and blows at a frantic pace. But Daieisho over extended in a push to force Shimanoumi out, only to find Shimanoumi had stepped to the side and left Daieisho with a eye level view of the tawara.

Tomokaze defeats Aoiyama – No this is more like Tomokaze’s typical sumo. Sadly Aoiyama is a bit of a wreck right now, but at least we got to see Tomokaze moving forward and fighting strongly.

Hokutofuji defeats Asanoyama – Hokutofuji surprises Asanoyama, completely disrupting his attempts to establish a belt grip and an offensive stance. For readers asking about the “handshake tachiai”, it’s on full display today. Asanoyama finds himself trying to react to the resulting nodowa, rather than getting a belt grip and getting to work. Asanoyama drops one back from the leader group, but still very much in yusho contention.

Endo defeats Shodai – Endo has control of this match from the tachiai, granted the tachiai was against Shodai. But he catches Shodai shifting his stance and rotates into a beautifully executed uwatedashinage.

Tamawashi defeats Abi – Abi gets his preferred double arm thrust to Tamawashi’s neck at the tachiai. But Tamawashi has his hands pushing against Abi’s chest, and Abi find himself out matched. Abi continues to try working at Tamawashi’s face, which I think Tamawashi has long since written off, and focuses his thrusting attack at Abi’s body, completely disrupting him, and taking the match.

Ryuden defeats Mitakeumi – Ryuden spends most of this match trying to absorb everything that Mitakeumi throws at him, which seems to be quite a bit. But Ryuden stays in the fight and finds a route to Mitakeumi’s chest. In fantastically timed move, he moves in with his right hand and pivots, turning Mitakeumi who struggles to regain his footing. Before the Sekiwake can plant his feet, Ryuen shoves hard and gets Mitakeumi over the tawara. Great recovery from Ryuden, and he also knocks Mitakeumi out of the leader group.

Takakeisho defeats Tochinoshin – A wild and chaotic match that was one part yotsu, two parts oshi. Was anyone else amazed to see Takakeisho go for a deep right hand grip as Tochinoshin attempted what looked like a kubinage? With Takakeisho latched on to his belt, the kubinage falls apart, and Tochinoshin falls forward. Takakeisho moves behind and pushes Tochinoshin into a surprised and gyoji, dropping not only the Ozeki but the highest ranking referee in sumo. In the more ancient forms of sumo, this would have counted as 1 win for Tochinoshin (oshidashi vs the gyoji), 2 wins for Takakeisho (Tochinoshin by okuritaoshi, the gyoji by oshidashi), and would have resulted not only in the immediate re-promotion of Takakeisho back to Ozeki, but an on the spot presentation of the rare and seldom awarded jicchuugi-sho (十柱戯賞) special prize.

Goeido defeats Chiyotairyu – The matta fest was the attraction, the match itself was a brief and bloody affair. One more win for Goeido to clear kadoban.

Aki Day 11 Preview

Bruce H Abi (阿炎), Aki Basho 2019, Aoiyama, Asanoyama (朝乃山), Azumaryu, Chiyotairyū (千代大龍), Daieisho (大栄翔), Daishoho, Endo (遠藤), Enho, Gōeidō (豪栄道), Hokutōfuji (北勝富士), Ishiura (石浦), Kagayaki (輝), Kotoeko, Kotoshogiku (琴奨菊), Kotoyuki, Meisei, Mitakeumi(御嶽海), Nishikigi, Okinoumi (隠岐の海), Ryuden (竜電), Sadanoumi (佐田の海), Shimanoumi, Shohozan, Shōdai (正代直也), Takagenji, Takakeishō (貴景勝), Takarafuji (宝富士), Tamawashi (玉鷲), Terutsuyoshi, Tochinoshin (栃ノ心), Tochiozan (栃煌山), Tomokaze, Toyonoshima, Tsurugisho, Yutakayama, Ōnoshō (阿武咲)

Welcome to Act 3 of the Aki Basho! Act 3 is where we sort the survivors from the damned, and we crown a yusho winner. As lksumo has so expertly written, right now it seems the conditions for demotion out of Makuuchi are gentle, and many of the lower ranked rikishi with mild losing records may find safe-harbor. Meanwhile, the yusho race looks like it will barely make double-digits for most contenders. While the score may be low, the action is going to be intense for the next 5 days.

We hope, we wished, and now we have possibly the most wide-open yusho race going into the final 5 days in many years. Odds are good that one of the current 8-2 rikishi will be the one to beat going into the final weekend, but even that may shock and surprise us. I am still hoping for a multi-way 11-4 playoff on senshuraku. Do you notice that there are three rikishi in the leader board who have already won their first yusho? I know I did. This may be a glance at the future of the sport.

Somewhere, Takayasu is cursing is foul luck.

Aki Leaderboard

I don’t ever recall a leaderboard this bulging with meaty people in all of my days following sumo.

Leaders: Mitakeumi, Takakeisho, Asanoyama, Okinoumi, Meisei
Chasers: Takarafuji, Tsurugisho
Hunt Group: Goeido, Abi, Endo, Enho, Shohozan, Ishiura, Yutakayama

5 Matches Remain

What We Are Watching Day 11

Chiyomaru vs Tochiozan – The front of the Makuuchi promotion queue comes back to the top division, and his match against Tochinoshin may prove to put a kink in his plans to join.

Yutakayama vs Nishikigi – Yutakayama is still looking quite rough, but he’s 2 wins away from kachi-koshi, which is his most important goal right now. At Maegashira 16e, he is motivated to get his 8.

Onosho vs Takagenji – Interestingly enough, a first time match between these two. Takagenji is one loss away from make-koshi, and a spot on the slow barge captained by Toyonoshima. Onosho needs to win 4 of his last 5 to reach kachi-koshi.

Ishiura vs Meisei – The scheduling committee continues to hand the mid-Maegashira ranked leaders much lower ranked opponents. Ishiura had a solid start to Aki, but has gone stone cold, losing the last 3 in a row. Can he take down Meisei, and pare down the leader group?

Sadanoumi vs Kagayaki – Both rikishi at 5-5, and they come with an even 6-5 match. Sadanoumi will bring speed, Kagayaki will bring fundamentals. I think if Sadanoumi can stay mobile, he has a clear advantage today.

Azumaryu vs Kotoyuki – Kotoyuki has been rather fierce the past few days, and this is the second of these “even matches” that will play out. Both are 5-5, and they have a nearly equal career record.

Daishoho vs Takarafuji – Takarafuji is one win out from kachi-koshi, and a win today would simultaneously hand Daishoho his make-koshi. First step should decide it.

Okinoumi vs Tsurugisho – Member of the leader group takes on a member of the chaser group, and one of them is getting nocked down a slot. These battles should take place almost every day for the remainder of the basho.

Shohozan vs Kotoeko – For a variety of reasons, Kotoeko does not seem to be able to buy a win right now. Shohozan is fighting well enough, but he seems quite a bit detuned from even a year ago.

Kotoshogiku vs Enho – First time match up, and I have no clue what is going to happen here. Kotoshogiku fights by grappling and pushing with his hips. I can only imagine the intersection of Enho’s submarine tachiai and Kotoshogiku’s pelvic thrusts. Actually now that I have imagined that, I am sorry.

Terutsuyoshi vs Myogiryu – Freshly make-koshi Terutsuyoshi comes up against Myogiryu, who has freshly returned from kyujo. Many times these mid / late basho returns are perilous, and I worry that Myogiryu may have no way to access if he is actually well enough for competition.

Daieisho vs Shimanoumi – Another first time match, and a loss by Shimanoumi will be his 8th. I expect him to fight with vigor to try to hang onto his standing in the middle of Maegashira.

Tomokaze vs Aoiyama – Who is going to push and who is going to pull? Tomokaze needs to win 3 out of 5 to keep his unbroken string of kachi-koshi rolling. I am going with the idea that both of these men are hurt, and this match may be a bit rough.

Hokutofuji vs Asanoyama – Hokutofuji has a chance to play spoiler, and knock Asanoyama into the lower bracket in the yusho race. Hokutofuji needs 4 out of 5 to get to kachi-koshi, which is a pretty tall order at this stage of the basho.

Shodai vs Endo – Shodai holds a 4-1 advantage over Endo. He is already make-koshi, so I wonder how hard he will fight. History shows that when it comes to Shodai, he sometimes fights better once he has a losing record, as if some sort of pressure or worry is lifted from him.

Abi vs Tamawashi – Tamawashi is an expert oshi-rikishi, but has yet to have a single win against Abi. Abi is not really in the yusho race at this point, unless the leader group all eat clay in the next day or two, but he’s 2 wins away from keeping a slot in San’yaku.

Mitakeumi vs Ryuden – Oh yes indeed, this one should be good indeed. Ryuden has won the last 3, and he’s got a slight career edge over Mitakeumi. But for Aki, I think that Mitakeumi is starting to hit his traditional second week stall, and we may see him picked off today or tomorrow.

Tochinoshin vs Takakeisho – The battle of ultimate pain. Tochinoshin needs 3 of the last 5, and Takakeisho needs 2 out of 5. This is a huge clash of styles, with Tochinoshin seldom winning any oshi-matches, and Takakeisho helpless on the mawashi. Takakeisho has a 6-2 career edge, but Tochinoshin has a desperation edge. I can’t wait for this one….

Chiyotairyu vs Goeido – Goeido needs 2 more wins to clear kadoban, so lets see what Chiyotairyu has on day 11. These two have a 7-8 career history, so it’s anyone’s guess which version of Goeido shows up.