I would label today “pull day”, as so many matches were decided by one man pulling on another man’s neck. Most of the ones doing the pulling went on to lose their matches, but a couple actually made it work. I think much of the top division are growing tired after 12 days of non stop battles against the best in the world, and we are starting to see some sloppy sumo.

The leader board has shifted, as the Junior Tadpole, Onosho, has his moment in the sun. Onosho won his day 12 match against Tamawashi, when (you guessed it) Tamawashi decided to pull, and found that Onosho was ready to run him out in response. In the final match of the day, Takakeisho failed to keep a working distance between himself and Kiribayama, found himself in a shoulder hold, and quickly tossed to the deck. That leave Onosho all alone at 10-2, leading the yusho race for Hatsu with just 3 days to go.

Highlight Matches

Tohakuryu defeats Chiyomaru – Chiyomaru goes for his favored “stand them up then pull them down” technique, while backing away quickly, and gets Tohakuryu face down in a hurry. But a mono-ii is called, and Chiyomaru is disqualified for a top knot pull. Tohakuryu returns to Juryu with a kachi-koshi, and is now 8-4.

Kagayaki defeats Takarafuji – Well, at least there was no henka. Takarafuji does an artful job of keeping Kagayaki’s hands away from his chest for a time, but is unable to have enough defensive power through his feet to the ground to stand fast. Kagayaki pushes him back, and out by oshidashi. Both end the day 7-5, and Takarafuji will have to try again tomorrow to come up with that 8th win.

Aoiyama defeats Kotoeko – Aoiyama was off to a good start, firing up the V-Twin and pushing Kotoeko back. But Kotoeko managed to capture Aoiyama, and it quickly transitioned into a mawashi battle. Both men attempted a throw, but Aoiyama had mass and leverage on his side, and dropped both himself and Kotoeko with that kotenage. Aoiyama up to 7-5.

Azumaryu defeats Hiradoumi – A glorious day at Tamanoi heya, Azumaryu, after several attempts, finally has a kachi-koshi in the top division. It was a fast grab and throw match against Hiradoumi, who ate the uwatenage at the bales. Azumaryu 8-4.

Tsurugisho defeats Takanosho – Well, it was too much to hope for, wasn’t it? Tsurugisho steps to the side, gets behind Takanosho and pushes him out from the rear. Now, at about 200kg, I am not sure you could call what Tsurugisho did a henka, but it was crap sumo no matter what its name. Both end the day at 5-7.

Endo defeats Ichiyamamoto – Ichiyamamoto never really got his offense coordinated, so I am not surprised that Endo took him apart and shoved him out as rapidly as he did. Congrats on your kachi-koshi Endo, please practice not using a henka now. He is 8-4. Yes I am still annoyed at all the henka.

Mitoryu defeats Oho – The sadness that is Oho’s record just keeps going on and on. Today Mitoryu spun Oho around, and pushed him out from behind. We are at the point of a tournament where a handful or rikishi have so many losses, I wonder daily what has happened. The Hatsu winner of that race has to be Oho. Mitoryu now 5-7, and avoids make-koshi.

Hokutofuji defeats Chiyoshoma – Well, at least there was not a henka. Chiyoshoma was not quite as potent at Hokutofuji at the start, and he gave up early and tried to pull. It almost worked, but Hokutofuji was able to keep his feet thanks to that independently operating lower body assembly. Chiyoshoma hits the deck before Hokutofuji is out, and Hokutofuji moves to 7-5, one win away from kachi-koshi.

Kotoshoho defeats Nishikigi – He may have gotten knocked out of his share of the lead, but Kotoshoho is headed for double digits, and nothing is going to stop him. With one more win he will tie his best ever result in the top division, and there 3 days to go. Today he showed some impressive agility in pushing Nishikigi to the side and out, just as Nishikigi was pressing forward to finish Kotoshoho off, Kotoshoho now 9-3.

Abi defeats Ura – Well, at least.. oh damn. Abi 7-5.

Onosho defeats Tamawashi – Impressive fight, Tamawashi delivered some power in his thrusting volleys, and Onosho returned in kind. For the first few exchanges, they were dead even. It all went wrong when Tamawashi made the mistake we know everyone else learned in week one. Don’t pull Onosho right now, it’s not going to work and you will lose. Onosho 10-2.

Tobizaru defeats Myogiryu – It looked like Myogiryu was not really sure what to do with Tobizaru’s sumo today. So he settled for keeping him at distance, and just batting his hands back every time Tobizaru tried to reach in. Myogiryu got bored with this quickly, and tried a pull. Of course this gave the match to Tobizaru who pushed him out in response, improving to 5-7.

Daieisho defeats Mitakeumi – I, for one, am weary of these stalemate matches where the rikishi that should be trying doubly hard to win gives up and pulls their opponent. So far all of those “pullers” have lost. Here it was Mitakeumi, who was losing ground to Daieisho, and lost his nerve. Daieisho gladly accepted the gift, and is now 8-4.

Sadanoumi defeats Meisei – Sadanoumi decides to share the make-koshi joy by (oh yes, I know) pulling down Meisei. A mono-ii is called, and we all assumed it was another hansoku (top knot pull), but they decided everything was close enough, Sadanoumi at 4-8 now, as is Meisei. With his make-koshi, he will be vacating on of the numerous san’yaku ranks for March.

Midorifuji defeats Wakamotoharu – After so many of these matches failed to push their competitors to a 6-6 outcome, it was a good sign that this one turned out right for getting at least a few rikishi ready for a Darwin finish on day 15. Wakamotoharu had all he could manage trying to contain Midorifuji, and keep his balance at the same time. Really an impressive ottsuke from Wakamotoharu, and I hope he uses that all the time from here on out. Reminds me of Kisenosato with that move. But Midorifuji never fought Kisenosato, and once being shut out by that marvelous ottsuke, goes “kitchen sink” and tries about 3 things in the space of two seconds, ranging from a shoulder grab to a leg pick. This leaves Wakamotoharu completely bamboozled, and an easy mark for the oshidashi. Both are now 6-6.

Wakatakakage defeats Kotonowaka – Kotonowaka blew the tachiai, giving Wakatakakage a good position attacking from below, with both hands inside. Not many routes you can come back from that one, Kotonowaka. Wakatakakage battle hugs and stomps ahead, placing Kotonowaka out by yorikiri, and improving to 6-6.

Shodai defeats Nishikifuji – Ok, well – maybe Shodai kachi-koshi? It’s so frustrating with this guy, as he has the sumo chops to be a winner, but somehow can’t always put it together. Nishikifuji starts out the aggressor, but again today we get to see a half hearted use of Shodai’s “Wall of Daikon” sumo style. As flaccid as his signature move is right now, it’s still enough to hustle Nishikifuji out for his fourth consecutive win. Shodai is now 6-6.

Ryuden defeats Hoshoryu – Both of Hoshoryu’s opening gambits failed, and he settled for a right hand inside mawashi grip. This is not what he was looking for, as that left hand was pretty deep, and he could not really use it to move Ryuden around with it. Ryuden countered with a much more shallow left hand outside grip, that did seem to give him some leverage. The result was a see-saw battle with Ryuden the aggressor, and Hoshoryu trying to stay stable on that damaged ankle. Excellent work by Ryuden, forcing Hoshoryu to defend from the left, putting increasing pressure on that ankle, until Hoshoryu could not hold ground any longer. Brutal and effective, both are now 7-5.

Kiribayama defeats Takakeisho – There was a time, a few days ago, when sumo fans were hoping for a 14-1 Takakeisho yusho, and a Yokozuna dohyo-iri at the Meiji shrine later this month. But 2023 in sumo is starting a lot like 2022 in sumo, with no real champions, and no consistent performers. Takakeisho gets one good volley in just after the tachiai, but is too close to Kiribayama. Kiribayama captures him and immediately spins up a sukuinage, which puts the Ozeki face down on the clay. Takakeisho vacates his share of the leader group, and is now 9-4. Kiribayama is 8-4 and kachi-koshi for Hatsu.

It’s day 12 and the yusho race has suddenly become interesting

Hatsu Leaderboard

With there being two men tied for the lead, there are many more options. My favorite being that both Takakeisho and Onosho lose one more before day 15, while Tamawashi and Kotoshoho continue to win. Readers know that I am enamored with big multi-way final day scenarios where we don’t know the winner until late in the second half of action. I am sure that is a long shot at this point, but a fellow can dream.

I note that Takakeisho and Onosho have been bashing each other on the clay for many years, and competed head to head as children. They have 14 career matches, with Takakeisho holding a 11-3 advantage. Not good odds for Onosho at all. Their last match was in May of 2022, where was an oshidashi that put Onosho out of the ring on day 5.

Leader: Takakeisho, Onosho
Chasers: Tamawashi, Kotoshoho

4 Matches Remain

What We Are Watching Day 12

Tohakuryu vs Chiyomaru – This could be a good day for Tohakuryu, who is 7-4 and visiting from Juryo. He’s going up against ailing Chiyomaru, who has a losing record at 3-8, and a 2-1 career deficit against Tohakuryu. With so few at J5 and up with winning records, and a host of spots due to open, a kachi-koshi might be enough for him to make his top division debut in March.

Kagayaki vs Takarafuji – Kagayaki, if you try to henka Takarfuji today, I am going to lose all hope for him. Kagayaki is 6-5, and needs 2 more wins for kachi-koshi, where as a Takarafuji win (7-4) would be kachi-koshi for him today. Takarafuji holds a 12-5 career advantage, so I hope that he can make it work today and pick up his 8th.

Aoiyama vs Kotoeko – Both are 6-5 to start the day, the loser will course correct to better aim to join the Darwin cohort. I am foolishly holding out hope that crap sumo like what Aoiyama gave us on day 11 are now a thing of the past. If there is any real oyakata left, Kasugano hopefully give him something to think about. Kotoeko has a narrow 7-5 career record lead, and took 4 of the 5 matches they fought in 2022. Hopefully the two of them will actually have a straight ahead fight today.

Azumaryu vs Hiradoumi – Good news everyone! One of these fine fellows will get their 8th win in this match, as both are 7-4. You may have guess that I am hoping that it will be Azumaryu, who has won both prior matches against Hiradoumi. Oddly enough, this is the first time the two have fought outside of a November tournament.

Takanosho vs Tsurugisho – I am sure the schedulers had both Takanosho and Tsurugisho left over after they had the pairings they wanted, and so they went head to head. Tsurugisho is at 4-7 to start the day, Takanosho 5-6. They have split their prior two matches. A Tsurugisho loss today would be make-koshi for him, and both of them have a strong chance of finishing Hatsu with a losing record.

Ichiyamamoto vs Endo – Another “winner kachi-koshi” match, this time it’s Endo and Ichiyamamoto. This seems to be a cream-puff “gimmie” for Endo, as he has won both of their prior matches. In an strange repetition of a prior theme, this is the first time the two of them have had a match outside of a September tournament.

Mitoryu vs Oho – At 1-10, Oho is now a donor or blood-bag for the rest of the rikishi they want to throw lifelines too. Maegashira 15W Mitoryu has a 4-7 record, and if he were to “lose out” would be punted far down the banzuke into the jungly dark depths of the Juryo bog. So pair him with Oho, who has lost to him all of their 5 prior matches. Grim.

Hokutofuji vs Chiyoshoma – With a middling 6-5 score, its still quite possible that Hokutofuji may end Hatsu with “the most powerful make-koshi in all of sumo”, as is his custom. He has a 6-1 career lead over 5-6 Chiyoshoma, who is likely headed for a day 15 Darwin match. I did really enjoy his win over Tsurugisho on day 11, so maybe he is going to finish Hatsu strong.

Kotoshoho vs Nishikigi – Displaced from the leader group, 8-3 Kotoshoho gets to have a match with surprisingly genki 7-4 Nishikigi. I hope we continue to see strong sumo from him, as he could take the place of Kotoshogiku as the rikishi you can count on to just square up against an opponent, grab a hold and run them out of the ring. A Nishikigi win is kachi-koshi for him.

Abi vs Ura – Both rikishi are 6-5, and the loser gets pushed back to the middle of the narrow road to Darwin town. Personally I think it’s going to be Ura, who while he’s not terrible this January, is not really able to consistently generate solid offense. I have not seen a lot of tug and pull going on, and he’s too bulky now for some of his early plastic-man tricks. I still have Abi pegged for a likely kachi-koshi.

Onosho vs Tamawashi – Now that Onosho (9-2) is a co-leader, you know they are going to make him work quite hard to keep that position, possibly trying to get him into a head to head against Takakeisho in the next few days. He’s had some success against 8-3 Tamawashi, taking 5 out of 11 matches. But every match since 2021 has gone to Tamawashi. Both are big-power pushers, so I expect fireworks today.

Tobizaru vs Myogiryu – The flip side of some early matches, both are 4-7, and the loser will end the day make-koshi. Both have some problems with their sumo this January, so it would not surprise me if both of them are 9 or 10 losses at the end of day 15. I hope we can get Tobizaru back together and tuned up for Osaka. The upper rank matches are more entertaining when he’s around to cause trouble.

Mitakeumi vs Daieisho – A 24 match history between these two, and Mitakeumi leads it 14-10. But Mitakeumi is not his normal self, and his not fighting anywhere near where he should. At just 5-6, he is another likely candidate for a Darwin match on Sunday, if he can get that far. A win today for 7-4 Daieisho would be kachi-koshi for him.

Meisei vs Sadanoumi – Sadanoumi has only had one match in the past two years against Meisei, which he lost. He is already make-koshi at 3-8 and just maybe if he can squeeze out a win today, he can share the losing record love with 4-7 Meisei, too. I mostly want Sadanoumi to keep his feet, and stay away from the salt baskets.

Midorifuji vs Wakamotoharu – First of a series of “Darwin tune up” matches featuring an Onomi brother. Its 6-5 Wakamotoharu against 5-6 Midorifuji, with the optimum outcome (for Darwin purposes) being a Midorifuji win to push them both to 6-6. They have had one match per year for the last three years, with Midorifuji winning the 2020 one, and Wakamotoharu the most recent two.

Wakatakakage vs Kotonowaka – Another Darwin tune up, with both at 5-6. The winner gets to join the crowd at 6-6. The loser is one loss away from make-koshi. They fought five matches in 2022, with Kotonowaka taking 4 of them.

Nishikifuji vs Shodai – First ever match, for them. We have 5-6 Shodai, who still has a chance at kachi-koshi if he want win 3 of the last 4, against already make-koshi Nishikifuji. We know Shodai has the sumo to win those last matches to reach the safety of 8, but his fighting spirit seems all but quenched.

Ryuden vs Hoshoryu – A win for 7-4 Hoshoryu would be kachi-koshi for him, and I would assume an immediate return to kyujo status. He has won the only prior bout against 6-5 Ryuden, which was in March of 2021. Hoshoryu is still looking hurt, so I hope this gamble pays off for him.

Kiribayama vs Takakeisho – I think after winning with a throw on day 10, 9-2 Takakeisho was “Feeling his oats” a bit too much, and may have left room for Kotonowaka to fight him on his own terms. I would expect he will not make that mistake today against Kiribayama, who has a 4-8 record against him on the clay. Now that he is not in sole possession of the lead, Takakeisho needs to revert to daily wins and wait for someone (possibly even himself) to pick of Onosho.