Welcome to the middle weekend, it’s a wonderful part of the 15 day honbasho cycle, as it’s when it finally get to start tracking the yusho race with focus, and we sometimes get to see our first kachi-koshi. With everyone on the banzuke having at least one loss, we won’t see anyone reach 8 wins on Sunday, but I am certain there will be a roiling storm of sumo as the 8 rikishi with 5-1 records try to best their opponents and take a lead in the race for the cup, which will be decided just about one week from now.

I am thankful that for the second tournament in a row, it looks like the schedulers are not starting their funnel in the middle weekend. It makes the whole second week a rather ugly process like slow torture as they grind the middling performers down, searching for a maximum crop of 7-7 finishes on day 14. That’s not to say that the funnel won’t show up later, just that it looks like we may get to enjoy the next two days of just flat out brawling, slapping, pushing and shoving without that doom waiting some beloved favorites.

What We Are Watching Day 7

Takarafuji vs Bushozan – Because we had two rikishi go kyujo, the banzuke imbalance persists, and we will continue to see daily visitors from Juryo. Today, its Juryo 1 West Bushozan, who comes in at 3-3, looking to climb out of the middle of the score range. He has never fought 5-1 Takarafuji, and I think given how Takarafuji is fighting right now, he may not find the win he hopes to take home.

Ichiyamamoto vs Mitoryu – A battle of 3-3 rikishi, they share a fairly even 3-2 record. They each scored one win in 2022, and one win each in 2021. Ichiyamamoto lost his day 6 match against Kotoeko, and had a fusensho against Okinoumi, and had a day to mostly rest, which may give him an advantage today.

Kagayaki vs Chiyomaru – These two have losing records, with Kagayaki at 2-4, and Chiyomaru at 1-5. They have been fighting poorly, with Kagayaki’s last win on day 3, and Chiyomaru only getting his first win of Hatsu on day 6 against Juryo visitor Akua. With a 19 match career score or 9-10, I don’t really know who I would favor to win this one.

Chiyoshoma vs Kotoeko – Chiyoshoma (1-5) got his first win via a day 6 hair pull in his match against Takanosho, so thus far he has not been able to win a match with strong sumo. I am not sure if he’s hurt, or just out of sumo power for now, but given he has a 6-11 career deficit against 4-2 Kotoeko, I predict another loss today unless he can suddenly find some spare power at the heya.

Aoiyama vs Tsurugisho – I am sure Aoiyama (5-1) was disappointed to lose his match on day 6 against Onosho, but he’s got a significant power advantage against fellow super-jumbo Tsurugisho (2-4). The last time Tsurugisho was able to win against Aoiyama was a year ago at Hatsu 2022, and given how the series has gone, if Tsurugisho can get a belt grip, he has a chance to get a win. If Aoiyama can keep the pushing and thrusting going strong, it tends to be his match to win.

Kotoshoho vs Endo – I think this one has the ingredients for an exciting match. We have 5-1 Kotoshoho, looking to bounce back from his first loss, against 4-2 Endo who is on a two match winning streak, looking to make it 3. Kotoshoho won their only prior match by oshidashi at Kyushu 2022.

Takanosho vs Azumaryu – I am starting to really pull for Azumaryu, who has been trying for years to get a kachi-koshi in the top division, only to fall short each time. With a 5-1 record, he needs 3 more wins any time in the next week and a day to finally reach that goal. He’s against 3-3 Takanosho, who had his fingers get tangled in Chiyoshoma’s top-knot yesterday, and was disqualified.

Onosho vs Hiradoumi – Sure, go ahead Hiradoumi (4-2), try a pull in the first two steps of this match. Just because it’s failed 4 times already this basho doesn’t mean it won’t work this time. This time, for sure, Onosho (5-1) will be off balance and ready to fall.

Oho vs Myogiryu – I really don’t want to see 0-6 Oho be the first rikishi to get a make-koshi this tournament. I have to assume that at some point he’s going to be able to squeeze out a win somewhere. Why not today? He has an even 1-1 record against 2-4 Myogiryu, who looks off his normal sumo pace.

Ura vs Nishikigi – At 3-3, Ura seems to be headed toward a 7-7 score to start day 15. I double that he like Darwin matches, but it seems to be a fact of life in sumo. He had a 3-2 career advantage over 4-2 Nishikigi, who broke his 4 day winning streak on day 6 with a loss to Ryuden.

Ryuden vs Hokutofuji – Ryuden (4-2) has won the last 3 in a row, and comes into today a bit of an underdog against 3-3 Hokutofuji. The overall career record is 5-9, but Hokutofuji has dominated the series since 2020, with a total of 5-2 favoring Hokutofuji. As well as Ryuden is fighting right now, this may be his best chance to claw back a win and close that gap.

Sadanoumi vs Daieisho – Much as I have enjoyed some of Sadanoumi’s sumo in the past, he is fighting poorly at 2-4, and he’s facing off against white hot mega-thruster Daieisho (5-1) today. But wait, there’s more. Daieisho holds a 4-7 career lead, and has won the last three in a row, going back to 2019.

Kiribayama vs Mitakeumi – Both of them are coming in 3-3, and seem to be struggling daily. Hopes I have for a future Ozeki Kiribayam vs Ozeki Hoshoryu rivalry are going to require both of them to tune up their sumo a couple of notches. He has an even 7-6 record against Mitakeumi, so he stands a fair chance of getting his 4th win today.

Wakamotoharu vs Kotonowaka – I think this match exists to give 2-4 Kotonowaka a chance to climb back toward the centerline by taking on 3-3 Wakamotoharu, who he holds a 5-1 career advantage against. Kotonowaka won all of their matches in 2022, and has won the last 2 matches after a cold 0-4 start.

Meisei vs Tobizaru – I think both of these guys are headed straight for make-koshi land, as we get 1-5 Meisei and 2-4 Tobizaru both having pretty crummy starts to the new year. Both of them seem to only be at about 80% of their winning intensity, so this match can be though of as a battle between two guys in need of recovery and recuperation.

Abi vs Hoshoryu – Having taken his first loss on day 6, Abi needs to keep pace with the rest of the 5-1 crew in order to try to forge a path to a second consecutive yusho. He needs to overcome 4-2 Hoshoryu, who has lost 2 in a row, and needs to get back on a winning streak and stay there. Hoshoryu has a 4-1 career lead over Abi.

Wakatakakage vs Nishikifuji – Wakatakakage, with a 3-3 score starting today, needs to really get his sumo together if he wants to make a case some time in 2023 that he should be the next Ozeki. Fortunately for him, he has not lost to 2-4 Nishikifuji in either of the two prior attempts.

Tamawashi vs Shodai – I would love to see Shodai rally and get his 10 wins, but with a 2-4 score starting day seven, he can only lose one more match and hit that goal. The chances of that are slim to none, although we all know he has the sumo to do it. We just don’t know where it’s gone. He has a 10-13 record against Tamawashi, who comes into today 3-3.

Midorifuji vs Takakeisho – Hello Midorifuji (4-2), please make sure you don’t have any loose dental work prior to today’s match. One good blast from the wave action machine, and you may be moving quickly without any control. I don’t think that 5-1 Takakeisho will drop a match today to Midorifuji today, but Midorifuji is going to do his best to put a dent in Takakeisho’s 2-0 career record against him.

We start our coverage with sumo news. Firstly, former Ozeki Takayasu has withdrawn from the tournament, due to a knee injury. He was fighting poorly this January, and it’s likely better for him to preserve what he can of his lower body. This is par for the course of Takayasu. He gets on the cusp of an achievement, and some gnarly problem slaps him down. Wakamotoharu gets the fusensho, improving to 3-3.

Also, it is reported that Okinoumi has withdrawn from the tournament after starting 0-5, and will announce his retirement from the ring tomorrow (Saturday). He owns a kabu, so we will see him in a blue jacket before long. As we mused earlier this basho, he was looking ready for a hair cut. He has been in professional sumo for the 18 years, since the age of 19. He had 67 basho in the top division, and a record of 3 Jun-Yusho, 1 Shukun-Sho, 4 Kanto-Sho, 4 Kinbosh. Well done, sir! Mitoryu picked up the fusensho, and is now 3-3.

In November, I lamented the poor quality of the competition in the tournament. Everyone was hugging the center-line, and it seemed that nobody wanted to really run up the score. Everyone was happy just to take it a bit easy and coast. What a difference 2 months can make. After the day 6 action, there are no unbeaten rikishi, and there are eight (8!) men tied for the lead at the start of the middle weekend. This is more like it, and I hope we get a big rolling battle for the next few days to sort out the dominant ones from the pack.

I will call out that in Juryo, one man remains unbeaten. None other than former Ozeki Asanoyama, at 6-0 at the end of today. He’s ranked Juryo 12, so even a zensho would be unlikely to boost him back to the top division, but I would not be surprised to see him return in May. Is he, in all honesty, the next man to be promoted to Ozeki? What a crazy thing that would be.

Highlight Matches

Chiyomaru defeats Akua – In a battle of the green mawashi whales, it’s Chiyomaru with his first win of the basho. Chiyomaru made contact first, stood Akua up, circled behind and pushed him out. Surprising agility from a fellow that large. Chiyomaru gets his shonichi, and is 1-5.

Azumaryu defeats Tsurugisho – Tsurugisho allowed Azumaryu to set up a strong left hand outside grip at the tachiai. That left hand provided enough leverage and power to raise Tsurugisho up, and pivot him to the bales for an easy step-out. I am starting to get excited that after all this time Azumaryu may finally get his first top division kachi-koshi. Just 3 more wins to go at 5-1.

Takarafuji defeats Kotoshoho – Takarafuji extends his streak of wins over Kotoshoho to 4. Kotoshoho came in strong, Takarafuji gave ground and then as smooth as could be slipped to the side and let Kotoshoho tumble to the clay. Kotoshoho picks up his first loss and both finish the day at 5-1.

Kotoeko defeats Ichiyamamoto – Kotoeko won the match, but took quite a pounding in the process from Ichiyamamoto’s double arm thrusting combos. Kotoeko stayed as close as he could manage, and endured the rain of blows coming in second by second. Kotoeko was able to get his hands underneath, and in a lift and push combo, shoved Ichiyamamoto to his right, sending him to the clay. Kotoeko improves to 4-2.

Chiyoshoma defeats Takanosho – A wild, flailing match where both men spent time slapping each other at arm’s length, grabbing each other’s head and tugging and generally carrying on. But it seems that somewhere between the tachiai and Takanosho throwing Chiyoshoma to the clay, Takanosho pulled Chiyoshoma’s mage (top knot), and was disqualified. Chiyoshoma gets his first win and is 1-5.

Endo defeats Kagayaki – Endo employs a mini-henka, and Kagayaki buys it wholesale. The win gives Endo a 4-2 record.

Onosho defeats Aoiyama – Big early pushing attack from Aoiyama to start the match, and I thought he was going to overpower Onosho. But as it looked like he was about to rock the tadpole back, Aoiyama decided to pull. Sir, we already established that was not a good plan this month. Releasing forward pressure, he opened the door for Onosho to blast forward, shut down Aoiyama’s offense, and run him out from behind, winning by okuridashi. That’s Aoiyama’s first loss, and both end the day 5-1.

Hiradoumi defeats Oho – Oho is the only man in the top division competition that has no wins now. Fans criticize him, but he’s not that bad. I have to wonder what published injury shut down all of his forward power. He had a good tachiai, but Hiradoumi quickly took him to his chest, and pivoted into a sukuinage, slamming Oho to the clay. Hiradoumi advances to 4-2.

Myogiryu defeats Hokutofuji – Impressively low early moves by Hokutofuji. He was so low that even his early, poorly executed pull attempt did not leave Myogiryu with an attack route. But there is “too much” of a good thing. Myogiryu realized that Hokutofuji was going to stay low. Myogiryu straightens up just enough to apply pressure from above to push Hokutofuji to the clay. Myogiryu picks up his second win of January, and is now 2-4.

Ryuden defeats Nishikigi – Ryuden really showing some quiet excellence here at Hatsu. He absorbed Nishikigi’s tachiai and immediately went chest to chest. In prior matches, this is when Nishikigi ramped up the power and plowed opponents off the dohyo. Ryuden shut him down, and the two entered an endurance check at the center of the ring. In the middle of this contest of strength, Konosuke stops the match for a quick mawashi check, as it looked like Nishikigi was about ready to give the fans a show they did not sign up for. It was a race to see if someone could win before Nishikigi lost his mawashi. Fortunately for the sumo world, Ryuden turned up the power just enough to get an increasingly disrobed Nishikigi over the bales before much more could be revealed. Both end the day at 4-2.

Ura defeats Sadanoumi – Strong, potent, straight-ahead sumo from Ura today. He came off the shikiri-sen into a hazu-oshi, lifting Sadanoumi up by the armpits. Ura walked forward, and three steps later had Sadanoumi out with one of his traditional finishing flourishes. That’s 3-3 for Ura.

Mitakeumi defeats Nishikifuji – Much better form from Mitakeumi today, but it still seems to me that he’s only at about 80% power again today. I have to wonder what is going on with his body, and I hope it gets better soon. He kept Nishikifuji boxed up the whole match, and just ran him around until Nishikifuji stepped out. Mitakeumi now 3-3.

Daieisho defeats Kiribayama – Daieisho looks like he’s going to make a serious play for the cup, and I am delighted. He put wave after wave of hard pushing attacks into Kiribayama’s chest, leaving him no opportunity to recover, counter-attack, or do much of anything other than go along for the ride. 5-1 now for Daieisho.

Kotonowaka defeats Meisei – After an 0-4 start, Kotonowaka now has two wins in a row. Maybe he will revert back to good form? That’s not to forecast that he’s going to win all of his remaining matches, but I am starting to hope that maybe whatever was causing him to fight poorly has been resolved. Meisei had the forward drive in this match, but Kotonowaka opened up just enough space to push Meisei down before he had to step out of the ring. Kotonowaka now 2-4.

Wakatakakage defeats Tamawashi – Wakatakakage decided to leave his sumo at home today, and instead showed up with this crummy henka instead. Not even hiding it, just a blatant jump to the side. Lame. Both end the day 3-3.

Shodai defeats Tobizaru – The Monkey sumo is not very strong this month, as evidenced both by Tobizaru’s majority loss record coming into today, and his loss to Shodai on day 6. Tobizaru jumped about quite a bit, but never was quite able to escape Shodai, who was surprisingly stable in pursuit. A final shove pushed Tobizaru out, and both ended the day 2-4.

Midorifuji defeats Hoshoryu – When Hoshoryu picked up his first loss on day 5, I suggested it was time to see if he was ready to be a champion, by shaking off the loss and going back to winning form. It’s too early to be certain, but a second consecutive loss would seem to hint that the answer is “not yet”. Hoshoryu came off the line fast, grabbed Midorifuji, pinning his arms, then seemed to not quite know what to do next. He surged forward once, to have Midorifuji repulse the attack at the bales, to the cheers of the fans in the Kokugikan. A second rush forward a few moments later took them both over the bales, but a last minute pivot by Midorifuji dropped Hoshoryu first. Of course there was a monoii. The shimpan ruled that Hoshoryu was a “dead body” and the win belonged to Midorifuji. Both end the day 4-2.

Takakeisho defeats Abi – Undefeated Abi gets a physics lesson from the Grand Tadpole. After an opening blast from the double arm attack, he is off balance at the moment the counter blast from Takakeisho shows up. The second Takakeisho hit finds his chest wide open, and Abi is sent reeling. He manages to almost get his balance back, when the third blast sends him out. Abi takes his first loss, and both end the day at 5-1.

Welcome to the start of act 2, the middle three days of the basho. During Act 2, we get to find out who has what it takes to fight for the yusho, and we will start sorting people into make and kachi-koshi. It’s where we will find the middle weekend of the tournament, and we will start to have our first look at the leader board.

Unlike Kyushu, I think we will have a leader board on day 8, and I think we will have a solid and exciting race to the cup. So let’s dive into the day 6 match, as there is plenty to look forward to.

What We Are Watching Day 6

Akua vs Chiyomaru – With Tochinoshin out, we now get daily Juryo visitors to fill the banzuke gap. First up is Akua, who last held a top division rank in March of 2022. He managed to work is way up to Juryo 1E, and able to return with a simple kachi-koshi. But unfortunately he starts today with a disappointing 0-5. He has only won twice in 11 attempts against 0-5 Chiyomaru. So the good news is that one of these round fellows will score their first win today.

Tsurugisho vs Azumaryu – At 4-1, Azumaryu is riding his best ever start in a top divisions tournament. His goal is to get his first kachi-koshi at a Maegashira rank in his career. The wrinkle today is that he has a 7-16 career deficit against 2-3 Tsurugisho, who has won their last 3 in a row.

Kotoshoho vs Takarafuji – Takarafuji sustained some kind of injury to his hand on day 4 against Mitoryu, and for a while we wondered if he would start day 5. But it looks like he was able to get his hand well enough to continue with the tournament, with a 4-1 score including the freebee win over Tochinoshin on day 5. He has a job to do today: Put dirt on white hot 5-0 Kotoshoho. Takarafuji has a working formula for doing this, winning all of their 3 prior matches.

Ichiyamamoto vs Kotoeko – Both men start the day 3-2, with the winner getting a bit ahead of in the climb to kachi-koshi next week. I am starting to wonder if the schedulers are going to run a funnel starting this weekend. I genuinely liked November, where they did not try the funnel, as I thought it provided for a more interesting tournament. Kotoeko leads the series 3-1.

Mitoryu vs Okinoumi – First ever match for these two, I just wish that 0-5 Okinoumi was in better fighting form this January. An up and comer like Mitoryu (2-3) could learn a lot from fighting a grizzled veteran with an encyclopedia full of sumo programmed into his mind and body.

Takanosho vs Chiyoshoma – At this point, 0-5 Chiyoshoma needs to take stock of his position in this tournament. No wins, a failed henka attempt on day 5, and looking rather pointless. He’s only won 3 of his 9 career matches against 3-2 Takanosho, so I hope he finds his sumo overnight and can bring it to the dohyo today.

Kagayaki vs Endo – At 3-2, Endo is just a bit better than even right now, and he has a distinct career advantage over 2-3 Kagayaki. Kagayaki has lost his last 2, against Aoiyama and then Hiradoumi, and could really use a win today. He has to hope that Endo does not get that left hand on his belt at the tachiai.

Onosho vs Aoiyama – I would guess that when the scheduling team put this match together, they were hoping that both would come in with 5-0 scores. Instead we have 4-1 Onosho against 5-0 Aoiyama. They have an even 7-7 record across their career, and both men are well know for having hot and cold basho. If they hold onto their pattern that each man wins 2, then the other man wins 2, this will be Onosho’s match today.

Hiradoumi vs Oho – Oho has been a mixed bag since he arrived in the top division. He comes from a family of sumo royalty, and thus expectations for him have been high. The reality has been quite another matter, as we have him now at 0-5, and struggling to beat anyone, in spite of still showing mostly good sumo mechanics. He’s against 3-2 Hiradoumi today, but I don’t have high expectations for Oho’s performance.

Hokutofuji vs Myogiryu – Myogiryu at 1-4? Seems rather odd to me, but every time he is ranked above Maegashira 7, he turns in a make-koshi. He’s against 3-2 Hokutofuji today, who holds a 9-6 career advantage over him.

Ryuden vs Nishikigi – Ryuden has affirmed that he can win against anyone near his rank, taking out the previously unbeaten Ohnosho on day 5. I have confidence that he has a fair chance to overwhelm Nishikigi today, who has really tuned up his forward pressure in the last two months, and looks like he could move a mountain if he could get the yori going.

Ura vs Sadanoumi – Fans hope that 2-3 Ura can keep his face out of the dirt today. With an unblemished 4-0 record against 2-3 Sadanoumi, everyone is looking for him to score his third win. This is the first time they have fought in a Hatsu basho since 2017.

Mitakeumi vs Nishikifuji – Both rikishi start the day 2-3, but I really have my doubts about Mitakeumi. His sumo seems to lack all potency, and even his muscle tone seems to have been moved down a couple of notches from this time last year. Its tough to see the perennial underdog fade out like this, we can only hope he can eventually bounce back.

Kiribayama vs Daieisho – Now that Daieisho has gotten his score up to 4-1 at the end of the first act, I want to see him continue to dominate. He’s got a marginal losing record to 3-2 Kiribayama, with the Mongolian holding a 7-5 advantage. Once Daieisho gets settled into his sumo this early, he tends to finish with double digits. I am looking forward to seeing him try to pull it off this tournament.

Meisei vs Kotonowaka – Both of them start day 6 with terrible 1-4 scores. I would not be surprised if both of them are make-koshi before the final weekend, as both are struggling now. Life is tough for a Komusubi, and these two are living the dream. They share a 4-1 career record that favors Meisei.

Wakatakakage vs Tamawashi – There has been plenty of talk over the last few months about how 2-3 Wakatakakage is the next hope for Ozeki. At times he does seem to fight with the consistent, high grade sumo required for such a rank. Sadly that seems to have escaped him the last few months, and he will be starting over shortly unless something very odd happens, more or less starting today. He has won 6 of 8 prior matches against 3-2 Tamawashi, who took a loss to lone Ozeki Takakeisho on day 5.

Tobizaru vs Shodai – This January, I think anyone and everyone is going to beat Shodai. He’s about as sad a case of an Ozekiwake as you would ever want to know, and at 1-4 he may want to just go kyujo now if he is already injured. Yes, I know there are going to be a swarm of people come and tell me I am wrong. Imagine that, one person telling another person they are wrong… on the internet of all places. Shodai’s won 4 out of 6 against Tobizaru in the past, and Tobizaru is none too shape right now at 2-3, so maybe we can see Shodai score his second win.

Takayasu vs Wakamotoharu – The seemingly injured Takayasu at 1-4 will try to find his second win of the basho today, against the other Onami brother, Wakamotoharu (2-3). Takayasu has won both of their prior matches, but right not Takayasu does not look like he can generate enough power to overcome a medium strong opponent, so I worry where the old hairy guy is going to end up in March.

Midorifuji vs Hoshoryu – Now that we had Daieisho put dirt on Hoshoryu (now 4-1), it’s time to really challenge the fellow, and see if he can bounce back and win some more. So they tee’d up 3-2 Midorifuji mostly because he has a 5-1 career advantage over Hoshoryu. As mentioned in the day 5 highlight post, it takes a lot of focus and guts to not get rattled by a loss you were not looking for, and to return to winning. This should be a good match.

Abi vs Takakeisho – Why not also finish with a really good match? Yes, let’s take 5-0 unbeaten double thrust Abi, and pair him up against the lone Ozeki, Takakeisho, at 4-1. Both of them are going to delivery monster-truck force into each other’s bodies, and I think it will be a lot of fun for the 10 whole seconds this one is going to last. Abi leads the series 5-2.

To start the day, we note that Tochinoshin is kyujo from the Hatsu basho. This likely means he would drop to Juryo. It would be a mistake to count Tochinoshin out, he seems to excel at survival, but something is going to send him out of the top division sooner rather than later. Takarafuji gets the freebie win today, and is now 4-1.

We have now ended act 1 of the 2023 Hatsu basho. I am surprised to see that Hoshoryu took his first loss, but I don’t think it ends his position to contend for the cup, if he can bounce back and continue to fight well. With him out of the undefeated club, the next question is Abi, who finished the day with a win thanks to a bit of slippiotoshi from Wakatakakge. Likewise Onosho found his first trip to the clay thanks to Ryuden knowing what do to to stop a rampaging tadpole.

Is it just me, or has the action this January been quite good? The matches have been fairly balanced, and most of the rikishi seem to be able to bring a good fight, even if they are not winning. No matter the reality, I find myself enjoying this tournament a lot.

Highlight Matches

Ichiyamamoto defeats Tsurugisho – Tsurugisho kept pace with Ichiyamamoto, until he got too far forward reaching to make contact on a thrusting attack. Not one to pass up a gift like this, brought him forward, changed his hand placement to Tsurugisho’s shoulder, and swing him down. Nice to see Ichiyamamoto use a katasukashi, and it takes him to 3-2.

Kotoeko defeats Chiyomaru – Chiyomaru attacked high, Kotoeko attacked center-mass. I am sure that Kotoeko knew that Chiyomaru’s focus telegraphed that the pull was coming. The eventual pull only served to give Kotoeko a free push, which he used to send Chiyomaru back. A moment later, Chiyomaru was out, and Kotoeko is now 3-2.

Kotoshoho defeats Mitoryu – Mitoryu seemed happy to take Kotoshoho to his chest, and wait. Kotoshoho paused a bit too long, letting Mitoryu get a right hand over the shoulder grip on Kotoshoho’s belt. As Mitoryu then lifted and tried to pivot, Kotoshoho advanced, and collapsed the throwing attempt. Kotoshoho remains perfect at 5-0.

Azumaryu defeats Okinoumi – I am going to guess that Okinoumi is running on empty right now. I hope he picks up a few wins this tournament, but I would not be surprised to see him already make-koshi early next week. I can only assume that Azumaryu was delighted to pick up his 4th win, and may be on his way to his first ever top division kachi-koshi at 4-1.

Hiradoumi defeats Kagayaki – Kagayaki looked to go for Hiradoumi’s head, which left his chest wide open for Hiradoumi to attack from below. Kagayaki quickly found Hiradoumi grappled into him with both hands inside, lifting him out. A short shove with the left hand from Hiradoumi finished him off, and Hiradoumi advances to 3-2.

Endo defeats Chiyoshoma – Chiyoshoma tried his henka, and it went exactly nowhere. Endo recovered, regained contact, and maintained balance under Chiyoshoma’s thrusting attacks. Chiyoshoma seems to have not been at all ready to actually fight today, so when it was clear he was in a tight spot, he tried a pull. This managed to get Endo off balance and tumbling forward, but it also sent him out of the ring. A monoii confirmed it, and Endo advanced to 3-2, leaving Chiyoshoma winless at 0-5.

Aoiyama defeats Oho – I compliment Oho for enduring Aoiyama’s bludgeoning attacks, but ultimately that was more than anyone could take, and he ended up face down in the clay. Twice Aoiyama opened the door with a pull, and twice Oho could not employ any offense to turn the tables on the Bulgarian giant. Aoiyama remains unbeaten at 5-0.

Takanosho defeats Ura – Ura came in low, Takanosho caught him about the neck, and helped him continue lower still. Onto the clay. Too clever by half today for Ura, and Takanosho gets a much needed win to advance to 3-2.

Ryuden defeats Onosho – That, dear readers, is how you beat Onosho when he’s on a hot streak. Ryuden absorbs the initial thrusts, and holds his ground, grappling Onosho with a right hand inside position. No longer able to thrust, Onosho squirms and flails as Ryuden walks him back, and drops him off the edge of the dohyo. That’s Onosho’s first loss, as Ryuden is now 3-2.

Sadanoumi defeats Hokutofuji – In keeping with the theme, Sadanoumi likewise closed the gap on Hokutofuji, keeping him from using either his thrusting attacks, or his nodowa today. Hokutofuji realized that Sadanoumi was latched in, and that he was too high to really counter. Out of ideas, he tried a pull with Sadanoumi tight to his chest, and released all forward pressure. Two steps later, Hokutofuji was landing on the nearest shimpan, and Sadanoumi scored his second win to improve to 2-3.

Nishikigi defeats Nishikifuji – I can only assume that Nishikigi had spent time over the Christmas break studying earthmoving equipment. His sumo has taken on some effects that one would consider common for a Komatsu D39EXi-24. The industry literature describes the D39EXi-24 as “powerful, versatile and nimble”. Seriously, the amount of forward power Nishikigi has shown in week one is impressive, I would rank it up near Kotoshogiku. He pushed Nishikifuji around easily today, and is now 4-1.

Midorifuji defeats Myogiryu – Myogiryu worked to dictate the form of this match, but a swipe at Midorifuji’s head left him standing tall, with Midorifuji holding his chest with a double inside grip. Myogiryu then worked to stalemate the match, holding steady near the center of the dohyo, and slowly worked to break Midorifuji’s grip. Midorifuji settled for a right hand ottsuke and a left hand outside belt grip. Myogiryu continued to work to free himself, Midorifuji pulled forward and twisted, unleashing a seldom seen uchimuso by simultaneously sweeping the leg. Wow, brilliant move. Midorifuji now 3-2.

Wakamotoharu defeats Mitakeumi – Mitakeumi’s power peaked early in this match, running Wakamotoharu back, but it was not enough for him to win. Wakamotoharu rallied. Squared his hips and advanced. It was three steps to the bales, and Mitakeumi was out. I have to guess that whatever robbed him of his performance the last two tournaments is still in force, as he just can’t fight at a rank appropriate level right now. Wakamotoharu now 2-3.

Tobizaru defeats Kiribayama – Henka? Henka-non-henka? Micro-henka? When Kiribayama came rushing forward, Tobizaru was not there. Kiribayama went flying off the dohyo, giving himself a bit of a sore knee. Monkey sumo bags Tobizaru an upgrade to 2-3.

Meisei defeats Shodai – Wow, Shodai looked completely lost. Maybe he thought there should have been a matta at the tachiai, which I thought as well. No excuse not to fight with everything you have. Meisei finally gets his first win as both men end the day 1-4.

Kotonowaka defeats Takayasu – Continuing the theme, Kotonowaka found his first win today, overcoming the frantic yet surprisingly underpowered Takayasu in a lengthy oshi/tsuki battle. At least twice, Takayasu had a winning position, but did not force Kotonowaka out. They spent a moment chest to chest in the middle, before reverting back to oshi/tsuki long enough for a stumbling Kotonowaka to push Takayasu out. Both end the day 1-4.

Daieisho defeats Hoshoryu – It was bound to happen sometime, and now we get to see if Hoshoryu has the mettle to be a champion. Rikishi can get on a hot streak, and it seems they keep winning. The greats can take a loss or two and come back and continue to be dominant. Hoshoryu found himself bracketed early by Daieisho’s thrusting attacks, and missed block left him wide open for a pair of “mega-thrust” volleys that sent him out. Solid work by Daieisho to improve to 4-1.

Abi defeats Wakatakakage – Abi-zumo came to play, and Wakatakakage could not get out of the way of those pulverizing double arm attacks. Wakatakakage was in trouble early as his right foot lost traction, sending him off balance. Abi blasted him to the side, complicating things, and finished him with a final push. Abi remains perfect at 5-0.

Takakeisho defeats Tamawashi – This match was matta central, as both struggled to get off the shikiri-sen together. Once underway, Tamawashi got a few solid blows in before Takakeisho’s wave action took over. The turning point was a failed grab for Takakeisho’s head, possibly to set up a pull down. Tamawashi was side open, and caught a a pair of double arm blasts in the chest. Nobody’s coming back from that. Takakeisho now 4-1.