It’s already the end of act 1, and it’s been a fun and exciting tournament so far. The team at Tachiai break the 15 days of the basho up into 3 fifteen day “acts”, each of which seem to have their own goals and purpose. In act 1, the goal is to remove the ring rust, and determine who is hot, and who is not.

The Hot List: Hoshoryu, Abi, Onosho, Aoiyama, Kotoshoho

From this list, Hoshoryu is the one to watch. Do I think he will finish 15-0? No, but it is possible. The big test will be into week 2, where we get to see if he can hold focus, assuming he is still on the hot list.

The Not List: Kotonowaka, Meisei, Oho, Chiyoshoma, Okinoumi, Chiyomaru

This list features rikishi who are hurt, or simply having a cold start. The name that stands out to me is Oho. He had a blazing 10-5 result from Kyushu, and has yet to find his first win. I hope that he is not hurt, as that would be a shame.

What We Are Watching Day 5

Ichiyamamoto vs Tsurugisho – Ichiyamamoto has not lost to Tsurugisho in any of their six prior fights. Both are 2-2, and I expect that Ichiyamamoto will continue to confound the 200 kg bruiser today. Both are 2-2.

Chiyomaru vs Kotoeko – Chiyomaru (0-4), part of the Not list, is hurt. That bandaged right foot and ankle tell his story all too plainly. Unable to really move at all, and compounded by his enormous mass, Chiyomaru is easy meat at this point. Kotoeko at 2-2 could use the win.

Kotoshoho vs Mitoryu – This is 4-0 Kotoshoho’s best start since is debut tournament in the top division in July of 2020, where he finished act 1 with a 5-0. I have had my eye on him for some time as a rikishi with the potential to be a mid to upper Maegashira main stay. He faces 2-2 Mitoryu who looked very strong day 4 against a resurgent Takarafuji. They share a 2-2 career record, thought Kotoshoho won their only match in 2022.

Azumaryu vs Okinoumi – A battle of the 35 and over club, I have to wonder if maybe dear Okinoumi (0-4) is about ready for his haircut. Saddled with chronic injuries, he shows up and competes to the best of what he has left, but increasingly he’s going through the motions. He has won 2 of the prior 3 against 3-1 Azumaryu, so maybe today is the day he rallies.

Takarafuji vs Tochinoshin – Twenty six career matches between these men, with Tochinoshin (2-2) on top 15-11. Takarafuji (3-1) looks like he simply made a bad choice in his day 4 loss to Mitoryu, and I would like to see him give Tochinoshin a double scoop full of frustrating defend and extend sumo today.

Kagayaki vs Hiradoumi – Both rikishi are 2-2, and they share a 1-1 career history. Their prior match was in Kyushu on day 6, and went to Kagayaki. Kagayaki’s sumo has been all about fundamentals for the longest time, but it seems that most of his opponents have figured him out. He also seems to have switched to preferring to attack high rather than center mass. I think this could be the key to why he went from a reliable mid-tier Maegashira to bouncing around the bottom of the top division and into Juryo.

Chiyoshoma vs Endo – Chiyoshoma (0-4) might be frustrated with his sumo. He has been fighting well, but has yet to win his first match. He had a 7-8 make-koshi for November which dropped him a half rank, but he seems to be off to his worst start since July of 2020, where he finished 6-9. Given how he seems to be a paper tiger right now, I expect 2-2 Endo to be able to best him and pick up a much needed 3rd win.

Aoiyama vs Oho – I think the schedulers are having a bit of fun here. We have 4-0 Aoiyama, part of the “hot list” up against 0-4 Oho, part of the “not list”. They have split their prior two matches, the last one was oh Kyushu day 10, and went to Oho. But given how poorly he is fighting now, and how well Aoiyama is doing, this may not be much of a contest.

Takanosho vs Ura – Both being the day at 2-2, and neither of them are fighting in anything close to normal style. I expect Takanosho to be more dominant, and ranked much higher. Likewise Ura seems to be a little cautious, and has not really deployed his “grab and tug” sumo much this month. The last two matches, both of which went to Takanosho, were won by oshitaoshi.

Ryuden vs Onosho – Will 2-2 Ryuden try to pull Onosho in the first two steps? The answer may determine if he stands a chance of winning this match. Onosho tends to have hot and cold basho, this one will likely be scored as “hot” at the end of senshuraku. His last 4-0 start was a year ago, and he ended that tournament 10-5.

Hokutofuji vs Sadanoumi – Sadanoumi (1-3) got the denshamichi treatment from Nishikigi on day 4, and I don’t like his chances against 3-1 Hokutofuji today. Sadanoumi has only won a single match against him in 6 tries. However, his sole win was day 1 of the prior tournament, in November.

Nishikifuji vs Nishikigi – A battle of the “Nishiki” rikishi, it pits 2-2 Nishikifuji vs 3-1 Nishikigi. (Nishiki means brocade, by the way). They share a 3-4 record, with only a single match in 2022, which Nishikifuji won on day 1 of Kyushu by yorikiri.

Myogiryu vs Midorifuji – Myogiryu has had some bad luck so far this basho. At least one match featured him losing by losing traction, or as Kintamayama calls it “Slippiotoshi”. On day 4 he goes up against 2-2 Midorifuji, who has won all 3 of their prior matches. Both men lost their day 4 matches.

Mitakeumi vs Wakamotoharu – To me its sad watching Mitakeumi (2-2) right now. Like a man who has suffered some kind of tragedy, he just seems a bit lost. I wonder if we will ever know what hobbled his sumo and caused him to lose his Ozeki rank. His day 3 loss to Hoshoryu stopped his win streak, and day 5 I don’t like his chances. He has lost both prior matches to Wakamotoharu (1-3), who tends to package and control Mitakeumi, robbing him of any real attack lanes.

Kiribayama vs Tobizaru – Hey, Tobizaru (1-3). Time to settle into the basho and start fighting like it matters. He has lost 2 in a row, and is starting to look sloppy. Hopefully he can use his 8-5 career advantage over Kiribayama (3-1), and find his second win today.

Meisei vs Shodai – Shodai (1-3) got his first win on day 3, and I wonder if we may be in for a long dry spell before we see his next. Having a dominant career history like 9-4 over winless Meisei (0-4) is no guarantee of a result right now, as Shodai seems completely disrupted by.. something.

Takayasu vs Kotonowaka – Also in the former Ozeki with one win group is dear old Takayasu (1-3). I have dropped all expectations for him this January, and just hope he can get his kachi-koshi. The scheduling team has given him a bit of a gift here, pairing him with winless Kotonowaka (0-4), whom was only beaten Takayasu once in 4 attempts.

Daieisho vs Hoshoryu – For now, any match featuring Hoshoryu is going to be must-watch sumo. Daieisho (3-1) seems to be a bit more potent every day, and if he can set up his “mega-thrust” can put his opponent several rows back on the zabuton. But he has a 2-4 career lost record against white-hot Hoshoryu at 4-0, and is the defacto man to beat for the lead right now.

Wakatakakage vs Abi – Right behind Hoshoryu in terms of potential for this January is November yusho winner Abi. Also at 4-0, his 1 ½ dimensional sumo works most of the time, and when he can set it up, it is tough to overcome. He shares a 2-2 record with 2-2 Wakatakakage, who is still struggling to get on a path for something better than an 8-7 kachi-koshi.

Tamawashi vs Takakeisho – 19 Matches between these two, with Takakeisho holding a 12-7 lead over Tamawashi. Both men are 3-1, and both can push you so hard your eyeballs might fall out. I will be watching to see who can connect something at full power into the other one’s body first.

It seems that a pillar of the sumo world, Kintamayama, has suffered a computer failure, and will for now not be producing his daily digests. These things happen with computers, but if you are a fan as I am, please consider donating to buying him parts for repair, or a new system. His PayPal can be found at

http://paypal.me/motisumo

I have given him a fair sum today to help defray the costs, thank you to those of you who do as well.

For today’s matches, I have to say that Wakamotoharu vs Meisei was one for the highlight reels, and shows the potential that Wakamotoharu has for great sumo. I would also say that Hoshoryu continues to impress me, as his form, power and confidence are off the charts right now.

Highlight Matches

Mitoryu defeats Takarafuji – Takarafuji finally picks up his first loss of the basho. He repulsed Mitoryu opening attack, but turned his body to an angle, which gave Mitoryu an opening to push him out. Mitoryu improves to 2-2.

Azumaryu defeats Chiyomaru – Chiyomaru can’t buy a win, even when it looks like things are going his way. Yet again today, Chiyomaru starts out strong, but can’t quite finish the match and win. That banged right foot tells the story, but I compliment him on putting as much into it today as he did. Azumaryu now 3-1.

Kotoeko defeats Tsurugisho – Kotoeko gets both hands around Tsurugisho’s bulbous mid-section, which triggers a response by Tsurugisho to clamp down on his arms. Now trapped against Tsurugisho, Kotoeko tries a number of moves to improve his position, while Tsurugisho holds on. But the match came down to determination and leg power, as Kotoeko kept pushing forward against the much broader Tsurugisho, leaving him no chance to dodge out of the way. Both end the day 2-2.

Ichiyamamoto defeats Okinoumi – Okinoumi take a full bast of double arm thrust to the neck, and then tries to disrupt Ichiyamamoto’s second volley. It’s partially successful, but leaves him unbalanced for Ichiyamamoto to slap him down. Ichiyamamoto improves to 2-2.

Kotoshoho defeats Tochinoshin – Kotoshoho’s first ever win over Tochinoshin in 6 attempts. Tochinoshin tries a double arm thrust at the tachiai it Kotoshoho’s neck. I am fairly certain it surprised him as much as it did the fans. But it left Tochinoshin without his left hand outside grip, and standing upright. Kotoshoho went to work at once, backing Tochinoshin to the bales and lifting. I applaud Tochinoshin for trying something different, sadly it did not work well. Kotoshoho remains unbeaten at 4-0.

Aoiyama defeats Kagayaki – Aoiyama decides that if Kagayaki wants to exchange blows to the face and neck, he is happy to participate. I think Aoiyama has people hit him for 20 minutes each morning just so he can learn to endure it. All the while Aoiyama is carefully backing up in between Kagayaki’s forward steps, timing it out until he is ready to deliver the hikiotoshi. Kagayaki gets a quick visit to the front row fans, and Aoiyama advances to 4-0.

Hiradoumi defeats Chiyoshoma – I am quite certain Chiyoshoma has to be immensely frustrated at this point. He takes the fight to Hiradoumi, attempting a pull down at the second step. When it fails, he attacks again, only to end up on his face in the clay as Hiradoumi is able to get out of the way. Hiradoumi now 2-2, Chiyoshoma 0-4.

Onosho defeats Endo – I have to complement Endo. He attacked from underneath, he did not try to pull, he had a couple of good combos. But then Onosho just turned up the tadpole power and froaked Endo out of the pond, with Ura receiving a rump first visit from sumo’s former golden boy. Onosho up to 4-0, and remains part of the unbeaten group.

Takanosho defeats Oho – I am happy to see the “Good” version of Takanosho back in action today. He gets Oho turned around as Oho tries to escape from Takanosho’s close range thrusting attack. Takanosho presses the advantage, pushing Oho out from behind, improving to 2-2.

Ryuden defeats Ura – That tachiai looked like it should have been a matta, and it almost seemed that bot contestants expected it all to be called back. But the fight was on, and soon enough Ryuden achieved a right hand outside grip that Ura could not shake. Ura defended very well for a time, but Ryuden’s right hand grip stayed strong. Out of options, Ura tried a moment of “grab and tug” only to collapse and lose the match. Both end the day 2-2.

Nishikifuji defeats Myogiryu – Myogiryu lost this one by what looks like part hatakikomi, and part slippiotoshi. Either way, Nishikifuji benefits and is now 2-2.

Nishikigi defeats Sadanoumi – Sadanomumi’s epic speed did nothing more than hasten the moment when Nishikigi bulldozed him straight out of the ring. Wow. Nishikigi now 3-1.

Hokutofuji defeats Midorifuji – A solid match, we got to see Midorifuji wrap up Hokutofuji a bit at a timing. He carefully cultivated a chest to chest double inside position, and looked to be doing well until Hokutofuji locked down his arms and started to lift. Now little more than ballast, Midorifuji was helpless to stop Hokutofuji walking him out, and winning by kimedashi, improving to 3-1.

Kiribayama defeats Kotonowaka – I am surprised that Kotonowaka is 0-4. As will all first runs in San’yaku, its going to be tough. But just how tough it is for him this month is unexpected. At the tachiai, Kiribayama sets up a left hand nodowa, followed by a left hand outside grip. Kiribayama tried to set up the uwatenage, but had to settle for a sukuinage as Kotonowaka was able to disrupt the pivot. Kiribayama now 3-1.

Wakamotoharu defeats Meisei – Wakamotoharu gets his first (long overdue) win in a San’yaku rank. Meisei went left hand inside at the tachiai, and kept his grip solid while Wakamotoharu struggled to escape capture. He countered with a right hand outside, and the two settled in, chest to chest, near the center of the dohyo. A Meisei surge allowed him to consolidate is grip, adding a right hand outside. Wakamotoharu tried to wait him out, but a second Meisei urge sent them both out of the ring and into the West side crew. The gumbai went to Meisei, but a monoii decided that was such a fine bit of sumo, they would need to try it again. The second match was a rapid oshidashi, where Wakamotoharu caught Meisei in the chest, and blasted him out of the ring. Well done both, and Wakamotoharu is now 1-3.

Takayasu defeats Tobizaru – I really liked what I saw from Takayasu today. The wild man sumo is still there, but its less wild, and more accurate. He took a big tsuki-oshi attack to Tobizaru immediately at the tachiai, and kept him reacting the whole way. I think it was three steps from tachiai to the moment that Tobizaru hit the clay. Both end the day 1-3.

Hoshoryu defeats Tamawashi – Right now, Hoshoryu looks like he might be the man to beat for the cup. Another day of powerful, confident and focused sumo from him, this time taking out fellow undefeated rikishi Tamawashi. Tamawashi had him on defense for just a moment, but when Hoshoryu rallied, he immediately took Tamawashi off balance, and then propelled him off of the dohyo. 4-0 for Hoshoryu.

Daieisho defeats Wakatakakage – When Daieisho gets into this mode, you would be advised to make sure your fillings are securely cemented into their teeth. Wakatakakage had a great opening counter move, attacking Daieisho’s armpits to try and blunt the thrusting attack. But Daieisho broke that, and then the mega-thrust counter attack caught Wakatakakage full in the chest. With a right hand nodowa, and a left forearm against Wakatakakage’s chest, there was exactly nothing he could do expect go along for the ride as Daieisho blasted him out of the ring. Wow, Daieisho now 3-1.

Abi defeats Shodai – Since we first saw Abi-zumo’s awkward looking double arm attack, he has gotten so much better at making it work in a variety of situations. Today, Shodai was able to disrupt the initial volley, but Abi calmly put it back together and ran the former Ozeki out of the ring. A well earned 4-0 for Abi, and I am keen to see him fight Hoshoryu in the coming days.

Takakeisho defeats Mitakeumi – For the first time in a while, we saw a hint of the “wave action” attack mode. The first blast moved Mitakeumi back a bit, but the second and third were unstoppable. Takakeisho now 3-1.

It was oshidashi day today, as the fontal push out seemed to be everyone’s favorite for day 3. We got to see Shodai score his first win of Hatsu with and oshidashi. Tamawashi employed a nodowa to set up his oshidashi, and everyone enjoyed Onosho’s oshidashi so much, they made him do it twice.

For the third day in a row, Hoshoryu dominated his match, today against a resurgent Mitakeumi. I am not sure if Hoshoryu is having a good tournament, or if this is his new normal, but it looks very good and is working wonderfully well. The only knock I have against him today is he did not read the fax before coming to the Kokugikan, and won by yorikiri rather than the default oshidashi.

Highlight Matches

Takarafuji defeats Azumaryu – Its great to see Takarafuji back in some manner of fighting form. Ranked this low on the banzuke, he is going to do a lot of damage. In addition, he is not using his “defend and extend” approach, he is taking the fight to his opponents and hustling them out of the ring. He took care of Azumaryu with out much trouble, and is now 3-0.

Ichiyamamoto defeats Chiyomaru – Chiyomaru brought nothing but a sore foot to today’s match. He deployed a half hearted attempt at a head slap to try and set up a pull, but he found Ichiyamamoto ready to engage, quickly landing volleys of thrusts into his chest, rapidly sending him out. Ichiyamamoto picks up his first win and is 1-2.

Mitoryu defeats Kotoeko – Kotoeko tried for a right hand face slap at the tachiai, leaving his chest wide open for Mitoryu to grab a hold, and toss him out like a bag of potatoes. I am not sure Mitoryu took more than two steps. Both end the day 1-2.

Kotoshoho defeats Tsurugisho – Tsurugisho was in a hurry to put Kotoshoho out, preferably with something along the lines of an oshitaoshi. But it looks like Tsurugisho needed one more step forward to make it work, and instead he dropped slightly faster than Kotoshoho, hitting the clay before Kotoshoho stepped out. Had they been spherical rikishi in a vacuum, they likely would have landed at the same time. A monoii was called to confirm this, and it was verified by the Center for Computational Science in Kobe that because Tsurugisho is more spheroid, he did in fact hit first. Kotoshoho unbeaten at 3-0.

Tochinoshin defeats Okinoumi – Three words to define this match: Left hand outside. Tochinoshin got his favorite grip, and went to work. Okinoumi shut him down at the tawara for a rather impressive length of time, but to no avail. Tochinoshin now 2-1.

Kagayaki defeats Chiyoshoma – Chiyoshoma had this match won, but stepped out at the moment he cleared Kagayaki. Poor execution at the edge cost him his first win, as Kagayaki picks up the white star by oshidashi, and is 2-1.

Endo defeats Hiradoumi – Nice switch to plan B by Endo when his initial mawashi grab went wide of the mark. The initial attack may have failed, but it caused Hiradoumi to change his focus, momentarily leaving the inside lane wide open. Endo took that gift, and pushed Hiradoumi across the bales for a win. Endo now 2-1.

Aoiyama defeats Takanosho – Big Dan is looking healthy, and so we are probably going to see him in the mix in week 2. Currently unbeaten, he has not looked this good since May of last year when he finished 10-5. Normally, pulling is a big gamble, but for some reason Takanosho was not quite able to charge forward and exploit that move. As a result he is knocked about, tossed off balance and ends up on all fours. Aoiyama now 3-0.

Ura defeats Oho – An early start for Oho, he grabs Ura’s head and pulls back with all he can muster. What the hell was that? Of course Ura thanks his lucky stars, puts his hands into Oho’s chest and runs him out of town like a bank robber on Sunday morning. Oho needs better tactics. Ura now 2-1.

Onosho defeats Myogiryu – GUYS! Stop pulling Onosho, I know its a trope that he’s got some kind of “cab forward design” that makes him front loaded and ready to fall over in the slightest breeze. But that’s now three days in a row his opponent has tried to pull him, and been basted into the zabuton. There is a monoii that decides they want to see if Onosho can do it again. He’s happy to oblige, and a quick three step charge forward puts Myogiryu across the bales in short order, advancing him to 3-0. He has Endo on day 4, who hopefully will try something else.

Sadanoumi defeats Ryuden – Sadanoumi finally gets his first win of Hatsu, he beat Ryuden off the mark at the tachiai, got his hands inside and rushed forward. Three steps later Ryuden is out, and Sadanoumi is 1-2.

Hokutofuji defeats Nishikifuji – I really like Hokutofuji’s sumo today. You can see him start by both pushing and pulling Nishikifuji at the same time, which breaks his stance and gets him moving. Hokutofuji continues to the disruption, until Nishikifuji drops his hands, opens his chest, and Hokutofuji switches to attack. Two steps later Nishikifuji is out, improving Hokutofuji to 2-1.

Nishikigi defeats Midorifuji – I am not sure what Midorifuji had in mind, but the tachiai went poorly for him, and he found himself without any defensive foot placement at the exact moment Nishikigi applied the pressure to his chest. Quick and effective, he’s out by oshidashi and both end the day 2-1.

Kiribayama defeats Wakamotoharu – Kiribayama performed an important clinical service today, making sure that Wakamotoharu’s head was securely fastened to his neck. After a brutal inspection, it was deemed well connected, and Kiribayama used the entire head-neck assembly of Wakamotoharu to hurl him to the clay. Get that guy to a chiropractor. Kiribayama now 2-1.

Abi defeats Meisei – I give credit to Meisei, he had a couple of good disrupting attacks in the opening moments of the match that degraded Abi’s thrusting attack. But Abi is good enough at this point he recovered quickly, dialed up the power and put Meisei into the front row. Abi improves to 3-0, and is one to watch for the middle weekend.

Hoshoryu defeats Mitakeumi – The kanban bout of the day was brief but excellent. I was impressed by Hoshoryu’s ottsuke today, as he kept Mitakeumi from getting any kind of working hold on Hoshoryu’s body. Hoshoryu countered with a front grip outside, and it was enough to lift and move the former Ozeki back. Outstanding sumo today, and he is 3-0.

Wakatakakage defeats Tobizaru – Tobizaru and Wakatakakage exchanged right hand inside grips at the tachiai, but Wakatakakage’s was a bit deeper, and more useful. Tobizaru realized this, and quickly tried to find some way to employ his superior mobility, but was caught. A second move to break contact instead disrupted Tobizaru’s stance, and Wakatakakage threw him out. Wakatakakage now 2-1.

Shodai defeats Kotonowaka – I am glad to see Shodai finally win a match, and against an opponent who had dominated him in the past. Perhaps there is hope after all? Kotonowaka initial set up in the tachiai and on the second step was poor, and Shodai was able to take charge and command the match. A glimpse of the old Ozeki in there? Good… Oshidashi win for a shonichi and he is 1-2.

Tamawashi defeats Takayasu – A lot of fans had hopes for Takayasu this tournament. All of you (including myself), please put them back in the box, and put the box back in the closet. After a couple of back to back strong performances, we will be lucky if he can reach kachi-koshi this time. His opening move missed its mark, and he conceded the initiative to Tamawashi. Tamawashi applied a nodowa, and walked Takayasu back, shoving him out at the bales. Tamawashi perfect at 3-0.

Takakeisho defeats Daieisho – Takakeisho and Daieisho have been competing against each other in sumo since they were children, and Takakeisho read this one from across the room. Yes, Daieisho will get a cascade of “mega thrusts” going, yes, it can move mountains. But his attack tempo is so regular and so predictable, and Takakeisho so used to it, he stepped clear at the worst possible time, and Daieisho hit the clay. Both end the day 2-1.