And thus we come to the end of it, the silent basho. We have grown oddly comfortable with now cheering crowd, the noises of the rikishi preparing for battle oddly loud on the video, and the sights of row after row of empty boxes. It was a bold move to hold the tournament without spectators, and the issue orders to the stables to sequester then athletes. But it seems, against the odds, it worked. The final day is upon us, and as far as we can tell nobody contracted or transmitted COVID-19, and there was a fair amount of quality sumo.

The yusho will be decide in the final match of the day, between Yokozuna Hakuho and Yokozuna Kakuryu, both come into the day with 12-2 records. The winner gets the hardware, and the loser gets dirty. But my focus is on Asanoyama. In one of the most brutal Darwin matches of my sumo fandom, we have this battle between the one surviving Ozeki, Takakeisho, and the Ozeki presumptive, Asanoyama. If Takakeisho wins, it will be his 8th, and he will avoid kadoban, but Asanoyama will have no hope of making Ozeki following the Osaka basho. But not to fear, should this be the case, his chances look the same for the next tournament, assumed to the May in Tokyo. Should Asanoyama win, he might get Ozeki, but Takakeisho would be kadoban, needed into get 8 wins to retain Ozeki in May. Of course its possible that Asanoyama wins, the promotion committee says “try again”, and we get a horrific day 15 match in May where it’s Asanoyama’s promotion vs Takakeisho’s holding on to Ozeki. Note to the NSK – this is not an outcome you want.

What We Are Watching Day 15

Ishiura vs Aoiyama – Now out of the yusho race, Big Dan gets a final match against the already kachi-koshi Ishiura, with nothing to be decided save rank on the next banzuke. Aoiyama has not had a kachi-koshi tournament above Maegashira 3 since 2015, so I have to wonder about his push to higher rank. Maybe he’s resolved all of his troubles and is ready to shine?

Daiamami vs Terutsuyoshi – With Daiamami likely headed to Juryo, he gets one last shot at Terutsuyoshi. This will be the 6th match of their careers, and Terutsuyoshi is behind 2-3. Terutsuyoshi already has 8 wins, so this is all about rank on the next Banzuke.

Chiyotairyu vs Shimanoumi – Both kachi-koshi, both fighting for their next rank. I would expect Chiyotairyu to be a bit less intense today, at his size he does not have to go full power and roll the dice on an injury.

Sadanoumi vs Nishikigi – Nishikigi is still looking for safety to stay off of that dreaded Juryo barge, and he has one last chance against speed demon Sadanoumi. He holds a 9-7 career advantage over Sadanoumi, but its pretty clear Nishikigi is not quite himself, either.

Kotonowaka vs Tochinoshin – After losing 5 of his first 6, former Ozeki Tochinoshin rallied to 6-8, and a win today against newcomer Kotonowaka would give him a small make-koshi at 7-8. I expect that although Kotonowaka has his 8 wins, he will bring everything he can muster to his first ever match with Tochinoshin.

Meisei vs Kagayaki – Our first Darwin match of the day. Only one of them will leave the dohyo with a winning record. Meisei holds a 3-0 career advantage over Kagayaki, so this might be a tough day for Mr Fundamentals.

Myogiryu vs Tochiozan – Both are beat up veterans that are deeply make-koshi, and for Tochiozan, it looks like a ride on the Juryo demotion barge of the damned no matter what happens today. They have 28 career matches, which they have split 14-14.

Ryuden vs Azumaryu – Another pair of grizzled veterans with losing records, each having a matching 5-9 to start day 15. For Azumaryu, it’s likely he has a seat next to Tochiozan on the Juryo barge.

Kaisei vs Abi – I think one is fairly simple, Kaisei has his 8, and wants no part of risking injury in this tournament for another win. So he may put up a token fight, and allow Abi to finish Haru with 7-8. At Kaisei’s size, a awkward fall could be a career ender.

Enho vs Ikioi – First ever match between Enho and trusty battle wagon Ikioi. Ikioi comes into day 15 with 8 wins on the board, so he will be promoted for May, but I expect him to be full power against Enho, as this is their first ever match.

Onosho vs Mitakeumi – Another tadpole head to head, and I think this might have a lot of fireworks. Mitakeumi may want to force another San’yaku slot, and it’s possible that 11 wins might help make the case. Onosho has only ever won once against the “Original Tadpole”, so today might be the day to show his improved sumo.

Yutakayama vs Chiyomaru – Second Darwin match, and much as I love Chiyomaru, I am all in for Yutakayama. My hope is he stays in the joi-jin for most of this year and provides a constant source of competition to Asanoyama, as it will drive them both to higher performance. He holds a 5-2 career advantage over Chiyomaru, who has done pretty well since coming back from kyujo.

Tamawashi vs Tokushoryu – Both are make-koshi, and I think both are going to be much lower down the banzuke for May. I think we may see Tokushoryu bounce back, now that the pressure and distractions associated with being a yusho winner have passed. Tamawashi holds a 9-7 career edge.

Okinoumi vs Kotoshogiku – The second Darwin match pits two long serving veterans, both of whom will prefer a mawashi battle, going head to head for kachi-koshi. Only one of them will exit the match with their 8th win. Kotoshogiku’s career advantage is 16-9 over Okinoumi.

Daieisho vs Kiribayama – Both are 8-6 at the start of the final day, so this is all about rank. Daieisho has a strong claim to any open San’yaku slot, but another win would help boost his upward momentum.

Takarafuji vs Endo – Endo is 7-7, and I would bet you a tall glass of beer that he gets his 8 against Takarafuji today. Simply put, there is no reason for Takarafuji to press for win #9, and with his penchant for efficiency, I can see him being especially defensive today to ensure a safe end to Haru.

Hokutofuji vs Shohozan – How depressing is this match? It’s like watching the end of “Ole Yeller” in 4k with AR. Skip the match gentlemen and catch the early train back to Tokyo. Enjoy many beers on the way.

Takanosho vs Shodai – Upstart Takanosho vs Shodai? Yes please! This will be a nice match as I think Shodai is showing us some of his best sumo ever. He is kachi-koshi at Sekiwake, and has shown that he can take a pounding an still put your face in the clay. But Takanosho is on a bit of a hot streak, and may find a way to overwhelm the man in blue. Takanosho was unable to beat Shodai in either of their prior matches.

Takakeisho vs Asanoyama – As outlined above, a high stakes match. It will come down to if Asanoyama can get a hold of the Grand Tadpole. If he can land a grip, its his match all the way. I know Takakeisho is hurt, and trying to conserve what he can of his damaged body, but if there was every a day to fire up the wave action tsuppari system, it’s today. We promise you can take 6 weeks off to heal up.

Hakuho vs Kakuryu – This one is for the cup. A surprisingly low yusho score given who is fighting it out in the final. Hakuho leads their series 43-8, so this is a tough one for Kakuryu. Good luck to Big K and The Boss. Thanks for a great basho!

As it so frequently does, the world of sumo has simplified matters going into the final day. The yusho race as been reduced into a single winner take all match between the Yokozuna, the winner takes the cup. Asanoyama’s Ozeki bid will probably fall short, as his match went to a monoii, and the judges overturned the gyoji’s gumbai (and rightly so). There are a slew of Darwin matches for the final day, and a number of deserving rikishi scored their 8th win today, to reach safety. Let’s dive into the action.

Highlight Matches

Kotonowaka defeats Nishikigi – Kotonowaka overcame poor body position at the tachiai to pick up his 8th win. Nishikigi’s attempt to change his grip opened door for Kotonowaka to go on the attack, and he rapidly put Nishikigi on the clay. That’s kachi-koshi for Kotonowaka in his first tournament in the top division.

Meisei defeats Ishiura – Ishiura lost this match when he attempted to set up a throw and released forward pressure, and Meisei read it correctly and charged ahead. Meisei improves to 7-7, and will enjoy a lovely Darwin match on the final day.

Shimanoumi defeats Ikioi – Ikioi gave it a full measure today, but Shimanoumi had acres of motivation, and a keen desire to stay out of the Darwin mosh pit on day 15. If you want to see two very strong people grapple and struggle to overpower each other, this match is for you. Both men exit the match 8-6 with well deserved kachi-koshi results for March.

Chiyotairyu defeats Kotoshogiku – Chiyotairyu gave ground at the tachiai, and pulled Kotoshogiku forward and down for a quick win to reach the safety of kachi-koshi. Chiyotairyu opened strong, but lost 5 of his last 7, and is fortunate to get 8 in March. Kotoshogiku drops to 7-7 and joins the Darwin squad.

Terutsuyoshi defeats Chiyomaru – Terutsuyoshi did a masterful job of disrupting Chiyomaru’s preferred attack mode, and took control of the match when he got beside the big man and danced him to the bales. I liked the little “get away from me kid!” slap as Chiyomaru’s overwhelming inertia drove him stumbling across the bales. Terutsuyoshi: kachi-koshi, Chiyomaru: Darwin time.

Tochiozan defeats Azumaryu – Tochiozan manages to piece together his second win of the tournament. You can see him losing power as Azumaryu increases his attack, but Tochiozan found some reservoir of genki and gave his opponent a final vigorous shove for the win. Both were deeply make-koshi before this match, so it’s down to 5-9 for Azumaryu and 2-12 for Tochiozan.

Sadanoumi defeats Shohozan – The timing on that tachiai was odd, and may have contributed to the lack of real offense from Shohozan. Sadanoumi uses his speed to get a hold of Shohozan at the tachiai, and escorts him out to improve to 6-8.

Tamawashi defeats Daiamami – Nice to see a little flavor of the Tamawashi of old. He came off the shikiri-sen looking to attack, and was able to get inside at once and apply a lot of energy into Daiamami. Both end day 14 at 5-9.

Myogiryu defeats Enho – Nearly everyone has done a solid job of shutting down Enho’s two main weapons, “Grabby and Squeezy”. They keep him at distance and hit him repeatedly. Today Myogiryu applied this well, but Enho did manage to get a left hand inside grip. As Enho pivoted to throw, Myogiryu expertly shut it down and send Enho to the clay for his 9th loss. Both are deeply make-koshi, and will end March with stiff demotions.

Tochinoshin defeats Yutakayama – Yutakayama, for some reason, focused high – putting all of his force against Tochinoshin’s face and neck. Tochinoshin focused on Yutakayama’s body, and got good results. Yutakayama has massive potential, but is still working out some of his mechanics, and Tochinoshin’s experience got him a much needed, and well deserved win. Yutakayama drops to 7-7, and joins the Darwin mosh pit.

Takanosho defeats Mitakeumi – Impressive that Takanosho overpowered Mitakeumi at the tachiai, I was not expecting that. Takanosho followed up with a solid right hand ottsuke, pinning Mitakeumi’s arms to his body, and shutting down any real offense. Mitakeumi went to shift his grip, and that just furthered Takanosho’s advantage. Realizing he was almost out of space, Mitakeumi tried a pull, which released forward pressure and allowed Takanosho to drive him from the ring. Nice sumo today from Takanosho, he advances to 11-3. In spite of his loss, Mitakeumi is in double digits for the first time sine his Aki 2019 yusho (12-3).

Kiribayama defeats Okinoumi – Kiribayama took control of this match at the tachiai with a left hand inside grip, and moments later converted it to an uwatehineri. The win gives him a kachi-koshi at his highest ever rank. He has been kachi-koshi in 8 of his last 9 tournaments. Wow! Okinoumi drops to 7-7 and joins the Darwin group.

Tokushoryu defeats Kaisei – A bit more of the Tokushoryu magic came out today. He did a masterful job of controlling Kaisei’s Newtonian sumo, and was able to execute his step back / pivot / thrust finishing move that fans loved in January. Tokushoryu improves to 4-10.

Daieisho defeats Ryuden – Amazing the amount of aggressive sumo that Daieisho output today. Ryuden is no easy mark, but Daieisho battered him with vigor, leaving Ryuden really no means to counter attack. That’s Daieisho’s 8th win, and kachi-koshi for March.

Hokutofuji defeats Kagayaki – Hokutofuji finds his tachiai after being a bit dull for most of March, and blasts Kagayaki out in a hurry, dropping him to 7-7 and placing him in the Darwin group.

Abi defeats Endo – Abi stood him up and then pulled him down. Given Abi’s height advantage and long arms, if he can get that set up, there is little that anyone of Endo’s stature can do to prevent it. Endo drops to 7-7 and is likewise relegated to the Darwin group.

Shodai defeats Takarafuji – Surprisingly sharp tachiai from Shodai today, I think it surprised Takarafuji as well, as Shodai was immedately on the advance, and Takarafuji had no chance to set up any manner of defense or deflection. Shodai now kachi-koshi, and he retains a Sekiwake slot. Nicely done.

Takakeisho defeats Onosho – Onosho had the early advantage, but Takakeisho got a moment to get both arms primed for a double arm blast, and that was really all it took to change the tone of this match. This is the first of many in the years to come, and I am glad they are going to battle it out as mainstays of the new era of sumo. This was a must-win match for Takakeisho, and he improves to 7-7. He has Asanoyama on the final day, and the contest more or less comes down to kadoban vs Ozeki promotion, I would guess.

Hakuho defeats Aoiyama – I am not sure I would call it nerves, but Aoiyama took his time to set up the V-Twin attack, and when he did, Hakuho so expertly deflected it that Aoiyama could not keep his footing. This kind of mistake Hakuho exploits with great skill and energy, and Big Dan was flat on the clay a moment later. Hakuho’s win sets the stage for the final match of the basho to decide the yusho.

Kakuryu defeats Asanoyama – Absolute showcase of Kakuryu’s reactive sumo. Asanoyama brought strong, careful offense today, and the Yokozuna absorbed it all. Asanoyama kept pouring it on, and for a long stretch he saw victory before him. Loading a throw at the bales, he pivoted just as Kakuryu pivoted as well. The went down in tandem, but poor body control saw Asanoyama’s left arm touch down first, costing him the match. That was solid sumo from the Ozeki candidate, but this means he cannot reach 12 wins to reach 33 over 3 tournaments this march. Will it matter? He showed excellent power, and great skill in this match in spite of the loss. Kakuryu joins Hakuho at 12-2, and will contest for the cup on the final match of the tournament.

Thanks to some skill and a bit of luck, we have a 3 way tie going into the final weekend. In all likelihood, the yusho will come down to the final match on the final day of the tournament – a high stakes battle between the lone surviving Yokozuna. Although both of them are getting closer to the end of their careers on the dohyo, they have once again shown that nobody in the sport is even close to challenging them for dominance. Sure both of them have taken complete tournaments off, but there is not a soul right now that had the sumo to stand up to them in competition.

A hat tip to Takanosho, who took care of business today when Aoiyama made a huge mistake and fell into a bad habit, opening the door for Takanosho’s win, which Takanosho exploited with masterful effect. As a result, Big Dan picks up his second loss of Haru, and has allowed the Yokozuna to catch him, creating a 3 way tie for the lead. Barring some bizarre outcome of day 14, one of these 3 men will take home the hardware. But should calamity fall the leaders, former yusho winners Asanoyama and Mitakeumi are 1 loss behind, ready to engage in one last push for the cup. Exciting times to be a sumo fan!

Highlight Matches

Ikioi defeats Kotonowaka – Ikioi kept Kotonowaka in front of him, where his forward power could do the maximum good. Though youngster Kotonowaka put up a solid effort, Ikioi overpowered him and drove him out for the win, which was his 8th, giving him kahci-koshi in his home town basho. Sadly there was no crowd on hand to cheer him on. His kachi-koshi is all the more impressive given some of the physical problems that Ikioi has faced in the past year.

Shimanoumi defeats Ishiura – As I had expected, Ishiura is not quite at the same intensity that he had leading up to his 8th win. While this may disappoint some sumo fans, it’s really quite smart for Ishiura, who struggles quite a bit if he ranks much higher than this. Shimanoumi’s sumo was also spot on, reacting correctly to Ishiura’s hit and shift, and keeping the smaller more nimble rikishi from getting to the side. Shimanoumi improves to 7-6.

Meisei defeats Chiyotairyu – Chiyotairyu has now lost 3 in a row, and is on a perilous course toward a Darwin match on day 15. Chiyotairyu attempted a hit and shift as well, but his bulk means that the entire gambit unfolded in slow motion, and Meisei had time to go to combini, get a cup of Joe, maybe some onigiri, and come back in time to grab Chiyotairyu by the mawashi and toss him out. Meisei improves to 6-7, and is another fine candidate for a Darwin match.

Chiyomaru defeats Tochiozan – Watching Tochiozan is just misery now. Tochiozan was lethargic, slow, lacking power and fighting spirit. He’s hurt and going through the motions, but he’s there. At least Chiyomaru picked up his 7th win today, and has a reasonable chance at a kachi-koshi. He faces Terutsuyoshi on day 14.

Sadanoumi defeats Daiamami – Sadanoumi got his right hand inside position at the tachiai, and went to work. Daiamami advanced, but could not finish Sadanoumi at the edge. Sadanoumi rallied and rolled into an uwatenage. Picking up his 5 win and handing Daiamami his make-koshi.

Kotoshogiku defeats Tochinoshin – Probably should have been a matta, as Tochinoshin left the shikiri-sen much earlier than Kotoshogiku. But Tochinoshin could not really generate much forward pressure, and Kotoshogiku quickly had his inside grip, and was on to the hug-n-chug. Kotoshogiku advances to 7-6, and Tochinoshin now make-koshi.

Takanosho defeats Aoiyama – Major consequences from this match. I fully expected Aoiyama to power up the V-Twin thrusting attack from the start, but instead he went into an attempt at a pull. Takanosho must have known this was coming, as he pushed into the pull the moment it started, driving Aoiyama back, shoving him over the west side tawara. Aoiyama’s loss drops him from sole ownership of the yusho lead, and Takanosho gets his 10th win.

Kiribayama defeats Kaisei – Kiribayama executes a nice hit and shift, getting to Kaisei’s right side. From here Kaisei has almost no avenue to attack or defend. Kiribayama pins him down, and prevents Kaisei from turning to face his opponent, and Kiribayama drives him out. Nice strategy today, Kiribayama! He improves to 7-6.

Tamawashi defeats Azumaryu – Tamawashi gets the inside position at the tachiai, with his hands on Azumaryu’s neck and face, and gets to work thrusting against Azumaryu’s chest. Unable to generate much response, he is forced to give up ground to try and recover, but Tamawashi has him beat. Azumaryu picks up his 8th loss, and joins Tamawashi in a losing record for Haru.

Nishikigi defeats Myogiryu – Its kind of shocking to see Myogiryu with so little power right now. Nishikigi quickly got his favored arm bar hold, and it seems Myogiryu had no answer. A step back, and a roll to the left and Nishikigi had a win via sukuinage, handing Myogiryu his 10th loss.

Onosho defeats Terutsuyoshi – Terutsuyoshi attempts a hit and shift, which would normally be likely to end Onosho’s part of the match. But it seems he really has made great strides in his balance and foot work. Faster than Terutsuyoshi could react, Onosho pivots into Terutsuyoshi’s shift, getting to his side. At that point, Terutsuyoshi is more or less a pliable practice toy, and Onosho smacks and shoves him about with great effect before pushing him from the dohyo. Complete domination by Onosho today after a failed opening gambit by Terutsuyoshi. Onosho improves to 8-5, and picks up his kachi-koshi. He will be back in the joi-jin for the next basho, and frankly I think this is a very exciting development for sumo.

Mitakeumi defeats Takarafuji – This may have seemed to be a very pedestrian, low-energy match, but it is in fact littered with brilliant, small details. First the tachiai. Mitakeumi is so damn low for such a large bodied person, I am not sure how he stays upright, but he puts all of that force right on Takarafuji’s chest. Showing outstanding reflexes, Takarafuji responds with a right hand ottsuke, while Mitakeumi unfolds his arms at the elbows (blunting the ottsuke and continuing the force to Takarafuji’s chest. It all happens in less than half a second, but damn! But Takarafuji is a master of defense, and traps Mitakeumi low with his arms extended, the Original Tadpole has no leverage, and no path to attack. Takarafuji attempts something akin to a hikkake, and Mitakeumi uses that change of grip to break free and attack. A moment later, he has forced Takarafuji out, and picks up his 10th win. Very nice technique from both men today.

Shohozan defeats Tokushoryu – Glad to see Shohozan pick up a win, but now both he and Hatsu yusho winner Tokushoryu have 10 losses. It’s a grim basho for some of these beloved veterans.

Okinoumi defeats Yutakayama – This match was 100% Okinoumi, as Yutakayama got tangled up and shut down early. Both men exit the match with 7-6 records, and possibly headed for Darwin matches on day 15.

Enho defeats Daieisho – The first match ended with both rikishi flying out of the ring, and the judges ruled a torinaoshi (rematch). In the second bout, Enho brought his best break dancing moves to the clay, and kept Daieisho batting at the empty Osaka air. In one step, Daieisho lost his balance, and Enho helped him fall out of the ring. Daieisho falls to 7-6 and is also probably headed for a Darwin match.

Endo defeats Kagayaki – Kagayaki could not keep Endo away from his mawashi, and some great hard placement by Endo gave him a grip and put him in charge of the match. Once it was best to chest. It was Endo’s sumo that controlled the match, and Kagayaki could not really respond. If there is a spot for Kagayaki to improve, it would be his yotsu-zumo. His Oshi is fantastic, his foot work excellent, and he clearly gives it his all. Both are 7-6 at the end of this match, and again we seem to have a lot of rikishi headed for Darwin.

Ryuden defeats Hokutofuji – Both are in sad shape this March, and now Hokutofuji has double digit losses. To me this can only mean some kind of injury, and it’s quite disappointing to fans, as he seemed to have his sumo together in January.

Shodai defeats Abi – Shodai’s super power seems to be able to take a beating and stay in the match. I knew people like this in my younger days, they could take punch after punch (Marine Corps, you see..) but not give in or fall down. Eventually the attacker loses control or rhythm, and they are wide open, and maybe a bit tired. The counter-attack in these situations is frequently rapid, brutal and final. Abi picks up his 8th loss, while Shodai remains on a path toward kachi-koshi.

Kakuryu defeats Takakeisho – The only offense Takakeisho could generate was an early pull down attempt on the second step after the tachiai. It was quite useless, and opened himself up to the Yokozuna’s offense. Moments later, Kakuryu landed a right hand shallow grip on Takakeisho’s mawashi, and that was all he needed for the win. Takakeisho fans, just resign yourself to a make-koshi this tournament. Kakuryu picks up win #11 and remains in the yusho hunt.

Hakuho defeats Asanoyama – Hakuho wasted no time going on the attack, but seemed to have a moment of poor balance right at the moment he won. To my eye, that bandaged right foot gave way, and he fell forward. Thankfully for him, he converted most of that forward energy into shoving Asanoyama out of the ring. Hakuho improves to 11-2 and remains tied for the lead.