Welcome to day 3, the middle of the first act of the 2022 Aki basho. Team Tachiai divides a tournament into a trio fo 5 day segments, each that have their own purpose and goals. For act 1, we look at this goal as “Remove ring rust, see who is hot and who is not”. So far, there seems to be some amount of rust on our top rikishi, and we are starting to see some get into a rut of losing matches. There are still 3 days to go, so please don’t get too concerned just yet. Many of our favorites are just getting warmed up!

For those wondering Asanoyama won his first match in Makushita, on his bid to return to the paid ranks by November by turning in a 7-0 score with a yusho on top. It’s fun to see him go to work, as he’s still very much near Ozeki level sumo right now, and he goes through his hapless first opponent with overwhelming force. His first opponent? Kawazoe, a man entering sumo as a tsukidashi at Makushita 15. He is a former college Yokozuna. Here, in case you did not see it last night….

#九月場所二日目
朝乃山ー川副 pic.twitter.com/Y19f1XrbT9

— Lulit (@OneLoveLulit) September 12, 2022

What We Are Watching Day 3

Chiyonokuni vs Tsurugisho – One of the benefits of an Abi-sized banzuke gap is that we can get a daily dose of favorites who are recuperating further down the roster. Today it’s on of my favorites, Chiyonokuni. Given the state of Chiyonokuni’s body, this might be a tough match for him. In fact he has not won a single match from Tsurugisho this year in spite of 3 attempts.

Hiradoumi vs Yutakayama – first ever match up, and I am now a bit concerned about Yutakayama. He’s looking lethargic and a bit lost in his first 2 matches of Aki, and I wonder if he’s struggling in some way. In contrast, Hiradoumi is looking sharp, and comes in with a 2-0 record. This is their first ever tournament fight.

Chiyoshoma vs Mitoryu – This should be a fairly straightforward Chiyoshoma win. He has a 3-0 record against Mitoryu. The one wrinkle being they have not fought a match in 2½ years (January 2020, the last loud basho)

Ichiyamamoto vs Terutsuyoshi – Both rikishi are 1-1, but I think that Ichiyamamoto is in better fighting form right now. He lost to Okinoumi on day 2, in part thanks to the veteran’s encyclopedia of sumo strategies. For Terutsuyoshi, he needs to work now to avoid problems of demotion talk in week two. They share a 2-2 career match record.

Oho vs Ryuden – This will be a nice test for Oho, who may be fighting a bit better than we have seen so far this year. He has not won a single match from Ryuden in 2 attempts, both of them were earlier this year in Juryo.

Kotoshoho vs Okinoumi – Talk about falling short of your potential, Kotoshoho is 0-2 to start day 3. At one point I thought he had a lot of potential to be a solid mid to upper Maegashira rikishi. But after a kyujo in March of 2021, he has never been quite the same. He has not lost to Okinoumi in the past (2-0), so maybe he can score a much needed first win today.

Chiyotairyu vs Takanosho – It continues to look like Takanosho was under-ranked / over demoted coming out of July. He absolutely dominated his first two matches, and I am looking forward to see what he does against Chiyotairyu. Yes, Chiyotairyu is very one dimensional in his normal sumo. But given his size and speed, that one dimension works most of the time.

Myogiryu vs Nishikifuji – Myogiryu won their only prior match, which was last basho at Nagoya. I like how Nishikifuji has been fighting the first two days, and I genuinely think this could be a tough fight for both of them, as it’s an even match.

Tochinoshin vs Kotoeko – One of these days, Kotoeko is going to pick up his first win. He’s 0-2 right now, and I think that it may be in part because of ring rust issues. That’s all well and good until the smaller sized Kotoeko comes up against the extra large Tochinoshin. Thus far it’s been fairly tough for Kotoeko to get the best of the former Ozeki (2-6), and as long as Tochinoshin does not get that knee in the wrong place, he should be able to out-muscle Kotoeko today.

Aoiyama vs Hokutofuji – I am worried about Big Dan. Clearly that knee is not in the best of shape, and he is not fighting well right now. Maybe it’s some ring rust, or maybe he’s hurt enough that he can’t really execute his big brawny sumo. He faces Hokutofuji today, and that brings with it a 2-13 career record. In fact, Hokutofuji can count on Aoiyama to be a reliable win most basho. The last time Aoiyama won a match against ole’ stompy? Aki 2019.

Onosho vs Endo – Onosho put forth a massive effort on day 2, and it was maybe one of his better matches so far this year. But he still has yet to put his first win on the board. He is not likely to find it today against Endo, who comes in at 1-1, and not looking very genki right now. Endo also has a 7-4 career win advantage over the junior tadpole, Onosho.

Takarafuji vs Wakamotoharu – We can bank on this being a yotsu-zumo match, yes indeed. I have noticed that so far, Takarafuji is having a tough time getting his feet set, and holding ground. As his whole approach to sumo is “defend and extend”, this severely limits what he can do to try and win any contest. Could be a tough day for him against 2-0 Wakamotoharu.

Sadanoumi vs Takayasu – Takayasu got taken to the cleaners on day 2 with that Ura leg pick. Hopefully he won’t have that risk with Sadanoumi, who has never beaten Takayasu in 6 attempts. Both men come into this match with middling 1-1 records.

Tamawashi vs Nishikigi – Nishikigi, your current “magical mystery tour” gets a stop at iron-man’s house of sumo. I expect Tamawashi to go bowling with Nishikigi today. There is a 5-0 precedent for Tamawashi to dominate these contests, though the last time they fought was March of 2019.

Ichinojo vs Hoshoryu – Folks who were excited for Ichinojo’s yusho will note that he was able to bounce back from a disappointing loss or two last tournament. Today is his chance to do that again. He has a nearly even record against Hoshoryu (5-6), but he may struggle with Hoshoryu’s agility.

Wakatakakage vs Kiribayama – Hard to believe that Wakatakakage has an 0-2 start. But if you look at his recent history, he has cold starts to many of his tournaments. Hatsu of this year featured a 0-4 start, and Nagoya was 0-2. So a win today, should it happen, would be par for the course. But Kiribayama has a propensity to win against Wakatakakage (6-4), so this might be a real challenge for the Ozeki hopeful.

Daieisho vs Ura – Well, somebody had to fight Ura today. Load some big thrusts today, Daieisho. And don’t let your hands linger near his body after you deliver the force to center mass. He’s going to try to grab something and make you wish it was not there.

Midorifuji vs Shodai – My co-hosts on the podcast were correct, Midorifuji is seriously over ranked, and is going to get the stuffing knocked loose if he keeps fighting the big muscle of sumo. Today it’s Shodai. Now I would love to see some cartoon sumo from Shodai today, but I will settle for this basho’s first display of his “Wall of Daikon”.

Takakeisho vs Tobizaru – Fresh from flaying a kinboshi from the Yokozuna’s back, Tobizaru takes aim at the lead Ozeki, Takakeisho. Takakeisho has a 3-1 career lead, but I have not see him really crank up the tsuppari machine so far this month. He will need to stay mobile as Tobizaru showed up quite a bit of useful agility in his match against Terunofuji. Takakeisho leads their career record 3-1.

Meisei vs Mitakeumi – I still think Mitakeumi is on course for a very good performance this basho. If he can keep rolling, he should be able to compete for the cup in week 2. He has little trouble from Meisei in the past, holding a 8-2 career record against him. For his part, Meisei will need to somehow get past what is turning into quite a solid ottsuke from Mitakeumi.

Terunofuji vs Kotonowaka – Please, Terunofuji. Just put risking star Kotonowaka away with minimum fuss and drama. I am sure your knees are tenuous at best, but we fans want the Yokozuna to remain in this basho.

I would like to proclaim today “center mass” day. There were a larger than normal number of matches where the winner was able to overpower his opponent by getting his hands placed well, and pushing with tremendous force. Rikishi can use this general strategy in any number of ways, but its most effective when both hands are on their opponent’s torso. For a first rate demonstration, watch the Oho vs Yutakayama match from today.

I think that Terunofuji is note quite at 100% right now, I worry he is not quite at 80% right now either. His actual condition is a closely guarded secret, as the perceived power of the Yokozuna is a potent weapon in the battle before the match. But I would say that barring some miracle, we may not get that much more out of Terunofuji. Don’t get the scissors ready yet, but you can clearly see a slow progression at this point.

Highlight Matches

Chiyomaru defeats Mitoryu – It took Chiyomaru a couple of cycles to get Mitoryu off balance enough to thrust him down, but he kept working his preferred strategy with good effect. I do give points to Mitoryu for withstanding it for a above average length of time. Chiyomaru improves to 2-0.

Hiradoumi defeats Tsurugisho – Tsurugisho put too much faith in what he was doing with his left hand. A face slap and an immediate grab for the mawashi. The slap was fleeting and delicate, and the left hand could not find a hold. By the time he had finished that, Hiradoumi had him off balance, hand a right hand inside and was driving him back. Oops. With Tsurugisho’s chest wide open, Hiradoumi focused force center-mass, and Tsurugisho went out. Hiradoumi now 2-0.

Chiyoshoma defeats Terutsuyoshi – Fast initial attack by Chiyoshoma shut down whatever Terutsuyoshi had in mind low and inside. With both hands on Terutsuyoshi’s shoulders, Chiyoshoma froze him in place. Nice counter move by Terutsuyoshi to put both hands inside and on Chiyoshoma’s mawashi, but Chiyoshoma was already on the move, and Terutsuyoshi could not get his foot placement in before he was stepping back. Both end the day 1-1.

Oho defeats Yutakayama – Say it with me – Center-mass, Center-mass, Center-mass. Oho gives some defense to get his hands inside, and puts maximum force against Yutakayama’s chest. Try as he could, Yutakayama could find no way to overcome that forward pressure. Oho unbeaten at 2-0.

Okinoumi defeats Ichiyamamoto – Again, it’s Center-mass time. Okinoumi weathers Ichiyamamoto’s long arm thrusting attack to get his hands inside and against Ichiyamamoto’s chest. From there it’s time to dial up the power, and he breaks Ichiyamamoto’s stance, and them thrusts him out. Ichiyamamoto’s attempt to pull once his stance broke did a lot to end the match. Okinoumi improves to 1-1.

Ryuden defeats Chiyotairyu – Ryuden took Chiyotairyu’s big tachiai, and traded the impact for a forward right hand mawashi grip. That was the key to this match, as Chiyotairyu could not break Ryuden’s hold. With a left hand on Chiyotairyu’s shoulder, Ryuden moved Chiyotairyu back and out. Both end the day 1-1. Excellent sumo mechanics from Ryuden today, very clean and efficient.

Nishikifuji defeats Kotoshoho – Color me disappointed in Kotoshoho today. He had a fair chance to win this fight, but his endurance could not match Nishikifuji. After the tachiai they locked up and stalemated at the center of the dohyo, making this a contest of stamina. In spite of a tenuous grip on Kotoshoho’s loose mawashi, Nishikifuji was able to lift and toss Kotoshoho out for a yorikiri win to stay unbeaten at 2-0.

Takanosho defeats Kotoeko – Takanosho this far south on the banzuke is going to wreck a lot of people’s chances at kachi-koshi. Here it is again where he thumps Kotoeko, in spite of Kotoeko’s excellent fighting spirit. I loved his left hand mawashi grab, but to get there he had to raise himself up and reach across Takanosho’s back. Big loss of connection to the earth, and Takanosho rushed forward to drive Kotoeko out of the ring. Takanosho unbeaten at 2-0.

Myogiryu defeats Tochinoshin – Stalemate tachiai that left both men looking for a way to attack. For Myogiryu, it was a right hand nodowa. Tochinoshin tried to reach back and grab a handful of mawashi, but as with Kotoeko, he had to reach far enough that he unweighted his feet, and Myogiryu drove forward. A last minute throw attempt from Tochinoshin collapsed, and Myogiryu prevailed. Both are now 1-1.

Hokutofuji defeats Onosho – Brilliant match, the fans loved it and so did I. Hokutofuji had a brutal nodowa thanks to his “handshake tachiai”, and it was only by a bit of luck that Onosho was able to break that hold and establish some balance. They were locked together and pushing evenly for a time, but for a brief moment Onosho lost traction, and that was all that Hokutofuji needed to turn on the forward thrust and take Onosho out. Superb effort from both. Hokutofuji now 2-0.

Wakamotoharu defeats Aoiyama – Wakamotoharu continues his dominance over Aoiyama with today’s oshidashi. Aoiyama’s left knee seems to really be doing poorly, as Wakamotoharu should not have been able to stampede “Big Dan” back like that. Wakamotoharu joins the crowd at 2-0.

Sadanoumi defeats Endo – There are times when Endo’s patience is a virtue, but he took far too long to get any kind of offense going today, and let Sadanoumi control this match. When Sadanoumi powered up to forward, Endo really did not have anything other than his body and his foot placement to try and counter. Not enough today. Sadanoumi improves to 1-1.

Nishikigi defeats Takarafuji – Takarafuji, that should disappoint you sir. Nishikigi gave you everything you needed to win that match, but you could not quite put the pieces together in time. I will say that Nishikigi’s 2-0 start, and his generally good form are conjuring up memories of his “magical mystery tour” in July of 2019 that saw him score his first and only kinboshi. I admit, I would not complain if he can do t again, he is 2-0.

Ura defeats Takayasu – Oh Takayasu, were you the only one who did not guess that something like that was coming? I do love Ura’s gall at trying that, and that leg pick was spectacular. His execution is so fluid, that I am going to guess he goes into a McDonalds in Sumida-ku and grapples the fry cook for his snack at least three times a day. Both are now 1-1.

Meisei defeats Wakatakakage – Hey, Wakatakakage – get it together sir! We need you to be a bright beacon of sumo’s future. So far this Aki you have not looked at all well. Meisei disrupted you completely, and just pushed you about until you agreed to step out. 1-1 now for Meisei, Wakatakakage with a cold 0-2 start.

Tamawashi defeats Daieisho – Tamawashi is looking really sharp this September. Both of them open strong with solid pushing attacks, but Tamawashi gets a well placed glancing blow to Daieisho’s head, and that breaks his balance. Tamawashi closes in and finishes him before he can recover, and Tamawashi is no 2-0.

Hoshoryu defeats Kotonowaka – Kotonowaka allowed Hoshoryu to get a left hand outside grip, and that was the tool he used to win the match. With his left hand in firm control, he had a failed sotogake leg trip attempt, but it succeeded in putting Kotonowaka off balance, and Hoshoryu used what he had to bring Kotonowaka down. Both are now 1-1.

Takakeisho defeats Midorifuji – Somewhat better sumo today from Takakeisho, but we really only saw one opening volley and then a pull down. Midorifuji does not have the mass, experience of balance right now to survive that, and was soon enjoying a detailed look at the clay. Takakeisho picks up his first win and is now 1-1.

Mitakeumi defeats Ichinojo – Center-mass again. Ichinojo really has little defense against Mitakeumi’s relentless drive to get both hands against Ichinojo’s chest. He eventually connects, and then it’s three steps to take the Mongolian behemoth out. Mitakeumi with a 2-0 start to Aki.

Kiribayama defeats Shodai – Shodai got a taste of cartoon sumo himself today, as Kiribayama channels Speedy Gonzales, who was always uncatchable. This wild, chaotic match had both men flailing across the dohyo, and Kiribayama doing much better for it. Better luck next time, Shodai. Both are now 1-1.

Tobizaru defeats Terunofuji – Tobizaru’s high agility sumo kept him from being captured by Terunofuji, and eventually Terunofuji decided rather than wait Tobizaru out, he would go on the attack. One poor move by the Yokozuna, and Tobizaru had his hand placement, and then pivoted against Terunofuji’s worst knee. If that was on purpose, nicely done. If that was a happy accident for Tobizaru, then he’s a lucky fellow. Tobizaru now 1-1.

Day two action at Aki is going to feature some matches I am really keen to watch. I think chief among these will be Takayasu vs Ura, as it will tell us if Takayasu is coming into Aki strong and rested, or kind of rusty and getting by. Both outcomes are possible, but as most of you know, I would love to see Takayasu have a strong performance this month.

I think the other big match for me is Ichinojo vs Mitakeumi. I am going to assume for now that Mitakeumi is in good condition, and if so it’s high time to give the Snorlax a clay facial to test his resolve to contend once again for the cup. A healthy Mitakeumi is up to that task, so consider his day 2 match a test.

Also, after wonder if the “Sumo Prime Time” YouTube channel would produce daily videos during the basho, we seem to have our answer. Hiro Morita and the crew from the Japan Sumo Association are off to a fine start, and if you have not take the chance to watch some of their content, please do so soon. You can find them here – Sumo Prime Time YouTube

What We Are Watching Day 2

Mitoryu vs Chiyomaru – With Abi’s vacancy unbalanced, its time for another visitor from Juryo, and who do we get? Beloved spheroid of sumo, Chiyomaru! He has never lost to Mitoryu, and I would certainly appreciate the bulbous on delivering a day 2 loss to Mitoryu, as a way of saying “Don’t get to comfortable up here”.

Hiradoumi vs Tsurugisho – A drastic mis-match in size, but it was Hiradoumi who won their only prior match. I am not sure that establishes any kind of dominant record. Tsurugisho showed a fair amount of ring rust on day 1, and I hope he will come in today with better organized sumo.

Chiyoshoma vs Terutsuyoshi – Both rikishi have a lot of agility, and good sumo mechanics. This has the making for a high energy match, as I am sure that Chiyoshoma is disappointed after his hair lost his day 1 contest against Oho. Chiyoshoma leads 7-5 across their thirteen career matches.

Yutakayama vs Oho – Two big, bulky men who can hit with power, this could be a force on force struggle, or it might just feature Oho dropping Yutakayama like a sack of sweet potatoes. Oho does hold a 4-1 career advantage, and looked in good fighting form day 1 against Chiyoshoma.

Okinoumi vs Ichiyamamoto – Grizzled veteran against rowdy new talent, this match will come down to Okinoumi getting working hand placement within the first 2 steps. As we saw day 1, if Ichiyamamoto can get a thrust cadence running, with good contact to center mass, its difficult for his opponents to keep their feet.

Ryuden vs Chiyotairyu – I am not sure if it was ring rust or his chronic lower body injuries, but Ryuden was completely off his sumo on day 1. Going up against Chiyotairyu today, his balance will have to be in top form, as it seems sumo’s thunder-god is back to his “stand them up and slap them down” mode. They have an even 4-4 career record, last having fought in Osaka 2021.

Nishikifuji vs Kotoshoho – Kotoshoho has shown quite a bit of promise in the past. He has 2 Juryo yusho to his name, but each time he is in the top division, he seems to struggle. He was in the middle of the funnel at 5-5 when his stable went COVID kyujo on day 11 in Nagoya. I suspect that if Kotoshoho is nursing an injury, this will be a rough tournament for him. Nishikifuji has a narrow 3-2 advatage across their careers.

Takanosho vs Kotoeko – Speaking of Takanosho, he is severely under ranked this time around. At Maegashira 10, he’s going to be cracking a lot of heads and taking a lot of white stars. He’s this far down the banzuke because of his single win in Nagoya, followed by a day 7 kyujo. I am going to guess he is in better condition. He’s more or less a san’yaku class rikishi, and so he’s going be bring a lot of power to his matches. Kotoeko has beaten him twice in their 5 match career history, but the last time Kotoeko won a head to match fight on the clay was May of 2018.

Tochinoshin vs Myogiryu – 31 career matches, with Myogiryu having a distinct advantage at 17-14. Tochinoshin looked good enough on day 1, but given what we have seen over the past 2 years, he tends to start well, then his knee starts to act up, then he suffers. He is still in the “Good enough” stage right now, so I am looking for him to give Myogiryu a stiff fight.

Hokutofuji vs Onosho – Two men with poor balance and over-active sumo. This is actually a great match up, and their 7-7 career record underscores that each will try to overcome their weaknesses as best they can in this “all in” battle of the power-thrusting sumotori. The question will be which one falls down first.

Wakamotoharu vs Aoiyama – Wakamotoharu’s sumo is very efficent. I don’t see much in the way of movement from his body that is not connected to an intentional sumo action. As such, he can prove challenging for an opponent like Aoiyama, as Big Dan tens tends to come into a match ready to flail his big meaty arms about, delivering maximum punishment to his opponent. As long as Wakamotoharu can keep his balance, it should be his match to lose.

Endo vs Sadanoumi – This match is very much “who get there first”. There being a grip of some kind. We know Endo will try to land something during the tachiai, but more times than not will miss. He will then need to contend with Sadanoumi’s massive speed advantage. I think this is probably why they have a 6-5 career record, it’s down to who gets the first advantage. I am guessing this one is over before anyone takes a 5th step.

Nishikigi vs Takarafuji – Nishikigi will go for the belt straight away, and I am going to guess this will suit Takarafuji just fine. He seems to be in good enough condition that he can keep his defensive sumo up for a long period of time right now. He has a 5-2 career advantage over Nishikigi, but the bulk of their matches are pre-covid. It has been some time since Nishikigi was this far up the banzuke (2018 or so).

Takayasu vs Ura – If Takayasu brings his “wild man sumo” to the dohyo today, Ura is likely to make him pay for it. If instead Takayasu executes a match like his day one win over Takarafuji, I see him starting Aki with a 2-0.

Wakatakakage vs Meisei – Both of these rikishi lost their day one matches, and I have to think that Wakatakakage is facing a “gut check”. He is a solid san’yaku rikishi, and I think headed for higher rank. But his big challenges now are all in his head. He needs focus, and crisp execution. He has a 5-2 career record against Meisei, so perhaps today he can get a recovery win to pull up to 1-1 for Aki.

Daieisho vs Tamawashi – Two very aggressive rikishi who are going to do their best to get their hands inside and around the other one’s neck. They have met 4 times in 2022, and Tamawashi has taken 3 of those matches. Both one their day 1 contests, and both are looking good. Could be sparks flying in this one.

Kotonowaka vs Hoshoryu – Having dispatched Wakatakakage, it’s time for Kotonowaka to take on the next Sekiwake in the rotation in the form of Hoshoryu. He has beaten Hoshoryu 5 times out of their 8 career matches, and I am hoping to see some more of Kotonowaka’s “witty and aggressive sumo” today. I think that after the loss to Tamawashi, he may sharpen his resolve.

Takakeisho vs Midorifuji – I am hoping to see some power and balance out of Takakeisho. He looked terrible day one, and not at all in fighting form. Maybe he was just not quite ready to start a tournament, and he will tune up over the next day or two. Luckily he is not kadoban, so he can take a few losses. He has never face Midorifuji before.

Ichinojo vs Mitakeumi – I hope that Mitakeumi puts on more of a battle than Takakeisho did when he faced the Boulder on day 1. Granted Ichinojo is mighty large, but Mitakeumi has a reliable formula for getting the big man down. He holds a 14-7 career advantage, winning mostly by oshidashi. So get him off balance, get him moving, and never let his set is feet.

Kiribayama vs Shodai – I would love for Shodai to have a good tournament. A solid double digit, competing for the cup, strong Ozeki sumo kind of fortnight. Fans of Kiribayama please take note, he’s a chew-toy for the upper ranks for most of this week, so he may rack up quite a few losses. If he can keep his fighting spirit intact, he can more than make up for it in week 2.

Terunofuji vs Tobizaru – Terunofuji has not lost to Tobizaru since he returned to the paid ranks in 2020. Although we can never quite tell what condition the Yokozuna’s lower body is in on any given day, I expect him to continue to deliver strong, patient sumo. If Terunofuji makes today “capture and squeeze” contest against the flying monkey – so be it.