To day was the day that many who had not won got their first white star, and several who had not lost got their first black mark. I continue to keep my eye on Abi, who is far enough down the banzuke that he is not facing any strong challenges. Should he keep his winning streak running, I am certain he will get some tough opponents in week 2. The question then will be: will his opponents be ready?

On Ozeki watch, Mitakeumi picked up his first loss today, he needs 10 wins over the remaining 12 days to return to Ozeki, and today was a match he should have won. He first let Daieisho get away from him, then chose to close the gap in a single step. But of course, he was played. I do want to see him regain his rank, but he’s going to have to remain genki into week two. Also in Ozeki watch, Shodai seems to have remembered some of his sumo, and I am happy to see it. Much as I think he should not be a slackard, I do like his sumo when he decides to employ it. Lastly, I may start using the term “Future Ozeki Wakatakakage”, as he has most certainly looked to be in Ozeki form so far this basho. He needs a strong double digit score in Kyushu and again in January to make it happen.

Highlight Matches

Hiradoumi defeats Terutsuyoshi – Its tough to watch Terutsuyoshi matches. He has no ability to withstand any amount of offensive pressure from his opponent, and Hiradoumi makes easy work of him today to end day three at 3-0. Terutsuyoshi still winless at 0-3.

Atamifuji defeats Churanoumi – It was kind of messy, but Atamifuji finally got his first win of the Kyushu basho. He spent a good deal of effort trying to get a preferred hand grip against Juryo visitor Churanoumi, but could never quite make it work. But he was moving Churanoumi back, then finished the job with a powerful shove to Churanoumi’s mid-section. Atamifuji improves to 1-2.

Azumaryu defeats Ichiyamamoto – Ichiyamamoto brought his typical sumo to the dohyo today, and was thrusting away well, but a strong forward move by Azumaryu, and a shove to re-direct an Ichiyamamoto attack to the side, took the match. Suddenly off balance, Ichiyamamoto dropped to the clay, and Azumaryu has his first win at 1-2.

Oho defeats Kagayaki – It was not fancy or glamorous, but Oho managed to get his hands inside and in contact with Kagayaki’s chest. Finding himself in control of the match, Oho wasted no time driving forward, and showing Kagayaki the exit. Both end the day at 2-1.

Okinoumi defeats Chiyotairyu – Chiyotairyu employed one of his preferred match plans, a big hit to stand his opponent up, and an immediate slap down. But he and Okinoumi have fought 20 matches now, and Okinoumi knew that Chiyotairyu was going to do this, and capitalized on the fact that Chiyotairyu would be off balance, and pulled him down. That was a much needed first win for Okinoumi, and both end the day at 1-2.

Kotoeko defeats Onosho – Onosho opened with a big attack at the tachiai, which carried Kotoeko back and deposited him across the bales. In typical Onosho style, he fell forward at the moment of victory, and a monoii was called to see wether he fell or Kotoeko stepped out first. It was ruled they fell together, and a rematch was ordered. The second fight saw Kotoeko much stronger, though he borrowed Takayasu’s one leg strategy. Somehow he managed to keep moving Onosho back, and once his second foot stayed on the clay, he was able to power Onosho out for a first loss. Kotoeko improves to 2-1.

Kotoshoho defeats Chiyoshoma – Chiyoshoma to put his right hand to work, I think he was trying to reach deep or maybe go for a thigh grab. The move put him off balance to his right, and although Kotoshoho was on the defensive and moving back, the lack of pressure from Chiyoshoma’s right allowed Kotoshoho to rescue himself with a kotenage at the bales, improving to 3-0 over still winless Chiyoshoma.

Aoiyama defeats Takanosho – Aoiyama has a bit of good luck today. He battled Takanosho with a lot of upper body power, but again that left knee kept him from moving forward with force. But Takanosho decided to help out by pulling, and allowed Aoiyama to simply follow through and keep his opponent in motion. A much needed first win for Big Dan, and he’s now 1-2.

Abi defeats Tochinoshin – Bog standard Abi-zumo today. He drops Tochinoshin as the former Ozeki reaches to get a belt grip and close the gap. Abi remains unbeaten at 3-0, and I suspect that ranked this low, he will be in the yusho race this tournament.

Endo defeats Takarafuji – Endo brought his good sumo out today, even though his opponent is only partially functioning. It’s kind of painful to watch Takarafuji fight, but at least we can take come comfort that Endo got his first win today, and is 1-2. Takarafuji remains winless.

Ryuden defeats Myogiryu – Impressive defensive sumo from Ryuden today. Myogiryu came in strong and found Ryuden too stable and too strong to move. As Myogiryu dialed up the forward pressure, Ryuden found a left hand hold, and went to work. Three steps later, Myogiryu was over the bales, and Ryuden improves to 2-1.

Hokutofuji defeats Nishikigi – Excellent lower body work by Hokutofuji today as he kept Nishikigi from getting his yori set up until it was too late for Nishikigi to do much with it. With Hokutofuji able to stay low, he drove forward and put Nishikigi out of the ring with a resounding yoritaoshi. It looked like maybe yet again Hokutofuji cut his head? Was that blood? He earns his second win and is 2-1.

Sadanoumi defeats Nishikifuji – Nishikifuji opened the match with a big hit that rocked Sadanoumi on his heels. To compensate, Sadanoumi took a half step back at the moment Nishikifuji moved to take a hold. Suddenly too far forward, Sadanoumi dropped him to the clay, and both end the day at 2-1.

Wakamotoharu defeats Ura – Not happy with Wakamotoharu using an elbow to the face at the tachiai, but hey, he won right? After the blast to the face, Ura had not much in the way of sumo, and was quickly sent to visit the waiting Kiribayama ringside. Wakamotoharu up to 2-1 over the still winless Ura.

Kiribayama defeats Midorifuji – Kiribayama to be a most reliable source of vigorous sumo. Today he gave Midorifuji a long running fight, where Midorifuji tried to come under, got caught, and then Kiribayama made him hold that position for an uncomfortable length of time. Midorifuji knew the hold was not sustainable, and eventually drove forward, right into the throw. Kiribayama up to 2-1.

Tobizaru defeats Tamawashi – Tamawashi is looking a shadow of his yusho form we enjoyed in September. Tobizaru took a crow hop to the side at the tachiai, caught Tamawashi from the side, and ran him off the dohyo. Fine monkey sumo there, and Tobizaru is unbeaten at 3-0 over winless Tamawashi.

Hoshoryu defeats Ichinojo – Ichinojo kept trying to pry Hoshoryu’s head off, like he was picking a single grape from a particularly stubborn bunch. While he worked on liberating Hoshoryu’s head, Hoshoryu focused on converting his deep right hand inside grip into a winning attack. Too late Ichinojo figured out he was standing upright, and moving to the rear at impressive speed. Hoshoryu dumped him into Shimpan row, and picked up his third straight win to start Kyushu 3-0.

Wakatakakage defeats Meisei – It’s great to see Wakatakakage in fighting form in act 1 instead of waiting for act 2. Meisei is clearly struggling in this match, and Wakatakakage gives him no quarter. Watch how fluid Wakatakakage is when he drives forward after bracketing Meisei. This guy is going to be Ozeki before we know it. He improves to 2-1.

Daieisho defeats Mitakeumi – Ozekiwake Mitakeumi takes his first loss, one of only five he can suffer if he wishes to return to his Ozeki rank. He was fighting well, but he allowed Daieisho to break contact, and then decided to lunge forward to re-engage. Huge mistake as Daieisho was ready, stepped to the side and put Mitakeumi on the clay. Both end the day 2-1.

Shodai defeats Kotonowaka – Shodai seems to have gotten back in touch with some of his Ozeki sumo. He was all center mass, and all forward thrust. Kotonowaka lost his patience, tried a pull, got some hair and quickly hit the exit. That’s the first time Shodai has beaten Kotonowaka, and I am glad it happened. 2-1 for Shodai now, 6 more wins to clear kadoban.

Takayasu defeats Takakeisho – Its an odd day when you can get Takakeisho off balance like that, but Takayasu made it work. A big opening hit, and a quick combo into a pull worked today, and Takakeisho picks up his first lost of the basho. Not the prettiest match, but Takayasu gets the win and both end the day 2-1.

With day 3 upon us, I think we are able to say that there was not too much ring rust to be scrubbed off this time. Everyone seems to be getting into form, as best they can, across the rikishi corps. Sadly tehre are some folks who don’t have their first win, and are likely to struggle the entire tournament. In this list of “look out below” I would put:

• Terutsuyoshi – Clearly still hurt, and unable to fight with any power or mobility, both of which were his keys to success.
• Azumaryu – never had a kachi-koshi in the top division, and maybe never will
• Okinoumi – his long sumo career may finally be taking its toll on his body
• Aoiyama – likewise for Big Dan, he seems to have knee / ankle problems right now
• Takarafuji – a fan favorite, but he’s too banged up (maybe his back?) to use his trademark defensive sumo

For all of these rikishi, we wish them the best of luck, and hope they can get back to good form soon.

What We Are Watching Day 3

Terutsuyoshi vs Hiradoumi – Our first match of the day does not feature a Juryo visitor today, instead we have the next installment of an injured and greatly diminished Terutsuyoshi struggling to stay in the top division. Its kind of heart breaking to watch, but that is the nature of sumo, sometimes glorious, sometimes brutal. He won the only prior match with Terutsuyoshi was at Aki, which Terutsuyoshi won.

Churanoumi vs Atamifuji – The Juryo visitor today is Churanoumi, who may signal a change in fortunes for debutante Atamifuji. Atamifuji has won both their prior matches, and maybe he can find a way to put his first white star on the board.

Ichiyamamoto vs Azumaryu – First ever match, and I am concerned that once again Azumaryu will get into the top division, but not be able to hold rank there. The only time he was able to stick around was with some solid banzuke luck in March of 2020, where a 7-8 make-koshi from M15e say him only lose one rank. He comes in with zero wins, and is fighting 2-0 Ichiyamamoto.

Kagayaki vs Oho – I keep thinking to myself, one day Oho is going to show everyone what he is capable of, right? But day after day he shows up and delivers just enough sumo to be competitive. It only gets him a win roughly half the time. Maybe Maegashira 13 is the best he will ever do? He’s up against 2-0 Kagayaki today, who seems to have found his good sumo fundamentals under the tatame mats in the heya’s sleeping quarters after misplacing them a bit more than a year ago.

Okinoumi vs Chiyotairyu – A pair of long serving top division mainstays face off. They have a 19 match career record, and both of them look like they are in need of major maintenance of a complete engine overhaul. If anything, 1-1 Chiyotairyu is slightly less likely to be found broken down by the side of the road than 0-2 Okinoumi.

Onosho vs Kotoeko – This one has a lot of potential. Onosho, at 2-0, has managed to win both days so far. He’s strong, his balance is not too out of alignment, and he’s delivering good pushing power. Kotoeko may have been robbed of a win on day 2, but sometimes the referees and judges get it wrong, and that’s in any sport. They have 12 prior matches that they have split 6-6, so I am looking for an even fight today.

Kotoshoho vs Chiyoshoma – I am surprised to see Chiyoshoma start day three with an 0-2 record. His sumo is strong enough that he is quite likely to win today or tomorrow, so I think 2-0 Kotoshoho may have to eat a loss today. Hopefully we won’t see a henka out of Chiyoshoma, I would like him to save those for later in the tournament.

Takanosho vs Aoiyama – Big Dan Aoiyama is still hurt, as he was in September. So with a 0-2 start, I expect him to continue to donate white stars on a daily basis. Today, it’s probably Takanosho’s turn to push Aoiyama about and out in short order. He has won 3 of their prior 5 contests.

Abi vs Tochinoshin – Oh goodie, someone that Abi will have to work quite hard to defeat. Tochinoshin is always day to day given what has happened to that knee, but he’s got the bulk and the experience to shut down Abi-zumo and give him a solid toss for his first black mark of Kyushu. A win today for Abi would clear one of the few real hurdles he might face ranked this low.

Endo vs Takarafuji – Take two ailing rikishi with loyal followings. Check that both have no wins, and put them together and see who is least damaged. Ah, sumo, you glorious bastard of a sport.

Myogiryu vs Ryuden – Both men come into day three with 1-1 scores, and I would like to see Ryuden pick up this win today. He’s got a tough route to make it back in the joi-jin for 2023, and he’s going to have to over-perform is average if he wants to make it work. Myogiryu is no pushover, and holds a 5-3 career advantage.

Hokutofuji vs Nishikigi – You might look at that match up and assume that over their career, Hokutofuji tends to dominate. But instead, its Nishikigi at 4-3 over Hokutofuji. I guess that thick battle-hug can sometime’s shut down Hokutofuji’s high-mobility attacks. Nodowa for the win sir.

Nishikifuji vs Sadanoumi – I am delighted to see Nishikifuji do well, but I have to wonder if maybe he stoll Terutsuyoshi’s mojo somehow. He’s up against normally quick Sadanoumi, who has not looked quick so far this November. Maybe he’s in need of a full front end alignment and lub-job. I am sure there are places in Fukuoka that can supply that.

Ura vs Wakamotoharu – Ah, grim! Ura is looking kind of lethargic right now, and most of his gizmos and gadget moves are not to be found, or not having a positive effect. This means that 1-1 Wakamotoharu has ample opportunity to cuddle up, get a hold and just grind Ura into the dirt.

Midorifuji vs Kiribayama – Kiribayama lost day 2 to Wakatakakage, but if you watch that fight again, look at how dominant his sumo is. I am eager to see him try that with Midorifuji, who is small enough to out maneuver Kiribayama in an even fight. Both men are 1-1, and have a total 1-1 career record.

Tamawashi vs Tobizaru – One of these days, September yusho winner Tamawashi is going to get his first win. Will it be today against Tobizaru? Probably not in my estimate. Right now Tobizaru seems to have gained a new grade of stability under pressure, which was typically his biggest weakness. It will be put to the test today, as Tamawashi can hit like a truck carrying a gorilla who is holding a shark that is biting a baseball bat.

Ichinojo vs Hoshoryu – Oh good, it’s time for Hoshoryu to fight the Snorlax. Just don’t wake him up and it will be ok, Hoshoryu. Sadly for Hoshoryu, Ichinojo’s 7-5 career record indicated he does tend to wake up, and fight well.

Wakatakakage vs Meisei – Wakatakakage picked up his first win on day 2, which is outside the norm for him. Maybe it indicates he is going to be strong in act one, which is less common than it should be for him. he has a 5-3 record against 0-2 Meisei, so as long as he is ready to fight, Wakatakakage should take his second win today.

Daieisho vs Mitakeumi – Big thrusting Daieisho vs hard hitting Mitakeumi, with Mitakeumi needing 10 wins this tournament to return to Ozeki. We know Mitakeumi tends to run out of energy in week two, so I applaud him pouring on the power up front. He has a 14-9 career advantage over 1-1 Daieisho, so he knows how to get it done.

Kotonowaka vs Shodai – Why, why is Shodai 0-5 against Kotonowaka? Is it Kotonowaka’s odd chest configuration? Does he smell like something that strikes fear into Shodai’s base radish form? Does Shodai owe him money? What’s going on here? Why am I asking so many questions? Shodai needs 7 more wins out of the remaining 13 days in order to not be an Ozekiwake for Christmas.

Takakeisho vs Takayasu – If I could somehow send a message to Takayasu, it would be “keep your feet heavy to stay in this fight”. When fighting hard, Takayasu tends to disrupt his own lateral balance, and end up on one foot. Doing that today against Takayasu will earn him a frequent flyer bonus, which nobody wants to see. The have a 19 match career record, favoring Takakeisho 10-9.

The day two action featured fewer matta than day one, so let’s just chalk that up to everyone settling into the tournament. Twelve rikishi are off to perfect 2-0 starts, and there are some stand out performers already. As stated in the run up to the basho, I suspect Abi is going to absolutely wreck the lower and mid banzuke competition, and it may put him in contention for the cup later on in week two. Given how sumo ranking works, there really was not much of a choice given he sat out the entire Aki tournament in September.

As a follower of Tobizaru for some time, it’s possible he is finally coming into his own, and I think that is wonderful. Is frantic and chaotic energy during his matches are a significant challenge for most rikishi, and his presence in the joi-jin is causing everyone to elevate their sumo. That elevation power goes double for Wakatakakage, who is not going to go 0-5 to start this tournament. He decided he was going to be strong early, and the sparks certainly did fly today in his match against Kiribayama.

Highlight Matches

Hiradoumi defeats Chiyomaru – This match was lost on the second step. Chiyomaru gets in a good first hit, then immeidately tries to slap Hiradoumi down. Hiradoumi keeps his feet, but the slap down attempt left Chiyomaru’s chest wide open. Hiradoumi grapples well and goes on to dominate the match. Good effort by Chiyomaru to break contact, but he could not convert that into any kind of recovery. Hiradoumi starts Kyushu at 2-0. Oh, and the gyoji missed the first step out, which made the ending happen twice.

Kagayaki defeats Terutsuyoshi – Still more evidence that Terutsuyoshi is fighting with only a fraction of his expected sumo power. Kagayaki uses a stand up tachiai, perhaps to avoid any starting mischief. Terutsuyoshi slams into him, and that is the end of any offensive power that he brings to this match. Kagayaki calmly contains Terutsuyoshi, and escorts him out, finishing the day at 2-0.

Ichiyamamoto defeats Atamifuji – Much beloved newcomer Atamifuji loses for a second day at the open, and I think everyone hopes he can rally. I think today he was expecting the usual full thrust double attack from Ichiyamamoto, and that was the opening volley, but Ichiyamamoto converted to a double hand pull down, and Atamifuji hit the clay. 2-0 for Ichiyamamoto.

Oho defeats Azumaryu – This match was won by Oho keeping his power focused against Azumaryu’s center mass. He did a masterful job of getting his hands inside, and keeping his line of force directly ahead of him, and running through the middle of Azumaryu’s chest. Oho with his first win of November, now 1-1.

Chiyotairyu defeats Kotoeko – Chiyotairyu reverts to his normal form, with a cannonball tachiai. Kotoeko tries to hold on, and manages to get Chiyotairyu off balance, but it seems Chiyotairyu fell late enough that Kotoeko stepped out first. Replay showed what should have been a rematch, but no monoii was called. Both end the day 1-1.

Kotoshoho defeats Okinoumi – After a brief fight for hand placement inside at the tachiai, Kotoshoho reached a hand outside and pulled Okinoumi from the shoulder. The move brought Okinoumi down to all fours, and the match ended with Kotoshoho advancing to 2-0 with a hikiotoshi.

Onosho defeats Aoiyama – Aoiyama’s injured left knee seems to have left him with almost now forward power. Granted he was up against Onosho today, who can generate a lot of pressure. But after the tachiai, it was all Onosho, who overcame Aoiyama’s defenses and ran him out. Onosho starts Kyushu 2-0.

Abi defeats Chiyoshoma – Abi seems to be in fighting form, and that spells trouble for folks in the lower and middle parts of the banzuke. Today he tore through Chiyoshoma without too much trouble, collapsing Chiyoshoma at the bales a moment after he had stepped out. Abi improves to 2-0.

Takanosho defeats Takarafuji – Whatever injury has robbed Takarafuji of his defensive sumo seems to still be active. Takanosho makes contact, dials up the pressure and Takarafuji cannot hold ground. From there it was a quick walk back and a loss, giving Takanosho a 2-0 start to this basho.

Tochinoshin defeats Myogiryu – Excellent use of body position today by Tochinoshin. He absorbed Myogiryu’s tachiai, stepped back and dropped him by hatakikomi. Simple, clean and effective. Both are now 1-1.

Nishikigi defeats Endo – First ever win for Nishikigi over Endo. Endo opened strong, and had Nishikigi on one foot, and most of the way to toppling over. But in a rather impressive move, Nishikigi pivoted and attacked. This took Endo (and myself) by surprise, and netted Nishikigi his first win, bringing him to 1-1.

Nishikifuji defeats Ryuden – I really like how Nishikifuji kept in the match, and was able to gain offensive advantage in this match. He took a fair amount of tsuppari from Ryuden to get there, but he really earned todays win. Nishikifuji at 2-0 to start Kyushu.

Hokutofuji defeats Wakamotoharu – What was hoped to be an interesting clash of styles did not really materialize. Wakamotoharu attempted a shift to the side at the tachiai, but Hokutofuji was able to adjust, and captured Wakamotoharu with a bit of additional effort. At that point, I think Wakamotoharu assumed it could be his match, as he would build his position and strike when he was ready. But Hokutofuji did not give him the time to put that together, he switched on the power and drove Wakamotoharu out. Solid win, and both are now 1-1 for November.

Midorifuji defeats Sadanoumi – Did not see blazing speed from Sadanoumi today, I think he went for power and making sure that Midorifuji stayed where he wanted him. This gave him a pretty good position at the initial merge, but Sadanoumi did not guard his arm well, and Midorifuji delivered yet another brilliant katasukashi. Frankly, he could do that all the time and I won’t get tired of it. Both retire from the ring with 1-1 scores.

Daieisho defeats Ura – Ura did not evade Daieisho, even for a moment. As a result, he took the full force of repeated mega-thrusts right to his face. Granted, if anyone could turn that into a win, it would be Ura, but Daieisho had him bracketed, and pounded him straight out of the ring. Daieisho picks up his first win and is 1-1.

Tobizaru defeats Meisei – I give a lot of credit to Meisei for giving Tobizaru a vigorous fight. Tobizaru for his part was his typical frantic self, and was throwing together wild combos that kept Meisei guessing. The advantage was Meisei’s as he kept his feet in good position, and nibbled forward a bit at a time. Tobizaru almost took a loss, but Meisei’s final lunge was side stepped, and Tobizaru slapped him to the clay. Tobizaru ended the match with a small amount of bonus fan service, nice touch. Flying Monkey sumo starts Kyushu 2-0.

Wakatakakage defeats Kiribayama – Nice, fierce sumo from these two. A big fight, and a lot of power from both men as they struggle for dominance among a talented group of rising stars in the sumo world. Kiribayama had a clear early advantage, and in response we get to see Wakatakakage really work hard to fight back. Amazing that Kiribayama tired of holding himself that low first, and Wakatakakage attacked, ending the match three steps later. Excellent fight, both are now 1-1.

Mitakeumi defeats Ichinojo – Strong open by Ichinojo, but did not hold ground when Mitakeumi broke contact and counter-attacked. While its great to see Ichinojo win, Mitakeumi needs to rack up as many as he can in week one to try to make it to 10. He’s 2-0 and off to a good start.

Hoshoryu defeats Tamawashi – Tamawashi was the clear aggressor, but did not seem to have good control of his lower body today. Hoshoryu did much to deflect Tamawashi’s attacks, and it worked out well. As Tamawashi moved to adjust to Hoshoryu’s latest step to the side, Hoshoryu used his hold on Tamawashi’s arm to swing him outside of the ring. Hoshoryu improves to 2-0.

Takakeisho defeats Kotonowaka – Solid, straightforward match from Takakeisho put Kotonowaka in the passenger seat, and leaves him there. It’s odd that this is what constitutes Ozeki sumo right now. Takakeisho is the only Ozeki that is not kadoban or mucking about at Ozekiwake. But, hey, we got spoiled by the 2015-2018 era, I suppose. Takakeisho dominant at 2-0.

Shodai defeats Takayasu – For folks like myself who were eager to see the “Wall of Daikon”, today was our day. But wow, that left hand on Takayasu was just unmovable for the opening segments of this fight. Once Shodai broke that left hand grip, he used his big body to just muscle forward and took Takayasu out. I wonder if he did not re-injure that knee on day one, and that limited how much forward pressure he could withstand. Good for Shodai to get his first win against a strong and capable opponent, both are now 1-1.