The Makushita yusho race is coming down to the wire! After day 9, we had the following semifinal bracket:
Ms1w Wakatakakage vs. Ms18e Dewanoryu
Ms41w Haruyama vs. Sd1e Tanji
Former Sekiwake Wakatakakage didn’t have much trouble dispatching Dewanoryu, so all the excitement was in the undercard bout. Haruyama decided to deploy a henka against his lower-ranked (but more experienced) opponent. It nearly worked, with both of Tanji’s hands almost brushing the dohyo, but he recovered and pulled down Haruyama. A monoii ensued. Were they checking whether Tanji touched the dirt? No; the replay showed him grabbing a handful of Haruyama’s hair, and so he was disqualified for a hansoku hairpull, the first time I’ve seen this call when the wrestler whose hair got pulled didn’t yet have a chonmage! Tanji just misses knocking off his 5th (!!) Makushita opponent this basho, which would have put him in rare company. Haruyama has a date with Wakatakakage for the title decider on Day 13, in which he has to be a huge underdog.
In the Juryo promotion race, we are down to 5 candidates. Ms1w Wakatakakage (6-0) is a lock to go up. The others are Ms2e Tsushimanada (4-2), who has probably done enough already but could use a 5th win, Ms2w Kitaharima (3-3), who must win his final bout, Ms5w Hakuoho (5-1), who may need 6 wins to ensure re-promotion, and Ms5e Kiryuko (3-3), who can finish no better than 4th in the promotion queue. There’s no relevant action on Day 12, so we’ll have to wait until Day 13 at the earliest to see how the torikumi committee tries to sort this out. Kitaharima and Kiryuko have already met, so presumably all/most of the contenders will visit Juryo to try to open up some spots.
Whose salaried slots might they take? J14w Tochimusashi’s somewhat fortunate Juryo return will be short after he picked up his 8th loss, opening up a spot for Wakatakakage. At the moment, that’s the only demotion, but J13e Yuma (3-8) has no room for error, J14e Chiyosakae (5-6) can only afford one more loss, and J13w Oshoumi (5-6), J12w Tenshoho (5-6), J12e Chiyomaru (5-6), and J11e Akua (4-7) all need 2 wins for safety. J8w Shiden (4-7) is not quite safe. And as Andy mentioned, J4w Kotoeko (1-8-2) returns on Day 12 to try to pick up the win or two he needs to stay. Wrestlers are extremely reluctant to give up their salary and so will risk almost anything to avoid the drop to Makushita.
The news from the infirmary today is that Kotoeko will be back tomorrow. He still needs a win or two in order to be safe from dropping to Makushita. If he is still hurt, this is not a good decision and I would rather see the Lavendar Leviathan fighting in a dull grey Makushita mawashi than fighting injured…but I am not his mom and he is going to do what he is going to do.
Back to the matter at hand: the Hatsu basho yusho race. There is a bit of a pause in the sanyaku action while the three erstwhile underclassmen are thrown into the ringer: Onosato, Onosho, and Oho. No one knows why Oho is here but I suppose his shikona just seemed to fit.
Makuuchi Action
Takanosho (8-3) defeated Kotoshoho (7-4). Kotoshoho drove forward into Takanosho, driving him to the bales. It took a few tries but Takanosho eventually shoved Kotoshoho out. Yorikiri.
Tsurugisho (5-6) defeated Churanoumi (5-6). A valiant effort from Churanoumi. He attempted to drive Tsurugisho out but Tsurugisho is a bit on the heavy side. So, that is hard. Tsurugisho countered and swung Churanoumi around to the bales and forced him out. Yorikiri.
Shimazuumi (7-4) defeated Sadanoumi (4-7). Sadanoumi tried to heft Shimazuumi up and out but Shimazuumi locked him in a bear hug, both hands inside, and drove forward. Yorikiri.
Meisei (7-4) defeated Endo (3-8). Meisei did what everyone is doing now, playing Throw the Endo. It’s a fun game. You just push and Endo goes flying into random people ringside. Oshidashi.
Hiradoumi (5-6) defeated Bushozan (4-7). Hiradoumi tried to get a belt grip but Bushozan blasted him with tsuppari. Bushozan was desperate to keep Hiradoumi off his belt so he pitched forward and kept hammering away. So Hiradoumi slipped to the side and shoved Bushozan down. Hatakikomi.
Ichiyamamoto (5-6) defeated Takarafuji (5-6). The Takarabune was battered by a fierce headwind today. He tried to tack and the powerful winds abated but the Takarabune got going to fast, slammed along the rocky shore and sank. Hatakikomi.
Tomokaze (3-8) defeated Shonannoumi (1-10). Some forward movement from Shonannoumi in this bout. He tried to bait Tomokaze into a charge but Tomokaze does not have the legs for it. He does have enough arm strength to shove you out, though, so he did. Shonannoumi is not here. He’s on a beach somewhere down near Zushi. Or maybe riding around on the Enoden. Whatever he’s doing, it’s not sumo. He’ll drop down the ranks in March but I think he is okay with that. Oshidashi.
Kinbozan (6-5) defeated Myogiryu (3-8). A fierce battle, wonderful slapfest. That is until Myogiryu left himself open to a mighty shove from Kinbozan. Myogiryu flew backwards and off the fighting surface. There should be one of those anime powerball explosion things from the force in that shove. Oshitaoshi.
Mitakeumi (5-6) defeated Nishikigi (5-6). Nishikigi! What are you doing? After an initial barrage of tsuppari, Nishikigi let Mitakeumi get inside and drive him back. Nishikigi resisted at the edge so Mitakeumi yanked on his belt, flung him the other way and bowled him off the edge. Oshidashi.
Halftime
(Sweep, Sweep, We’re in Too Deep…Andy Needs To Go To Sleep.)
Gonoyama (4-7) defeated Ryuden (3-8). Gonoyama assaulted Ryuden at the tachiai and drove him to the edge but could not get him over. He then pulled but Ryuden would not go down. As they settled in the center of the ring, Ryuden tried to get his right hand inside but Gonoyama fought hard to keep him off. Gonoyama then charged forward with excellent ottsuke, squeezing Ryuden’s right arm and holding it tight so that he could not get a grab of the belt. And he did not stop until he got to the bales and Ryden was out. Yorikiri.
Tobizaru (6-5) defeated Midorifuji (3-8). Tobizaru kept Midorifuji at arm’s length, careful to keep his opponent away from his shoulder. As he battered away at Midorifuji, Midorifuji kept trying to move inside. So, Tobizaru slipped to the side, let his opponent’s momentum carry him to the edge and shoved Midorifuji out. Oshitaoshi.
Atamifuji (5-6) defeated Shodai (4-7). Atamifuji forced Shodai out of his comfort zone by making the big man move forward. As Shodai’s legs churned, Atamifuji slipped to the side and dumped Shodai on his butt. Tsukioshi.
Wakamotoharu (8-3) defeated Tamawashi (7-4). Tamawashi seemed defensive today. Rather than attacking WMH, he seemed to focus on deflecting Waka’s tsuppari. Wakamotoharu bulled him to the edge and Tamawashi tried a twisting throw/shove thing but Wakamotoharu shoved him out. Oshidashi.
Sanyaku
Abi (5-6) defeated Ura (2-9). Abi-zumo. Abi assaulted Ura, over and over, then yanked him down to the ground. Ura is not having a good tournament. He was unable to connect with any of his own tsuppari and I couldn’t even tell if he tried to get inside to negate any of Abi’s slaps. Hatakikomi.
Kotonowaka (10-1) defeated Oho (6-5). Kotonowaka flung Oho to the side, absorbed some tsuppari, got bored and flung Oho again. This time, he followed through and shoved Oho off the edge. Oshidashi.
Kirishima (9-2) defeated Daieisho (6-5). Kirishima assaulted Daieisho. Daieisho came at him with his usual powerful tachiai. For an instant, Kirishima reached in for a belt grip but thought better of it and took Daieisho on with his own tsuppari. One sidestep and slap whipped Daieisho to the side and then a 1, 2, 3 combo left Daieisho outside the tawara. Keep in mind, that “three” was bold-faced, italicized and underlined. Quite the shove. Tsukidashi.
Hoshoryu (9-2) defeated Onosato (8-3). Hoshoryu locked up the big prodigy at the tachiai and in one, clean motion, flung him out of the ring. He took himself out, too, but where’s the fun in staying on your own two feet? Onosato clearly lost and clearly still has work to do and is not quite Ozeki material. After the bout, he stood at the side of the ring like, “what just happened?” Shitatenage.
Terunofuji (9-2) defeated Onosho (8-3). When I say Terunofuji disposed of Onosho, I mean he took a big plastic bag out of the pantry, stuffed Onosho in it, tightened the drawstring and threw him in the bin. It was routine. He took out the trash just like it was any other Wednesday. Terunofuji woke up, checked the refrigerator for the “To-Do” list: 1) Absorb Onosho’s “charge,” 2) grab his right arm with one arm, mawashi with the other, and 3) dump him in the gutter. Done. Sorry fans, ending the day on that note. You love to see a challenging bout for the musubi-no-ichiban but this left you less satisfied than a henka. Yorikiri? That could have been Okuridashi but whatever.
Wrap-up
The Sanyaku chewed up the trio of Onosato, Onosho, and Oho. But rather than spit them out, they’re apparently cows and have regurgitated them and want another go. Well, Oho got spit out but they’re seasoning the other two with a dash of Takanosho. I blame Takakeisho. There is an Ozeki-sized hole in this torikumi and it needs to be filled. So, let’s let these three battle in sanyaku for another day. Tomorrow we’ll get back to regularly scheduled programming and Kotonowaka, Kirishima, Hoshoryu and Terunofuji will finally be able to go head-to-head-to-head-to-head. Now Andy will go off to bed.
This is the infamous point in the tournament where Andy is just rather incredulous that the action is already two-thirds over. While the time passed quickly, the kyujo has accumulated just as quickly. I had neglected to include news from the infirmary from Juryo as Kotoeko drops out of the tournament. He had only one win and thus may fall into Makushita for Haru. The Lavender Leviathan has long been a favorite of mine so this is quite the bummer. But, I learned long ago that it is unwise to follow just one favorite in this sport. That said, I am eager to see his return!
It is always easy to find new wrestlers to support and the drama from Hatsu may provide some new names for whom folks can cheer. Today will be a big day in the yusho race as the promising low-rankers, Onosato and Onosho, are thrown to the wolves at the top of the division. Even poor Oho will have to face Wakamotoharu. Most eyes are likely following the hype and will be eager to see Kotonowaka against Nishonoseki’s protege, Onosato. I am, too, but Onosho is the one with extensive experience in the joi, and has even been in sanyaku. This will not be a walk in the park. Kirishima has stumbled a couple of times already and seems vulnerable.
To illustrate my point here, I have two charts showing the career progression of Onosho, and Onosato. Onosho (above) is a long-time veteran. We know he is strong and capable though injuries (big wraps around those knees) have taken their toll. Onosato, left, is a bit of a blank slate. Just a few entries. We cannot really tell much here. That does make him dangerous.
Remember how Ichinojo rose so quickly and beat two Ozeki and a Yokozuna in his first top-division tournament? He was so fresh and new, churning through the lower-reaches of the rank-and-file before shocking the sanyaku and the world, announcing his presence with a Jun-Yusho. Is Onosato another Ichinojo? I have doubts. Both did pick up 24-6 records in their brief, two appearances in Juryo. Time will tell but the first big test will be today. Without further ado, let’s get to the action.
Makuuchi Bouts
Shimazuumi (6-4) defeated Myogiryu (3-7). A back-and-forth tussle, here. Myogiryu locked in with a strong belt grip quickly and dominated the early bout. He tried to throw Shimazuumi several times but Shimazuumi resisted successfully while fighting for a grip on Myogiryu’s belt. Once secured, Shimazuumi took over the offensive, drove through the dohyo and smashed Myogiryu out of the dohyo. Yoritaoshi.
Kotoshoho (7-3) defeated Tsurugisho (4-6). Kotoshoho locked in tight and drove Tsurugisho through the ring and over the bales. Yorikiri.
Sadanoumi (4-6) defeated Bushozan (4-6). One way traffic here as Sadanoumi drove Bushozan through the ring and over the bales. Bushozan was unable to attempt any of his last-second tawara tricks. Yorikiri.
Takarafuji (5-5) defeated Mitakeumi (4-6). The Takarabune enjoyed a leisurely sail around the Mitake Sea. Calm and confident, the Takarabune took his time and assured favorable conditions then commanded his ship to steam forward and plowed through the defenses of the Mitake Sea rather easily. Yorikiri.
Tomokaze (2-8) defeated Hiradoumi (4-6). Hiradoumi grabbed Tomokaze’s trunk and drove forward while Tomokaze pressed Hiradoumi. As Hiradoumi backed Tomokaze to the bales, Tomokaze applied more downward pressure and forced Hiradoumi down before stepping out. Gunbai Tomokaze. Hatakikomi.
Ichiyamamoto (4-6) defeated Churanoumi (5-5). Ichiyamamoto jumped early. Timing that charge is crucial for his sumo to be successful. At the second attempt, we had a good tachiai. At the charge he applied pressure to force Churanoumi back, then pulled and slapped Churanoumi down. Hatakikomi.
Endo (3-7) defeated Shonannoumi (1-9). Endo charged forward and shoved Shonannoumi back and out. He staved off make-koshi another day. Oshidashi.
Meisei (6-4) defeated Nishikigi (5-5). Nishikigi might nap until Day 13. According to the SumoDB data, he has a progressively poor performances from here at Day 10 through Day 12. Taking advantage early, Meisei locked up Nishikigi and drove him over the bales, quickly. Yorikiri.
Takanosho (7-3) defeated Tobizaru (5-5). Takanosho had a strong tachiai and shoved Tobizaru back. From the bales, Tobizaru countered and charged forward. Takanosho was determined to slip aside and drive Tobizaru out. Once, twice, thrice. On the third attempt, he slipped to the side and slapped Tobizaru down and into Naruto’s lap. Hatakikomi.
Halftime (Shiman Shuffle and Yobidashi Sweep)
Gonoyama (3-7) defeated Shodai (4-6). Shodai charged in at Gonoyama like a landlord asking for rent, “It’s too damn high!” Gonoyama pressed forward and shoved Shodai out. Oshidashi.
Abi (4-6) defeated Ryuden (3-7). Ryuden did well to corral Abi’s arms and shove him to the bales. But Abi was able to counter at the bales by taking advantage of Ryuden’s forward momentum as he slipped to the side and dropped Ryuden to the floor. Tsukiotoshi.
Wakamotoharu (7-3) defeated Oho (6-4) . One powerful shove was all it took to clear Oho from the dohyo. Welcome to the top of the division, young Oho. Now, go back where you came from. Oshidashi? I would have thought Tsukidashi, but whatever. Oho got dashi’d out.
Tamawashi (7-3) defeated Atamifuji (4-6). Tamawashi had Atamifuji on the ropes early, denying the youngster his favored yotsu contest, forcing a oshi/tsuki bout and shoved him back, hard. Atamifuji tried to counter at the bales by slipping to the side but he didn’t have position to follow through and shove Tamawashi out. When he re-engaged, Atamifuji tried a last-gasp throw but he fell to the ground before Tamawashi. Wow. Oshidashi.
Sanyaku
Midorifuji (3-7) defeated Ura (2-8). Midorifuji jumped forward early…henka alarms on full alert. Unnecessary as Midorifuji timed the second charge well and blasted into Ura. Midorifuji set up for his standard katasukashi but Ura was ready. Ura decided to pull, instead. This was a poor decision as Midorifuji lunged forward and blasted Ura out. Ura is makekoshi and will drop back into the rank-and-file in Osaka. I wish he had been able to maintain his rank for his home crowd but he will do his best to earn his return there. Oshitaoshi.
Kotonowaka (9-1) defeated Onosato (8-2). How are you going to give Kotonowaka a morozashi? Kotonowaka wrapped Onosato up, just under his shoulders. Rather than getting at the belt, he secured a grip at Onosato’s trunk and forced him to stand up. He held him high and gave Onosato no options. Regardless, Onosato shifted left and right, trying to wriggle free, but it was to no avail. Kotonowaka stepped closer and closer to the bales and forced him out, hard. Yorikiri.
Hoshoryu (8-2) defeated Daieisho (6-4). Hoshoryu slipped free from Daieisho’s charge, seized his belt, and flung him back where he came from. He followed up with a brutal nodowa, as if to illustrate his displeasure with Daieisho’s top-heavy attack, before shoving him out from behind. Okuridashi.
Kirishima (8-2) defeated Onosho (8-2). Onosho may be a low rank-and-filer now but he has been as high as Komusubi. So he is no rookie, to be dealt with lightly. He is a veteran of the joi and he demonstrated his skill and power today. He challenged Kirishima for all he had. He forced the Ozeki to fight his fight, a freeform, aggressive oshi/tsuki brawl — rather than a patient, yotsu grapple.
He shoved Kirishima to the edge but the Ozeki did not go out. He pulled and slapped but the Ozeki did not go down. The Ozeki tried for the belt but his arms were batted away. So, Kirishima pulled and slapped down Onosho. Onosho was supremely disappointed and clapped his hands in displeasure as he walked back to his side of the ring. Hatakikomi.
Terunofuji (8-2) defeated Kinbozan (5-5). Kinbozan is not at his best on the belt. I do not know why he reached for Terunofuji’s belt at the tachiai and let Terunofuji fight his style of fight. Terunofuji grabbed Kinbozan around his trunk with the right-hand under his armpit and the left-hand over Kinbozan’s right-arm, on Kinbozan’s belt. Since Teru’s shoulder was in Kinbozan’s armpit, he prevented Kinbozan from using his left arm and walked him toward the bales before throwing him back into the center of the ring with a great uwatenage.
Wrap-up
The “O-Boys” are not done with their Sanyaku service. Onosato and Onosho are still very much alive in this yusho race. It is a bit surprising that Oho, with six wins, is being thrown into this bunch. He will take on our leader, Kotonowaka, tomorrow.
This gives plenty of time to schedule both Ozeki and the Yokozuna for Kotonowaka. But it means there will be one promotion here. One rikishi hoisting the celebratory fish. No possibility for two promotions and there is still a big chance that we will not see any at all. God, I love this sport. Such drama!
Onosato, the newcomer, will face an Ozeki in Hoshoryu. Onosho will take on Terunofuji, who I am extremely happy to see is also quite alive in this yusho race. If Kirishima wants a rope, he will have to earn it by fighting Sekiwake Daieisho rather than the low-rankers.
I really like the way the schedulers are improvising here and handling these upstarts. They are not going to water-down the yusho or water-down Kirishima’s Yokozuna bid, or Kotonowaka’s Ozeki run. These kids are going to have to earn it. I can’t wait!
My previous posts introduced the Makushita yusho and promotion races and kept track of them through Day 8. Given the number of impactful Day 9 bouts, it’s time for another update. The next one should come on Day 11, since there’s not much relevant action tomorrow. In Juryo, rookie J10e Takerufuji continued trucking along, extending his record to 9-0 by expertly pulling down fellow rookie J13w Oshoumi (3-6), who needs to start winning in a hurry to avoid demotion. The other rikishi most in danger of losing their salary are also at the bottom of the division: J13e Yuma (2-7), J14w Tochimusashi (3-6), and J14e Chiyosakae (4-5). The exception is J4w Kotoeko (1-8), who pulled out and is very likely to drop unless he can return and pick up another win or two. So there could be a decent number of openings in the second division, and as we’ll see below, we have an exciting race for these coveted spots.
Back to the Makushita yusho race. After day 8, we had the following quarterfinal bracket:
Ms1w Wakatakakage vs. Ms8e Onokatsu
Ms18e Dewanoryu vs. Ms25w Mudoho
Ms37w Omoto vs. Ms41w Haruyama
Ms53e Akinoyama vs. Sd1e Tanji
Former Sekiwake Wakatakakage didn’t have much trouble dispatching Onokatsu. Dewanoryu easily handled Mudoho. Haruyama pulled off a last-second reversal at the rope to eliminate Omoto, and Tanji overcame gaps of 200 pounds in weight and 14 years in age and experience to knock off his 4th (!!) Makushita opponent this basho, Akinoyama. This already puts him in rare company, and he can move into a tie for second place on this list if he can upset Haruyama in the next round. Wakatakakage has to be the clear favorite for the yusho. He’ll face Dewanoryu next, with the winner taking on either Haruyama, or, since they don’t pull Sandanme rikishi that high up the banzuke, the best available 5-1 opponent.
Here is where things stand in the Ms1-Ms5 promotion zone. Ms1w Wakatakakage (5-0) is a lock to go up, and Ms2e Tsushimanada (4-1) has probably done enough to join him. Wily veteran Ms2w Kitaharima (3-2) got the best of Ms1e Kayo (2-3), who now must win out. Kitaharima will try to make his own luck when he visits Juryo tomorrow seeking his all-important 4th win against Yuma, who can only afford one more loss. Ms5w Hakuoho (4-1) prevailed in a highly entertaining bout with up-and-comer Ms8w Kototebakari, staying on track for the 6 wins he needs to ensure re-promotion. Finally, Ms4e Chiyonoumi (2-3) and Ms5e Kiryuko (2-3) must win the rest of their bouts and hope for good banzuke luck; everyone else is out of even theoretical contention.
Come back after Day 11 action for an update on the yusho and promotion races!
