Hatsu 2024: Day 7 Highlights

Andy Hatsu 2024, Hatsu Basho , , , , ,

The news from the infirmary today is that Aoiyama is not only kyujo, he may have suffered a career-ending ACL injury. Hokuseiho is also going to be out longer than originally anticipated. Hat-tip to Herouth for the news that Hokuseiho will go under the knife and have surgery on his meniscus. This will put him out of action for Osaka. We will most likely see him back in Tokyo in May, in Juryo. To be completely honest, I think he does need a bit of a sumo style adjustment, too. The knee may dictate it.

Makuuchi Action

Onosho (6-1) fusensho, Aoiyama (0-7-8) kyujo.

Shimazuumi (4-3) defeated Kotoshoho (5-2). Initial advantage to Kotoshoho with his tsuppari. Once Shimazuumi used his arms to effectively block the incoming blows, he began to counter. He moved inside and drove Kotoshoho to the edge. Kotoshoho tried to wriggle away but Shimazuumi shoved him down. Oshitaoshi.

Bushozan (4-3) defeated Churanoumi (4-3). A great tsuppari battle here as both men generated alternating forward motion. Eventually Churanoumi started driving Bushozan to the edge. But it was a bit of a ploy by Bushozan. At the edge, Bushozan grabbed Churanoumi’s arm and tried to slip to the side. Churanoumi followed but Bushozan re-engaged from the side, shoving Churanoumi over. Oshitaoshi.

Myogiryu (2-5) defeated Takarafuji (3-4). Hurricane Myogiryu may have been weakening but still provided tropical storm-force headwinds for the Takarabune today. This forced a new course, straight backwards. The Takarabune attempted to tack before running aground but it was too late, and dropped over the horizon. Yorikiri.

Onosato (6-1) defeated Oho (5-2). Onosato locked up with his right hand inside grip right at the tachiai. Oho tried to circle but Onosato kept pace and pressed him back. Quick yorikiri.

Tsurugisho (2-5) defeated Tomokaze (1-6). Neither men were very effective with their tsuppari early on. Tsurugisho moved inside and locked up Tomokaze with his right hand inside. From there it was over as Tsurugisho bulldozed Tomokaze over the edge. Yorikiri.

Sadanoumi (2-5) defeated Endo (1-6). Sadanoumi locked in quickly with a hold of Endo’s trunk. Endo circled back as he tried to counter. Sadanoumi gathered up his strength and charged forward, gently lowering Endo off the dohyo to do some more fansa (Japanese colloquial term for “fan service”). Yorikiri.

Tamawashi (4-3) defeated Takanosho (4-3). Good ole Tom O’Washi was back as he quickly and easily battered Takanosho. Oshidashi.

Asanoyama (7-0) defeated Meisei (4-3). Meisei blasted Asanoyama at the tachiai, rocking Asanoyama’s head back. No bother. Asanoyama wrapped him up and charged forward. Yorikiri.

Ichiyamamoto (3-4) defeated Hiradoumi (4-3). Ichiyamamoto-brand sumo here. Hit high with the arms, then pull down. It looks so easy. Hatakikomi.

Halftime

Mitakeumi (4-3) defeated Shonannoumi (1-6). Straight-forward bulldoze from Mitakeumi. Shonannoumi will need to retool his sumo to succeed at this level. He’s just letting his opponents walk him to the edge and they’re not falling for his pulldowns. Oshidashi.

Nishikigi (4-3) defeated Kinbozan (3-4). Nishikigi locked in close at the tachiai. After an initial tussle of arms, Nishikigi acquired a left-hand inside hold of Kinbozan’s trunk. From there, it was a cake walk as he steamed ahead. The way Kinbozan seemed to shut off there should be a point of interest for his future opponents. Oshidashi.

Midorifuji (2-5) defeated Gonoyama (2-5). Midorifuji sprung ahead early. Andy’s henka alert system kicked into high gear… No henka. Powerful tachiai from Gonoyama as he blasted Midorifuji to the edge before attempting a pulldown. Midorifuji maintained his balance and countered with his own tsuppari. Gonoyama charged forward in response. As they neared the edge, Midorifuji slipped quickly to the side and pushed Gonoyama out. Nearly an okuridashi, there. Yorikiri.

Atamifuji (3-4) defeated Abi (1-6). Abi-zumo did not faze Atamifuji. Atamifuji just walked forward and drove Abi over the bales. Oshidashi.

Sanyaku

Wakamotoharu (4-3) defeated Takayasu (2-3-2). A quick flurry of tsuppari at the tachiai but once Wakamotoharu latched on, Takayasu set the gearbox in “R” instead of “D” and backed out. There is a movie where the main character got in the car, thought he put it in drive but it was in reverse. There were instructions but apparently upside down, so he flipped it around? I can’t think of the name of it, though…that will bug me. Anyway, Takayasu’s back is still an issue. Yorikiri.

Daieisho (5-2) defeated Ura (1-6). Daieisho-zumo. Tsukidashi.

Kotonowaka (6-1) defeated Ryuden (3-4). Kotonowaka used a strong right hand grip to drag Ryuden around to the edge. From there it was just a matter of force as he shoved Ryuden out. Ryuden wouldn’t go out quietly, though, so Kotonowaka had to put a bit more force into it. Yorikiri.

Kirishima (6-1) defeated Hokutofuji (4-3). A nervous Hokutofuji charged forward early. In the most comical moment of the match day, Hokutofuji blasted into Kirishima and they took out the gyoji, Kimura Yodo. This may have unsettled Hokutofuji as both men shifted to a yotsu battle, righthand inside. Hokutofuji tried hard but once Kirishima got that left hand grip, it was over. Yorikiri.

Hoshoryu (5-2) defeated Tobizaru (3-4). Hoshoryu wrapped up Tobizaru with a kimedashi grip but Tobizaru freed his left arm. The two battled for a grip and Tobizaru made a critical error as it looked like he tried to wrap up Hoshoryu high, possibly for a kubinage attempt? This yielded a morozashi for Hoshoryu who ushered Tobizaru out. Yorikiri.

Shodai (4-3) defeated Terunofuji (5-2). Terunofuji tried the same thing Hoshoryu tried with both arms locking up the arms of his opponent. However, Terunofuji tried that against Shodai, who is a lot larger than Tobizaru. For once in his life, Shodai charged forward. Sensing trouble, the Yokozuna pivoted and tried to throw Shodai but Shodai kept his balance and pivoted with Terunofuji. He then drove the Yokozuna straight across the ring, and dropped him to the floor. Kinboshi! Yoritaoshi.

Wrap-up

Onosato outclassed Oho, who has been performing well, his only blemish suffered in the loss to the sanyaku veteran, Onosho. He will have a bit of a freebie tomorrow against Endo. As he and Asanoyama continue to chew through their competition, I anticipate a matchup between the two.

Asanoyama dominated Meisei and will face Tom O’Washi for his kachi-koshi tomorrow. If he and Onosato both win, the schedulers definitely will have a conundrum. Do they try to place a few high-ranking roadblocks in the path of Asanoyama, first, wagering Onosato’s run will end sometime?

If I were a master scheduler, I would pit the winner of Asanoyama/Onosato against Wakamotoharu before introducing any sanyaku opponents. At this point, we would be at Day 11, and the start of any real yusho talk. If Onosato is 10-1 at that point, has dispatched Asanoyama and Wakamotoharu, it makes sense to look at putting guys like Ura, Takayasu, Daieisho, Hoshoryu on his schedule.

Terunofuji slipped up again here, today. But the important thing is that he is still in the competition. I just think he used a technique against a big guy that he should not have used. I feel Kirishima escaped today with the help of the gyoji. Hokutofuji brought some fire into this bout and it was partially extinguished with the interference from the gyoji.

At this point, I am most impressed with Kotonowaka and Asanoyama. Asanoyama is head-and-shoulders above the rank-and-file. He will surely leap back into the joi in Osaka, perhaps even higher. Since his comeback, it is the joi-level and sanyaku-level competition that really challenges him. He is the only rikishi looking to pick up his kachi-koshi on nakabi.

Kirishima and Kotonowaka lead the group of four men with one loss. Kirishima will fight Tobizaru and Kotonowaka will fight Takayasu. Both bouts are really more than “must win”; they are “should win,” in that if either man falters, that will be a serious blow to any promotion or yusho hopes. They are joined by Onosato and Onosho. We already discussed Onosato; as for Onosho, he will face Shimazuumi.

Makushita January Madness: Return of Wakatakakage

lksumo Hatsu 2024, Hatsu Basho

After 6 days and 3 rounds of bouts, let’s take a look at the action in Makushita, where exciting newcomers mix it up with veterans for a shot at the salaried ranks.

As a reminder, the Makushita yusho race is essentially a seven-round single-elimination tournament in which the 120 or so rikishi are reduced by half over two-day rounds until one man with a 7-0 record takes the title (occasionally, same-heya rikishi and other wrinkles throw a wrench into the works, and we end up with a playoff and a 6-1 champion). A 7-0 record from Ms1-Ms15 is a near-guarantee of promotion to Juryo, which otherwise usually requires a winning record from Ms1-Ms5.

After Day 6, the headline has to be that one man has already clinched his kachi-koshi: former Sekiwake Wakatakakage. After sitting out 3 basho following his March knee injury and surgery, the fan favorite and erstwhile Ozeki hopeful returned at Ms6 in November and showed some unsurprising ring rust on his way to a 5-2 record, not enough to earn re-promotion to Juryo. Now fighting at Ms1w, WTK started off with 3 straight wins against Makushita opponents before visiting Juryo on Day 6 and besting Chiyosakae to all-but-ensure a return to the salaried ranks. He now gets two days off before continuing his quest for a second career third-division yusho.

Also in the yusho race are 13 undefeated 3-0 wrestlers. The next round, unfolding over Days 7 and 8, will reduce the number to 6 or 7 (the lowest-ranked of the 13 will fight the highest-ranked undefeated Sandanme rikishi). The highest-ranked is Ms8e Onokatsu, the last man to debut at Ms15TD in November before a rule change eliminated this head start. He scored a huge victory over Ms5w Hakuoho (2-1), who is in his first basho back after shoulder surgery, and understandably a little rusty. Other notable names are 18-year-old prospect Ms15e Wakaikari (6th professional basho; 32-6 career record) and Ms55e Sazanami, whose main claim to fame is his starring role in Hiro Morita’s “Sumo Prime Time” videos.

After only 3 rounds of bouts, all 9 active wrestlers in the Ms1-Ms5 promotion zone are still mathematically in contention for a Juryo spot (Ms3e Takakento is out with injury). Six of them are paired up on Day 7, with the most interesting bout matching Hakuoho against a man nearly twice his age, the wily veteran Ms2w Kitaharima (2-1), who at 37 is seeking a record-tying 9th career Juryo promotion.

Come back in a day or two to see how the yusho and promotion races shape up!

Hatsu 2024: Day 6 Highlights

Andy Hatsu 2024, Hatsu Basho , , , , ,

Hoshoryu lost last night, leaving us with two undefeated leaders heading into Day 6: Kotonowaka and Asanoyama. Terunofuji and Kirishima are performing well despite the early upsets.

Late-breaking news tonight that Hokuseiho is kyujo. He injured his knee in last night’s bout against Shonannoumi and will sit out for the rest of the tournament. This puts him in real danger of demotion to Juryo, depending on how many promotion and demotion candidates we have.

Many of you will know that I love to make visualizations. One that I made a couple of years ago visualizes promotion and demotion history based on the previous tournament’s record. When we look at 2-win records by clicking on the small “2-win” bar, and use data from SumoDB going back to 1970, only in one instance the wrestler remained in Makuuchi and the rest are spread from J1 all the way to J6.

There is a small number of cases here, especially recent cases, so I am calling this as one of the early challenges for Guess the Banzuke participants. Hokuseiho’s chances of staying up will be made more certain if guys like Aoiyama, Endo, and Tomokaze continue to fare poorly and if there aren’t strong promotion candidates from Juryo. But slotting them appropriately will be the nature of your quest.

The same thing is possible via query on SumoDB, directly. I just like pretty charts because it makes it easier for me to see a trend than a text-based table. This data only goes through 2021 and needs an update. I’ll put it on the to-do list.

Well, let’s get to the action.

Makuuchi Highlights

Mitoryu (J1W, 3-3) defeated Shimazuumi (3-3). Shimazuumi drove forward at the tachiai and… Mitoryu slung him around and out. What was that? This is the best move I have seen from these early bouts and it was performed by a Juryo visitor. What a slick throw. How are they calling it oshidashi? That was a sukuinage or something.

Bushozan (3-3) defeated Tomokaze (1-5). Rather ineffective tsuppari from both as neither made much headway. Tomokaze’s clearly favoring that right leg and slipped as he started to yield ground. Oshitaoshi.

Onosato (5-1) defeated Takarafuji (3-3). Onosato dispatched Takarafuji with ease. Oshidashi.

Kotoshoho (5-1) defeated Aoiyama (0-6). Aoiyama threw one, two, three! slaps before Kotoshoho drove forward and shoved him out. Aoiyama is hurt, bad, and had trouble walking after the bout. Oshidashi.

Onosho (5-1) defeated Myogiryu (1-5). Myogiryu also looks hurt. Onosho shoved him out quickly. Tsukidashi.

Takanosho (4-2) defeated Tsurugisho (1-5). Tsurugisho whiffed with a half-hearted (maybe quarter-hearted) slap at the tachiai and Takanosho gingerly walked him out. Yorikiri.

Oho (5-1) defeated Endo (1-5). Endo made a better go of it but was no match for Oho. After his early slapdown attempt failed, Oho put his head down and drove forward and blasted Endo from the dohyo. Two female fans in the front row seemed thrilled by the premium-level fansa. Oshidashi.

Churanoumi (4-2) defeated Sadanoumi (1-5). Sadanoumi locked in and started to churn those legs…but they quickly started churning in reverse as Churanoumi plowed forward. Yorikiri.

Meisei (4-2) defeated Tamawashi (3-3). Meisei laid into Tamawashi and walked him out. Yorikiri.

Ichiyamamoto (2-4) defeated Mitakeumi (3-3). Mitakeumi never read the brief. Ichiyamamoto’s thing is tsuppari and misdirection. Mitakeumi fell forward on his face. Hikiotoshi.

Hiradoumi (4-2) defeated Shonannoumi (1-5). Shonannoumi’s slapdown attempts were ineffective as Hiradoumi plugged ahead. Yorikiri.

Halftime

Ryuden (3-3) fusen, Hokuseiho (2-4) kyujo.

Asanoyama (6-0) defeated Nishikigi (3-3). Great belt battle here as Asanoyama fought to get his favorite grip and Nishikigi did what he could to stop him. Once Asanoyama got the left-hand inside, he started to tug, hard while trying to also lock up the right. It wasn’t needed as he dropped Nishikigi to the clay. Shitatenage.

Kinbozan (3-3) defeated Shodai (3-3). Shodai nearly pulled off something clever as he escaped with a clever little swim move/slapdown. Unfortunately, when Kinbozan recovered his balance, Shodai couldn’t get himself righted to launch an attack on Kinbozan. Instead, Kinbozan re-engaged from behind. Okuridashi.

Hokutofuji (4-2) defeated Midorifuji (1-5). Hokutofuji’s tsuppari was effective at keeping Midorifuji at bay and set up a well-timed slapdown. Hatakikomi.

Sanyaku

Takayasu (2-2-2) defeated Ura (1-5). The suicide throw here as both men had opposing belt grips and attempted to tip the other over. Ura’s head hit first. Ouch. Uwatenage.

Wakamotoharu (3-3) defeated Kotonowaka (5-1). Kotonowaka tried to keep Wakamotoharu at bay with a left hand to WMH’s face. When Wakamotoharu batted it away, Kotonowaka stumbled forward. Wakamotoharu pounced as Kotonowaka attempted to regain his balance and position at the center of the ring. A few powerful shoves from Wakamotoharu and we have another big upset from WMH. Oshidashi.

Atamifuji (2-4) defeated Daieisho (4-2). Daieisho plugged forward with his powerful tsuppari. At the edge, Atamifuji got his arm up under Daieisho’s armpit and dragged him forward for the win. Almost effortless. Tsukiotoshi.

Abi (1-5) defeated Hoshoryu (4-2). Abi looked a bit more like Daieisho here. Rather than rapid-fire tsuppari, he thrust forward and drove into Hoshoryu with his right hand. He pressed forward hard and then suddenly dropped away. Hoshoryu fell forward. Hikiotoshi.

Kirishima (5-1) defeated Gonoyama (2-4). Kirishima dug deep and overpowered Gonoyama. More of this, please. Yorikiri.

Terunofuji (5-1) defeated Tobizaru (3-3). Tobizaru half-henka’d Terunofuji, jumping a half-step to the side. As he shoved and kicked out at Terunofuji, the Kaiju seemed to get angrier and angrier. Terunofuji grabbed at Tobizaru’s right arm and seemed to trigger Tobizaru’s escape function. This shut off Tobizaru’s attack mode and sent him into “flight.” Terunofuji pursued until Tobizaru lept from the dohyo, into the crowd. Oshidashi.

Wrap-up

Hopefully, Aoiyama, Tsurugisho and Myogiryu join the growing kyujo queue. They’re injured and listless. Watching them “compete” is painful.

This tournament might be what Wakamotoharu needed for his confidence. He seemed very bashful when, ranked at Sekiwake, the media started talking about an unprecedented 3-way Ozeki promotion which included him. His head should be in the game now. He deserves to be in sanyaku.

Abi picked up his first win with the big upset of the day. I felt that his attack was a bit different today, more like Daieisho’s. I may be parsing hairs here but Abi’s attacks have always felt like they lack follow-through, compared to Daieisho’s. I’ll be watching to see if there is an evolution in Abi’s technique that makes him more effective at this level on a consistent basis. So far this tournament, he has been anything but.

Asanoyama remains the lone undefeated wrestler. He will face Meisei on Day 7. Terunofuji will face a dangerous Shodai, while Kirishima will face Hokutofuji and Kotonowaka will get Ryuden. Any upsets here will have serious implications on promotion and yusho hopes. These should all be wins.

Lower on the banzuke, Oho, Kotoshoho, Onosho, and Onosato sit on 1 loss. Oho and Onosato will face off tomorrow. Kotoshoho will face Shimazuumi while Onosho will take on Aoiyama, if Aoiyama shows up.

Hatsu 2024: Day 5 Highlights

Andy Hatsu 2024, Hatsu Basho ,

Day 5 is upon us.

Before we get to the action, there is some good news. Takayasu will be back for Day 6. He will face Ura, tomorrow. At 1-2-2, he can certainly still turn in a decent scorecard. This is recoverable. I’m going to be positive and not worry about him coming back early just to be an easy mark for the sanyaku sharks. I promise.

Now, where were we? Day 5 is upon us. We are deep enough into the tournament that the cream is rising to the top. We have had stellar matches in the top half of the division. Fantastic upsets of the top dogs, but the top dogs are still performing well and putting up dominant wins, as well. That said, Takakeisho has departed for the infirmary with a reaggravated neck injury and will probably sit at home and begin researching the status of available and soon-to-be-available kabu.

The lower half of the division has not quite been fighting as inspired as we have grown accustomed, lately. The funny thing about having yusho races that feature guys at the bottom of the banzuke is that we were getting a lot of dominant performances from guys at the bottom of the banzuke. Now they are at the top half, for the most part and the lower half has not been as electric. Will we see that action heat up?

Makuuchi Highlights

Onosato (4-1) defeated Aoiyama (0-5). Oshidashi. Aoiyama is hurt and not long for this division. Frankly, in this condition, I’m surprised that he did so well in Juryo. He is headed back there, certainly.

Tomokaze (1-4) defeated Shimazuumi (3-2). Tomokaze wisely denied Shimazuumi’s attempt to get inside and get that left-hand grip. After a few seconds of tsuppari, he pulled and brought Shimazuumi down. The call is katasukashi but it sure looked like a hatakikomi to me.

Onosho (4-1) defeated Bushozan (2-3). Onosho was too strong for Bushozan and drove him out quickly. We see the difference in quality here between a guy who was as high as Kobusubi, and a guy who was as high as M14. I am not saying Onosho is ready for sanyaku and certainly not making calls for a yusho run but he should clean up down here, and is delivering on that expectation.

Takarafuji (3-2) defeated Endo (1-4). Endo is doing so poorly that one would think he is hiding a serious injury. The Takarabune picked him up and set sail. “It was a breeze.” Yorikiri.

Kotoshoho (4-1) defeated Churanoumi (3-2). Perhaps Kotoshoho is trying to emulate what he sees in sanyaku. He wrapped up Churanoumi’s arm and dragged him to the tawara, as we’ve seen Terunofuji do quite successfully. The finish was not quite so easy as Churanoumi wriggled away and began to lay into Kotoshoho with tsuppari. Kotoshoho gave chase as Churanoumi retreated and eventually caught up and shoved him out. Oshidashi.

Oho (4-1) defeated Myogiryu (1-4). Myogiryu charged forward early, matta. Once the two got going “for realz,” Oho easily overpowered Myogiryu. Myogiryu evaded the slapdown and stayed alive to try his own. But once that failed, he had effectively cornered himself and Oho moved in for the easy shove. Oshidashi.

Takanosho (3-2) defeated Sadanoumi (1-4). Takanosho was all over Sadanoumi like shirasu on rice. Sadanoumi tried a last ditch slapdown but Takanosho just steamed ahead. Yorikiri.

Meisei (3-2) defeated Tsurugisho (1-4). Meisei plowed into Tsurugisho at the tachiai and didn’t relent until Tsurugisho was out. Tsukidashi.

Tamawashi (3-2) defeated Mitakeumi (3-2). Historically, Mitakeumi has been able to dominate Tamawashi but not of late. Today, we got the oshi version of a lean-fest. A slick mis-direction from Mitakeumi nearly sent Tamawashi sprawling but the old man recovered. Mitakeumi slipped his right-hand inside for a belt grip but Tamawashi dug deep and pressed forward with all his might and shoved Mitakeumi out. Oshidashi. “What are you talking about, Andy? There are good bouts in the first half.”

Asanoyama (5-0) defeated Hiradoumi (3-2). Hiradoumi was not quite ready for Asanoyama’s charge and was punished for it. Asanoyama wrapped him up with his right-hand inside and led him out. Yorikiri.

Halftime

Hokuseiho (2-3) defeated Shonannoumi (1-4). Hokuseiho locked up Shonannoumi’s right arm but didn’t seem to know what to do with it. He let go with the right so he could get a grasp of Shonannoumi’s mawashi…and completely let go with the left hand. As Shonannoumi took the initiative and started forward, Hokuseiho reacted and swung him down on the tawara. Shitatenage. Imagine what Hokuseiho would be capable of if he learned how to do sumo with two hands.

Ichiyamamoto (1-4) defeated Nishikigi (3-2). Ichiyamamoto launched ahead and blasted Nishikigi out. Oshidashi. As Ichiyamamoto went to go pick up his kensho, he should have thanked the gyoji for not calling a matta.

Ryuden (2-3) defeated Kinbozan (2-3). Kinbozan, uncomfortable in a yotsu situation, ended up getting spun around somehow and walked out from behind. Okuridashi.

Shodai (3-2) defeated Midorifuji (1-4). If Shodai could do it, why couldn’t Haruma…oops, I mean Kirishima? Shodai let Midorifuji inside and Midorifuji tried his signature shoulder attacks. But Shodai kept pressing forward and forced the newlywed out – even with his right arm waving in the air like he just don’t care. Oshidashi.

Atamifuji (1-4) defeated Tobizaru (3-2). Both men quickly locked in. Tobizaru with his right-hand inside, Atamifuji with his left hand over and Tobizaru used his left hand to hold Atamifuji’s other arm at bay. Atamifuji pressured forward and each tried to throw the other but Atamifuji kept moving forward until Tobizaru ran out of real estate and dropped off the dohyo. Oshidashi.

Sanyaku

Daieisho (4-1) defeated Wakamotoharu (2-3). Wakamotoharu brushed Daieisho to the side at the tachiai, and nearly sent him out. Daieisho recovered and locked in with a left-hand inside. You read that right, Daieisho was on the belt here. He then twisted, and threw Wakamotoharu to the floor. Tsukiotoshi? I’m not sure how that wasn’t a shitatenage or sukuinage. Maybe because he had help from the right hand pushing on Wakamotoharu’s left shoulder. Regardless, that was a surprising yotsu win from Daieisho.

Kotonowaka (5-0) defeated Ura (1-4). The slippery, hyper-active Ura sure kept Kotonowaka on his toes here. Kotonowaka’s excellent footwork made sure he kept his balance and never overcommitted, never pitched forward as he chased. He was always in control. He got a solid grip of Ura’s mawashi, spun him around, and ushered him out from behind. Okuridashi.

Kirishima (4-1) defeated Abi (0-5). Abi got Kirishima in trouble at the edge but Kirishima circled back in and Abi stepped out. A bit dicey there from the Ozeki. Tsukiotoshi.

Gonoyama (2-3) defeated Hoshoryu (4-1). Gonoyama drove forward and Hoshoryu let himself be pushed back to the edge. Instead of resisting at the bales, Hoshoryu got shoved out. Well, that was a surprise. Yorikiri.

Terunofuji (4-1) defeated Hokutofuji (3-2). Terunofuji’s right arm corralled Hokutofuji under the shoulder. This forced Hokutofuji’s left arm to flail around awkward and useless. Terunofuji pressed forward and showed his opponent the exit. Oshidashi.

Wrap-up

“And then there were two.”

Kotonowaka and Asanoyama lead and a pack of solid competitors, headed by Terunofuji, Kirishima, and Hoshoryu give chase. Kotonowaka and Asanoyama have certainly been fighting at a high level. That is very exciting. Asanoyama will face Nishikigi tomorrow and Kotonowaka will be tested against Wakamotoharu.

Terunofuji will take on Tobizaru, Kirishima will face Gonoyama, and Hoshoryu will get Abi. Daieisho, also at 4-1, will have his hands full with Atamifuji. Will we see more yotsu from Daieisho? Or will he succeed in keeping Atamifuji off his belt? Stay tuned…