Kitaharima pushed out top-ranked Hakuyozan with relative ease, Narutaki prevailed over Kotokenryu, Satorufuji had an impressive belt win over the veteran Chiyonoo, and Daikisho won the division crossover bout against Asonoyama. So we’re left with four men vying for the title. The semifinals will take place on Day 11 and should look like this:
Ms11e Kitaharima vs. Ms21e Narutaki
Ms42w Satorufuji vs. Ms57e Daikisho
37-year-old Kitaharima, who has over two decades of professional sumo experience, is having a late-career resurgence, with 12 consecutive wins going back to his Aki Makushita Sandanme yusho (apologies for the error in the prior posts). He is looking to secure the automatic promotion that comes with a 7-0 record from the Ms1-Ms15 ranks, which would tie the record for most career sekitori promotions with 9. The latest Isegahama prospect, 19-year-old Ms42w Satorufuji, has a career record of 28-5 in only his 5th basho, with 5-2, 7-0, 6-1, 5-2, and 5-0 records and a Jonidan yusho in May. I don’t have anything especially notable to say about the other two seminalists. Come back on Wednesday to see how this plays out.
The promotion picture is starting to clear up. Two spots are open in Juryo as a consequence of Hakuoho’s absence and Azumaryu’s withdrawal. Several other incumbents are in trouble. The Ms1 duo of Hakuyozan and his West-side counterpart, top Isegahama prospect Takerufuji (they really need to get more inventive with these shikona) are both 4-1 and should be locks to go up. Takerufuji debuted at Kyushu last year and has posted scores of 7-0 yusho, 7-0 yusho, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1, 5-2 to date, so his sekitori debut is eagerly anticipated. Kitaharima could claim a third promotion spot by winning out, but is not in the running with anything less than the yusho.
The rest of the wrestlers in the Ms1-Ms5 promotion zone have more of an uphill climb. They need to pile up wins and hope for losses by their fellow contenders and the endangered Juryo men. Ms3e Tochimusashi, who’s struggled after an impressive Juryo debut at Aki 2022 (with a yusho, no less!), is currently in the best shape at 3-2. The only action tomorrow is Ms4w Tsushimanada (3-2), who’s wrapped in so much tape that he looks like a mummy, visiting Juryo to take on J11w Hidenoumi (4-3-2), who is back after 3 days off following a calf injury and needs at least a win or two to stay in the salaried ranks. This battle of the wounded should be followed by a number of other cross-division bouts between promotion hopefuls and those trying to defend their sekitori status in the closing days.
We come into today with Ichiyamamoto in the lead and a massive crowd of dudes one loss behind. There’s really too much to talk about in the chase group, so the focus is on whether Tamawashi can best Ichiyamamoto. Let’s get to the action.
Highlights
Kotoshoho (7-2) defeated Nishikifuji (2-7). Nishikifuji blasted Kotoshoho with a strong intial charge. But Kotoshoho pivoted, turned Nishikifuji around and forced him off the dohyo. Yorikiri
Tsurugisho (4-5) defeated Kitanowaka (4-5). Tsurugisho was almost too fast and powerful with his hatakikomi attack. He seemed to hit himself with Kitanowaka. He recovered, lifted Kitanowaka and drove forward. Yorikiri.
Takarafuji (3-6) defeated Tohakuryu (2-7). Tohakuryu blasted Takarafuji with tsuppari but his tsuppari mainly seemed to annoy rather than transfer force to Takarafuji. Suitably annoyed, Takarafuji pressed forward into Tohakuryu with his own Oshi-attack, pushing Tohakuryu back and over the bales. Oshidashi.
Ichiyamamoto (8-1) defeated Tamawashi (6-3). Ichiyamamoto blasted Tamawashi clear from the dohyo before Tamawashi had much of a chance to do anything. Wow. It took two blasts to the face to force Tamawashi clear from the fighting surface. Ichiyamamoto kachi-koshi. The field has to play catch-up now. Tsukidashi.
Oho (5-4) defeated Tomokaze (5-4). Slapfest. Oho grabbed Tomokaze’s right arm and pulled him forward and thrust him to the ground. Tsukiotoshi.
Hiradoumi (6-3) defeated Roga (2-7). Hiradoumi nearly got an uwatenage win in the center of the ring but somehow Roga kept his balance. Hiradoumi then pressed forward and forced Roga to fall backwards over the tawara. Ouch. Yoritaoshi.
Churanoumi (7-2) defeated Endo (2-7). This was an entertaining oshi-bout, full of slapdown attempts. In the end, Endo was pitched a bit too far forward. Churanoumi grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him forward to the floor. Katasukashi.
Kinbozan (5-4) defeated Sadanoumi (5-4). Kinbozan’s slow-roll tachiai led Sadanoumi to reset. Once we got going, Kinbozan pressed Sadanoumi back to the edge. At the edge Sadanoumi pivoted to put Kinbozan’s back to the edge…but Kinbozan re-pivoted and threw Sadanoumi over the edge. Utchari.
Hokuseiho (4-5) defeated Kotoeko (2-7). It took two attempts but Hokuseiho was able to lift Kotoeko over the bales. Yorikiri.
Takanosho (4-5) defeated Ryuden (6-3) with a very well timed and well-executed pull. Ryuden was off balance and had no choice but to catch himself with his hands. Hikiotoshi.
Shonannoumi (6-3) defeated Myogiryu (3-6). Shonannoumi was drawn offside, matta. Myogiryu had a healthy initial charge. But Shonannoumi was too powerful with that right-hand, over-arm grip. He drove Myogiryu back across the dohyo and gently ushered the Sakaigawa geezer over the edge. Yorikiri.
Halftime: Shimpan swap, Dohyo Refresh
Mitakeumi (5-4) defeated Midorifuji (6-3). Third time was the charm. Quickly, Mitakeumi drove through Midorifuji and forced him to the tawara. But he couldn’t get him to go over, so he pivoted and tried again. Again, Midorifuji resisted at the bales. The two settled back to the center of the ring. Mitakeumi gathered his strength for another charge and this time drove Midorifuji back and over the edge. Yorikiri.
Atamifuji (7-2) defeated Onosho (2-7). Atamifuji drove Onosho back to the edge and then pulled, Onosho falling to the hatakikomi.
Takayasu (6-3) defeated Tobizaru (3-6). The gyoji and Tobizaru both fled from the bear attack. The good news for the gyoji was that the bear only wanted Tobizaru. Takayasu chased Tobizaru around the ring before cornering him and thrusting him clear of the edge. Before leaving Tobizaru swatted Konosuke for good measure; just had to piss everyone off. Takayasu obliged with some dame-oshi. Probably a bout that all would like to forget. Tsukidashi.
Meisei (2-7) defeated Gonoyama (4-5). A powerful tachiai from both wrestlers followed by a great brawl. Meisei hit Gonoyama at an angle, Gonoyama lost his balance and tumbled forward. Tsukiotoshi.
Shodai (5-4) defeated Hokutofuji (2-7). Power sumo from Shodai in front of his home crowd. There were about twenty fans with identical Shodai towels going crazy in the upper deck as he pushed Hokutofuji over the edge. He didn’t crumble from the force of Hokutofuji’s nodowa. This is the Shodai that I want to see. Oshidashi.
Ura (3-6) defeated Abi (3-6). Abi has confused me. Perhaps he’s losing confidence in his tsuppari? He only needs to look at Ichiyamamoto’s success to see that the strategy can work. But he abandoned his regular tsuppari after the first few thrusts as he and Ura settled into grapple at the center of the ring. Ura was the first to act and pulled Abi forward. Tsukiotoshi.
Wakamotoharu (4-5) defeated Daieisho (5-4). Solid tachiai. Wakamotoharu wasn’t going to put up with much of Daieisho’s blasts. Once Daieisho got going, Wakamotoharu stepped to the left and let Daieisho zoom past. Hakakikomi.
Kirishima (7-2) defeated Asanoyama (1-1-7). After a wild tussle that ranged over the entire dohyo surface, Asanoyama flew forward as Kirishima pulled back. Gunbai Kirishima. Mono-ii. Asanoyama’s hand touched before Kirishima’s foot. Gunbai confirmed. Hatakikomi.
Takakeisho (6-3) defeated Nishikigi (6-3). This was a funny bout. Nishikigi weathered Takakeisho’s initial wave of tsuppari. T-Rex’s thrusts weren’t sufficient to force Nishikigi to the edge. I don’t know why Nishikigi didn’t launch an attack at this point. Perhaps he wanted Takakeisho to tire first? So he basically leaned into Takakeisho’s attack and let him churn. But Takakeisho slipped to the right and Nishikigi flopped forward onto his belly. Hikiotoshi.
Kotonowaka (7-2) defeated Hoshoryu (6-3). Hoshoryu hit Kotonowaka with a strong blast to the face at the tachiai. The two settled into a grapple. After a few moments, Kotonowaka took the initiative, lifted, and drove forward. Hoshoryu fought to stay in at the tawara but Kotonowaka put his weight into it, forcing Hoshoryu to crumple onto the salt basket. Yorita-ouchi.
Wrap-up
Well, I guess Ichiyamamoto will be sticking around in the lead for a little while longer. Those howitzers that he fired at Tamawashi today certainly got my attention. Hiradoumi will get his chance to beat the leader tomorrow. Let’s see if chooses to brawl, or try to get inside and neutralize that power-ppari. He’s been having an excellent tournament.
Meanwhile, our Ozeki are just fighting to stay upright. Kirishima is still in the race, joined by Ozeki-wannabe, Kotonowaka, Atamifuji, and…scrolls down…Churanoumi? Kotonowaka took Hoshoryu out in impressive fashion, I must say. Kirishima got a bit lucky. Yesterday, I perked up a bit at Takakeisho’s thrusts, excited to see him pressing Asanoyama back. Today, he couldn’t make any progress against Nishikigi. From the camera angle, you can’t tell if Nishikigi didn’t see the dodge coming or if he had just fallen asleep and flopped forward.
Please see the first post in this series on the mechanics of the Makushita yusho race. After 8 days and 4 rounds of bouts, we are left with 7 undefeated rikishi. They are matched up in rank order on Day 9, with the lowest-ranked of the 7 taking on the highest-ranked undefeated Sandanme wrestler, and the results of those bouts will determine our semifinalists. Without further ado, here’s the 4-0 bracket:
Ms1e Hakuyozan vs. Ms11e Kitaharima
Ms21e Narutaki vs. Ms25w Kotokenryu
Ms42w Satorufuji vs. Ms36w Chiyonoo
Ms57e Daikisho vs. Sd1e Asonoyama
Since making his sekitori debut in 2018, Hakuyozan has bounced back and forth between Juryo and Makushita, and has already done enough to earn immediate re-promotion. Kitaharima, who took the Aki Makushita yusho, is looking to secure the automatic promotion that comes with a 7-0 record from the Ms1-Ms15 ranks, which would tie the record for most career sekitori promotions with 9. Kotokenryu is a 19-year-old Mongolian prospect from Sadogatake beya who is fighting at his highest career rank. The latest Isegahama prospect, 19-year-old Ms42w Satorufuji, whose career record stands at 27-5, is matched up with Kokonoe veteran Chiyonoo, who’s made a couple of brief Makuuchi appearances in his career. I don’t have anything especially notable to say about the other quarterfinalists. Come back tomorrow to see how this played out.
There was little action in the Ms1-Ms5 promotion zone, so check out yesterday’s post for where things stand. Tomorrow’s action should go some way toward sorting out who’ll be getting a salary in January.
The big story coming into today is that Asanoyama will make his return to the dohyo, coming back from injury. He will face Takakeisho today and certainly not have an easy go of things for Week 2. His goal is probably to slow his fall down the banzuke as much as he can. If he picks up four or even five wins, that would be an excellent tournament for him. With some banzuke luck, he may not even fall but a few ranks. The worst case would be to come back and go on a massive losing streak, aggravate his injuries, and still tumble to the bottom of Makuuchi.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. There is a lot of other action here. Kotonowaka had a great first week, looking for yusho and Ozeki promotion. But then Ura stepped to the plate. After fighting Shodai tonight, he will face the most difficult stretch of his schedule, the Ozeki. Meanwhile, those Ozeki are all trying to stay in this yusho race. Any slip-ups will make it that much more difficult.
Let’s get to the action.
Highlights
Kitanowaka (4-4) defeated Aoiyama (5-3). Aoiyama makes his brief return to Makuuchi felt with a brutal nodowa. Kitanowaka drove forward through it and Aoiyama backed up with a slow pull, slapdown attempt. Unfortunately for him, he stepped out before Kitanowaka fell. Gunbai Kitanowaka. No mono-ii. Yorikiri.
Churanoumi (6-2) defeated Tomokaze (5-3). Tomokaze did his best blocking sled impression today, allowing Churanoumi to drive him back to the edge. He put his hand up behind Churanoumi’s head for a slapdown but the attempt was ineffective. Churanoumi just pushed him out. Oshidashi.
Ichiyamamoto (7-1) defeated Takarafuji (2-6). Straight-forward Ichi-zumo. Takarafuji’s defense/counter attack was to press forward on Ichiyamamoto’s arms. He pressed Ichiyamamoto to the edge but Ichiyamamoto was able to use the bales to brace and press forward again. Then he thrust down Takarafuji to the side for the win. Tsukiotoshi.
Oho (4-4) defeated Roga (2-6). Oho pulled and pressed down on Roga’s shoulder. Roga stumbled forward to the edge. He collected himself briefly but Oho followed up and pushed him out. Oshidashi
Oho will face Tomokaze on Day 9.
Tamawashi (6-2) defeated Tohakuryu (2-6). Tamawashi blasted Tohakuryu about the head and face. He was able to advance and press Tohakuryu the tawara but unable to drive him over the bales. This is where Tamawashi unleashed his second attack, step inside and wrap up the closest arm (in this case Tohakuryu’s right). He got his arm under the armpit, locked in an armbar and then yanked backward and down. Kotenage.
All eyes will be on Tamawashi vs Ichiyamamoto. Ichiyamamoto is setting the yusho pace. But Tamawashi is in a group of nine guys, one loss behind. Tohakuryu will face Takarafuji in a first-time matchup.
Sadanoumi (5-3) defeated Nishikifuji (2-6). Sadanoumi attempted to end Nishikifuji’s day with a sotogake, shortly after locking him up at the tachiai. The trip made Nishikifuji lose balance and stumble backward under the sustained yotsu pressure from Sadanoumi. Sadanoumi kept advancing and forced Nishikifuji out and down. Yoritaoshi.
Nishikifuji will be happy to face the Juryo visitor tomorrow, Kotoshoho.
Hiradoumi (5-3) defeated Tsurugisho (3-5). Hiradoumi with a matta. Reset. Bad knee or not, Tsurugisho can still put a lot of force into his tachiai. The evidence is the way Hiradoumi’s head snapped back. Tsurugisho seized upon the advantage and drove forward. When Hiradoumi resisted, he twisted left and right to try to throw him down. But Hiradoumi remained upright. As he drove back into Tsurugisho, eventually he got enough pressure going to force Tsurugisho back and out. Yorikiri.
Hiradoumi will face Roga in their first meeting; Tsurugisho will face Kitanowaka.
Endo (2-6) defeated Kotoeko (2-6). Endo rotated left and twisted Kotoeko to the floor. After such a terrible start, Endo has now caught up with the likes of Takarafuji, Roga, and Nishikifuji with two wins. Uwatehineri.
Endo will take on Churanoumi in another first-time bout.
Ryuden (6-2) defeated Hokuseiho (3-5). Does Hokuseiho know what ottsuke is? He never made any attempt to prevent Ryuden from latching onto his belt or grabbing anywhere. This allowed Ryuden to try all sorts of holds, with and without the belt grip. The successful strategy was for Ryuden to grasp Hokuseiho at the armpits and force Hokuseiho to stand tall, then use his right to whip him forward to the clay. Shitatedashinage.
Hokuseiho will face Kotoeko. This will be a fun one. I do not think Kotoeko will allow for a 4-minute “lean.”
Mitakeumi (4-4) defeated Shonannoumi (5-3). Mitakeumi drove forward and forced Shonannoumi out. Shonannoumi tried to execute his swim move and force Mitakeumi to the side by pressing on his left arm but Mitakeumi kept Shonannoumi centered. Yorikiri.
Atamifuji (6-2) defeated Takanosho (3-5). Atamifuji wrapped up Takanosho’s right arm in an armbar and rolled right, bringing Takanosho down at the edge. Kotenage.
Takanosho will face Ryuden on Day 9.
Halftime
Kinbozan (4-4) defeated Onosho (2-6). Kinbozan pressed forward to absorb Onosho’s advance, and then pulled and twisted left. Onosho ended up in a heap. Tsukiotoshi.
Kinbozan will have his hands full with Sadanoumi and Onosho will face Atamifuji for the first time.
Midorifuji (6-2) defeated Myogiryu (3-5). Midorifuji wrapped up Myogiryu by holding on, high at the armpits. This is the source of his usual katasukashi. As he pulled on that left shoulder, he rotated, and threw Myogiryu to the ground. This turned his katasukashi into a sukuinage.
Midorifuji will take on Mitakeumi; Myogiryu will face Shonannoumi.
Tobizaru (3-5) defeated Meisei (1-7). Tobizaru pulled on Meisei’s right arm, and thrust him forward and down. Tsukiotoshi.
Takayasu (5-3) defeated Ura (2-6). While Ura drove forward, Takayasu thrust his head up and back. As the pair neared the tawara, Takayasu pulled Ura’s head forward and forced him to the ground before tumbling off the dohyo himself. Gunbai Takayasu, no mono-ii. Hatakikomi. Ura wanted a review but it was a good call. Replay made it clear.
Takayasu will fight Tobizaru tomorrow.
Abi (3-5) defeated Daieisho (5-3). Daieisho slammed forward into Abi. Abi twisted at the bales and let Daieisho fall into the crowd. Gunbai Abi. Hikiotoshi.
Abi will face Ura.
Shodai (4-4) defeated Kotonowaka (6-2). Shodai on the attack is a sight to behold. He braved Kotonowaka’s nodowa. Simple misdirection was not going to draw Kotonowaka out so he advanced into Kotonowaka and grasped his right arm. He then slung Kotonowaka back to the bales and drove Kotonowaka out. Yorikiri.
Gonoyama (4-4) defeated Wakamotoharu (3-5). Gonoyama was all offense today. His nodowa pressed Wakamotoharu back to the edge. Gonoyama followed up with a simple push out. Oshidashi. Wakamotoharu had nothing today and picked up his fifth loss, with the meat of his schedule remaining. His three wins are against Meisei, Ura, and Tobizaru. There aren’t any small guys left. He will not remain at the rank of Sekiwake for long.
Gonoyama will face Meisei. Wakamotoharu will fight Daieisho.
Asanoyama (1-0-7) defeated Takakeisho (5-3). Asanoyama absorbed Takakeisho’s attack. As Takakeisho blasted away, Asanoyama came back, looking for that left-hand grip. Takakeisho fell first. Gunbai Asanoyama. Mono-ii confirmed the call on the field. Shitatenage. They may have been checking for a hairpull, too?
Nishikigi (6-2) defeated Hoshoryu (6-2). Nishikigi allowed Hoshoryu to slam into him and drive him back to the edge. That’s where he launched his counter attack and shifted right and pressed down on the Ozeki. Hoshoryu took a knee. Kotenage.
Nishikigi will fight Takakeisho. Hoshoryu will take on Kotonowaka in the musubi-no-ichiban.
Kirishima (6-2) defeated Hokutofuji (2-6). Yotsu-zumo from Hokutofuji? Interesting. He did well. He wrapped up the Ozeki and drove forward. His mistake was losing his grip of Kirishima while putting the full force of his body into his throw attempt. The follow through allowed Kirishima to get behind him and run him out the other side of the ring.
Kirishima will face Asanoyama and Hokutofuji will face Shodai.
Wrap Up
It is tempting to say that Takakeisho’s rope run ended here but Hoshoryu and Kotonowaka also lost. The bar for this yusho probably went down a peg. Takakeisho is still very much in this and we will probably have another 12-3 yusho or maybe even another 11-win yusho. To prevent that, someone is going to need to win out and I don’t have a name who I think can, or will, do that. Do you?
Ichiyamamoto is alone in front with one loss. But he has been fighting minnows at the bottom of Makuuchi and will have a very tough time against Tamawashi tomorrow. If he remains in front after facing the 39-year-old former champion, the Kyokai could start to move him up to face stiffer competition.
But the fact of the matter is, it is still early and the Kyokai also have the fore-mentioned Tamawashi, as well as Ryuden, Midorifuji, and Atamifuji in this yusho race with two losses. My guess would be the five of the low rankers would start getting matched up. If one of them is 9-2 or 10-2 next week, a quick visit into sanyaku will result in either easy chum for the sharks, or another hiramaku title.
Lots of bouts to look forward to tomorrow as the sanyaku begin to cannibalize themselves. Kotonowaka vs Hoshoryu will drop someone from the yusho race. Asanoyama looked fresh and focused today. He’ll need that focus against a beatable Kirishima.
Given all of this, you get to pick one wrestler as a favorite to win all of their remaining seven matches. Who would you pick? Other than Asanoyama, of course. That would just be hilarious. He comes in on nakabi and still gets kachi-koshi? Forget men on white horses, an Asanoyama kachi-koshi would be a sign of the Apocalypse.
