Day 2 was rematch day, and that’s a mighty fine day in any sumo calendar. We had blistering double fights between Mitakeumi and Hokutofuji, and Shodai and Nishikifuji. The Mitakeumi fight was especially excellent, and I am starting to have hope that maybe the Original Tadpole has some health back, and won’t just hop off into the sunset as I had feared.

On the “Future Ozeki” front, Kiribayama, Hoshoryu and Daieisho all have 2-0 starts, as does former and future Ozeki Asanoyama. At some point later in this tournament, all of those hopefuls at the top of the banzuke will begin a round robin brawl that may eliminate some or all of them. This is where the zero-sum game of sumo really gets brutal, as these rikishi fight it out to see who comes out in front. Add in that both Takakeisho and Terunofuji are fighting hurt and at less than full power, the back half of this basho is a powder keg of sumo.

Highlight Matches

Gonoyama defeats Kagayaki – Much better sumo today from Kakayaki. He was able to keep his weight centered over the arches of his feet, and put up a solid fight against Gonoyama. But once Gonoyama got his hands inside at the start of the third volley, Kagayaki was in trouble. A last moment attempt at a hitakikomi by Kagayaki did not pay off, and Gonoyama returns to Juryo with his second win of the basho at 2-0.

Mitoryu defeats Oho – Oho was late to the tachiai, and hopefully was not too upset that Mitoryu had no intention of waiting for him. Mitoryu took early command with thrusts to Oho’s upper body, and three steps later had him over the tawara. Both end the day at 1-1.

Ichiyamamoto defeats Tsurugisho – Ichiyamamoto continues his absolute dominance over Tsurugisho, with a career record now at 8-0. Tsurugisho’s face slap attempt was ill considered, as it left his body wide open for Ichiyamamoto’s thrusting attack. Tsurugisho’s too big to be batted about easily, but not too big to be slapped to the clay by hatakikomi. Both end the day 1-1.

Asanoyama defeats Myogiryu – Its great to watch, but hopefully no one is surprised. Former Ozeki who is not hurt returns to the top division with Ozeki grade sumo. Who could have known? Hopefully he can score well this basho and climb the banzuke quickly. Asanoyama 2-0 with a textbook yorikiri.

Kotoeko defeats Chiyoshoma – I love this flavor of Kotoeko sumo. Chiyoshoma went for a deep left hand grip at the tachiai, and had an early advantage. Kotoeko bar’s Chiyoshoma’s left arm so he can’t let go, then proceeds to haul Chiyoshoma around by that trapped left arm. Some fancy leg entanglement, and it’s kakenage time! Kotoeko now 1-1.

Aoiyama defeats Daishoho – Daishoho had a superb first hit, but his forward rush to follow up was straight into an Aoiyama hold that quickly turned into step out with a tsukiotoshi finish. For such an enormous fellow, Big Dan really can move. Aoiyama now 2-0.

Takarafuji defeats Hokuseiho – This match is a great example of how much further Hokuseiho has to go. I hope he can improve rather than turn into another Ichinojo – plodding along just being huge. He tries the “I dare you to move me” routine on Takarafuji today, and Takarafuji shows him how what to do with that nonsense. Out you go! Takarafuji with a solid 2-0 start.

Ryuden defeats Hiradoumi – Hiradoumi got the better of the tachiai, resulting in a double inside grip. But look at Hiradoumi’s foot placement. He had zero power with his feet aligned like that. Compare to Ryuden’s stance, which was correct. Hiradoumi eventually gets a better stance, but Ryuden waits him out and wears him down, and then walks him out for his first win of Natsu. Both end the day 1-1.

Onosho defeats Takanosho – Nice opening combo from Onosho. He reaches for Takanosho’s belt and can’t reach it. He immediately recognizes that Takanosho is much too far forward, and fluid side step and thrust down move. Onosho improves to 1-1.

Tamawashi defeats Sadanoumi – Tamawashi puts all of his tachiai chips on a right hand nodowa, and wow did it look brutal. I am sure the plan was to reduce or eliminate Sadanoumi’s excellent mobility, and that neck hold took care of that. Sadanoumi responded with a left hand ottsuke that took time to work, but did break the neck hold, and let him drive forward, but a ring’s edge kotenage won the match for Tamawashi. Both end the day 1-1.

Mitakeumi defeats Hokutofuji – Mitakeumi went for a “stand him up, pull him down” combo that saw both men run for the tarawa locked in battle. The gumbai went to Hokutofuji, and a monoii was called, and a rematch was declared. Second fight was a real brawl, with Mitakeumi focusing of hazu-oshi armpit attacks, and Hokutofuji’s lower body doing its usual amazing job of keeping him in the match. With dominance changing multiple times, Konosuke was up, down, left, right with amazing speed keeping an eye on the action. But with his mawashi coming undone, Mitakeumi managed enough power to shove Hokutofuji out of the ring. Fantastic sumo, they are both 1-1.

Meisei defeats Kotoshoho – Meisei had the better tachiai, and I am not sure what Kotoshoho had in mind, but you can see that his idea was disrupted and he immediately goes into a “try something” mode. Meisei is already thrusting center-mass, and has Kotoshoho on the move by the time Kotoshoho starts to rally. As Kotoshoho leans into a counter attack, Meisei brings him down with a hikiotoshi, improving to 2-0. Yeah, I am surprised that Meisei was able to get Kotoshoho off his sumo for that crucial moment.

Kinbozan defeats Nishikigi – Kinbozan does a masterful job of keeping Nishikigi away from his belt, robbing Nishikigi of his favorite offense. As they spar, Nishikigi does open a route to go chest to chest, but as he lunges in to grapple, Kinbozan slaps him away with a masterful tsukiotoshi. Nicely done, and he is now 1-1.

Shodai defeats Nishikifuji – Nishikifuji gets a hold of Shodai early and stands him up, and runs him out. The final moment was a bit messy, and a monoii resulted in a rematch. The second run through was very similar to the first match, except that we saw Nishikifuji try to load a throw, and step out as Shodai was dialing up the forward pressure. Shodai improves to 1-1 thanks to Nishikifuji’s foot.

Kiribayama defeats Endo – As mentioned in the preview, Endo is a highly skilled, competent sumo technician. He can beat you so many different ways, it’s kind of amazing. But is also, at least now, quite predictable. The oft-seen left hand grab at the tachiai was met with a Kiribayama block that flowed smoothly into a right hand outside hold to balance a left hand nodowa. It was three quick steps to the launch point, where Kiribayama encouraged Endo to go talk it over with waiting gyoji Kimura Tamajiro. Kiribayama continues the march toward Ozeki at 2-0.

Wakamotoharu defeats Tobizaru – Things to love about Tobizaru: 1) Win or lose he seems to be having a wonderful time. 2) Every time he gets tossed off the dohyo, he spends a moment to be nice to the fans. 3) He’s always ready for more sumo. All of these points were important for today’s match, as Wakamotoharu took him out to the curb like the green glass on Tuesday in Sumida. Wakamotoharu now 2-0.

Daieisho defeats Ura – I applaud Ura for trying the grab-and-tug offense, but Daieisho was ready for that, and kept him arms under control for the whole match. When Daieisho is like this, he can really crank up the forward pressure. Daieisho now 2-0.

Hoshoryu defeats Midorifuji – Hoshoryu went into the tachiai very quickly, and that seems to have given Midorifuji a double inside moro-zashi grip. Only excellent defensive foot placement and solid lower body work kept Hoshoryu in that match at the initial merge. Midorifuji could have waited Hoshoryu out for much longer given his set up, but an attempt to change grip gave Hoshoryu the opening he wanted, and he quickly brought Midorifuji down by tsukiotoshi. Hoshoryu improves to 2-0.

Kotonowaka defeats Takakeisho – You could tell this match was going to hell when Takakeisho was not thrusting against Kotonowaka, only trying to hold his ground. Once he had Kotonowaka gain a body hold, it was only a question of how he was going to lose. Kotonowaka improves to 2-0.

Terunofuji defeats Abi – Fans on social media have already noted that we still really don’t know what kind of condition Terunofuji is in. This match had good potential, but ended in a hurry thanks to an Abi slippiotoshi. Terunofuji will gladly take the win, and is now 2-0.

Day one was a bit of a surprise, as it featured very little ring rust. I was happy to see both Terunofuji and Takakeisho win their openers, as they both need to hit at least 8 this basho. I especially liked Kiribayama’s win over Midorifuji, as he used Midorifuji’s favorite technique, the katasukashi, to do it. As long as we are talking Ozeki, how about a few more. Asanoyama is likely to not have too tough a time with any opponents the first week. He’s not really less potent than when he got into trouble, so expect a big, burly Ozeki presence in each day’s match. Lastly, with Takayasu out, we will have daily visitors from Juryo to fill the banzuke gap. At least until someone else goes kyujo, or Takayasu returns.

There are several sumo “superfans” in Tokyo for this tournament, or at least part of it. I salute you all for making that trip, and hope you have an absolutely wonderful time at the Kokugikan and the surrounding Tokyo area.

What We Are Watching Day 2

Kagayaki (0-1) vs Gonoyama (0-0 (1-0)) – Juryo visitor Gonoyama faces Kagayaki for the first time ever. I think this one will come down to Kagayaki getting his balance dialed in, as he was not stable enough of his feet on day 1 to withstand a tsukiotoshi. At M17E, I would expect him to finally head back to Juryo for July if he fails to make his 8.

Mitoryu (0-1) vs Oho (1-0) – Oho managed to win his opening day match against the off balance Kagayaki, but it’s too soon to determine if he has returned to good form. He has never beaten Mitoryu in 7 attempts, so an Oho win today would be a surprise.

Ichiyamamoto (0-1) vs Tsurugisho (1-0) – Like Kagayaki, Ichiyamamoto showed us some balance problems in his day 1 match. If those problems persist today, the trouble will be amplified by Tsurugisho’s massive 60kg weight advantage. Ichiyamamoto has a perfect 7-0 record against Tsurugisho, so I am looking for “Abi-junior” to pick up his first win of the basho today.

Asanoyama (1-0) vs Myogiryu (1-0) – These two have an 11 match career record, with a 9-2 advantage to the former Ozeki. They last fought 2 years ago on day 7 of 2021’s Natsu, where Asanoyama earned a win by sukuinage. In fact, Asanoyama has won the last 7 matches in a row against Myogiryu, going all the way back to 2018.

Chiyoshoma (0-1) vs Kotoeko (0-1) – These two have a 19 match career record, with Kotoeko having a 12-7 lead over Chiyoshoma. I see folks on Twitter are starting to try and handicap which day will see the first Chiyoshoma henka. I think this is a very good candidate day.

Aoiyama (1-0) vs Daishoho (0-1) – Aoiyama won their only prior match, which was an incredible 5 years ago when they were both in Juryo during Hatsu-basho 2018. We got to see Aoiyama fire up the V-Twin on day 1, and I hope he is healthy enough to ride that hawg all the way to a double digit finish this May.

Hokuseiho (1-0) vs Takarafuji (1-0) – Hokuseiho’s slow, plodding sumo style does not mix well with a healthy Takarafuji. Takarafuji tends to be very mobile, tends to focus first and foremost on keeping his opponents reactive, and seldom gets into protracted leaning matches. Both are starting today 1-0, but I think that Takarafuji has the edge.

Ryuden (0-1) vs Hiradoumi (1-0) – It’s hard to tell if Ryuden’s chronic hip injuries are bothering him once more, but I certainly hope that is not the case. After a dreadful 2-13 result in March, he could certainly benefit from at least a kachi-koshi this May. He has won all 4 prior matches against Hiradoumi, so quite possibly he will make it a 2-0 start to Natsu today.

Onosho (0-1) vs Takanosho (0-1) – Onosho was one of the few examples of ring rust we saw on day 1, and hopefully he has gotten his balance and stance to align for today. I think Takanosho underestimated Sadanoumi, and got a face full of clay as a result. Their career record stands at 6-7.

Sadanoumi (1-0) vs Tamawashi (0-1) – Sadanoumi has had two 6-9 make-koshi so far this year, and it’s high time for him to have a winning tournament. Tamawashi did even worse at Osaka, ending with 3-12, and was clearly hurt. It’s hard to tell if he is still hurt, but if he is, it could indicate the beginning of the end of the 37 year old “iron man of sumo’s” career.

Hokutofuji (1-0) vs Mitakeumi (0-1) – To me, Mitakeumi looks like he lost weight. His big round “umi” belly looks a bit slack, and he is not as puffy as he had been. I would imagine a lighter Mitakeumi may be a better Mitakeumi, bu so far that has not panned out. Mitakeumi holds a 14-11 career match advantage over Hokutofuji.

Meisei (1-0) vs Kotoshoho (1-0) – Both come into today’s match with a win on day 1, and I think that this is a solid head to head fight regardless of Meisei’s 4-1 career advantage. Kotoshoho has been indicating for some time that he is ready to make a step change improvement to his sumo, and this may be the basho where that all comes about.

Kinbozan (0-1) vs Nishikigi (0-1) – Both of these rikishi took a loss on opening day, in spite of them being excellent fighters. This is their first ever match, but I give Kinbozan a slight edge as I think Nishikigi will be denied his “battle hug” that gives him a path to a win.

Shodai (0-1) vs Nishikifuji (0-1) – I was very happy to see the “Wall of Daikon” deployed straight away on day 1. Gives me a lot of hope that we can see “good” Shodai this tournament as he follows up his 10-5 strong finish in Osaka. Nishikifuji lost his opening day match, and I have to wonder if he is still less than optimum due to lingering injuries. Shodai won their only prior match in January on day 12.

Kiribayama (1-0) vs Endo (0-1) – Kiribayama is shooting for double digits in a bid to become sumo’s next Ozeki. He’s going to need to be more consistent than his average day to day this May to make it happen. He has an even 3-3 record against Endo, who’s sumo is strong, but predictable. I suspect Kiribayama may get a surprise, as Endo seems to bring out his best sumo for the “big” matches.

Tobizaru (0-1) vs Wakamotoharu (1-0) – Tobizaru lost opening day, and I have to wonder if maybe his high mobility monkey sumo may have run its course for now. I am fairly confident that if Wakamotoharu can get a hand hold, he can shut down Tobizaru and use his superior yotsu-zumo skills to finish him off. However, Tobizaru has a 7-5 career edge over Wakamotoharu.

Daieisho (1-0) vs Ura (1-0) – Much as I love Ura, this one is likely no contest. Daieisho’s mega-thrust sumo is usually more than sufficient to get even the new bulked up Ura airborne. Ura’s one chance is to execute some of his grab-and-tug sumo when Daieisho’s arms are extended, and hurl him out of the ring. He was able to do that in their last match, on day 2 of November’s Kyushu basho.

Midorifuji (0-1) vs Hoshoryu (1-0) – Hoshoryu will have his first match of the basho today, after getting a surprise fusensho against Takayasu on day 1. Midorifuji has a 6-2 career history, and he tends to dominate the future Ozeki hopeful, favoring the use of watashikomi: a thigh grabbing push down.

Kotonowaka (1-0) vs Takakeisho (1-0) – Kotonowaka won their last match, during Hatsu of day 11, where he employed an oshitaoshi to take the Ozeki down. He was one of only 3 people to beat Takakeisho that tournament, as the Ozeki finished 12-3 with his 3rd yusho. Looking forward to this match.

Terunofuji (1-0) vs Abi (0-1) – They have split their prior matches 2-2, with Abi winning the most recent on on day 1 of Nagoya 2022. There are still a lot of questions around Terunofuji’s condition, and we can only hope he’s healthy enough to make it through this basho. No matter what, you can bet this one ends with an oshidashi.

First – Takayasu withdrew from the May tournament before his first match. It seems some sort of thigh injury took place in morning practice, and he id not fight today, giving Hoshoryu a default win for his first day, sending him to 1-0.

The whole sumo word was eager to see Yokozuna Terunofuji fight again for the first time in 8 months. There have been a lot of reports in the sumo press about his struggles to recover from surgery, his battle with diabetes and the challenges of de-conditioning during his medical leave. But he was up to the job today, shutting down Shodai’s signature move, and winning on opening day.

I was also eager to see what kind of condition Takakeisho was in, but it seems at least for day one that is “good enough”. Its been a while since anyone tried to make sure that Abi’s arms were securely seated in their sockets, and we all owe Takakeisho our thanks for taking on that difficult job.

Highlight Matches

Oho defeats Kagayaki – Neither one of these guys looked especially sharp in this match. I am sure they were hitting hard, but the movement seemed lethargic. The match came to a close when Kagayaki got too far in front of his toes, and Oho gave him a solid tsukiotoshi the moment he stepped out of the ring. Oho advances to 1-0.

Tsurugisho defeats Mitoryu – Tsurugisho set up an immediate left hand deep grip at Mitoryu’s mawashi belt, and used that leverage point to control the match. A few short steps later he had Mitoryu out by yorikiri, improving to 1-0.

Myogiryu defeats Ichiyamamoto – Ichiyamamoto really only got in one volley before Myogiryu found a clear path to Ichiyamamoto’s chest when Ichiyamamoto attempted a pull. Ichiyamamoto was caught pretty far forward, and had no defensive foot placement to absorb Myogiryu’s thrusting attack. Myogiryu wins by oshidashi to start Natsu 1-0.

Asanoyama defeats Chiyoshoma – Thankfully, no sumo nonsense from Chiyoshoma today. His tachiai was direct and potent, but Asanoyama found his favored right hand inside grip at the first step, and completely dominated Chiyoshoma for the four steps it took to deliver the yorikiri. Asanoyama marks his return to the top division with a win to start 1-0.

Aoiyama defeats Kotoeko – While not a full power, it was good to see Aoiyama use a bit of the V-Twin thrusting attack today against Kotokeo. Sadly for Kotoeko, a lot of it went to his face. Points though to Kotoeko as he stayed in the match and kept moving forward. With his heels on the tawara, Aoiyama delivered an hatakikomi to bring Kotoeko down a moment before he stepped out of the ring. Aoiyama starts 1-0.

Hokuseiho defeats Daishoho – I worry about Hokuseiho’s sumo. We have seen him compete in a fair number of top division matches, and it looks like he has a natural ability to absorb a lot of punishment. But to my eye, he can’t really put up too much of a fight. Sure he wins against lower ranked guys, but I suspect his enormity gives him an “easy mode” that won’t work once he makes the upper ranks, and he may find himself unable to compete. He certainly took a lot of sumo power from Daishoho, who frankly had much better form today. But Hokuseiho was able to stalemate him for a time, and even survive a pretty solid rally from Daishoho. Hokuseiho was confident enough to keep the leaning match going for a solid 2 minutes or so, wearing out Daishoho, and finally shuffling him out by yorikiri to start Natsu with a win at 1-0.

Takarafuji defeats Ryuden – Solid match from Takarafuji today. Given his last couple of tournaments, it’s tough to know what you might get from him. But he was able to defend against Ryuden’s opening combo, set up a right hand ottsuke, and drive forward for a yorikiri. I certainly hope that Takarafuji’s healthy and in fighting form this basho, he starts 1-0.

Hiradoumi defeats Onosho – Onosho put a lot of power forward after breaking through Hiradoumi’s initial attack set. But as is traditional with Onosho, he got too far forward and was an easy mark for Hiradoumi to side step and send him out by tsukiotoshi. Onosho has to have “hot” and “cold” basho, hopefully he keeps his other opponents centered in front of that forward rush before this tournament turns cold. Hiradoumi at 1-0.

Sadanoumi defeats Takanosho – Takanosho put all of his hopes on a brutal right hand nodowa that he set up at the tachiai. When he could not maintain the pressure against Sadanoumi’s chin, he got a dose of just how face Sadanoumi can be. In less that two steps, Sadanoumi attacked from the left, and a tsukiotoshi put Takanosho on the clay. Sadanoumi is 1-0.

Hokutofuji defeats Tamawashi – Hokutofuji was able to keep Tamawashi centered, and drive forward. A couple of attempts to bat Hokutofuji aside failed, and Tamawashi had no where to go but out. Hokutofuji with the win to start 1-0.

Meisei defeats Mitakeumi – A nice, even start to this match as neither man was able to gain much advantage. The early phase ended with the two separating, and Mitakeumi diving back in to reengage. That lunge forward was the key element, as Meisei stepped to the side and pushed from the rear to win by okuridashi, starting Natsu 1-0.

Kotoshoho defeats Kinbozan – Kinbozan looked like he wanted to dictate this match as a thrusting / hitting battle, but Kotoshoho was able to get inside and set up a left hand inside grip. Kinbozan responded in kind, but to me looked to have a much better set up. The key element was that Kotoshoho kept his hips lower, and was able to drive forward with enough power to move Kinbozan. Kotoshoho gets a day 1 win at 1-0.

Ura defeats Nishikigi – Neat combo from Ura today, he starts with what one announcer seemed to refer a hazu-ottsuke. Ura had his elbows locked to his side, but hands in Nishikigi’s armpits. This shut down Nishikigi’s preferred battle-hug attack mode. After powering forward, Ura moved back and dropped Nishikigi with a tsukiotoshi, starting Natsu 1-0.

Kotonowaka defeats Tobizaru – I give a lot of credit to Kotonowaka for enduring a battery of Tobizaru monkey-sumo in the opening moves of this match. When you fight Tobizaru, you really must be ready for just about anything to be combo’d up with anything else, and Kotonowaka was able to capture Tobizaru and lock him up at the center of the dohyo. The second Tobizaru offensive combo broke Kotonowaka’s stance, but Kotonowaka was able to bring Tobizaru down with a tsukiotoshi at the bales. Even Tobizaru liked that one. Kotonowaka starts 1-0.

Wakamotoharu defeats Endo – With these two, you had the ingredients for a solid yotsu-zumo match, and they delivered. Endo started with his left, as expected, but Wakamotoharu was quick to respond. Nice amount of power from Wakamotoharu pushed Endo back, hoped Endo’s stance, and set up Wakamotoharu’s match winning uwatedashinage. He’s 1-0.

Daieisho defeats Nishikifuji – Nishikifuji was bold enough to bat away Daieisho’s initial thrusting attack, and nearly set up the belt grip that would have given him control of the match. Check out that counter from Daieisho! A blistering return put Nishikifuji out of the ring on the third step, giving Daieisho his first win by oshidashi at 1-0.

Kiribayama defeats Midorifuji – Midorifuji nearly had this match one. I think he surprised Kiribayama at the tachiai and had the Ozeki hopeful’s heels on the bales in the blink of an eye. But how cool is it that Kiribayama counters, and wins with a katasukashi? Talk about eating your own dog food. Kiribayama starts 1-0.

Takakeisho defeats Abi – Say, that was neat. Abi attempted his normal double arm thrust attack, and Takakeisho grabbed an arm and gave it a solid tug and twist. Sort of an Ura style there, and it seemed to surprise Abi as much as it did the fans. Takakeisho kept his hold, but pushed with the other hand, and got Abi out by oshidashi for a first day win. He’s 1-0 and needs 7 more to clear kadoban.

Terunofuji defeats Shodai – It was touch and go, as Shodai brought out the “Wall of Daikon” in response to Terunofuji’s tachiai. But as Shodai rushed forward, using his broad body as a ram, Terunofuji summoned his enormous strength and tossed him aside. A sukuinage win for the Yokozuna, and he is 1-0.

Welcome sumo fans to Tachiai’s team coverage of the Natsu basho, which will run for the next 15 days at the home of sumo, the Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan. This tournament features some high interest story lines, and we expect a lot of drama as it all unfolds over the next couple of weeks.

First off, the lone Yokozuna, Terunofuji, will be competing in this tournament. From all indications he is still in very rough shape, and I think everyone is concerned about his ability to win matches. It will all come down to his knees. Terunofuji withdrew from the September 2022 tournament to seek treatment of his knees, and has missed the last 3 tournaments. That lengthy break was necessary to allow his body to recover after what sounds like a nearly complete rebuilt of his undercarriage, which may not have been entirely successful.

Also on the “fighting while hurt” list is the lone surviving Ozeki, Takakeisho. Takakeisho withdrew on day 7 of Osaka in March, and has not really been practicing as he tries to get his body healthy enough to compete. Readers may recall that I cautioned that the Sumo Kyokai might come to regret not making Takakeisho a Yokozuna following the January tournament, mostly because it would give them an insurance policy to keep to Ozeki / Yokozuna on the banzuke for the remainder of the year. Sadly we now have a situation that the two top men in sumo are possibly trying to overcome career ending injuries, with no replacement in sight.

Speaking of replacements who vanished, we continue to hope that Wakatakakage can get his ACL rebuilt, and return to the ring some day. But I would not be surprised to see that not come to pass. Such injuries are tough to overcome. But his rival Kiribayama has an opportunity to make the case for his promotion to sumo’s second highest rank this basho.

What We Are Watching Day 1

Kagayaki (0-0) vs Oho (0-0) – A pair of rikishi who should have been punted to Juryo get a chance to make it to 8 wins and loiter around the top division for another few months – sure, whatever you want NSK. I was surprised that Oho was unable to get to 8 wins from Maegashira 15w in Osaka. Maybe he was hurt, and will return to good form. Or maybe we hit the maximum amount of sumo he can deliver right now.

Mitoryu (0-0) vs Tsurugisho (0-0) – In spite of his kachi-koshi in March, Mitoryu finds himself wading through the bottom rungs of the banzuke this May because of the dog pile all around him as 15 rikishi tried to squeeze into 3 ranks, and some things stayed where they landed and have to make do. I would note that Tsurugisho is more or less in the same boat.

Ichiyamamoto (0-0) vs Myogiryu (0-0) – After a 5-10 finish to Osaka, Ichiyamamoto needs to break his losing streak, as he has now had two make-koshi tournaments in a row. Matching him with two consecutive make-koshi, and a 5-10 for March is Myogiryu. The good news is that a lot of things can happen from the bottom of the banzuke, and maybe they both can come out of this with at least 8 wins.

Chiyoshoma (0-0) vs Asanoyama (0-0) – I catch some well deserved heat for saying that Asanoyama may in fact be the next man promoted to Ozeki. He is now back in the top division at Maegashira 14, and will likely tear everyone down here a new one over the next week or so. He has won both prior matches against Chiyoshoma, and I am not looking for that to change today.

Aoiyama (0-0) vs Kotoeko (0-0) – As much as I love watching “Big Dan” Aoiyama employ his enormity and absolute enjoyment of pummeling people into submission, I have to admit that he is struggling each tournament to stay in the hunt for 8 wins. After a 6-9 finish in Osaka, he now finds himself at Maegashira 12. He is evenly matched against Kotoeko, and fans tend to love a traditional big man / little man fight.

Hokuseiho (0-0) vs Daishoho (0-0) – A potentially good fight between two rikishi who had winning records in March, with Hokuseiho finishing 9-6 and Daishoho 8-7. They have fought 4 times before, with Daishoho leading the series 3-1. It would seem that at least against Daishoho, Hokuseiho enormity may not be a benefit.

Ryuden (0-0) vs Takarafuji (0-0) – After at 2-13 finish in Osaka, Ryuden finds himself punted from M2 all the way down to M10, where he comes up against Takarafuji today. Takarafuji managed to finish 8-7 in March, but he had six match win streak to close it out. Frankly he looked hurt for most of the tournament, enough that I was worried about his ability to remain in the top division.

Onosho (0-0) vs Hiradoumi (0-0) – Onosho took a sizable drop down the banzuke after pulling out on day 9 of the March tournament with an injury. Now near the middle of the banzuke, he will do a lot of damage down here if he is back to fighting form. He was won both prior matches against Hiradoumi.

Sadanoumi (0-0) vs Takanosho (0-0) – After three successful defenses of a Sekiwake rank in 2021, he Takanosho has struggled to find the fortitude to turn in back to back make-koshi record. His last double-digit result was a 11-4 Jun-Yusho a year ago that was bracketed by a 4-11 and a 1-14. He has a fairly even 4-5 record against Sadanoumi who finished Osaka 6-9.

Hokutofuji (0-0) vs Tamawashi (0-0) – With three consecutive 7-8 results so far, we can truthfully say that Hokutofuji is indeed the owner of the “Most powerful make-koshi in all of sumo!”. He’s up against iron-man Tamawashi, who was clearly hurt in March, and could only manage a 3-12. Tamawashi holds a 10-7 career advantage.

Meisei (0-0) vs Mitakeumi (0-0) – The sad case of Mitakeumi, who has not managed to finish a tournament with a winning record in more than a year. His 4-11 score in Osaka is likely at least party due to whatever injury sent him kyujo in July of 2022, and cost him his Ozeki rank. He has a 10-4 career record against Meisei, but given how poorly Mitakeumi has been performing, it may not matter.

Kinbozan (0-0) vs Kotoshoho (0-0) – Kinbozan tore through the lower Maegashira ranks like a hot knife goes through snow. His first tournament in the top division saw him earn an 11-4 finish with a kanto-sho. Given the tremendous jumble of ranks following Osaka, he finds himself now at the edge of the joi-jin at Maegashira 5E. I would like to think that Kotoshoho could give him a proper welcome to the inner cicle, but he was only 6-9 in March, yet somehow was only demoted a half rank. Train wreck indeed.

Ura (0-0) vs Nishikigi (0-0) – I am overjoyed to see the reality dysfunction field around Ura remains in place. Normally you could look at this match and wonder who thought of it and why it is happening. Nishikigi received only a full rank demotion after a miserable 6-9 out of Osaka, and will somehow remain in the joi-jin. This will be his 6th consecutive tournament ranked above M10. Ok….

Kotonowaka (0-0) vs Tobizaru (0-0) – Like so many in the top ranks in Osaka, Tobizaru ended his second posting to Komusubi with a sour losing record, landing at Maegashira 3 after finishing at 6-9. Kotonowaka on the other hand managed a winning 9-6 record an a half rank promotion to Komusubi 1 East for Natsu. Out of their 9 prior matches, Kotonowaka has won 5.

Endo (0-0) vs Wakamotoharu (0-0) – With Wakatakakage in dry dock for a few months, it falls on Wakamotoharu to continue the push to become an Ozeki. Now ranked at Sekiwake 2w after an 11-4 finish at Komusubi in March, he’s going to bring his powerful, focused sumo to another tournament, and quite possibly clean up. This match has a lot of potential in that Endo has both a high degree of skill, and a high degree of predictability. Wakamotoharu has won 4 of their prior 5 matches.

Daieisho (0-0) vs Nishikifuji (0-0) – Nishikifuji is at his highest ever rank after at 10-5 finish at Osaka. He has never faced Daieisho before, and I going to be interested to see if Daieisho starts out with day 1 ring rust, or if he immediately steps into honbasho mode and launches Nishikifuji skyward with his mega-thrust sumo.

Takayasu (0-0) vs Hoshoryu (0-0) – Hoshoryu has a cadre of sumo fans who really enjoy his sumo. They may have a bit of a tough opening day, as the giant strapping beast that is Takayasu will bring is 6-1 career advantage to the ring for their opener. After going 10-5 in March, Takayasu is back at a rank where he can take the fight to all of his long term rivals.

Kiribayama (0-0) vs Midorifuji (0-0) – Kiribayama is looking to earn Ozeki, and will start the climb this May against Midorifuji. After finishing 10-5 in March, Midorifuji ties his all time highest rank at M1W. Kiribayama has won 3 of their 4 prior matches.

Abi (0-0) vs Takakeisho (0-0) – Takakeisho starts the May tournament kadoban, needing 8 wins to defend his Ozeki rank, and help steer sumo away from a possible break from tradition. It may seem odd to us westerners, but to a very traditional Japanese organization, it’s a very big deal. Takakeisho has a deep 3-6 losing record against Abi, so I am hoping that Takakeisho manages to keep himself from aggravating his injuries on day 1.

Terunofuji (0-0) vs Shodai (0-0) – Everyone wants the Yokozuna to be strong this May. We want to see him dominate, and if possible, take home the cup. But given his extensive treatment over the past 6 months, I think we will all be happy just to see him finish with at least 8 wins. He faces Shodai today, home he has beaten in 10 of their 15 prior matches.