Haru 2026: Day Fourteen

Andy Haru 2026, Haru Basho , ,

Day Fourteen in Osaka. The kyujo banner waves again. We swing by the infirmary and Wakatakakage has checked in. He will be kyujo today and Daieisho will receive the walkover win.

Down in Juryo, Dewanoryu lost to Ryuden, who is looking to come back to Makuuchi. Daiseizan hopes to make a case for promotion by visiting Makuuchi in a possible exchange bout with struggling Oshoumi. Enho lost to Nishikigi. Nishikigi likely saved his skin but did the result close the door on Enho?

It will be a tight call between Takakento and Enho but I would hope Enho would pick up that fourth opening. Tsurugisho, Shimazuumi and Kotokuzan have indisputable demotable records. We’ve seen weird things happen with 6-9 records so things may hinge on the results tomorrow.

In the yusho race, Wakanosho defeated Toshinofuji, improving to 11-3. So Dewanoryu and Wakanosho sit tied at 11-3 with Kazuma behind them at 10-4. The three men have already fought each other so it will be interesting to see who they’re paired against on senshuraku.

Your NHK videos are here.

Makuuchi Action

Asakoryu (9-5) defeated Kinbozan (8-6). Oshidashi.

Kotoeiho (9-5) defeated Shishi (6-8). Kotoeiho pivoted and quickly drove Shishi out. Shishi missed when he tried to grab Kotoeiho’s belt. Yorikiri.

Oshoumi (4-10) defeated Daiseizan (Juryo 7-7). Henka! Oshoumi jumps to the side and shoves Daiseizan down to the clay. “Desperate times call for desperate measures.” With the win, Oshoumi is likely safe from demotion but a win tomorrow can’t hurt. Tsukiotoshi.

Asahakuryu (10-4) defeated Gonoyama (9-5). Asahakuryu quickly grabbed Gonoyama’s belt with a left-handed uwate. He pivoted and pulled, dragging Gonoyama while slapping him down with his right hand. Uwatedashinage.

Roga (5-9) defeated Fujiryoga (6-8). Roga grabbed Fujiryoga’s belt with his left hand. Fujiryoga slipped his right hand inside but he was already perilously positioned along the bales. Roga rotated and dragged Fujiryoga down. Uwatenage.

Chiyoshoma (9-5) defeated Tokihayate (5-9). Chiyoshoma forced Tokihayate to the edge with his nodowa and tsuppari. Tokihayate quickly jumped left to turn the tables and force Chiyoshoma to the edge but Chiyoshoma just grabbed Tokihayate’s belt, drove him to the edge, and tripped him over the bales. Kirikaeshi.

Tobizaru (6-8) defeated Tamawashi (4-10). For a while, Tamawashi kept Tobizaru at bay with tsuppari. But Tobizaru eventually worked his way inside. This got him close enough to execute his trip. Kicking Tamawashi’s right foot forced Tamawashi off-balance and Tobizaru shoved him down as Tamawashi stumbled forward. Tsukiotoshi.

Mitakeumi (8-6) defeated Ura (5-9). Mitakeumi used the leverage from his right arm under Ura’s shoulder to twist Ura down. Sukuinage.

Nishikifuji (8-6) defeated Shodai (7-7). Nishikifuji made Shodai uncomfortable with a nodowa and got the big lug moving backwards. One more shove to the clavicle finished him off. Oshidashi.

Oshoma (5-9) defeated Fujiseiun (9-5). Oshoma stood Fujiseiun up with tsuppari and a nodowa, then pulled and slapped him down. Hatakikomi.

Halftime

If folks wonder what happens at halftime, the shimpan leave and a new team of judges comes in. The yobidashi come up and care for the dohyo, sprinkling water from a pail onto the surface and then brushing the surface, freshening it up. They sweep the free granules of clay from the shikirisen, making the white lines pristine. In the Konishiki videos, Konishiki points out that after a while, the dohyo gets hard and compacted like concrete. This softens it up a tad and distributes the loose clay evenly along the surface.

Abi (4-5-5) defeated Asanoyama (8-6). Abi henka! Abi leapt to the left and grabbed Asanoyama’s belt with his left hand. He then rotated and pulled Asanoyama forward and off the dohyo. Uwatenage.

Fujinokawa (7-7) defeated Hiradoumi (6-8). Hiradoumi blitzed Fujinokawa with a fast tachiai but Fujinokawa twisted back and used his left hand under Hiradoumi’s armpit to heave Hiradoumi over and slam him to the ground at the edge. Sukuinage.

Hakunofuji (4-6-4) defeated Churanoumi (4-10). Hakunofuji charged ahead and got inside. Churanoumi quit about 3 feet from the bales and Hakunofuji ushered him out.

Daieisho (7-7) default win over Wakatakakage (8-6). NHK zoomed in on some fans who’d brought their homemade Wakatakakage signs, rubbing salt into the wounds that they won’t see their man in the arena today. NHK just knows what buttons to press. Their management must be S.

Oho (7-7) defeated Yoshinofuji (6-8). Oho grabbed Yoshinofuji by the head and forced him to the edge. Yoshinofuji freed himself with a shove to Oho’s right hand but when Yoshinofuji re-engaged, Oho pulled AND PIVOTED, thrusting Yoshinofuji down to the clay. Tsukiotoshi.

Sanyaku

Wakamotoharu (3-11) defeated Takanosho (9-5). Takanosho drove Wakamotoharu back to the edge with his nodowa and tsuppari. At the edge, Wakamotoharu shifted left and pulled Takanosho down while balancing on the bales with his best Daniel “crane pose.” Gunbai Wakamotoharu. No mono-ii. Hikiotoshi.

Atamifuji (9-5) defeated Kotoshoho (10-4). Kotoshoho’s initial slapdown attempt failed so he locked on to Atamifuji’s belt. Atamifuji seemed to heavy for him to move, so Atamifuji pressed forward and shoved him out. Oshidashi.

Ichiyamamoto (8-6) defeated Takayasu (6-8). Ichiyamamoto pulled and shifted left to get access to Takayasu’s belt. He pulled him forward for the win. Uwatenage.

Aonishiki (7-7) defeated Kirishima (12-2). Aonishiki does not want to go kadoban. Hoshoryu needs to win to prevent Kirishima claiming the title. Kirishima had the right-hand uwate grip he wanted but when he pulled backward, Aonishiki pulled him down to a knee. Shitatenage.

Kotozakura (9-5) defeated Hoshoryu (10-4). Hoshoryu and Kotozakura locked up at the tachiai. We started with a migi-yotsu battle. What now? Kotozakura demonstrated the initiative by pulling up on Hoshoryu and forcing him toward the edge but couldn’t get him over. Hoshoryu released with his right hand and pulled back to try an uwatenage. Kotozakura managed to get a morozashi, double inside grip. Hoshoryu panicked and reared back but Kotozakura worked his left leg behind Hoshoryu’s right, forced Hoshoryu off-balance and back onto his butt. Kirishima yusho! Sotogake.

Wrap-up

The yusho has been decided, even if tomorrow’s bout lineup has not. It’s appropriate to use the passive voice, rather than the active voice, since the title was claimed by Kirishima despite a loss today. One is left with the feeling that the cup fell to its winner’s lap rather than being seized through a victory.

Kirishima will likely fight Kotozakura tomorrow with Hoshoryu fighting Aonishiki. Add Onosato into the mix and I hope we get these five guys leading the field for quite a while. There are a lot of good rivalries here.

It looks like we’ll have two open Sekiwake slots with Takayasu earning demotion today and Kirishima’s likely promotion. Atamifuji will be a lock for one slot. The other will likely go to Wakatakakage as the next promotable results lie with Takanosho and Kotoshoho. Both men lost today but maybe a senshuraku win will help one leapfrog Wakatakakage?

Well, there’s another day of action, apparently. See you back here tomorrow.

Haru 2026: Day Thirteen

Andy Haru 2026, Haru Basho ,

Day Thirteen in Osaka. For those of you in amateur sumo, or interested in amateur sumo, or just interested in walking around in nothing but a loincloth, I posted a quick video of Tooyama demonstrating for folks how to put on the mawashi. This was another little gem from the Konishiki raw footage.

Bucky, aka Wakanofuji, won the Makushita yusho with a slapdown. This kid is going places. I’ll never understand these Twitter embeds. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. I seem to have gotten this one working. Let me know if you can see the videos without a Twitter account. I’m glad Abema seems to have posted this so you don’t need VPN to watch. (At least I didn’t.) The embed was still wonky, though. Anyway, it looks like it works.

This embed was a different story for the Tenshoyama vs Asahifuji bout. Great quality bout in the Jonidan yusho race. Tenshoyama put up a hell of a fight against the man anointed as the next Yokozuna. Asahifuji will need to fight again in a playoff on senshuraku against Kiryuko, who’s recovering from injury and hopes to make it back to Juryo, at least.

In juryo, Dewanoryu defeated Daiseizan to remain in the lead with two losses. Wakanosho beat Kazuma to improve to 10-3 and stay one back of Dewanoryu in the second division yusho race. Tochitaikai fought in Juryo today, possibly an exchange bout with Fujitensei.

Tochitaikai locked in his kachi-koshi and likely sealed Fujitensei’s fate and demotion to Makushita. Meanwhile, Himukamaru, lost his Juryo bout against Nishikigi. Since he is makekoshi, he will not move up. That’s a pivotal opening for Enho. Himukamaru was in the driver’s seat at the top of the division and only needed four wins to move up. In the end, he only managed three.

At least I finally got this embed working. Former Juryo wrestler, Chiyosakae, announced his retirement. He fought for thirteen tournaments in the second division before injury kyujo dropped him into Sandanme, where he fought for much of last year. Four makekoshi records cast him down to Jonidan. He picked up five wins this tournament but decided to call it a career.

Your NHK videos are here.

Makuuchi Action

Ryuden (7-6) defeated Fujiryoga (6-7). Katasukashi.

Kinbozan (8-5) defeated Asanoyama (8-5). Kinbozan used his size advantage well and drove Asanoyama back to the edge, then persisted with gaburi hip thrusts to force him over the bales. Kinbozan kachi-koshi. Yorikiri.

Nishikifuji (7-6) defeated Asakoryu (8-5). Copy/Paste, except quicker because larger advantage. Yorikiri.

Chiyoshoma (8-5) defeated Oshoumi (3-10). Chiyoshoma immediately got his left hand inside and right hand outside, forcing Oshoumi back. Oshoumi knocked Chiyoshoma’s right hand away but Chiyoshoma continued to attack. He tried to fight for the right-hand grip and push Oshoumi back, but it wasn’t working without the help from the right-hand belt grip. Chiyoshoma then changed tactics and dragged Oshoumi down by using the left-hand. Chiyoshoma kachi-koshi. Shitatenage.

Tobizaru (5-8) defeated Shishi (6-7). Tobizaru got his right hand inside and drove Shishi to the edge. Shishi tried to use his left-hand uwate to throw Tobizaru but Tobizaru’s footwork and balance were better. Tobizaru pivoted and dragged Shishi away, dropping him with a shitatenage.

Mitakeumi (7-6) defeated Roga (4-9). As soon as Mitakeumi got both hands wrapped around Roga’s trunk for the morozashi, he drove Roga back and over the bales. Yorikiri.

Asahakuryu (9-4) defeated Tokihayate (5-8). Asahakuryu’s hidari-yotsu was too powerful for Tokihayate to defend. Asahakuryu wrapped up Tokihayate, drove him back and forced him over the bales. Yorikiri.

Fujiseiun (9-4) defeated Shodai (7-6). Shodai hooked his left hand under Fujiseiun’s shoulder and forced him to the edge. Fuijseiun counter attacked by shoving Shodai with his right and twisting him down to the ground. Both men fell. Gunbai Fujiseiun. Shodai thought he had it and slow-roll walked rather slowly hoping for a mono-ii. None came. Tsukiotoshi.

Kotoeiho (8-5) defeated Ura (5-8). Kotoeiho grabbed Ura’s left arm, pivoted, and threw him to the ground. Kotenage.

Tamawashi (4-9) defeated Hakunofuji (3-6-4). Tamawashi used his tsuppari to Hakunofuji’s face to bulldoze him back to the tawara and crush him down over the edge. Is Hakunofuji M? Oshitaoshi.

Halftime

Churanoumi (4-9) defeated Oshoma (4-9). Oshoma tried the slapdown but Churanoumi knocked Oshoma’s arms away and shoved him back with a torrent of tsuppari. Oshidashi.

Ichiyamamoto (7-6) defeated Fujinokawa (6-7). Ichiyamamoto blasted Fujinokawa back. Fujinokawa tried the old change-of-direction trick, shifting to his left. Ichiyamamoto pursued well and shoved him over the edge. Oshidashi.

Yoshinofuji (6-7) defeated Hiradoumi (6-7). Yoshinofuji’s tsuppari drove Hiradoumi back to the edge but Hiradoumi grabbed Yoshinofuji and bulldozed him through the dohyo. At the edge, Yoshinofuji twisted Hiradoumi down for the sweet twist-down counter-throw. Sukuinage.

Wakatakakage (8-5) defeated Abi (3-5-5). Abi’s tsuppari was a non-factor, instead he focused on pivot, retreat, slapdown. However, he seemed to trip after one pivot, and fell to the dohyo. Wakatakakage cradled his elbow after the bout. Broken men on kyujo watch. At least Wakatakakage has his kachi-koshi. Will he take the weekend off? If his brother isn’t, I imagine it’s not likely. Oshitaoshi.

Sanyaku

Atamifuji (8-5) defeated Gonoyama (9-4). Gonoyama thought he had Atamifuji beat. He shoved and shoved but Atamifuji would not go over the bales. Was Atamifuji intentionally sandbagging to wear Gonoyama out? Atamifuji countered quickly by shoving Gonoyama in the face. Once he got Gonoyama’s momentum going backwards, Atamifuji was running downhill. Oshidashi.

Daieisho (6-7) defeated Wakamotoharu (2-11). Daieisho kept his attack in first gear. Powerful tsuppari forced Wakamotoharu back and over the edge. Tsukidashi.

Takanosho (9-4) defeated Takayasu (6-7). Takayasu chugged forward but Takanosho demonstrated some agility and shifted to his left, then thrust Takayasu down. Tsukiotoshi.

Kirishima (12-1) defeated Oho (6-7). You could hear a pin drop in the arena as Shiro announced this bout. And I’ll give it to Oho. At no point did he give up. He made Kirishima earn this win. In fact, Oho nearly caught Kirishima sleeping at the start with a quick slapdown. Kirishima recovered, though, and went on the attack. He tried tsuppari but won it with yotsu at the end. Kirishima wrapped up an exhausted Oho and drove him over the edge. Yoritaoshi.

Aonishiki (6-7) defeated Kotozakura (8-5). Kotozakura lulled Aonishiki into his trap. Aonishiki plowed forward to the edge and once there, Kotozakura shifted to the side, grabbed Aonishiki’s belt with his left hand and pulled him forward. Somehow, Aonishiki stayed in. He pivoted and turned his back to Kotozakura. Kotozakura gave chase. Aonishiki got himself righted and re-engaged, driving Kotozakura gently over the bales. Sure got the pulse rate up here. Yorikiri.

Hoshoryu (10-3) defeated Kotoshoho (10-3). Hoshoryu pivoted to his left and slapped Kotoshoho down. Hatakikomi.

Wrap-up

Kirishima has separation from the field now. A two-bout lead heading into the final weekend is a great thing. He can seal the deal with a win tomorrow. As of the time of this post, the Kyokai has not announced tomorrow’s lineup. I probably won’t be able to get a quick post out before action begins but I would not be surprised if they set Kirishima against Aonishiki.

Talk about brutal. Aonishiki must win out to avoid kadoban. If they set it up so Kirishima’s fighting for the yusho at the same time, ouch. Since they’ve already had the Ozeki fight, looks like they can pair Kotozakura versus Kirishima on senshuraku. I think they wanted room to have Kotoshoho fight Kirishima but maybe that’s a senshuraku bout if Kirishima loses tomorrow? Well, we’ll see. Anyway, it’s Kirishima’s yusho to lose and it looks like we’ll have three Ozeki when we return to Tokyo in May. Cool.

Haru 2026: Day Twelve

Andy Haru 2026, Haru Basho ,

Day 12 in Osaka. No injury news today.

Dewanoryu defeated Kazuma in the showdown between the Juryo leaders. Dewanoryu now leads at 10-2. Toshinofuji, Kazuto, and Wakanosho chase at 9-3. Tsurugisho (0-12) keeps mounting the dohyo somehow and keeps being escorted away, this time by Tomokaze. Dewanoryu will fight Daiseizan who is close to earning Makuuchi promotion.

What rhymes with Haru? Maru! In other news for the geezers among us, Chiyomaru (pictured) defeated Nionoumi. It was the pair’s first bout in 13 years, down in Sandanme division. Both men are former top division wrestlers who last fought when Chiyomaru visited the top division from Juryo, with Chiyomaru also winning that bout. Chiyomaru remarked how he has been fighting a lot of young kids lately and liked facing a senpai for once. Chiyomaru secured a kachi-koshi and probably locked in a return to Makushita, where he had been grinding for the past year.

Usually there are some yusho deciding bouts on Day 13. The only one which might decide the yusho is Wakanofuji versus Arashifuji. Wakanofuji is not from Isegahama stable but from Kusagano, which doesn’t have a sekitori for the first time in ages. This promising kid might make it as early as Nagoya. (Tochitaikai might make it back for Natsu.) Bucky, I mean Wakanofuji, earned a Makushita tsukedashi as Justin mentioned in his profile before Hatsu — and before he had a shikona.

Your NHK videos are here.

Makuuchi Action

Takerufuji (Juryo 6-6) defeated Tobizaru (4-8). Tobizaru ran away from Takerufuji’s tsuppari attack and leapt into the third row. Maybe there was some hot fan back there. Oshidashi.

Asanoyama (8-4) defeated Kotoeiho (7-5). Asanoyama quickly latched his left hand inside on Kotoeiho’s belt. With his right hand under Kotoeiho’s shoulder he began to chug forward. Kotoeiho tried to change his own grip with his right hand but rearing back like that is not a good idea. Asanoyama’s charge accelerated and he walked Kotoeiho out. Asanoyama kachi-koshi. Yorikiri.

Oshoumi (3-9) defeated Fujiryoga (6-6). After a long battle, Oshoumi wrapped his right leg around Fujiryoga’s left and tripped him. Oshoumi might be discovering that without overwhelming force, he will need a deep bag of tricks to stay in Makuuchi. Sotogake.

Chiyoshoma (7-5) defeated Roga (4-8). Chiyoshoma attacked Roga with tsuppari thrusts to Roga’s face. Roga felt this was unpleasant and went straight back and out. Oshidashi.

Mitakeumi (6-6) defeated Tokihayate (5-7). Mitakeumi wrapped up Tokihayate and drove him back with gaburi hip thrusts. Yorikiri.

Nishikifuji (6-6) defeated Tamawashi (3-9). Nishikifuji forced Tamawashi to be mobile. He shifted along the bales to avoid Tamawashi’s tsuppari and launched fierce headbutt attacks. As Tamawashi chased him, Nishikifuji grabbed him and thrust him down. Tsukiotoshi.

Asakoryu (8-4) defeated Ura (5-7). Asakoryu launched out at Ura with tsuppari and shoved Ura over the bales. Asakoryu kachi-koshi. Oshidashi.

Asahakuryu (8-4) defeated Shodai (7-5). When Asahakuryu got his left hand inside grip, he shoved Shodai to the edge. He finally got his right-hand outside grip as well, pulled up, and forced Shodai over the bales with gaburi action. Asahakuryu kachi-koshi, that’s three for Takasago-beya. All three top rankers from the stable get to celebrate today. Yorikiri.

Shishi (6-6) defeated Oshoma (4-8). Shishi did not like Oshoma attacking his left arm inside grip so he ripped his hand away and opted for a tsuppari attack, shoving Oshoma back and out. Oshidashi.

Kinbozan (7-5) defeated Hakunofuji (3-5-4). Kinbozan gingerly ushered Hakunofuji back and over the bales with his left-hand over arm grip. “Why don’t you just go home, dude?” Yorikiri.

Halftime

Takanosho (8-4) defeated Fujiseiun (8-4). Takanosho lashed out at Fujiseiun with tsuppari then slapped him down. Kachi-koshi for someone not from Takasago-beya. Hatakikomi.

Fujinokawa (6-6) defeated Churanoumi (3-9). Churanoumi was way too high. Fujinokawa grabbed him in a bear hug with both arms under his shoulders and drove him back. Yorikiri.

Wakatakakage (7-5) defeated Ichiyamamoto (6-6). Wakatakakage pulled and tried a slapdown. It didn’t work but he had negated much of Ichiyamamoto’s tsuppari attack. Wakatakakage then slipped underneath and inside for a grip of Ichiyamamoto’s belt, again negating any tsuppari. He held Ichiyamamoto high so Ichi couldn’t do anything but go along for the ride. Yorikiri.

Kotoshoho (10-2) defeated Yoshinofuji (5-7). Kotoshoho held Yoshinofuji at bay with tsuppari to the shoulders. When Yoshinofuji began to move forward, Kotoshoho shifted right and slapped him down. Hatakikomi.

Sanyaku

Abi (3-4-5) defeated Wakamotoharu (2-10). I think everyone in the stadium, Wakamotoharu and Abi, included, were surprised that Abi’s initial slap forced Wakamotoharu to the side so easily. Abi got Wakamotoharu completely turned with that one slap and from there he walked Wakamotoharu out from behind as if Wakamotoharu was a senile geriatric, lost in the park. “Your home is over here, old man, just on the other side of these straw bales.” Wakamotoharu is sure to face a significant drop into the midst of the rank and file. Okuridashi.

Oho (6-6) defeated Atamifuji (7-5). Oho pivoted and retreated along the bales as he slapped Atamifuji down. Katasukashi.

Hiradoumi (6-6) defeated Takayasu (6-6). Hiradoumi got both arms under Takayasu’s shoulders, bear hugging Papa Bear. Takayasu could not find a counter-attack. I mean, how do you counter attack love? Just go with it. Yorikiri.

Daieisho (5-7) defeated Aonishiki (5-7). Standard Daieisho. Someone didn’t read the brief. Daieisho hit Aonishiki with a flurry of tsuppari. Aonishiki leaned forward into it so Daieisho tried the slapdown. That got Aonishiki off-balance going forward but Aonishiki caught himself. Daieisho re-engaged with more tsuppari, forcing Aonishiki off-balance backwards…which is not good. Aonishiki bounced on his ass as he dropped from the dohyo. OUCH! Tsukitaoshi.

Kotozakura (8-4) defeated Gonoyama (9-3). Kotozakura backed up to the edge and teased Gonoyama with the idea he could force him out. Kotozakura pivoted and started hitting Gonoyama with tsuppari, driving him back across the ring. Gonoyama pulled…straight back…and lost. Oshidashi.

Kirishima (11-1) defeated Hoshoryu (9-3). Stunning. Kirishima wanted the uwatenage from the word, “jump.” He latched on with his left hand and immediately rotated backward. Hoshoryu hung on for dear life and tried to counter. But Kirishima wouldn’t let the Yokozuna get inside with his left hand and he kept pulling backwards, rotating and rotating until he finally dragged the Yokozuna over. Uwatenage.

Wrap-up

Kirishima must have gone in to today infinitely more confident than when he faced Terunofuji. “At least this guy won’t yeet me into the crowd.” I wanted Hoshoryu to prove him wrong and yeet him into the crowd just for thinking these audacious thoughts. It was not to be, however. Kirishima leads with one loss. Kotoshoho follows with two. Hoshoryu and Gonoyama both fall back to three losses and the field trails after.

In the surprise of the tournament, Aonishiki must win his final three bouts to avoid going kadoban. No yusho. No double-digit wins. No passing Go. No $200. If he’s to earn the rope, he’s got to retool and start fresh in May.

These final three days are going to be interesting, except for the fact that our top dogs are out of the race. Atamifuji will face Gonoyama. Atamifuji is looking for kachi-koshi. Wakamotoharu will face Daieisho. Takayasu will fight Takanosho. Kirishima will then fight Oho. Kotozakura and Aonishiki will battle in our Ozeki Showdown. Hoshoryu will take on Kotoshoho in the final bout of Day 13.

See you tomorrow!

Haru 2026: Day Eleven

Andy Haru 2026, Haru Basho , , ,

Day Eleven in Osaka. The only item from the sekitori infirmary has to do with Shimazuumi in Juryo as he will go kyujo after 8 straight losses. He had fought so hard over the last year to get back to sekitori status. He will drop back into the unsalaried ranks. *Update: The injury is revealed to be the meniscus in the right knee, suffered in his Day 3 bout against Kazuma. Of course he gambarized until he locked in the make-koshi.

In the Juryo yusho race, Toshinofuji defeated Kazuma, meaning Kazuma is now tied with Dewanoryu on two losses. The two leaders will kick off Juryo action tomorrow in an interesting matchup. Meanwhile, Toshinofuji is joined by Wakanosho and Kazekeno with three losses, one off the pace. Kazekeno will fight Hatsuyama, Toshinofuji will fight Kitanowaka and Wakanosho is set to battle Shirokuma.

In other Juryo news, Enho defeated Kotokuzan, handing Kotokuzan his eighth loss. He wore an oicho mage for the first time in a while and it made him feel “a bit happy, nostalgic, and uncomfortable.” That makes Kotokuzan’s position demotable, even if he wins out. It’s still early to sus out the full promotion story but Enho’s case is certainly promising. Okaryu is already ahead of him in line but Himukamaru, Hakuyozan and Takakento could suddenly jump the queue if Enho loses and those guys win.

The NHK videos are here. The Enho/Kotokuzan bout is there, as well as Kazuma versus Toshinofuji but you might not want to scroll all the way down before you watch the other bouts. That last video might be a bit of a spoiler. I don’t think there were any torinaoshi today to be concerned with the coverage.

Makuuchi Action

Kinbozan (6-5) defeated Nishikifuji (5-6). Quick, powerful tsuppari followed with a sudden pulldown finished Nishikifuji off. Hikiotoshi.

Chiyoshoma (6-5) defeated Nishinoryu (4-7). Another quick one. Chiyoshoma welcomed Nishinoryu to the top division with a slap and a sidestep. He reached around to grab Nishinoryu’s belt and then shoved him out from behind. Okuridashi.

Tobizaru (4-7) defeated Kotoeiho (7-4). Kotoeiho nearly shoved Tobizaru clear from the dohyo but Tobizaru danced along the tawara to get back to center and drove into Kotoeiho, crushing him out by blitzing him at the edge. Yoritaoshi.

Asanoyama (7-4) defeated Mitakeumi (5-6). Henka! Mitakeumi jumped left and tried to slap Asanoyama down. Asanoyama, however, fought back by shoving Mitakeumi back and off the dohyo. Gunbai Mitakeumi. Mono-ii. The judges determined Mitakeumi died first and reversed Yonosuke’s call. Oshidashi.

Fujiseiun (8-3) defeated Oshoumi (2-9). Fujiseiun immediately went for the bear hug, overpowered Oshoumi and drove him out of the ring. Yorikiri.

Fujiryoga (6-5) defeated Shishi (5-6). Fujiryoga used his left hand uwate (overarm belt grip) to heave Shishi high and force him back over the bales. Yorikiri.

Asakoryu (7-4) defeated Shodai (7-4). That Shodai showed up today. He did not seem interested in Asakoryu’s nodowa, headbutt or rough shoving. Asakoryu shoved Shodai out despite the latter’s half-hearted slapdown attempt. Oshidashi.

Ura (5-6) defeated Asahakuryu (7-4). Ura dug real deep and powered Asahakuryu out with his migi-yotsu hold. The crowd erupted with cheers for the hometown hero. Yorikiri.

Tokihayate (5-6) defeated Hakunofuji (3-4-4). Hakunofuji used his right hand uwate to force Tokihayate to the edge but Tokihayate used his own right-hand over arm grip to spin Hakunofuji down over the bales. Uwatenage.

Roga (4-7) defeated Oshoma (4-7). Roga used his migi-yotsu hold and gaburi hip-thrusts to drive a disinterested Oshoma back and over the bales. Yorikiri.

Halftime

Ichiyamamoto (6-5) defeated Tamawashi (3-8). Ichiyamamoto pounded Tamawashi with tsuppari and shoved him out. Oshidashi.

Fujinokawa (5-6) defeated Abi (2-4-5). Henka! Abi was intimidated by the speedy tachiai of Fujinokawa and seemed hesitant to start. Finally resolved to start, Abi charged out…into the abyss as Fujinokawa leapt to the side and pulled Abi forward by his arms. Hikiotoshi.

Yoshinofuji (5-6) defeated Churanoumi (3-8). Churanoumi drove the pair to the edge but Yoshinofuji found a last second sashi, throwing Churanoumi with his left-hand overarm grip. Both men crash landed. Gunbai Yoshinofuji. No mono-ii. Uwatenage.

Wakatakakage (6-5) defeated Hiradoumi (5-6). Wakatakakage grabbed Hiradoumi’s belt with his left hand uwate, pivoted and spun Hiradoumi down to the ground. Uwatenage.

Sanyaku

Atamifuji (7-4) defeated Daieisho (4-7). Atamifuji shrugged off Daieisho’s tsuppari and charged forward. Daieisho shifted to a pull but had nowhere to go. Atamifuji easily thrust him out. Tsukidashi.

Oho (5-6) defeated Wakamotoharu (2-9). Oho wrapped up Wakamotoharu and drove him right back where he came from. Yorikiri.

Kirishima (10-1) defeated Gonoyama (9-2). Gonoyama launched into the Ozeki, forcing him to the edge and…Kirishima slipped to the side and thrust Gonoyama forward over the bales. Tsukiotoshi.

Kotozakura (7-4) defeated Takanosho (7-4). Kotozakura let Takanosho charge forward because the Ozeki rotated around, turning the tables and shoving Takanosho to the edge. He then finished him off. Oshidashi.

Kotoshoho (9-2) defeated Aonishiki (5-6). Aonishiki shoved Kotoshoho to the edge but Kotoshoho shifted left along the bales and slapped Aonishiki down. Hatakikomi.

Hoshoryu (9-2) defeated Takayasu (6-5). These two definitely played up the drama with a couple of prolonged stare-downs. Takayasu charged forward but Hoshoryu cycled back. He tried the slapdown but Takayasu kept pressing forward with his left arm. Hoshoryu knocked Takayasu’s left arm away as he shuffled left and Takayasu flopped onto his belly. Hikiotoshi.

Wrap-up

Kirishima is making his claim for a return to Ozeki with his yusho run. He’s now the sole leader.

Leaderboard

  • 1-Loss: Kirishima
  • 2-Losses: Hoshoryu, Kotoshoho, Gonoyama

The schedule is full of fire-crackers tomorrow. Right before the sanyaku bouts, Kotoshoho will fight Yoshinofuji. Wakamotoharu fights Abi, Atamifuji takes on Oho, and Takayasu fights Hiradoumi. Aonishiki will regroup, again, against Daieisho. Kotozakura will fight Gonoyama and Hoshoryu will end the day against Kirishima.

There’s still some time to pit Kirishima versus the Yokozuna but the Sumo Association may have picked this bout in particular since a Kirishima win would be his 33rd win over the last three tournaments. We know that’s not a hard-and-fast rule but it has proven to be a meaningful baseline for Sekiwake looking at Ozeki promotion.

Sometimes that 33 wins is judged not to be sufficient but scheduling Hoshoryu here looks auspicious. How better to earn promotion than by defeating the Yokozuna? Well, we shall see. It’s likely they were just like, “he faced Takayasu today, the other Sekiwake gets his turn tomorrow.” Maybe I’m reading too much into the tea leaves.