The yusho was decided today. Ms50 Daiyusho, who’s never been ranked above Ms25, was no pushover, using a strong tachiai to drive back Ms20 Shimazuumi—a former maegashira on the road back from injury. Shimazuumi resisted, reversed the field, and chased Daiyusho around the ring before dispatching him by oshitaoshi as both tumbled off the dohyo. I guess Daiyusho was a pushover after all. I’ll be here all week, folks. The yusho is Shimazuumi’s first in any division, and it should see him rise well into the Ms1-Ms5 promotion zone. Daiyusho’s consolation prize should be a new career-high rank.
Here’s how things stand in the promotion zone:
The promotion order is roughly as follows: Kitanowaka, Nagamura, Otsuji, Wakanosho, Goshima, Takakento. The contenders are taking turns visiting Juryo in potential “exchange bouts.” Today, the visitors were Kitanowaka and Takakento, who both lost. This doesn’t really affect Kitanowaka, who is guaranteed to be first in the promotion queue and will return to the paid ranks, but it at least temporarily bumps Takakento to the end of the line, as any of the remaining quartet of contenders will be ahead of him with a win. Nagamura and Otsuji will take their turns tomorrow, with Wakanosho and Goshima presumably slotted in on senshuraku.
In Juryo, absent Endo will be demoted, and J10w Miyanokaze (3-10) now has a demotable record. Kyokukaiyu, Shiden, and Takarafuji need to win out to be safe, while Tsurugisho, Nishinoryu, and Hakuyozan need one apiece. Tomorrow’s action pits Nagamura against Miyanokaze and Otsuji against Shiden.
Day Thirteen. To recap the top division action, heading into the final weekend, the yusho race is down to the Yokozuna and a dark horse in Takanosho. Aonishiki’s big upset against Hoshoryu meant Hoshoryu lost for the first time this tournament and is now level with Onosato with one loss. Takanosho’s win means he is the lone rikishi at 10-2.
Asahakuryu (11-2) leads in Juryo as his heya-mate Asanoyama fell to Nishikifuji. Keep in mind that this is Asahakuryu’s first tournament as sekitori! What a way to break into the full time ranks. Asanoyama and Nishikifuji form the chase group at 10-3.
Chiyoshoma (8-5) defeated Shonannoumi (6-7). Chiyoshoma got his left hand inside and pulled, dragging Shonannoumi down. Shitatenage.
Tomokaze (8-5) defeated Sadanoumi (5-8). Both men exchanged tsuppari before Tomokaze caught Sadanoumi behind the scruff of his neck and pulled him down. Tomokaze picked up his first top division winning record since before the pandemic. Hatakikomi.
Shishi (9-4) defeated Churanoumi (8-5). Shishi ate his Wheaties and overpowered Churanoumi. He got his right hand over arm grip, deep on Churanoumi’s belt and drove forward. At the bales he bowled Churanoumi over. Uwatenage.
Asakoryu (6-7) defeated Daieisho (6-7). Daieisho pulled and he slapped Asakoryu down while going out. Gunbai Daieisho. Mono-ii. Daieisho landed outside first. Decision reversed. Asakoryu won. Oshidashi.
Hitoshi (6-7) defeated Fujinokawa (5-8). Hitoshi slammed hard into Fujinokawa and thrust him from the dohyo. Tsukidashi.
Midorifuji (6-7) defeated Nishikigi (1-12). With Nishikigi’s loose mawashi, Midorifuji was able to get his maemitsu and hold on to that belt even with Nishikigi holding Midorifuji’s arms up. As Nishikigi tired, Midorifuji pressed forward and forced his opponent over the bales. Yorikiri.
Kinbozan (6-7) defeated Tobizaru (7-6). Kinbozan attempted a pull and slapdown quickly after the tachiai. He nearly caught Tobizaru but Tobizaru recovered and re-engaged. Kinbozan hit Tobizaru with some tsuppari and then tried another slapdown. This time Tobizaru stumbled out of the ring. Hatakikomi.
Ura (9-4) defeated Tokihayate (6-7). Ura pushed Tokihayate and drove him backward through the dohyo and over the edge. Oshidashi.
Mitakeumi (6-7) defeated Oshoma (8-5). Mitakeumi bear-hugged Oshoma and drove him back and over the edge. Yorikiri.
Kusano (7-6) defeated Roga (6-7). Kusano drove forward fiercely and shoved Roga down over the tawara. Yoritaoshi.
Meisei (4-9) defeated Ichiyamamoto (3-10). Meisei henka! Meisei jumped to his right and pulled Ichiyamamoto down. Hatakikomi.
Halftime
Atamifuji (4-9) defeated Gonoyama (1-12). Gonoyama’s struggles continued as he could not get much offense going. Once Atamifuji got his left-hand outside grip, he started the hug-and-chug. I want to see him commit to this gaburi because he seems to do well when he presses forward like this. Yorikiri.
Oho (8-5) defeated Ryuden (9-4). Oho hit Ryuden with tsuppari and then pulled and slapped Ryuden down. Well Ryuden didn’t go down but he did lose his balance and charged forward, off the dohyo and into the crowd. Hatakikomi.
Hakuoho (7-6) defeated Onokatsu (5-8). Hakuoho got a left hand inside grip, pivoted, and swung Onokatsu around. He then drove Onokatsu from the ring. Yorikiri.
Abi (3-10) defeated Kotoshoho (3-10). Abi seemed to wake up this bout. He tried a pull and slapdown. Kotoshoho continued to press forward, though. Abi pivoted and hit Kotoshoho with a bit of tsuppari before reaching over, grabbing Kotoshoho’s belt and dragging him down. Uwatenage.
Hiradoumi (7-6) defeated Tamawashi (5-8). This bout was all Hiradoumi. He hit Tamawashi hard at the tachiai and shoved him out. Yorikiri.
Sanyaku
Aonishiki (10-3) defeated Takanosho (10-3). Takanosho hit Aonishiki hard at the tachiai. Great tsuppari as he forced Aonishiki back. Aonishiki slipped left suddenly, grabbed Takanosho’s belt, and pulled Takanosho forward. Aonishiki tried to shove him back but Takanosho resisted at the bales. Aonishiki then put everything he had into grabbing Takanosho’s thigh and forced him off the dohyo. Watashikomi.
Takayasu (5-8) defeated Wakamotoharu (7-6). Takayasu got his left hand inside and drove Wakamotoharu to the bales. Wakamotoharu could not escape but he held on as long as he could. One final shove from Takayasu forced Wakamotoharu over the bales. Yorikiri.
Kirishima (6-7) defeated Shodai (9-4). Shodai grabbed Kirishima’s left arm and tried to yank him over the bales but Kirishima pressed Shodai over the edge. Yorikiri.
Kotozakura (9-4) defeated Hoshoryu (11-2). Kotozakura bodied Hoshoryu and forced Hoshoryu off the dohyo for the Yokozuna’s second straight loss. The Makikae Strikes Back. Again with the change of grip loss? Hoshoryu had a right hand over arm grip but changed his mind and tried to slip it inside. That was the opening Kotozakura needed as he pressed forward and forced Hoshoryu quickly to the edge. It’s just amazing how fast that happened. Yorikiri.
Onosato (12-1) defeated Wakatakakage (6-7). Wakatakakage with the migi-yotsu, pivoted and quickly tried the uwatenage. Onosato shifted right into Wakatakakage and maintained his balance. With Wakatakakage up against the bales, Onosato drove forward and forced Wakatakakage out. Yorikiri.
Wrap-up
We do not have the matchups for tomorrow yet. Onosato leads with one loss. Hoshoryu falls into second place with two losses. Instead of a two-win gap between leaders and the next closest competitors, Hoshoryu’s loss brings Aonishiki and Takanosho back into the conversation with three losses.
Since there’s still a slight chance for a dark horse yusho, I am sure the Kyokai will want to close that, quickly. I will try to bring an update later today with tomorrow’s pairings. Will they have Takanosho fight Hoshoryu?
*Update*
Of course they post the bouts right as I push the Publish button. Hoshoryu will fight Wakatakakage. Onosato will fight Kotozakura. Takanosho will fight Kirishima and Aonishiki will fight Hiradoumi. In our final sanyaku bout, Takayasu will fight Kotoshoho.
Back to the Wrap Up
Takanosho is looking great. I look forward to seeing him bounce back up the dohyo. However, he was bested today by Aonishiki who just continues to impress. He is just on a different level than most of his opponents, skill-wise. It’s so impressive.
Hoshoryu’s loss was a tactical loss, in my eyes. I stress this because with him falling to 11-2, I can already hear the critics start up again or maybe worries of injury. I do not think so. I think he just got caught out today by solid sumo from Kotozakura. I wonder what would have happened if he kept that outside grip and maybe shifted right? Oh, well.
Another great win from Onosato. Wakatakakage gave his best and appeared to catch Onosato wrong-footed. I think Onosato countered well by staying close to Wakatakakage. “If you pull me over, you’ll pull yourself down.” This, in turn, put Wakatakakage on his back heel and allowed Onosato to drive him over the bales.
Day Twelve in Tokyo. Leonid has the makushita update here. Takasago beya is setting itself up for a pretty good senshuraku party since Asanoyama AND Asahakuryu now lead the Juryo yusho race. They obviously can’t be paired against each other unless there is a playoff. Asahakuryu will fight Oshoumi tomorrow and Asanoyama will fight Nishikifuji.
Many of you are starting to think about the Kyushu banzuke and promotions. Asanoyama will still be in Juryo for Kyushu. There is only one instance where someone jumped from Juryo 13 directly into Makuuchi. That was Endo in 2013 when he claimed the yusho on a 14-1 record. So, with two losses already, Tomas was right to point out that Asanoyama will likely remain in Juryo, even with the yusho. Several 13-2 records, even with the yusho, have ended up ranked at Juryo 3 the following basho. This includes Ryuden in 2022 and Terunofuji in 2020.
The makuuchi yusho race is looking to be a great one. It’s not a runaway and it seems like a lot of folks actually want this title. Hoshoryu leads with Onosato one back and Shodai waiting in the wings with Takanosho if the Yokozuna stumble over the next few days.
Kotoeiho (5-7) defeated Tomokaze (7-5). Tomokaze tried this half-assed method of wrapping Kotoeiho up and rocking him over to topple him. But Kotoeiho pressed forward and forced Tomokaze over the bales. Yorikiri.
Tokihayate (6-6) defeated Nishikigi (1-11). Nishikigi pivoted at the tachiai but Tokihayate adjusted and pressed forward into Nishikigi, driving him through the dohyo and over the bales. Yorikiri.
Shishi (8-4) defeated Mitakeumi (5-7). After a lengthy grapple, the pair settled into a lean. Shishi was first to gather his strength and drive forward, forcing Mitakeumi over the bales. Kachi-koshi for Shishi. Oshidashi.
Ryuden (9-3) defeated Shodai (9-3). Ryuden hung with Shodai while tried a few pulling and slapdown attacks at the beginning of the bout. The Lord of Chaos tired quickly so when Shodai settled for a lean, Ryuden got his left hand inside, right hand outside and wasted no time in driving Shodai over the bales. Yorikiri.
Roga (6-6) defeated Hitoshi (5-7). Once Roga got a belt grip, he wrangled Hitoshi, drove forward and walked him over the bales. Roga’s dominant victory should have one message for Hitoshi. “Weight Room.” Yorikiri.
Midorifuji (5-7) defeated Asakoryu (5-7). Midorifuji hit Asakoryu quickly at the tachiai and immediately backed up and slapped Asakoryu down. Hatakikomi.
Fujinokawa (5-7) defeated Shonannoumi (6-6). An ill-timed pull from Shonannoumi gave Fujikawa the opening and momentum he needed to drive forward and force Shonannoumi off the dohyo. Oshidashi.
Ura (8-4) defeated Tobizaru (7-5). Ura drove Tobizaru backwards to the bales, then pulled and slapped Tobizaru to the dohyo. Hatakikomi.
Sadanoumi (5-7) defeated Kinbozan (5-7). Kinbozan quickly drove Sadanoumi to the edge but it may have been a feint from Sadanoumi to draw Kinbozan to the edge. Sadanoumi shifted quickly along the bales, pivoted and turned the tables on Kinbozan. Sadanoumi got his right hand inside, left-hand outside and drove Kinbozan over the edge. Yorikiri.
Oshoma (8-4) defeated Meisei (3-9). Oshoma got his hands on Meisei’s shoulders and pulled down. Meisei dropped like a stone. The crowd was rather quiet. Hatakikomi.
Churanoumi (8-4) defeated Kusano (7-5). Kusano tried to tip Churanoumi over but Churanoumi yanked on Kusano’s belt with his left-hand inside grip and pulled him to the ground. Uwatedashinage.
Halftime
Daieisho (6-6) defeated Ichiyamamoto (3-9). Daieisho set Ichi up with strong tsuppari, then shifted left and pushed him down. Hikiotoshi.
Atamifuji (3-9) defeated Kotoshoho (3-9). Kotoshoho drove Atamifuji toward the bales but Atamifuji shifted at the bales, escaped to Kotoshoho’s right, and shoved Kotoshoho forward and off the dohyo. Kotenage.
Wakamotoharu (7-5) defeated Oho (7-5). Oho forced Wakamotoharu back to the bales but Wakamotoharu resisted and escaped left to get back to the center. Wakamotoharu countered and drove into Oho. Oho thought he would escape to the left but Wakamotoharu dragged him down. Uwatenage.
Tamawashi (5-7) defeated Hakuoho (6-6). Tamawashi’s nodowa forced Hakuoho up and back toward the bales. Tamawashi followed up with a strong shove. Oshidashi.
Gonoyama (1-11) defeated Abi (2-10). Gonoyama plowed through Abi’s tsuppari and shoved him over the bales. Oshidashi.
Sanyaku
Takayasu (4-8) defeated Hiradoumi (6-6). Takayasu got Hiradoumi turned with a slapdown attempt. Hiradoumi stumbled forward to the edge and Takayasu followed up with a shove. Oshidashi.
Takanosho (10-2) defeated Kotozakura (8-4). Kotozakura forced Takanosho to the edge behind a strong nodowa. Takanosho stayed in and shifted left along the bales to relieve the pressure. When Takanosho re-engaged, a simple shove seems to be all it took to force Kotozakura off the bales. Oshidashi.
Onosato (11-1) defeated Kirishima (5-7). Onosato traded tsuppari with Kirishima but Onosato is just on a completely different level and easily overpowered the former Ozeki and shoved him out. Oshidashi.
Aonishiki (9-3) defeated Hoshoryu (11-1). Hoshoryu tried a pull but that served to give Aonishiki an opening and great position. With Hoshoryu at the bales, Aonishiki was able to get his right hand inside, deep on Hoshoryu’s belt. Hoshoryu retreated but Aonishiki followed. Hoshoryu tried to throw Aonishiki but Aonishiki used his right hand to shove Hoshoryu over Aonishiki’s extended left leg. Hoshoryu fell backward to the roar from the crowd. A smattering of purple zabuton found their way down near the dohyo. Kirikaeshi.
Wrap up
The Lord of Chaos broke a nail and called it a basho. Ryuden was just too overwhelming. Still, Shodai will face Kirishima tomorrow. Ryuden will fight Oho. Takanosho, though, continues to have a barn-stormer tournament. We should have seen it coming because he had been in sanyaku for a decent spell. He’d been thrown off his horse a bit lately, though. I wasn’t expecting him to roar back like this as he’s had rather quiet tournaments at M12 and M11.
And count on Aonishiki to make a statement and have an impact on the yusho race. Hoshoryu falls to 11-1, level with Onosato. Takanosho is one loss behind the leaders at 10-2. Aonishiki will fight Takanosho tomorrow. Hoshoryu will face Kotozakura and Onosato will take on Wakatakakage.
Hoshoryu’s remaining fight card should look like this. With Kotozakura tomorrow, Wakatakakage should be his Day 14 match and Onosato on Senshuraku. *Ugh. Lack of coffee update #2.
For Onosato, he will fight Wakatakakage tomorrow which means Kotozakura on Day 14 and Hoshoryu on Senshuraku. Kotozakura has Hoshoryu tomorrow, likely Onosato* on Day 14 and then he would probably be pitted against Wakatakakage on senshuraku. *No matter how much I want a rematch, Kotozakura/Takanosho will not be repeated.
So, I guess that means you all have plans for this weekend.
Today’s semifinals were somewhat anticlimactic. First, Daiyusho pushed out Aratakayama without meeting much resistance to win by oshidashi. Then, Shimazuumi absorbed a few shoves from Kitanowaka and then pushed him out to also win by oshidashi. So it’ll be the former maegashira on the road back from injury against a much less accomplished opponent for all the marbles on day 13. If Daiyusho can buck the odds and live up to his shikona, it’ll be the biggest achievement of his career.
Here’s how things stand in the Ms1-Ms5 promotion zone:
Kitanowaka is sure to return to the paid ranks for the first time since his January injury. Five others have secured their kachi-koshi, and Mudoho and Kamito could still join them. The promotion order is roughly as follows: Kitanowaka is in, Takakento, Nagamura, Otsuji and Wakanosho can each stake a strong claim with another win, Goshima needs two, while Kamito and Mudoho must win out and hope for help. Wakanosho and Goshima fight H2H tomorrow, and Kamito will try to stay alive against Shohoryu.
In Juryo the only clear demotion case belongs to absent Endo, but Kyokukaiyu, Miyanokaze, Shiden, Takarafuji, Nishinoryu and Kayo have work to do to stay in the paid ranks.
