The competition in the third division continues to winnow down the wrestlers to a single 7-0 champion. After 4 rounds of bouts, we are down to seven undefeated 4-0 wrestlers, who’ll be paired up tomorrow in rank order (with the 7th man fighting the highest-ranked undefeated Sandanme rikishi) to get us down to 3 or 4 yusho contenders. The seven include 3 former top-division wrestlers, 1 former Juryo man, two collegiate stars, and a Makushita veteran.
The frontrunner, former Komusubi Ms5 Ryuden, will meet former maegashira Ms15 Tomokaze. The two also met at the same point of the previous tournament, with Ryuden dealing Tomokaze his only loss. The winner will remain in the running for the automatic promotion slot that goes to an undefeated wrestler from the Ms1-Ms15 ranks.
Further down, it’s Ms18 Tanabe vs. Ms30 Akiseyama and Ms35 Nishikawa vs. Ms47 Irodori. Finally, Ms59 Kinbozan, whose record now stands at 11-0 after his undefeated debut at Sd100 in Kyushu, will take on Sd6 Roman.
With at least 3 slots already open in Juryo due to the absences of Asanoyama, Chiyonoo, and Shiden, and another one likely to be vacated by J13 Chiyoarashi (2-6), there is a lot on the line for the men in the regular Ms1-Ms5 promotion zone. I’ll take a closer look at the division exchange picture later in the tournament.
With the middle day behind us, it’s time to launch into the second week. Week 2 is fraught with peril. For starters, its where current yusho race leader Mitakeumi tends to fade out, and long term fans of the sport know not to pin any yusho or Ozeki hopes on that guy just yet. While we all hope that he can elevate his sumo and remain strong all the way to day 15, we understand how draining the fight schedule can be.
But to me, the big news is the 15-18 people who are now caught in Darwin’s funnel. This is a good sized cohort, and I look forward to the scheduling committee’s efforts to deliver as many of them as possible to a score of 7-7 at the end of day 14. If they decide to do this, you will see 3 match groups, a “loser track” where everyone is headed for make-koshi. A “winner track” where everyone is headed for kachi-koshi, and the “funnel”. Funnel members fight each other except if they get a score high enough to escape, then they fight someone from the “Winner track” to push them back in. It’s become a bit of a hobby for the folks who draw up the torikumi, and after initially being annoyed by it, I can now see how it’s another subtle layer of brutality woven into sumo. So Japanese, I love it.
Highlight Matches
Kotoshoho defeats Tsurugisho – Chest to chest at the tachiai, and then a battle of strength. Tsurugisho seems to be moving a bit better, and can actually return power when fighting yotsu, so that may be why we see him prefer fighting chest to chest now. He tries to rotate Kotoshoho out a couple of times, but can’t quite get the timing right, and Kotoshoho lines up a big push center-mass when they are at the bales, taking the match and improving to 7-1. I would guess he’s back in the top division in Osaka.
Kotonowaka defeats Aoiyama – Another high-mass thruster relegated to yotsu due to what we suspect is an injury. Aoiyama kept trying to find a way to execute a pull forward / down, and Kotonowaka was having none of it. I think Aoiyama got frustrated, and tried a leg trip, which only took him perilously off balance and gave Kotonowaka the match. Kotonowaka now 6-2.
Oho defeats Ichiyamamoto – Oho wisely did not let Ichiyamamoto get any kind of thrusting attack going. Rather Oho simply blasted ahead with full power, with his hands in direct contact with Ichiyamamoto’s chest. It’s denshamichi time, and Oho is the Yamanote line, improving to 5-2.
Yutakayama defeats Kaisei – Glad to know Yutakayama has studied this month’s prior matches. He sets up to attack Kaisei from the side, which seems to work every time it’s tried. Yutakayama drives Kaisei out with a yorikiri, and both end the day at 4-4, squarely in the funnel.
Wakamotoharu defeats Ishiura – Ishiura found himself in a tough spot after his opening combo did not quite connect. He was able to set up a right side ottsuke to keep Wakamotoharu from getting a left hand grip, but then it was stalemate at the center of the dohyo. Not really able to evolve his position from there, it was up to Wakamotoharu to make the next move, which was an hitakaikomi, winning the match. Both finish at 4-4 and join the growing crowd in the middle of the funnel.
Kotoeko defeats Sadanoumi – Where has this version of Kotoeko been? This is the one I really like, he’s fast, tenacious and wins more than he loses. Sadanoumi launched out of the tachiai slower than is his custom, and I think he was suspecting something like what happened. Kotoeko pulled Sadanoumi forward, stepped to the side and thrust him down to advance to 6-2, leaving Sadanoumi at 4-4 to join the funnel group.
Tochinoshin defeats Terutsuyoshi – Terutsuyoshi immediately latches on to Tochinoshin’s left arm, in a bit to keep Tochinoshin’s primary weapon out of the match. But Terutsuyoshi can’t maintain the hold, and Tochinoshin gets his left hand outside grip. Three steps later Terutsuyoshi is out, and Tochinoshin has improved to 4-4, and joins the funnel.
Chiyotairyu defeats Myogiryu – Off speed tachiai from Chiyotairyu, as I think he suspected some mischief from Myogiryu at the tachiai. Rather than his normal “Win in the first 5 seconds” match plan, Chiyotairyu works to center Myogiryu and takes his time. When he is ready, he drives Myogiryu out for his 3rd win to improve to 3-5. Myogiryu is 4-4, and his ticket is punched to enter the funnel.
Chiyomaru defeats Akua – Chiyomaru with a standup tachiai, he caught Akua and went directly into a thrusting attack combo. The two then proceeded to dial up the power on their blows, with Akua trying for a round-house right hand slap at one point. Not content with bashing each other’s face, these two then took to running each other back and forth across the dohyo. Both kept their footing well enough, but with that much mass in motion, the energy drain was enormous. But Chiyomaru caught a lucky break as Akua attempted to break contact. Finding himself behind Akua, Chiyomaru took him down from behind, picking up the win. He’s now 5-3.
Takarafuji defeats Shimanoumi – I have to say it again, I love how efficient Takarafuji’s sumo is. He keep his body movements to an absolute minimum to reduce opportunities for counter attack. Most days it works. Today, it worked very well indeed. He let Shimanoumi do most of the work, and at one point Shimanoumi rallies and nearly takes the match, but Takarafuji recovers, consolidates his stance, and then slaps Shimanoumi to the clay. Takarafuji improves to 6-2, Shimanoumi joins the funnel.
Hoshoryu defeats Abi – Wow, I guess that’s one way to beat Abi-sumo. Abi opens with his traditional double-arm attack, and Hoshoryu absorbs it, and delivers maximum force center mass. Done with the right timing (as it was today) there is a narrow window where Abi resets his arms to attack again. That attack never came as Hoshoryu already had him tumbling back and one step later he’s in the front row visiting Dr Takasu and the posture princess. Hoshoryu improves to 5-3, and Abi gets blown out of the yusho race for now.
Onosho defeats Chiyonokuni – No, this wasn’t the day that Chiyonokuni won his first match. But he did open quite well, and took control of the match. He threw it out the window with a clumsy pulling attempt that gave Onosho the initiative. At that point it was all Onosho, who ran Chiyonokuni down, got behind him and pancaked him on the east side tawara. Onosho improves to 6-2.
Tobizaru defeats Chiyoshoma – Alas, the double flying henka did not materialize. But we did get a Tobizaru hit and shift, which netted Tobizaru a strong right hand outside grip. Tobizaru rode that right hand grip all the way to the win, putting Chiyoshoma on the “spin” cycle and then muscling him over the bales. Tobizaru improves to 4-4 and adds his name to the funnel.
Tamawashi defeats Hokutofuji – Tamawashi took the early advantage, and kept Hokutofuji from getting either a mawashi grip or a nodowa. With both of his opening gambits blown, Hokutofuji rode the thrust, hoping for a chance to break contact. It came, but Tamawashi immediately re-engaged, though this time Hokutofuji had better lower body configuration. As Tamawashi ran Hokutofuji out, Hokutofuji delivered a massive thrust down, slamming Tamawashi to the clay with a reverberating thud as he had the win knocked out of him. Hokutofuji was already out, so the match went to Tamawashi who improves to 6-2. That mark on the janome where Tamawashi landed was epic.
Wakatakakage defeats Ichinojo – Wakatakakage decided to let Ichinojo use his “Boulder” technique, which was a gutsy move. There they stood, with Ichinojo holding Wakatakakage’s arm in a double arm bar. Where this went wrong for Ichinojo is he did not wait Wakatakakage out nearly long enough. When Ichinojo advanced, Wakatakakage had plenty of stamina left, and he brought Ichinojo down with a step to the side followed by a tsukiotoshi. Wakatakakage improves to 3-5, and Ichinojo joins the funnel with 4-4.
Kiribayama defeats Meisei – Meisei had a fair opening combo, and neither man wanted to take up defensive sumo, so attack vs attack it was. Kiribayama generated slightly more forward pressure, but he was able to catch Meisei off balance, and bring him down with an oshitaoshi. Kiribayama picks up his second win of the basho improving to 2-6.
Mitakeumi defeats Daieisho – Daieisho attacks first, and takes control of the match at the tachiai. He’s hitting well, but Mitakeumi is not moving back even a half step. After adapting to Daieisho’s thrusting rhythm, Mitakeumi picks just the right moment to step back, and re-engage. He lands a right hand grip, and at that point Daieisho’s match has ended. Mitakeumi runs him about for a moment, and then ejects what’s left over the east side bales. Mitakeumi remains perfect at 8=0, is kachi-koshi, and in sole lead for the cup awarded 1 week from today.
Ura defeats Takanosho – Well, thank you for trying Takanosho. As sometimes happen in first ever matches against Ura, the opponent is not quite sure what to do. Ura has a plan, he takes a half step to the side, grabs Takanosho’s right leg and walks Onigiri-kun out for a quick win. Both end the day at 4-4, and muscle their way into the growing crowd in the funnel.
Shodai defeats Endo – Ok, feeling a bit better now, as we got a half assed “wall of daikon” today, which is better than none. Endo took early advantage and had Shodai struggling to respond. Thankfully he remembered his spirit vegetable and invoked the holy radish. The best news? Shodai is now 4-4 and lumbers into that over-sized funnel group.
Terunofuji defeats Okinoumi – Okinoumi did a fair job with this match, he attempted some well considered hand placements at the tachiai, but was shut down by Terunofuji’s double outside grip. Rather than try to out sumo Okinoumi, Terunofuji opted to “lift and carry”, which did the trick and secure his 7th win, now 7-1.
Unfortunately because of internet issues, I was not able to catch video of today’s matches, live. I was only able to get two of the bouts on Twitter, so this will be an abbreviated update. In the one that I don’t have, Nakashima worked Wakayahara to the edge and pushed him out for an oshidashi win.
Now, for the bouts that I found on Twitter, we have the young recruit Aoifuji repeating his hikiotoshi win from the other day. I guess if it works, it works.
Now, at the top of the division we have Takemaru on the left, Nishikimaru on the right. After a false start, Nishikimaru retreated. Takemaru gave chase but was shoved down in a forceful hatakikomi.
I wager they will pair Nakashima against Nishikimaru with Aoifuji facing off against a wrestler with one loss…if Nishikimaru is not battling a Jonidan opponent.
Welcome to Nakabi! The middle day of the basho. This is a wonderful period where it’s finally time to start looking at the yusho race, and start speculating on who is going to go the distance. The leader board is below, but first, some commentary.
I am impressed with Mitakeumi, but I think the chances of him going zensho are quite slim. His best score ever is 13-2 which he racked up in front of his home town crowd in Nagoya for his first yusho. A repeat of that 13-2 would be damn impressive, and likely give him an Ozeki nod. He would need to take 6 of the remaining 8 matches to hit that mark. A tough route indeed.
I expect Yokozuna Terunofuji to continue to be in the hunt. He is one loss behind, and if you share the notion that someone (maybe even Terunofuji) will put dirt on the Original Tadpole, then we have to recognize that the Kaiju is still very much in play for the cup. But what about Abi? I think he’s strong, maybe even 10-5 strong, but the second week is where the Great Sumo Cat of the Kokugikan separates the champions from the contenders. Both Mitakeumi and Terunofuji have multiple prior yusho, and I think that will make all the difference in the world.
Last, where would I be if I don’t mention Darwin’s funnel. It looks to me, the funnel is back on for Hatsu. 24 rikishi with 4-3 or 3-4 records going into day 8. That is a ridiculous number of men who are straddling the make/kachi-koshi line. As long as the scheduler just have them fight each other, they can funnel them toward an 7-7 finish at the end of day 14, and have a roster full of Darwin matches. I am going to watch this unfold over the next week with anticipation.
Kotoshoho vs Tsurugisho – Kotoshoho comes to visit today from Juryo to fill the banzuke gap, and he comes packing a solid 6-1 record. With few of the upper Juryo rikishi looking promotable right now, we may find Kotoshoho back in the top division in Osaka. Tsurugisho is a bit of a mystery, as he has looked pretty crummy in week 1, but seems to have found some way to execute some sumo. He won their only prior match.
Kotonowaka vs Aoiyama – Like Tsurugisho, Aoiyama is not quite ready for the Juryo barge, and may have a spark of sumo left in him after all. In good health, he should send Kotonowaka airborne with a blast from the V-Twin, but Aoiyama does not have that kind of power right now. He has a 1-2 career gap against Kotonowaka, and I am not going to be surprised if Kotonowaka takes this one.
Oho vs Ichiyamamoto – Oho has lost 3 of his last 4, and I would put him squarely in slump territory. Ichiyamamoto is doing only slightly better, and day 8 is where stamina starts to play an increasing role in the daily matches, as the constant grind of high intensity competition start taxing the rikishi. Both of them are 4-3, so this is a funnel match.
Kaisei vs Yutakayama – Another funnel match, I am looking for Yutakayama to win this one. Kaisei has found himself with an opponent to the side or behind him far too many times this basho. Dare we hope for another resounding tushie-o-tochi from the Brazilian?
Ishiura vs Wakamotoharu – Another funnel match as 4-3 Ishiura goes against 3-4 Wakamotoharu. Ishiura has a 2-0 career advantage, and has generally been fighting pretty well for a Maegashira 12. This is their first ever match in the top division, their prior contests were both in Juryo, with the most recent being March of last year.
Sadanoumi vs Kotoeko – Kotoeko showing some fighting form by hitting 5-2, so they put him up against speed rikishi Sadanoumi. It will come down to the second step, and if we see a Sadanoumi hit-and move or a Kotoeko grab and tuck. My money is on Kotoeko this time, and I think I would love to see some his tiny gaburi-yori.
Tochinoshin vs Terutsuyoshi – A pair of 3-4 rikishi compete to see who gets to stay in the funnel, with the winner getting the nod to continue the grind toward Darwin. Terutsuyoshi has been hit or miss this January, and I am not sure if it’s because he is trying to expand his sumo, or if he’s just a hot mess right now. If we get a Tochinoshin left hand outside grip, Terutsuyoshi is small enough at 114kg for what’s left of Tochinoshin’s legs to manage a sky-crane.
Myogiryu vs Chiyotairyu – I would love to hype this match, but Chiyotairyu just does not seem to have it in him. They have a tied 9-9 career record, but that assumes a full power Chiyotairyu, which I am going to assume he won’t be today.
Chiyomaru vs Akua – Speaking of wreckage, we have Akua. Much as I want him to do well, he just can’t put it together this January and he’s getting pantsed evert day. Maybe his sumo just isn’t competitive at Maegashira 10 like it is at Maegashira 15 or Juryo 3. We have not seen superior Chiyomaru agility in a couple of days, so maybe a bit of break dancing today, sir?
Shimanoumi vs Takarafuji – You know what would make me happy? To see Takarafuji get his kachi-koshi early. With 5 wins right now, he is on course to hit his 8 well before day 15, if he does not twist and ankle or some other mishap. Shimanoumi, try as he might, is funnel-fodder to be certain. He was in Darwin matches at least twice in the last year, so he may be comfortable there.
Hoshoryu vs Abi – First ever match, and I am going to guess that Hoshoryu may not quite know what to do with Abi-zumo. So maybe we are going to see a rampaging double arm attack toss young Hoshoryu about before he drops to the clay or rockets over the East side.
Onosho vs Chiyonokuni – One of these days, Chiyonokuni is going to get his first win of the Hatsu basho. Will it be today? Not unless he can match Onosho’s massive forward pressure, which we know is exactly where Chiyonokuni struggles.
Tobizaru vs Chiyoshoma – A pair of high agility, high maneuverability rikishi who may or may not have shenanigans in the tachiai? Dare we pray for the coveted double flying henka? Unlikely, but something that would be magical if it could take place. Tobizaru holds a 5-1 career advantage.
Tamawashi vs Hokutofuji – Both of these guys rely on heavy broadside thrusting as their primary attack mode. Hokutofuji has incredible lower body stability, and Tamawashi has what I can only call “unstoppable drive”. I think advantage will go to whomever gets their hands inside first.
Wakatakakage vs Ichinojo – I think most fans prefer the rampaging, pony tossing Ichinojo. But we are not seeing him this basho. I think we do get the “Boulder” this January, and an enormous Ichinojo is a formidable Ichinojo. Stay patient, stay put, and don’t fall for any of Wakatakakage’s invitations to pull.
Meisei vs Kiribayama – Kiribayama is better than his 1-6 score lets on. But right now he’s going to be hard pressed to limit his make-koshi to 7-8 given that he starts day 8 at 1-6. Meisei is part of the funnel group, and a win today would center him in the funnel at 4-4.
Mitakeumi vs Daieisho – Yusho race leader up against mega-thruster Daieisho. If Daieisho connects and gets an open route, he is more than capable of moving Mitakeumi around at great speed, putting the first 3 rows of fans at significant risk. The Original Tadpole is going to need to think about another denshamichi session to put Daieisho away before he can get started. A win today is kachi-koshi for Mitakeumi.
Ura vs Takanosho – I love watching Ura fight, even when he loses. He runs his own sumo, and it’s distinct from the rest of the top division, and its typically quite entertaining. This is his first match ever against onigiri-kun, and a Takanosho loss today would shove both of them into the middle of the funnel group, which is where they belongs right now.
Endo vs Shodai – Oh why!? Two guys who are fighting like it’s spring break and they are perpetually hung over. Hell if I know which one of them is going to have the edge today. I would love to see Shodai snap out of whatever is limiting him right now, but its probably an injury, and he is probably doing the best he can. Same for Endo, but a Shodai win would keep him in the funnel group.
Terunofuji vs Okinoumi – Terunofuji should be able to dominate this match. The concern being that Okinoumi can, on any given day, beat any rikishi if he gets the right set up. This is always one of the reasons why he’s great to follow, as he can have a crummy basho, but be able to put an Ozeki on the clay in the midst of a make-koshi run. I hope Terunofuji locks in his stance and his balance early before Okinoumi can get on offense.
