Yokozuna Terunofuji (12-0) leads Ozeki Takakeisho (11-1) and M15 Abi (11-1) by one win with three days to go. Tomorrow, the two chasers are matched up, which means that one of them will also have at least 12 wins. The winner should face Terunofuji, giving one of them at least 13, which means that the 9-3 quartet of Mitakeumi, Tamawashi, Ura and Hokutofuji is already out of contention (there are potential scenarios in which all 3 leaders could finish 12-3, but they seem exceedingly unlikely).
Lower San’yaku
Mitakeumi (9-3)will remain East Sekiwake in January, though his latest attempt to mount an Ozeki bid is looking increasingly feeble. West Sekiwake Meisei (5-7) needs 3 more wins to retain his rank, and 2 to limit his fall to Komusubi. East Komusubi Ichinojo (5-7) needs to win out to hold his rank (and possibly even move up), while West Komusubi Kiribayama (4-8) is now assured of a drop into the rank-and-file on his san’yaku debut.
The open Komusubi slot is now M2w Takanosho‘s (8-4) to lose. Should additional slots open up, M6w Tamawashi (9-3) currently has the next-strongest claim, followed by M7e Ura (9-3). Several others also still nurse faint hopes of promotion.
Makuuchi/Juryo
There will be at least three open slots in the top division: one due to Hakuho’s retirement, one due to Asanoyama’s suspension, and one to be vacated by the lowest man on the banzuke, M17w Shohozan (3-9). M14e Kagayaki (3-9) probably needs to win out to save himself, although 2 wins and banzuke luck might do it. Another Kagayaki fun fact: he is locked in a tight duel with Kotoeko (2-10) for most Makuuchi losses in 2021, with 52 apiece; the only other rikishi in striking distance with 3 bouts to go is Tochinoshin with 50. And of course, the schedulers could not miss the opportunity to match up Kagayaki and Kotoeko tomorrow for the sole “lead.”
M17e Kaisei (6-6) and M13w Tochinoshin (4-8) likely need 2 wins for safety, although one might be enough, while several other rikishi still need another win to guarantee a return. There are not many Juryo men with strong promotion cases, so we may see some lenient stays.
Who is in contention down in the second division? J4w Ichiyamamoto (10-2) and J1w Wakamotoharu (8-4) have almost certainly done enough to move up to Makuuchi. The next best promotion case belongs to J7e Oho (9-3), who still needs two more wins after dropping his last three bouts. Top-ranked J1e Tsurugisho (6-6) can still guarantee a return to the top division with two wins, while J6e Kotoshoho (8-4) probably needs to win out, as does J3w Bushozan (6-6).
Juryo/Makushita
Two slots are already open in Juryo, one also due to Hakuho’s retirement and the other due to his protege Hokuseiho’s disappointing early withdrawal in his long-awaited sekitori debut. J9w Kyokutaisei (2-10) is in the worst shape of those participating, and needs to win out to retain his salary. J14e Kyokushuho (6-6) and J10e Yago (4-8) need 2 wins apiece to ensure safety.
Six of the ten wrestlers in the Ms1-Ms5 promotion zone can still finish with a winning record. Four have already clinched it, while the others have 3-3 scores. The only relevant Day 13 action here matches Ms4e Chiyoarashi (4-2) against Kyokutaisei in what is likely an exchange bout.
The Makushita yusho, and a spot in the promotion zone for January, will also be decided on Day 13 when recent Juryo regular Ms33e Chiyonoumi (6-0) faces former Komusubi Ms47w Ryuden (6-0).
With a cry of “Never give up!” the schedulers went back to the drawing board. The day 12 “Make-koshi day” was a flop, as nearly all of the marks won their matches. The Darwin funnel crumbled, and the grand plan of a day 15 barnyard brawl was nowhere to be found. In times like these, the best take to the izakaya and consult the wisdom of yeast. Perhaps they were encouraged to try again, that the plan just needed more time. They were encouraged to be less subtle, and just drive for what they want, and let the Great Sumo Cat of the Kokugikan handle the details.
They took brush in hand, and crafted this torikumi for our day 13. It has triumphs and perils aplenty, and I think we may see at least one upset. Hold on to your zabuton folks, its going to get bumpy.
Ishiura vs Kaisei – As long as Ishiura does not do a bizzaro tachiai today, he stands a fair chance of beating Kaisei. It may seem odd given the tremendous size different between the two of them, but Ishiura has beating him 3 times out of their 7 career matches. The usual strategy involves getting to the side of Kaisei and either throwing or pushing him out. To prevent this, Kaisei just needs to keep Ishiura locked to his front quarter, and be enormous.
Yutakayama vs Terutsuyoshi – One of these two is make-koshi today. they come in with matching 5-7 records, and the loser gets to exit the fair city of Fukuoka with a losing record for November. Their 4-4 career record indicates it will be an even fight, but I give a slight edge to Yutakayama, who finally seems to be fighting with vigor.
Kotonowaka vs Chiyomaru – Another make-koshi bracket match, Kotonowaka needs one more loss for make-koshi, and Chiyomaru is at 6-6 in the middle of what is left of the funnel. Should Kotonowaka win, it would put them both candidates to hit 7-7 at the end of tomorrow. They have a 2-2 career record, but Kotonowaka is looking a bit better in week 2 than he did in his terrible week 1.
Chiyotairyu vs Tochinoshin – I worry that if Tochinoshin picks up a few more black stars, he may be a candidate for the Juryo barge that will be captained by Shohozan this time. He already has a 4-8 record to start day 13m, but Chiyotairyu (5-7) has lost the last five in a row! This guy was on a firm kachi-koshi path up until his fight against Ura on nakabe, and now he’s a mess. I have to wonder if he got injured last weekend.
Aoiyama vs Shohozan – Every captain needs his bosun, and so we get Juryo barge captain Shohozan checking paying a visit to “Big Dan” Aoiyama,. Not that Aoiyama is at any risk of being relegated to Juryo, but he is another rikishi who opened strong, and has, as of today, a 9 day losing streak. Both of them are hurt, both are at a fraction of their expected sumo power, and this match could be miserable indeed.
Akua vs Tobizaru – Akua wants a win today to hit his kachi-koshi. His opponent, Tobizaru, is at 6-6, and finds himself on the path to Darwin on day 15. I think this will provide significant motivation for sumo’s flying monkey, and I am looking to him for the win today.
Kotoeko vs Kagayaki – I had to look at this twice, but Kagayaki has just ONE more win that Kotoeko going into day 13. As someone who has admired Kagayaki’s sumo for a while, this is staggering. I imagine that he’s going to pick up his 4th win today over Kotoeko, but maybe lksumo will make an attempt to figure out: at what score would Kotoeko be at risk of dropping out of the top division in one massive punt down the banzuke?
Sadanoumi vs Chiyoshoma – I genuinely want to see Chiyoshoma pick up a kachi-koshi this November. I think the mechanical improvements he’s made in his sumo should be the catalyst for a posting to the joi-jin in January. To get there he needs to win 2 of the last 3 matches, which is a tall order given how even the competition is right now. Sadanoumi at M16w is fighting well above his rank, and this could be thought of as a bit of a “test” match for him today.
Shimanoumi vs Chiyonokuni – Could be some great symmetry here today, with Chiyonokuni win delivering kachi-koshi to him and make-koshi to Shimanoumi at the same time. Should Shimanoumi prevail, it’s back into the Darwin funnel for both of them. What could go wrong?
Takayasu vs Hidenoumi – I am a bit sad that day 13 finds Takayasu fighting to stave off make-koshi. Its even worse that he is against Hidenoumi, who comes in with a superior 7-5 record. As a die-hard Takayasu fan, I worry what kind of doom a make-koshi this month might bring to his rank, as there are 2 more matches for him to endure after today.
Hokutofuji vs Takanosho – Another great test match, its time for criminally over-demoted Hokutofuji to try out against some of his normal opponents. Takanosho is my favorite for a named rank in January. He’s already kachi-koshi, and he has been fighting well enough. I look for Hokutofuji to open big, and it will be up to Takanosho to blunt his opening attack and wait for an opening.
Onosho vs Okinoumi – Of course there is the potential of 4-8 Onosho to win against Okinoumi, but given the balance problems Onosho has been suffering, I think it’s unlikely. A win today would put Okinoumi back into the funnel, but that may not be an issue for him, as he has won 3 of the last 4 matches, and seems to be in a good mode right now.
Hoshoryu vs Wakatakakage – Another battle for “make koshi day”, as one of these two is going to be make-koshi at the end of today. The other will be back into the funnel for another day. Wakatakakagi has won the last 3 in a row, and I give him a slight edge today.
Daieisho vs Myogiryu – The seems to be giving Daieisho a chance to rescue himself with this match. Myogiryu has a 2-10 record for January, a 2-9 career deficit against Daieisho, and is likely going eat a loss today. While it’s nice to give Daieisho a chance to dodge make-koshi for a day, he’s back into the funnel if he wins.
Takarafuji vs Kiribayama – Both of these men come in with 4-8 make-koshi records. This level of performance is not uncommon for shin-sanyaku rikishi, so Kiribayama should just do his best today and hope that he can keep Takarafuji from setting up his defense. Kiribayama will need to stay mobile, and not let Takarafuji put his 30kg weight advantage to work.
Ichinojo vs Ura – There is about 70kg weight difference between these two, and looking at the stats, my first reaction is “I hope nobody gets hurt”. Not that the risk is solely on Ura, his grab-and-tug attack strategy could lead to some truly epic and painful outcomes to Ichinojo. A loss today would be make-koshi for Ichinojo, so I expect him to throw everything into this match.
Endo vs Meisei – Endo can still reach kachi-koshi. He just needs to win 2 of his last 3 matches. This is not out of the question given his skill level, provided his body is up for the level of sumo he will need to transact. Should he prevail today, it will be make-koshi for Meisei, who seems to have run out of momentum that his 10-5 finish at M3 in March gave his rank.
Abi vs Takakeisho – Here comes the big question mark. A pair of oshi powerhouse sumotori, their first fight in 18 months. They share an even 2-2 history, and are well matched. I expect Abi to aim high, and Takakeisho to aim center mass. Abi’s much longer reach will be his advantage, and Takakeisho’s tadpole tenacity will be the Ozeki’s advantage. I expect Abi to open strong and be in charge of the first moments of the match, and Takakeisho will have to shut down Abi-zumo before he turns on the wave-action system.
Shodai vs Tamawashi – Luckily, Shodai is already kachi-koshi, so this is all about record and rank for Tamawashi. I think if we see “Wall of Daikon” early today, the capable veteran Tamawashi will pick up his 4th loss.
Terunofuji vs Mitakeumi – In spite of his traditional week 2 fade, Mitakeumi has a chance here to play spoiler. He has only beaten Terunofuji once since his return to the top division last year, out of 8 attempts. This includes the July 2020 day 15 match when M17e Terunofuji supplied a big yorikiri to finish out his first yusho from the bottom of the banzuke. There is a 15 match history between these two, and it 11-4 in favor of the kaiju.
Firstly, happy Thanksgiving to all of our American readers and followers. We deeply appreciate all of you, and the time you spend with us during the tournaments each year. Today I give thanks for our audience. I am grateful for the chance Andy gave me to write about my love for sumo, and grateful that anyone takes the time to read it.
If I had to label today, it would be “Funnel Buster”. I have been talking up the Darwin Funnel that was implemented in the middle weekend, and had been grinding away with great effect ever since. It has been driving a surprisingly broad cohort of rikishi toward 7-7 scores at the start of day 15. This is a tough plan to run, because in the final days of the basho, as it’s easy for anyone to break out either to the kachi-koshi or make-koshi side. There are a fair number of matches intended to squeeze the group toward a 6-6 score to end today, and almost all of them went the other way, instead dealing out a fair number of 7-5 and 5-7 results. There is still time to try and recover, but I think the much hoped for Grand Darwin event on day 15 is not to be this time out.
As a footnote to that, today was intended to be “make-koshi day”, with a large cadre of 4-7 rikishi set to get their 8th loss. Some of them did, but most of them found the sumo power to improve to 5-7.
That being said, some fantastic action today from Fukuoka.
Highlight Matches
Sadanoumi defeats Tochinoshin – Tochinoshin opened strong, and was moving forward. But between his bad back and his crummy knee, he was quite off balance. Sadanoumi turns him and, using what appeared to be minimum force, placed him over the bales. Kimarite is listed as amiuchi, fisherman’s throw, but it me it looked more like, “Here, just exit sir”. Sadanoumi advances to 8-4, and is kachi-koshi. Tochinoshin drops to 4-8, and is make-koshi.
Chiyonokuni defeats Ishiura – Not quite sure what Ishiura’s plan was here, but it looked similar to Hattorizakura, which I know was never the intent. Chiyonokuni easily improves to 7-5.
Kotonowaka defeats Shohozan – Shohozan opened strong, putting a lot of power into a double arm opening combo to Kotonowaka’s face. It worked for a time, but Shohozan could not keep up the pressure. Kotonowaka rallied, and drove him across the east side. Kotonowaka now 5-7
Kaisei defeats Terutsuyoshi – Terutsuyoshi gets a left hand shallow grip, and digs into Kaisei’s chest at the tachiai. This is a strong position for Terutsuyoshi, but sadly Kaisei’s enormity prevents Terutsuyoshi from doing much with it. Kaisei stands his ground, and gradually moves himself to the center of the ring. With Terutsuyoshi’s back now to the bales, Kaisei drives forward for a text-book yorikiri. Kaisei up to 6-6 following today.
Akua defeats Chiyotairyu – YES! Mutual henka! Rarely seen and always a treat when it happens, the look of mutual surprise was priceless. Left guessing what to do next, Akua attacks first and is rewarded by connecting low and strong against Chiyotairyu, who had yet to set his feet. Akua improves to 7-5.
Yutakayama defeats Aoiyama – Aoiyama first up the V-Twin, and at least stalemates Yutakayama for a time, but that bum knee betrays Big Dan as he moves forward. With his balance poor, Yutakayama picks him off in passing, and sends him down for this 9th loss in a row. Yutakayama up to 5-7.
Chiyomaru defeats Kotoeko – Kotoeko seemed to be holding his own today, but ate a full force hikiotoshi as he stepped forward to press the attack against Chiyomaru. Chiyomaru one of the few funnel rikishi to hold the line today, he’s now 6-6.
Tobizaru defeats Kagayaki – Tobizaru moves to his right at the tachiai, was that a partial henka? Kagayaki tracks him well, but that turn cost him valuable territory, and most of his forward power. Tobizaru the advantage and never gives Kagayaki a moment to set is feet, driving him out to advance to 6-6.
Ura defeats Hokutofuji – No handshake / nodowa tachiai from Hokutofuji today, which was the right choice. He tries to keep Ura at distance, and works to minimize his attack profile. Ura, of course, digs in and waits for the first grab and tug body part to present itself. Ura does some clever mini-pulls to try to get Hokutofuji to bring an arm forward, and those sumo reflexes of Hokutofuji kick in. Out comes that right hand to attack against the pull, followed by the left, and Ura is in business. Unable to convert it to a katasukashi (he would have needed the right arm for that), Ura had to settle for a tottari as Hokutofuji tumbles forward. Both end the day at 9-3. I hope Ura gets to fight Shodai this basho, as I think the “Wall of Daikon” technique would completely shut down Ura’s sumo.
Hidenoumi defeats Chiyoshoma – Hidenoumi got Chiyoshoma locked up chest to chest, and then waited it out. This was a solid choice, and his larger size did a lot of the work for him, draining Chiyoshoma’s stamina a bit at a time. The battle of attrition pays off when Hidenoumi consolidates his grip, lowers his hips and drives forward for the win. Hidenoumi advances to 7-5.
Abi defeats Tamawashi – Tamawashi gets inside Abi’s attack radius and lands a big shove to send Abi back. In a blink of an eye, Abi rallies and drives hard against Tamawashi’s neck, takes control of the match, and finishes Tamawashi in 4 steps. Abi improves to 11-1. Wow.
Okinoumi defeats Shimanoumi – Okinoumi needed a win today, and that big tachiai was just what the man needed. Not just the power into the initial merge, but the follow through as well, pushing through Shimanoumi, breaking his stance. With Shimanoumi on the move, Okinoumi just kept moving forward for the win. Both end the day at 5-7.
Takanosho defeats Onosho – Superior sumo mechanics from Takanosho. He read Onosho’s balance correctly, and timed the thrust to meet Onosho mid stride, deflecting him to the side. Onosho’s left foot tells the story here. It’s up in the air as Takanosho connects. A second push from behind was all it took to finish him. Onosho hits his 8th loss of a rough basho for him, and is make-koshi. Takanosho pick up his 8th win and is make-koshi, and may find himself back in the named ranks for January.
Daieisho defeats Hoshoryu – Hoshoryu opened strong, but a minor pull down attempt by Daieisho breaks his stance, and opens up his chest for Daieisho to strike. Daieisho lunges in with both hands, find’s Hoshoryu’s neck and walks him out. Both end the day at 5-7.
Wakatakakage defeats Myogiryu – Myogiryu had early control of this match, but could not keep up the pressure. I am going to guess whatever robbed him of his sumo this November is still in play. Wakatakakage recovers, and the two lock up at the center of the dohyo. Myogiryu is still in charge of this match, but can’t generate enough power to finish Wakatakakage, and each time Myogiryu charges, he gives up a bit of advantage. Wakatakakage gets his left hand inside, raises Myogiryu and runs him off the dohyo for his 5th win, improving to 5-7.
Ichinojo defeats Takarafuji – Takarafuji does get to set up his preferred defend and extend sumo, but Ichinojo seems to have better position in spite of the ensuing stalemate in the center of the dohyo. There is a moment of activity in the middle of it as Takarafuji swaps grip, and gets settled in to his preferred left hand inside. Locked into the Boulder, Takarafuji tries to generate some offense, but Ichinojo is just too big, and too well positioned to move. At this point Ichinojo just has to wait for Takarafuji to tire, which happens about 2 minutes in, and finish him off. Takarafuji takes loss number 8, and is make-koshi. Ichinojo improves to 5-7.
Endo defeats Mitakeumi – Endo gets his frontal grip at the tachiai, and gets to work, getting to the side of Mitakeumi. Unable to square his hips or his shoulders to Endo, Mitakeumi is in trouble. In an attempt to improve his stance, Mitakeumi raises up to turn toward Endo, giving up ground. From there it was a simple yorikiri for Endo, and he’s got his 6th win. The traditional Mitakeumi week 2 fade is now in full effect.
Shodai defeats Kiribayama – Kiribayama’s left hand missed its target at the tachiai, and that was his only chance to generate offense. The “Wall of Daikon” technique comes in on Shodai’s second step, and Kiribayama is powerless to stop it. An 8th loss for Kiribayama, and he is make-koshi for November. Shodai gets his 8th win, and is kachi-koshi.
Takakeisho defeats Takayasu – Takayasu just could not resist the invitation to bring his “wild man sumo” to the dohyo today. That was just what Takakeisho needed. With Takayasu’s arms wide of his body, his chest was wide open for attack. Sure, Takayasu got a good face slap in, but that was pretty much it. Takakeisho improves to 11-1. He gets Abi tomorrow, and I think Abi’s long reach could be trouble for the Ozeki.
Terunofuji defeats Meisei – I love that everyone in the top division seems to give an extra 10% when they fight Terunofuji this November. Every last one of them thinks “Hey, let’s get some dirt on this guy”. Almost all of them get their hopes up in the first moment of the match as they get the Yokozuna back, and they start to believe they can actually do it. Then Terunofuji gets bored with their itty bitty sumo, and throws them out. Terunofuji improves to 12-0.
An early happy Thanksgiving to all of Tachiai’s readers in the United States. I don’t recall the last time Thanksgiving fell during the November tournament, but the 4 day weekend in the US presents this sumo fan with a double-wide opportunity to enjoy the last days of this basho. A quick run down of day 12 before I start prepping for tomorrow’s feast. If you want the details of what is on the line, do check out lksumo’s excellent piece on the promotion / demotion chances.
Kyushu Leaderboard
Last day of warm-ups for the top ranks, we start the brutal round robin matches soon.
Leader: Terunofuji Hunt Group: Takakeisho, Abi Chasers: Mitakeumi, Tamawashi, Hokutofuji
4 matches remain
What We Are Watching Day 12
Sadanoumi vs Tochinoshin – Well, this one is full of potential, not just because its a significant clash of styles. You have speed and agility from Sadanoumi. Then you have Tochinoshin, who is only a shadow of his former self. If Sadanoumi wins today, it’s kachi-koshi for him, and make-koshi for Tochinoshin.
Ishiura vs Chiyonokuni – Chiyonokunin has never lost to Ishiura, in 8 attempts. For whatever reason, Chiyonokuni has the right formula to shut down whatever Ishiura might try. Both are in the funnel right now, and if Chiyonokuni wins, both will more or less exit the funnel. This happens because as the days march on, the funnel does narrow, and right now anyone who can get to 7 wins and 7 losses is more or less on a path to make or kachi-koshi.
Kotonowaka vs Shohozan – If Shohozan somehow manages to win, he can drag Kotonowaka over the line to join him in make-koshi land. Much as I like Kotonowaka, I kind of what to see this happen.
Kaisei vs Terutsuyoshi – Perfect funnel match, the two have a tied 4-4 career match record, they both come in at 5-6, and the winner gets to ride the funnel into the future, the loser is on the path to make-koshi. I favor Kaisei on this, because against a smaller opponent, being enormous is often a valid sumo strategy.
Chiyotairyu vs Akua – Another solid funnel match, the perfect result, in terms of the funnel, would be a Chiyotairyu win. Chiyotairyu won their only prior match in May. Akua will need to survive the first 5 second if he wants to take things his way, and advance to 7 wins.
Aoiyama vs Yutakayama – Aoiyama has had 8 straight losses after opening strong with 3-0. Can he rally and drag Yutakayama down to make-koshi as well? I have my doubts. Yutakayama is pretty rough this November, too. But I don’t think he is in the same poor condition as “Big Dan”.
Kotoeko vs Chiyomaru – I am going to say that I don’t think we will see another Kotoeko win. He just does not see to have any power in him this time out. Best to see if he can recover from whatever injury is going on, and get him fresh in January.
Kagayaki vs Tobizaru – Kagayaki is make-koshi, but there is still plenty of room for Tobizaru to make his 8, he just needs to (checks notes) win 3 of his last 4 matches. Oh dear. Kagayaki is quite effective against Tobizaru, with a 4-1 career advantage.
Ura vs Hokutofuji – We all knew this one was coming along at some point, or we at least hoped. This one has the potential to be the match of the day. Ura is doing quite well this November, and Hokutofuji’s over demotion let him run up a 9-2 score. But now that we are in act 3, it’s time to see some of these peer matches unfold, regardless of rank. So I think Ura’s grab and tug sumo holds an advantage against Hokotofuji’s brand of oshi-zumo. Go ahead, big stuff, stick that arm out for a while. We all will get to enjoy a fourth katasukashi from Ura this month.
Hidenoumi vs Chiyoshoma – Matching 6-5 scores, and the winner gets to climb out of the funnel, the loser stays on course for Darwin on day 15. Their 6-7 career record is only slightly informative, as Chiyoshoma appears to fighting better than average, and Hidenoumi is at or slightly below average this basho.
Abi vs Tamawashi – This is a great “act 3” match, where you have two rikishi that are doing well, so you pair them up. I think this is another test match, looking to see if Abi is ready to rank in the top half of the banzuke. Abi’s long-arm thrusting attack works about half the time against Tamawashi, so this will likely be quite the battle.
Okinoumi vs Shimanoumi – A Shimanoumi win today will be make-koshi for Okinoumi, and more funnel time for Shimanoumi. He has a 4-1 career advantage, but it’s never wise to predict that Okinoumi will lose any match on any given day. He is tough, wily and has been in the top division for more than a decade.
Onosho vs Takanosho – Battle of the “nosho” crew, this one strongly favors Takanosho. A win by him will send Onosho make-koshi, and probably punch Takanosho’s ticket back to the named ranks.
Daieisho vs Hoshoryu – Another one for “make-koshi day”, Daieisho is one loss away from his, and he needs to summon his fighting spirit to keep Hoshoryu from getting a hand hold and putting the match on his terms.
Myogiryu vs Wakatakakage – Wakatakakage is also at risk for make-koshi today, but I think that he will prevail against a flagging Myogiryu, who has only had 2 wins this month.
Ichinojo vs Takarafuji – It just won’t not be “make-koshi day” if we were not treated to a mini-Darwin, where one of these two will exit the day with their make-koshi, and another survives to day 13. I think it’s going to be Ichinojo’s win, as Takarafuji just does not seem to be able to resist much forward pressure this basho.
Mitakeumi vs Endo – Mitakeumi can hit double digits with one more. He’s out of the spot of playing spoiler for the yusho, for the most part, but he can still wreck someone else’s November while he’s here. He holds a career 11-6 record over Endo, who has not had much luck landing his opening combos in the last 11 days.
Shodai vs Kiribayama – Shodai should win this today, but I hold in reserve the chance that he might blow his first chance at kachi-koshi. I am glad to note that Kiribayama has won 3 of the last 4, and is not quite as demoralized as his first week’s sumo led me to believe. But a loss today will send him make-koshi, which is typical for a first visit to the named ranks. He will be back.
Takayasu vs Takakeisho – This should be a high interest match, but I am going to guess that Takayasu won’t use his calm, patient sumo. The temptation for “wild man” sumo may be too great for him, and if he’s dancing around on one foot like three drunken gymnasts all squeezed into the same plus size leotard, he’s a big, easy target for Takakeisho.
Terunofuji vs Meisei – Terunofuji is going to wrap Meisei up, and grind him down. The real challenges for the Yokozuna start tomorrow, I would guess, so this is the last preliminary match for him.
