Welcome to the end of Kyushu Act 1!

I am compelled to call out Takayasu. We fans have taken note that his matches are going long, several over 3 minutes. This is quite unusual for sumo, and I suspect it heralds a new combat form for the former Ozeki. The man has always possessed supernatural endurance. Even Kisenosato called it out back in the day. The man seems to have the ability to take a refreshing nap while holding a fully stocked refrigerator over his head.

His old technique was what I would call “Wild Man Sumo”. He would have arms and legs going every which way, mass energy looking for a way to discharge through his opponents body and win the match. Sometimes it worked, many times it left him out of position and off balance and just the wrong time. It was also instrumental in delivering career changing injuries to his body. But something seems to have happened after Araiso moved to the hinterlands to set up his marvelous new stable.

This new technique is actually a bit subtle, and it appears to be devastating. Objective one – get your opponent tangled up and in a somewhat yotsu fight, he does not need to consent, just prevent him from breaking contact. His natural reaction will be to try to escape, or to push into you. That’s what you want. Dial up the counter pressure just to the point he begins to slip, then back off enough to stalemate him, but be careful to keep your balance back in case they release pressure suddenly. Bonus points if you can turn them a bit to the side so it’s tough for them to drop pressure. Then wait. Wait some more. Think about repainting your deck. Wait some more. Think about that trip to Miyajima with the wife and baby daughter. Wait some more. See the time keeper, he’s got a lot of fingers in the air, this match must be going on a while. Maybe its time to balance your bank statement in your head. Wow, more fingers. Is the other guy still alive? Yes? ok, now go wild man on his ass, he’s too tired to care.

Honestly, I think with some refinement, this can take him back to Ozeki. I am eager to see him try it on Terunofuji, who does not tire easily. I think of it as an extension of butsugari into competition. Wear the other guy to the point of exhaustion, then throw what’s left the the clay. I can’t wait to see it again.

Also of note, no more Juryo visitors for now, the banzuke gap has been closed thanks to the return of Tochinoshin. I was strongly considering if he would try to return, as his absence from a full tournament would punt him deep into Juryo. He’s not going down without a fight.

What We Are Watching Day 5

Akua vs Abi – Can Abi make it 5 in a row? I would guess he will, Akua has never found a formula to best him on the clay, and right now Abi seems to have speed and a commitment to inflicting pain on his opponents going for him. So I am thinking he may start 5-0.

Chiyomaru vs Shohozan – Can anything get “Big Guns” to break out the hitting bashing wonder that is the Shohozan we all love? I am not sure he has it in him any more. He has lost the last 2 in a row to Chiyomaru, who seems to be able to get Shohozan off balance and down. With both of them coming into day 5 with dismal 1-3 scores, they need to pick up wins.

Sadanoumi vs Chiyonokuni – Is Chiyonokuni hurt? He’s fighting well below his capabilities right now, and at M14, he is well below the rank I would expect to find him if he is healthy. He takes his dismal 1-3 record up against lossless speed demon Sadanoumi today. I think Sadanoumi is going to have a fair time of it, if he can keep his feet against Chiyonokuni’s thrash.

Kagayaki vs Tochinoshin – Welcome back Tochinoshin! If he’s healthy enough, he should be able to capture Kagayaki with a left hand outside grip, and then choose what to do. Tochinoshin has won 3 of his last 4 matches with Kagayaki, and holds an 8-2 career advantage. A loss today might indicate just how banged up the former Ozeki might be.

Yutakayama vs Kaisei – I want to see Kaisei rally and win this one. Sure he’s part of the old guard who are likely on the sunset road, but one more ride for glory is always nice. At M17e, he will drop to Juryo should he end with a make-koshi.

Chiyotairyu vs Hokutofuji – Chiyotairyu may not have a chance to employ the “Stand them up, slap them down” combo he adores. So maybe we get the cannon-ball tachiai today? Hokutofuji comes in a 4-0, and is clearly in fine form and quite genki. He looks like a good pick to end act one at 5-0.

Ishiura vs Hidenoumi – We saw some actual good sumo from Ishiura on day 4, and I hope this means he has gotten settled into honbasho form. Given that Hidenoumi has not really been that strong so far, I think he will be struggling to deal with Ishiura’s agility and mobility today.

Aoiyama vs Terutsuyoshi – A traditional crowd pleaser, the big man / little man match. Much as I adore “Big Dan” Aoiyama, I would love to see Terutsuyoshi crank it up today. He has 2 wins for November, but has yet to unleash any of his brilliant techniques. With any luck we will see him evade the V-Twin smash and grab, and get inside to work some mischief.

Kotonowaka vs Tobizaru – Tobizaru looked really solid against Ura, who can be a difficult, unusual challenge. He knew what to do and what to wait for, and pulled it off well. Kotonowaka continues is slump from September, and I can only guess that the injury that sent him kyujo on day 10 continues to trouble him.

Ura vs Chiyoshoma – I am really up for this match. Chiyoshoma is fighting the best I have ever seen him fight, and he has never won against Ura in 5 tries. If he pulls it off today, I am going to declare a new era for (formerly) sumo’s least favorite knucklehead. Ura has a solid recipe to take out Chiyoshoma, get behind him and push like a freight train. Can’t wait for this one.

Kotoeko vs Tamawashi – Will Kotoeko ever find a win? Not today, is my guess. Tamawashi is looking better than he has since July, where he finished Nagoya with 11-4 from Maegashira 10. Given the size and mass difference, Tamawashi may get him airborne today.

Takayasu vs Hoshoryu – Hooboy! What a match! Hoshoryu has been underperforming thus far, with a paltry 1-3 score going into the final day of act 1. Takayasu seems to be trying out a new, rather powerful technique. I can’t wait to see how these two work this out. Hoshoryu is going to be tough to capture and pin, and what will Takayasu do when his opponent can execute an effective hit-and-move match plan?

Shimanoumi vs Endo – I am surprised that we get to this stage of the tournament and Shimanoumi has yet to score his first win. He’s got Endo today, and that can’t be good for his chances at a kachi-koshi. Endo took a gnarly gash to the head on day 4, but I am going to guess it was just a flesh wound, and he may show up with one of those crazy giant bandages that Takayasu wore for a few days earlier in the year. Oh, and Shimanoumi has a 0-5 record against Endo. Tough day for him.

Onosho vs Takarafuji – Hey, junior tadpole! 0-4? What the hell. Get your balance down and mega thrust these guys out of your way. Oh, Takarafuji today? Well, good luck sir. He’s going to try to box you up and put you on hold until he’s ready to work with you.

Ichinojo vs Daieisho – Daieisho seems to be coming up short this tournament, in spite of his normal high-energy, somewhat frantic oshi-zumo style being in full battle mode. Ichinojo’s favorite response to this guy is to let him really get lost in his thrusting attack, let him get over his toes, and apply a giant boulder hand on the back of Daieisho’s neck for a quick drop to the deck.

Kiribayama vs Meisei – At this point, the whole Kiribayama may mostly be mental. Its the biggest problem with an up and coming rikishi getting into the named ranks, they gets spanked hard and sent home. It can really wreck some of them, but the best ones bounce back. On a good day, Kiribayama should be able to drop Meisei with a stout effort, but given that he has an 0-4 losing streak right now, the mental baggage make a win today a tough order indeed.

Mitakeumi vs Wakatakakage – Mitakeumi looks sharp right now. I know, we need to wait for his traditional week 2 fade, but I am going to revel in his sumo for now. Wakatakakage has only beaten him once, on his home turf of Nagyoa no less. The challenge Wakatakakage may face is that Mitakeumi is moving better side to side than I remember him doing for at least a year. Wakatakakage’s agility is his edge in this contest, and it may not be as useful as it was in July.

Myogiryu vs Takakeisho – Is today the day we get to see the full power “wave action tsuppari”? It’s been such a long time since the Grand Tadpole unleashed the doom weapon and blasted someone out of the prefecture. Given his 1-13 career deficit, I don’t think Myogiryu represents a large enough threat to power up the wave action system. Maybe week 2.

Shodai vs Okinoumi – Now that I am looking for it, I want to see more of the “Wall of Daikon”. Against Okinoumi it may be tough to execute, as the man from Shimane has a large body made for blocking and pushing himself. I look at it as a variation on the Kotoshogiku signature move, but rather than pelvic thrusts transmitted through a prominent belly, it’s a wide stance and just smothering your opponent with layers of pasty Kumamoto flesh. If anyone can land this beluga, its Okinoumi.

Terunofuji vs Takanosho – Takanosho has actually beaten Terunofuji 4 times, all of them in his run up to Ozeki. For today, I think he will go chest to chest early, and struggle to keep his arms out of the kaiju lock that is a Terunofuji staple. Chance for a Takanosho win are slim to none.

As much as I wrote about the transition to a post-Hakuho era that I wrote or contributed to on Tachiai over the past few years, I may not have appreciated the mental change his retirement would bring to sumo. I have noticed important changes in some rikishi’s sumo, and much of it is for the better. Is it the case that some of the higher ranked folks sense an easier route to higher rank now, and have allowed themselves to try variations on their technique? We will never know. But if you think about Takakeisho, Mitakeumi, Shodai, Takayasu – their sumo is in fact different this November than it was in September. One or two of them trying something new or showing a noticeable improvement would be natural, but all of them? To me that seems more like some manner of mental process that has given them new motivation. Maybe it was Hakuho’s retirement. Maybe its something else.

No matter what the cause, I am becoming hopeful we are going to see some of these guys shine for the next several tournaments.

Highlight Matches

Akua defeats Shohozan – We only saw a little offense at the beginning from Shohozan, and then it was all Akua. He set up a right hand outside mawashi grip, backed Shohozan up, and threw him down at the edge. I think Shohozan was unable to do anything with his own right hand as Akua had it tangled up, eliminating Shohozan’s primary weapon. Akua improves to 2-2.

Sadanoumi defeats Daiamami – Daiamami going to 0-4 is not a huge surprise, but it’s damn impressive that Sadanoumi is now 4-0. He’s never had a top division tournament start with 4 straight wins, and I have to guess he’s headed for double digits if he can maintain. He gave Daiamami the inside route at the tachiai, but it turned out to be no disadvantage, as Sadanoumi had much more power and quickly took him to the clay.

Abi defeats Kaisei – That one looked rough, Abi grabbed Kaisei’s throat at the tachiai, and rode that nodowa all the way home. That had to have hurt. Abi is also in the undefeated crowd at 4-0, and Kaisei is looking for a chiropractor.

Kagayaki defeats Chiyomaru – That’s the kind of sumo I want to see more of from Kagayaki. He took the inside lane away from Chiyomaru after the tachiai, and just poured on the pressure. If you want a replay, notice where Kagayaki is looking, directly at center mass. It’s natural for humans to look each other in the face, and I give points to Kagayaki to have the training and discipline to watch Chiyomaru like that. It kept him positioned correctly when Chiyomaru tried to escape, and ensured that he continued to land his thrusting attack where they did the most good. Kagayaki improves to 2-2.

Yutakayama defeats Chiyonokuni – Chiyonokuni opened strong, with a left hand pushing against Yutakayama’s neck. But he was clearly off balance at the moment of maximum force, opening the door for Yutakayama to step aside, swatting him to the clay as he fell. Yutakayama improves to 2-2.

Ishiura defeats Kotonowaka – Nice display of a simple attack plan done well today from Ishiura. He was able to get inside at the tachiai, and worked his left hand in, and then into a grip on Kotonowaka’s mawashi. He tried a leg trip, which did not quite work, but ruined Kotonowaka’s defensive foot placement, opening the door for Ishiura’s yorikiri. Ishiura improves to 2-2.

Hokutofuji defeats Terutsuyoshi – This match shows the versatility that Hokutofuji can bring to a match. Most rikishi will use their lower body for defense – a stable stance to blunt any attempt to put them off balance. But here, the risk is that Terutsuyoshi will use his size and speed to get underneath or to the side. So Hokutofuji appears to use his upper body for defense, and his lower body is on offense. He blocks and contains every attack from Terutsuyoshi, all the while inching forward. This match took a while, as Hokutofuji was in no rush, but it was great tactical sumo. Hokutofuji improves to 4-0.

Chiyotairyu defeats Aoiyama – Well, kind of surprised and more than a bit delighted that Chiyotairyu picked up his second win today. He used his traditional “stand him up, then slap him down” technique, which is also a favorite of Aoiyama. Why Big Day ran blindly into that, we will never now. Chiyotairyu improves to 2-2.

Hidenoumi defeats Kotoeko – Its getting frustrating to watch Kotoeko. He is winning for 90% of this match, but crumples when Hidenoumi counter attacks. Maybe that reveals whats going on, some sort of injury to Kotoeko’s undercarriage. Hidenoumi improves to 2-2, and Kotoeko stays winless at 0-4.

Tobizaru defeats Ura – How low can you go? These two are not tall to begin with, and the spent the whole match fighting nearly bent double at the waist. Tobizaru coaxed Ura into upping forward pressure, until the moment he was ready. Stepping to the side, Ura came rushing forward off balance, and Tobizaru expertly shoved him from the side, sending Ura rolling across the dohyo. Tobizaru improves to 2-2.

Tamawashi defeats Chiyoshoma – Solid opening combo from Chiyoshoma, but Tamawashi is a master at this form of sumo, countering with speed and strength, and relegating Chiyoshoma to a blocking defense. Tamawashi raised him up, and with a double hand push, sent him over the west side. Both end the day at 3-1.

Takayasu defeats Shimanoumi – Another 3 minute plus grind from Takayasu, and I have to guess this is what he is going to use as much as he can this basho. Yes please, bring it on! Takayasu nearly took Shimanoumi out immediately after the tachiai, but may have decided to wait and avoid any kind of throw from Shimanoumi at the bales, an so they went into endurance mode. I think everyone is going to figure this out, and do anything they can to keep Takayasu from these marathon grapples. Honestly, I love them. Takayasu improves to 3-1.

Endo defeats Hoshoryu – Firstly, great body position from Hoshoryu for 95% of this match. It’s one of the sharpest components of his sumo, and he needed it against Endo. Hoshoryu was able to block Endo’s opening move, and continue to shut down every attack route Endo tried. But when Hoshoryu switched to attack and loaded up a throw, Endo had his opening to get a left hand inside, and he put Hoshoryu down before he could complete the nage. Endo advances to 2-2.

Takarafuji defeats Okinoumi – Very smooth and patient match today from Takarafuji, and rather than defend and extend, Takarafuji went for a left hand inside grip, and straight into offense. It payed off as he walked Okinoumi back to the bales, stood him up, and moved him out. Takarafuji improves to 2-2.

Takanosho defeats Kiribayama – Kiribayama loses again, and is 0-4 to start November. I worried that he would struggle in his first posting to Komusubi, but not quiet to this degree. He had a strong enough open, but tried a pull in the first 10 seconds, handing Takanosho a free moment of undefended offense, and Takanosho did not refuse. A quick double arm thrust, and Kiribayama was out. Takanosho improves to 2-2.

Mitakeumi defeats Ichinojo – Great opening combo from Ichinojo moved Mitakeumi back, and seemed to give The Boulder a clear route to a win. But Mitakeumi is surprisingly nimble, and was able to escape and circle to the side. I like how Ichinojo maintained control of the center of the dohyo, and made Mitakeumi come to him. But he did go soft once Mitakeumi had hazuoshi, and that was the match. Mitakeumi remains flawless at 4-0.

Meisei defeats Myogiryu – Meisei had the advantage at the tachiai, and timed his slap down perfectly to the moment when Myogiryu attempted to rally. Both end the day at 2-2.

Shodai defeats Wakatakakage – Wakatakakage was lower, with his hands inside at the tachiai. But immediately we saw Shodai start his “wall of daikon” attack. It’s simple, does not look like much, but its proven amazingly effective thus far. Block your opponent’s hands from any offensive placement, and just bodily shove them back with your massive frame. It was good enough today to chase Wakatakakage off the clay, and give Shodai a 3-1 score at the end of day 4. If this is what becomes his signature Ozeki style, I think that’s good and proper. He can ride this one a long long way.

Takakeisho defeats Daieisho – I was delighted that Daieisho was able to stay in the match as long as he did. It gave us a chance to see Takakeisho crank it up a bit more than we have seen in a while, and he really got into attack form well. Not quite “wave action” yet, but the push-push-slap combo cycled a few times, and eventually brought Daieisho down. Takakeisho remains perfect at 4-0.

Terunofuji defeats Onosho – Well now. Onosho attacked well, and Terunofuji even gave him a moment for his perfect attack. The shoulders and hips square mega-thrust. It did move the Yokozuna back just a bit, but somehow it did not deliver nearly enough force to make a dent in Terunofuji’s defense. Sadly Onosho is having one of his cold basho, and Terunofuji is looking excellent, and is now at 4-0.

The day 4 preview will hopefully match what I am looking for in the day 4 matches. Swift, kind of ugly, and highly entertaining.

What We Are Watching Day 4

Akua vs Shohozan – I am beginning to think I won’t get to see Shohozan play “little bunny fu-fu” with anyone. Gone are the days when he and Yoshikaze would leave each other bloody on the home town clay just for the hell of it. Sadly he’s 0-3 against Akua, so not too hopeful here.

Daiamami vs Sadanoumi – Daiamami up from juryo with a 0-3 record that smells as bad as his Makushita mawashi did the day before he retired it. Worse yet, he has never beaten Sadanoumi in 4 tries. Get out the Lysol, folks. It may be messy.

Kaisei vs Abi – Oh this is one of great interest. The large self-propelled monument known as Kaisei is going to take on Abi-zumo 1.5. As one of our valiant commenters pointed out (quite correctly) Abi seems to be attacking at closer range now, and the force x distance math has really dialed up the force per blow. Remember, accelerate through your opponent’s body for maximum energy transfer.

Kagayaki vs Chiyomaru – Both of these guys have crummy 1-2 records, and even though its the first act, I can tell some of the schedulers are already salivating at the thought of setting up funnels this weekend. I would not like to see these guys herded into a 7-7 death march, so they need to get winning, or get losing. Thankfully one of them gets their second win today.

Yutakayama vs Chiyonokuni – Also in 1-2 disappointment roster, this pair. They are both capable fighters, so they need to buckle down and brawl. I give an edge to Chiyonokuni (5-2) if for no other reason that Yutakayama seems to think he is about to win, and loses mojo right before he takes a loss.

Kotonowaka vs Ishiura – Do you spot a theme? It’s 1-2 time again, and I have to go with Ishiura, if for no other reason that I think Kotonowaka is hurt. He’s been moribund for a while now, and it’s a real shame.

Hokutofuji vs Terutsuyoshi – Oh yay! Next match of great interest. Terutsuyoshi may yet come face to face with Hokutofuji’s indomitable lower half. If that sounds anatomically impossible, you may yet be surprised. Frankly, if Hokutofuji is not double digits at the end of day 15, it will be a huge miss for him.

Aoiyama vs Chiyotairyu – When the mega-fauna clash, even the trees get scared. Thankfully they don’t grow in the Fukuoka area. But it seems to me that with Aoiyama pretty darn genki at 3-0, they are more or less feeding Chiyomaru to him, as they want to bash another of the hapless 1-2 herd. These two have a 20 match career history with Aoiyama holding a 13-7 advantage.

Kotoeko vs Hidenoumi – Oh they are having some fun, with the 3-0 vs 1-2, lets try 0-3 vs 1-2. The 0-3 door mat being played by perpetual max effort / low score champion, Kotoeko. I want him to start winning some time soon. Maybe today he can overcome his 4-9 career deficit against Hidenoumi? Nah…

Ura vs Tobizaru – You may have guessed, it 3-0 vs 1-2 again, with Ura set to play a game of “pull my finger” with sumo’s flying monkey. Word to Tobizaru – don’t pull his finger.

Chiyoshoma vs Tamawashi – Having run fresh out of 1-2’s, it’s time to play with the 2-1’s. What is it with these guys and numbers? Do they have all of the Jonidan and below down in the basement on treadmills powering some kind of crypto mining rig? Anyhow, its Chiyoshoma from the Star Trek mirror universe, where he is the most straightforward, hinkaku rikishi in early 21st century sumo. (How else can you explain this?) at 3-0 taking a stand against ace brawler Tamawashi. I have enjoyed Chiyoshoma’s 3-0 run so far, but if he takes down Tamawashi, well, I will look for evil Spock to show up next.

Takayasu vs Shimanoumi – Yes yes, we get the joke guys, its bloody goroawase up and down the banzuke. Now 0-3 Shimanoumi can face 2-1 Takayasu. Will Takayasu take the time to get that pose of his and force Shimanoumi to grapple for minutes at a time? Can Shimanoumi even take that much hamburger helper? It’s got to be like hugging Grizzly Adams….

Hoshoryu vs Endo – When you run out of 3’s go back to your 1-2 parade of guys that need a win. Are you surprised to find both Endo and Hoshoryu at 1-2 heading into day 4? Both of these guys have the potential to be cleaning up. Endo won their only prior match, so he may have a slight edge. Hoshoryu seems to have gained some weight, and may be struggling to adjust to his new higher mass.

Okinoumi vs Takarafuji – Another pair of 1-2, both of whom are solid journeyman rikishi. They will go chest to chest early, but that’s where it gets murky. Takarafuji holds a slim 15-11 career lead, but neither one of them has really hit their stride yet.

Takanosho vs Kiribayama – And around we go again with the number 3, its 0-3 Kiribayama against 1-2 Takanosho. Takanosho has an 8-1 career advantage, but its about time for Kiribayama to rack up his first win. He’s fighting better than his 0-3 score would indicate, and he’s fighting better than his historical norm. So I am looking for Takanosho to take a loss.

Mitakeumi vs Ichinojo – Oh man, what fun this one is going to be. Mitakeumi has been fighting very well, and Ichinojo is doing well enough. If Ichinojo can keep from going soft and stepping out, this clash of the “bigs” is going to get heavy fast. I like Mitakeumi in this fight, but only narrowly.

Myogiryu vs Meisei – Meisei finally showed us some sumo day 3 against Okinoumi, and I would give him a bit of an advantage today over Myogiryu, who took down both endurance champs this November. I just think that Meisei is sharper / faster / harder in the hit and move sumo that these two use when they fight each other.

Shodai vs Wakatakakage – This would seem to be a clear advantage for Ozeki Shodai, but he struggles against fast, agile Wakatakakage. I would love to see Wakatakakage get inside, get past that flabby abdomen, maybe get to the side and really put some leverage on Shodai. With any luck, such a situation would force him to bring out some of his cartoon sumo, which we have seen very little of in the past 6 months.

Daieisho vs Takakeisho – A pair of frantic pusher thrusters hitting each other rapidly with overpowering force? Sign me up! I know that Daieisho could really use a win, but thus far Takakeisho seems to be 100% in the sweet spot of his sumo. I predict much froaking in the Tokiwayama lillypond tonight.

Terunofuji vs Onosho – The ultimate WTF match, its unbeaten and for the moment unassailable Yokozuna Terunofuji against winless junior tadpole Onosho. The question is not the outcome, but the process, and will Onosho have any bones left when it’s all done.