Onward into day 1, as we dive into the first act of the Kyushu basho. Team Tachiai tracks the 15 days of a sumo tournament as 3 five day “acts”, that each seem to have their own purpose and their own goals. Act 1 – Remove ring rust, see who is hot and who is not. With just one day in the books, it’s too early to see who is really going to shine this time. But we can watch a few people who may be gravely under-ranked. I think a great example of this is Hokutofuji.

Some internet fans complained about a 10 rank drop down the banzuke after a finishing Aki with a 2-13 score thanks to a day 5 kyujo. A healthy Hokutofuji at this rank can pretty much run the table, although I think that both Chiyonokuni and Ura are going to be tough matches for him. I can easily seem him with 11+ wins this tournament, and if he is rolling strong into the final 5 days, we can expect them to play up a potential match with the Yokozuna (unlikely, but that won’t stop them)

Let’s look at day two!

What We Are Watching Day 2

Tsurugisho vs Shohozan – With Tochinoshin out with a bad back, it’s time for daily Juryo visitors. Today is Tsurugisho, who would love to bounce back from his Juryo 1E slot into the top division with a simple kachi-koshi. He has a 3-1 career advantage over Shohozan, so the chances are pretty good that he might pick up his second win on day 2.

Kaisei vs Sadanoumi – Two long serving rikishi coming in with a 20 year (tied 10-10) career match history. Both of them won their day 1 matches, and I would like to see Sadanoumi find some way to use his speed against the enormity that is Kaisei.

Chiyomaru vs Akua – Chiyomaru gave us a peek at a bit of ring rust on day 1 when he got slapped about by Abi. I think that given a moment to set up his match, which he should get with Akua, he is likely to be a lot more competitive. He holds a 4-1 career advantage over Akua, so a good chance he can pick up his first win today.

Abi vs Chiyonokuni – Hoo boy, this is one has a lot of potential. Both of them are offense heavy, both of them are tsuki/oshi fighters, and both of them are cranked up to 11 on most days. I know Abi has a 3-1 career lead, but when these two are on the dohyo, you can expect heaps of action.

Yutakayama vs Kagayaki – I really want to see Kagayaki get back into good form, and I want him to be able to turn in a good basho for a change. Not just 8 wins and done, I want to see him dominate with strong fundamentals and solid sumo. I expect Yutakayama will be move and strike, working to disrupt his balance and send him down, but I think Kagayaki can take this one. They share a 6-6, 12 match career record.

Kotonowaka vs Hokutofuji – First ever match, and I don’t think that Kotonowaka has too much of a chance to do anything here. Like Hokutofuji, he received a big punt down the banzuke from his M3w rank in Aki. Like Hokutofuji, he was kyujo and turned in a deep make-koshi. I think this one strongly favors Hokutofuji.

Ishiura vs Terutsuyoshi – Battle of the smaller rikishi, and this one may be our first “real” look at both of them. Both of them somewhat clumsy day 1 matches that really did not show them at their best. Today is the day to bounce back, and I am looking for a fast, sharp and exciting match.

Aoiyama vs Hidenoumi – If Aoiyama, and into his sumo this November, he can also do quite a bit of damage at Maegashira 9. I am going to guess that he will have an opening chance to bat Hidenoumi, and he needs to defend against Hidenoumi getting inside and going chest to chest. V-Twin for the win, Big Dan…

Chiyotairyu vs Tobizaru – Tobizaru is likely planning on speed an maneuver to carry him through his day 2 match. There is a chance it will, but he needs to survive the first 6 seconds, which is where Chiyotairyu wins his matches. A huge blast of sumo in a short period of time, and if Tobizaru can keep his feet, he will have his chance.

Ura vs Kotoeko – I am really looking forward to see what Kotoeko does at the tachiai. They have fought twice before, but the last time was 4 years ago. Both have changed quite a bit since then, and I think this is going to be a very interesting match indeed.

Shimanoumi vs Chiyoshoma – I really liked Chiyoshoma’s day 1 opening gambit. Brilliant use of the hit-and-shift approach, and a brutal toss out of Kotoeko. I think that the much larger Shimanoumi may require a different approach, and I am keen to see what Chiyoshoma employs. I would guess something quick and frontal, as the day 1 fight will make Shimanoumi defensive at the start.

Tamawashi vs Hoshoryu – I am hoping that Tamawashi did not hurt his knee in his day 1 fight against Ura where we saw the ashitori crumple that left leg. This is going to be a grapple and toss contest, unless Tamawashi can dictate a running tsuki battle, which will favor him.

Takarafuji vs Takayasu – Both of these guys have mountains of stamina, and tend to grab a hold and grind the other guy down a piece at a time. So I guess they are going to go into their favorite grips, and hug it out in the middle of the ring. Who is going to wear out first?

Endo vs Myogiryu – Endo could not piece together a coherent offense on day 1, and resorted to working to counter whatever Takayasu tried. I expect that to be in the past, and Endo will come out sharp and aggressive today. Myogiryu has a slight career edge (8-6), so Endo has his work cut out for him, as the last 3 in a row have gone to Myogiryu.

Okinoumi vs Kiribayama – Fresh off of a loss to the Yokozuna, I think Kiribayama will go chest to chest with Okinoumi from the start. I think one of the reasons that Kiribayama may be able to achieve higher rank is that he has a competent yotsu form, and a huge amount of fighting spirit. Given the encyclopedic sumo catalog that Okinoumi can employ, this has potential for a good match.

Mitakeumi vs Takanosho – Two big-bodied brutes bouncing bellies? Send them in! This one has potential to be quite the battle, as I would love to see Takanosho back in the named ranks. But he’s got to chew his way through some tough, no slack folks in the san’yaku this November. Mitakeumi has won the last 3 in a row, so advice to Takanosho is gamberize as hard as you can.

Wakatakakage vs Meisei – Wakatakakage is in a tough spot. He is about as high as he can go without racking up a lot of wins in the named ranks. He’s got the (in my opinion) most vulnerable member of the san’yaku today, and I don’t think Meisei is going to give him a pass. They have a 2-2 career record, so it will be who comes to the clay ready to dominate.

Shodai vs Ichinojo – Well, no easy run for Shodai for act 1. He’s going up against the Boulder, and he’s only got 3 wins against Ichinojo’s 10 in their career match history. If day 1 is any indication, the Kyushu Ichinojo is focused, aggressive and ready to win. Is it his new wife? I don’t care who’s got him motivated, this version of Ichinojo is awesome.

Onosho vs Takakeisho – Two days… two tadpole fights! Bruce is happy. I think that Onosho has a better chance today, as his style is more competitive against Takakeisho than it is against Mitakeumi. It will come down to Onosho picking his spot, and pouring on the pressure. I expect if Onosho gets in the driver’s seat, Takakeisho will try for a pull, so be ready Onosho!

Terunofuji vs Daieisho – Daieisho will open strong and dial up the oshi-zumo as high and he can. Terunofuji will work to grapple and hold, and then carefully grind Daieisho’s offense down, until he can dispatch whatever remains. I give a clear advantage to the Yokozuna, but Daieisho may surprise.

I think the big news today is that former Ozeki Tochinoshin has withdrawn on day 1 of the tournament, and is not expected back. The kyujo notice sites pain or injury to his lower back. His body has been giving up on him a piece at a time for the last couple of years, and this kyujo will cost him his position in the top division. Ranked at Maegashira 13, a full 15 day absence will see him relegated to Juryo in the new year. Yutakayama picks up a default win on day one.

It’s great to have sumo back, and the action was fairly fierce on day 1. There was also good quantities of “ring rust” on display.

Highlight Matches

Kaisei defeats Shohozan – The only thing better than seeing Shohozan back in the top division would have been to see him win his opening match in his home town. But that was not be, as Kaisei kept his shoulders square, and did not let “Big Guns” disrupt his balance. It’s fun to see days where being enormous works as a fight strategy.

Sadanoumi defeats Akua – Akua opened strong, moving Sadanoumi, but then decided it was a good time to pull. Sadanoumi had this one ready, and to be fair, Akua broadcast his intent quite early, and Sadanoumi was able to push strongly into the pull and clear Akua from the ring.

Abi defeats Chiyomaru – Abi is indeed back, and he brought Abi-zumo with him, there can be no doubt. He put Chiyomaru off balance on the second step, and Chiyomaru was never really do to much more than a few volleys in return. Welcome back, Abi.

Chiyonokuni defeats Kagayaki – Firstly, Kagayaki is back in gold. This is the right call. The “Goth Mode” mawashi was not helping. But even his magic gold mawashi can’t keep you in the match when you open up your chest to Chiyonokuni. The Grumpy Bader wasted no time in plastering attacks against Kagayaki, and then to my surprise, was able to get him off cadence enough that his pull down attack worked. Ugh.

Hokutofuji defeats Ishiura – Hokutofuji got an early start, and seems to have caught Ishiura not quite ready. Points to Ishiura on giving ground and re-engaging with a left hand inside hold. But even with as much forward pressure has he could muster, Hokutofuji was not going anywhere, and he incrementally pushed forward to send Ishiura out over the west side.

Kotonowaka defeats Terutsuyoshi – Terutsuyoshi tried a half hearted shift to the left at the tachiai, but it was not useful or effective. Kotonowaka showed similar zeal in tentatively grabbing a loose hold of Terutsuyoshi, and the two chose to immediately take a pause. As they were working to decide what to do with this match, Terutsuyoshi looks to have slipped on his massive salt toss, and hit the clay. Well, guess that is fair enough. Biggest dud match of the day.

Chiyotairyu defeats Hidenoumi – Traditional Chiyotairyu sumo, stand them up, slap them down. He used a big right hand nodowa to stand Hidenoumi up today, and it did look painful….

Aoiyama defeats Tobizaru – Aoiyama got contact first at the tachiai, and gave us a tiny bit of “V Twin” action, as he kept Tobizaru from generating any offense at all. Tobizaru was driving inside with everything he could when Aoiyama agreed, and let him move forward into a waiting okuridashi. Big Day picks up a day 1 win.

Chiyoshoma defeats Kotoeko – I have seen bouncers / security men perform this move as well. It’s the “get your ass out of my joint” throw, and Chiyoshoma executes it with great flair. Sure it was started with a henka, but it was always planned to give him side / rear holds and out set up the powerful toss that followed. Sadly a waiting Konosuke (how could you!) got a brutal teabagging and 130 kg of Kotoeko right to the head.

Ura defeats Tamawashi – Tamawashi is having none of Ura’s tachiai trickery, and simply stands up as the man in pick lines up well east of the shikiri-sen. What looked like a try at a leg pick paired with a deep left hand inside grip, and then as Ura pivots, Tamawashi’s knee seems to collapse. I do hope Tamawashi is ok after that match, he got up well enough, but that was a lot of lateral pressure on that left knee.

Hoshoryu defeats Shimanoumi – Big tachiai from Hoshoryu, but his attempt at a grip ran into s Shimanoumi defense. Hoshoryu to move him back, and a deep right hand a hand hold. It was enough for him to load up a shitatenage, and send Shimanoumi tumbling to the clay for a day 1 win.

Takayasu defeats Endo – Endo’s opening frontal grab attempt goes nowhere, and he’s got to fight Takayasu power-to-power. Takayasu seems to be in good form for a change, and I liked how quiet and heavy his feet were today. This gave Endo really no chance to create much in the way of offensive power, and it was clear Takayasu was satisfied to use his inhuman endurance to wear Endo down. Endo realizes this is not a winning position, and tries pulling and tugging on an arm, and elbow, anything. After knocking down the gyoji, the two exit the ring together, and a monoii rules a rematch. There are fans who can rule it either way, and I think the shimpan made a solid call, have them fight again. The second match saw Endo a lot less engaged, seemingly stepping out rather than continue after the 3rd exchange.

Myogiryu defeats Takarafuji – Myogiryu was ahead at the tachiai, coming off the shikiri-sen first, and getting Takayasu in a position without his working hand placement. The two went strong on defense together, and spent most of the match trying to get their favored hold. It was Myogiryu who find his left hand inside first, and was able to follow with the right shortly after. With a solid hold on Takarafuji, he walked the Isegahama man out for a day 1 win.

Ichinojo defeats Okinoumi – What happened to the soft Ichinojo that gave up as soon as he got in even a little trouble? This guy is persistent, focused and relentless. Okinoumi gets captured early, and my have chosen to go chest to chest with the boulder. Well, that did not work out because now you have 200kg of pony tosser looking to toss you. Okinoumi tried a couple of sharp moves to try to turn the tide of the fight back to him, but none of them could connect. Boulder +1 today.

Takanosho defeats Meisei – Meisei attacked hard at the tachiai, and dominated Takanosho for the opening moments. Takanosho manages to break contact at the moment his hells touch the tawara. This break away left Meisei off balance, and Takanosho re-engages and quickly puts him down.

Mitakeumi defeats Onosho – Onosho hit hard, and hit first. He went chest to chest against Mitakeumi, and that was quite the bold choice. It payed off for exactly half of a heartbeat, as the original tadpole is too massive, too round, and too well balanced to allow this kind of attack to work. Mitakeumi responds with overwhelming forward pressure, and Onosho finds himself out.

Takakeisho defeats Wakatakakage – Wakatakakage seemed to have put a lot of stock into his opening combo. This was dashed when Takakeisho got both hands in at the tachiai, and went to work before Wakatakakage could set up either offense of defense. Moments after Wakatakakage’s heels touched the bales, Takakeisho reverses from push to pull, and brings Wakatakakage down.

Daieisho defeats Shodai – Daieisho’s frantic and potent thrusting attack disrupts every attempt Shodai tried to do another other than stand there and take the punishment. Even the “Wall of Daikon” can’t help him, and Shodai stumbles around the ring, and is dumped out while trying a rescue move.

Terunofuji defeats Kiribayama – Some fans are going to watch this match and think “Kiribayama really took it to the Yokozuna”. Yes, Kiribayama put up a good fight. But at no time was Terunofuji not running his match plan. The Yokozuna controls the center of the ring, and works a patient, draining defense. Once Terunofuji had that left hand inside grip, the only question was what form of doom would take Kiribayama down. Points to the challenger for keeping his feet and staying in the match, that was some solid defensive sumo. Winning move was listed as komatasukui, I list it as a “kintamadashi”.

Welcome to Tachiai’s day by day coverage of the 2021 Kyushu basho, happening once more in the Fukuoka Kokusai Center after a 2 year break, thanks to COVID 19. In an effort to return to something closer to normal, Grand Sumo went back on the road this year, an the Japan Sumo Association has set up shop in western Japan for the duration of the November tournament. Team Tachiai is looking for Terunofuji to dominate this tournament, provided his knees can stay healthy. We are looking at the return of Abi and Shohozan to the top division, and we expect them to bring a lot of action to the bottom half of the banzuke.

Today’s matches are mostly lateral fights. M15e fight M15w, and so on. Given how the banzuke turned out this time, it leads to some interesting contests:

What We Are Watching Day 1

Kaisei vs Shohozan – Both of these guys are grizzled vets who continue to compete into their 30s, with Shohozan clocking in at 37. They occupy the last two rungs on the banzuke, and it will be interesting to see if either of them can hit 8 wins this November. I would guess both of them are not going to be able to remain in the top division for too many more tournaments. They have 21 career matches.

Akua vs Sadanoumi – Akua traditionally struggles in the top division, but I can always hope that he finds a way to stick around this time. He has a 4-0 career record over Sadanoumi. Sadanoumi likewise returns to the top division after at 10-5 finish from Juryo 3. He has not been ranked in Makuuchi since January.

Chiyomaru vs Abi – Abi returns after a 3 tournament suspension in 2020 for violating COVID containment protocols, then blasting his way back through Makushita and Juryo. His sumo has not changed much, and I think he may struggle against Chiyomaru today. He has only beaten the round on once in 4 tries, as I think the might ballast belly of Chiyomaru greatly blunts Abi’s preferred strategy.

Kagayaki vs Chiyonokuni – I keep wondering what happened to Kagayaki. He has gone from solid mid-Maegashira to a steady patrol of the lower ranks. In most cases this is down to some injury, and as is usual, there’s no word that has reached me what it could be. I think he is going to struggle today against Chiyonokuni, who has won the last two in a row over Kagayaki, who brings an advantage in both height and weight to this match.

Yutakayama vs Tochinoshin – I had somewhat higher expectations for Yutakayama in September, but for him it came down to a day 15 Darwin match that he won against Chiyotairyu. He’s facing off against progressively less capable Tochinoshin, who has racked up a series of single rank demotions for series of 7-8 make-koshi results. Tochinoshin has never lost to Yutakayama, so this match might be a good indication on if the former Ozek, Tochinoshin, has managed to get some strength back in his knee.

Ishiura vs Hokutofuji – During our pre-basho podcast, there was agreement among the crew that Hokutofuji, if he is healthy can do a lot of damage this far down the banzuke. He fell from Maegashira 2 to Maegashira 12 after going kyujo in September. Hopefully his injury is healed, and he’s ready to bring the big fight to the dohyo today.

Kotonowaka vs Terutsuyoshi – Like Hokutofuji, Kotonowaka took a significant dive down the ranks after going kyujo with a 3-7 score. If he is healthy, he will also probably dominate the majority of his matches this November. He has an even 3-3 record with Ishiura, with Kotonowaka having a 3-1 score against him across all of 2021.

Chiyotairyu vs Hidenoumi – Hidenoumi had one very good basho in Makuuchi with his 10-5 return to the top division after 3 years in Juryo. Since then it’s been three consecutive make-koshi scores. Things are not going much better for Chiyotairyu, who has only one kachi-koshi so far in 2021.

Aoiyama vs Tobizaru – Also in the “one kachi-koshi in 2021” club we find both Tobizaru and Aoiyama. This stat comes as some surprise to me, as I remember it was Aoiyama with an 11-4 jun-yusho in march. It’s Aoiyama with a big pushing attack vs Tobizaru with mobility.

Kotoeko vs Chiyoshoma – Would you believe that Chiyoshoma has only had one make-koshi in 2021? He had a solid string of 8-7 finishes before his 5-10 blowout in Aki. Things are not going to start in his favor, as he has a 4-10 career deficit against Kotoeko.

Ura vs Tamawashi – Looking at some of the sumo polls across the internet, people still adore Ura, and I am sure they are hoping he can do well this November. He’s not taken a single match against Tamawashi (0-2). Tamawashi tends to find his attack point, and dump a lot of thrusting power into his opponent’s body. Ura has the flexibility to absorb more of that than most, but he has yet proven he can convert that evasion into any kind of winning sumo against Tamawashi.

Shimanoumi vs Hoshoryu – Hoshoryu’s debut in September at the top of the rank-and-file (M1e) did not end too badly, with 3 days kyujo and a final 5-10 record. Most rikishi struggle at this rank their first time, and with him now at Maegashira 5, he’s presented with a chance to regroup and consolidate his sumo. This should be a rowdy, even match with Shimanoumi to start Kyushu.

Takayasu vs Endo – A twenty match career history between these two fan favorites. Both of them are capable of fighting at much higher rank, but are ranked this November at the lower end of the joi-jin. Endo will attack with precision, and Takayasu will be all over the place. Takayasu’s higher mass and inhuman endurance give him the edge, as it is possible to wear Endo down.

Takarafuji vs Myogiryu – Myogiryu is another rikishi with a very tough 2021 record, with some big make-koshi scores, and a stunning 11-4 jun-yusho in at Aki. He’s up against journeyman Takarafuji on day 1, and fans are waiting to see if Myogiryu can continue his September hot streak.

Ichinojo vs Okinoumi – Okinoumi’s 10-5 finish for Aki was his best tournament record in 4 years. As yet another member of the “Grizzle of veterans of sumo” club at 36, he is probably thinking about winding down a really impressive career. But he’s got to fight “the boulder” today, who has taken up residence in one of the Komusubi slots, and is daring the rest of sumo to try and dislodge him. Ichinojo holds a 7-2 career advantage in their match ups.

Takanosho vs Meisei – Takanosho had a tough 5-10 make-koshi in May, and has appeared to struggle since. As with most of these step changes in performance, you can likely chalk it up to some kind of injury. I would love to see him back in his san’yaku form, and hope he’s healed up this November.

Mitakeumi vs Onosho – Someone in the scheduling committee loves these tadpole matches as much as I do, and we are treated to one on the first day. History says that Mitakeumi is going put the junior tadpole down without much fanfare, but Onosho has been slowly improving his balance. But Mitakeumi has taken 5 of their last 6 matches.

Wakatakakage vs Takakeisho – I would love to see Takakeisho back in his more aggressive, dominant form. But I worry a combination of his escalating weight and his on again / off again neurological troubles has limited his sumo. Wakatakakage is definitely the underdog in this contest, but he is young, eager and looking to claw his way to higher rank. He only has one make-koshi in 2021. Should be a good fight.

Shodai vs Daieisho – I want to see big, strong, healthy Shodai this November. None of this “barely enough” sumo. Get that “wall of daikon” going early and just hustle everyone over the bales with a overwhelming barrier of giggling pasty flesh. Daieisho’s answer to that gambit will likely be to slap the daylights out of the Ozeki, and the mystery is what drives me to watch sumo.

Terunofuji vs Kiribayama – Kiribayama! Welcome to the named ranks. Your reward is to be the Yokozuna’s first opponent. We know you have tried 4 times to defeat him and have yet to succeed, so you may be looking at a rough start to Kyushu. Keep your fighting spirit up, and enjoy the dance with the kaiju!