Day 4 seems to have been a slap down / pull down festival, with many matches being decided with this class of kimarite, and many more being decided by failed attempts at the same. Even lone Yokozuna Terunofuji go in on the trend, dispatching Hokutofuji with an energetic hikiotoshi.

Off the dohyo, there was worrisome news that Tsurugisho had withdrawn from the tournament with a fever, and was undergoing COVID testing. Given the virility and transmissibility of COVID Delta, a rikishi competing with an active infection could sicken quite a few in the top division. Sumo fans everywhere hope this is not the case, and that Tsurugisho recovers quickly.

For the first time this September, both Ozeki won. But I note that gyoji Kimura Tamajiro called Hoshoryu back following the match, unsatisfied with his bow to conclude the contest. Seriously guys? What does it cost you to show proper manners? If you want to see how it’s done properly, just watch Hokutofuji.

Highlight Matches

Kyokutaisei defeats Chiyonoo – Juryo visitor Kyokutaisei locked in at the tachiai, and never surrendered his grip. Chiyonoo tried a few things to get free, but after a mostly static match, Kyokutaisei consolidated his position and walked forward to push Chiyonoo out. Thats a first win for Kyokutaisei who goes back to Juryo 1-3.

Kaisei defeats Tokushoryu – Twice Tokushoryu tried to release forward pressure and lure Kaisei off balance, probably hoping for his trademark side step/slap down combo. But Kaisei kept his feet and his focus, and steadily moved Tokushoryu out a piece at a time to improve to 2-2.

Yutakayama defeats Ichiyamamoto – It was a balanced and even exchange of thrusts to each other’s neck and faces until the moment Ichiyamamoto decided to try to pull. That moment cost him the ability to move forward and set up the retreat that saw Ichiyamamoto stumble from the dohyo and out into the crowd. Ichiyamamoto looked unsteady returning to the dohyo, and we hope he is ok. Yutakayama improves to 2-2.

Endo defeats Kagayaki – Kagayaki set the tone with the opening combo of thrust to Endo’s neck and chest, taking control and moving forward. Endo missed his attempt at a mawashi grip at the tachiai, and was forced to give ground. But he stepped to the side at the third step back, pulling Kagayaki forward to send him from the dohyo. Endo improves to 3-3.

Kotoeko defeats Chiyomaru – After 14 straight losses, Kotoeko has now won 2 in a row. Kotoeko took this one due to frequency of his thrusting attacks, keeping Chiyomaru from getting his offense running. I am still working to think through what seems like a narrow difference between win and lose for Kotoeko, and what separates the two.

Myogiryu defeats Tochinoshin – Myogiryu remains in the undefeated group at 4-0 with his 9th consecutive win over Tochinoshin, finding Tochinoshin slow and weak pivoting to his right, on that bandaged knee. Myogiryu opened with a left hand outside grip, and Tochinoshin’s move to evade set up the oshidashi that won the match. Tochinoshin with just a single win at 1-3 so far.

Aoiyama defeats Chiyotairyu – Aoiyama finally gets his first win against fellow super-heavy, Chiyotairyu, using “his brand” of sumo. Chiyotairyu chose to keep his hands low at the tachiai, presenting Aoiyama with a clear route to push high and hard at the tachiai. Both end the day at 1-3.

Okinoumi defeats Hidenoumi – Okinoumi takes this first ever match up between the two veterans, able to find a moment when Hidenoumi moved to set up a throw, and collapse it upon him. Hidenoumi made his move as Okinoumi moved to consolidate his grip, but Hidenoumi lacked a stable stance to execute the transition. I love seeing these moments of brilliant sumo instincts and training from long serving vets like Okinoumi. He ends the day at 3-1.

Shimanoumi defeats Tobizaru – Tobizaru picks up his first loss of Aki. He fought well, but you could see Shimanoumi working to set up that throw repeatedly. Tobizaru kept what I am sure he thought was enough separation to prevent Shimanoumi from rotating, but Shimanoumi is versitile enough that he managed to swing his right shoulder back and put Tobizaru in motion. Shimanoumi improves to 2-2.

Terutsuyoshi defeats Onosho – Onosho, too, takes his first loss of Aki. He was early enough off the line that the first attempt was called a matta, and to my eye the second one should have been as well. This may have been part of Terutsuyoshi’s plan, as the poorly timed initial merge left Onosho in a far too common position: his weight and velocity well forward of his toes. This was a ripe opportunity for a slap down that Terutsuyoshi did not discard. He improves to 2-2.

Ura defeats Chiyoshoma – Ura picks up his first win of September. He had not lost to Chiyoshoma in any of their 4 prior matches, and he clearly decided that Aki day 4 was not going to change that pattern. Chiyoshoma launched early twice, as clearly he was trying to keep Ura from evading the tachiai. But when the match finally started on the third attempt, a Chiyoshoma pull attempt discarded his fighting position, and put Ura in control. 1-3 for Ura at the end of the match.

Daieisho defeats Takarafuji – Daieisho seems to have recovered some of his pushing strength, and he was able to break through Takarafuji’s defenses 4 times, moving him around the dohyo, but never getting him out. A gamble to follow a push with a slap down payed off, and sent Takarafuji to the clay. Daieisho improves to 1-3.

Wakatakakage defeats Tamawashi – Very smooth transition from full contact tachiai to pull down by Wakatakakage in today’s match. He had won it before the third step, and caught Tamawashi completely unprepared for that move. Wakatakakage improves to 3-1.

Kiribayama defeats Ichinojo – Kiribayama wins again to join the 4-0 crowd, and is off to an excellent start to Aki.
The two quickly went chest to chest, which I would have thought would have given Ichinojo a distinct advantage, but it was Kiribayama who mounted an attack at least four times, without anything more than a token response from Ichinojo. At this point it looked like Ichinojo’s only response was to stay immobile and be massive (the “Boulder” defense), so Kiribayama put forth the effort to move him out.

Mitakeumi defeats Takayasu – Takayasu can’t seem to buy a win with two stacks of kensho (not that he has seen any). He is able to hold back Mitakeumi’s charge forward, but a combination of hikiotoshi and maybe slippiotoshi brought his hands down to the clay, and Mitakeumi took the win to improve to 3-1.

Meisei defeats Kotonowaka – Meisei seems to be breaking through the ring-rust, and looking more like a Sekiwake now. He faced strong sumo from Kotonowaka. The two went chest to chest early, and Kotonowaka was looking strong. It was Meisei who put the effort into improving his grip, and managed to work Kotonowaka out, over Kotonowaka’s strong defense. Both end the day at 2-2.

Shodai defeats Takanosho – Shodai again today with the soft tachiai, and he was immediately in trouble from Takanosho’s strong opening combo. But Shodai robs Takanosho with some impressive flexibility at the edge, pivoting and converting Takanosho’s finishing push into the force needed to drop him to the clay. Shodai improves to 3-1. But all of that twist went straight into Takanosho’s knee.

Takakeisho defeats Hoshoryu – Takakeisho tried for an earlier slap down, and I was certain that was going to be the end for this his chances this match. But Hoshoryu made no move to exploit that, but instead opted for a right hand mawashi grip, that he could not maintain. In most cases that’s Takakeisho done, but the Ozeki managed to break contact and escape. But again Hoshoryu could not convert an advantage to a win. Takakeisho gets his first win to improve to 1-3, but looked really poor getting there.

Terunofuji defeats Hokutofuji – I liked how Hokutofuji kept swapping between hazu and nodowa attacks, not letting Terunofuji settle into either an offensive or defensive pattern. But Hokutofuji was focused on swapping his offense around, and seems to have neglect his footing, and the Yokozuna gave him a hearty toss face first onto the dohyo. Terunofuji 4-0, and will be leading the race into the middle weekend.

We are about to start day 4, and I am happy to see that some of my favorites have a 3-0 start to Aki. That includes Onosho, Tobizaru and Chiyonokuni. Of course there is the shin-Yokozuna, Terunofuji, who is chewing his way through the joi-jin with relentless sumo, as a Yokozuna should. With Hakuho he is favored to contend in week 2 for the cup, and looking down the torikumi, it’s tough to see anyone who is in good enough fighting form to really give him a solid competition for the yusho. That may fall to Shodai and Mitakeumi in week 2, but only if they can stay focused and out-perform their most recent basho scores to stay in the hunt.

What We Are Watching Day 4

Kyokutaisei vs Chiyonoo – Kyokutaisei visits from Juryo to fill the banzuke gap left by kyujo rikishi. Kyokutaisei is suffering a malady that has been seen frequently in the past year: Juryo rikishi at a promotable rank suffering losing records. He comes to today’s match with a 0-3 start. Not beyond repair, but it indicates a he will not be rejoining the top division in November.

Kaisei vs Tokushoryu – A pair of super-heavies, and these two have 16 career matches between them. It’s a slight advantage (10-6) to Kaisei, but both of them are looking hit or miss after the first 3 days of Aki.

Ichiyamamoto vs Yutakayama – There is going to be a lot of overpowered oshi-sumo in this match. I don’t think its likely to result in more than a couple of exchanges, as both men are prone to over-committing to their own forward pressure. But I would not be surprised to see Ichiyamamoto try a pull down after Yutakayama gets rolling.

Chiyonokuni vs Tsurugisho – About a 50 kg weight difference here, but I do think that Chiyonokuni has most of the advantages on his side. As long as he can stay mobile, it’s going to be tough for Tsurugisho to keep his balance and stay on offense. Chiyonokuni holds a 4-1 career advantage, with his only loss in the series coming in 2016.

Endo vs Kagayaki – Great clash of styles in this match. Kagayaki will try to keep Endo away from his belt, which is not easily done. Endo of course will leave himself open for an initial Kagayaki thrusting attack in order to keep his hands low and try for that right hand frontal grip he prefers coming out of the tachiai. 9-5 career advantage in the series for Endo.

Chiyomaru vs Kotoeko – Chiyomaru is on a roll, which when you are more or less a human fighting sphere, can be a hazardous situation. Much as I would love to see Kotoeko put together back to back wins for the first time since May, the 4-7 career record would seem to indicate that is going to be a long shot.

Tochinoshin vs Myogiryu – These two vets have faced off a total of 27 times, going back to 2012. What surprises me is that Tochinoshin manages to piece together enough wins every basho to stick around at lower Maegashira ranks, in spite of him having little use of that right knee on many days. A testament to that man’s tenacity. He faces Myogiryu, who is off to a 3-0 start, and is on the plus side of the 15-12 career record.

Aoiyama vs Chiyotairyu – I am still waiting to see if Aoiyama can still fight with his characteristic strength and power. He has not been able to bring any of his normal mobility or his thrusting attack to any of his first 3 matches, and may be nursing an injury. Likewise Chiyotairyu is looking like only a fraction of his normal self.

Okinoumi vs Hidenoumi – Oddly enough, first ever match for these veterans! In first matches against Okinoumi, the advantage has to go to Okinoumi in almost all cases. The man is a lexicon of sumo technique, and will certainly find ways to confound any opponent.

Shimanoumi vs Tobizaru – Now that Tobizaru has gotten into his sumo once more, I really want to see him continue to roll with it. I would love to see him pick up win number 4 today against Shimanoumi, whom he has not beaten at all this year.

Terutsuyoshi vs Onosho – Being a fan of Onosho can be very frustrating, as he is either hot or cold. If his balance is dialed in, he is quite the sumo machine, but that seems to happen for about 1 in 3 basho, and goes in streaks. So far at Aki he is on plan. If I were Terutsuyoshi, it might be a fine day for a henka.

Chiyoshoma vs Ura – Hey, Ura, are you hurt sir? You have never dropped a match to Chiyoshoma. But both of you are winless going into day 4. I guess the good news is that one of you will get your first white star.

Takarafuji vs Daieisho – I am watching to see if Daieisho can apply ample power for a second consecutive day. He has been able to bring intensity to his tsuppari, but has not really been able to transmit force well, save for day 3. He’s going to have a solid defender in Takarafuji to fight, who will work to slow the match down.

Wakatakakage vs Tamawashi – Wakatakakage lost patience on day 3 against Meisei, and picked up his first loss. He faces a similar situation with Tamawashi. He is well advised to focus on maintaining his footing and center of gravity, then waiting for his chance to attack.

Kiribayama vs Ichinojo – Kiribayama is on a legitimate hot streak to start Aki, having dropped an Ozeki, as Sekiwake and a Komusubi in his first three days. He has never beaten the massive Ichinojo, so a win today would be a sign that maybe he’s going to turn in a good record this fall.

Mitakeumi vs Takayasu – 25 career matches between these two. I look at Takayasu’s 0-3 record, and note that he has been more or less executing “his brand of sumo”, but coming up short each time. It’s frustrating as can be as a Takayasu fan, but there is nothing between him and his first win but air and opportunity. Oh, and Mitakeumi. That might count for something too.

Kotonowaka vs Meisei – Another test match here, where its high time for Kotonowaka to beat Meisei for the first time.

Shodai vs Takanosho – Its time to rally around Shodai and cheer him on. I don’t want to consider having just one Ozeki in November, and have that Ozeki kadoban too. Acme sumo time there, human daikon. Win them all by any route that works, if you can.

Hoshoryu vs Takakeisho – I don’t want to watch this match. It breaking my heart that the Grand Tadpole is hurt and about to hit Ozekiwake again. Seek medical attention, you knob!

Hokutofuji vs Terunofuji – I am eager for Hokutofuji to bring his best sumo up against the shin-Yokozuna. The last time he was able to score a win against Terunofuji was in 2017, and since then its been a solid kaiju white star run. But I know Hokutofuji has it in him to best Terunofuji, if he can just stay mobile and attack from range.

With day 3 in the record books, we finally got to see first wins of Aki from a number of rikishi, including the long suffering Kotoeko. The guy has been coming up a step short since Nagoya, but his sumo mechanics remained solid the whole time. I am very happy to see him rack his first white star in 15 attempts.

But in a day of first wins, we get Takarafuji hitting the record for consecutive appearances. If you look at his match record going back to 2009, the guy has never been kyujo. Ever. 1026 consecutive matches without sitting even one of them out. He has been a top division mainstay since Hatsu of 2013. The man is a solid rock of sumo, and we salute his endurance and commitment to his sport.

It’s clear on day 3 that kadoban Ozeki Takakeisho is in deep trouble. He needs 8 wins to hold on to his Ozeki rank, and that looks increasingly unlikely. Whatever the nature of his injury in July, he is nowhere close to his normal sumo power now, and may be considered an easy mark from his remaining 12 opponents. Should he withdraw or fail to get 8 wins, he will be Sekiwake in November, leaving us with one Ozeki. None other than.. Shodai? As the banzuke requires at least 2 Ozeki, the lower ranked Yokozuna will take the role of Yokozuna-Ozeki. Given that Hakuho is out with COVID-kyujo, it would fall to him. What kind of crazy sumo world is this?

Highlight Matches

Tokushoryu defeats Daiamami – Man, that upward thrust at the tachiai really knocked Daiamami’s head back, and probably hurt like anything. Daiamami never got a chance to apply any offensive sumo, as Tokushoryu kept hammering forward and thrusting from below. First win of September for Tokushoryu, he is 1-2.

Chiyomaru defeats Ichiyamamoto – Chiyomaru first win against Ichiyamamoto, it came down to Chiyomaru getting inside and hitting first, and with enough power to take control of the match. Ichiyamamoto up’d his power in response, and got too far forward. Chiyomaru is a master of reading that situation, and kindly stepped out of the way, converted to a shoulder / arm hold and threw Ichiyamamoto to the clay. Chiyomaru remains unbeaten at 3-0.

Chiyonokuni defeats Yutakayama – That kind of power is what I expect from Yutakayama, but he was out played by Chiyonokuni, who was happy to let YUtakayama do most of the work of getting him to the tawara, and then stepping clear of one of Yutakayama’s big double arm shoves. Chiyonokuni also undefeated at 3-0 as Yutakayama take a jog down the hanamichi.

Chiyonoo defeats Kaisei – Chiyonoo picks up a double inside grip immedately at the tachiai, and even Kaisei’s enormous size could not stop the yorikiri. Chiyonoo improves to 2-1.

Tsurugisho defeats Tochinoshin – Very fluid side step at that tachiai from Tsurugisho gave him excellent grip and body position to escort Tochinoshin immediately from the dohyo. Tsurugisho improves to 1-2, scoring his first win.

Kotoeko defeats Kagayaki – Kotoeko also picks up his first win, when Kagayaki’s armpit attack falls apart and leaves him off balance thanks to a pair of well placed thrusts. A left right combo to Kagayaki’s center-mass and the match ends with Kotoeko improving to 1-2, breaking at 14 match losing streak.

Endo defeats Chiyotairyu – Blink and you will miss it. Not sure where Chiyotairyu’s forward power was today, but it was no on the dohyo. Perhaps it’s on loan to a Ichinojo, leaving Chiyotairyu to pull immediately in the tachiai. Endo improves to 2-1.

Myogiryu defeats Hidenoumi – Clearly Hidenoumi was looking for a matta, but instead just caught the tachiai full in the chest and was propelled out with no resistance. Gyoji did not see it that way, and Myogiryu is unbeaten at 3-0.

Okinoumi defeats Aoiyama – I am going to assume that Aoiyama is still struggling with that injury that kept him out of most of the tournament in May, which also assisted with his Nagoya make-koshi. His sumo is underpowered, and he can’t really generate more than a few seconds of offense. Okinoumi out lasts him, and waits for Aoiyama to try and pull to finish him off. Okinoumi ends today at 2-1.

Tobizaru defeats Terutsuyoshi – Welcome back to the “good” Tobizaru! This is the guy who I think is going to be a big deal for the next couple of years. Maybe his sumo only works in mid-Maegashira, but it’s great to watch. Terutsuyoshi tries to get as low as he can and still execute sumo, but ends up wrapped, stacked and tossed in the bin by Tobizaru, who is now 3-0.

Onosho defeats Ura – Ura is at least having a cold start, and at worst nursing some kind of injury. Onosho goes full power from the start, given that Ura lined up far behind the shikiri-sen. A the initial merge, Ura immediately goes to pull, and finds himself blasted over the side of the dohyo. Onosho perfect at 3-0.

Takarafuji defeats Shimanoumi – If you are going to fight while moving backward, this is how you do it. Takarafuji gets Shimanoumi lower and lower, then sets a back-step cadence, waits for Shimanoumi to follow it, then drops him with a thud. Takarafuji improves to 2-1.

Daieisho defeats Tamawashi – Finally we get to see some power from Daieisho! That’s been largely missing for many matches since his yusho. Tamawashi likes to attack high, and Daieisho showed superb thrust timing, and hand placement, completely disrupting any attempt at offense from Tamawashi. Both end the day at 2-1.

Kotonowaka defeats Chiyoshoma – Chiyoshoma had a solid start, went for a big leaping pull down, which failed, and that completely shattered his balance and stance. Kotonowaka was there to clean up the mess and take Chiyoshoma down, giving him his second win to finish today at 2-1.

Kiribayama defeats Takayasu – I am very concerned that Takayasu has lost at least 2 stamina matches thus far at Aki, and remains winless after today. My compliments to Kiribayama for going the distance (over 3 minutes!) against Takayasu and still having the focus to seize the opening to bring Takayasu to the clay when it was presented. Kiribayama remains undefeated at 3-0.

Meisei defeats Wakatakakage – Meisei finally gets his first white star by a well timed escape move that sends Wakatakakage flying past and onto the clay. Wakatakakage made the mistake of not keeping his shoulders square to his opponent, and lost. Meisei now 1-2.

Mitakeumi defeats Hoshoryu – There has been plenty of well deserved hype around Hoshoryu, but today he faced the original tadpole and found himself on the wrong side of the lily pad. A couple of missed gambits from Hoshoryu, and he was in deep trouble. Mitakeumi employed that massive belly to plow sumo’s “Clark Kent” into the waiting Shodai. Mitakeumi at 2-1.

Ichinojo defeats Takakeisho – What the hell was that? Ichinojo with the big tsuppari, Takakeisho going chest to chest? Anyone surprised this match was a complete and absolute mess? Ichinojo finishes Takakeisho with a beltless arm throw. Kadoban Ozeki Takakeisho with a 0-3 start, and he is in deep trouble. Ichinojo picks up his first win in an unexpected fashion, improving to 1-2.

Shodai defeats Hokutofuji – Shodai is sumo’s most reliable source of crappy tachiai, and today was especially bad. But somehow he’s almost straight upright, but still shuts down Hokutofuji’s offense, and then overwhelms Hokutofuji’s forward pressure and just walks him out of the ring. Ahem… ok… Shodai 2-1.

Terunofuji defeats Takanosho – Is it just me, or is Terunofuji noticeably improved from July? I mean he was clearly at Yokozuna grade for this whole year, but damn, sir! Terunofuji starts strong, stays incredibly stable and works to get his opening. Like a expert, he dismantled Takanosho’s match plan a piece at a time and threw away what was left. Terunofuji unbeaten at 3-0.