Welcome to nakabi! For those who don’t know the term, it’s the middle day of a 15 day tournament. It’s the earliest possible day a rikishi in the top division can reach kachi-koshi (or make-koshi, as well). There is one soul who has the chance to reach 8 today, and that yusho race leader Daieisho. Right now I expect him to keep fighting well, at least into week 2, when the distraction of “hey, I could this thing” starts to distract some people from their sumo. Though it is possible, I don’t think we are likely to see Daieisho go 15-0, in spite of the fact that he has beaten all named rank rikishi.

Sadly, there is one rikishi, Kotoshoho, who is now 0-7, and is quite possibly going to hit make-koshi in the minimal amount of time possible. Kotoshoho is not short of skill, strength or energy in normal circumstances. His last three tournaments have been 8-7, 10-5 and 8-7. Prior to this basho, he has only had a single make-koshi out of 19 tournaments since he started sumo. I hope whatever is damaged can be healed, as he has a bright future ahead of him.

Abbreviated preview today, as Bruce is in a bit of a time crunch.

What We Are Watching Day 8

Daiamami vs Kotonowaka – Kotonowaka is putting together a solid kachi-koshi for January, and today he gets to take on Juryo visitor Daiamami, whom he holds a 3-1 career advantage against.

Ichinojo vs Yutakayama – Yutakayama has been fairly strong, not quite at his former levels, but strong. Not going to matter against Ichinojo, who is going to give him the “bad pony” treatment today, I predict.

Sadanoumi vs Terutsuyoshi – Both of them are fighting better than their matching 3-4 scores would indicate. Thankfully one of them will advance to 4-4, and frankly this tournament Terutsuyoshi has been fighting better.

Shimanoumi vs Midorifuji – First time match, and I want to see another Midorifuji under-shoulder swing down. Maybe Shimanoumi can oblige.

Hoshoryu vs Aoiyama – Big Dan and the V-Twin attack against a man nearly 100kg lighter. Will Hoshoryu get airborne on the second blow?

Akua vs Myogiryu – First time meeting between these two. I saw some fan suggest that possibly Akua is suffering from long running effects of a COVID-19 infection in December. As Andy can attest, the plague can leave you at reduced capacity months after the last signs of the virus are clear. It could explain much.

Kotoeko vs Kiribayama – Even though Kotoeko fights like a wild creature, it’s going to be Kiribayama’s match today. Just a hunch.

Meisei vs Akiseyama – That unsightly crease in the middle of Akiseyama’s vast and horrific belly fat. If you come in contact with that, he sucks the sumo force right out of you, and claims it for his own. Hopefully Meisei can steer clear before it leaves him a tired, confused husk.

Tokushoryu vs Tobizaru – With the amount of active motion in a typical Tobizaru match, Tokushoryu must feel like he’s got it far too easy. As Tobizaru rushes in, Tokushoryu tosses him about. In fact he holds a 6-0 record over Tobizaru, who has never won a match against Tokushoryu in 6 attempts.

Takarafuji vs Onosho – A good match with both men at 4-3 indicates that this is going to be one to pay attention to. Onosho has gotten his balance in better shape, though he still tends to get too far forward. These are the kinds of habits that Takarafuji excels in exploiting. Their career record of 5-6 favors Onosho.

Hokutofuji vs Ryuden – The loser of today’s match will have the lead in earning the coveted title of “Most powerful make-koshi of the Hatsu basho”. Normally Hokutofuji has the inside track on this prestigious award (that comes with no extra money, and a demotion in rank), but Ryuden decided that his funky butt needed some of that action. Hokutofuji leads the series 7-4.

Kagayaki vs Daieisho – I like Kagayaki’s sumo most days. Its simple, its strictly fundamental, and it gets the job down. But I expect that Daieisho going to thump him today, possibly with the same explosive right hand thrust that sent Takanosho flying.

Takayasu vs Kotoshoho – I am expecting Kotoshoho make-koshi today. I take no joy in that, but at least Takayasu is going to get a step closer to his 8. Maybe Kotoshoho can go kyujo following.

Terunofuji vs Okinoumi – Okinoumi is a solid journey man rikishi. Terunofuji is clearly struggling with his injured body this January. I would not be surprised if the cold, damp weather of Tokyo in the winter is not hell on his knees. But given the 11-3 career advantage Terunofuji holds over Okinoumi, I am guessing its a win for Terunofuji.

Tochinoshin vs Takanosho – What do do with this match. Maybe Takanosho will take Tochinoshin’s invitation to a mawashi fight, and they will grapple early. If that happens, maybe we can see a bit of Tochinoshin sumo.

Takakeisho vs Tamawashi – Honestly, I don’t want to watch this one. Every time Takakeisho mounts the dohyo this January, I am worried. He’s not all there.

Asanoyama vs Endo – I honestly think Asanoyama is only at about 80% of normal genki power. Is that enough to dispatch Endo? It will come down to grip. I know both of them are going to go yotsu from the start, and if Endo gets his shallow / frontal grip, I can see Asanoyama having a lot of trouble today.

Mitakeumi vs Shodai – It would be very interesting of Mitakeumi could rally to defeat all 3 Ozeki this January, and basically lose every other match. He has the skill and the heft to take down Shodai, but Shodai is looking very good and using a lot of nice defensive sumo. A Shodai loss would certainly make the yusho race a puzzler.

With today’s win, Daieisho is alone at the front of the yusho race, and he has dispatched the entire san’yaku in consecutive days. Absolutely brilliant tournament so far from Daieisho, and the rest of his schedule is all rikishi from the rank and file. A win tomorrow would give him a stellar day 8 kachi-koshi, and he has to be the man to beat in the yusho race. The only credible challenge is Shodai with one loss, but that one loss was to Daieisho on day 3. Some Maegashira is going to have to put dirt on Daieisho if anyone is going to try and catch him.

The quality of sumo today was excellent, and with the first six matches being really outstanding. I think my favorite of the basho is Hoshoryu’s win over Kotoeko. Both of them fought with strength, speed and stamina. Shame you could not give a win to both of them. Also, I am not sure when I am going to get tired of Midorifuji dishing out katasukashi, but it won’t be any day soon.

Highlight Matches

Churanoumi defeats Sadanoumi – Sadanoumi only got one good attack to land, right at the tachiai. Though he got in first, it was more or less the end of offensive action in this match, as Churanoumi took over and completely disrupted everything Sadanoumi tried. Churanoumi returns to Juryo with a 4-3 record.

Midorifuji defeats Kotonowaka – Midorifuji was so dialed in this match, he got two attempts at his katasukashi. The first one did not have quite enough power behind it, and Kotonowaka could not stop him from resetting and trying again. Both end the day at 5-2.

Terutsuyoshi defeats Yutakayama – Yutakayama had the advantage at the tachiai, and Terutsuyoshi gave ground. But it was all to get Yutakayama moving, and setting up a very nicely executed arm bar throw. 4 steps later and Yutakayama hits the clay, as Terutsuyoshi improves to 3-4.

Ichinojo defeats Akiseyama – Akiseyama takes his first loss in this battle of the bigs. He takes the fight to Ichinojo, and both put a lot of power against the other. Akiseyama attacks and moves forward, but finds Ichinojo not quite where he expected. Akiseyama takes a fall with a well placed shove from Ichinojo. Ichinojo improves to 5-2.

Hoshoryu defeats Kotoeko – Wow! A raging battle that was some of the best battle sumo of the tournament so far. I am not sure if Hoshoryu overcame whatever injury he is nursing or just gamberized the heck out of that match, but wow! Both end the day at 2-5.

Shimanoumi defeats Akua – Akua attempted a bit of a henka or hit and shift at the tachiai, but Shimanoumi re-engaged with vigor, and dominated the match. Akua continues to seriously struggle to rack up wins, picking up his fifth straight loss falling to 1-6 today while Shimanoumi improves to 4-3.

Kiribayama defeats Aoiyama – Aoiyama launched a bit early, and went to work on Kiribayama’s face and neck. The trouble with this facial attack focus is it leaves your chest and body quite open for your opponent, and Kiribayama went straight for center mass. It only took a few solid thrusts to disrupt Aoiyama’s attack, and moments later when Aoiyama misses a big hit from the V-Twin, Kiribayama put him down for a 5th win.

Myogiryu defeats Kagayaki – After Kagayaki’s matta, his timing was off at the tachiai, which gave Myogiryu superior position. With Myogiryu inside an underneath Kagayaki’s arms, Kagayaki found himself too high, and unable to stop Myogiryu’s advance. Myogiryu finishes day 7 4-3.

Ryuden defeats Tokushoryu – Tokushoryu had advantage for the briefest moment at the tachiai, but his opening gambit attempting to pull Ryuden down failed, and left himself open for Ryuden to take control of the match. Ryuden took his time, got his hands in the right spot and dropped the front-heavy Tokushoryu. Both end the day 2-5.

Tobizaru defeats Okinoumi – Cheering today from the monkey kingdom as Tobizaru finally gets his second win. It looks like Okinoumi’s approach to the match was to keep his body solid and quiet, minimize his movements and let Tobizaru spend all his energy early. But instead of dancing about the dohyo, Tobizaru’s hands found center mass, and a moment of poor foot placement from Okinoumi, and charged ahead for a much needed win.

Endo defeats Meisei – Really nice deflect and disrupt sumo from Meisei today, but Endo shows great stability and patience, and waits to get his hands on Meisei’s mawashi. This pays off as he gets Meisei turned about and push-carries him out. Endo improves to 4-3.

Takarafuji defeats Tamawashi – Bold move from Tamawashi, attack Takarafuji’s neck. We all know that Takarafuji’s neck was only a myth, and that opening gambit fell apart in a hurry. A couple of vigorous pushes from Tamawashi, but Takarafuji was able to set up his defense, and he waited Tamawashi out, found a mawashi hold, and threw him down. Both end the day at 4-3.

Takayasu defeats Hokutofuji – I am really impressed by how low both of these guys were the whole match. Hokutofuji gave up the inside position at the tachiai, and that was all it took for the win. Takayasu improves to 4-3.

Daieisho defeats Takanosho – Absolutely perfect tachiai, with both men near mirror images of the other and they clashed. But Daieisho threw his arms up, and all of that energy was translated into Takanosho’s body. The force of that lifted him and threw him almost to the tawara, and that was more or less the match. Daieisho closed the gap, and finished him with a quick combo to the chest, and Takanosho stepped out. Wow! Daieisho maintains his perfect score at 7-0.

Terunofuji defeats Mitakeumi – Terunofuji completely overpowers Mitakeumi, who can do little more today than serve as ballast for the yorikiri. Terunofuji really looks like he is terribly sore. He needs 4 more wins to reach his 8 (now 4-3), and I do hope his knees can hold up into week 2.

Asanoyama defeats Kotoshoho – Asanoyama got his favorite grip, his favorite stance but still struggled to take care of the winless Kotoshoho. I don’t know if it’s injury or everyone has him figured out, but the fact that Asanoyama struggled with Kotoshoho’s defense today has me concerned. Asanoyama improves to 4-3.

Shodai defeats Onosho – Onosho’s opening gambit falls flat, and he finds himself encased in a meaty wall of Shodai. Shodai advances and takes win number 6. I continue to see signs of reactive sumo in Shodai, and its working better for him than it did for Kakuryu. Possibly because he does not have Kakuryu’s bad back. Shodai improves to 6-1. A nod to the lady in zabuton land who points at Onosho’s arse and discusses it with her friend.

Takakeisho defeats Tochinoshin – We saw one wave action blast today, but did anyone else catch that it was right-hand dominant? Something going on with Takakeisho’s left, and that’s his primary weapon. Tochinoshin simply cannot put enough power to earth through that damaged knee to hold up under a tadpole blast like that. Takakeisho picks up a much needed second win to advance to 2-5.

I am impressed that we have gotten to day 7 with no additional kyujo, though I suspect that there are a few rikishi who would be eligible. I am sure that with so many already sidelined, the remaining athletes feel they need to compete at all costs to make sure the fans get a solid tournament. I think this weighed most heavily on Takakeisho, who I think may have an over active sense of responsibility at times. He’s hanging in, probably until he gets 8 losses, which may come as soon as this Monday. It’s tough to see him struggle, but for whatever reason, he is still with us.

I am also impressed that at the start of the middle weekend of the tournament, we have Daieisho and Akiseyama undefeated. I am not sure if these two are going to be at the head of the yusho race at the start of act 3, but it’s fun to think that we could have another Maegashira yusho in 2021 as well. While Akiseyama is not the last man on the banzuke, he is just 1 slot ahead of Sadanoumi.

What We Are Watching Day 7

Sadanoumi vs Churanoumi – Speaking of the last man on the banzuke, he’s up against a Juryo visitor on day 7, and this is their first ever match. While Sadanoumi is not doing exceptionally well, he is still in a position to finish with a kachi-koshi. 7 wins or less would certainly relegate him to Juryo after 3 years in the top division. Both have 3-3 records.

Kotonowaka vs Midorifuji – Kotonowaka won the only prior match, and is fighting quite well at 5-1. Midorifuji is likely to find a home, at least for a time, in the top division. I am curious if he will get a tradition double digit debut that nets him a special prize. This happens a fair amount of the time, and it’s certainly within reach for Midorifuji.

Yutakayama vs Terutsuyoshi – I am very happy to see that Yutakayama seems to be back in good-enough form. He’s big, and surprisingly agile, which will come in handy against the highly maneuverable Terutsuyoshi, who in spite of his 2-4 score, can easily dispatch Yutakayama if he gets to dictate the form the match takes.

Ichinojo vs Akiseyama – At 6-0, Akiseyama brings momentum into this match against “The Boulder”. Ichinojo dropped yesterday’s match to Kotonowaka, and I think he will be looking to bounce back. While Ichinojo is much taller, these two each carry a significant amount of bulk.

Hoshoryu vs Kotoeko – From a battle of the mega-fauna to a battle of the nimble. Hoshoryu won his first match on day 6, though he did look a bit hurt following to my eye. Should he completely dud out the rest of Hatsu, he could find himself in Juryo for March. He won the only prior match with Kotoeko, but I will be watching to see if Hoshoryu has gotten his sumo together enough to make a stand.

Shimanoumi vs Akua – Akua is giving Hokutofuji a run for the title of “Most powerful make-koshi in all of sumo” this Hatsu. He is putting a lot of power and energy into his sumo each day, but he’s only had one win. Shimanoumi had a hot start to the basho, but has dropped 3 of his last 4. They have split their prior fights at 4-4, so lets see who can take the win today.

Aoiyama vs Kiribayama – Both have 4 wins, and both are headed toward kachi-koshi if they keep their form going for another 9 days. Even though Kiribayama won their only prior match, I favor Big Dan Aoiyama in this match. He’s got his V-Twin form up and running, and it’s tough to take an offensive position when he starts slapping you around.

Myogiryu vs Kagayaki – Both are 3-3, both are struggling a bit, I give an advantage to Myogiryu, as Kagayaki is not looking quite right. He’s high in the tachiai, he’s not keeping his feet low and heavy.

Ryuden vs Tokushoryu – Ugh, another pair of struggling rikishi facing off. They have had 4 prior matches, which they have split 2-2. I think that if Ryuden can stay mobile he has a good chance of picking up a much needed second win. I think if they grapple, it will be advantage Tokushoryu.

Tobizaru vs Okinoumi – Is Tobizaru too small and light to survive competition in the top division? I am starting to wonder. Something has him loosing the bulk of his matches, and it’s not lack of effort. I have noticed that he runs out of stamina, and his opponents tend to wait him out until his intensity drops, then turn on the attack and usually win.

Endo vs Meisei – Meisei is in the elite 1 loss group going into the final weekend, and I would love to see him stay in the running into act 3. Although Endo comes in at only 3-3, he’s always capable of surprising any opponent with exceptional skill and cunning. Endo will go for a grip early, and if he gets it, he will likely end up controlling the match.

Takarafuji vs Tamawashi – Twenty Four (24) career matches between these two, and they have split it right down the middle at 12 and 12. Tamawashi has shown some great power surges in his matches this tournament, and it’s kind of neat to watch him suddenly overflow with strength and just dispatch his opponent. Takarafuji will try to stay away from whatever blast effect Tamawashi will come up with, and wait for his chance to turn the tables.

Takayasu vs Hokutofuji – Takayasu’s gotten very loud in his matches. He tends to start with a big bellowing roar, and it seems to my eye the louder he roars, the less power connects at the tachiai. We have not seen much of Hokutofuji’s handshake tachiai this tournament, so maybe he will bring it back for today. The two are evenly matched, so this has potential to be a good fight.

Daieisho vs Takanosho – Daieisho finishes his tour of the named ranks today with Takanosho, and to be honest, Takanosho may be fighting the best out of all of them. Should Daieisho win, he will have dropped all 7 named ranked rikishi. Quite the accomplishment.

Terunofuji vs Mitakeumi – Now with a 3-3 record, Terunofuji is struggling a bit compared to prior tournaments. While he had thoughts of double digit records and Ozeki runs dancing in his head, I think he now is focused on getting to 8, and that’s the right approach for now. Mitakeumi also had such dreams, but by now he needs to know that it’s not going to happen until he and spend more time practicing against rikishi his own rank.

Asanoyama vs Kotoshoho – I do want to see Asanoyama clear kadoban, but going into the middle weekend with a 3-3 record does not inspire a lot of confidence in that outcome. Luckily he’s got more or less a freebie with a first time match against Kotoshoho, who starts day 7 with a 0-6 record.

Onosho vs Shodai – Onosho has shown a fair amount of explosive sumo this basho. He starts off fast and comes in strong at the start. An all-or-nothing proposition that underscores that he puts everything on the line each day. Shodai is doing the best out of all the Ozeki, and I think his superior balance will allow him to completely disrupt Onosho, removing his primary attack form.

Takakeisho vs Tochinoshin – Takakeisho, are you even genki enough to keep the big Georgian from grabbing your mawashi and rolling you off the dohyo like the dumpling you are? I want you to be strong and healthy, and I know there was a rare chance to be promoted to Yokozuna, but that’s all gone now. Good luck against Tochinoshin, I wonder who is more banged up.