Aki Day 6 Preview

Bruce H Abi (阿炎), Aki Basho 2020, Aoiyama, Asanoyama (朝乃山), Chiyotairyū (千代大龍), Daieisho (大栄翔), Endo (遠藤), Enho, Hakuho (白鵬), Hokutōfuji (北勝富士), Hoshoryu, Ichinojo (逸ノ城), Ishiura (石浦), Kagayaki (輝), Kaisei (魁聖), Kakuryu (鶴竜), Kiribayama (霧馬山), Kotoeko, Kotoshogiku (琴奨菊), Kotoshoho, Kyokutaisei, Meisei, Mitakeumi(御嶽海), Myogiryu (妙義龍), Okinoumi (隠岐の海), Ryuden (竜電), Sadanoumi (佐田の海), Shimanoumi, Shohozan, Shōdai (正代直也), Takakeishō (貴景勝), Takanosho, Takarafuji (宝富士), Takayasu (高安), Tamawashi (玉鷲), Terunofuji (照ノ富士), Terutsuyoshi, Tobizaru, Tochinoshin (栃ノ心), Tokushoryu, Wakatakakage, Yutakayama, Ōnoshō (阿武咲)

Welcome to the start of act 2 of this wonderful Aki Basho! Act 2 is where we narrow the field to find out who has what it takes to compete for the yusho, and to start sorting the survivors from the damned. With both Yokozuna out, and no clearly dominant rikishi group, there’s a lot of sorting to do. Act 2 includes the middle weekend, when we will start to watch the yusho race and publish the leader board. Though Onosho exited Act 1 as the sole man at the top, I don’t expect that to hold for too long. There are a cadre of 7 rikishi trailing at 4-1, including Ozeki Takakeisho, Ur-Sekiwake Shodai and.. Ichinojo?

What We Are Watching Day 6

Shimanoumi vs Ichinojo – Ichinojo starts act 2 with a surprising 4-1 record, really one of his best starts in the top division in a long time. If he can stay in this groove, and can continue to use his size and strength to his advantage, he could be a contender in act 3. Today he’s up against Shimanoumi, who lost their only prior match. I am going to look for “The Boulder” to continue to over preform.

Tobizaru vs Hoshoryu – I know I have been waiting for this one! Now that Tobizaru has picked up his first loss, he can dodge any odd feelings of pressure about being on top of the leaderboard. He has a 3-1 career record over Hoshoryu, and I expect a lot of rapid action as these two strong, fast young rikishi engage in a battle of the flying hands.

Kotoshoho vs Shohozan – Shohozan has no real defensive power, I have to wonder if he has some back or leg problem that has robbed him of his sumo. So I am guessing that Kotoshoho takes him to the dirt in short order.

Meisei vs Kaisei – It seems like Kaisei’s enormity is not enough to get him him to even a 50% win record right now. So he’s going to have to try some offensive sumo. Forward sir! Meisei is a fraction of your size, make him feel like roadkill today.

Sadanoumi vs Kotoeko – Kotoeko looked really good against Tobizaru day 5, and I think he can try a similar approach with the speedy Sadanoumi. Sadanoumi will present lower mobility, but higher thrust force, in my opinion. Their career record (5-4) show them equally matched. Could be some raging action, or over in a flash.

Chiyotairyu vs Onosho – I love this match. Both are going to rip hard into the tachiai, and given that this is Chiyotairyu’s forte, I am looking for him to have an advantage in the first 2 steps. If he can’t overpower Onosho by that time, I think we will see a massive counter-attack. As the only undefeated rikishi remaining in the basho, everyone will want a piece of him now. For Onosho, its just 3 more wins to his 8.

Ryuden vs Wakatakakage – Question 1 – will Ryuden step onto the dohyo with comically large pieces of bandage tape arranged in an “X” over his crotch? This is a first time meeting between these two, so I would not be surprised to see a few Ryuden matta to try and smoke Wakatakakage out.

Takayasu vs Tokushoryu – It’s clear from his day 5 loss to Tochinoshin that Takayasu is not quite as genki as I had hoped. His 3-3 career record against Tokushoryu is a bit misleading, their last head to head match was in 2016!

Enho vs Kagayaki – I could make Enho vs Ryuden jokes here, but good manners are restraining me. I will say that Kagayaki’s normal post-tachiai stance tends to preclude Enho’s preferred under and to the left attack strategy. I would love to see Enho continue to get high-energy wins. Let’s hope he’s got a new plan for day 6.

Aoiyama vs Takarafuji – Takarafuji, by his nature, will want to try to dodge Aoiyama’s double arm bludgeoning attack. For 20 out of 23 times, it has failed and Takarafuji tosses the man with no neck around before he hits the clay.

Kiribayama vs Tamawashi – Tamawashi missed hard with his opening gambit on day 5, and he lost to Kiribayama in their only prior match. I give good odds he is going to apply maximum sumo offense today against Kiribayama, and it might be glorious to watch.

Hokutofuji vs Takanosho – Another match with huge potential. I am sure Takanosho will want to bounce back from his day 5 loss to Yutakayama, and its been a couple of years since the last time that he faced Hokutofuji. Hokutofuji seems to once again working hard towards the most powerful make-koshi in all of sumo, which is a huge disappointment to his fans (1-4).

Okinoumi vs Terunofuji – Terunofuji is done with the “difficult” portion of his schedule, with both Yokozuna out, and one Ozeki scalp. Now he is going to work through the Komusubi, and it’s a question on his endurance and how much his knees can take. While Terunofuji has the brute power to win, he is more or less equal to height and wight to Okinoumi, who has proven himself a master sumo technician again this basho. Strength against encyclopedic skill, great potential! Terunofuji holds a 9-3 career record, but those are from before Terunofuji dropped rank and fought his way back up.

Endo vs Mitakeumi – Day 5 saw Mitakeumi go from quite sloppy to “cool move!”. That was perfect to Terutsuyoshi, but someone like Endo is going to laugh that one off like some kind of amped up kabuki villain. He has a 9-5 career advantage over Endo, and it seems to be that is Mitakeumi can get a thrusting attack going, it tends to disrupt Endo’s offense.

Shodai vs Tochinoshin – Tochinoshin got a nice, welcome win on day 5 against fellow busted and battered Ozeki Takayasu. But Aki 2020 Shodai is another matter entirely. Something happened to cuddly, ridiculous Shodai with his teddy-bear tachiai and his limp offense. Now we get this fellow who seems driven to win.

Daieisho vs Yutakayama – Daieisho may have been over-promoted to a 3rd Sekiwake slot, or he may be having a cold start, or some of each. But Yutakayama is not a credible match for him this September. I am not sure what Yutakayama’s challenge is, but it was clear from practice against Shodai prior to the basho that he was struggling. They have a 5-5 career record, but I am not predicting a good day for the Tokitsukaze man.

Asanoyama vs Myogiryu – Asanoyama seems to have found some version of his sumo. I am not sure it’s the Ozeki grade sumo yet, but at least it’s better than that Juryo version he seems to have restored from backup prior to day 1. He holds a 6-2 career lead over Myogiryu, so with luck, the Ozeki can find his 3rd white star.

Terutsuyoshi vs Takakeisho – Checked, and yes – first time match. I like Terutsuyoshi, I think he’s great. I just wonder what the Grand Tadpole is going to do with this guy. Will he go for some small man sumo? A henka? Some tug-n-shove? I don’t think Takakeisho has a clear advantage today, and I am going to be watching with great interest.

Aki Day 5 Highlights

Bruce H Abi (阿炎), Aki Basho 2020, Aoiyama, Asanoyama (朝乃山), Chiyotairyū (千代大龍), Daieisho (大栄翔), Endo (遠藤), Enho, Hakuho (白鵬), Hokutōfuji (北勝富士), Hoshoryu, Ichinojo (逸ノ城), Ishiura (石浦), Kagayaki (輝), Kaisei (魁聖), Kakuryu (鶴竜), Kiribayama (霧馬山), Kotoeko, Kotoshogiku (琴奨菊), Kotoshoho, Kyokutaisei, Meisei, Mitakeumi(御嶽海), Myogiryu (妙義龍), Okinoumi (隠岐の海), Ryuden (竜電), Sadanoumi (佐田の海), Shimanoumi, Shohozan, Shōdai (正代直也), Takakeishō (貴景勝), Takanosho, Takarafuji (宝富士), Takayasu (高安), Tamawashi (玉鷲), Terunofuji (照ノ富士), Terutsuyoshi, Tobizaru, Tochinoshin (栃ノ心), Tokushoryu, Wakatakakage, Yutakayama, Ōnoshō (阿武咲)

It seems it was “Mad Matta Thursday” in the Kokougikan, as the gyoji shouted “Matta!” more times than I cared to count. It made for some odd matches, as I think a matta disrupts a rikishi’s battle plan, and leaves them hesitant at the tachiai. This day closed out Act 1, where we remove ring rust, see who is hot and who is not. Given the lack of degeiko, there was plenty of rust on some of the rikishi from smaller stables, and it’s been a rough start to the normally energetic fall basho. As many had suspected, Kyokutaisei went kyujo today with an injury to his achilles tendon. This is a real shame, as he has been battling since 2018 to make it back to the top division, and finally achieved that goal this tournament.

Highlight Matches

Hoshoryu defeats Nishikigi – This was a surprisingly worthy fight, and both men played to type quite well. Nishikigi worked to immobilize Hoshoryu’s arms and use his lower body’s strength to force him out. It nearly worked, and the save came with Hoshoryu’s heels against the tawara and pushing for all he was worth. With Nishikigi’s attack disrupted, Hoshoryu hooks his left foot around Nishikigi for a beautiful trip. More like that please, Hoshoryu.

Ichinojo defeats Kaisei – A battle of the mega-rikishi, they settled into mutual left hand outside grips following the tachiai. That quickly converted into a battle of strength, which Ichinojo won for his 4th win.

Kotoshoho defeats Shimanoumi – Shimanoumi had the advantage for the first portion of the match. His feet are better placed, his hands are working efficiently, and inside. But Kotoshoho successfully transitioned from oshi to yotzu, shutting down Shimanoumi’s offense. I am getting the impression that Kotoshoho is going to be someone to watch.

Chiyotairyu defeats Shohozan – Honestly, Shohozan has nothing right now. But Chiyotairyu’s technique today was excellent. Strong tachiai, hands inside and combo thrusts to the center of Shohozan’s chest.

Kotoeko defeats Tobizaru – Tobizaru loses his first, and these two threw the kitchen sink at each other. Neither man could gain clear advantage at any point of this match, and the result was attack and counter attack time after time. What is really impressive is that both of them just get faster and faster in the first few moments of the match.

Sadanoumi defeats Tokushoryu – Sadanoumi did a fantastic job of locking down Tokushoryu’s preferred attack routes, and controlling the match. Its clear that Tokushoryu is struggling right now, and I wonder if it’s just a case that everyone has an answer to his somewhat limited catalog of offensive gambits.

Onosho defeats Aoiyama – Big Dan Aoiyama connected with both hands during the tachiai, going for his preferred “stand him up and slap him down” opening gambit. Onosho was ready and the moment the pull came, he charged ahead. If you look at foot placement at the moment of the pull, I am impressed by how wide Onosho’s stance is compared to Aoiyama’s. Onosho finishes him with his often seen upward thrust to the chest. Five wins? Wow, he’s alone at the top of the leader board.

Enho defeats Ryuden – Sadly, I was far too noisy during the match for the early morning hours in my house. A leap to the side, and its finally time for some Enho sumo! Grab the nearest body part and tug like mad. Ryuden had to know it was possible, even if its been a while since he has used it. In response Ryuden spreads his stance (good move) but hell, it won’t help, Enho’s in the groove now. Enho pushes, grabs, lfts Ryuden’s right knee, he’s like a man with a dozen hands, always in motion and attacking in multiple ways at the same time. But watch carefully, just as Enho is swinging Ryuden around, Ryuden stands up oddly. Most men recognize that posture. Where was Enho’s right hand? Oh dear… I think Goeido remembers that feeling.

Wakatakakage defeats Kagayaki – Kagayaki came out strong, and really took control at the tachiai, but a lot of credit to Wakatakakage for generating enough defense to not let Kagayaki overwhelm him. His relief came when he was able to go chest to chest with a brief right hand inside grip. Kagayaki moved to break contact, and that move gave Wakatakakage the opening to win the match.

Takarafuji defeats Kiribayama – Great contrasts in this match. Takarafuji working calmly to gradually contain Kiribayama, and Kiribayama throwing combo thrusts at a frantic pace. But Takarafuji get’s his hold, and waits for Kiribayama to shift his stance. A lift and a strong advance, and the win goes to Takarafuji.

Tochinoshin defeats Takayasu – Again, it was too loud for such an early hour at my house. What fine match from Tochinoshin, and this is from a die-hard Takayasu supporter. Takayasu had him in a very tough position, but Tochinoshin expertly set up the throw and made it work, gimpy leg and all.

Yutakayama defeats Takanosho – A bit of a surprise result, but most welcome. Yutakayama’s tachiai was high and largely ineffective, and Takanosho had advantage, but to my surprise did not convert that to control of the match. Instead Yutakayama pressed the attack again, and got a right hand nodowa. Takanosho moved forward, and was able to take Yutakayama to the tawara, but he was too far forward, and a deft move to the side by Yutakayama sent him to the clay.

Endo defeats Okinoumi – Holy smokes! This is the kind of match you get when two high skill sumo experts with a deep catalog of move and counter move show up and really put their soul into a fight. The only disappointment is this match happened with a limited capacity crowd, admonished not to yell and cheer. What a match!

Shodai defeats Hokutofuji – Hokutofuji’s handshake tachiai had little if any effect on Shodai, and he immediately turned to his left. Shodai’s counter-attack was masterfully timed, and force was applied mid-step when Hokutofuji did not have both feet connected to clay. Shodai drove forward, grasping Hokutofuji’s torso and moving forward. Another solid win for Shodai, and this guy is really starting to look like he’s finally serious about his sumo.

Terunofuji defeats Daieisho – Again today, Terunofuji went for a left hand mawashi grip at the tachiai, but only came up with a handful of sagari today. The force of the collision was such that Daieisho was at the bales, and quickly moved to circle away. The gambit worked, and Daieisho switched to offense. But Terunofuji is too big, and too strong to move with a simple nodowa if his knees are working well. Win number 3 for Terunofuji, he’s looking strong, and I hope his knees hold out.

Mitakeumi defeats Terutsuyoshi – Excellent tachiai from Terutsuyoshi, but his feet were staggered rather than aligned, where Mitakeumi clearly just wanted to accept Terutsuyoshi’s charge. His feet are wide (excellent defensive position), and his hands are low, with the right hand inside. Pull with the right hand, push with the left on Terutsuyoshi’s elbow and that’s a textbook hikkake. Nice…

Takakeisho defeats Myogiryu – It’s no surprise that Myogiryu can’t find a way to beat Takakeisho. At the tachiai, look at their hips. Takakeisho’s stance is wide, his hips are square – that man is not going anywhere. Myogiryu is high and for some reason attacking Takakeisho’s face. The route to Myogiryu’s chest is wide open, and if you are Takakeisho, you just use your primary weapon on the opponent’s most useful target zone, and you win.

Asanoyama defeats Tamawashi – I am beginning to hope that Asanoyama is in the process of settling down and getting into his sumo. The key to the match, Tamawashi’s attempt at a nodowa or a big thrust under Asanoyama’s chin missed completely. In that critical moment at the tachiai, the gambit left Tamawashi’s hips high. Asanoyama took his hands to Tamawashi’s armpits, and took control of the match.

Aki Day 5 Preview

Bruce H Abi (阿炎), Aki Basho 2020, Aoiyama, Asanoyama (朝乃山), Chiyotairyū (千代大龍), Daieisho (大栄翔), Endo (遠藤), Enho, Hakuho (白鵬), Hokutōfuji (北勝富士), Hoshoryu, Ichinojo (逸ノ城), Ishiura (石浦), Kagayaki (輝), Kaisei (魁聖), Kakuryu (鶴竜), Kiribayama (霧馬山), Kotoeko, Kotoshogiku (琴奨菊), Kotoshoho, Kyokutaisei, Meisei, Mitakeumi(御嶽海), Myogiryu (妙義龍), Okinoumi (隠岐の海), Ryuden (竜電), Sadanoumi (佐田の海), Shimanoumi, Shohozan, Shōdai (正代直也), Takakeishō (貴景勝), Takanosho, Takarafuji (宝富士), Takayasu (高安), Tamawashi (玉鷲), Terunofuji (照ノ富士), Terutsuyoshi, Tobizaru, Tochinoshin (栃ノ心), Tokushoryu, Wakatakakage, Yutakayama, Ōnoshō (阿武咲)

Work has got me in a pinch, so just a few really hot matches for day 5, the end of act 1. Act 1 is all about figuring out who is hot and who is not. In this Aki basho, I am flabbergasted to say that the favorite to contend, Asanoyama, comes into day 5 with a single win. Yikes! This means he is doing slightly better than both Yokozuna, who were kyujo from day 1. In the “cold” bucket, we find Enho and Shohozan still looking for their first win. Both have their fans, but you can be certain both are struggling right now.

In the hotter part of the torikumi, we have Tobizaru and Onosho. Two rikishi I favor quite a bit, and I am happy both are having a decent start. They are followed by a wide group of 11 rikishi who have 3 wins going into day 5, spanning from Ozeki 1 West Takakeisho all the way to the rump end of the banzuke, yet again, with M17 East Ichinojo. I went to the local Japanese market, and sadly they were mostly depleted of sake. I guess all of the sumo fans in Dallas are, like me, stocking for the end times should Ichinojo take the cup.

UPDATE: Kyokutaisei is kyujo from day 5 with a left Achilles injury, and is unlikely to return. The poor star of “A Normal Life” can’t buy a break: his first trip to the top division after a decade of toiling in the lower ranks ended after 3 basho with an injury that sent him back to Juryo for 10 tournaments; his second looks like it’s over after only 4 bouts. -lksumo

Nishikigi vs Hoshoryu – Hey, it’s Nishikigi! If he can get his 8 in September, he gets to come back to the top division. Nishikigi yusho in November anyone? Anyhow, a first meeting with Hoshoryu.

Ichinojo vs Kaisei – It’s possible that we will suffer ripples in space-time from this tachiai. LIGO is on notice. (Gravitational waves are emitted when two massive bodies circle each other a great speed just before they merge.) Ichinojo has dominated this matchup to the tune of 9-3. -lksumo

Tobizaru vs Kotoeko – Really curious if Tobizaru will pick up his first loss before the end of act 1. Kotoeko at 1-3 does not have a huge chance of doing it. But hey, probably has to happen some time.

Onosho vs Aoiyama – First you might ask, what fresh hell is this? But these two have fought 9 times before, with Aoiyama taking 5 of them. With his 4-0 record, Onosho might be fired up to show Big Dan the fast route to the shitakubeya.

Ryuden vs Enho – Some day, maybe even this month, Enho is going to win one. Keep watching. It WILL happen!

Takayasu vs Tochinoshin – Battle of the battered former Ozeki. If Tochinoshin has re-damaged that bandaged right knee, this may be a fast match in favor of Takayasu.

Yutakayama vs Takanosho – Normally this would be a big interest match, but I am not hopeful for Yutakayama’s chances today. Whatever is plaguing him could be holding him back all tournament.

Shodai vs Hokutofuji – I am expecting a strong Shodai win over Hokutofuji’s upper body. The question is what it will take for his pelvis and legs to succumb to defeat. Note, this final resolution could come several seconds later.

Daieisho vs Terunofuji – I admit a sick fascination with watching Terunofuji power up to his old levels of sumo. I just hope the knees hold out.

Terutsuyoshi vs Mitakeumi – Mitakeumi, get it together man!

Myogiryu vs Takakeisho – Takakeisho holds a 9-0 advantage. May we please see some wave-action today?

Asanoyama vs Tamawashi – Part of me does not want to watch this one, as the “Asanoyama chokes” story was a worry the day the banzuke was published. But I expect that if Tamawashi can stay aggressive and stay mobile, it could be another embarrassment for Asanoyama.