It’s early evening in the central US, and I am eager for sumo. The top division is still 8 hours away, so I am going to find some way to spend the time. I know, watch sumo! If you have not checked out Herouth’s fantastic post, you can find it just below this one, or click here!
What We Are Watching Day 2
Kyokutaisei vs Ichinojo – I am still expecting Ichinojo to at least eek out a 8-7 kachi-koshi from this far down the banzuke, and day 2 is the time to start that campaign. He has been able to win 3 of the 3 prior matches with Kyokutaisei, which are this year. So chances are good he can dominate the much smaller man from Hokkaido.
Shimanoumi vs Hoshoryu – First time facing Shimanoumi for young Hoshoryu. Shimanoumi wants to bounce back after a very shabby 5-10 in July, and his day 1 loss to Tobizaru is not helping his cause. I am keeping a close watch on Hoshoryu, as he is going to be largely untested against most or all of his top division opponents.
Tobizaru vs Shohozan – I have high hopes for this match, as both rikishi have high mobility, and “Big Guns” Shohozan is probably looking to deliver some punishment to the flying monkey. Hopefully Tobizaru can execute his opening gambit before Shohozan sets the cadence and form for the match.
Kotoshoho vs Kaisei – Kaisei tends to have hot or cold basho, and its far too early to tell which way this one is going to go. He typically stays close to a 7-8 / 8-7 line, so he man win today. No knock against Kotoshoho, but there is just enormous amounts of Kaisei to manage! Sometimes, in sumo, being enormous is an effective strategy.
Meisei vs Kotoshogiku – Big question – will Kotoshogiku feature more tape on day 2? Are his knees doing better? Is he a mandroid sent from a future world where an automaton Kotoshogiku is the only thing that can defeat robot Hakuho? Which ever reality he comes from, he will have a his mind set on giving Meisei a brutal battle hug.
Sadanoumi vs Chiyotairyu – Chiyotairyu has a distinct advantage at Aki. Coming from Kokone heya, he has a broad set of training partners at or near his skill level. I think this may not pan out to an advantage against Sadanoumi. Sakaigawa has Myogiryu and and (I think) former Ozeki Goeido. If Sadanoumi can keep his feet in the first 5 seconds, he can make use of his superior speed.
Kotoeko vs Onosho – I really really want to see if Onoshi can execute that tuned up tachiai again. Readers are aware I am hoping he becomes a regular in the joi-jin, as he is a natural foil for Mitakeumi and Takakeisho. He is evenly match (5-6) against Kotoeko.
Tokushoryu vs Enho – Enho is small enough he can disapear underneath that enormous forward protuberance that counts as Tokushoryu’s most visible feature. This may account for Enho’s 5-2 career advantage. One has to assume that what Enho must do is like trying to juggle an enormous ziplock bag full of ham.
Wakatakakage vs Aoiyama – Oh no, Wakatakakage! It’s your first ever match against Big Dan, and you may not be ready for what may happen. Aoiyama will distract you with his pasty white body parts jiggling and flailing about. All the while his massive arms are delivering stone-breaking blows against your head and chest. Good luck!
Takayasu vs Ryuden – Out of their 4 prior matches, Takayasu has only taken 1 from Ryuden. The Takadagawa man seems to have the former Ozeki’s number, but I suspect Takayasu is genki this time out. Today’s match should give us a better look at how he is doing.
Kagayaki vs Takarafuji – Takarafuji may try to blunt and mis-direct Kagayaki, who will have a tough time with his fundamentals based sumo, which Takarafuji has shown for years he can execute with skill. The career record (4-7) shows a clear Takarafuji advantage.
Yutakayama vs Kiribayama – Yutakayama had strong offense on day 1, but made a tactical mistake in his attempt to pull. Maybe that was just first day nerves, or maybe it’s an indication that Yutakayama is not at full strength, and finds himself lost for the last 10% of energy needed to finish a match.
Tochinoshin vs Terutsuyoshi – Big stuff Tochinoshin is likely to struggle with this match, even though he bests Terutsuyoshi in height, mass, reach and many other categories. But Terutsuyoshi has speed and just outright moxie on his side. I expect Terutsuyoshi to stay mobile and keep Tochinoshin off his belt.
Myogiryu vs Endo – Coming off his win against the top ranked man in the tournament, Endo takes a turn against M3 Myogiryu. What can be maddening for Endo fans it that one day he can completely dominate a match against a top competitor, and the following day drop a match that is comparatively less challenging. The two have a 5-6 career record.
Shodai vs Tamawashi – Can Shodai keep it going? He has a 4-9 career deficit against strong. mobile Tamawashi. Tamawashi tends to strike and move with great effect (we saw this day 1), but Shodai can unleash random, unexpected sumo that more often than not takes care of business. Will we see another effective Shodai tachiai?
Daieisho vs Hokutofuji – I suspect Hokutofuji comes into Aki with a fair amount of ring-rust, and we may not see him up to full fighting power until closer to day 5. He has had Okinoumi to train against, but the big man from Shimane looked rather rusty day 1 as well.
Terunofuji vs Mitakeumi – Oh goodie! A rematch of the final day match from July, can Mitakeumi settle the score? I would give Terunofuji a slight advantage today if his head is in this match. There was some indication on day 1 that he’s not nearly as focused as he was in July. (Apologies for the inaccuracies of the prior version of this post)
Asanoyama vs Takanosho – Hey, Ozeki! Get it together. Settle in and fight like you are back in the rank and file. You have beat Takanosho twice today, and you can do it again today. Just stay low and let him spend his energy early, then clean him up.
Okinoumi vs Takakeisho – I think I would put Okinoumi in the ring-rust category, as he looks to be a half step slower than July. Meanwhile, Takakeisho has had to fend off Takanosho every morning and sometimes at lunch the whole year. Takakeisho with a 6-3 career advantage.
Ohisashiburi (“it’s been a long time”)! These days I don’t have much time to write daily reports, but I decided to take some time off work. These being COVID days, vacations are best spent at home, and what is a better way than to spend my vacation immersed in Sumo? So here is a collection of matches from the lower divisions. Today, we are featuring all three bow twirlers. Let’s start.
The “No-kazuna” basho started Sunday in Tokyo, and there was a lot of good sumo from the new crop of rikishi on parade. For Takayasu fans, it was a glorious display of the kind of sumo you must never try to use against him. I swear the probably naps in the afternoons pressing against Kisenosato’s earthmover from 2017, and seems to be able to generate hundreds of kg of forward pressure for what might be unlimited periods of time.
It seems that the fans who are in the Kokugikan are a bit more relaxed on Aki day 1 than they were during July. Maybe as time goes by, Japan, much like Texas, has learned to respect the pandemic, but recognize you can still have fun.
A trigger warning for readers. Further down in this post, I am going to praise Shodai. Please try not to be worried. I have not been captured by kidnappers, it is not some secret code for the forces of darkness to invade, and I am not currently experiencing the effects of recreational pharmaceuticals.
Highlight Matches
Hoshoryu defeats Ichinojo – The massive bulk that is Ichinojo must have given Hoshoryu in the lead up to the match. But the shin-maku Hoshoryu drove straight inside and got both hands inside on Ichinojo. There was one moment where Ichinojo tried a lift and shift, but Hoshoryu kept Ichinojo just enough off balance it would not work. An Ichinojo attempt at make-kai left him with just one hand attached to Hoshoryu, and that was all that it took for the Hoshoryu to win his first top division ranked match.
Kyokutaisei defeats Shohozan – Maybe it’s age, maybe it acccumulated injuries, but even though Shohozan comes out strong and applies blow after blow to Kyokutaisei’s face, it just does not seem to have the same effect that it once had. After absorbing a few smacks to the head, Kyokutaisei advances and takes the match.
Tobizaru defeats Shimanoumi – Tobizaru owned this match from the start, landing a right hand inside grip moments after the tachiai, and quickly removing Shimanoumi from the dohyo. Given Tobizaru’s youth, energy and relatively healthy body, he could become a top division mainstay this year.
Kotoshoho defeats Meisei – Meisei reacted poorly to Kotoshoho’s opening gambit, which was a combo to the upper body and a shift to his right. Meisei found himself pressing ahead against thin air, and struggled to abort the fall, but ended up without any means to recover.
Kotoshogiku defeats Kaisei – The miles of tape that normally festoon Kotoshogiku’s body were nowhere to be seen today, and it left long time fans like myself a tad disoriented, as if some alternate universe Kotoshogiku had somehow been translocated in to face Kaisei. It seems even Kaisei was taken aback by his opponent’s lack of mummification, allowing Kotoshogiku an early morozashi, and a quick win.
Chiyotairyu defeats Kotoeko – Kotoeko opened with an attempt at a left hand frontal grip at the tachiai, while Chiyotairyu. It was a quick “raise him up, slap him down” combo that Chiyotairyu executes very well.
Onosho defeats Sadanoumi – Wow, Onosho seems to have overcome a number of problems he had in July, and looked sharp, aggressive and dare I say it, well balanced? I really liked his tachiai today, his hips were quite low, and he bracketed Sadanoumi almost immediately, giving Sadanoumi no good route to escape.
Wakatakakage defeats Enho – Enho picks up where he left off in July, looking a half step slower and someone weakened from where we would normally expect to see his sumo. I have to wonder if not having Hakuho or Ishiura to train with has really robbed him of most of his chances to tune up for the Aki basho.
Ryuden defeats Tokushoryu – Points to Ryuden for working out an excellent defensive strategy for Tokushoryu. I counted several times the Hatsu yusho winner worked to set up his trademark combo that typically ends with a tsukiotoshi, but each time Ryuden was able to shut it down. Its awesome to watch Ryuden work hard to keep his plane of force lined up across Tokushoryu’s center mass. Well done!
Kagayaki defeats Aoiyama – In the non-pixelated battle of unfortunate body shapes, Big Dan Aoiyama missed blocking Kagayaki’s inside gambit by fractions of a second. Kagayaki drove ahead, and Aoiyama could not keep his feet. Effective sumo from Kagayaki to shut down Aoiyama’s primary attack routes.
Takayasu defeats Takarafuji – Oh my, an endurance battle featuring two rikishi who seem to have it by the gallon. I think at least for this match, the pain and weakness Takayasu has had to contend with in his elbow and knee are gone. Perhaps his 20+ matches a day with the former Kisenosato continue to be the secret to the power of his sumo. For a certified Takayasu fan, this was really a welcome match.
Kiribayama defeats Tochinoshin – Rising star Kiribayama continues to shine, taking down former Ozeki Tochinoshin, who gave Kiribayama a right hand inside grip at the tachiai. With both men having favored grips on the other, they both lifted the other, and for a moment it looked like Tochinoshin would win out. But a clever move by Kiribayama to bring his left foot in for a trip broke Tochinoshin’s focus, and cost Tochinoshin the match.
Terutsuyoshi defeats Yutakayama – Sadly Yutakayama continues his July struggles into the first match of Aki, he had a very strong start, and had Terutsuyoshi backing up. But an ill-considered move to grab the back of Terutsuyoshi’s head and pull threw control of the match to Terutsuyoshi. Terutsuyoshi responded by grappling low, and driving ahead again and again. Yutakayama could find no route to recover.
Myogiryu defeats Okinoumi – This bout was simple sumo mechanics, Okinoumi was too high at the tachiai, opening his chest to Myogiryu, who drove inside and attacked low.
Tamawashi defeats Daieisho – Daieisho showed near textbook oshi-zumo today against Tamawashi, but could not finish him off. Tamawashi was doing a masterful job of absorbing an attack, and shifting to the side, recovering his foot placement before Daieisho could land another thrust. Tamawashi kept this working for an impressive length of time, and found a moment when Daieisho was off balance, and took him to the clay.
Mitakeumi defeats Hokutofuji – To superbly round rikishi, prone to break-neck speed and overwhelming force decided to crash headlong into each other at the tachiai and conduct this match as a battle of sheer strength. The key to the win was that odd upper-body pivot that Mitakeumi deployed to break Hokutofuji’s defense. Nice move!
Shodai defeats Takanosho – I admit, I have been holding back an opinion on Shodai. There was footage a few days before the start of Aki that showed morning practice at Tokitsukaze heya. The highlight was the sparring sessions between Shodai and Yutakayama. I was having a difficult time with what I was seeing. Shodai’s tachiai was sharp and strong. He was beating Yutakayama, again and again. This form of Shodai is quite the force of sumo. As I have written many times, if Shodai can fix his tachiai, he was going to be a big deal. Well, we may have hit that point now. I credit Shodai’s hard work along with Yokozuna Kakuryu’s guidance, and Yutakayama’s sparring for bringing Shodai closer to his potential.
Takakeisho defeats Terunofuji – The last 4 basho have been a tough time for fans of Takakeisho, he has been battling a number of injuries that have limited his sumo. Some have been wondering if this young star was going to be able to maintain his Ozeki position given the problems with his body. Today he looked, to my eye, better than he has since Aki last year, which saw him break the 10 win threshold and return to Ozeki. I am sure Terunofuji went in with a solid match plan, but when that much muscle and mass is in that compact a package, you are in trouble if he can get you in the “shove” zone.
Endo defeats Asanoyama – I worried prior to Aki that the sumo public and Asanoyama himself were too focused on the chances of him taking his first yusho of a bid for the rope. Today we saw what happens when a master tactician like Endo comes up against a highly predictable rikishi like Asanoyama. As much as I like Asanoyama and his sumo, he has stuck with what has worked for him. This let Endo know to a great extent how the Ozeki was going try to conduct the match. The Asanoyama matta played a role as well, telegraphing his opening gambit. Exceptional balance, poise and ability to rotate to plan b/c/d from Endo today. Fantastic win.
It has been a strange start to the basho – and it hasn’t even started! As Bruce reported earlier in the day, both Yokozuna have officially withdrawn, along with injured Ishiura and suspended Abi. And then there’s the matter of an entire heya being kyujo owing to a coronavirus infection.
However, as friend and reader Tigerboy1966 said in the comments of this site, maybe we shouldn’t let that overshadow what has the ability to be, at least on Day 1, a great day of sumo. Good ‘ol Tigerboy.
What We’re Watching on Day 1
Ichinojo (M17E) vs Hoshoryu (M16W) – An intriguing matchup. Many oohs and aahs followed the surprise return of Ichinojo to the top division in a slot that has yielded two surprise champions already this year. His opponent makes his much awaited makuuchi debut, having shown steady progress and consistency since his entry into the sumo world less than 3 years ago. Ichinojo also made his top division debut as a hyped 21 year old in this tournament six years ago, and nearly made the biggest splash of all. This matchup will give us one of the first indications of whether Hoshoryu can fulfil his own promise.
Kyokutaisei (M16E) vs Shohozan (M15W) – Moviestar Kyokutaisei returns to the top division after a lengthy period in Juryo facilitated by an injury on his last visit to makuuchi two years ago. He’s done well in the past couple of tournaments, and I’d make him a narrow favourite against a Shohozan whose feistiness and slaps have looked a little weaker in the past few tournaments. It sort of reminds me of the end of Yoshikaze’s career, when you see a wily ol’ dog who’s still capable of grinding out wins but with less gas in the tank.
Tobizaru (M14E) vs Shimanoumi (M15E) – Sumo’s latest poster boy Tobizaru makes his top division bow against a rikishi who has had a deeply disappointing twelve months, with just one kachikoshi and some pretty bad results. Both rikishi come from stables deep with sekitori talent and should be fairly tuned up for the basho. The lifetime series is fairly even at 4-5 and I’d give Tobizaru the tip to even it, given he’s been in better form recently.
Kotoshoho (M12E) vs Meisei (M13E) – Kotoshoho continues his upward ascent, having still only suffered one makekoshi in his career, a 3-4 reverse down at the lower end of makushita. His reward for continued success is a first time meeting against a rejuvenated Meisei, back in the top division following a triumphant Juryo campaign last time out. While Kotoshoho isn’t against mixing in the odd throw, yotsu-zumo is an element of his game that he is still developing and an area that the energetic Meisei will look to exploit. Having ended the last tournament with a bit of a whimper, I’ll make Kotoshoho the slight underdog here.
Kaisei (M12W) vs Kotoshogiku (M11W) – Alleged newlywed Kaisei gets the hump n’ bump master Kotoshogiku in the battle of grizzled vets. With both men preferring the mawashi, this will likely be won or lost at the tachiai. Kotoshogiku has an overwhelming advantage in their rivalry: excluding fusen-sho it’s 12-1 to the Sadogatake man. The Brazilian hasn’t displayed much of an answer for Kotoshogiku’s main move.
Chiyotairyu (M11E) vs Kotoeko (M10W) – It’s a battle of unlikely and perhaps temporary heyagashira of two massive stables, as Kokonoe’s Chiyotairyu gets Sadogatake’s Kotoeko. Kotoeko has been much improved lately in terms of his endurance and stamina on the dohyo, and if he can survive the tachiai he’d have to be favoured here. That said, Chiyotairyu’s two wins out of five against Kotoeko have been the two most recent encounters, and a big cannonball tachiai could well blow him away. I’d make this a coin flip, we’ll see whose style wins the day.
Sadanoumi (M10E) vs Onosho (M9W) – Onosho dominates this rivalry against the achingly consistent Sadanoumi. Again, I think this gets won at the tachiai. If Onosho fails to establish his pushing attack or gets too much forward lean, the veteran Sadanoumi should be able to easily slap or toss him down. Onosho had been having a little bit of a renaissance before his disastrous 2-13 last time out: he’ll be trying to prove this isn’t his true ceiling after all his injury problems. Sadanoumi, meanwhile, you look at, and go: “yeah, Maegashira 10 sounds about right.” It’s really up to Onosho to take the initiative here.
Enho (M9E) vs Wakatakakage (M8W) – These guys have met three times, all down in Juryo. Enho triumphed last time, but these are the matches where I worry about him: against a technical opponent with good mobility, which can limit his strengths. Wakatakakage has been extremely consistent in recent basho – which must be of great joy to his new shisho – and I would expect him to continue his progress this time. I make Wakatakakage the favourite here.
Ryuden (M7E) vs Tokushoryu (M8E) – For a time it looked like Ryuden was going to regularly trouble the joi-jin but he’s settled in as a mid table guy. Tokushoryu did well to stabilise himself last basho after bounding up and then down the banzuke after his championship. These two guys have two very different objectives: Ryuden wants to prove he can move and stay up the banzuke whereas Tokushoryu, near the end of his career and having spent much of the recent years in Juryo, wants to hang around these parts as long as possible. I actually think if he’s in good shape, Tokushoryu can win this. Ryuden seems to have problems putting away tricky customers and Tokushoryu’s twist down technique at the edge could work for him here.
Aoiyama (M7W) vs Kagayaki (M6W) – Aoiyama had won the first six encounters, but Kagayaki has won the last three and I make him the favourite here against an opponent that continues to just not show a whole lot. Kagayaki has looked determined to add a bit of the steel to his sumo that makes him hard to beat, and while he suffered a 5-10 last time out, I think he has a good chance against some treading-water opponents to reverse course in this basho. No details as yet as to whether any part of this match will be pixelated.
Takayasu (M6E) vs Takarafuji (M5W) – Both of these veterans seem determined to make it back to san’yaku. Takarafuji has the better of the training situation with two other high rankers in his stable, and perhaps that will help him this basho (it certainly didn’t last time). Takayasu needs to deploy a strong tachiai and use an oshi-attack against a rikishi who will be intent on stalemating him and wearing him down. Takayasu is the rare opponent for Takarafuji who can probably match him for stamina and isn’t afraid of a long match, but coming back from the injuries he’s had, I’m not sure if that’s good for Takayasu. It’s a slight edge for me to the former Ozeki here, on account of having more in his locker to put away the Isegahama man.
Kiribayama (M5W) vs Tochinoshin (M4W) – This is a really intriguing matchup. Kiribayama has tried to adopt some of Tochinoshin’s lifting technique, although it’s possibly ultimately not where his sumo lies long term. Kiribayama’s issue for me is he’s not approached matches at this end of the banzuke with a real game plan, often playing to his opponent’s strengths. If he can stay mobile and use his throwing techniques to his advantage in getting uncomfortable grips for a strong but predictable opponent like Tochinoshin, he can consistently win these types of matches. I don’t know if he’s there yet.
Yutakayama (M4E) vs Terutsuyoshi (M3W) – Terutsuyoshi seems to have really benefitted from the resurgence of his heya as a whole, with several strong rikishi and prospects now in the top two divisions. However, having motored up to a new career high placing, this is where things are going to get really difficult. Yutakayama, on song, has a pushing attack that will blow the little man away, so he’s going to have to try something special to manoeuvre his larger opponent into a position from his he cannot defend. Yutakayama looked to have turned it around recently, but simply has not been able to deal with top rankers, so in a No-kozuna tournament that pulls him firmly into the joi again this time, Terutsuyoshi should be a welcome first opponent.
Okinoumi (K1E) vs Myogiryu (M3E) – Okinoumi’s late career resurgence continues, and his reward is a date on shonichi with fellow veteran Myogiryu. Given recent performance, it’s hard to believe a couple years ago we might have felt both of these guys were lost to chronic and serious injuries. Okinoumi barely leads the lifetime series 13-12, but if he can blunt the speedy Myogiryu’s tachiai with a strong grip, I’d make him the favourite on paper again here.
Daieisho (S2E) vs Tamawashi (M2W) – This is almost a master and apprentice match, with two practitioners of very similar styles of sumo. The eight basho Sekiwake Tamawashi and debutant Daieisho both share the trait of upward thrusting to keep their opponents out of focus and off balance. Daieisho has been a revelation in the last twelve months, and at times looks almost to win matches through sheer will. The naysayers will point to his two fusen-sho last time out detracting from his 11 win performance, but his presence at the rank of Sekiwake should put some fire under the two other holders of the rank. Recent history favours Daieisho here, and he’s going to want to prove he can hold this rank.
Hokutofuji (M2E) vs Mitakeumi (S1W) – It’s not that long ago we were talking about Hokutofuji as an Ozeki candidate. It’s been for a long time that we’ve been talking about Mitakeumi as an ever-present Ozeki candidate. Both have suffered injury problems, but it’s the decorated Mitakeumi that has spurned more good opportunities, and he will be desperate to take advantage in this tournament. While Hokutofuji has done well to consistently keep himself among the division’s elite, Mitakeumi simply has more up his sleeve than Hokutofuji’s push/thrust/slap attack and will be the presumable favourite to win a match he really can’t afford to be losing.
Shodai (S1E) vs Takanosho (M1W) – I like this matchup, because again, there are a lot of shared characteristics both on and off dohyo. Both men have almost quietly risen to the business end of the banzuke while more vaunted competitors (or in Takanosho’s case, stablemates) have received the majority of the headlines. Shodai, having almost been written off as a serious talent, has added an enormous amount of power and stamina to his game which in some ways has compensated for his continually weak tachiai. Both men aren’t afraid to go chest to chest to grapple and both men can win with a pushing/thrusting attack, and it’s in the latter area that Takanosho particularly excels. Shodai is the favourite but this may be a potential upset encounter.
Terunofuji (M1E) vs Takakeisho (O1W) – He came from the bottom to the top: Terunofuji’s stunning yusho might have been the icing on the cake of his remarkable comeback from knee problems, health problems, and being-in-Jonidan problems, but the cherry would be reclaiming his place in san’yaku. Or even, say it quietly, his old Ozeki position. The hard work continues here against a newly-engaged Takakeisho who has struggled with his own injuries and only had two good basho in the seven since he’s assumed the Ozeki rank. Indeed, his percentage of quality tournaments is starting to look rather like that of his opponent during his own Ozeki tenure. Given that he’s the current holder, I’m going to make Terunofuji the favourite here: while the two have only met once, with Takakeisho being triumphant in that match, it was years ago at the start of Terunofuji’s slide down the ranks. Terunofuji has more dimensions to his sumo, and if he’s been able to keep himself fit, he may do well here.
Asanoyama (O1E) vs Endo (K1W) – All eyes are on Asanoyama as the man at the top of the tree this tournament. His 4-6 record against Endo shows that these matches against his near rivals are the ones he needs to start to win with more consistency if he is going to take the next step in his career development. I’d go as far as to say that with the number of hungry rikishi behind him, these are the matches this basho that he simply cannot afford to lose. While Asanoyama favours a right hand in, left hand outside grip, Endo is a famously tricky customer who, despite frustrating with both his inconsistency and interviews, is probably still one of the more multi-dimensional and gifted tacticians in the sport. His 7 kinboshi are proof that Endo revels in underdog bouts. There are no kinboshi on offer this tournament, but with a huge pile of kensho on offer at the end of this one and a big scalp on the line, he will turn up. Asanoyama needs to land his preferred grip early and dispatch Endo with authority, as a good start in this basho may prove crucial.
