Courtesy of Sponichi news in Japan – Ozeki Takakeisho expects to return to the basho on day 8, to resume competition. He has stated that after using oxygen therapy on his knee, he feels ready to return to the doyho, prior to the 3 weeks recuperation directed by the doctor.
While it will be exciting to see Takakeisho unleash his trademark wave-action sumo, we hope he is recovered enough to ensure he does not compound any problems to that injured knee.
Good luck, tadpole!
Act 2 opened with some amazing technical sumo, and a lot of the level of skill fans hope to see in the top division. It seems fairly likely that both Kakuryu and Goeido are nursing their old injuries, as both of them have switched to lower intensity sumo. In fact both remaining Ozeki are at 3-3, and the prospect of a suite of kadoban Ozeki for the sweltering basho in Nagoya has made its ugly appearance. We already know that Takakeisho will be kadoban, but the assumption was that the rest of the Ozeki corps, with Hakuho and Takakeisho benched, would have an easy path to their 8. But in fact even Takayasu seems to be struggling with his joints, and we could see both remaining Ozeki struggle right up until the end of the tournament.
With day 6 in the record books, we are now looking squarely at the middle weekend of the basho. This is about the time it becomes reasonable to start seriously looking at the yusho race, and while the yusho contention roster looks clear today, if Kakuryu is hurt it could be a wide-open scramble for the cup. Stay tuned, as I don’t think that it’s going to be gentle, predictable or even obvious.
[All of them, frankly]
Daishoho defeats Kotoeko – Fantastic sumo from Daishoho who stuck his grip early and held on. Kotoeko tried any number of moves to get free, but could not shake Daishoho. The match ended with Kotoeko attempting to set up a throw, and Daishoho using the weight shift to drop Kotoeko to the clay.
Chiyoshoma defeats Tokushoryu – Tokushoryu once again does not seem focused. He was (I think) looking for the henka, and stood straight up at the tachiai, and Chiyoshoma lunged forward, gaining a double inside grip immediately. Twice Tokushoryu loaded a throw with a hip pivot. The first time Chiyoshoma shut it down, the second time Chiyoshoma went over but landed last. Great sumo from Chiyoshoma.
Ishiura defeats Chiyomaru – Chiyomaru may have also been anticipating a henka, and he minimized his forward motion at the tachiai, instead opting to put his hands out and break Ishiura’s approach. This left Chiyomaru’s body wide open, and like Chiyoshoma the match before, Ishiura went for a grip. Now a man of Ishiura’s dimensions could never get his arms around the oblate spheroid that is Chiyomaru, but the left hand digs deep and finds the mawashi knot. Ishiura ducks down and drives, seasoning the assault with a feint to the knee with his right hand that made Chiyomaru stand up and try to back away. Having gotten the big man to do the work, Ishiura just kept him moving and took the match. Great tactic, excellent execution.
Sadanoumi defeats Terutsuyoshi – Sadanoumi had been looking slow for a few days, but today he was back to his winning form with a rapid attack at the tachiai that gave him a grip around Terutsuyoshi’s shoulders. Sadanoumi never relented and quickly took the smaller Terutsuyoshi out. Sadanoumi improves to 3-3.
Enho defeats Yago – Enho is, lets face it, on fire right now. This guy is operating at an energy level seldom seen, and fans are in love with this guy and his sumo. Enho starts the match without much of a tachiai, and focuses on keeping Yago back and flailing, a role Yago is happy to supply. Enho waits for his opportunity, then comes the familiar “duck and dive” as he latches into Yago’s belly, and suddenly Yago is not quite sure what to do. His only real grip is on Enho’s neck, and Enho is kicking at his shins while his right hand is latched to the front of Yago’s mawashi. Simply put, Yago is trapped. Enho spins and dives for the uwatehineri win.
Tochiozan defeats Shimanoumi – Tochiozan’s skill, technique and experience have really been on display this basho. His sumo has not been achingly strong or blindingly fast, just solid, good form. After back to back Juryo yusho, Shimanoumi needs to get his sumo in gear or forsake the top division.
Nishikigi defeats Shohozan – First match started with an all too common Shohozan matta / cheap shot to the face. This seems to have gotten Nishikigi fired up, because he gave Shohozan a good fight, but they touched down together and it was time for a torinaoshi. As with the first match, Nishikigi locked up Shohozan’s arms and used them as anchors to march him around, this time for the win.
Tomokaze defeats Kagayaki – A very simple match, Kagayaki was stood up by Tomokaze’s thrust to the chin, then slapped won. Kagayaki really needs wins at this point, he’s in a tough spot.
Onosho defeats Asanoyama – Onosho takes down the previously undefeated Asanoyama. Onosho got the better of the tachiai, and used it to dictate the terms of the match. Asanoyama was unable to set up any offense, and by the time he tried to defend, he was out of dohyo to work in.
Kaisei defeats Yoshikaze – Yoshikaze seems to have no attack power right now. Injury? Poor health? Personal challenges? I could not say, but it’s tough to watch.
Myogiryu defeats Shodai – Shodai put a lot of effort into the match, a lot of “hit and move” sumo, but Myogiryu kept his focus on center-mass, and that was what carried the day. Myogiryu really needed that win.
Ryuden defeats Meisei – I am continuing to be impressed by how consistently Ryuden is improving his sumo. Both rikishi go for left hand inside and deep grips, and get to work trying to overpower the other. Watch Ryuden’s feet, really outstanding placement, giving him the best possible foundation to move aggressively forward. His biggest challenge today was that Meisei’s legs are short enough that Ryuden could not drop his hips enough to make a difference. Meisie figures this out and pivots for a throw. Ryuden senses this and dismantles the move, with Meisei collapsing for the loss. A great match to watch on slow motion replay.
Takarafuji defeats Abi – Abi does what everyone knows he will do, but the technical skill and match-winning patience of Takarafuji lets him get underneath Abi’s arms, disrupts his attacks, and converts Abi’s advantage into his defeat. Great technical sumo from Takarafuji. Abi, always good to have a plan b.
Endo defeats Okinoumi – For technical sumo fans, this match was a delight. We always knew that these two were likely to pull out some of the less used recipes from the sumo cookbook, and they had a great time doing it. Okinoumi took the advantage first with a left hand inside grip, but getting there left him off balance and fairly far forward. Endo followed suit and got left hand inside and deep – the two were stalemated, but Okinoumi was still too far forward. After an attempt to raise Endo, Endo responded by a quick pull and drop, and Okinoumi hit the clay. Great example of an uwatedashinage.
Hokutofuji defeats Aoiyama – Aoiyama is not typically this docile, so I am going to say “injury” for him too. His lone attempt at offense was a pulling move that only set him up for the oshidashi that followed. Thus begins the rehabilitation of Hokutofuji’s record.
Mitakeumi defeats Kotoshogiku – People knock Mitakeumi because he does not train like a maniac, and I think that’s why he has yet to make Ozeki, although it seems he is close to that level most basho. But check out this match against Kotoshogiku. Perfect tachiai from Mitakeumi gets him chest to chest with Kotoshogiku. For most rikishi, that’s a quick trip to the hug-n-chug express, but Mitakeumi shuts that down and keeps Kotoshogiku wigging like next-week’s bonito. Bagged and tagged, he keeps moving forward while lifting the former Ozeki. Great sumo from Mitakeumi today.
Tochinoshin defeats Ichinojo – Everyone was looking forward to this match, I think even Ichinojo and Tochinoshin were keen to see how this one turned out. Simply put, it was brilliant stuff. Ichinojo put up a hell of a fight today, but Tochinoshin was not going to be denied. Yotsu – check, Lift and shift – check, Ichinojo fighting vigorously – check. One for the highlight reels. Tochinoshin moves to 6-0. Watch out.
Tamawashi defeats Takayasu – I think both remaining Ozeki are hurt, and are struggling to find a way to make it through this tournament with 8 wins. Takayasu tries his shoulder blast, but Tamawashi has known for a couple of years that is coming, and knows exactly what to do with it. While the Ozeki is dithering between oshi and yotsu, Tamawashi has position and stance to apply maximum forward pressure on Takayasu, and he has the inside position. As Takayasu realizes he has given every advantage to Tamawashi, Tamawashi starts piston like thrusts to Takayasu’s chest. A nodowa here, followed by a slap, back to thrusting. Takayasu has no way to slow it down, and takes the okuridashi for a loss.
Chiyotairyu defeats Goeido – Goeido is not operating well, and today Chiyotairyu was perfect for his sumo. A blast off the line rolling into an immediate slap down. As Goeido is usually 100% on attack, there was no recovery option backed into the plan. Goeido drops to 3-3 with Takayasu.
Kakuryu defeats Daieisho – The Yokozuna again wins in reverse gear, and you can see him favoring that ankle that he has had trouble with in the past. I am going to assume he stays in all 15 days out of dedication to the sport, even though his sumo is less than awesome right now.
Welcome to the start of act 2! We sort the survivors from the damned, and we get our first look at the yusho race. The second act also includes the middle weekend of the tournament, and we know that NHK World Japan will be doing another Grand Sumo Live broadcast for the final hours of Makuuchi on day 8 (Sunday), which works out to the early morning hours of Sunday in the USA. We also know that a number of great folks who are friends of Tachiai will be in the Kokugikan taking on the sights and sounds of the day. As always, we will bring you all the coverage.
Daishoho vs Kotoeko – Kotoeko has been producing some of the most consistently fun to watch sumo this basho. The guy is fairly small without being an Enho-class pixie, he’s got a lot of strength, and each match features a flurry of frantic sumo delivered with power. The fun fact is that Kotoeko and Daishoho have a good history in the lower division, and they come into day 6 with an even 5-5 record across their career.
Tokushoryu vs Chiyoshoma – This one just screams henka.
Chiyomaru vs Ishiura – Also enough henka bait to lure Harumafuji out of retirement with Aminishiki ready for support.
Terutsuyoshi vs Sadanoumi – First-time match between these two, with Terutsuyoshi clearly still struggling to find his groove in the top division now 1⅓ tournaments in. Sadanoumi has been around enough that unless Terutsuyoshi has a good battle plan and can execute well in the first few seconds, Terutsuyoshi is likely to see loss #4.
Enho vs Yago – Yago is this bulky bison kind of fellow. Even his head is ridiculously meaty, and I sometimes think that his head could easily win the Jonidan yusho on its own should it ever detach from his body. Enho is expected to do the hop-and-duck tachiai popularized by Mianoumi, and then latch on firmly to any exposed extremity and pull with vigor. Come to think of it, should he catch a grip of Yago’s neck, we may still get to see that Jonidan yusho bid.
Nishikigi vs Shohozan – The enchanted Cinderella man that was Nishikigi seems to be on holiday somewhere, and we return to the normal work-a-day Nishikigi who can’t remember which tsukibeto has his spectacles. I want to see the guy who survived in the joi-jin for a while come back. Shohozan is likely to take the current Nishikigi to the wood shed in short order.
Kagayaki vs Tomokaze – Kagayaki is a mess right now. I am not sure if he is hurt, or just at a transitional phase in his training. But it’s not working out for him at the moment, and even his distracting man-boobs seem to have called it a day. Tomokaze won their only prior match.
Onosho vs Asanoyama – This match gives me great pain, as I want them both to win. It’s clear that Asanoyama is having a great start to the tournament—a win today would tie his longest unbeaten streak to start a tournament, which was back at Hatsu in 2018, where he finished 10-5 with a tiny Kanto-sho for his debut (at Maegashira 16). Onosho on the other hand has a problem with balance that has only gotten worse since his knee surgery. I wish I could find a way to recommend yoga for Onosho; it did wonders for my balance.
Kaisei vs Yoshikaze – Yoshikaze has a tough time with Kaisei, probably due to the huge amount of mass that has to be shuffled off the dohyo or down to the clay. Yoshikaze has always been about speed, but there are no fast roads in Kaisei-town. Kaisei holds a 12-4 career lead.
Myogiryu vs Shodai – I am going to watch Shodai do some great “stunt sumo” again on day 6, and it’s marvelously fun or annoying. Myogiryu is looking far off his sumo this basho, and I expect that as long as Shodai does not do anything too egregious at the tachiai, he should be able to control Myogiryu.
Meisei vs Ryuden – I really like Meisei’s chances against Shin-Ikioi today, as Meisei has been showing some good balance and footwork even though he has a 2-3 record coming into the match. [The head-to-head favors Meisei 7-4. -lksumo] Overall I think Ryuden is looking like a good candidate for a top Maegashira slot in the sweatbox of Nagoya.
Takarafuji vs Abi – Takarafuji will want to go chest to chest, Abi will want to windmill the Isegahama man into submission. Will this be a quick slap-slap-down event, or some kind of epic battle that makes us all cheer?
Endo vs Okinoumi – Both of these banged up rikishi come into day 6 with a meager 1-4 record, both of them are on course for a make-koshi, and both of them are safe from any serious demotion threat. Both of them are fairly technical, and I personally think Okinoumi is fighting better right now.
Aoiyama vs Hokutofuji – Battle of the punching-bags, as both men have been chew-toys for the upper named ranks for the past few days. Both of them have a 1-4 record to show for it. Hokutofuji is going to try to grab a handful of man-mountain, and Aoiyama is going to try to bludgeon Hokutofuji into the clay. Fun times. [Hokutofuji has prevailed in all but one of their previous 7 meetings. -lksumo]
Kotoshogiku vs Mitakeumi – I continue to be impressed with Kotoshogiku, while it looks like Mitakeumi is “holding station” for the moment, and waiting for a Sekiwake slot to open up for Nagoya. We still don’t know how serious Mitakeumi’s knee problems are, or what kind of injury state he is currently managing during competition. We do know that Kotoshogiku has most of the “tough” parts of his schedule complete now, and if he can keep racking up wins, should return to the named ranks for July. [Mitakeumi holds a 9-4 career edge against the former Ozeki. -lksumo]
Ichinojo vs Tochinoshin – Which Ichinojo will climb the dohyo on day 6? Will it be the strong, confident one that tosses people about with almost inhuman force? Tochinoshin holds a 15-5 career lead over Ichinojo, but will Tochinoshin engage the sky crane against about 505 pounds of rikishi?
Tamawashi vs Takayasu – These two used to share Sekiwake duties a few years back, and would always smack each other around once a basho. Their records show it, with a 12-11 slightly favoring Takayasu. I am going to guess we will see Takayasu’s wild, chaotic “kitchen sink” sumo as he throws everything at least once or twice against Tamawashi.
Goeido vs Chiyotairyu – I was surprised by Goeido’s day 5 loss, and I have to start wondering if the Ozeki is once again fighting hurt, and if so, how damaged he might be. A frequent problem is that right ankle, which has undergone surgery at least once. Genki Goeido has few problems with Chiyotairyu, but Goeido with ankle problems can do little more than try to pull Chiyotairyu down. [Chiyotairyu owns 6 upset wins in their 14 previous encounters. Will we see a Goeido henka? -lksumo]
Daieisho vs Kakuryu – A 2-0 career advantage for the Yokozuna, but there is that nagging question of Daieisho’s upset of Goeido on day 5. Kakuryu has also been using a lot of pulling / reverse motion sumo the past 2 days, and we have to wonder if maybe he has re-injured things as well.
With ten days of action left in the Summer basho, much is still to be decided, but we can begin to see the outlines of the stories that will define this tournament. Here are the storylines we’ll be following the rest of the way.
In the immortal words of Yogi Berra, it got late early. Judging by historical precedent, the yusho race is likely already down to two undefeated rikishi: Yokozuna Kakuryu and Sekiwake* Tochinoshin. How can I say this on Day 5? Well, although we all remember Tamawashi winning the Hatsu basho after a 3-2 start, that’s the only time this has happened in the last 20 years! Now, there have also been two tournament victors with 2-3 records on Day 5: Kyokutenho in 2012 and, memorably, Harumafuji in his final full tournament, Aki 2017. But with these rare exceptions, we can pretty much count on the winner racking up at least four shiroboshi by the 5th day.
Who else has met this threshold? We have M8 Asanoyama (5-0) and M4 Abi, M7 Shodai, M14 Enho, and M15 Kotoeko, all 4-1. Given the track record of this group, and the rarity of hiramaku (rank-and-file) yusho (four in the last 20 years), I just don’t see it.
Everyone’s favorite Georgian has not only recorded five victories in five days, but has looked impressive in doing so. He needs to go 5-5 the rest of the way to reclaim his Ozeki rank one year after his promotion, and seems very likely to do if he stays healthy [crosses fingers, prays to all relevant kami]. Tochinoshin’s quest will be aided by the absences of Hakuho and Takakeisho, who accounted for two of his losses in Osaka. That leaves him with only four opponents ranked above him; he faces the first of these, fellow Sekiwake Ichinojo, (2-3) tomorrow.
We’ve seen some titanic battles between these two, but the head-to-head favors Tochinoshin 16-5, including 6 victories in a row, unsurprisingly all by yorikiri. Tochinoshin handed Ichinojo his only loss in Osaka, depriving him of a shot at the yusho and us of a first-ever playoff between 15-0 rikishi. Unless the big Mongolian draws strong motivation from that defeat, current form favors Tochinoshin.
How are the Sekiwake and Komusubi ranks faring? West Sekiwake* Tochinoshin seems likely to vacate his slot via promotion. West Komusubi Mitakeumi has put himself in a good position with a 3-2 record during the most difficult part of his fight card, and should be favored against his remaining opponents with the exception of Goeido and Tochinoshin (he won’t have to face his nemesis, Kaisei, who is too far down the banzuke). East Sekiwake Ichinojo has dug himself a bit of a hole with a 2-3 start, with his toughest bouts yet to come, and his fate really depends on whether he can reawaken his inner beast from Osaka. Finally, East Komusubi Aoiyama (1-4) will have to turn things around in a hurry if he wants to stay in the named ranks.
While it’s way to early to know who will be in contention to occupy any San’yaku slots that open up, M2 Daieisho (3-2) and M4 Abi (4-1) currently sport the only winning records among the upper maegashira.
Five of the rikishi in the bottom 8 ranks (M13w-M17e) have posted a 2-3 score over the opening 5 days, so we could be in for another messy demotion picture. The positive exceptions are M14w Enho and M15w Kotoeko, who have sprinted out to 4-1 records while bringing exciting sumo to the dohyo every day. Each likely needs only 3 more victories to stay in the top division. On the flip side, we have M16w Ishiura (1-4). Barring yet more miraculous banzuke luck, he will need to go 7-3 or better the rest of the way, and do it mostly against higher-ranked opposition, for Hakuho’s dream of performing a dohyo-iri with his two uchi-deshi as attendants is to stay alive for Nagoya.
Down in Juryo, J1w Ikioi (0-5) continues to be a trainwreck, and it seems likely that we won’t see him back up in Makuuchi any time soon. On the other hand, fellow demotees J1e Toyonoshima (4-1) and J5e Yutakayama (4-1) are making strong pushes to keep their second-division visits brief. They are joined in the promotion queue by J2e Takagenji (5-0), who is seeking to make his top-division debut, and J3e Kyokushuho (4-1), who is seeking to return for the first time since March 2017. This quartet is also your Juryo yusho leaderboard.