With this win, Terunofuji picks up his 4th win, ensuring he is kachi-koshi for Haru. He also enters the Jonidan yusho bracket, and will compete to determine the champion of the lower division.
Personally, I would almost advise him to hold at 4 wins no matter what. He is clearly in poor physical condition, and might benefit from a slower promotion path. One thing is clear, injuries or not – Terunofuji still is a fierce competitor, and seems to enjoy being back on the dohyo. His fans (and they are legion) are pulling for him every step of the way.
The fantastic crew at NHK World Japan will once again be broadcasting the final 50 minutest of Makuuchi live on their global stream. If you are a die hard sumo fan, an insomniac, or in a world time zone where Makuuchi is not on in the middle of the night, do set your streaming devices to the NHK World feed and enjoy the full bout format, along with insightful commentary from the hosts.
I think we are starting to see a shift / reversion in Takayasu’s sumo. If so, it could spell some great things for the Ozeki. I credit the nearly non-stop training with ex-Kisenosato since January, I see elements of Kisenosato’s style re-emerging in Takayasu’s sumo. Let’s hope it works for him.
I would also encourage readers to go check out Josh’s write up on his day 6 adventure in Osaka: A Day Out at the EDION Arena: Haru 2019. Josh and I will be recording a video podcast later today, watch for it to pop up on your feeds early Sunday!
Highlight Matches
Kotoeko defeats Daishoho – Kotoeko continues to impress, and he had his work cut out for him with Daishoho, who was not surrendering any portion of the match to the man from Miyazaki. Kotoeko withstood Daishoho’s efforts to use his larger body and a painful arm-bar grip to wear Kotoeko down – good sumo from both.
Ishiura defeats Toyonoshima – A great day for Ishiura – no stunts or cheap moves, he takes small-man sumo to Toyonoshima with energy, mobility and speed. Toyonoshima sought to overpower Ishiura at the start, but superior footwork, and unwavering focus kept Ishiura in the match. This is the same sumo Ishiura used when he first broke into Makuuchi, and it’s why he became a fan favorite in a hurry.
Takagenji defeats Terutsuyoshi – Terutsuyoshi seems to have lost his sumo, and Takagenji is happy to encourage him to look for it. In the clay. With his face. Much as I joined everyone else in hoping Terutsuyoshi would hit and hold in the top division, it’s clear that he’s not quite ready yet.
Kagayaki defeats Chiyoshoma – Kagayaki seems to have broken through the ring rust and is starting to operate like he should. A mawashi match today was great to see, and as always solid fundamentals.
Tomokaze defeats Yutakayama – Yutakayama’s knee gave out today, and fans have to be concerned that the one time leader of the Freshmen is no where close to being healthy. Tomokaze showed some good oshi-zumo today, but his foot work is still a bit wild. Hopefully to former Takekaze will help him with that.
Meisei defeats Ryuden – Sumo fans around the world beg Ryuden to not emulate Ikioi that closely, as Ryuden exits todays match with a wound to his forehead. Meisei tachiai was excellent, and he was patient with his arm placement, which got him the grip he needed to win. Fantastic execution today by Meisei.
Yoshikaze defeats Shohozan – Yoshikaze’s fans savor any day an even partially genki Yoshikaze can take to the dohyo. Today he carefully picked his way through Shohozan’s tsuppari storm, and waited for a chance to apply force to Shohozan’s chest. Shohozan seldom puts his feet in a defensive stance, so getting a solid shove into his sternum is typically all that is needed to win.
Sadanoumi defeats Ikioi – The REAL Ikioi cannot generate forward pressure, but he did make Sadanoumi work for grip. Not much this poor, broken rikishi is going to be able to do until he can get his wounds repaired.
Kotoshogiku defeats Yago – Kotoshogiku is dialed in right now. Again I have to watch this match several times, and just savor that tachiai. Much respect to Yago, who withstands the hug-n-chug better than most, and rides the Kyushu Bulldozer like a rodeo champ. Watch Yago’s hip work, as he keeps shifting Kotoshogiku’s axis of force to either side. But Kotoshogiku knows his odd craft like no other, and he keeps Yago on defense, and backing away.
Aoiyama defeats Takarafuji – Aoiyama looks to have enough sumo to take down anyone at his ranking. Today’s match was all Bulgarian Man-Mountain.
Okinoumi defeats Asanoyama – As a long-serving veteran, Okinoumi has a library of technical skill. Sadly as his age advances we don’t see it as frequently as we did even 4 years ago, but today he gives newer fans of why he’s been in the top division since 2010. That makikae gambit after Asanoyama had stalemated him is worthy of framing.
Chiyotairyu defeats Onosho – Some days, Chiyotairyu’s sumo are a fascinating study in physics. He’s enormous, he’s strong and his stamina is not huge. But he understands force and momentum. He applies a massive blow at the tachiai to Onosho, who knows it’s coming, and meets it with sufficient force to remain upright, but Chiyotairyu uses that forward pressure from Onosho to supply the drive for an immediate hatakikomi. Stand him up, swat him down.
Ichinojo defeats Abi – If we can cite a day when Abi-zumo (in its current form) was declared ineffective, it could be today. Abi’s frantic arm thrusts have no effect on a genki Ichinojo, who frankly seemed a bit bored. Ichinojo takes to batting Abi’s hands away, and then the look of “bad pony” crosses Ichinojo’s face, and Abi is bodily taken to the clay.
Myogiryu defeats Tochiozan – Tochiozan is having one of his periodic bad tournament. Myogiryu show fantastic focus, dead on foot work and excellent balance today.
Tamawashi defeats Kaisei – It continues to look like the moment that Tamawashi rallied against Hokutofuji on day 6 is when his sumo came back to him. Kaisei fought hard, and stuck with it, but Tamawashi is back to angry Sekiwake mode.
Takakeisho defeats Daieisho – Takakeisho is continuing to rack up wins. While his sumo is fairly one dimensional, that dimension aligns very well with a sumo fundamental. Thus he continues to win. He is introducing some useful variations on his theme, and I am going to be curious how his test match with Hakuho will go this time.
Endo defeats Tochinoshin – Tochinoshin tries for a pull, and the change of momentum is all Endo needs to stuff the Ozeki into a box and send him away. I think Tochinoshin clearing kadoban is going to be a nail biter right to day 15.
Goeido defeats Mitakeumi – I suspect Mitakeumi’s attempt to power though his injuries are starting to fail. Goeido is back to “awesome” mode, and shuts Mitakeumi down. Relegated to little more than plump baggage, Mitakeumi crosses the tawara after a valiant struggle.
Takayasu defeats Hokutofuji – Once again, the shoulder blast was not used. What’s great about this match is that Hokutofuji is throwing the kitchen sink at the Ozeki, and Takayasu is absorbing it all. Hokutofuji keeps trying anything, and its clear he is running out of steam. Takayasu, with is freakish stamina, is not even starting to feel it. As Hokutofuji fades, the Ozeki takes over and tosses him for a loss. Commentator Murray Johnson remarked, “Not Takayasu’s best work”, but I would say that this match, and the way Takayasu executed his plan, is a glimpse at a significant change (or reversion) to his sumo. Watch Takayasu’s foot work, he is so heavy today. I now can’t wait to see if he uses this against the Yokozuna and Ozeki week two. We may be seeing the start of some higher performance Takayasu sumo, and I am damn excited at the prospect.
Kakuryu defeats Nishikigi – Nishikigi keeps his footing for most of the match, but Kakuryu’s mobility and balance are so good, it was just a matter of how and when.
Hakuho defeats Shodai – Shodai is looking especially pathetic this basho. I am done making fun of him for now. I think even Hakuho felt sorry for him for a moment after the match.
The EDION Arena in Osaka, Day 6 of the 2019 Haru basho
Ahoy sumo fans. I am here in Osaka, where I spent Day 6 of the Haru basho at the gymnasium/arena known as the EDION Arena for sponsorship purposes, also known as the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium not for sponsorship purposes!
Allow me to fill you in and transfer all of the vibes into your brain space:
It’s easy to feel close to the action in Osaka
Atmosphere
Outside of Tokyo, I really think Osaka is the best basho. If you are from Nagoya or Fukuoka, I’m sorry. Actually I’m not that sorry, because those are cool places to be from. But it is hard to rival the atmosphere in Osaka, which most days verges – for sumo – on downright raucous. It’s loud and people have no shame in letting everyone know who they are cheering for.
I arrived during Jonidan, and as usual the place was milling with senior citizens, who typically come early with their copy of the torikumi and highlighters and go through all of the day’s matches. In that sense, the late morning crowd-watching is not unlike that of a bingo hall. It is incredible how much these elderly folks know all the lower division guys and then in many cases make their way to catch them leaving the shitakubeya for a photo.
Kakuryu prepares to beat Shodai in the musubi-no-ichiban
This brings me to the next great Osaka tradition: waiting by the front door for rikishi to enter. They come right in the front door, and people get excited. There are clearly marked areas in the lobby where it is acceptable to stand. You can just wait there all day, and it is somewhat predictable what time the more popular rikishi will show up, but if you want to also see sumo, it can be a real lottery. You could miss good sumo and end up waiting for 10 mins just to see Tokushōryū as I did (no offense Tokushōryū, I’m sure you are a very cool guy and we are blessed to have smelled your binzuke). You had better like the scent of binzuke if you come to Osaka, because with so many rikishi passing you regularly in the halls, it is inescapable.
You can tell a lot from who the crowd largely supports by the nature of applause during the dohyo-iri. The two big names in Juryo this time were undoubtedly Aminishiki (potentially fighting his last tournament) and Enho, who is now solidly a crowd favorite. Since the crowd gets so much louder than it usually does at a basho, it’s easier to get a read on who has a few fans and who is legitimately popular at the moment. It’s fair to say Enho is now at least on the Chiyomaru level.
I got my tickets through buysumotickets.com, and ended up in what a fellow fan called “gaijin alley,” as typically happens since they block buy the tickets for overseas customers. I sat next to a family of very nice and friendly Australians, who stayed all the way to the end and were hugely interested and excited to see sumo for the first time. I have noticed plenty more fans from Australia coming to tournaments lately, so maybe study-abroad alumnus Ishiura has started doing protein shake commercials down under (Australians, please let us know in the comments!).
Snacks and gift boxes for sale at the Haru basho in Osaka
Food
I would probably rank Osaka third out of the four basho cities in terms of the availability and quality of food on offer in the venue (ahead of Fukuoka). This is a fairly shocking and damning indictment, given that Osaka is definitely-not-probably one of the greatest food cities, not only in Japan but in the world.
I grabbed some edamame as I was in need of sustenance, and it did not let me down. The yakitori, however, was far worse than at Kokugikan in Tokyo, and was a bit cold and slimy. My advice, if you’re planning to attend the Osaka basho, is to have a large breakfast beforehand and then either smuggle snacks in your backpack or just grab a couple things at the venue.
Katsu sandwiches, Yakitori and Edamame for sale in Osaka
You will find stuff like dried squid and cheese packs here, but the sweets game in Osaka is pretty weak. They do stock the usual rikishi/dohyo-decorated-cookie gift packs, but none of the Hello Panda action, candy, or NSK-branded treats like the wacky Hiyonoyama pancakes that you’ll get at Kokugikan. There is a restaurant in the basement that has a deep if uninspiring menu when compared with what lies outside – so you’re better off taking advantage of the single re-entry policy than eating at the venue. If I’m the NSK I would probably figure out a way to do a deal with a couple beloved local vendors, and play up the local culture in order to enhance the in-venue experience.
The East and West sides of the venue provide a much closer look of the action from the second level (right), owing to the shape of the gymnasium
Seats
This is where Osaka just flat-out wins. I had Arena “A” seats, which are the furthest back seats on either the east or west sides of the venue. The rectangle shape of the arena means that there’s a strong distance difference between Arena “A” and the Arena “B” & “C” seats, which are the furthest back on the front and back sides of the dohyo. The layout is very different from Kokugikan, where the A seats put you at the very front of the upper tier, so that’s something to bear in mind. The “S” and “SS” seats are the best upper tier seats.
This all being said, despite being in the penultimate row on the west side of the venue, the view is just incredible. You can very clearly see everything that’s going on, and you don’t feel far away from the action at all. In fact, I felt closer to the action in these seats than I did at a jungyo event in Koshigaya last year, in a local gymnasium.
The “Thank You Kisenosato” message board for fans in Osaka
Merch & Experience
The official NSK merch booth got set up around 1pm, and it is staffed by oyakata. This booth always provides a good opportunity to interact with ex-rikishi you may have known and/or loved. It was a little odd to see someone like ex-Satoyama/now-Sanoyama, who very recently wrapped up his career, still with his mage, setting out the merch like a shop assistant. One of the oyakata started the daily sales by passing out fliers to and loudly hawking tickets for Satoyama’s danpatsushiki to the assembled masses, much to the bemusement of the soon-to-be-shorn ex-sekitori.
The hot item at this booth was the limited edition Kisenosato collector’s photo and postcard set. I told Bruce during our Hatsu basho podcast that it felt like it wouldn’t be until Haru that his retirement would feel more real, because we wouldn’t see him around the place as much. Well, guess what? We now see him more than we have in years! In addition to the new merch items, the rest of the stalls still ran a robust trade in Kisenosato merchandise, a huge “Arigato Kisenosato” board was erected for fans to write their thank-yous and memories (a really nice touch), and the man himself has been all over the arena and TV as he comes to watch Takayasu every day. I wouldn’t be surprised if the robust merch offerings are on offer at the Natsu basho in Tokyo, as well as the “thank you” message board.
The NSK did a slight revamp of their “purikura” feature which allows fans to take photos in pre-selected frames and share to their social media profiles. However, this was broken for most of the day, so I wasn’t able to try it out. They really should bring back the old, proper purikura box they used to have.
T-shirts (including Kisenosato’s) on sale at the arena, including the name of each rikishi’s stable
As for rikishi merchandise, local man Ikioi’s merch was very scarce compared to last year’s Osaka basho, and even Osaka superstar Ozeki Goiedo wasn’t as well represented as some of the hot young names of the moment. After the top ranks, the usual suspects – Abi, Asanoyama, Takakeisho, Hokutofuji – were very big sellers. There were a few more Tamawashi items than usual, owing to his recent yusho. The diversity of merchandise and gifts was quite good: the offerings easily rivalled that of Kokugikan in selection if not in volume. One item I had never seen before was shochu, the bottles of which were branded with the shikona of various Yokozuna and Ozeki.
Tachiai will be heading back to the EDION Arena for Day 11’s action – if you have information you’d like to know about the sumo experience – let us know in the comments! We’ll be happy to answer, or find out for ourselves and report back!
