Hatsu Day 8 – Lower Division Ones To Watch

Bruce H Wakaichiro (若一郎) , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Day 8, Nakabe – the middle day of the basho, is upon us, and the scheduling team has gone wild putting most of our “Ones to Watch” on the torikumi. Are we excited? Yes indeed! We almost got Herouth’s hoped for match of Ura vs Hoshoryu, but Hoshoryu is taking on Ichiyamamoto (also one of our ones to watch) instead. Should they both win or both lose, they could face each other next.

We also have fan favorite Wakaichiro fighting early in the day, along with several of his Musashigawa stablemates. It’s going to be wall to wall, and Tachiai will be glued to our streams from the start.

Hattorizakura vs Shishimaru – What would nakabe be without the perpetual parade of defeats brought to us by the little guy? We would all love to see him win for a change, but first he must WANT to win.

Wakaichiro vs Asanoshima – I can’t describe how excited I am to see the rikishi from Humble, TX face off against 3-0 Asanoshima. This is in fact a rematch, with Wakaichiro winning their prior match. Asanoshima has been in sumo since the mid 2000s, so it’s youth against experience tonight.

Shoji va Saionji – A 2-1 bracket match pits Musashigawa’s Shoji against Sandanme mainstay Saionji from Shikihide heya. This will probably come down to the all important tachiai, as the two are fairly equally matched.

Torakio vs Kaizen – The scion of Naruto heya faces Asakayama heya’s Kaizen in this 2-1 bracket match. Kaizen has been flipping between Makushita and Sandanme, and tends to get a kachi-koshi at this rank. I predict it will be a bit of an uphill challenge for Torakio.

Musashikuni vs Aozora – A note on Musashikuni (nephew of former Yokozuna Musashimaru), he seems to have suffered a foot injury a few weeks a go, and it has been negatively impacting his sumo. Coming into this match 0-3, make-koshi is on the line, and we hope Musashikuni can find a way to endure the physical challenge and win.

Midorifuji vs Kainoryu – Ushering in the fan favorite section of Makushita, Midorifuji will take on Kainoryu in a 1-2 bracket match. Kainoryu is fighting at his highest ever rank, and looking to pick up 3 wins from the last 4 matches. But former Kinki University rikishi Midorifuji will be no easy mark.

Ura vs Kairyu – This 2-1 bracket match is back to back with another pair of high interest rikishi, and I suspect the atmosphere in the Kokugikan may be closer to that of a top division match for a few minutes. Ura’s opponent is a 28 year old veteran who has been ranked as high as Makushita 2, and represents the kind of rikishi he will have to fight is way past to return to the Juryo ranks.

Hoshoryu vs Ichiyamamoto – Immediately following the Ura match, fan favorite Hoshoryu mounts the dohyo for another 2-1 bracket match. He faces another of our “ones to watch”, former Chuo University star Ichiyamamoto. This one has a lot of potential as well!

Hatsu Day 7 Highlights

Bruce H Abi (阿炎), Aoiyama, Asanoyama (朝乃山), Chiyonokuni (千代の国), Chiyoshoma, Chiyotairyū (千代大龍), Daiamami (大奄美), Daieisho (大栄翔), Endo (遠藤), Gōeidō (豪栄道), Hakuho (白鵬), Hatsu Basho 2019, Hokutōfuji (北勝富士), Ichinojo (逸ノ城), Ikioi (勢), Kagayaki (輝), Kaisei (魁聖), Kotoshogiku (琴奨菊), Kotoyuki, Mitakeumi(御嶽海), Myogiryu (妙義龍), Nishikigi, Okinoumi (隠岐の海), Ryuden (竜電), Sadanoumi (佐田の海), Shohozan, Shōdai (正代直也), Takakeishō (貴景勝), Takarafuji (宝富士), Takayasu (高安), Tamawashi (玉鷲), Tochiozan (栃煌山), Yago, Yoshikaze (嘉風), Yutakayama, Ōnoshō (阿武咲) , , , , , ,

Some of our readers, and many sumo fans in general, have complained that recent basho have ended up being “Sumo light”, due to the lack of Yokozuna and Ozeki participation. As we near the half way point of this basho, we are down to 1 Yokozuna and 1.5 Ozeki, and the focus really has shifted to the lower ranks. With so many titans of sumo off the dohyo, the focus has shifted to the lower ranks.

I am impressed that Goeido is soldiering on, and finding ways to win in spite of the problems with his right arm. I expect him to go kyujo after he can manage an 8th win. Thankfully Hakuho looks genki enough, and Takayasu seems to be over his flu.

Highlight Matches

Chiyonokuni defeats Yutakayama – Any match with Chiyonokuni has the potential to be a mad-cap barn burner, and today Yutakayama put everything he could towards a win. The result was a wild tsuki-oshi fest that see-sawed back and forth. A great way to start the top division today.

Kotoyuki defeats Daiamami – A second spirited bout to start the day, Daiamami held advanage several times, but The Penguin battled back each time. At attempted slap down reversed the opponents, and Kotoyuki put Daiamami’s back to the tawara, and pushed with purpose.

Yago defeats Daishomaru – Hapless, winless Daishomaru has nothing serious to offer the surging youngster Yago, and goes down to defeat. We did, however, get to see Yago engage in a oshi-zumo match, and win.

Ikioi defeats Chiyoshoma – Chiyoshoma’s attempt at a face slap embedded in his tachiai (ala Hakuho) results in Ikioi getting poked in the eye. In spite of (or fueled by) this, Ikioi surges into battle with yet another injury and finds a way to overpower his opponent. Word is he was complaining of vision problems following the match.

Abi defeats Takarafuji – There seems to be some magic in Abi-zumo, as he effectively landed a nodowa against a many with no neck. Takarafuji found hims sumo disrupted, and battled to clear Abi’s attacks, but ran out of dohyo to maneuver.

Endo defeats Kagayaki – Both men threw the kitchen sink at each other, with Endo calling the tune. At one point their early oshi fest went chest to chest and the competitors actually did look like they were dancing. Post match, Endo was holding his forehead – another oversized bandage for a Kagayaki competitor? Maybe he needs to modify that tachiai.

Asanoyama defeats Sadanoumi – Member of the Kagayaki head wound club Sadanoumi cannot endure Asanoyama’s spin attack, and eats clay. Asanoyama picks up a much needed win.

Kaisei defeats Onosho – The only rank and file undefeated rikishi takes a loss at the hands of a surprisingly genki Kaisei. With this loss, Hakuho has sole possession of the lead.

Daieisho defeats Yoshikaze – Yoshikaze seems to have completely run out of energy to compete at the Makuuchi level. It’s painful to watch.

Chiyotairyu defeats Aoiyama – The hatakikomi came quickly, and made me gasp. Few rikishi are big enough and fast enough to roll someone the size of Aoiyama, but Chiyotairyu certainly can.

Okinoumi defeats Ryuden – Ryuden seems to have lost his fighting spirit, and each day seems to be going through the motions. Kind of tough to watch, but when injuries happen, this is the result.

Hokutofuji fusensho Mitakeumi – Mitakeumi damaged his knee day 6, and is missing an excellent chance to run up the score against a reduced Ozeki and Yokozuna force. Hokutofuji picks up back to back default wins, something that has not happened in decades.

Myogiryu defeats Nishikigi – Nishikigi’s magical adventure in the joi-jin looks like it has run out of gas. Can he refuel and return to surprising his opponents? I do hope so. Myogiryu gets a much needed win.

Tamawashi defeats Tochiozan – Tochiozan was on defense the entire match, and Tamawashi batted him about before deciding to finish him.

Takakeisho defeats Ichinojo – Ichinojo has reverted to the docile form of whatever species he is, and failed to deactivate Takakeisho’s wave action attack by grabbing his opponent’s mawashi until it was too late and he was already struggling for balance.

Takayasu defeats Kotoshogiku – Takayasu’s recovery from the flu continues, and he delivers the hug-n-chug to counter Kotoshogiku’s favorite attack strategy. With advantage in size, youth and joint health, Takayasu carried the match.

Goeido defeats Shodai – Impressive that Goeido is finding ways to win, now up to 3 wins out of a needed 8. He was helped by Shodai’s trademark crappy tachiai. Shodai was able to back to Ozeki to the bales, but did not lower his hips to thrust out Goeido, and instead Shodai launched his own body higher. Goeido capitalized on this blunder and won.

Hakuho defeats Shohozan – Hakuho is the lone undefeated rikishi, and is the man to beat for the Emperor’s cup. Shohozan could not generate much offense, and Hakuho waited for his moment and pulled “Big Guns” Shohozan down.

Mitakeumi Kyujo For Day 7

Liam R Hatsu Basho 2019, Kyujo (休場), Mitakeumi(御嶽海)

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The fears have become a reality: Mitakeumi has gone Kyujo as of Day 7 after suffering an injury to the quadriceps of his left knee during his Day 6 match with Myogiryu. Unable to walk, Mitakeumi required the giant wheelchair to get down the hanamichi before going directly to the hospital from the Kokugikan. This is a very unfortunate development, as Mitakeumi was looking extremely genki this January, and was undefeated going into his Friday match. In the initial statements concerning the injury, the Komusubi appeared hopeful that he was only dealing with muscle fatigue and would be able to compete on Day 7 (though it’s important to note that he was on crutches by this time). However, it seems Mitakeumi and his Oyakata will not follow in a certain former Yokozuna’s footsteps and try to gambarize though this injury. At least, for the time being that is. Considering the nature of quadriceps injuries, it is hard to speculate how long the healing process will take. Mitakeumi could be out for days or even weeks, but and we may see the Komusubi return in the coming days if the injury isn’t too severe.

His Day 7 opponent, Hokutofuji, will pick up a consecutive fusen win.

The team at Tachiai wish Mitakeumi well during his recovery, and look forward to the return of the tadpole king!

Key Day Seven Bouts to Watch

lksumo Hatsu Basho 2019

We start right at the bottom of the torikumi, where M15 Chiyonokuni (5-1) takes on M14 Yutakayama (4-2). When healthy and fighting well, both men belong much higher on the banzuke, and both are enjoying a strong start to the Hatsu basho after managing only 10 victories between the two of them in Kyushu. The pair split their four previous bouts, all of which took place last year, and we could see a spirited battle between two pusher-thrusters.

Moving up, we have top-division newcomer M13 Yago (5-1) taking on winless M16 Daishomaru. Daishomaru seems determined to show that the banzuke committee erred for a second-straight basho in keeping a struggling ‘maru (Chiyomaru after Aki) in the top division instead of promoting a more deserving Juryo performer (Yago after Aki, Terutsuyoshi after Kyushu). Yago, like Chiyonokuni, is one off the pace in the yusho race, and if he can pick up another 5 victories in the final 9 days, should claim a fighting spirit prize. The last seven men to do so in their Makuuchi debut are something of a mixed bag: Shodai, Ishiura, Onosho, Asanoyama, Abi, Ryuden, and Kyokutaisei.

Skipping over some less consequential bouts, we come to the first candidate for match of the day: M8 Kaisei (5-1) vs. M6 Onosho (6-0). Kaisei’s surprising loss to Sadanoumi today took only a little shine off this matchup between our co-leader and one of the chasers. There’s not much history between the two: they’ve only faced each other once, with Onosho prevailing during his breakout Makuuchi debut in May 2017 against a struggling and Juryo-bound Kaisei. The bout presents a classic contrast in styles between a mawashi man and a pusher-thruster. With all the withdrawals in the upper ranks, the remaining Ozeki and Yokozuna will need to face opponents ranked at least as low as M5. Given the poor records of Yoshikaze and Chiyotairyu, it’s easy to see Onosho being thrown into the fire, especially if he is still in the yusho race in a few days. I’m guessing that he will get a couple of easier bouts next against opponents like Asanoyama and Endo before getting tested against someone like Kotoshogiku or other upper maegashira. If he comes through all that with a share of the lead, it could be time for a big jump up the torikumi.

Another chaser, M5 Aoiyama (5-1 but should be 6-0), takes on M6 Chiyotairyu (2-4). Aoiyama has dominated their previous meetings 7-2 and is having much the better basho.

Word on the street is that Komusubi Mitakeumi (5-1) is planning to show up for his bout with M2 Hokutofuji (4-2) tomorrow, despite having left the arena in a wheelchair. Much as I want to see Mitakeumi fighting for higher rank and the yusho, I hope he only returns if his injury is truly much more minor than it looked—I don’t want to see him fighting on one leg and risking further damage. Edit: Mitakeumi is kyujo for day 7.

The other Komusubi, Myogiryu (2-4), takes on M2 Nishikigi (4-2). This is one bout where a Nishikigi victory would not qualify as a surprise: he leads the series 5-2, with most of those bouts taking placing much lower down the torikumi. Indeed, Myogiryu’s return to sanyaku, after a couple of years spent struggling at the bottom of the banzuke and taking two detours to Juryo, makes this a meeting of two Cinderellas.

M1 Tochiozan (2-4) faces Sekiwake Tamawashi (4-2), whom he has completely owned during their careers. Over the past ten years, the two have met 15 times, with Tochiozan winning 13, including the last 12.

Next we have another potential match of the day: Sekiwake Takakeisho vs. M1 Ichinojo. Both men are 4-2, and both picked up dispiriting losses today after a strong opening five days. Will Takakeisho give up his belt again? Will Ichinojo yield easily for the second straight day, or revert to being an immovable object? Answers to these questions will determine whether this will be a great bout or a dud. The two have met regularly, facing off in eight of the last eleven basho, and Takakeisho leads the series 6-2.

Ozeki Takayasu (3-3) looked powerful today against Nishikigi. Tomorrow, he faces M4 Kotoshogiku (4-2), who is pulled into the joi as a consequence of the kyujo in the upper ranks (note the complete absence of intra-sanyaku bouts today). Kotoshogiku is having a second consecutive strong tournament, and the career record between the two is seemingly quite even at 14-11 in favor of Takayasu, but this is deceptive: Kotoshogiku dominated the early days of the rivalry, when he was the Ozeki, but Takayasu has won the last 11 in a row.

In the penultimate bout, it’s struggling M3 Shodai vs. struggling Ozeki Goeido. Both men are 2-4. Shodai managed to pull off the upset in 4 of their 12 prior meetings. And in the musubi no ichiban, the other struggling M3, Shohozan (2-4) is still looking for his first victory against the last Yokozuna standing, Hakuho (6-0), in their 15th meeting.