Natsu 2024: Day Seven Highlights

Andy Natsu 2024, Natsu Basho

We had news that Kirishima and Wakamotoharu checked themselves into the infirmary today. This brings us close to my eight kyujo prediction before the tournament. We’ve got seven guys watching from the couch at home: Takerufuji, Asanoyama, Takakeisho, Terunofuji, Takayasu, Wakamotoharu, Kirishima.

With the exception of Takayasu and Takerufuji, the rest of these guys are in sanyaku meaning the ranks are not just depleted, they’re obliterated. But, it is better that they are on the couch than on the dohyo. Frankly, Kirishima should have been at home since Osaka. I should not dwell on the “I told you so,” but I think Takakeisho’s example of his initial demotion provides a path that more should have followed. From Terunofuji’s initial Ozeki-ship to Kirishima and Mitakeumi…that strategy might have prolonged their reigns.

So, where are we? Ura leads, undefeated. He will face his first sanyaku opponent today in Kotozakura. There are only four of these guys left so it could possibly be a quick trip through sanyaku before he faces rank and filers again. He had not fared well against sanyaku in recent tournaments so this could be a major stumbling block. That is why I still consider this yusho wide open.

The NHK is offering much more content in a more timely fashion lately. Now they have these videos posted within minutes of the bouts at this site. They split the videos into two halves for both Juryo and Makuuchi. You no longer have to put up with the political posts of that Zeal guy because if you want to watch, their videos are here:

Juryo Part 1 – Juryo Part 2

Makuuchi Part 1 – Makuuchi Part 2

Let’s get to the action.

Highlights

Daishoho (Juryo 3-4) defeated Roga (3-4). Roga was manhandled. Daishoho drove him back and out. Kyujo in 5, 4, 3, 2… Yorikiri.

Tokihayate (3-4) defeated Ryuden (5-2). Tokihayate got the jump at the tachiai, dragged Ryuden around the ring, and threw him into the shimpan. Rather satisfying to watch that. Uwatenage.

Churanoumi (5-2) defeated Tsurugisho (2-5). Tsurugisho had the energy for a few pulldown attempts but got walked out quickly and easily. Kyujo in…5, 4, 3… Yorikiri.

Takarafuji (6-1) defeated Mitoryu (1-6). Mitoryu hit Takarafuji with a solid nodowa. Just as he cornered Takarafuji at the edge of the ring, his ankle gave way and he fell. Kyujo in 5, 4, 3…Koshikudake.

Tomokaze (1-6) defeated Ichiyamamoto (3-4). Tomokaze shifted to the side and Ichiyamamoto flopped forward. Hikiotoshi.

Hokutofuji (4-3) defeated Oshoma (5-2). Hokutofuji hit Oshoma hard and shoved him out. Oshidashi.

Nishikifuji (2-5) defeated Sadanoumi (3-4). A well-executed change of direction and slapdown. Hatakikomi.

Shonannoumi (6-1) defeated Kinbozan (4-3). Kinbozan had an inside left-hand grip and tried hard to get his right hand inside as well. It’s a great bout to see Shonannoumi’s otsuke. The way he squeezed Kinbozan to keep his arm from going inside was great technique. Shonannoumi then used that right arm to throw Kinbozan. Uwatenage.

Shodai (3-4) defeated Mitakeumi (5-2). Shodai hit Mitakeumi well at the tachiai and walked him back and over the bales. Yorikiri.

Nishikigi (2-5) defeated Tamawashi (2-5). Tamawashi started out with some fire but that engine sputtered. After the initial shove, Nishikigi corralled him, drove him back and out. Yorikiri.

Halftime

Kotoshoho (4-3) defeated Midorifuji (2-5). Kotoshoho battered Midorifuji with tsuppari and when Midorifuji moved in to end the abuse, Kotoshoho used his size advantage to hoist Midorifuji over the bales. Yorikiri.

Meisei (5-2) defeated Takanosho (2-5). Meisei hit Takanosho hard at the tachiai and drove forward. Takanosho began mounting a counter attack near the edge and it appeared he wanted to use the tawara for leverage but his foot went over the bales and touched out. Yorikiri.

Onosho (4-3) defeated Gonoyama (3-4). Gonoyama pulled and attempted to slap Onosho down but Onosho drove Gonoyama out. This bout seems relevant to my ever-evolving understanding of the applicability of the dead body rule. If you find yourself confused by it, check out this lengthy Twitter thread where Herouth, Leonid, and Tim patiently explain to me how Tobizaru was not robbed of anything the other night. Oshidashi.

Daieisho (6-1) defeated Hiradoumi (2-5). Carbon copy of the previous bout. Hiradoumi tried to slap Daieisho down but Hiradoumi went out. Oshidashi.

Onosato (6-1) defeated Atamifuji (2-5). Atamifuji pressed forward, forcing Onosato toward the bales. Onosato used the bales to help him shift to the side and Atamifuji flopped on his belly. Uwatedashinage.

Abi default win. Wakamotoharu kyujo.

Tobizaru default win. Kirishima kyujo.

Kotozakura (5-2) defeated Ura (6-1). Ura drove Kotozakura to the bales after the tachiai. Ura attempted a pull but Kotozakura was ready for it and let Ura fall out the opposite side of the ring. Oshitaoshi.

Oho (3-4) defeated Hoshoryu (4-3). Oho shoved Hoshoryu hard. Hoshoryu seemed to over-compensate while trying to keep his balance. The Ozeki pitched himself forward and stumbled toward the center of the ring. Oho won with an easy slapdown. Oho has struggled with this style of his but he got the power and timing right today. He was also able to pivot well, his ring awareness meant he was never in danger of stepping out or being pushed out. Hikiotoshi.

Wrap-up

Wow, the second half of action was slow today with two kyujo and seven bouts. Hopefully the time-wasting won’t be as bad tomorrow. Endo will visit from Juryo. Still undefeated, he is the only sekitori with a shot at kachi-koshi on Nakabi. What a turnaround for he and the Takarabune!

Ura’s loss means that heading into Nakabi we have a larger leadership group of five guys with one loss: Onosato, Daieisho, Ura, Shonannoumi and Takarafuji. Onosato and Daieisho will face-off tomorrow. Ura will take on Hoshoryu, Shonannoumi will face Mitakeumi and Takarafuji will square up against Ryuden.

Kotoeko Retires, Becomes Oguruma-Oyakata

Andy Kotoeko, Retirement ,

Speculation had been rife of late. Kotoeko has called it a career and will stay with the organization as Oguruma-oyakata. The Sadogatake-beya wrestler had made an impact on the top division despite being considerably smaller than many of his peers.

He debuted in Juryo for the first time in 2014 but sustained his sekitori status from 2016 until March of this year. He reached his career high rank of Maegashira 4 in 2021. Nagging injuries became apparent late in 2023. After the Osaka tournament he fell back into Makushita.

We look forward to seeing Kotoeko as a coach going forward!

Natsu 2024: Day Six Highlights

Andy Mitakeumi(御嶽海), Natsu 2024, Natsu Basho, Oho (王鵬), Takarafuji (宝富士), Ura (宇良) , ,

“Ura, Mitakeumi, and Takarafuji walk into a bar…”

I would not have picked these three to be in the lead one-third of the way through this tournament. Ura and Mitakeumi will face off today so we will likely have rather unlikely leader(s) heading into the middle weekend. This was supposed to be the easy part of the schedule for our Sanyaku wrestlers. Instead, they’re being picked off by wrestlers from the joi. Day Five bout videos are here.

The bottom third of the maegashira does seem to be very weak. We’ve seen this in earlier tournaments, as well where a handful of guys down at the bottom are obviously on their way out of the division and it leaves a lot of easy wins for some of the more solid competitors. Tomokaze, Mitoryu, and likely Tokihayate will be heading back to Juryo, handing Ryuden, Oshoma, and Takarafuji some extra soft competition, thus, low-rankers among the leaders.

For Juryo videos, you may like to check this page for the action from NHK. Endo leads with six wins.

The Action

Makuuchi bout videos are here.

Bushozan (4-2) defeated Tomokaze (0-6). Tomokaze nearly caught Bushozan with quick misdirection after the tachiai. Bushozan recovered and kept up effective forward pressure and eventually worked Tomokaze over the edge. Oshidashi.

Ryuden (5-1) defeated Tsurugisho (2-4). Tsurugisho attempted a quick pull and slapdown but Ryuden stayed with him and walked him out. Yorikiri.

Oshoma (5-1) defeated Takarafuji (5-1). Oshoma caught Takarafuji too far forward while in pursuit and slapped him down. Hatakikomi.

Churanoumi (4-2) defeated Roga (3-3). This was a thrilling, up-tempo back and forth bout. Seems perfect for some “Yaketty Sax.” Churanoumi hung in there with a belt grip at the back of Roga’s mawashi. He eventually caught Roga while spinning and pushed him out from behind. Okuridashi.

Tokihayate (2-4) defeated Ichiyamamoto (3-3). An off-balance Ichiyamamoto stumbled while retreating. Tokihayate survived for his second win. Tsukiotoshi.

Hokutofuji (3-3) defeated Mitoryu (1-5). Mitoryu tried a slapdown attempt but Hokutofuji kept his balance and drove Mitoryu backwards and out. Oshidashi.

Shonannoumi (5-1) defeated Nishikifuji (1-5). Shonannoumi effectively leveraged his size advantage to hoist Nishikifuji toward the bales, several times. I’m not sure why there is not a more exotic kimarite on this because the winning move was Shonannoumi’s kick. He deftly kicked Nishikifuji’s leg out of the ring. “Yorikiri.”

Kinbozan (4-2) defeated Tamawashi (2-4). Kinbozan assaulted a defenseless old man and battered him until he backed out of the ring. Oshidashi.

Takanosho (2-4) defeated Shodai (2-4). Takanosho walked a listless and defenseless blocking sled, nicknamed Masayo, over the bales. One hand to the face and Shodai just did not want to play anymore. Oshidashi.

Kotoshoho (3-3) defeated Sadanoumi (3-3). An aggressive Kotoshoho yanked Sadanoumi around to the bales and threw him to the ground. Sadanoumi was slow to get up and limped away gingerly on that ankle. Uwatenage.

Halftime.

Onosho (3-3) defeated Nishikigi (1-5). Onosho bear-hugged Nishikigi and ushered him out. Yorikiri.

Meisei (4-2) defeated Midorifuji (2-4). The bout started with the two locking horns at the center of the ring. Then Meisei backed-pedaled, again and again, and eventually brought Midorifuji down. Hatakikomi.

Ura (6-0) defeated Mitakeumi (5-1). Ura timed his pull perfectly. Ura powered into Mitakeumi and Mitakeumi powered right back. Mitakeumi As soon as Mitakeumi pressed Ura back to his shikirisen, Ura shifted direction and Mitakeumi flew past. Ura grabbed the back of Mitakeumi’s belt and forced him out from behind. Uwatedashinage? Not Okuridashi? Someone (other than me) got into the plum wine tonight.

Gonoyama (3-3) defeated Atamifuji (2-4). What a surprise. Gonoyama caught Atamifuji off-balance and slapped him down. After a long grapple, Atamifuji attempted to change his grip, slipping his right-hand inside. Gonoyama then grabbed Atamifuji by the shoulder and yanked him forward. Tsukiotoshi…maybe with a heaping side of katasukashi.

Sanyaku

Daieisho (5-1) defeated Wakamotoharu (3-3). As Daieisho pressed forward, Wakamotoharu’s right leg stretched back to meet the bales…but he wasn’t back far enough and stumbled. Tsukiotoshi.

Hiradoumi (2-4) defeated Abi (3-3). Hiradoumi was ready for this. His left hand came up and deflected Abi’s right arm, allowing Abi’s momentum to carry him forward to the floor. Tsukiotoshi.

Onosato (5-1) defeated Kotozakura (4-2). Kotozakura used his left-hand overarm grip to drag Onosato over toward the bales. But rather than try to pitch the Ozeki forward, Onosato drove his body into Kotozakura’s side, forcing him over the bales. Brilliant move by the youngster. You often see this where two guys have their arms behind their opponents and they’re both pitched forward over the tawara, desperately trying to throw the other. From now on, I want to see guys attempt this lateral move. Yorikiri.

Hoshoryu (4-2) defeated Tobizaru (2-4). Fundamentals. Hoshoryu went for Tobizaru’s arm at first but Tobizaru spun away. Then Hoshoryu secured Tobizaru with a left-hand inside, right-hand outside, and walked Tobizaru out.

Oho (2-4) defeated Kirishima (1-5). This big guy here is named Oho. His thing, his brand of sumo is to back away and slap down his opponents. And he just did it to a soon to be former Ozeki. Hikiotoshi.

Wrap-up

It’s only Day Six and the Ozeki appear to be effectively out of contention. There is such a pile-up of rank-and-filers (plus Onosato) one loss behind the undefeated Ura that it will take a lot of help to get either Kotozakura or Hoshoryu back in this contest. I’m sure there will be a lot of fans happy to see Ura doing well and eager to see how far he can take this – especially given some of the beatings he had been taking in the past few tournaments. I’m eager to see how far he rides this.

Abbreviated Day Five Coverage

Andy Natsu 2024, Natsu Basho

No news from the infirmary today. I was not able to get highlights going for the first half of action. The Takarabune has been roaring through the southern Makuuchi seas with little attention. We will have to get our act together and get some reporters out there.

The Bouts

Takarafuji (5-0) defeated Daiamami (2-3). Yorikiri.

Roga (3-2) defeated Tsurugisho (2-3). Yorikiri.

Ryuden (4-1) defeated Tomokaze (0-5). Yorikiri.

Tokihayate (1-4) defeated Churanoumi (3-2). Yorikiri.

Oshoma (4-1) defeated Mitoryu (1-4). Yorikiri.

Hokutofuji (2-3) defeated Nishikifuji (1-4). Oshidashi.

Ichiyamamoto (3-2) defeated Shonannoumi (4-1). Oshidashi.

Sadanoumi (3-2) defeated Shodai (2-3). Yorikiri.

Kotoshoho (2-3) defeated Kinbozan (3-2). Oshidashi.

Takanosho (1-4) defeated Tamawashi (2-3). Tsukiotoshi.

Halftime

Mitakeumi (5-0) defeated Meisei (3-2). The bout started with an oshi-style brawl where neither man really gained an advantage. Mitakeumi tried to press forward and he tried a quick pull but Meisei’s footwork was excellent. The two settled into a grapple to catch their breaths. From here, Mitakeumi was able to press forward and force Meisei out. Yorikiri.

Onosho (2-3) defeated Midorifuji (2-3). The two locked each other up on the belt quickly after the tachiai. Onosho was not making any progress so he extracted his arms from Midorifuji and began to lay into Midorifuji with some tsuppari. This forced Midorifuji out. Oshidashi.

Ura (5-0) defeated Nishikigi (1-4). At the initial charge, Nishikigi wrapped up Ura and pulled. He attempted a twisting throw. Ura countered with his own pull and yanked Nishikigi down. Katasukashi.

Oho (1-4) defeated Hiradoumi (1-4). Hiradoumi made excellent penetration into Oho’s side of the dohyo with a fierce initial charge. But Oho used his left arm to shove Hiradoumi to the side, erasing Hiradoumi’s gains and forcing Hiradoumi back to the tawara. Oho used his size advantage well and shoved Hiradoumi over the bales. Oshidashi.

Sanyaku

Daieisho (4-1) defeated Abi (3-2). Daieisho outlasted Abi-zumo today. Abi opened with his characteristic high-intensity tsuppari but he made no forward progress. Abi then pivoted and attacked Daieisho from the side but again Daieisho weathered his blasts. As Abi tired, Daieisho charged ahead and walked Abi over the bales. Tsukidashi.

Wakamotoharu (3-2) defeated Atamifuji (2-3). Atamifuji started off with his lefthand inside and using his right to block Wakamotoharu’s left. He reared up to try to slip his right hand inside and secure a morozashi, double-inside grip. But Wakamotoharu charged forward and threw Atamifuji over the bales. Uwatenage.

Hoshoryu (3-2) defeated Gonoyama (2-3). Solid tachiai but Hoshoryu stopped Gonoyama’s forward progress. Maybe Gonoyama tried a very poorly timed pull? Suddenly there was a jailbreak and Hoshoryu rushed forward and blasted Gonoyama from the fighting surface. Yorikiri.

Onosato (3-2) defeated Kirishima (1-4). As Onosato pressed Kirishima over the tawara with his right arm, Kirishima pulled Onosato forward with his left. Gunbai Onosato. Mono-ii was called. Video replay shows Onosato’s right foot landing on the outer tawara while Kirishima is in the air, falling from the dohyo. But Kirishima was dead as his feet had left the fighting surface when Onosato pushed him out. Onosato was still clearly in when he forced Kirishima into the air. Yoritaoshi.

Kotozakura (4-1) defeated Tobizaru (2-3). Kotozakura forced Tobizaru to the edge and drove him out. Oshitaoshi.

Wrap-up

Tobizaru was robbed. Half of me is happy they did not call a mono-ii. I enjoy forward-moving, aggressive sumo. Here was a case where the aggressor (Kotozakura) just got tripped up and could have lost on a technicality. But, another virtue that I look for in sumo wrestlers is guys who don’t give up. Kirishima gave up yesterday and got nailed for it, rightfully, by Daieisho.

Today, Kotozakura and the shimpan took it for granted that Kotozakura had one and shoved Tobizaru out. The thing is, Tobizaru was not out. He yanked Kotozakura forward and Kotozakura stepped out while Tobizaru appeared to have his foot still on the tawara and he was not otherwise out. And I would think that Tobizaru’s physical contact with the tawara would negate any invocation of “dead bodies.”

I say this, but Kotozakura had the better sumo and he won. For whatever reason, the judges did not take another look at it. It probably would have required the gunbai going to Tobizaru for them to look at it. If that were the case, I think they would have confirmed the gunbai to Tobizaru.

Looking at the whole division we have three new guys leading, completely out of the blue: Ura, Mitakeumi, and Takarafuji. I have little hope that any of them will last through the weekend, though. In my eyes, this yusho is still wide open to just about anyone but Kirishima. I am eager to see Sekiwake Kiribayama climb his way back up to the rank in July. But Ura is doing well because he is not in Sanyaku. When he starts facing top opponents, they’d chew him up and yeet him back out. Mitakeumi will get his eight in week two and coast. Takarafuji will face tougher guys than Tsurugisho and be brought back to earth. Most likely. Then again, what do I know?