Haru 2024 Day 7 Highlights

Andy Haru 2024, Haru Basho

News from the infirmary came a bit late but the Yokozuna is out. We also received notice that Kinbozan will return to action on nakabi. Let’s get down to business, shall we?

In Juryo, Hakuoho got back to his winning ways against a broken Kotoeko. He seems barely capable of walking backwards. Asakoryu and Wakatakakage are handling their business, leading with 7 wins. Takarafuji and Tokihayate are 4-3 at the moment and hoping to earn promotion with winning records.

Makuuchi Action

Tohakuryu defeated Endo. Endo launched well but Tohakuryu slid to his left and let Endo’s momentum carry him into the crowd for some fansa. Maybe that’s why Endo is still so popular? He ends up in a visitor’s lap just about every matchday. Hatakikomi.

Nishikifuji (5-2) defeated Myogiryu (3-4). Myogiryu lashed out at the tachiai but Nishikigi corralled Myogiryu, “calm down, dude.” Once he had him wrapped up, he drove forward and forced Myogiryu back and out. Yorikiri.

Daiamami (3-4) defeated Churanoumi (3-4). Daiamami was just too big for Churanoumi. He wrapped up the smaller wrestler and drove forward. Yorikiri.

Roga (4-3) defeated Ryuden (4-3). Rather than his usual overarm grip, Ryuden had his left hand inside andUwatehineri.

Takerufuji (7-0) defeated Shonannoumi (5-2). Takerufuji bulldozed Shonannoumi and drove him out of the ring quickly. Yorikiri.

Shodai (4-3) defeated Kitanowaka (1-6). Shodai’s blast from the tachiai moved Kitanowaka back a few steps. Shodai then wrapped his arms under Kitanowaka’s and drove forward, forcing Kitanowaka out. Yorikiri.

Sadanoumi (5-2) defeated Kotoshoho (2-5). Sadanoumi had his left arm wrapped around Kotoshoho, and forced both men to tumble out of the ring. Gunbai Sadanoumi. Mono-ii. Gunbai dori, Sadanoumi kachi. Yoritaoshi.

Mitakeumi (5-2) defeated Hokutofuji (1-6). Mitakeumi shoved Hokutofuji out quickly. Wakanohana is worried about Hokutofuji given how quickly he was defeated. Oshidashi.

Takayasu (5-2) defeated Ichiyamamoto (3-4). Ichiyamamoto tried his tsuppari but Takayasu drove into Ichiyamamoto, regardless. Ichiyamamoto tried to slip out of the way and let Takayasu’s momentum carry him out…but Ichiyamamoto slipped…and Takayasu just shrugged. He arrested his momentum well short of the tawara. Oshitaoshi.

Onosho (5-2) defeated Onosato (6-1). Onosato drove into Onosho and pushed him to the edge of the ring. Onosho retreated along the tawara and forced Onosato out. Wakanohana explained how ‘Sho forced ‘Sato high by using that left arm under ‘Sato’s armpit. From there, ‘Sho was able to tug ‘Sato forward and out with his right arm. Onosato picked up his first loss. Sukuinage.

Halftime

Midorifuji (3-4) defeated Tamawashi (2-5). A matta should have been called here because Midorifuji launched before Tamawashi had his hands down. But Tamawashi moved forward and Kandayu didn’t call a matta. Midorifuji pulled and forced Tamawashi forward and down. Tsukiotoshi.

Hiradoumi (4-3) defeated Gonoyama (4-3). Hiradoumi locked up Gonoyama’s belt with his left hand, spun, and pulled him down. He also used his right arm on Gonoyama’s head to force him down. Well-planned and well-executed. Uwatedashinage.

Oho (3-4) defeated Atamifuji (4-3). Oho hit Atamifuji square at the tachiai. He then pulled at Atamifuji’s shoulder with his left and used his right to force Atamifuji down. Hatakikomi.

Sanyaku

Wakamotoharu (5-2) defeated Ura (3-4). Ura tried to sling Wakamotoharu around and out at the tachiai but WMH stayed in. Both men tussled for a grip at the center of the ring but WMH decided to just press forward without one and shoved Ura out. Oshidashi.

Asanoyama (3-4) defeated Daieisho (3-4). Asanoyama used his left arm to block Daieisho’s tsuppari and shove him backwards. Asanoyama then pressed forward, keeping Daieisho going back. Daieisho finally landed one blow but he was already on his way out of the ring. Oshidashi.

Hoshoryu (5-2) defeated Abi (5-2). Sometimes Abi-zumo is a bit of a mess, as it was today. Hoshoryu was unfazed by Abi’s tsuppari so Abi retreated and tried to pull. Hoshoryu just followed him with excellent footwork and balance. As Abi reached the tawara, he fell. Oshitaoshi.

Takanosho (3-4) defeated Kirishima (2-5). Takanosho kept the Ozeki in front of him and pressed forward. That was it. Kirishima was in retreat from the tachiai. Move forward, Ozeki! You’re well on your way to kadoban. Oshidashi.

Tobizaru (4-3) earns the default win from Terunofuji’s (2-5) absence.

Kotonowaka (5-2) defeated Meisei (2-5). Kotonowaka wrapped up Meisei’s arm and dragged him down. That really must be an unpleasant experience. Kotenage.

Takakeisho (5-2) defeated Nishikigi (1-6). Pffffffffffffffft. After the tachiai, Takakeisho ducked to the left and Nishikigi jumped forward and fell down. Tsukiotoshi.

Wrap-up

Kirishima has had a dreadful first week and must turn things around. He’s probably a 50-50 chance of going kyujo in Week 2. Today, the best sanyaku performance was probably Kotonowaka. Hoshoryu held up his end but rather benefited from a bumbling Abi, than put together his own dominant performance.

The best action today really came during the hiramaku bouts. Takerufuji controlled his bout and controls his own destiny. If he wins out, he’ll win his debut yusho. Wild. That’s likely not going to happen, though. He will face a tough bout against Ryuden tomorrow. If he wins, though, he’s kachi-koshi and will probably start getting thrown into higher-level bouts from Day 9.

Onosato is now one loss off the pace set by Takerufuji. I thought the two of them would face off on Day 8 but the schedulers have put Onosato agains Tamawashi. That will be a tough one and Tamawashi will want to do better than he managed today. Then there’s a host of guys at 5-2. One of them will win the yusho, but who, I’m not sure. Maybe Hoshoryu.

Haru 2024: Day 6 Juryo and Makushita Updates

lksumo Aki Basho 2022

In Juryo, two wrestlers are undefeated after 6 days. One is not a surprise: former Sekiwake and next Ozeki candidate J10w Wakatakakage, who is looking to follow his Makushita yusho in January with a Juryo one this time on his way back up to the top division after the ACL tear he suffered a year ago (he probably needs to reach 13 wins to have a real shot at immediate Makuuchi promotion). The other is muscular prospect J8e Asakoryu (who debuted at Sd100TD as Ishizaki 3 years ago and has had a steady if not meteoric rise). Trailing them is J10e Shiden (5-1) and 6 rikishi with 4 wins, among them leading promotion contenders J1e Tokihayate and J2w Mitoryu. Checking in on a few other notable names, J1w Takarafuji is 3-3, J5w Shirokuma is 4-2, J11w Aoiyama has slumped to 2-4 after looking good in his first two bouts, and J13w Hakuoho is 3-3 and not looking like his former powerhouse self.

In Makushita, we are down to 15 wrestlers with 3-0 records who will battle it out in what is effectively a March Madness-style single elimination tournament. These include prospects Ms3w Kayo, Ms8w Kiriyuko, Ms10e Wakaikari, and Ms13w Kazekeno, any one of whom can ensure a Juryo debut by winning out, but only Kayo has a shot at promotion without going 7-0. The big bout tomorrow is Kayo vs. Kiriyuko, to be followed by Wakaikari vs. Kazekeno on Day 8. I’ll take a look at the rest of the undefeated bracket once the next round of fights whittles it down to eight.

In the Ms1-Ms5 promotion zone, in addition to the aforementioned Kayo, we have Ms1e Chiyomaru and Ms2w Onokatsu at 2-1, and they meet tomorrow, with the winner likely one win away from Juryo. The others with more wins than losses are Ms4w Tsukahara and Ms5w Nabatame; they also fight tomorrow, but need to pile up more wins by virtue of their lower ranks. Ms1w Tenshoho (1-2) can put himself in decent position by beating Ms4e Kitadaichi; otherwise, his promotion chances will be hanging by a thread. Everyone else has an outside shot at best.

Haru 2024: Day 7 Preview

Josh K Haru 2024

Sometimes sumo leaves you lost for words. In yesterday’s case, it wasn’t the sumo itself but the fact that the Yokozuna was present. Do we bother previewing his match today? Why is he still here? What is the meaning of life? I think it’s probably a buttery, silky, generous slab of otoro, but that’s just me.

I’ll leave the banzuke calculus to our buddy lksumo, but it’s looking increasingly likely that we could have a large number of demotion candidates from Makuuchi, but a paucity of convincing Juryo rikishi pushing for promotion.

The penultimate division has a sea of 2-4s, 3-3s and 4-2s in the upper half, with the bottom half pair of Wakatakakage and Asakoryu the lone rangers without a black star. I would love to see Wakatakakage hit 14 or 15 wins in this basho and push his way up from J10 as Takerufuji did in the last basho, because another big injection of quality would really ramp up the excitement levels in Makuuchi. Let’s hope he can keep it up.

Day 7 Matchups

Endo (2-4) vs Tohakuryu (1-5 in Juryo): Today’s Juryo visitor is Tohakuryu, who is probably a really nice guy but possibly has one of the least attractive, weirdly defensive sumo styles I’ve seen. I find a lot of his bouts like watching a catcher trying to block home plate. Endo continues to look out of gas. This match could never end. Let’s hope it does because there’s more interesting stuff happening later.

Nishikifuji (4-2) vs Myogiryu (3-3): Nishikifuji has recently found some source of genki power. Perhaps he has discovered and then consumed that big sack of rotten miso that Bruce used to write about. Myogiryu picked up a handy win on day 6 against a similarly feisty opponent. The aging fan favourite has won 4 of 7 career tussles against the Isegahama upstart.

Daiamami (2-4) vs Churanoumi (3-3): I guess what Daiamami is teaching us is that even in a bad basho, if you have the willpower to see off a stubborn yet struggling opponent, you can still give yourself a fighting chance. Takarafuji just didn’t have anything going forward against him though, whereas Churanoumi should be a more formidable opponent. So, I fancy the Kise beya man here.

Ryuden (4-2) vs Roga (3-3): Roga should really have won yesterday, and I do wonder how much of what’s holding him back career-wise is self-inflicted, or down to lack of good training partners to push him on, or what. These two have similar styles and will be looking for a deep grip and a hip wiggle. Ryuden is better at it, so I’ll back him.

Shonannoumi (5-1) vs Takerufuji (6-0): Suffice it to say, one of these scores is more believable than the other and it’s actually the one who’s undefeated. Shonannoumi is doing very, very well. I actually had him for a make-koshi before this tournament, and that certainly seems unlikely now. Takerufuji is just confidently motoring through the basho. This will again be his toughest task so far, but he’s certainly favoured for it.

Shodai (3-3) vs Kitanowaka (1-5): Surely Shodai can’t go and lose this. He’s struggled with oshi-zumo guys, but Kitanowaka is performing like someone he should be able to toss out when he’s finished with it, like the kombu from his dashi. It could even be a little messy.

Sadanoumi (4-2) vs Kotoshoho (2-4): Sadanoumi’s done well, with some workmanlike performances. In a basho where some veterans are flagging, he deserves credit. Kotoshoho just can’t seem to put it together lately. Sadanoumi leads their rivalry 5-4 (surprisingly, with nine different kimarite), although Kotoshoho won the most recent contest. Sadanoumi is probably the favourite here, in a match that just kind of feels like it’s a sukuinage for someone.

Hokutofuji (1-5) vs Mitakeumi (4-2): How these guys have these scores I’ll never know. Hokutofuji has been having to do too much defending, while opponents have been giving Mitakeumi too much freedom to attack. OK, maybe I do know. Anyway, it seems like a rather predictable recipe for this match. Short of a backwards-moving tsukiotoshi at the edge, you’d back Mitakeumi on current form to pick up a win here. Mitakeumi’s won 15 from 26 in this rivalry, including the last three in a row.

Ichiyamamoto (3-3) vs Takayasu (4-2): Takayasu’s loss yesterday was the first time I actually said “WHAT!?” out loud while watching sumo during this basho. Maybe that’s surprising given some of the other results, but then again the whole point of this exercise is that I’m supposed to have considered all of the outcomes that could happen when two guys go up against each other. Ichiyamamoto could blast off from the tachiai, but Takayasu, who has better balance, also seems like a good candidate to just slap him down. Takayasu was victorious in their only prior meeting.

Onosho (4-2) vs Onosato (6-0): Onosho has been very impressive in this basho, but it feels like this is going to be an impossible ask. Onosato has faced and done very, very well against a number of rikishi already in this basho who attack with a blazing fast tachiai. So with that recent track record, one would think it’s going to need a herculean effort from Onosho for him to have any chance. It’s still a potential banana skin as every match is at this level, but Onosato has to be the presumptive favourite until he tastes the clay.

Midorifuji (2-4) vs Tamawashi (2-4): We got the good version of Tamawashi on Day 6, which is always nice to see! Surprisingly, these two have never met before. Tamawashi really doesn’t seem like a massive candidate for Midorifuji’s signature katasukashi, although you never know what can happen if he over-commits to the thrusting attack and Midorifuji can dance out of the way. I don’t think Tamawashi will go to the nodowa here, he will probably just try and push the lighter man out as quickly as possible.

Gonoyama (4-2) vs Hiradoumi (3-3): These two talents are both looking good, despite the losses. Gonoyama has racked up four in a row now (albeit one via fusen), while Hiradoumi won their only prior meeting. This comes down to Hiradoumi’s desire to get his arms inside vs Gonoyama’s ability to keep him away. Whoever executes that, wins.

Atamifuji (4-2) vs Oho (2-4): You really can’t say enough good things right now about Atamifuji’s approach, and he is looking like a eager child young man that wants to be in san’yaku as soon as possible (although there probably will only be one slot). Oho won their only prior meeting. I still think Oho is going to end up with a deep make-koshi, though. I wouldn’t be fooled by the kinboshi – the four guys who beat the Yokozuna are a combined 3-17 in their other matches. It’s that line of difficult to forensically defend logic that adds to the feeling that Atamifuji should win.

Ura (3-3) vs Wakamotoharu (4-2): Wakamotoharu has almost complete dominance over Ura, having won 7 of 8. Ura has really been having a nice tournament, but it will get more interesting in the second week when he’s not having to face literally the top ranked opposition every single day. I don’t think Wakamotoharu will easily establish the mawashi grip that he wants here, but this is a lottery ticket match for Ura. The numbers on the ticket could come up, and wouldn’t that be nice for everyone in his corner, but probably not.

Daieisho (3-3) vs Asanoyama (2-4): Asanoyama doesn’t feel like he should be sitting 2-4, although he has made some strange choices so far in these bouts. These guys have had a see-saw rivalry, with Asanoyama on top for a brief period while he was Ozeki and the run leading up to it, but otherwise Daieisho has completely dominated him over their careers in the period before and after. If Asanoyama continues to attack with Plan A in this match, he will be a wide open target for Daieisho. For Daieisho this is just about not over-committing at the tachiai and keeping his balance and moving forward, and he should be favoured for the win.

Abi (5-1) vs Hoshoryu (4-2): It gave me no pleasure to call Abi’s defeat correctly yesterday, but I really didn’t see Hoshoryu going down. It felt like today’s match was really the more difficult match for him. He bounced back very authoritatively from his Day 1 loss, but historically his losses do tend to come in pairs and I just think Abi, chasing silverware, might have it in for him here. I could also see a henka from either side. I’m going to tip Abi, but this feels like a match where there might be some hijinks, and I think it could also be the bout of the day, and a potentially pivotal moment in the title race.

Kirishima (2-4) vs Takanosho (2-4): Kirishima continues to make a somewhat unconvincing case that he can escape a kadoban scenario. Takanosho collected a kinboshi that is still a kinboshi, but maybe the saddest ever kinboshi from a Yokozuna who everyone knew shouldn’t have been there. He’ll still dine out on it for the rest of his career and he can tell stories about twice beating the great Yokozuna forever. Somehow, Takanosho absolutely makes the Ozeki look like a small child when they meet, as Kirishima has won only 2 of the 14 encounters dating back to their Juryo days. Takanosho just kind of has his number, but Kirishima is going to be running out of winnable matches when you’re below par if he can’t win this. He probably knows that, so I expect a bigger performance from him today.

Meisei (2-4) vs Kotonowaka (4-2): Kotonowaka is looking like he might just about bundle himself over the line in the end. If facing all the top guys in week 1 wasn’t bad enough for Meisei, they threw Onosato at him as well. He just needs to keep it respectable until he finishes with san’yaku and then hopefully he has enough gas in the tank to get out of danger against the likes of Midorifuji and Oho (no disrespect meant by that!). Kotonowaka very narrowly leads this series at 6-5, but he’s won the last two and he’s developed into someone who should have the beating of Meisei’s style of sumo. I like the look of the Ozeki to just smother Meisei’s inside movement from the tachiai.

Takakeisho (4-2) vs Nishikigi (1-5): Nishikigi has had a rotten time with the other san’yaku guys. Takakeisho has won 8 from 10 against him, and this really comes down to Nishikigi’s ability to hang in the match and extend it until Takakeisho runs out of puff. If he can deflect the Ozeki’s attempts to move him back then he’s got a shot, but there’s a reason why even though Takakeisho is not fully fit, he’s still the favourite.

Terunofuji (2-4) vs Tobizaru (3-3): Surely he can’t, can he? There are many compelling arguments for why Terunofuji shouldn’t have been involved yesterday, but putting him back on the dohyo against a guy whose sumo style is built on embarrassing larger, higher pedigree opponents seems criminal. Especially when, and it bears repeating, the four rikishi who have already beat him have combined to go 3-17 against their other opponents. Tobizaru has taken two kinboshi from him in the past (five basho ago, and five basho before that, for those of you who like patterns).

It’s crazy to say that Tobizaru is the overwhelming favourite in his next match when he’s up against Terunofuji but that is in large part due to the fact that there’s a high likelihood of the Yokozuna withdrawing, which he hasn’t at the time of writing. I do want to enjoy seeing Tobizaru giving the Yokozuna a run around the dohyo, but not like this… please?

Haru 2024 Day 6 Highlights

Andy Haru 2024, Haru Basho

Again, apologies for yesterday’s late and brief update.

The news that I had been waiting for from the infirmary never came. The Yokozuna is still in this. So, let’s get it on!

Makuuchi Highlights

Daiamami (2-4) defeated Takarafuji (3-3). Takarafuji hit Daiamami at the tachiai and forced him back a bit was not able to get a firm grip with his left hand. He could not move Daiamami deep toward the tawara. As the two tussled to block each other from getting onto each other’s belt, Daiamami began to churn forward. As he reached the bales, he turned back and forced Takarafuji down. Tsukiotoshi.

Nishikifuji (4-2) defeated Roga (3-3). Roga wrapped up Nishikifuji well. Nishikigi resisted Roga’s intial effort and managed to corral him to the center of the ring and lock him up with both hands inside. That was critical. Once he secured that firm grip, he was able to force Roga backwards and out of the ring. Yorikiri.

Myogiryu (3-3) defeated Ryuden (4-2). Eager beaver Ryuden jumped early. After they reset, Ryuden was not so genki anymore. Myogiryu drove straight forward and forced Ryuden from the ring. It was like Ryuden got his right arm grip around Myogiryu’s left shoulder but he could not lock up his right shoulder. Yorikiri.

Takerufuji (6-0) destroyed Churanoumi (3-3). Takerufuji blasted Churanoumi hard at the tachiai, so hard that it backed Churanoumi a few paces, keeping Churanoumi from locking in with a quick belt grip. Takerufuji then pressed forward and bulldozed Churanoumi from the dohyo. Yorikiri.

Shonannoumi (5-1) defeated Endo (2-4). Shonannoumi took no prisoners. He shoved Endo back hard. As he drove forward he locked up Endo left arm quickly and forced him back to the edge and out. Kimedashi.

Sadanoumi (4-2) defeated Kitanowaka (1-5). I think Sadanoumi was pissed off at Kitanowaka’s loose mawashi. He got a great belt grip but as it was so loose, he could not get the leverage he wanted. Undeterred, he adjusted and swung Kitanowaka around the ring and down to the ground. Impressive strength from a guy who is a pretty quiet mid-rank wrestler. Kitanowaka is likely on his way back to Juryo. Uwatenage.

Ichiyamamoto (3-3) defeated Hokutofuji (1-5) What the hell is going on here? Maybe Ichiyamamoto decided he needed to switch things up? Ichiyamamoto did not come out blasting with his trademark tsuppari. He pressed Hokutofuji deep into his end and then locked him up with a left-hand overarm grip. A great yotsu battle as the two tussled for position. Ichiyamamoto threw Hokutofuji and both fall…gunbai to Ichiayamamoto as Hokutofuji fell first. His idea to take Hokutofuji on the belt worked! Uwatenage.

Onosho (4-2) defeated Shodai (3-3). Onosho went right for Shodai’s neck at the tachiai. That may have disrupted Shodai quite a bit as he tried to press forward but Onosho wrapped him up and plowed forward. Yorikiri.

Mitakeumi (4-2) defeated Takayasu (4-2). Mitakeumi lashed out at Takayasu with forceful tsuppari right to the face. Takayasu was still able to get the forward momentum. Mitakeumi cycled around as the two former Ozeki gave us their best pusher-thruster brawl. Mitakeumi nearly caught Takayasu with the slapdown. Exhausted, they settled to a stalemate at the center of the ring. Takayasu may have decided he’s tired of this oshi stuff because he tried to lock up Mitakeumi’s belt. Mitakeumi has had a taste of the wide ranging brawl, and seemed to like it so he fought hard to keep Takayasu off. He finally manages to get the momentum going his way and pressed Takayasu out. Mitakeumi wins! Oshidashi.

Tamawashi (2-4) defeated Kotoshoho (2-4). Tamawashi had a plan. He spun Kotoshoho around and then thrust his arm into Kotoshoho’s chin, hard. This fierce nodowa forced Kotoshoho back, if he wanted to keep his head from getting ripped off. Sensibly, Kotoshoho decided to keep his head and backed out. Oshidashi.

Halftime

Gonoyama (4-2) defeated Midorifuji (2-4). Gonoyama hit out at Midorifuji immediately with blistering tsuppari. He quickly drove Midorifuji back and out. The Go-dozer in action. Oshidashi.

Onosato (6-0) dispatched Meisei (2-4) with relative ease. Hard tachiai, Onosato tried to reach for Meisei’s belt but he did not really need a grip as he plowed forward. The upgraded Go-dozer is the Oo-dozer. I mean, Meisei is a more formidable opponent and he cut through like he was papier mâché. Oshidashi.

Atamifuji (4-2) defeated Asanoyama (2-4). Asanoyama had this! Gah! Asanoyama locked in with his righthand inside grip. He churned forward, and churned forward, forcing Atamifuji from edge to edge. Atamifuji’s ability to resist at the tawara was impressive but he was completely overpowered this entire match. Suddenly, as the reach the top edge of the dohyo, Atamifuji twisted, shifted left, and dropped Asanoyama to the clay. Uwatenage.

Sanyaku

Daieisho (3-3) outlasted Ura (3-3). Ura, dynamic as always, scurried around the ring picking and choosing when he would drive in to hit Daieisho. Daieisho chased and gave as good as he got. Ura was definitely trying to avoid the full force of Daieisho’s tsuppari. As he hopped around Daieisho and looped in to attack his leg, Ura’s foot touched outside of the ring. Oshidashi.

Wakamotoharu (4-2) defeated Nishikigi (1-5). Wakamotoharu hit Nishikigi with a solid tachiai. Nishikigi circled around the ring in retreat but Wakamotoharu pursued effectively and drove him from the ring. Yoritaoshi.

Kirishima (2-4) defeated Oho (2-4). Oho tried twice to pull Kirishima down. On his second attempt he lost his balance and rolled across the dohyo. Kirishima escaped because he could keep his balance today. Tsukiotoshi.

Kotonowaka (4-2) defeated Abi (5-1). Abi-zumo is powerful but it was not powerful enough to drive Kotonowaka from the ring. Abi kept pressing and kept pressing. Kotonowaka’s secret here was that he never launched himself at Abi. Instead, he focused on deflecting and resisting Abi’s thrusts. This meant Abi was never able to time a slapdown, his second stage attack, because Kotonowaka never drove forward. Instead, it was Kotonowaka who slipped to the side and thrust the over-extended Abi down to the ground. Tsukiotoshi.

Takakeisho (4-2) defeated Hiradoumi (3-3) Hiradoumi launched forward early. Matta. Nerves. Takakeisho hit Hiradoumi full force and drove him back. As Hiradoumi retreated along the tawara, his foot touched outside the ring in the same spot Ura’s had gone out earlier. A bit of a dud bout. A damp squib. Oshidashi.

Tobizaru (3-3) defeated Hoshoryu (4-2). Hoshoryu grabbed Tobizaru’s right shoulder and went after his right arm but Tobizaru immediately locked up with the morozashi. Hoshoryu realized his mistake and adjusted his grip to get Tobizaru to relinquish the two handed grip. They tussled in the center of the ring and again Hoshoryu gave up another morozashi to Tobizaru. Tobizaru drove forward and as Hoshoryu clung to the edge, Tobizaru’s gabburi-yotsu forced the Ozeki out. All of the Ozeki are now well off the yusho pace and will be playing catch-up.

Takanosho (2-4) defeated Terunofuji (2-4). Takanosho launched in at the Yokozuna and quickly grabbed him around the trunk like he was carrying a whiskey barrel. Terunofuji’s brand of sumo depends on locking up his opponents arms but he was unable to do so. Instead, Takanosho simply drove forward and earned a kinboshi.

Wrap-up

Terunofuji looks listless. I cannot image him competing tomorrow. The only wrestler who looks dominant during this first six days is Onosato. He is obliterating everyone. He will face Onosho tomorrow as the Kyokai likely prepares for a nakabi showdown between Onosato and Takerufuji. Takerufuji will face Shonannoumi tomorrow.