Chiyoshoma

Haru Day 10 Preview

Bruce H Endo (遠藤), Gōeidō (豪栄道), Harubasho 2017 (Osaka), Harumafuji (日馬富士), Ishiura (石浦), Kakuryu (鶴竜), Kisenosato (稀勢の里), Kotoshogiku (琴奨菊), Sekiwake (関脇), Shōdai (正代直也), Takanoiwa (貴ノ岩), Takayasu (高安), Takekaze (豪風), Terunofuji (照ノ富士), Tochiozan (栃煌山), Ura (宇良), Yokozuna (横綱), Yoshikaze (嘉風), Ōzeki (大関) , , , , , , , ,

Takayasu-10

Act Two Closing Day

Today we saw Ozeki Terunofuji dismiss his kadoban status in a thunderous fashion. He has been totally dominating his matches and has, beyond a shadow of a doubt, earned his way back to good standing. Sadly today also marks the day that Ozeki Goeido goes kadoban. Due to his withdrawal from the Haru Basho, today was marked as his 8th loss. With his make-koshi now secure, Goeido is facing a challenging time in the May tournament in Tokyo.

Day 10 could also be kinboshi day, as there are 2 Maegashira facing off against the Yokozuna corps today. Hopes are always high that Yoshikaze can blast his way though any opponent, and it would be magical to see him score yet another gold star win against Kakuryu a day after his birthday. Not to be discounted is Endo facing off against Harumafuji, who gives up kinboshi more than any other active Yokozuna today. They come to their day 10 bout with matching 6-3 records.

The Haru leader board is little changed, except that several rikishi feel out of the Chase group, and the pack of men who have the records to put them within Yusho connection has shrunk to 6. Both Takayasu and Kisenosato would need to lose at least once for Terunofuji or Tochiozan to have a shot.

Haru Leader board

Leaders – Kisenosato, Takayasu
Hunt Group – Terunofuji, Tochiozan
Chasers – Kakuryu, Chiyoshoma

6 Matches Remain

Matches We Like

Chiyoo vs Ura – Ura has been a lot of fun to watch, but make no mistake he is focused on one thing – getting to 8 wins. Going into day 10, he is at 4-5, and needs 4 more wins out of the next 6 days to guarante his remaining in Makuuchi. He has been Chiyoo in 2 of their prior 3 meetings, and Chiyoo is likewise struggling to clinch a winning record.

Takakeisho vs Ishiura – Takakeisho has been having a solid basho, and comes into day 10 with 6-3, more or less assured that he will find a way to pick up the last two wins. His opponent is the compact battle-mouse Ishiura, who can likely survive a losing record this one time. I expect there to be some furious action, as Ishiura never fights at half speed.

Daishomaru vs Tochiozan – With only one loss, Tochiozan already has his kachi-koshi, and he is set for May. But I suspect he is looking for a solid move up the banzuke. Daishomaru brings his 6-3 record into day 10, looking to give himself some buffer for the last 5 days. Daishomaru won their only prior meeting.

Tokushoryu vs Chiyoshoma – Chiyoshoma needs one more win for his kachi-koshi, and may get it on day 10. While Tokushoryu comes to the dohyo with a strong winning record, Chiyoshoma is ranked higher, and is much more capable this basho. He has also won all 4 of their prior matches.

Kotoshogiku vs Takekaze – 4 more wins in 6 days. It means 2 wins for every loss over the rest of the basho. Kotoshogiku can do this, but it’s going to be tough, even starting day 10 with a 6-3 record. Kashi-koshi is not good enough, it’s 10 wins or bust. Day 10 he faces off against the henka master, Takekaze. Their prior matches are split evenly 14-13

Takanoiwa vs Takayasu – Takanoiwa is having a tough basho at 2-7, but as always he is capable of surprising even the mightiest Yokozuna with his explosive, attack-oriented sumo. But he’s facing Takayasu, who is on a mission from the Great Sumo Cat of the Kokugikan itself. A win today would put Takayasu in double digits, and would be a big boost for any special prizes and his ongoing Ozeki campaign. Their prior bouts split 3-2 with advantage to Takayasu.

Shodai vs Terunofuji – Shodai is plagued by being too high in his tachiai – it seems he has a driving need to protect his face. Terunofuji does not care about his face. I am not sure Terunofuji cares about Shodai except as a meat popsicle that he can defeat on the dohyo. Terunofuji is a man possessed, and I am curious to see how far he will go with his current streak of powerful, winning sumo.

Yoshikaze vs Kakuryu – If there is one rikishi that can upset anyone on any day, even on the street right after lunch it’s the amazing Yoshikaze. It’s safe to assume that the Berserker will retire some time in the next few years to become a coach or stable runner himself, but on the way towards that next career, a few more kinboshi mean more money for him and his family. Kakuryu is a slippery, reactive warrior of the first order, and he will not be easy to beat. But Yoshikaze has beat him 5 times during their 15 career matches.

Harumafuji vs Endo – I am predicting nodowa attack festival, mini-henka, death spin or a combination here. Endo can surprise Harumafuji, who seems to be a bit more hurt every day of this basho. But it should be noted that thus far Endo has never beat “The Horse”, so a victory day 10 is a tall order.

Haru Day 8 Preview

Bruce H Endo (遠藤), Harubasho 2017 (Osaka), Ikioi (勢), Ishiura (石浦), Kakuryu (鶴竜), Kisenosato (稀勢の里), Kotoshogiku (琴奨菊), Shōdai (正代直也), Takarafuji (宝富士), Takayasu (高安), Takekaze (豪風), Terunofuji (照ノ富士), Ura (宇良), Yoshikaze (嘉風), Ōzeki (大関) , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Homemade White Chocolate Japanese Birthday Cake in Shape of Happy Bear Face

I Visited Tachiai, And All I Got Was This Preview…

Sunday is Yoshikaze’s birthday. I would love to bake him a cake and buy him a bottle of fine whisky for a gift, but alas there is no way to send it to him. The last person I tried to email a cake to said it never showed up, so I can’t help to think what would happen trying to email or fax a cake to Japan. You would think that with a long and glorious career they would have a party on the dohyo for him. Instead he gets to battle a giant Bulgarian guy with significant man-boobs.

Some rikishi won today, an equal number lost. But interestingly enough, everyone seemed to have a good time. But tomorrow, I am told, is the half way point. We have an interesting Yusho picture, but the final battle is still one week away

Haru Leader board

Leaders – Kisenosato, Takayasu
Hunt Group – Terunofuji, Tochiozan
Chasers – Kakuryu, Harumafuji, Tamawashi, Kotoshogiku, Takarafuji, Chiyonokuni, Chiyoshoma, Okinoumi, Tokushoryu

8 Matches Remain

Matches We Like

Tokushoryu vs Kyokushuho – even 5-5 history between these two. Tokushoryu looked solid day 7, and I am picking him to have an edge here. Dare we hope for another long running battle of pushing and thrusting? Remember it’s all fun and games until someone’s head falls off.

Myogiryu vs Ishiura – These two have only met once, and Ishiura won. I am going to the small bundle of muscles again, or as my wife calls him “Scary Guy”. Her assessment was not improved by his day 7 bout where he crumpled Nisikigi like an empty beer can.

Chiyoo vs Tochiozan – This is their first meeting, and I have concerns that Tochiozan’s winning streak was snapped on day 7. I do hope he does not fall into a losing streak funk, as Maegashira 10 should be an easy ride for him.

Ura vs Kotoyuki – Kotoyuki has been doing a lot of crowd surfing this basho, and I am sure that the shimpan corps are on the lookout for his next attempt. I doubt Ura will supply that much velocity off the dohyo, so RoboCop should be safe. Ura is desperate to get comfortable fighting the Makuuchi guys, and so this Kotoyuki match will be a good indicator of where his mind is.

Daieisho vs Okinoumi – Okinoumi is holding up quite well this basho, I am happy to report. He needs 3 more wins for Kachi-koshi, and he may get another one of those on Sunday. Okinoumi won their only prior match.

Endo vs Hokutofuji – A troublesome bout, as Endo will likely go for technique focusing on the mawashi. Hokutofuji showed on day 7 he can make that work. Endo is flaky enough that he might lose this one. One word – Gamberize!

Yoshikaze vs Aoiyama – Birthday match for Yoshikaze. I just hope that his face survives more or less intact given Aoiyama’s habit of trying to test how well people’s dental work is holding up.

Chiyoshoma vs Takarafuji – Lots of potential in this bout, I see Takarafuji as wanting to regain momentum after his day 7 loss. Likewise it’s time for Chiyoshoma to step on the gas and get his sumo into higher gear for the second half of the basho.

Kotoshogiku vs Sokokurai – 5 wins to go for the human bulldozer to reclaim his Ozeki rank. Will Sokokurai make the same mistake as the last two rikishi and go chest to chest with this guy?

Ikioi vs Takayasu – will Ikioi deploy the henka, or will Takayasu blast him into the cheap seats?

Mitakeumi vs Terunofuji – After what Terunofuji did to Takekaze, this should be an interesting match. Will Mitakeumi go for the belt and face the dishonor of the curb-side recycling can maneuver, or will he go run and gun and try to get Terunofuji off balance?

Harumafuji vs Takanoiwa – It’s not a proper basho without a Harumafuji death-spin. I am counting on the Horse to produce the wondrous move as soon as he is feeling up to it. Hopefully today.

Shodai vs Kakuryu – Shodai comes in too high at the tachiai, Kakuryu slaps him once and backs up, Shodai chases, Kakuryu pulls him to the clay. *SCENE*

Shohozan vs Kisenosato – Captain Bicep vs the Great Pumpkin. The question everyone is asking, will Kisenosato even really get excited about this match?

Haru Day 7 Recap

Bruce H Chiyonokuni (千代の国), Endo (遠藤), Harubasho 2017 (Osaka), Harumafuji (日馬富士), Hokutōfuji (北勝富士), Ishiura (石浦), Kimarite (決まり手), Kisenosato (稀勢の里), Kotoshogiku (琴奨菊), Mitakeumi(御嶽海), Sōkokurai (蒼国来), Takayasu (高安), Takekaze (豪風), Terunofuji (照ノ富士), Tochinoshin (栃ノ心), Tochiozan (栃煌山), Ura (宇良), Yoshikaze (嘉風) , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Testicle-blow-by

Better Late Than Never!

There were few surprises in today’s action, but there was a massive amount of great sumo. We continue to see the lower San’yaku out-perform their historical averages, and this is led by Takayasu really dominating every match. This is, without a doubt, the best I have seen Takayasu perform ever, and he has been a strong contender for over a year. Pleasant surprises continue with Kotoshogiku, who seems to have survived the Sekiwake “hell” week with a winning score, and the possibility or racking up 10 wins. While in general I would encourage him to retire and move on to his new career of being a coach, it would be outstanding if his last act as a sekitori were to regain his Ozeki title.

Also in Ozeki land, Terunofuji – the real Terunofuji – has been gracing the dohyo once more after a long and miserable absence. If you have recently started to follow sumo, his performance this basho is more in line with the kind of sumo that made him Ozeki, and once made him actually feared.

Highlight Matches

Takakeisho defeats Ura – Takakeisho was in charge the whole time, even though Ura twice attempted his space-time defying back bend. Ura fans, like myself, need to keep in mind that there will be an adjustment period where he figures out Makuuchi. My only desire for him this basho is Kachi-koshi. Ura’s apology to the shimpan for the spontaneous lap dance was nice – the guy is total class.

Sadanoumi defeats Kyokushuho – Huge effort from both rikishi, this battle was a strength contest that played out across the dohyo of an extended period. Great effort from Kyokushuho in spot of his hurt knee.

Ishiura defeats Nishikigi – Nishikigi is totally hapless these days, and I kind of feel sorry for him. Today’s bout with Ishiura was no exception, where the two grappled to a stalemate, then Ishirua unleashed an improvised move that turned into a rare kimarite: shitatehineri. Or as I would call it an under arm tea-bagging.

Tochinoshin defeats Myogiryu – via a dirty henka

Okinoumi defeats Tochiozan – Tochiozan is no longer undefeated, and Okinoumi made it look easy.

Endo defeats Chiyoshoma – Outstanding technicals on this bout. Every time I think Endo has lost his mojo, he has a day like today where he does some really nice “if you are watching closely” stuff and stumps his opponent.

Hokutofuji defeats Arawashi – Hokutofuji went yotsu-zumō today, and it worked really well. Arawashi had a good chance at a throw, bout could not close the deal. As a college Yokozuna, I hope that Hokutofuji will employ mawashi fighting more now that he is in the top division.

Chiyonokuni defeats Yoshikaze – This lasted only a second, and Chiyonokuni won via hikiotoshi, or if you watch it the kimarite was really the “testicle-blow-by technique” deftly employed by Chiyonokuni. I would not be surprised to find out later that Chiyonokuni broke wind as Yoshikaze went sailing past his nethers. Strange and wonderful sumo indeed.

Kotoshogiku defeats Shohozan – Shohozan repeated Mitakeumi’s mistke: Hey, lets go chest to chest with the human bulldozer! Once again, having done the hard work for him, Shohozan was out backwards over the tawara before he could react.

Takayasu defeats Sokokurai – Winning technique should have been “Tachiai so strong that it loosened three fillings”. Not sure what kind of magic Takayasu is using, but he is ripe for a Henka in the coming week. That Tachiai is brutal and strong.

Terunofuji defeats Takekaze – Or should read, Terunofuji picks up 330 pound Takekaze like a bale of hay and removes him from the dohyo. If Terunofuji gets tired of sumo he can seek gainful employment as a piece of heavy machinery.

Kisenosato defeats Mitakeumi – Of course he does. Can anyone stop the great pumpkin now? He is so in his grove and his sumo is exactly what he wants every time. Everyone who thought he was not Yokozuna worthy can now get to the back of the line.

Harumafuji defeats Shodai – This bout made me very happy. Not because I don’t love me some Shodai, but Harumafuji looked more like his own self for the first time this basho. Word to Shodai, you are always too high on the tachiai. I know you are trying to protect your face, but it’s how you lose in the first moment of battle. You have to decide if you want to stay pretty or be good. Keep in mind, Yoshikaze was once a very handsome man.

Haru Basho Day 4 Summary (*Updated)

Bruce H Gōeidō (豪栄道), Hakuho (白鵬), Harubasho 2017 (Osaka), Ichinojo (逸ノ城), Ikioi (勢), Ishiura (石浦), Kakuryu (鶴竜), Kisenosato (稀勢の里), Kotoshogiku (琴奨菊), Mitakeumi(御嶽海), Takanoiwa (貴ノ岩), Takarafuji (宝富士), Takayasu (高安), Terunofuji (照ノ富士), Tochinoshin (栃ノ心), Ura (宇良) , , ,

Ikioi

Yokozuna Bloodbath Continues

Firstly, apologies for not posting any previews on Tuesday. Hopefully no more cross country marathon road trips for a while.

Overnight in Osaka, the Haru basho continued pulverizing the Yokozuna and Ozeki ranks. The concerns we raised prior to the basho seem to be panning out, as today Hakuho, Kakuryu and Goeido all lost their bouts. At the end of day four, only Kisenosato remains undefeated in the upper two ranks. Kisenosato easily won over Sokokurai today. I would once again call attention to how wide Kisenosato’s stance is throughout almost the entire match. In finishing he once again presents his mie pose.

Ikioi was winless going into today’s match with Hakuho, but he came off the line hard and just pushed with everything he had. A monoii ensued, but Ikioi’s victory was upheld. A fantastic kinboshi win for a popular rikishi. Hakuho looked stunned (as was I).

Likewise, the Kotoshogiku revival train gained a bit more steam today when the demoted Ozeki was able to overpower Kakuryu. Kotoshogiku attempted his preferred hug-n-chug, but did not have the leg strength to take the Yokozuna out, but executed a rather clumsy throw (sukuinage) to finish him. It was ugly and all over the map, but Kotoshogiku got it done.

In other news of top rikishi back from the grave, Terunofuji easily dispatched Yoshikaze. Going into day 5, Terunofuji is undefeated! However in the walking dead camp, Goeido was defeated by Takanoiwa. It almost seemed that Goeido was unaware he was already over the tawara, and kept trying to thrust Takanoiwa down after the match was over.

In a battle of the giants, there was some excellent strength sumo between Takayasu and Mitakeumi (this was my favorite match of the day). Takayasu prevailed but Mitakeumi is clearly demonstrating skill and strength to maintain a high rank. Takarafuji has been showing us some fantastic sumo this basho, and in his match against Hokutofuji, he was able to get Hokutofuji turned around and pushed out. Given that Hokutofuji has yet to finish a tournament with a losing record, his current 1-3 record should worry him.

Lower down the torikumi, the hapless Tochinoshin fell to the undefeated Chiyoshoma in a battle that ranged back and forth for a good amount of time. Chiyoshoma was in control the whole time, but Tochinoshin repulsed attempts at throws, slap downs and trips to remain upright and in the fight. In the end Chiyoshoma was able to force him out.

Ichinojo as also been excelling this basho, looking greatly renewed and invigorated. Today he faced Kagayaki, and marched him directly off the dohyo with little fuss or resistance.

Ishiura executed a really nice throw in his win over Sadanoumi, and I am beginning to hope that he is getting his poise and confidence back after his drubbing during Hatsubasho. Ishiura has a lot of promise and potential, so it’s great to see him back into his sumo.

Lastly, Ura is at it again, and was able to keep upright during yet another super-low tachiai. His opponent, Daieisho, seemed perplexed and was unsure what to do. This is typical of Ura matches and he usually will win in the moments his adversary is trying to reorganize their thoughts, and come to grip with what just happened.

All in all a great day of sumo, and I will gamberize and be back on my regular posting schedule.

Updated – Video from Jason’s all sumo channel (from the full NHK feed) of the Hakuho vs Ikioi match, showing the cause of the monii, and the controversy about the call. From the angle shown, it would seem to indicate that Hakuho probably deserved a rematch. By the way, this same ruling in similar conditions was used to remove a victory from Goeido in Kyushu.