Demon Hunter Takanoiwa

Hatsu Day 14 Preview

Bruce H Hakuho (白鵬), Hatsubasho 2017, Ichinojo (逸ノ城), Kisenosato (稀勢の里), Kotoshogiku (琴奨菊), Takayasu (高安), Yoshikaze (嘉風) , , , , , , , , , , ,

day-14

Final Weekend Begins

Hatsu has been an interesting tournament for fans, but it has been brutal for Sumo’s talent. In the top division alone there have been 4 rikishi that have withdrawn with injuries, and many more (such as Kotoshogiku and Osunaarashi) who continue on although they should probably be nursing their wounds.

It would be easy to think of day 14 is filler while we all wait for the final, all important battle between Yokozuna Hakuho and Ozeki Kisenosato, but in fact there are a number of sumotori who are still fighting to secure their winning record (kachi-koshi). This includes

Sadanoumi who will fight Ura in the first bout of Makuuchi, Aoiyama who fights Kagayaki in a battle of slaps, Chiyoshoma who fights Daishomaru , and Ikioi who faces hapless doomed Ozeki Kotoshogiku.

There also seems to be a number of “test matches” that feature men from much lower down the banzuke trying their sumo against upper ranked rikishi. These will likely give us some good idea of how they might perform after their expected promotions. This includes

Takayasu vs Sokokurai – Komusubi (working to start an Ozeki run) vs Maegashira 10, but they have even records, and Sokokurai is a real contender. I am certain that Takayasu will take this match seriously, and it could be a real brawl.

Kisenosato vs Ichinojo – The dai-Ozeki vs Maegashira 13, but Ichinojo will be no walk in the park. He has lost a lot of weight, and is in good fighitng form now. Its expected that Kisenosato will dispatch him, but Ichinojo’s size, weight and strength means it’s going to take some work.

Mitakeumi vs Hokutofuji – Hokutofuji shows hints of being a very strong, dominant member for the new class of rikishi. He goes against Mitakeumi who has really impressed this tournament. On day 13, Mitakeumi looked a little bit spent, but we think he will gamberize for this match.

Yoshikaze vs Chiyotairyu – The mobile attack platform know as Yoshikaze will test Chiyotairyu, who is only Maegashira 14. The Berserker is a personal favorite, but he seems to be slowing down a bit these days. He still has skill and speed on his side.

Hakuho vs Takanoiwa – So the greatest Yokozuna of our age is going against a Maegashira 10. Takanoiwa comes in at 10-3, but it’s all against the bottom half of Makuuchi. I expect Hakuho to fold him like a paper airplane and send him up, up and away.

Day 10 Preview

Bruce H Gōeidō (豪栄道), Hakuho (白鵬), Hatsubasho 2017, Kakuryu (鶴竜), Kisenosato (稀勢の里), Osunaarashi (大砂嵐), San'yaku (三役), Sekiwake (関脇), Takayasu (高安) , , , , , ,

ikioi-kakuryu-9

Where we hope it won’t get any weirder.

Bizzaro-world day 9 is in the history books, with a tremendous impact for the yusho race at Hatsu. With day 10, we close out the middle act of the basho, and prepare to launch headlong into the final 5 days, where dreams get crushed and champions are made.

Clearly Hakuho is off his game now. I don’t think it’s injury or physical, I think it started with Arawashi. Clearly whatever happened at the tachiai took a direction that the Yokozuna did not expect, and moved to counter. But before he could do anything, Arawashi had him out. As stated prior, Hakuho is about 80% offense 20% defense, and he almost always starts with a strong battle plan. That is why when Takayasu stood him up with a big tachiai on day 10, he was in trouble. Honestly I don’t recall seeing Takayasu move with that kind of speed ever before. Takayasu gave quick shoulder blast at the tachiai, and then he had a hand inside pushing against Hakuho’s chest. This time The Boss was quick to implement his defensive plan, but his much vaunted ring sense failed him as he stepped out. I would look for him to get back in his sumo today, as he has Ikioi.

On the subject of Kotoshogiku, if he wins over Goeido I am going to suspect some coordinated effort to rescue the injured Ozeki. Frankly one of the great appeals of sumo is the appearance of meritocracy. I am sure Kotoshogiku is a lovely human being, but the time has come for someone to show his kadoban ass the door. He is perpetually injured, which is a crying shame as he has had brought some great sumo to the sport.

One the subject of Ozeki who should be moving forward, Kisenosato has a lot to make up for after his disappointing loss to Kotoshogiku. Kise – you had one job to do, and you had most of this handed to you on a plate by Harumafuji and Hakuho. Some corners of the sumo world jokingly call him “Choke-o-zuna”, which I thought was cruel. But today I think it might be accurate. Day 10 he faces Terunofuji, who is also a great sumotori who has chronic injuries and has little left until he is healed.

Kakuryu is back to stinking after a really excellent Kyushu. As of today he is in serious risk of going make-koshi, which would rain down doom from the Japan Sumo Association on the most recent Yokozuna. On day 10 he faces Tamawashi, who is seriously looking like he might survive as Sekiwake.

Notable Matches

Sadanoumi vs Ichinojo – Ichinojo can go kachi-koshi with a win here. He is tied for second place! SECOND PLACE! Ichinojo leads the series 4-2.

Takanoiwa vs Chiyotairyu – Co-Leader Takanoiwa takes on a struggling Chiyotairyu. Maybe day 11 the can put him against Hakuho? Chiyotairyu leads the series 3-1, so maybe Takanoiwa will be knocked back from his co-leader status.

Osunaarashi vs Sokokurai – Also tied for second place, Sokokurai draws an easy match against the Egyptian, who is really too hurt to be on the dohyo. Osunaarashi has won all 4 of their prior bouts.

Takekaze vs Hokutofuji – Henka master Takekaze takes on Hokutofuji, who is also tied for second place. I love me some Hokutofuji, but this is crazy. This will be the first time these two have faced off

Mitakeumi vs Shodai – A magical battle of the up-and-coming. With Shodai largely 1 step behind Mitakeumi on the learning curve, we shall see if Shodai is firming up and getting over his san’yaku jitters. Shodai has won 4 of their prior 5 matches.

Hatsu Day 9 Preview

Bruce H Gōeidō (豪栄道), Hakuho (白鵬), Harumafuji (日馬富士), Hatsubasho 2017, Ichinojo (逸ノ城), Kakuryu (鶴竜), Kotoshogiku (琴奨菊), Takarafuji (宝富士), Takayasu (高安) , , , , , , ,

arawashi-kenso-heist

Arawashi’s Spoils of Battle

The second half of Hatsu opened with some great sumo, and some surprising outcomes. In the middle of all of this, I am keeping a watch on Kotoshogiku. Mathematically, I don’t see any way he cannot be demoted. The question comes: what does he do after that? Right now his legs are trashed, he has no pushing power. Kotoshogiku’s sumo is all about locking up a rikishi and applying those tree-trunk legs to move forward against any rikishi, no matter how big. With his knees out of operation, his sumo is no longer winning matches. Does Kotoshogiku remain in Makuuchi and try to make a come-back? It would require him to get very effective intervention on his knees. He would then have to fight his way back to Ozeki. More likely still, he might retire (intai) and transition to coaching or running the association or a heya.

There is also the question of Harumafuji. The reports from the press state that he is out for a month with a torn ligament in his right thigh. Prior to this, there were vocal threats to push him towards retirement coming form YDC head Moriya. Sumo fans can only wonder if privately, there is a renewed call for him to step down. Frankly, I think Harumafuji, at a workable physical condition, is necessary for the sport. Within 3 years there are likely to be viable Japanese Yokozuna hopefuls, and having the ever inventive Harumafuji to train and match against is crucial to producing the next generation of top quality Yokozuna.

Hatsu Leader Board

  • Leader – Kisenosato
  • Hunt Group – Hakuho, Takanoiwa, Sokokurai
  • Chasers – Ikioi, Takekaze, Hokutofuji, Ichinojo, Sadanoumi

7 Matches Remain

Torikumi We Are Following

Ichinojo vs Sokokurai – As stated earlier, not sure who put the correct fuel into battle-bot Ichinojo, but he seems to be working again. The day 8 match with Chiyonokuni was an eye opener, as Chiyonokuni is no slouch, but to Ichinojo, it may as well have been an overly busy fly. I am beginning to worry that Inchinojo sneaks away to train with Shin-Godzilla (who is really robo-Hakuho in a suit, after all). Sokokurai is turning in a great performance, and is part of the hunt group. A win today would give Sokokurai his kachi-koshi, and a nice boost in rank for Osaka. Ichinojo has won both of their prior matches.

Takanoiwa vs Aoiyama – Another member of the hunt group faces Bulgarian Aoiyama, who seems to be more focused, more aggressive and more confident this basho than the prior several. He has massive size and unnatural strength. We just have to pray he does not follow Mitakeumi’s example and blend the pusher / thruster oshi-zumō approach with solid yotsu-zumō. A win here would give Takanoiwa his kachi-koshi. These two have split their prior two matches.

Hokutofuji vs Endo – Make no mistake, Endo is in this match today to test Hokutofuji. Endo has been struggling this basho, but he is still part of the “next generation” rikishi, and the NSK is grooming him carefully. At the same time, there seems to be a blossoming crop of youngsters this basho, all of whom need tested and measured against upper level Maegashira. This is the first time these rikishi have met.

Takarafuji vs Shodai – Competition for the lower 4 san’yaku spots in Osaka is fierce. This match will continue the training for Shodai, hopefully Takarafuji can tune him up a notch. They have had 4 prior matches, with an even 2-2 split.

Tamawashi vs Mitakeumi – Battle of the 5-3’s, both men are doing well and delivering some great sumo. Mitakeumi has won all 4 of their prior matches, but Tamawashi is going to be ready to break that record.

Kisenosato vs Kotoshogiku – A heartbreak match if there ever was one. Last year’s Hatsu basho champion Kotoshogiku, who is more or less doomed, faces undefeated Kisenosato. Kisenosato wants a yusho, so he does not dare give Kotoshogiku a “gift” – Hakuho will not give Kisenosato any second chances. Kotoshogiku actually leads the series 32-30.

Takayasu vs Hakuho – Well Takayasu, if you want to be an Ozeki, you need to win against Hakuho about half the time. Good luck with that, even though I am rooting for you to make it happen. Takayasu has only one once against Hakuho, with a hatakikomi at Kyushu in 2014.

Kakuryu vs Ikioi – Crowd favorite Ikioi faces a struggling Yokozuna Kakuryu. If I think back to Nagoya’s Hakuho vs Ikioi bout (where Hakuho became injured), Ikioi was terrified of facing Hakuho. Now I am pretty sure he has more confidence in his sumo. The real check for me to watch how he reacts when Kakuryu moves to his defensive entrapment mode against Ikioi’s over eager pushing and slapping attacks. Kakuryu holds the 7-2 advantage in this series.

Note: Wakaichirio will fight again on day 9, as opposed to his “even only” days thus far. On day 9 he is facing Michinoku heya’s Ryuki, who is a former Sandanme rikishi who missed 3 tournaments and is back in Jonokuchi.

 

Preview of Hatsu Day 7

Bruce H Gōeidō (豪栄道), Hakuho (白鵬), Harumafuji (日馬富士), Hatsubasho 2017, Ichinojo (逸ノ城), Kakuryu (鶴竜), Kisenosato (稀勢の里), Kotoshogiku (琴奨菊), Mitakeumi(御嶽海), Osunaarashi (大砂嵐), San'yaku (三役), Takayasu (高安), Ōzeki (大関) , , , ,

kotoshogiku

First Look At Leaders and Contenders

The middle weekend of Hatsu is upon us! Rejoice sumo fans! If you are fortunate enough to get the full NHK feed (in english) for the matches, you can enjoy John Gunning’s color commentary in addition to Murray’s play by play. Sadly, that does not include your humble blogger, as I am on a 777 bound for London, where sumo will be hard to find.

We are closing in on the half way mark, and everyone faced enough opponents that we can start to plot out who is in contention for the yusho, who is scraping by, and who is in trouble.

In Juryo, Ura was dancing around, defying the laws of physics and undefeated. That changed on day 6, and now a broad group of sekitori are back in contention.

Juryo Leaders: Ura, Homarefuji, Satoyama, Daiamami
Juryo Hunt Group: Daieisho, Tokushoryu, Tsurugisho

Personally I am hoping Ura will be able to prevail here, and either take the yusho or runner up.

In Makuuchi, the picture is even a bit more exotic

Makuuchi Leaders: Hakuho, Kisenosato
Makuuchi Hunt Group: Hokutofuji, Takanoiwa, Sokokurai, Ichinojo, Sadanoumi

So in essence, you have 2 heavy hitters undefeated, and a pack of mid to lower ranked rikishi who have one loss each. This is absolutely fantastic news, as it speaks strongly to the strength of the middle and lower Makuuchi ranks this basho. With a real possibility of losing 2-4 sanyaku in the next 12 months, a strong farm team is a must. Sumo’s popularity in Japan (and indeed world wide) is on the upswing for a variety of very good reasons, and keeping the world of sumo competitive and exciting will continue to draw fans, new and veteran, to the world of sumo.

Notable Matches

Osunaarashi vs Toyohibiki – Osunaarashi’s accumulated injuries, maladies and pain are overwhelming his sumo. He has limited mobility on the dohyo, and it shows. Toyohibiki is up from Juryo to balance out the card due to Tochinoshin’s kyujo, so we shall see how he fares. Toyohibiki was in Makuuchi last tournament, and holds a 3-2 career advantage over Osunaarashi.

Takanoiwa vs Ichinojo – I had to look at this twice, as I really was not keeping a close eye on Ichinojo; he’s 5-1. This is a battle between two of the low / mid ranked rikishi who have only one loss going into the half way point, which is actually pretty impressive. Both men are 3 wins away from kachi-koshi already. Ichinojo won the only prior bout between these two.

Shodai vs Goeido – This should be another stage in Shodai’s education in sanyaku, but it’s really more of an open question as Goeido is not super potent this basho, and Shodai is hanging on at 3-3 in Sekiwake, which is actually quite an achievement. Shodai is almost done with his “hard” week, and will likely have some easier matches week 2. He might actually pick up kachi-koshi in one of the most punishing ranks in sumo. 3 career bouts in this series, with Goeido taking 2.

Takayasu vs Kotoshogiku – We will get a really good indication from this match if the sumo guys are going to try to let Kotoshogiku survive. In the past it has seemed that Takayasu is not beyond a “strategic loss” from time to time. In past bashos there has been a handful of curious losses to Ozeki who needed to hang on. Personally I would rather see Takayasu back at Sekiwake than to see Kotoshogiku hang on in mal-performing misery. Kotoshogiku leads the series 11-6, but in his current condition it’s not predictive.

Terunofuji vs Mitakeumi – This is going to be an ugly bout, Terunofuji is vague and weak due to injuries and medication. Mitakeumi should be able to win this one given the poor condition of Terunofuji. Mitakeumi has beaten Terunofuji once before in their prior matches, which was their bout in Kyushu last basho.

Ikioi vs Harumafuji – Harumafuji is banged up, beat up and each time he steps on the dohyo, he rolls the dice on an actual career ending injury. I know he continues on because he loves sumo and he is under an threat of retirement. Ikioi, as a pusher-thruster, is going to bring a very high impact sumo into this bout. My hope is for no additional injury to the Yokozuna. Ikioi has never won in their 10 prior matches, and it would be a monstrous kinboshi if he prevails on day 7