Endo

Hatsubasho 2015: Day 7

Andy Hakuho (白鵬), Harumafuji (日馬富士), Hatsubasho 2015, Ichinojo (逸ノ城) , , , , , , , ,
Harumafuji slips up
Harumafuji slips up

Harumafuji’s slip-up gives up a surprising gold star to a visibly injured Jokoryu. There’s a lot of speculation about why the yokozuna fell so easily but my take on it is he was trying for a rare kimarite and underestimated Jokoryu’s ability to stand his ground. I’ve never seen anyone reach all the way round the opponent to grab the thong part of the mawashi. Until I know the real name, I’m going to call it an attempted nuclear-wedgie. I will not fault Harumafuji for trying because I enjoy his creative style of sumo. He seems to always find new ways to win that I haven’t seen, like the komatasukui from yesterday. The timing today is questionable, when tied for the lead with Hakuho to close out week one.
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Hatsubasho 2015: Day 6

Andy Hakuho (白鵬), Harumafuji (日馬富士), Hatsubasho 2015, Ichinojo (逸ノ城) , , , , , ,

#70
Hungry for Yusho
#69
Searching for #33

 
 
 
Harumafuji and Hakuho are the last two with perfect records.

Harumafuji had his longest bout of the tournament so far and one of the more interesting bouts in the way he won. He waited patiently with a solid belt grip. Toyonoshima tried to use his legs but that opened him to danger as the yokozuna got the better of him by reaching down with the left arm and grabbing for Toyonoshima’s left leg. Off balance, the maegashira was forced backwards and off the dohyo, into the crowd. I don’t think I’d ever seen an example of komatasukui kimarite before.
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Hatsubasho 2015: Day 5

Andy Hakuho (白鵬), Harumafuji (日馬富士), Hatsubasho 2015, Ichinojo (逸ノ城) , , , , , ,

HakuhoIkioi

Ikioi (0-5) came close to pulling off the upset of his career against Hakuho. In a characteristically spirited fight he very nearly conquered the yokozuna, slapping the champ down by the shoulder. But, the gyoji was right calling Hakuho as victor. On review, the heel of Ikioi’s foot had touched the dirt on the wrong side of the straw bale while Hakuho was still in the air [blurry picture above]. He’s clearly much better than his winless record would attest…but he’ll get there.
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Hatsubasho 2015: Day 4

Andy Hakuho (白鵬), Harumafuji (日馬富士), Ichinojo (逸ノ城) , , , , , ,
Painful stance for Kotoshogiku
Painful stance for Kotoshogiku

I really think Ichinojo puts a lot of planning into each bout. He’s a real tactician. He was very slow at the tachiai…waiting for Kotoshogiku to make the first move. With the ozeki’s knee issues, it was apparent that he was experiencing discomfort holding a crouched stance for more than a few seconds before the tachiai. After just a few seconds, he had to adjust into more of a forward lean and finally had to go ahead into a three-point stance and initiate the charge rather than wait on Ichinojo. As he bulled across the dohyo, Ichinojo just grabbed him by the back and pushed him down. Some do not like his tactics but I enjoy the chess he plays. Kisenosato used to slow roll his tachiai, getting many opponents to false start, until Ichinojo abused him.
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