Hatsu Basho

Hatsu 2024: Day 9 Highlights

Andy Hatsu 2024, Hatsu Basho , , ,

The news continues to stream in from the infirmary. Today, both Hokutofuji and Asanoyama are added to the kyujo list. Hokutofuji’s kyujo was expected. For Asanoyama, the injury is the ankle that he rolled up on near the end of his fight with Tamawashi.

Makuuchi Results

Endo (2-7) defeated Tomokaze (1-8). Endo charged forward and drove Tomokaze from the ring. Oshidashi.

Myogiryu (3-6) defeated Bushozan (4-5). Bushozan charged forward but Myogiryu pulled Bushozan down. Hatakikomi.

Takanosho (6-3) defeated Takarafuji (4-5). Takanosho forced the Takarabune aground. The Takarabune tried a last second pulldown but Takanosho kept his balance and shoved Takarafuji out. Oshidashi.

Shimazuumi (5-4) defeated Oho (6-3). Shimazuumi false start. Shimazuumi locked in tight with Oho, and prevented the oshi-tsuki wrestler from fighting his brand of fight. Oho attempted to get some distance by retreating but Shimazuumi continued to charge forward and wrapped Oho up and walked him out. Yorikiri.

Kotoshoho (6-3) defeated Sadanoumi (3-6). As the two waltzed across the ring toward the tawara, both men pitched to the side to try to throw each other. Kotoshoho was able to keep his footing just long enough to pick up the win as they both tumbled out. Sukuinage.

Onosato (8-1) defeated Meisei (5-4). Meisei grabbed Onosato’s arm and tried to pull him down but Onosato was having none of it and drove Meisei out. Meisei appeared to have a plan today, it was just utterly ineffective. Yorikiri.

Churanoumi defeated Mitakeumi. Mitakeumi got his right-hand outside grip but Churanoumi denied an easy left-hand inside. Churanoumi grabbed Mitakeumi with a matching right-hand outside grip and yanked up as he charged forward and drove Mitakeumi to the edge. Both men tumbled out but the gunbai went to Churanoumi. No mono-ii. Yorikiri.

Onosho (8-1) fusen win. Asanoyama (7-2)  kyujo.

Tsurugisho (4-5) defeated Ichiyamamoto (3-6). Ichiyamamoto tried his pull but Tsurugisho stayed up long enough to drive Ichiyamamoto out before falling. Oshidashi.

Tamawashi (6-3) defeated Shonannoumi (1-8). Brutal nodowa from Tamawashi. He grabbed Shonannoumi’s head and shoved him from the dohyo. Oshidashi.

Halftime

Kinbozan (5-4) defeated Hiradoumi (4-5). A contrast of styles here. Kinbozan’s oshi-tsuki attack completely overwhelmed Hiradoumi. Tsukidashi.

Tobizaru (5-4) fusen win. Hokutofuji (4-5) kyujo

Abi (3-6) defeated Gonoyama (2-7). Henka or no? I say yes. Abi made contact with his arm to drive Gonoyama down, and seized Gonoyama’s belt to drive him forward. But he had leapt to the side to avoid the force of Gonoyama’s charge. To me, that’s a henka. Perfectly executed. Uwatenage.

Wakamotoharu (6-3) defeated Midorifuji (2-7). Kachi-age from WMH but Midorifuji seized his belt and tried a quick throw. Wakamotoharu drove into Midorifuji and crushed him down at the edge. Yoritaoshi.

Sanyaku

Ura (2-7) defeated Atamifuji (4-5). Ura charged forward at the tachiai but Atamifuji slammed on the brakes before reaching the bales. As Atamifuji tussled for a belt grip, Ura drove Atamifuji to the other edge and pulled him down. Atamifuji tried to stop but his foot landed outside the bales and then awkwardly slipped out from under him. Katasukashi.

Kotonowaka (8-1) defeated Daieisho (6-3). Kotonowaka absorbed Daieisho’s charge and tried a pull down but that failed. He moved inside and locked up a right-hand inside grip and used that to bulldoze Daieisho clear across the ring. Yorikiri.

Kirishima (7-1) defeated Shodai (4-5). Kirishima grabbed Shodai’s belt with a right-hand inside grip and drove toward the edge of the ring. At the edge, Shodai yanked on Kirishima’s arm and twisted, pulling Kirishima out, as well. Gunbai Shodai?!?! The Shimpan jump up quickly to set this right. Shodai was out first. Oshidashi.

Hoshoryu (7-2) defeated Ryuden (3-6). Hoshoryu simply overpowered Ryuden. Once he got the left-hand inside to match up with his right-hand outside, he drove forward and forced Ryuden out. Yorikiri.

Terunofuji (7-2) defeated Nishikigi (5-4). Terunofuji tried the kimidashi attack but Nishikigi broke free. He nearly got Terunofuji at the edge but Terunofuji re-engaged, locked in with a right hand inside, left-hand outside, and forced Nishikigi over the tawara.

Wrap-up

Onosato and Onosho will be thrown to the wolves tomorrow to test their mettle. Onosho will face Kirishima. Kirishima’s rope run is on ice at this point. It will be dead and buried with a loss. Onosato will face Kotonowaka, both 8-1. Both men secured their kachi-koshi just today but will be tested for the yusho tomorrow. The leader will surely then have to run the gauntlet against the Ozeki and Yokozuna to earn the title. Hoshoryu, also in the hunt group, will face Daieisho (6-3).

It is a huge bummer about Asanoyama and Hokutofuji. I hope they both recuperate.

Hatsu 2024: Day 2 Highlights

Andy Hatsu 2024, Hatsu Basho ,

Well, Day One had its highlights and lowlights, that’s for sure. Terunofuji sure made an impression with the way he dispatched Ura last night. We’ll be worried about that elbow for the next fortnight, won’t we? I can honestly say that I have never seen that before and I’ve been watching sumo for a few days now.

I’m going to try something new here on the blog. The infinite scroll is rather annoying, so I’m going to try to resurrect and old idea I had a couple years ago. I hope to re-establish the “tournament archives” page with a few tweaks so that this content will hopefully be easier to find as we go deeper into the action. I’ll still have a central page for each tournament, like this one for Hatsu 2024 but I will also have a year-long wrap up since there is a lot of action and news that comes outside of the tournaments.

This way will hopefully help organize these “current events” and “news” type posts. Other feature posts that are more focused on individual topics will be organized separately. More on that to come. We’ll see how it goes. Keep in mind that these pages are living and will be updated with content frequently during the tournament. They look rather Spartan now.

Makuuchi Highlights

Takarafuji (2-0) defeated Aoiyama (0-2). Takarafuji weathered the Aoiyama tsuppari storm for a good long while. To lessen the impact of the blows, he deflected what he could by batting away at Aoiyama’s elbows. Aoiyama’s forward motion started picking up steam and Takarafuji slipped quickly to the side, gently ushering Aoiyama out. Hikkake.

Shimazuumi (2-0) defeated Bushozan (0-2). Two quick slaps after the tachiai and Shimazuumi established superior position at the center of the ring, with Bushozan on the ropes. From there, he pursued the retreating Bushozan halfway around the ring, while applying constant pressure before finally hoisting him over the tawara. Yorikiri.

Bushozan will face Aoiyama. Shimazuumi will take on Takarafuji.

Onosato (2-0) defeated Kotoshoho (1-1). Kotoshoho’s tsuppari gave Onosato a bit of a challenge at the tachiai but he gave up on it for a slapdown attempt. This provided Onosato an opening to press forward. Kotoshoho tried a throw at the edge but Onosato kept Kotoshoho in front. With a powerful shove, Onosato cast Kotoshoho down into the crowd. Oshitaoshi.

Onosho (1-1) defeated Tomokaze (0-2). So, Onosho does know how to move forward! Excellent work here. Solid tachiai and powerful tsuppari forced Tomokaze back. When Tomokaze attempted a slapdown, Onosho dodged it and pressed Tomokaze out. Oshidashi.

Oh, no! Onosho versus Onosato on the ‘morrow. Kotoshoho and Tomokaze to follow.

Endo (1-1) defeated Takanosho (1-1). Endo picked up his shonichi, first win, with a powerful shove at the tachiai. That left hand hit on Takanosho’s elbow at the right time to deflect Takanosho headlong toward the tawara. Simple pursuit and he ushered Takanosho out. Oshidashi.

Churanoumi (2-0) defeated Myogiryu (0-2). Powerful tsuppari from both competitors. I think Churanoumi had a gripe about a hair pull there in all that slapping. Regardless, he won by pressing Myogiryu down to the side and slipping in behind as Myogiryu tried to keep his balance. A simple push out from behind. Okuridashi.

Endo will get Myogiryu while Takanosho will try to get some dirt on Churanoumi.

Tamawashi (1-1) defeated Oho (1-1). In the ring, Tamawashi is not the gentle geezer that he is on the jungyo trail. He showed Oho no mercy and blasted him from the fighting surface with his standard fierce tsuppari. Oshidashi.

Tsurugisho (1-1) defeated Sadanoumi (1-1). Wow. One blast from that right arm of Tsurugisho was enough to send Sadanoumi sprawling. Shibatayama-oyakata (a big dude, himself) was chatting with the Abema commentator about Tsurugisho’s girth and how much he weighs. There sure is a lot of power in that mass. Oshitaoshi.

Tsurugisho will battle Tamawashi and Sadanoumi will face Oho.

Hokuseiho (1-1) defeated Meisei (0-2). This was an entertaining, evenly matched yotsu battle. Certainly unexpected from Meisei. Meisei started with a morozashi but as the grapple evolved, he switched to a migi maemitsu grip, with his left hand at the back of Hokuseiho’s mawashi. Hokuseiho had his usual deep grip over Meisei’s back. There were several flurries of action and resistance. Meisei finally worked Hokuseiho over to the edge but Hokuseiho threw Meisei to the ground. Uwatenage.

Hiradoumi (2-0) defeated Mitakeumi (1-1). A strong, head-butt tachiai from Hiradoumi, followed by a right-hand blast to the face and Hiradoumi thrust Mitakeumi back, off the dohyo and into the lap of an elderly fan. Mitakeumi’s offense and defense have been rather uninspired. Oshidashi.

Hiradoumi is set to take on winless Meisei; Hokuseiho is scheduled to take on Mitakeumi.

Asanoyama (2-0) defeated Kinbozan (1-1). Kinbozan tried twice at the very start of the bout to heave Asanoyama to the ground, casting to and fro, but Asanoyama’s solid footwork kept him upright. He then wrapped up Kinbozan with his right-hand inside and pressed forward forcefully. Yorikiri

Halftime

Shonannoumi (1-1) defeated Ichiyamamoto (0-2). Shonannoumi was all in on the slapdown strategy. The third time was the charm as he finally forced Ichiyamamoto to the clay. Hatakikomi.

Shonannoumi will try to get his first win against Asanoyama in his sixth attempt. Ichiyamamoto will fight Kinbozan.

Tobizaru (1-1) defeated Nishikigi (1-1). Nishikigi pressed forward and Tobizaru hopped to the side, thrusting Nishikigi’s head down. A quick slapdown win. Tsukiotoshi.

Shodai (2-0) defeated Ryuden (0-2). Excellent, powerful, twisting throw from Shodai. He absorbed Ryuden’s powerful charge, spun around, and twisted Ryuden down. Sukuinage.

Shodai will face Nishikigi and Tobizaru gets Ryuden.

Sanyaku

Hokutofuji (1-1) defeated Ura (0-2). “Past performance is no guarantee of future results.” Hokutofuji was committed to that slapdown from the word, “jump.” He met Ura at the tachiai with his arm already extended, ready to press down. This should have been one of Ura’s easy wins. He’s got a heavy advantage in this rivalry but Hokutofuji had a plan and executed well. Ura stood at the side of the ring, defeated. That lonely feeling in the pit of your stomach when she doesn’t even answer the phone. Hatakikomi.

Kotonowaka (2-0) defeated Gonoyama (0-2). What a throw! Two powerful youngsters locked into a great grapple. Gonoyama, holding Kotonowaka’s right arm at bay with his left, charged forward into his opponent. Kotonowaka apparently did not need a right-handed grip, as Gonoyama charged forward, he just threw him into the crowd with the left. BEAUTIFUL. Uwatenage.

Daieisho (2-0) defeated Abi (0-2). I thought Abi had this one. He was laying into Daieisho with powerful thrusts to the face, forcing Daieisho’s head back. But that was all that moved back, Daieisho’s head. His body remained firm, resolute in the center of the dohyo. Daieisho used his left hand to shove Abi to the side and then pursued with his own, more powerful shoves. Oshidashi.

Daieisho will fight Hokutofuji tomorrow.

Kirishima (2-0) defeated Takayasu (1-1). Plan A, deflection and slapdown, didn’t work. So Kirishima followed up with Plan B, raw power, as he drove Takayasu backwards and out of the ring. Oshidashi.

Takayasu will take on Gonoyama on Day 3.

Takakeisho (2-0) defeated Atamifuji (0-2). Oof. Atamifuji put up a valiant effort. He forced T-Rex into Plan C. The tsuppari and headbutts didn’t work. The pull and slapdown didn’t work. So, Takakeisho launched forward into Atamifuji with everything. Atamifuji tried a slapdown of his own but ran out of real estate as he retreated over the bales. Yorikiri.

Atamifuji will face Kirishima on Day 3.

Hoshoryu (2-0) defeated Midorifuji (0-2). Hoshoryu went for a spin with Midorifuji, wrapped up his arm, and then cast him into the crowd. Oshidashi.

Midorifuji will face Kotonowaka and Hoshoryu gets Ura.

Wakamotoharu (1-1) defeated Terunofuji (1-1). After the initial flurry, Terunofuji was unable to mount an offense against Wakamotoharu. He was not able to counter; it took enough strength just to resist going out. The initiative was all WMH. I am not sure what attack Terunofuji had in mind once the bout settled into a grapple because it seemed like he was only reacting to WMH’s charges. The final charge forward and WMH was finally able to work the Yokozuna over the tawara. With Covid and Kyujo, the crowd was clearly out of practice when it came to zabuton tossing. Yorikiri.

Wakamotoharu will need to rest soundly tonight as he will face Takakeisho mañana. Terunofuji will face Abi.

Wrap-up

Well, we have to start our wrap-up with how the match day ended there. Wakamotoharu is a solid, sanyaku-quality wrestler, though he’s down at the top of the rank-and-file. He has earned his first kinboshi. Congratulations! My concern here is not so much that he defeated the Yokozuna. My concern was that I’m not sure what Terunofuji had in mind beyond, “survive.” If any of you saw differently, please feel free to note it in the comments. But in my mind, Terunofuji seemed gassed after that initial flurry. He was not able to overpower Wakamotoharu at the very start and it took all of the energy he had to keep himself in the match.

It is only Day Two. After six months of leave from work, I would be quite rusty, too. I was (and still am) hopeful that the Yokozuna can come back from his kyujo, dominate, and win another yusho. Hopes are still there but the probability of that occurring has taken a real hit. We’ll just have to take this day by day. Even if he finishes 7-8, to be honest, I think the most important thing would be to see him compete and finish a tournament after that time off. If his record is that bad, I’m sure he will pull out long before he is makekoshi but I really hope it doesn’t come to that.

Winter News Update 2023.12.27

Andy Banzuke (番付), Hatsu 2024 ,

We sumo fans get a bit of a Christmas present this year with the release of the banzuke for Hatsu 2024. That probably goes double for the big Ura fans out there as he was promoted to Komusubi for the first time. Congratulations, Ura, and welcome to sanyaku! And, Congratulations to Leonid, too, for really knocking this banzuke guess out of the park. A few swaps here and there but his forecast really hit the mark.

Other big stories from the new ranking list are the first time promotions of Onosato and Shimazuumi to the top division, while Aoiyama, Kotoshoho and Bushozan make their returns. Takayasu also makes a return…to sanyaku! The former Ozeki ended the year strong and may see 2024 as his best shot to reclaim his rank and/or win a yusho. Well, at least his fans hold out hopes.

Obviously, at the top of the banzuke we have the lone Yokozuna, Terunofuji. Hoping to join him is Kirishima. By virtue of his 13-2 yusho in November, the Ozeki is on his first tsunatori or “rope-run”. If he wins in Tokyo, he will be a lock for elevation to the sport’s highest rank. If he can do it with Terunofuji’s full participation, it could cement his legitimacy.

With Terunofuji’s third consecutive kyujo in November, his seventh in eight tournaments, one wonders if he can not only come back in fighting shape but last another year and a half until Isegahama’s retirement. Or, what is probably more likely is that he could come back and shut me up, entirely, by competing for the yusho. Flame me for being the Debbie Downer, if you will, but I really do wonder what the plan is here and how it might be impacted by a new Yokozuna.

Speaking of promotion candidates, we definitely have a couple of eager Sekiwake here. Either would likely require a yusho for any long-shot promotion after Hatsu; but both can set themselves up for some real promotion chatter in Osaka with strong performances here. I think we would really want to see a strong first week from Daieisho, in particular. He has faltered early in each of his last two tournaments. Beating maegashira with consistency will be a strong sign.

At the other end of the banzuke, we will get to see the first action of Ajigawa-beya recruit, Anhibiki. It will be interesting to see if he can follow the lead of Aonishiki and Anosho and claim the lower division crown. Anosho has already cracked his way into Makushita and Aonishiki will be one to watch in Jonidan. Ex-Aminishiki is developing a nice outfit there to fill up this great looking building.

Well, we here at Tachiai are just eager for the action to start!