Hoshoryu

Hatsu 2026: Day Six

Andy Hatsu 2026, Hatsu Basho , , ,

No kyujo to report. But we do have a retirement announcement: former Makuuchi wrestler Daiamami has retired. Always Genki, he had fallen to Makushita 17 after a 1-7 tournament in Kyushu. Any idea why they gave him an eighth bout, against Juryo Himukamaru, to boot. I just feel like there’s a story there since 8-bout bashos are rather rare, unless you’re Hattorizakura. I’ll dig into it later today after I get some Zs.

Getting back to the Juryo race, Fujiseiun lost to Shonannoumi, falling to 5-1. Kayo is also tied at 5-1 with eight men chasing at 4-2. Fujiseiun will fight Tamashoho tomorrow and Kayo will fight Hakuyozan. Today’s NHK videos include the Nishikigi/Hidenoumi bout at the bottom.

Your NHK videos are here.

Makuuchi Action

Shishi (4-2) defeated Hatsuyama (0-6). Shishi pressed forward and shoved Hatsuyama back and out to his sixth consecutive loss. Oshidashi.

Oshoumi (5-1) defeated Mitakeumi (3-3). Oshoumi locked up Mitakeumi and drove him back and out. Yorikiri.

Asahakuryu (4-2) defeated Tobizaru (1-5). Tobizaru had the early edge in this long yotsu battle as his ottsuke kept Asahakuryu away from his belt. Once Asahakuryu landed his right hand inside grip, though, he was able to press forward and force Tobizaru out. Yorikiri.

Tomokaze (3-3) defeated Asanoyama (4-2). As Asanoyama forced Tomokaze to the edge, Tomokaze shifted right and thrust Asanoyama down to the ground. Tsukiotoshi.

Abi (6-0) defeated Asakoryu (2-4). Abi shoved Asakoryu back and Asakoryu stumbled a bit and stepped over the bales. Tsukidashi.

Ryuden (2-4) defeated Nishikifuji (3-3). Ryuden put his head down and drove Nishikifuji out. Yorikiri.

Kotoshoho (4-2) defeated Midorifuji (2-4). Kotoshoho drove forward and pressured Midorifuji over the bales while falling down. Gunbai Midorifuji. Mono-ii. Kotoshoho touched while Midorifuji was in the air and already dead. The shimpan reversed the call. Kotoshoho wins. Yoritaoshi.

Roga (3-3) defeated Chiyoshoma (2-4). Chiyoshoma shoved Roga back to the edge but he really still can’t put all of his weight on his right foot. Roga steadily charged forward and forced Chiyoshoma back over the edge. Chiyoshoma tried a last gasp pull but it was ineffective. Yorikiri.

Kinbozan (2-4) defeated Tokihayate (3-3). Kinbozan drove forward with a left-hand uwate and lifted Tokihayate off the ground and over the bales. Tsuridashi.

Fujinokawa (5-1) defeated Gonoyama (1-5). Despite Gonoyama’s forceful tsuppari forcing Fujinokawa back to the bales and around the ring, Fujinokawa used excellent footwork to work his way back to the middle of the ring. This put Gonoyama on the edge. Fujinokawa lashed out and thrust Gonoyama over the bales. Oshitaoshi.

Onokatsu (3-3) defeated Shodai (3-3). Shodai got his morozashi and forced Onokatsu to the edge but Onokatsu used the leverage to counter Shodai. He shoved Shodai hard in the face with his right hand. Shodai didn’t like it and stepped back and out. Oshidashi.

Halftime

Churanoumi (3-3) defeated Oshoma (5-1). Churanoumi’s tsuppari drove Oshoma back over the edge as Oshoma twisted Churanoumi down. Gunbai Churanoumi. Mono-ii. The shimpan confirmed the gyoji’s call that Oshoma touched out. Oshidashi.

Atamifuji (4-2) defeated Hiradoumi (3-3). Atamifuji grabbed Hiradoumi, wrapped him up, and drove him back over the edge. Yorikiri.

Hakunofuji (4-2) defeated Tamawashi (2-4). Hakunofuji’s left-hand inside grip allowed him to negate Tamawashi’s tsuppari and drive Tamawashi back. He fought to get his right hand inside grip, as well. With the morozashi he was able to force Tamawashi out. Yorikiri.

Yoshinofuji (4-2) defeated Ura (0-6). Ura had an early Edge and drove Yoshinofuji back. Ura brought his right arm up around Yoshinofuji’s neck and pulled. Big mistake as this completely reversed Yoshinofuji’s fortunes. Yoshinofuji plowed into Ura and forced him through the dohyo and off the edge, into the first row of spectators. Oshitaoshi.

Sanyaku

Wakamotoharu (1-5) defeated Oho (2-4). Oho seemed to have the upper hand as he acquired a morozashi and forced Wakamotoharu to the bales. Wakamotoharu twisted and threw Oho to the ground as both men crashed out. Gunbai Wakamotoharu. No mono-ii. Utchari.

Kirishima (5-1) defeated Ichiyamamoto (1-5). Kirishima drove Ichiyamamoto back to the edge. Ichiyamamoto stepped over the edge. Gunbai Ichiyamamoto? Mono-ii. I think the gyoji got lost and pointed the wrong way. Ichiyamamoto was out. Kirishima was never dead or out. Oshidashi.

Kotozakura (4-2) defeated Daieisho (1-5). Kotozakura won moving forward today. Or, more precisely, Daieisho lost by retreating around the ring. Kotozakura did his job by not falling down while Daieisho ran away. Tsukidashi.

Aonishiki (5-1) defeated Takayasu (4-2). Aonishiki got that dangerous left-hand inside and drove Takayasu back and out. Yorikiri.

Hoshoryu (5-1) defeated Takanosho (0-6). Hoshoryu drove Takanosho back to the bales then unleashed a pull and slapped Takanosho down. Hatakikomi.

Onosato (5-1) defeated Wakatakakage (3-3). Onosato drove Wakatakakage back to the bales where Wakatakakage seemed to want to dig in and launch a counter-attack. Onosato pulled and pivoted, and slapped Wakatakakage down. Hatakikomi.

Wrap-up

Abi is alone with an unblemished record so far this tournament. Both Yokozuna lead a group of seven guys with one loss. We head into the middle weekend with excellent performances thus far from the division’s top guys. We have quite a bit to look forward to tomorrow.

Abi will fight Asanoyama for the first time in nearly two years. Asanoyama leads their head-to-head with 9 wins to 4 losses. However, Abi is hot and Asanoyama is charging his way back from injury. It should be a good bout, nonetheless.

In sanyaku, Takayasu will fight Oho, Kirishima will battle Yoshinofuji, Aonishiki will take on Wakamotoharu and it’s Kotozakura versus Wakatakakage. Onosato will fight Daieisho and Hoshoryu will finish the day off against Hakunofuji. I don’t see a bad match in there. Should be a great day of action.

Hatsu 2026: Day Two

Andy Hatsu 2026, Hatsu Basho , , , ,

No kyujo to report in the top two divisions. At makushita 11, Enho won his first bout of the tournament against Toseiryu. He is within range to earn promotion with a zensho-yusho. That is a tall order but a winning record will advance him closer to the regular promotion zone.

Your NHK videos are here. Click, “yes, I understand,” then find “続きを読む”. I don’t know why they make these videos so difficult to hunt for. They’re great. Today’s bonus video gives us the Meisei/Asasuiryu bout from Juryo. I’ll keep asking them to go back and post the whole division. It was awesome when they were doing that. Will we see Meisei back in Makunouchi?

Makuuchi Action

Asanoyama (1-1) defeated Hatsuyama (0-2). Asanoyama advanced steadily and cut off Hatsuyama’s escape as the former Ozeki steered the rookie to the tawara. At the edge, Hatsuyama dug in so Asanoyama pressed forward with all of his might and crushed Hatsuyama, falling off the dohyo backwards. Long term fans breathe some relief as the big man gets a win in the top division. Yoritaoshi.

Asahakuryu (2-0) defeated Oshoumi (1-1). Asahakuryu locked up Oshoumi and overpowered him. He pulled up with his right-hand overarm grip and ushered Oshoumi back over the bales. Yorikiri.

Shishi (2-0) defeated Asakoryu (0-2). Shishi enveloped Asakoryu’s arms and dragged him back to the edge. His first heave failed but with his left arm hooked under Asakoryu’s right arm, he twisted and tossed Asakoryu down. Kotenage.

Mitakeumi (1-1) defeated Ryuden (1-1). Ryuden tried to bulldoze Mitakeumi, which is not an easy feat. He was not making much progress but neither was Mitakeumi. Mitakeumi shuffled right suddenly, trying to catch Ryuden off-guard. Ryuden reacted well to his first shift but Mitakeumi forced him to stumble to the bales with a second shift. Ryuden resisted with all of his might so Mitakeumi had to press with all of his might to shove Ryuden out. Oshitaoshi.

Tomokaze (1-1) defeated Midorifuji (0-2). Tomokaze pulled backward, slapping Midorifuji down at the edge as he stepped out. Gunbai Tomokaze. Mono-ii. Video review confirmed the gyoji’s initial call as Midorifuji’s arm touched the tawara before Tomokaze stepped out. In the hanamichi, Tomokaze slipped and landed hard on his butt. Hatakikomi.

Abi (2-0) defeated Tobizaru (1-1). Abi blasted away at Tobizaru with his patented tsuppari. Tobizaru tried to find an opening but Abi shifted right and Tobizaru stumbled forward. Abi grabbed Tobizaru’s mawashi and flung him across the ring and off the dohyo. Hatakikomi.

Nishikifuji (2-0) defeated Tokihayate (1-1). Tokihayate spun Nishikifuji close to the bales with his left-hand inside grip but Nishikifuji maintained excellent footing. He used his right-hand over arm grip to drive Tokihayate backward and out. Yorikiri.

Chiyoshoma (1-1) defeated Kotoshoho (0-2). Kotoshoho lost his footing as he stepped forward. Chiyoshoma shifted right and shoved Kotoshoho forward. Kotoshoho bumbled his way out. Tsukiotoshi.

Shodai (2-0) defeated Roga (1-1). Shodai keeps his perfect winning record against Roga. Roga pulled and tried to catch Shodai off-balance. Shodai was ready for it and immediately executed his own mini-pull and slapdown. I haven’t been seeing many pivots lately with these pulls. I might need to prepare a new rant. Hikiotoshi.

Kinbozan (1-1) defeated Gonoyama (0-2). Gonoyama shoved Kinbozan to the edge and pressed hard with a right hand nodowa. With Kinbozan’s weight pressing forward to counter the nodowa, Gonoyama tried to slip to his right and slip he did, aided by Kinbozan’s left-hand overarm hold. Gonoyama fell forward and Kinbozan landed on top of him. Oof! Uwatenage.

Fujinokawa (1-1) defeated Hiradoumi (1-1). Solid tachiai from both men followed by steady tsuppari. Hiradoumi’s left foot seemed to get out ahead of him and when Fujinokawa hit him, Hiradoumi fell backward. Oshitaoshi.

Halftime

Oshoma (2-0) defeated Onokatsu (0-2). Onokatsu fired forward aimlessly and Oshoma shifted right, deflecting Onokatsu to the left and bringing a quick, unsatisfying end to the bout. We’re seeing quite a bit of poor footwork today, it seems. Tsukiotoshi.

Churanoumi (2-0) defeated Daieisho (1-1). Count on Churanoumi to get his footing right. He weathered a torrent of abuse from Daieisho. When Daieisho pulled, Churanoumi advanced and kept his footing long enough to force Daieisho over the bales. Yorikiri.

Tamawashi (1-1) defeated Atamifuji (0-2). Again, Atamifuji launched ahead. Tamawashi stepped to his right and then hit Atamifuji with a nodowa, blasting him to the edge. Under assault, Atamifuji tried to shift left but Tamawashi stuck with him and shoved him out. Oshidashi.

Sanyaku

Hakunofuji (2-0) defeated Wakamotoharu (0-2). Hakunofuji powered ahead with his left-hand inside. Wakamotoharu braced his feet at the edge and tried to slip his own left hand inside for a belt grip. Hakunofuji suddenly sidestepped to his right and pulled Wakamotoharu forward. Tsukiotoshi.

Kirishima (2-0) defeated Takanosho (0-2). Kirishima’s tsuppari was more forceful as he avoided Takanosho’s big opening nodowa, wrapped up Takanosho’s left arm and drove him back with mighty shoves. Oshidashi.

Wakatakakage (1-1) defeated Takayasu (1-1). This was a great battle of strength, patience, and timing. Takayasu pressured Wakatakakage well but couldn’t quite get a hold on Wakatakakage’s belt. Wakatakakage charged forward with Takayasu’s right arm jammed up awkwardly. As Takayasu struggled to liberate his arm and stop his backward movement, Wakatakakage pivoted and pulled Takayasu forward by his shoulder. Katasukashi.

Kotozakura (2-0) defeated Ura (0-2). Kotozakura pressed forward into Ura and threw him off the dohyo as if he was a toy. More of this, please. And against guys bigger than Ura. Oshitaoshi.

Aonishiki (2-0) defeated Yoshinofuji (0-2). Yoshinofuji plowed ahead so at the edge, Aonishiki wrapped his right arm around Yoshinofuji’s head, twisted and thrust Yoshinofuji down, while hoisting Yoshinofuji’s left leg with his own right. Gunbai Aonishiki. Mono-ii. A bit of a long one, but let’s get it right. Aonishiki’s hand touched first but Yoshinofuji’s entire body was in the air, dead. Aonishiki’s hand was down to cushion his fall, kabaite. Good call. Kubinage.

Hoshoryu (2-0) defeated Ichiyamamoto (0-2). Ichiyamamoto seemed to get the jump on this tachiai. He thrust forward into the Yokozuna. Hoshoryu resisted so Ichiyamamoto locked up Hoshoryu’s belt. Ichiyamamoto tried a pull but Hoshoryu countered. Once Hoshoryu got his double-inside grip, he pressed ahead and forced Ichiyamamoto out. Great work from the rank-and-filer, though. Yorikiri.

Onosato (2-0) defeated Oho (0-2). Oho hit Onosato hard at the tachiai, staggering the Yokozuna and forcing him back. Onosato tried a quick slapdown. Thankfully he didn’t jam his gears completely into reverse, though. Instead, he charged ahead into Oho, got under both arms and drove him back over the edge. Yorikiri.

Wrap-up

Another strong day for the guys at the top of the banzuke. Aonishiki likely scraped by but it was a deserved win. Excellent to see how he was able to adjust to Yoshinofuji’s power and quickly spring the kubinage when he was on the back foot, so to speak.

Hoshoryu and Onosato both looked very strong, though we know both are walking wounded. Ichiyamamoto threw everything he had at Hoshoryu but even with his bad knee, Hoshoryu contained him and ushered him out. I like seeing Ichiyamamoto at this level. It’s funny to see the Abi-clone ranked so far ahead of Abi. But Abi’s had his own injury problems of late. Abi will face Nishikifuji tomorrow.

Before we look at tomorrow’s sanyaku bouts, Asanoyama will meet Mitakeumi in an interesting bout of the two former Ozeki. And another former Ozeki, Shodai, will take on Oshoma.

Oho will fight Wakatakakage. Takayasu will fight Daieisho. Kirishima will fight Hakunofuji with both men undefeated. That seems like a real momentum bout…who can keep this early run going? Might one of them challenge for the leaderboard next week?

Aonishiki will get his turn against Ichiyamamoto. Kotozakura will fight Wakamotoharu. Onosato takes on Ura and Hoshoryu will end the day against Yoshinofuji. There is definitely some upset potential in those bouts.

See you tomorrow!

Hatsu 2026: Shonichi

Andy Hatsu 2026, Hatsu Basho , , ,

We begin 2026 with two Yokozuna and two Ozeki with Aonishiki’s promotion after his title win in November. We’ve also got Asanoyama’s return to the top division after his knee injury. The big shikona change for Hakunofuji (ex-Hakuoho) might have some of you scratching your heads as you review this early action. Almost all of the Miyagino guys changed their shikona, except Enho.

The Emperor plans to attend during Day 8, referred to as nakabi because it’s the middle day of the tournament. No absences to report here Day One.

For those who can’t catch the action live, Your NHK videos are here. Click through the dialog and then expand the bit in the center that says, 続きを読む or “continue reading.”

Makuuchi Action

Asahakuryu defeated Hatsuyama. Hatsuyama pulled and Asahakuryu made him pay. Asahakuryu forced Hatsuyama back over the edge. Oshidashi.

Oshoumi defeated Asanoyama. Asanoyama was all offense in his return to the top division. Oshoumi shuffled left to escape but Asanoyama pursued him to the edge. Oshoumi slipped out to the left one more time. This time Asanoyama could not keep up and fell to the ground as Oshoumi ran out of room and crashed out over the bales. Gunbai Oshoumi. Mono-ii. The judges conferred and confirmed the ruling on the field. Uwatenage.

Ryuden defeated Asakoryu. It’s been a while since we’ve seen a good hair-pull and today we got a good hair-pull. Asakoryu executed a pull and tried to slap Ryuden down. While doing so, his fingers were all coiled up in Ryuden’s topknot. That’s a no-no on its own but Asakoryu took a step backward with it. The bout continued and Asakoryu eventually wrangled Ryuden to the ground. Gunbai Asakoryu. Mono-ii. Everyone on the planet saw that hair pull, including the five judges seated along the edge. They quickly reversed the call. Hanzoku.

Shishi defeated Mitakeumi. A hazu-oshi shoving match. Shishi led with his head and kept driving Mitakeumi back to the bales. Mitakeumi tried his best but Shishi had better endurance and worked a tired former Ozeki over the bales. Oshidashi.

Tobizaru defeated Tomokaze. Tomokaze is a pulling machine. So, predictably, he pulled as Tobizaru pressed forward. Tobizaru shoved Tomokaze in the face at the edge, as Tomokaze leaned forward to stay in, Tobizaru pulled and Tomokaze fell forward. Hikiotoshi.

Abi defeated Midorifuji. Abi twisted quickly and hauled Midorifuji down. Uwatenage.

Nishikifuji defeated Chiyoshoma. Nishikifuji just powered straight through Chiyoshoma, forcing him back and out. Oshidashi.

Tokihayate defeated Kotoshoho. Tokihayate seemed to have studied his opponent. He was ready for Kotoshoho’s pull and kept his balance. Tokihayate then charged forward and blasted Kotoshoho off the dohyo. Oshidashi.

Roga defeated Gonoyama. After an entertaining, high-octane, frenetic bout, Roga worked his way inside and got a double-inside grip (morozashi). With that he forced Gonoyama back to the bales and shoved him out. Oshidashi.

Shodai defeated Kinbozan. Shodai yanked on Kinbozan’s arm and tried to drag him back over the bales. With Kinbozan at the edge, Shodai then tried to drive forward and force him out. Kinbozan tried to escape while pressing down on Shodai’s head but Shodai pursued well and shoved Kinbozan out. Oshidashi.

Oshoma defeated Fujinokawa. Oshoma’s strategy here was just be steady, keep his footing, and try to keep Fujinokawa at arm’s length. Fujinokawa lashed out aggressively and charged forward behind his powerful slaps. Oshoma countered with his own slaps as he baited Fujinokawa into leaning too far forward. At the edge, Oshoma slipped right and hooked his arm under Fujinokawa’s right shoulder, pulling him out. Kotenage.

Halftime

Hiradoumi defeated Onokatsu. Hiradoumi just charged forward and Onokatsu let him. Yorikiri.

Churanoumi defeated Tamawashi. Churanoumi’s well executed shift of direction forced Tamawashi to stumble forward and out. Shitatedashinage.

Daieisho defeated Atamifuji. Daieisho pulled, shifted left along the tawara and Atamifuji could not put on the brakes before stumbling over the bales. Tsukiotoshi.

Sanyaku

Hakunofuji defeated Oho. In a good yotsu battle, Hakunofuji wanted to get his left hand inside but Oho was not giving up his double-inside morozashi grip. Oho forced Hakunofuji to the edge and tried to shove him over but couldn’t. Hakunofuji braced his feet on the tawara and used his overarm grip to swing Oho down. Uwatenage.

Takayasu defeated Takanosho. Takayasu charged into Takanosho with his left hand inside and right hand outside. Takanosho slid until his right foot met the tawara. When he tried to shift his weight and escape to the left, his foot stepped over the bales and he stumbled to the clay. Oshitaoshi.

Kirishima defeated Wakatakakage. Wakatakakage shifted to his left and pulled after the initial charge. Kirishima drove forward and easily shoved Wakatakakage over the edge. Oshidashi.

Aonishiki defeated Ura. Aonishiki fought the urge to pull, drove Aonishiki got his left hand inside and pressed forward. As Ura twisted at the edge, Aonoshiki powered forward and forced Ura to fall over the edge. Yoritaoshi.

Kotozakura defeated Yoshinofuji. Yoshinofuji charged forward and slammed into Kotozakura, forcing him to the edge. Kotozakura slipped left along the bales and shoved Yoshinofuji out from behind. Okuridashi.

Onosato defeated Ichiyamamoto. Ichiyamamoto took the Yokozuna on straight-up at the tachiai but could not generate any forward momentum. Instead, Onosato grabbed at Ichiyamamoto’s arms to stop his thrusting attack and charged forward, forcing the maegashira over the bales. Oshidashi.

Hoshoryu defeated Wakamotoharu. Hoshoryu locked on with his right hand inside.. He twisted and tried to haul WMH down. Wakamotoharu pogoed around the ring to stay up. Hoshoryu re-engaged head on and with a morozashi, crushed Wakamotoharu over the edge. Yoritaoshi.

Wrap up

Day One is in the books. No big upsets at the top with a lot of strong, sumo fundamentals. Aonishiki contained Ura and Ichiyamamoto wasn’t able to get to his Plan B yotsu attack before being crashed out. My one critique of the top guys today is reserved for Kotozakura. There’s a big bias for forward-moving sumo and I’m certainly guilty of it. I just do not see this strategy panning out deep in the tournament. He is a big guy and needs to get some good, forceful, aggressive — forward moving — wins.

Action will continue tomorrow with Asanoyama dusting himself off to open up the action with Hatsuyama. Abi vs Tobizaru could be very interesting. Both guys are ranked rather low because of their recent poor form. If they’re healthy, they could be in for a great outcome here. So this early bout might tell us a lot about who really is ready.

In sanyaku, Wakamotoharu will fight Hakunofuji. It’s really going to take me a while to adjust to that new shikona. Forgive me if I sprinkle the old one in here a bit liberally. Kirishima will fight Takanosho, Takayasu against Wakatakakage, Kotozakura versus Ura, Aonishiki versus Yoshinofuji, Hoshoryu versus Ichiyamamoto and Onosato will close out Day Two against Oho.

Kyushu 2025: Senshuraku

Andy Kyushu 2025, Kyushu Basho , , , ,

Huge, late developing news from the infirmary is that Onosato is kyujo. He was wincing in pain after yesterday’s loss. Sounds like a dislocated shoulder. That hands Hoshoryu the default victory. Aonishiki has to win his bout to earn the right to contest the yusho against Hoshoryu. Sometimes the sumo kami are as cruel as the golf gods.

Just to add insult to injury, early Makuuchi bout coverage was pre-empted by coverage of the Keio/Waseda rugby game where my Keio boys got absolutely thrashed. When I was an English teacher in Hiyoshi, some of my students played rugby for Keio HS. Some of their kids might have played in today’s game.

Entering today’s action, the Association announced the Special Prize winners. Aonishiki and Yoshinofuji were awarded Technique prizes. Other Special Prizes came with conditions. Kirishima and Ichiyamamoto could each win Fighting Spirit prizes if they win today. Kirishima will face Ura and Ichiyamamoto will face Wakamotoharu. Aonishiki was also given a chance to win an Outstanding Performance Prize if he wins the yusho.

Fujiryoga defeated Hatsuyama to win the Juryo yusho in his debut. Asanoyama won his bout against Kitanowaka to finish 12-3. Leonid will have a better idea of who earned promotion as well as who has to be demoted. There seem to be a lot of demotion candidates and promotion candidates, without enough folks to take their places.

NHK videos of senshuraku action are here. This includes the first six bouts which we missed in the Live coverage.

Makuuchi Action

Asakoryu (8-7) defeated Kotoeiho (9-6). Uwatenage.

Oshoumi (7-8) defeated Fujiseiun (8-7). Okuridashi.

Shishi (6-9) defeated Meisei (1-5-9). Oshitaoshi.

Chiyoshoma (10-5) defeated Kotoshoho (7-8). Uwatenage.

Daieisho (10-5) defeated Tokihayate (9-6). Oshidashi.

Nishikifuji defeated Tobizaru (6-9) Oshidashi.

Tomokaze (7-8) defeated Midorifuji (6-9). Tomokaze slapped Midorifuji down. Hatakikomi.

Kinbozan (6-8) defeated Sadanoumi (4-10). Sadanoumi pulled on Kinbozan’s right arm but Kinbozan spun and slapped Sadanoumi down. Hatakikomi.

Gonoyama (9-6) defeated Abi (5-10). Gonoyama assaulted Abi with tsuppari. Gonoyama thrust hard into Abi’s right shoulder, turning Abi around. Abi was just able to get righted but had no way to counter as Gonoyama shoved him out. Oshidashi.

Churanoumi (8-7) defeated Ryuden (7-8). Darwin bout. Churanoumi earned his kachi-koshi by getting a good belt grip and twisting Ryuden down. Shitatehineri.

Onokatsu (7-8) defeated Shonannoumi (3-12). Onokatsu was able to overpower Shonannoumi along the edge and walked him out. Yorikiri.

Atamifuji (8-7) defeated Mitakeumi (7-8). Our second, and last Darwin bout of the evening. Mitakeumi tried a pull but Atamifuji didn’t fall for it. Atamifuji drove Mitakeumi back and over the bales. Oshidashi.

Halftime

Tamawashi (7-8) defeated Fujinokawa (9-6). Tamawashi’s tsuppari was to powerful for Fujinokawa and Tamawashi thrust him out. Fujinokawa spent most of the bout running away. With the win, Tamawashi passed Takanohana for the 10th most makuuchi victories, at 702. Oshidashi.

Oshoma (4-11) defeated Hiradoumi (4-11). Hiradoumi got a migi-sashi and drove forward. However, Oshoma slapped him down as he leapt into the air. Gunbai Oshoma. Mono-ii. After a review, Hiradoumi’s body was determined to have touched first, confirming the gyoji’s call. I’m not going to say anything about Aonishiki/Onosato here. I’ll let dead bodies lie. Tsukiotoshi.

Ichiyamamoto (11-4) defeated Wakamotoharu (8-7). Ichiyamamoto came out swinging for Wakamotoharu’s throat. He thrust Wakamotoharu’s left shoulder as Wakamotoharu tried to throw a slap, forcing Wakamotoharu to stumble forward and off the dohyo. Ichiyamamoto won his second Fighting Spirit prize. Okuritaoshi.

Kirishima (11-4) defeated Ura (8-7). Ura’s pull attempt ceded position but allowed him to brace along the edge. Kirishima pursued and tried to shove him out. Ura slipped right to escape but stumbled and rolled out. Kirishima won his third Fighting Spirit prize. Oshitaoshi.

Wakatakakage (7-8) defeated Roga (8-7). Hazu-oshi start with both guys thrusting into each other. Wakatakakage backed to the right and tried to slap Roga down. Roga caught his footing and tried to re-engage but WTK was in hot-pursuit and shoved Roga out. Oshidashi.

Hakuoho (6-9) defeated Shodai (4-11). Hakuoho hit Shodai hard at the tachiai, rocking Shodai back. Hakuoho pressed quickly and forced Shodai out. Yorikiri.

Sanyaku

Hoshoryu (12-3) default win over Onosato (11-4). If there’s an absence in the final scheduled bout, they shuffle it a few bouts early so the action doesn’t end with a fusen. This meant neither Yokozuna were present for the kore-yori-sanyaku which is a cool ceremony before the final three bouts on senshuraku.

Takayasu (8-7) defeated Yoshinofuji (9-6). The bout started with a brawl, tsuppari flying. Yoshinofuji tried to settle into a grapple with a left-hand inside grip. Takayasu’s left-hand grip seemed more secure and he drove forward as Yoshinofuji tried to pull. Takayasu threw Yoshinofuji off the dohyo. Takayasu won the arrows and saves a spot in sanyaku. He might even move up to Sekiwake? Oshitaoshi.

Oho (7-8) defeated Takanosho (5-10). Oho used good tsuppari and footwork to earn position at the center of the ring and force Takanosho to the edge. Takanosho tried a pull and wanted to escape to his left but Oho shoved him out. Oho got the bow strings. Oshidashi.

A consequence of shifting the musubi-no-ichiban was that Kotozakura/Aonishiki suddenly was musubi-no-ichiban and had a ton of kensho. The yobidashi would walk around the ring, step down, and grab another set of banners to display. I don’t know why but the guy with the One Cup Ozeki banner always seems to be a couple of steps slower than everyone else. Anyway, the winner will get a bigger pay day than they were expecting. Will that make Kotozakura fight harder for the win?

Aonishiki (12-3) defeated Kotozakura (8-7). Solid tachiai and the two men settled into a grapple. Kotozakura had a left-hand uwate while Aonishiki had his right-hand inside. Kotohachinana’s right knee was within range of Aonishiki’s left hand so Aonishiki swept the knee and forced the Ozeki forward. (Hat tip to jbipes for the brilliant nickname.) What a way to force a playoff. Uchimuso!

Playoff

Aonishiki defeated Hoshoryu! Aonishiki did it again! Aonishiki Yusho!!!! Hoshoryu pulled after trading tsuppari. Aonishiki sprung forward and wrapped up Hoshoryu from behind, dragging him to the deck. What the hell was that?

Wrap-up

Well, Aonishiki broke his string of 11-wins by picking up #12 against Kotozakura. He claimed an Outstanding Performance Prize for the mantle, next to the yusho. This will be absolutely heart-breaking for Hoshoryu. He missed out on his first yusho as Yokozuna and gets beaten again by the Sekiwake.

And even better, Aonishiki has earned promotion to Ozeki. We’ll bring more of the official announcement when it comes before Thanksgiving, hopefully grab some tai from the butcher to celebrate…or at least some taiyaki from the freezer.

Time to revisit an old post about the Japanese phrase, “aikuchi ga warui” and “aikuchi ga ii.” Aonishiki certainly has Hoshoryu’s number, so we should say, “aikuchi ga ii” when we talk about Aonishiki’s record against Hoshoryu. He does very well facing Hoshoryu, doesn’t he?