Hoshoryu

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?

Kyushu 2025: Day Fourteen

Andy Kyushu 2025, Kyushu Basho , ,

Asanoyama (11-3) defeated Fujiryoga (12-2) as the two men battled chest-to-chest in a great migi-yotsu contest. The former Ozeki is doing what he can to make a case for promotion to the top division. Hatsuyama also won his bout with Hakuyozan to improve to 11-3.

I’ll let Leonid get into the details but there might be three guys ahead of Asanoyama. And depending on the outcome of senshuraku bouts, possibly four. But will their be four open slots in the Top Division? Asanoyama can’t fight his stablemate, Asahakuryu.

Day 14 NHK Videos are here. Somehow the videos seem split in two halves. I think I found the second half here. Let me know if you have issues and I’ll see what’s going on.

Makuuchi Action

Fujinokawa (9-5) defeated Asakoryu (7-7). Henka! Fujinokawa leapt left but Asakoryu caught the shift. Fujinokawa quickly hooked his left arm inside Asakoryu’s right, twisted, and threw Asakoryu to the side. Sukuinage.

Tomokaze (6-8) defeated Meisei (1-4-9). Tomokaze pulled and slapped Meisei down. Hatakikomi.

Gonoyama (8-6) defeated Shishi (5-9). Shishi tried to escape Gonoyama’s tsuppari but he could only find peace on the other side of the tawara. Oshidashi.

Chiyoshoma (9-5) defeated Roga (8-6). Roga got inside with his right hand and yanked Chiyoshoma to the side. Chiyoshoma braced against the bales and used his left-hand uwate to throw Roga to the ground in the center of the ring. Uwatedashinage.

Daieisho (9-5) defeated Nishikifuji (8-6). Daieisho slapped Nishikifuji down quickly after setting him up with several rough thrusts of tsuppari. Nishikifuji tried to step inside to get a grip and stop the onslaught but down came the hammer. Tsukiotoshi.

Mitakeumi (7-7) defeated Kotoshoho (7-7). Mitakeumi backed up and slapped Kotoshoho down. Hatakikomi.

Kinbozan (6-8) defeated Shonannoumi (3-10) Kinbozan advanced behind solid tsuppari, driving Shonannoumi back and over the bales. Shonannoumi’s akeni (traditional luggage used by sumo wrestlers) are packed and waiting for him on “The Barge.” Tsukidashi.

Ryuden (7-7) defeated Abi (5-9). Ryuden weathered Abi’s assault, enduring a bloody eye and nose. Ryuden was able to step inside, finally getting out of the range of Abi’s thrusts. From there he pressed forward and shoved Abi back over the tawara. Oshidashi.

Onokatsu (6-8) defeated Sadanoumi (4-10). Onokatsu quickly established his left-hand outside grip. Once he got his right-hand inside, he barreled forward and forced Sadanoumi back and out. As a side note, if you’re interested in the orchestration behind this “Show,” watch Kotoshogiku’s hand movements in the video. As time-keeper, he’s giving hand signals to tell wrestlers when to move along with their pre-bout routines. Yorikiri.

Ichiyamamoto (10-4) defeated Yoshinofuji (9-5). Ichiyamamoto pulled and slapped Yoshinofuji down. More blood, this time from Yoshinofuji’s nose and mouth. Ichiyamamoto had assaulted him with tsuppari and head butts throughout the heated bout. How did Ichi sneak through here with 10 wins already? Hatakikomi.

Oshoumi (6-8) defeated Hiradoumi (4-10). In Oshoumi’s most impressive bout of the tournament, he got a morozashi at the tachiai and hauled up Hiradoumi, driving him to the edge. Hiradoumi squeezed his left-hand inside but it was already too late as Oshoumi progressed and slammed Hiradoumi to the ground. The Number 2 man at Naruto beya might be doing enough to stave off demotion, possibly taking a slot away from the slew of guys in Juryo who are hoping to come up. Yoritaoshi.

Halftime

Ura (8-6) defeated Tobizaru (6-8). A long hazu-oshi bout here as both men jostled the other with tsuppari, slapdown attempts, head butts, shoves…Tobizaru got a good slap in there. Eventually, Tobizaru just got gassed and Ura was able to shove him back and off the dohyo. Tobizaru collapsed into a heap, “plumb tuckered out,” as they say back home. Ura is kachi-koshi and Tobizaru make-koshi. Oshidashi.

Kirishima (10-4) defeated Tokihayate (9-5). Kirishima was able to contain Tokihayate’s retreat with his right-hand over-arm grip. Kirishima hauled Tokihayate roughtly to the ground, perhaps as revenge for Tokihayate’s harite (slap) at the tachiai. Uwatenage.

Wakamotoharu (8-6) defeated Midorifuji (6-8). For a long time, most of the action in this bout was the arm-wrestling going on as Wakamotoharu tried to get his left-hand inside. Midorifuji’s ottsuke kept him at bay so Wakamotoharu tried to fling him around with the right, then tried a slapdown to no avail. Eventually, though, Midorifuji seemed to wear out and Wakamotoharu advanced, forcing him out. It was an intense bout, like the Ura/Tobizaru one, as both men had kachi-koshi or make-koshi on the line. Wakamotoharu locked up his kachi-koshi and unfortunately for Midorifuji, he is makekoshi. Yorikiri.

Hakuoho (5-9) defeated Tamawashi (6-8). Hakuoho got his left-hand inside quickly and started churning his legs forward. He got his right-hand inside as well, and Tamawashi was toast. Yorikiri.

Churanoumi (7-7) defeated Watatakakage (6-8). Churanoumi overpowered Wakatakakage and nearly got him turned around. Once that happened, Wakatakakage lost all momentum and Churanoumi drove into him hard, shoving him over the bales. This takes Wakatakakage out of the running for a sanyaku position and puts Kirishima at the head of the queue. Oshidashi.

Sanyaku

Takanosho defeated Oshoma. Takanosho hit Oshoma hard at the tachiai, got that nodowa going to force Oshoma’s head high and drove him back, quickly. Oshidashi.

Takayasu (7-7) defeated Atamifuji (7-7). This bout hinged on Takayasu’s left hand. Atamifuji’s ottsuke early on kept Takayasu out and he pressured Takayasu to the edge. However, Takayasu squeezed it in and took control of the bout. Atamifuji reared back and got his right hand back inside but the damage was done. Takayasu drove forward and chased Atamifuji out. Oshidashi.

Oho (6-8) defeated Shodai (4-10). We get a view of Oho looking skyward before the bout like, “why do I have to fight this guy?” Shodai couldn’t get his right hand inside Oho’s left so he backed around trying to get position. After a half-lap around the ring in reverse, though, Shodai’s tank ran empty and he walked out. There’s that phrase again. Shodai was plumb tuckered out. “Oshidashi.”

Kotozakura (8-6) defeated Onosato (11-3). In a stroke, Kotozakura suddenly became everyone’s favorite Ozeki. He locked in his kachi-koshi winning record with a strong left-hand outside, right-hand inside. Onosato pulled back trying to change his grip (makikae) but that gave Kotozakura momentum to move forward and force the Yokozuna over the edge. Yorikiri.

Aonishiki (11-3) defeated Hoshoryu (11-3). Before the bout, Hoshoryu did his usual niramiai (stare down). Aonishiki didn’t muck about and didn’t get into the games, he just walked back to his corner. These guys are silent before the bout, no trash-talk or anything. But while Aonishiki walked away, I could hear the ultimate flex: “Scoreboard, b—-.” Aonishiki didn’t need to engage in the games because he came into the bout with a 2-0 lead in their rivalry. Oh, this is going to be a good one. And it was. We got a strong tachiai as both men sought out belt grips. Hoshoryu made a huge mistake and pulled, trying to slap Aonishiki down with his right hand. Aonishiki had a firm left-hand inside grip and stayed low but did not go down. He drove forward into the Yokozuna and finished Hoshoryu with a right hand to the mug. Oshidashi.

Wrap-up

I think we all dreamed about this outcome. All three men are tied at 11-3. The official bout pairings are not out. Nevertheless, the Yokozuna should fight on senshuraku, either for the yusho or for a position in a play-off. Aonishiki should be fighting Kotozakura in the prior bout to try to force that play-off. Absolute madness!

If you’re a new fan, perhaps drawn in because of the London basho, this is kind of crazy. It’s not usually like this, I swear. We’re usually a more quiet group and it’s usually a rather staid, serene sport. You know, the monocle-wearing, tea-drinking set. I hope you’re not expecting such insanity in January. I just want to level-set expectations.

I also do want to point out that Onosato seemed to be wincing as he sat on his cushion after the loss. I’m not sure if he was wincing in physical pain or mental anguish at having lost to Kotozakura — of all people. We’ll keep an eye out for news because any injury would certainly tip the scales toward Hoshoryu for tomorrow’s bout.

One storyline has been settled, however. Kotozakura locked in his 8th win. I swear, the man can’t buy 10. (Too soon? It’s been 14 years!) But, at least he won’t be kadoban to start the new year.

There are a number of guys at 7-7 with kachi-koshi on the line so we should have several “Darwin Bouts” tomorrow, as Bruce would say.

Now, folks are going to start up with the Ozeki-run talk again. Aonishiki got his 33rd win but I think Shibatayama had poured cold water on the idea, saying his run starts with the September tournament. But I think this takes pressure off of Aonishiki to think of this without Ozeki on the line.

He must come in and beat Kotozakura tomorrow and then he would have to beat a Yokozuna AGAIN in order to take the yusho. He needs to focus on that. We saw how Wakatakakage folded under the pressure and anticipation of his Ozeki run. He’s still not recovered and it’s unlikely he will have another shot – at least anytime soon. Aonishiki has other things on his mind: Win tomorrow. See you tomorrow.