Hoshoryu

Aki 2025: Day Thirteen

Andy Aki 2025, Aki Basho , , ,

Day Thirteen. To recap the top division action, heading into the final weekend, the yusho race is down to the Yokozuna and a dark horse in Takanosho. Aonishiki’s big upset against Hoshoryu meant Hoshoryu lost for the first time this tournament and is now level with Onosato with one loss. Takanosho’s win means he is the lone rikishi at 10-2.

Asahakuryu (11-2) leads in Juryo as his heya-mate Asanoyama fell to Nishikifuji. Keep in mind that this is Asahakuryu’s first tournament as sekitori! What a way to break into the full time ranks. Asanoyama and Nishikifuji form the chase group at 10-3.

Your NHK videos are here.

Makuuchi Action

Chiyoshoma (8-5) defeated Shonannoumi (6-7). Chiyoshoma got his left hand inside and pulled, dragging Shonannoumi down. Shitatenage.

Tomokaze (8-5) defeated Sadanoumi (5-8). Both men exchanged tsuppari before Tomokaze caught Sadanoumi behind the scruff of his neck and pulled him down. Tomokaze picked up his first top division winning record since before the pandemic. Hatakikomi.

Shishi (9-4) defeated Churanoumi (8-5). Shishi ate his Wheaties and overpowered Churanoumi. He got his right hand over arm grip, deep on Churanoumi’s belt and drove forward. At the bales he bowled Churanoumi over. Uwatenage.

Asakoryu (6-7) defeated Daieisho (6-7). Daieisho pulled and he slapped Asakoryu down while going out. Gunbai Daieisho. Mono-ii. Daieisho landed outside first. Decision reversed. Asakoryu won. Oshidashi.

Hitoshi (6-7) defeated Fujinokawa (5-8). Hitoshi slammed hard into Fujinokawa and thrust him from the dohyo. Tsukidashi.

Midorifuji (6-7) defeated Nishikigi (1-12). With Nishikigi’s loose mawashi, Midorifuji was able to get his maemitsu and hold on to that belt even with Nishikigi holding Midorifuji’s arms up. As Nishikigi tired, Midorifuji pressed forward and forced his opponent over the bales. Yorikiri.

Kinbozan (6-7) defeated Tobizaru (7-6). Kinbozan attempted a pull and slapdown quickly after the tachiai. He nearly caught Tobizaru but Tobizaru recovered and re-engaged. Kinbozan hit Tobizaru with some tsuppari and then tried another slapdown. This time Tobizaru stumbled out of the ring. Hatakikomi.

Ura (9-4) defeated Tokihayate (6-7). Ura pushed Tokihayate and drove him backward through the dohyo and over the edge. Oshidashi.

Mitakeumi (6-7) defeated Oshoma (8-5). Mitakeumi bear-hugged Oshoma and drove him back and over the edge. Yorikiri.

Kusano (7-6) defeated Roga (6-7). Kusano drove forward fiercely and shoved Roga down over the tawara. Yoritaoshi.

Meisei (4-9) defeated Ichiyamamoto (3-10). Meisei henka! Meisei jumped to his right and pulled Ichiyamamoto down. Hatakikomi.

Halftime

Atamifuji (4-9) defeated Gonoyama (1-12). Gonoyama’s struggles continued as he could not get much offense going. Once Atamifuji got his left-hand outside grip, he started the hug-and-chug. I want to see him commit to this gaburi because he seems to do well when he presses forward like this. Yorikiri.

Oho (8-5) defeated Ryuden (9-4). Oho hit Ryuden with tsuppari and then pulled and slapped Ryuden down. Well Ryuden didn’t go down but he did lose his balance and charged forward, off the dohyo and into the crowd. Hatakikomi.

Hakuoho (7-6) defeated Onokatsu (5-8). Hakuoho got a left hand inside grip, pivoted, and swung Onokatsu around. He then drove Onokatsu from the ring. Yorikiri.

Abi (3-10) defeated Kotoshoho (3-10). Abi seemed to wake up this bout. He tried a pull and slapdown. Kotoshoho continued to press forward, though. Abi pivoted and hit Kotoshoho with a bit of tsuppari before reaching over, grabbing Kotoshoho’s belt and dragging him down. Uwatenage.

Hiradoumi (7-6) defeated Tamawashi (5-8). This bout was all Hiradoumi. He hit Tamawashi hard at the tachiai and shoved him out. Yorikiri.

Sanyaku

Aonishiki (10-3) defeated Takanosho (10-3). Takanosho hit Aonishiki hard at the tachiai. Great tsuppari as he forced Aonishiki back. Aonishiki slipped left suddenly, grabbed Takanosho’s belt, and pulled Takanosho forward. Aonishiki tried to shove him back but Takanosho resisted at the bales. Aonishiki then put everything he had into grabbing Takanosho’s thigh and forced him off the dohyo. Watashikomi.

Takayasu (5-8) defeated Wakamotoharu (7-6). Takayasu got his left hand inside and drove Wakamotoharu to the bales. Wakamotoharu could not escape but he held on as long as he could. One final shove from Takayasu forced Wakamotoharu over the bales. Yorikiri.

Kirishima (6-7) defeated Shodai (9-4). Shodai grabbed Kirishima’s left arm and tried to yank him over the bales but Kirishima pressed Shodai over the edge. Yorikiri.

Kotozakura (9-4) defeated Hoshoryu (11-2). Kotozakura bodied Hoshoryu and forced Hoshoryu off the dohyo for the Yokozuna’s second straight loss. The Makikae Strikes Back. Again with the change of grip loss? Hoshoryu had a right hand over arm grip but changed his mind and tried to slip it inside. That was the opening Kotozakura needed as he pressed forward and forced Hoshoryu quickly to the edge. It’s just amazing how fast that happened. Yorikiri.

Onosato (12-1) defeated Wakatakakage (6-7). Wakatakakage with the migi-yotsu, pivoted and quickly tried the uwatenage. Onosato shifted right into Wakatakakage and maintained his balance. With Wakatakakage up against the bales, Onosato drove forward and forced Wakatakakage out. Yorikiri.

Wrap-up

We do not have the matchups for tomorrow yet. Onosato leads with one loss. Hoshoryu falls into second place with two losses. Instead of a two-win gap between leaders and the next closest competitors, Hoshoryu’s loss brings Aonishiki and Takanosho back into the conversation with three losses.

Since there’s still a slight chance for a dark horse yusho, I am sure the Kyokai will want to close that, quickly. I will try to bring an update later today with tomorrow’s pairings. Will they have Takanosho fight Hoshoryu?

*Update*

Of course they post the bouts right as I push the Publish button. Hoshoryu will fight Wakatakakage. Onosato will fight Kotozakura. Takanosho will fight Kirishima and Aonishiki will fight Hiradoumi. In our final sanyaku bout, Takayasu will fight Kotoshoho.

Back to the Wrap Up

Takanosho is looking great. I look forward to seeing him bounce back up the dohyo. However, he was bested today by Aonishiki who just continues to impress. He is just on a different level than most of his opponents, skill-wise. It’s so impressive.

Hoshoryu’s loss was a tactical loss, in my eyes. I stress this because with him falling to 11-2, I can already hear the critics start up again or maybe worries of injury. I do not think so. I think he just got caught out today by solid sumo from Kotozakura. I wonder what would have happened if he kept that outside grip and maybe shifted right? Oh, well.

Another great win from Onosato. Wakatakakage gave his best and appeared to catch Onosato wrong-footed. I think Onosato countered well by staying close to Wakatakakage. “If you pull me over, you’ll pull yourself down.” This, in turn, put Wakatakakage on his back heel and allowed Onosato to drive him over the bales.

Aki 2025: Day Twelve

Andy Aki 2025, Aki Basho , , ,

Day Twelve in Tokyo. Leonid has the makushita update here. Takasago beya is setting itself up for a pretty good senshuraku party since Asanoyama AND Asahakuryu now lead the Juryo yusho race. They obviously can’t be paired against each other unless there is a playoff. Asahakuryu will fight Oshoumi tomorrow and Asanoyama will fight Nishikifuji.

Many of you are starting to think about the Kyushu banzuke and promotions. Asanoyama will still be in Juryo for Kyushu. There is only one instance where someone jumped from Juryo 13 directly into Makuuchi. That was Endo in 2013 when he claimed the yusho on a 14-1 record. So, with two losses already, Tomas was right to point out that Asanoyama will likely remain in Juryo, even with the yusho. Several 13-2 records, even with the yusho, have ended up ranked at Juryo 3 the following basho. This includes Ryuden in 2022 and Terunofuji in 2020.

The makuuchi yusho race is looking to be a great one. It’s not a runaway and it seems like a lot of folks actually want this title. Hoshoryu leads with Onosato one back and Shodai waiting in the wings with Takanosho if the Yokozuna stumble over the next few days.

Your NHK video is here.

Makuuchi Action

Kotoeiho (5-7) defeated Tomokaze (7-5). Tomokaze tried this half-assed method of wrapping Kotoeiho up and rocking him over to topple him. But Kotoeiho pressed forward and forced Tomokaze over the bales. Yorikiri.

Tokihayate (6-6) defeated Nishikigi (1-11). Nishikigi pivoted at the tachiai but Tokihayate adjusted and pressed forward into Nishikigi, driving him through the dohyo and over the bales. Yorikiri.

Shishi (8-4) defeated Mitakeumi (5-7). After a lengthy grapple, the pair settled into a lean. Shishi was first to gather his strength and drive forward, forcing Mitakeumi over the bales. Kachi-koshi for Shishi. Oshidashi.

Ryuden (9-3) defeated Shodai (9-3). Ryuden hung with Shodai while tried a few pulling and slapdown attacks at the beginning of the bout. The Lord of Chaos tired quickly so when Shodai settled for a lean, Ryuden got his left hand inside, right hand outside and wasted no time in driving Shodai over the bales. Yorikiri.

Roga (6-6) defeated Hitoshi (5-7). Once Roga got a belt grip, he wrangled Hitoshi, drove forward and walked him over the bales. Roga’s dominant victory should have one message for Hitoshi. “Weight Room.” Yorikiri.

Midorifuji (5-7) defeated Asakoryu (5-7). Midorifuji hit Asakoryu quickly at the tachiai and immediately backed up and slapped Asakoryu down. Hatakikomi.

Fujinokawa (5-7) defeated Shonannoumi (6-6). An ill-timed pull from Shonannoumi gave Fujikawa the opening and momentum he needed to drive forward and force Shonannoumi off the dohyo. Oshidashi.

Ura (8-4) defeated Tobizaru (7-5). Ura drove Tobizaru backwards to the bales, then pulled and slapped Tobizaru to the dohyo. Hatakikomi.

Sadanoumi (5-7) defeated Kinbozan (5-7). Kinbozan quickly drove Sadanoumi to the edge but it may have been a feint from Sadanoumi to draw Kinbozan to the edge. Sadanoumi shifted quickly along the bales, pivoted and turned the tables on Kinbozan. Sadanoumi got his right hand inside, left-hand outside and drove Kinbozan over the edge. Yorikiri.

Oshoma (8-4) defeated Meisei (3-9). Oshoma got his hands on Meisei’s shoulders and pulled down. Meisei dropped like a stone. The crowd was rather quiet. Hatakikomi.

Churanoumi (8-4) defeated Kusano (7-5). Kusano tried to tip Churanoumi over but Churanoumi yanked on Kusano’s belt with his left-hand inside grip and pulled him to the ground. Uwatedashinage.

Halftime

Daieisho (6-6) defeated Ichiyamamoto (3-9). Daieisho set Ichi up with strong tsuppari, then shifted left and pushed him down. Hikiotoshi.

Atamifuji (3-9) defeated Kotoshoho (3-9). Kotoshoho drove Atamifuji toward the bales but Atamifuji shifted at the bales, escaped to Kotoshoho’s right, and shoved Kotoshoho forward and off the dohyo. Kotenage.

Wakamotoharu (7-5) defeated Oho (7-5). Oho forced Wakamotoharu back to the bales but Wakamotoharu resisted and escaped left to get back to the center. Wakamotoharu countered and drove into Oho. Oho thought he would escape to the left but Wakamotoharu dragged him down. Uwatenage.

Tamawashi (5-7) defeated Hakuoho (6-6). Tamawashi’s nodowa forced Hakuoho up and back toward the bales. Tamawashi followed up with a strong shove. Oshidashi.

Gonoyama (1-11) defeated Abi (2-10). Gonoyama plowed through Abi’s tsuppari and shoved him over the bales. Oshidashi.

Sanyaku

Takayasu (4-8) defeated Hiradoumi (6-6). Takayasu got Hiradoumi turned with a slapdown attempt. Hiradoumi stumbled forward to the edge and Takayasu followed up with a shove. Oshidashi.

Wakatakakage (6-6) defeated Onokatsu (5-7). Wakatakakage pulled suddenly and Onokatsu fell forward. Hatakikomi.

Takanosho (10-2) defeated Kotozakura (8-4). Kotozakura forced Takanosho to the edge behind a strong nodowa. Takanosho stayed in and shifted left along the bales to relieve the pressure. When Takanosho re-engaged, a simple shove seems to be all it took to force Kotozakura off the bales. Oshidashi.

Onosato (11-1) defeated Kirishima (5-7). Onosato traded tsuppari with Kirishima but Onosato is just on a completely different level and easily overpowered the former Ozeki and shoved him out. Oshidashi.

Aonishiki (9-3) defeated Hoshoryu (11-1). Hoshoryu tried a pull but that served to give Aonishiki an opening and great position. With Hoshoryu at the bales, Aonishiki was able to get his right hand inside, deep on Hoshoryu’s belt. Hoshoryu retreated but Aonishiki followed. Hoshoryu tried to throw Aonishiki but Aonishiki used his right hand to shove Hoshoryu over Aonishiki’s extended left leg. Hoshoryu fell backward to the roar from the crowd. A smattering of purple zabuton found their way down near the dohyo. Kirikaeshi.

Wrap up

The Lord of Chaos broke a nail and called it a basho. Ryuden was just too overwhelming. Still, Shodai will face Kirishima tomorrow. Ryuden will fight Oho. Takanosho, though, continues to have a barn-stormer tournament. We should have seen it coming because he had been in sanyaku for a decent spell. He’d been thrown off his horse a bit lately, though. I wasn’t expecting him to roar back like this as he’s had rather quiet tournaments at M12 and M11.

And count on Aonishiki to make a statement and have an impact on the yusho race. Hoshoryu falls to 11-1, level with Onosato. Takanosho is one loss behind the leaders at 10-2. Aonishiki will fight Takanosho tomorrow. Hoshoryu will face Kotozakura and Onosato will take on Wakatakakage.

Hoshoryu’s remaining fight card should look like this. With Kotozakura tomorrow, Wakatakakage should be his Day 14 match and Onosato on Senshuraku. *Ugh. Lack of coffee update #2.

For Onosato, he will fight Wakatakakage tomorrow which means Kotozakura on Day 14 and Hoshoryu on Senshuraku. Kotozakura has Hoshoryu tomorrow, likely Onosato* on Day 14 and then he would probably be pitted against Wakatakakage on senshuraku. *No matter how much I want a rematch, Kotozakura/Takanosho will not be repeated.

So, I guess that means you all have plans for this weekend.

*And I have plans for today: buying more coffee.

Aki 2025: Day 11

Andy Aki 2025, Aki Basho , , ,

Day 11. Act III opens, as Bruce says. Our Yokozuna lead the field. Ozeki Kotozakura can claim his kachi-koshi today and has been looking solid in his position for the first time in a long time. We’ll need him there as another Ozeki run was extinguished yesterday.

All eyes turn to look for another contender…maybe Aonishiki? He has had five consecutive double-digit tournaments since he became a full-timer. He has had three 11-4 tournaments in the top division and is holding his own in sanyaku. He will face a former Ozeki in Shodai, who has been a shadow of his former self but looking bright this tournament.

Let’s turn to Juryo. I want you to note these guys attire. Today, instead of somenuki pictures from Top Division wrestlers, the Kyokai shows us our five Juryo leaders. You see the contrast from the colorful somenuki of the top division guys I showed yesterday. Asahakuryu dons the hakama we often see and the other four wear more monochrome yukata.

On the dohyo, Asanoyama beat Hidenoumi, Asahakuryu beat Mita and Nishikifuji beat Kotokuzan to move to 9-2. Oshoumi, Mita, and Fujiseiun are just behind on 8-3 records.

Your NHK videos are here. You might want to bookmark this page, though. Use that as your “home base” for this basho. It has the links to action from each day.

Makuuchi Action

Hitoshi (5-6) defeated Daiseizan (4-7). Hitoshi executed a terrible henka. Daiseizan caught it but somehow Hitoshi dodged him at the edge and shoved him out. Hatakikomi.

Shishi (7-4) defeated Sadanoumi (4-7). Shishi trapped Sadanoumi’s right arm and dragged him down. Kotenage.

Shonannoumi (6-5) defeated Meisei (3-8). Shonannoumi dragged Meisei to the edge and twisted him down by Meisei’s left arm. Kotenage.

Mitakeumi (5-6) defeated Asakoryu (5-6). Asakoryu shifted left at the tachiai. Mitakeumi adjusted well and forced Asakoryu back and out. Yorikiri.

Churanoumi (7-4) defeated Tobizaru (7-4). After an energetic brawl, trading tsuppari, Churanoumi was able to get Tobizaru turned. Churanoumi then drove into Tobizaru from the side, shoving him over the bales. Oshidashi.

Tokihayate (5-6) defeated Midorifuji (4-7). Tokihayate got his left arm inside and bulled forward, dropping Midorifuji over the bales. Yoritaoshi.

Kinbozan (5-6) defeated Nishikigi (1-10). Nishikigi circled back to his left to try to get Kinbozan turned. But Kinbozan pivoted and slapped Nishikigi down. Hatakikomi.

Tomokaze (7-4) defeated Ura (7-4). Tomozake pulled and slapped Ura down. Tomokaze has been looking solid in this return to the top division. Remember, a long time ago and in a galaxy far, far away, this guy won two kinboshi off Kakuryu before the devastating knee injury. Hatakikomi.

Oshoma defeated Roga. Roga tried to throw Oshoma forward but Oshoma slipped his grasp and got Roga turned around. Roga did not have time to recover as Oshoma shoved him over the edge. Oshidashi.

Takanosho defeated Ryuden, thus ending the West-side streak of nine straight wins. Ryuden’s left hand ottsuke blocked Takanosho from getting inside. Ryuden pulled and tried a slapdown but failed, so Takanosho demonstrated proper technique. Pivot and pull. Pivot and pull. Hatakikomi.

Daieisho defeated Onokatsu. Daieisho hit Onokatsu with his powerful tsuppari and drove him back. Onokatsu tried to escape but turned himself around and Daieisho finished him off from behind. Okuridashi.

Halftime

Fujinokawa (4-7) defeated Ichiyamamoto (3-8). Fujinokawa got inside quickly, negating Ichiyamamoto’s tsuppari and forcing a grapple. Fujinokawa got a solid morozashi and picked Ichiyamamoto up. Ichiyamamoto was able to get his feet down at the edge but Fujinokawa twisted and threw Ichiyamamoto to the ground. Sukuinage.

Kusano (6-5) defeated Hiradoumi (6-5). Kusano avoided Hiradoumi’s misdirection and forced Hiradoumi back and out behind strong tsuppari. Tsukidashi.

Oho (7-4) defeated Hakuoho (6-5). After a great, evenly matched and very entertaining grapple, Oho was able to get some separation and pull and slap down Hakuoho. Hatakikomi.

Abi (2-9) defeated Atamifuji (2-9). Atamifuji resisted Abi’s initial volleys of tsuppari and remained in the center. Abi followed up with a nodowa, driving Atamifuji back to the bales. Atamifuji tried to slip out to Abi’s right but Abi kept up the pressure and forced him over the tawara. Oshidashi.

Tamawashi (4-7) defeated Gonoyama (0-11). Tamawashi pivoted and charged forward, shoving Gonoyama over the edge and onto his butt. Oshitaoshi.

Sanyaku

Shodai (9-2) defeated Aonishiki (8-3). Who is this man in black? He took the phenom on, toe-to-toe, and just overpowered him, shoving him to the edge and crushing him out onto his back. Chaos reins!! Yoritaoshi.

Kotoshoho (3-8) defeated Wakatakakage (5-6). Kotoshoho hugged Wakatakakage with his right hand inside and powered forward, forcing the sekiwake over the bales. What has happened to Wakatakakage? Yorikiri.

Kotozakura (8-3) defeated Wakamotoharu (6-5). Kotozakura grabbed Wakamotoharu’s belt with his right hand outside. With the bales as leverage he swung Wakamotoharu down. Kotozakura claims his kachi-koshi on Day 11. Uwatenage.

Hoshoryu (11-0) defeated Kirishima (5-6). Migi-yotsu. Hoshoryu forced Kirishima to the edge. Kirishima resisted at the bales so Hoshoryu pivoted and dragged him down. Uwatenage.

Onosato (10-1) defeated Takayasu (3-8). Takayasu chased Onosato around the ring as Onosato tried to slap him down. Onosato stopped pulling and drove forward into Takayasu, forcing him through the ring and over the bales. Tsukidashi.

Wrap-up

This is great! Hoshoryu is finally quieting the “hE wAs PrOmOtEd ToO eArLy,” business and continues to win. He looked most comfortable and most dominant today. He certainly has his most difficult challenges ahead of him, though. Hoshoryu will face Aonishiki tomorrow in what will surely be a highlight bout.

Onosato will take his turn against Kirishima next. He looked vulnerable today until he buckled down and overwhelmed Takayasu. This is building up to an epic final weekend.

Meanwhile, the Lord of Chaos is doing Chaos things and remains in the hunt along with Takanosho. “What was all of this hype around this blonde guy? You want to proclaim him Ozeki? You think this kid is the next Ozeki? Cute. Or should I say, ‘ka-wa-ii’?” Settle down Mr. Maegashira 11. I am enjoying this Shodai. More of this version, please. Shodai will fight Ryuden on Day 12. Takanosho will be paired with Kotozakura as he tries to step out of the shadow of Takakeisho. That’s much easier now as Takakeisho keeps shrinking. Not to get off on a tangent but pictures from his danpatsushiki will be wild.

Kotozakura might finally get back to the Ozeki kachi-koshi 10-win standard. Our Sekiwake, however, have fallen to the wayside. Takayasu’s sanyaku slot will be open and neither of the current Sekiwake are safe. Wakatakakage looked terrible today and has gone from Ozeki candidate to looking like a standard rank-and-filer. Aonishiki is doing his best to lay claim to an opening.

Aki 2025: Day Ten

Andy Aki 2025, Aki Basho , ,

Welcome to Day Ten. For the past few days, the Kyokai’s Twitter account has been featuring some of the makuuchi somenuki yukata each day this tournament and I keep forgetting to post them. I will rectify that now. Today, we have Ichiyamamoto, Fujinowaka, Midorifuji, and Shonannoumi. These yukata are usually notable for their colors, detailed graphic designs, and the wrestler’s shikona prominently emblazoned…usually in white, black, or gold.

Somenuki are special yukata reserved for makuuchi wrestlers, only. It’s yet another one of those privileges that is characteristic of the hierarchies in the sumo world. And they’re only able to wear them during the warm basho from May through September, so after this basho, they’ll get packed away for next year.

We see in this image that Fujinokawa has a somenuki. He has been in makuuchi for a few tournaments now, so he’s had time to raise money and get this custom yukata made for himself. Sometimes if a Juryo wrestler has just been promoted, he won’t have one and will still wear the hakama or kimono we usually see sekitori wear. We also see Hitoshi’s below. I wish we could see the back.

Usually the design is on one side and the shikona is on the other. You know how they talk about mullets as being “business up front, party in the back?” Well, this is nothing like that. Not so rigid. So, forget I mentioned mullets. With somenuki, the party can be in the front and the back. These images from the Kyokai this week are featuring just the front so we’re missing half of the work. I’ll try to find more complete images. In the past, the Kyokai has shown both front and back.

The somenuki term comes from a method of bleaching color out of the fabric, leaving white fabric behind. Let’s say you have a brilliant yellow yukata. You get a portion of it bleached and then put a brilliant design in the white part. The same is done for the shikona, though it’s often left white.

Your NHK videos are here. They included the Juryo bout between Nishikifuji and Fujiseiun. With Mita’s loss he fell to 8-2, tied with the fore-mentioned Nishikifuji, Asanoyama, and Asahakuryu.

Makuuchi Action

Oshoumi (J 8-2) defeated Shishi (6-4). Shishi did a great job of getting Oshoumi turned around but Oshoumi did an even better job of recovering and re-engaging. He got both hands on the front of Shishi’s mawashi, pulled up, and drove forward, depositing Shishi over the bales. Impressive strength. Yorikiri.

Tobizaru (7-3) defeated Nishikigi (1-9). Nishikigi dug deep for this and wrapped up Tobizaru’s shoulders in a way that his arms were flailing skyward, helplessly. Nishikigi then pressed forward and drove Tobizaru over the bales. Gunbai Tobizaru? Video replay shows Nishikigi stepping out before Tobizaru. Good call. Instead of a kimarite, this is one of the “other” losing methods (higi): the step out. Isamiashi.

Asakoryu (5-5) defeated Tomokaze (6-4). Henka! Asakoryu jumped left and slapped Tomokaze down. Hatakikomi.

Ryuden (8-2) defeated Meisei (3-7). Ryuden grabbed Meisei with his powerful right hand uwate and dragged him forward toward the bales. This turned Meisei around so Ryuden followed up with a shove from behind. Okuridashi.

Tokihayate (4-6) defeated Shonannoumi (5-5). Tokihayate grabbed Shonannoumi’s mawashi with both hands and turned him around. Shonannoumi tried to pull away but this just allowed Tokihayate a devastating morozashi. He pressed forward and drove Shonannoumi over the edge. Yorikiri.

Mitakeumi (4-6) defeated Hitoshi (4-6). Henka! The lost art is on display this tournament. Who knew Mitakeumi could move laterally so quickly? Not I! Mitakeumi leaped left, grabbed Hitoshi’s belt deep as he passed, and then dragged him down. Uwatenage.

Sadanoumi (4-6) defeated Fujinokawa (3-7). Sadanoumi’s left hand uwate hold proved more powerful than Fujinokawa’s left hand shitate when he unceremoniously dumped Fujinokawa off the dohyo. Uwatedashinage.

Ura (7-3) defeated Roga (5-5). Ura pressed up into Roga with his powerful hazuoshi and drove him straight back and over the bales. The crowd roared its approval of his display of strength. Oshidashi.

Takanosho (8-2) defeated Shodai (8-2). Takanosho hit Shodai with a nodowa with his right hand and swatted Shodai’s arm away with the left. This got Shodai moving backward. Takanosho hit him again with another nodowa with the left, and then shoved Shodai back and out. Oshidashi.

Oshoma (6-4) defeated Churanoumi (6-4). Oshoma was all business today as he obliterated Churanoumi at the tachiai. He followed up with left hand and then right hand nodowa to force Churanoumi to the edge and then shoved him over. Keyed-in. Oshidashi.

Kinbozan (4-6) defeated Onokatsu (5-5). Onokatsu attempted a pull but Kinbozan bulldozed forward and drove Onokatsu over the edge. Oshidashi.

Halftime

Daieisho (4-6) defeated Kusano (5-5). Daieisho of old hit Kusano repeatedly with tsuppari, driving the youngster back and out. Tsukidashi.

Midorifuji (4-6) defeated Ichiyamamoto (3-7). Midorifuji got inside of Ichiyamamoto’s tsuppari so the two settled into a migi-yotsu grapple. Midorifuji dragged Ichiyamamoto to the edge and threw Ichiyamamoto. Both men tumbled down. Gunbai Midorifuji. No mono-ii. Shitatenage.

Oho (6-4) defeated Atamifuji (2-8). Oho just overpowered Atamifuji. Oho shoved forward and forced Atamifuji out with his hazuoshi. Oshidashi.

Abi (1-9) Abi-literated Tamawashi (3-7). Abi hasn’t been looking great lately but he dug deep and shoved Tamawashi hard, forcing Tamawashi to fall backwards. Abi’s losing streak ended and he finally picked up his first win. Oshitaoshi.

Sanyaku

Takayasu (3-7) defeated Gonoyama (0-10). Takayasu demonstrated amazing power. Gonoyama hit Takayasu hard and drove him all the way to the bales. But Takayasu dug deep, pivoted, and forced Gonoyama back over the edge to extend Gonoyama’s losing streak to 10 bouts. Yorikiri.

Aonishiki (8-2) defeated Hakuoho (6-4). Aonishiki got his left hand inside grip and pressed forward. Hakuoho flailed around and tried to do something with his left arm but Aonishiki shoved him back with his right arm while driving with the left. Yorikiri.

Hiradoumi (6-4) defeated Wakatakakage (5-5). The Ozeki run is done. Hiradoumi overpowered Wakatakakage and shoved him out. Wakatakakage hung on as long as he could but Hiradoumi was helped by his powerful gaburi leg thrusts. Oshidashi.

Kotozakura (7-3) defeated Kirishima (5-5). Kotozakura went on the attack and good things happened. Kirishima did a great job of hanging in there and at one point had better position. But Kotozakura established his right hand inside, then got a strong left hand grip outside. Kirishima pulled back to switch his grip and that makikae struck again. Kirishima reared back so Kotozakura pressed forward and forced Kirishima over the edge. Yorikiri.

Onosato (9-1) defeated Kotoshoho (2-8). Onosato dominated Kotoshoho and handed Nagoya’s Yusho winner his make-koshi. Tsukidashi.

Hoshoryu (10-0) defeated Wakamotoharu (6-4). Wakamotoharu tried to give back with Hoshoryu’s niramiai stare-down games before the tachiai. That got the crowd into it. It also motivated Hoshoryu more. Hoshoryu blitzed Wakamotoharu, driving him back to the edge quickly. Wakamotoharu resisted for an instant but Hoshoryu wasn’t having any of it, pivoted, and threw Wakamotoharu roughly to the ground. Geeez! That was impressive. Sukuinage.

Wrap up

I say Wakatakakage’s Ozeki run is over but his toughest bouts are yet to come. If he somehow wins all five of these bouts, who knows? He’ll likely have to beat both Yokozuna and Ozeki Kotozakura in the final stretch. Promotions have been given with 32-win records but I feel like the hype has died down given the first few losses. What’s more likely is he will need 9 or 10 wins to carry any hope of promotion at Kyushu or Hatsu.

The yusho race is down to the Yokozuna now. Hoshoryu leads, undefeated. Onosato trails with one loss. Wow, it feels like it’s been a LONG time since we had something like this…probably going back to Hakuho vs Terunofuji (though I think Terunofuji was Ozeki) or Hakuho vs Kakuryu.

In the lead up to the final weekend, the Yokozuna schedules will get tougher as they fight sanyaku opponents. Tomorrow, Onosato will face Takayasu and Hoshoryu will take on Kirishima. Kotozakura will take on whatever is left of Wakamotoharu. Wakatakakage will fight Kotoshoho and Shodai is being called up to fight Aonishiki. There will be more kensho available in these sanyaku bouts. Will that motivate Girigiri Shodai? Or will Aonishiki chew him up and spit him back out into the dregs of the rank-and-filers?