Ishiura

Kyushu Day 7 – News and Highlights

Bruce H Gōeidō (豪栄道), Hakuho (白鵬), Harumafuji (日馬富士), Kakuryu (鶴竜), Kisenosato (稀勢の里), Kyushu Basho 2016, Takayasu (高安), Yokozuna (横綱), Yoshikaze (嘉風) , , , , , ,

hakuho-henka

Hakuho’s Henka Leaves Fans Upset

Hakuho, you’re the winningest man in sumo today. There is, on any given day, no one who can defeat you. Why on earth would you side-step a 5-1 Maegashira 2? That was the question all sumo fans asked towards the end of today’s bouts in Fukuoka. According to Jason of the YouTube channel fame, the crowd watching the Hakuho – Yoshikaze match went angry, and rightly so. What Hakuho’s face as the match ends, he seemed unhappy, too.

However I think this may add evidence to my running assumption that Hakuho is less than fully recovered, and is severely mobility challenged. With Yoshikaze being one of the best mobile attack platforms in Sumo, Hakuho may have determined that if he let Yoshikaze get started, he was losing for sure. To be honest, when facing a sumotori like Yoshikaze, there is a recognizable risk that one or both men would be injured.

But one Yokozuna match did deliver – Harumafuji vs Mitakeumi! I am going to venture to say that Mitakeumi has a lot of natural balance, and thinks on his feet. Harumafuji pulled out several of his usual tricks, but did not deploy the spin cycle or the Darth Vader throat grip. Harumafuji managed a win, but Mitakeumi really made him work for it.

Ikioi, Chiyoshoma and Sokokurai all lost today, narrowing the group behind Kakuryu to 4.

In Juryo Osunaarashi finally lost a match today, so everyone in Juryo has at least one loss, with Ura and Yamaguchi in the group just behind Osunaarashi, Seiro and Satoyama in the lead. Unlike Aki, there may be some clear winners coming out of Juryo into Makuuchi this time.

Leaderboard

  • Undefeated: Kakuryu
  • Chasers: Harumafuji, Hakuho, Goeido, Ishiura
  • Hunt Group: Kisenosato, Terunofuji, Tamawashi, Shodai, Ikioi, Chiyoshoma, Arawashi, Sokokurai

8 matches remain

Notable Matches

Ishiura defeats Chiyoshoma – Ishiura wins again – convincingly! I hope in week 2 they put Ishiura against at least one Sanyaku ranked wrestler. I would like to see how he does against the big guns of sumo. If he can stay healthy, and stick to his brand of sumo, this guy probably has a bright future. He stayed very low, got a solid grip and just pushed. He made it look easy, and that is usually a hallmark of greatness.

Myogiryu defeats Hidenoumi – Excellent display of strength sumo. Both rikishi really put everything they had into this match, and it went on for quite a while in sumo terms.

Tochinoshin defeats Ikioi – Tochinoshin took control, wrapped up Ikioi and controlled the match. Ikioi has been on a hot streak thus far, but he was unable to establish his mobile engagement strategy that he prefers. Chest to chest, Tochinoshin dominated with his superior leg strength. Nicely done!

Shodai defeats Kisenosato – Oh wow, this one was fantastic. Another younger sumotori with acres of talent. He took one a master of strength sumo and prevailed. Kisenosato really have him a strong tachiai, and to my surprise Shodai absorbed the impact and immediately went to work on his grip. Kisenosato starting moving forward, got Shodai to the edge and attempted a throw, which failed, but left Kisenosato off balance. Shodai read this change, and pressed his advantage to win.

Goeido defeats Kaisei – Goeido once again was sloppy, unfocused and all over the map. As a result Kaisei nearly had him several times. Goeido needs to settle down and stay in his mode for the much tougher matches in the coming week.

Terunofuji defeats Aoiyama – Aoiyama come in healthier and with a much longer reach, but the resurgent Terunofuji bottled him up and won the match. I am really quite impressed with how well Terunofuji is doing in spite of his injuries.

Takayasu defeats Kotoshogiku – This is more like it, Takayasu. Kotoshogiku rushed to get his hug-n-chug technique deployed, Takayasu was patient, waited for things to unfold and seized his moment. When Takayasu can follow this recipe, he usually wins. His size and strength gives him the time to wait for the match to unfold, and his skill allows him to usually deploy a winning move, even when it’s at the last moment and his heels are on the tawara.  I remain convinced he will be an amazing Ozeki one day soon.

Kakuryu defeats Endo – Yes it was a win, but Kakuryu did not look good doing it. Endo was a bit too eager, and charged into Kakuryu’s collapsing defense. From there it was quick work to pivot and pull Endo to the clay.

Kyushu Day 7 Preview

Bruce H Gōeidō (豪栄道), Hakuho (白鵬), Kakuryu (鶴竜), Kisenosato (稀勢の里), Kyushu Basho 2016, Yokozuna (横綱), Yoshikaze (嘉風) , , ,

goeido-loss

Day 6 – It Left A Mark

Day six was a seismic shift in sumo. Although Endo defeated Hakuho, the biggest match, in my opinion, had to be Goeido’s loss to Tamawashi. With Goeido pushing for a promotion to Yokozuna this tournament, this loss was possibly decisive. In his defeat, he was left bloodied, and literally had his face covered in dirt. The symbolism was not lost on him, or on the fans.

The question now – what does Goeido do about it? Does he revert to bad Goeido, and resume flailing and failing? Or is it time for him to Gamberize? (my money is on Gamberize!)

Hakuho maintained a potent illusion for 5 days, and that is worthy of praise. But Endo sniffed him out and revealed he is not quite fully dangerous yet. This leads to an entirely new branch of thinking in the basho; with the most potent Yokozuna in recent memory present but not at full power, options of who can win, and with what kind of record become broader. Goeido may be beaten, but not prevented from winning the tournament.

After spending most of the year injured and incapable, Yokozuna Kakuryu is the leader going into the middle weekend of this basho – as unlikely as that sounds. He struggled a bit today with Yoshikaze, but he won.

Leader Board

  • Undefeated: Kakuryu
  • Chasers: Harumafuji, Hakuho, Goeido, Kisenosato, Ikioi, Chiyoshoma, Sokokurai, Ishiura
  • Hunt Group: Terunofuji, Tamawashi, Endo, Shodai, Arawashi, Chiyootori

9 matches remain

Heading into day 7 – Here’s what seems to be the hot matches for Saturday

Sokokurai vs Gagamaru – Gagamaru has continued a pathetic run that started at Aki in Tokyo. I am sure that somewhere he has some great sumo, or he would not be in Makuuchi. I don’t know if he’s hurt, but he needs to really step it up. Sokokurai is 5-1, he is 1 back from Kakuryu. This should be fast.

Chiyoshoma vs Ishiura – Both rikishi are also at 5-1, with Ishiura showing us fast, aggressive sumo during the first week. Chiyoshoma has been chewing up opponents too, so this could be a real battle early in the upper division day.

Ikioi vs Tochinoshin – Ikioi has gotten into his grove, and his opponents have been letting him do “his sumo”. The big Georgian – Tochinoshin – is more than a match for him. With Ikioi a pusher / thruster, he must watch out for Tochinoshin’s great reach, and impressive upper body strength. Dare I say slugfest?

Shodai vs Kisenosato – Two big, traditional rikishi. They both like to fight using strong belt grips with throws and force outs. Kisenosato will work to make sure they fall into that mode at the tachiai, as it favors him. Shodai needs to do something drastic and unexpected. Maybe a henka?

Goeido vs Kaisei – With a tremendous loss of face on day 6, Goeido is looking for someone to take out his frustrations. This is his weakness, as winless Kaisei needs a scalp, and Goeido’s is perfect. Day 5 and day 6 saw Goeido rushing, and it was very sloppy. Goeido’s formula during Aki was to pick a battle plan, and execute with super-human commitment and determination. Not to rush into it, let the match evolve and dominate. He may have lost that plot.

Aoiyama vs Terunofuji – Terunofuji is still banged up, but he has powered through the injuries to get to 4-2. I still expect him to go kyujo as soon as he hits 8 wins. Aoiyama blew up Takayasu’s Ozeki promotion bid on day 6, and he should be rightfully confident that he can overcome whatever the kadoban Ozeki can throw at him. If Aoiyama can keep the match mobile, and keep pushing Terunofuji, I suggest he wins.

Hakuho vs Yoshikaze – There is two ways this can go. Hakuho is going to crumple Yoshikaze the Berserker in a swift and unstoppable opening move. Or Yoshikaze has calculated the Boss is slow on his feet, and is going to bring a street fight to the Yokozuna. Yoshikaze is far more talented than his current 1-5 record indicates, and he must be ready to throw caution to the wind and attack like the Yoshikaze of old.

Endo vs Kakuryu – It’s not the final match of the day, but possibly the most important. Endo is on fire, he already has one Yokozuna win, and he now faces the last undefeated rikishi in the tournament in the form of Yokozuna Kakuryu. Kakuryu is looking good enough to win it all, but I get the impression that Endo is really motivated, and frankly – having a lot of fun right now. Always dangerous to compete against a man like that.

Kyushu Day 6 Preview

Bruce H Gōeidō (豪栄道), Hakuho (白鵬), Harumafuji (日馬富士), Kakuryu (鶴竜), Kisenosato (稀勢の里), Kyushu Basho 2016, Takayasu (高安), Yokozuna (横綱), Yoshikaze (嘉風), Ōzeki (大関) , , , , ,

hakuho-endo

Starting the Second Chapter

The first third of Kyushu is in the books, and now the basho moves into climbing gear. The stars have had their warm ups, the lower ranks have sorted the promising from the rest, and the story lines are set. Now its the time that dreams are affirmed and hearts are broken.

Hakuho is still not quite right. Yes, he is winning like mad, but go watch his bouts. He’s not moving around as much as before his injury. Now this may be one of the greatest Yokozuna in history adapting his style to match what is body can do, and still winning, but his matches will start to become more challenging now.

Takayasu is all but done with any chance of Ozeki this tournament. He is a solid Sekiwake, but he needs a bit more time to improve. I doubt it will be more than 2 more basho before we see him promoted

Goeido was even more sloppy day 5 than he was in the prior 4. There is a lot of worry here for the possibilities of Japan’s first native Yokozuna in more than a decade.

Kakuryu is for real this time, don’t overlook him – he’s strong, ready and has a lot of revenge to deliver.

  • Undefeated: Kakuryu, Hakuho, Goeido, Sokokurai
  • Chasers: Harumafuji, Kisenosato, Shodai, Ikioi, Chiyoshoma, Ishiura

Notable Matches, Day 6

Ishiura vs Daishomaru – Time for Ishiura to face some tougher opponents. If he’s the real deal, he will rise to the challenge

Sokokurai vs Chiyootori – Undefeated Sokokurai will face increasingly steep challenges. Everyone wants to see how good he really is. I think he is better than his current rank suggests, lets see how high he can go.

Shohozan vs Ikioi – Could be a really big, good match today. Both men have been doing well, and showing some very good sumo.

Takayasu vs Aoiyama – I am sure Aoiyama is in a really bad mood. Scheduling made him a non-stop chew toy for the upper ranks all week, and he’s been fighting back strong. Now he faces Takayasu, who is looking a bit off his game. I would like to see these two really work out their frustrations… through feats of strength

Goeido vs Tamawashi – Tamawashi delivered a damaging blow to Takayasu’s Ozeki dreams on day 5, what will he do to Goeido’s Yokozuna dreams on day 6? Tamawashi has been putting forth maximum effort, so he should give Goeido a good match.

Kisenosato vs Mitakeumi – I think Mitakeumi has a real chance to surprise Kisenosato, who has been winning matches quietly.

Kakuryu vs Yoshikaze – I am a big fan of Yoshikaze. I have his tegata on my wall. But I am pretty sure Kakuryu is going to rough him up.

Harumafuji vs Shodai – Shodai! Watch your neck!

Hakuho vs Endo – Endo, don’t let him reel you in and pull you down. Move and strike, let’s see if the boss is mobile. Today is not Hakuho’s birthday, he doesn’t need to win.

Kyushu Day 5 Preview

Bruce H Gōeidō (豪栄道), Hakuho (白鵬), Harumafuji (日馬富士), Ichinojo (逸ノ城), Kakuryu (鶴竜), Kisenosato (稀勢の里), Kyushu Basho 2016, San'yaku (三役), Sekiwake (関脇), Takarafuji (宝富士), Takayasu (高安), Yokozuna (横綱), Yoshikaze (嘉風), Ōzeki (大関) , , , , ,

harumafuji
First Act Ends As Action Intensifies

At the end of day 5, Kyushu will be ⅓ complete. Andy and I laid out some of the story lines that would be unfolding during Kyushu, and many of them are unfolding in amazing ways. Before we look at the pivotal matches on Thursday, let’s see how things are developing

Endo is clearly in the running for a Sanyaku spot. Short of a complete, Okinoumi style week 2 collapse, he is actually thriving at Maegashira 3. As of Thursday they are pairing him against Yokozuna, as he has already overwhelmed the Ozeki ranks. This is his audition, with week 2 likely to be other Maegashira rank and file sumotori. A kachi-koshi would place him in consideration for the top slot of sumo for the new year basho (which I am going to try to attend)

Takayasu’s Ozeki run is in trouble. But wait, you say – he is on a winning streak with only one loss. Let’s look at the math – firstly, he lost to Goeido. I am still troubled by that match. But to make Ozeki, he needs 13 wins, in part because he lost a few easy matches at the end of Aki. That means he can only lose 2 bouts. One is already lost to Goeido. This means that he has to win everything, beat the other 2 Ozeki (not a tall order, as they are flagging), and only lose to 1 Yokozuna. Unless Harumafuji goes kyujo with that ankle, he faces 3 fairly amped up Yokozuna, all tuned up and ready for battle. That slippi-toshi against Goiedo is probably a deciding factor in his promotion.

Speaking of Goeido – he’s got trouble, because of that really smelly bout with Takayasu, and the one that followed with Yoshikaze. If he wants his rope, he has to overcome the same obstacles. He has to find a way to beat at least Hakuho and Kakuryu. He is certainly capable, but the first act of Kyushu is really to warm up the top talent, and give the lower ranked Makuuchi a chance to shine. If the top talent gets easy / fall-down matches, they are not really ready for the rigors of the closing 10 days. Goeido needs challenges, but his brethren Ozeki are playing wounded, except for Kisenosato.

Terunofuji looks doomed, really. He may get some mercy wins from scheduling, but as Andy has correctly pointed out, he needs medical treatment and recovery. I personally want the really scary good, nobody’s safe Terunofuji back.

Aoiyama has the best 0-4 record in sumo. He has taking a beating from the top ranks, and he gives it everything he’s got. That was especially on display day 4 where he made Harumafuji work, and work more to defeat him. I worry that his massive size is making is joints fail. Clearly the man has talent, but like any arms race, he may have gone too far. (also Kaisei)

Harumafuji is damaged, at least his ankle, maybe his knee as well. If you recall, he was hurt in Nagoya, and that injury limited him during Aki – which opened the door for Goeido. The ankle took damage on his loss day one to Tamawashi during that awkward exit from the dohyo. Depending on how well they can manage his damage, don’t be surprised if he goes kyujo.

Day 5 Notable Matches

Ishiura vs Ichinojo – It’s muscle man vs sumo robot time!

Ikioi vs Takarafuji – This could be mighty fine. Let’s see who wants it more, as both are 3-1

Takayasu vs Tamawashi – Sekiwake vs Komusubi, this could be fun too!

Kotoshogiku vs Yoshikaze – The berserker can’t seem to buy a win right now. This will be an indicator on how degraded Ku is, and how rough the match up with Goeido will be

Goeido vs Aoiyama – Aoiyama is going to give it everything, but right now Goeido is still in super attack mode.

Harumafuji vs Endo – This is probably the highlight match of the day. How hurt is Harumafuji? How ready is Endo? Time to find out!