kinboshi

Nagoya 2025: Day Four

Andy Nagoya 2025, Nagoya Basho

No kyujo news. In Juryo, Mita baited Daiamami into move forward and Mita slipped to the right when he did. Mita improves to 4-0 and shares the lead with Hatsuyama. Mita will face former top division wrestler, Nishikifuji, tomorrow.

Your NHK videos are here: Juryo, Makuuchi Part I and Part II.

Makuuchi Action

Mitakeumi (4-0) defeated Shishi (2-2). Two false starts…Mitakeumi powered his way through Shishi, driving him back and over the bales. Oshidashi.

Kotoeiho (2-2) defeated Hidenoumi (0-4). Beautiful. Kotoeiho immediately got his left hand inside but it took a while longer to acquire his right-hand outside grip on Hidenoumi’s belt. When he did, he pulled and swung Hidenoumi to the ground. Uwatenage.

Kusano (3-1) defeated Kayo (0-4). Kayo got some good penetration as he charged hard at Kusano from the tachiai. Then he did his thing and pulled. Kusano gave chase, carefully so he wouldn’t get slapped down or fall to a dodge. Kusano caught up with Kayo and drove him over the edge. Damn it, Kayo. If you could drive that hard into Kusano, Keep Going! I swear, if Kayo is going to have this one move — pull & slapdown — I will gladly cover his fare for the barge back to Juryo. Yorikiri.

Fujinokawa (2-2) defeated Kotoshoho (3-1). Kotoshoho pulled and shifted right while Fujinokawa drove forward and both men fell out of the ring. Gunbai Fujinokawa. Mono-ii. Shimpan decided quickly that both men went out at the same time and we needed a rematch (torinaoshi). In the rematch, Fujinokawa showed Kotoshoho how to execute a pull and quickly shifted right and slapped Kotoshoho down to the clay. You may remember me talking about the importance of a pivot in an effective pull and here we saw it demonstrated well. Hatakikomi.

Shodai (3-1) defeated Midorifuji (2-2). Shodai just blasted Midorifuji and forced him out. Maybe Shodai felt a tinge of anger at being forced out by Asakoryu yesterday so he came out today and frankly obliterated Midorifuji. Oshidashi.

Churanoumi (2-2) defeated Asakoryu (2-2). Asakoryu blasted Churanoumi but Churanoumi slipped left and tried to slap Asakoryu down. Asakoryu was caught by surprise with that shift and did not react quickly enough. Churanoumi pounced and drove Asakoryu out. Oshidashi.

Atamifuji (2-2) defeated Tokihayate (1-3). Tokihayate quickly got his right hand inside but he was determined to get his left hand inside for a morozashi. The third time he released that outside grip to change things up and sneak that left hand inside (makikae), Atamifuji charged forward and forced him out. Often, when a wrestler changes their grip, they have to rear up and back. That’s risky as we saw in Hoshoryu’s loss to Wakamotoharu and as we saw here today. Yorikiri.

Takanosho (2-2) defeated Roga (2-2). Takanosho blitzed Roga and drove him back and out. Yorikiri.

Sadanoumi (1-3) defeated Chiyoshoma (0-4). Henka! Chiyoshoma tried to keep Sadanoumi off his belt with a flurry of tsuppari but Sadanoumi grabbed Chiyoshoma’s right arm and yanked him forward, hard. Tottari.

Ichiyamamoto (4-0) defeated Ura (3-1). Ichiyamamoto avoided Ura’s slapdown and as Ura pulled back, Ichiyamamoto pursued well and blasted Ura from the ring. Oshitaoshi.

Halftime

Gonoyama (3-1) defeated Takerufuji (2-2). Gonoyama is not impressed with Takerufuji’s slow tachiai. Takerufuji charged forward but Gonoyama grabbed his arm and pulled him off the dohyo before tumbling out. Gunbai Takerufuji. Mono-ii. The judges reviewed and overturned the call, giving Gonoyama the win. Tottari.

Tobizaru (2-2) defeated Meisei (1-3). After a long tussle with dueling right-hand inside grips, Meisei released and tried to pull on Tobizaru’s arm and shoulder for a kotenage. But Tobizaru kept his balance and slapped Meisei down. Meisei was slow to get up. Hatakikomi.

Tamawashi (4-0) defeated Hakuoho (2-2). Hakuoho pulled and Tamawashi timed his charge well. Tamawashi gave Hakuoho a forceful shove to the face and blasted him out. Oshidashi.

Hiradoumi (1-3) defeated Kinbozan (1-3). Hiradoumi shifted left as he recoiled from the tachiai. Kinbozan followed, hard-charging with his tsuppari. Hiradoumi shifted again to cut off the dohyo and attacked, wrapping up Kinbozan’s belt and driving him from the ring. Yorikiri.

Sanyaku

Takayasu (3-1) defeated Onokatsu (1-3). Takayasu got a solid right hand outside grip, pulled up and drove Onokatsu backward. Yorikiri.

Kirishima (4-0) defeated Oshoma (0-4). Kirishima locked on with his left-hand over-arm grip. Oshoma had his right hand inside grip but Kirishima did not like it. By shuffling left and then giving a good wiggle, he shook off Oshoma’s grip. Immediately, Kirishima took advantage, pulled up with his right hand inside and that strong left outside and drove Oshoma back and out. Yorikiri.

Aonishiki (3-1) defeated Wakatakakage (2-2). Wakatakakage lost this one with a poor pull. When he pulled, he jumped back to the bales. Aonishiki pursued well and avoided Wakatakakage’s attempt to shove him to the side and blasted Wakatakakage out. Oshidashi.

Kotozakura (2-2) defeated Wakamotoharu (1-3). Kotozakura got his right hand inside and was happy to lean into Wakamotoharu, waiting for an opportunity. Eventually, Kotozakura shifted his left-hand inside and used his double-inside grip to bulldoze Wakamotoharu back and over the bales. Yorikiri.

Abi (3-1) defeated Hoshoryu (1-3). Abi was having none of Hoshoryu’s pre-bout stare down, walking away to his corner quickly, ignoring the Yokozuna. “I live in your head, rent-free, man. Forget your niramiai games.” Abi blasted Hoshoryu back hard with forceful tsuppari of a kind we have not seen this tournament. On the edge, Hoshoryu grabbed Abi’s left arm and he pulled Abi forward as both men stumbled out. Gunbai Hoshoryu. Mono-ii. Hoshoryu’s heel touched out before Abi’s foot. Oshidashi.

Oho (1-3) defeated Onosato (3-1). “Purple rain, Purple rain.” Onosato’s first kinboshi goes to his nemesis, Oho. Oho allowed Onosato to drive him to the edge. Oho used the leverage from the bales to launch his counter attack. Onosato casually pulled. Oho was quick to give chase. As Onosato retreated, his left foot stepped out of the ring. Oshidashi.

Wrap-up

Kirishima and Aonishiki continue to look very strong. The Yokozuna-tachi…not so much. Onosato was careless as he pulled, perhaps believing all of the pre-basho hype in the media on the back of his strong first three days. Come on, man. Oho is supposed to be the one making me angry by moving backwards. I mean this kinboshi makes me more angry than any of Hoshoryu’s from this tournament. This one was just careless.

As for Hoshoryu, he just got beat. The Hoshoryu 401(k) continues to pay out for rank-and-filers as Abi picks up another gold star. This money spinner will push Japanese core inflation to double-digits if Hoshoryu can’t get it under control. This was just absolute dominance, though. It was as if Abi had been conserving energy over the past few days, fostering rumors of lingering injury in order to reserve power for his attack today. This fierce Abi is the Abi that I want to see, every bout. He was hungry for that kinboshi. Wow.

Hoshoryu will fight Oho tomorrow, if he doesn’t go kyujo in shame. “My heel suffered burns because it touched hot lava.” Abi will battle Onosato. Kotozakura will fight Onokatsu but the highlight bout will be Kirishima versus Aonishiki. Takayasu will fight Wakatakakage. Should be a great day of action tomorrow!

Nagoya 2024: Day 14 Highlights

Andy Nagoya 2024, Nagoya Basho , ,

Nothing happened in the world to interrupt sumo today. That is a good thing and from now on that will be my gage on the state of affairs on this planet. If nothing gives NHK reason to interrupt my sumo, it’s a good day. There is also no new kyujo. That’s also another reason to say it’s a good day.

The Juryo race is down to Shishi and Shirakuma, with Hakuoho holding a distant hope of a playoff. Hakuoho, one loss back, will need to defeat Shishi tomorrow and he’ll need help. Shirakuma will face Tokihayate. Tokihayate will be fighting for kachikoshi and an immediate re-promotion to Makuuchi. Talk about incentives. But there’s high drama in Juryo, that’s for sure.

Makuuchi Action

Ichiyamamoto (7-7) defeated Chiyoshoma (5-4-5). Ichiyamamoto kept Chiyoshoma off his belt with tsuppari. When Chiyoshoma lunged forward to try to get inside Ichi slipped to the side, effectively getting behind Chiyoshoma. Ichiyamamoto kept up the tsuppari and shoved Chiyoshoma out. Oshidashi.

Shodai (9-5) defeated Takarafuji (5-9). Shodai got an inside grip with his left hand but Takarafuji kept his left arm tight to his body and did not allow Shodai in with his right. Instead Shodai used his right to shove Takarafuji straight back and out. Oshidashi.

Midorifuji (8-6) defeated Kagayaki (8-6). Midorifuji electrified the crowd by defeating Kagayaki head-on. Kagayaki was wary of the katasukashi and did his best to bat Midorifuji away when Midorifuji came inside to get his right arm up on Kagayaki’s shoulder. Kagayaki’s tsuppari forced Midorifuji to the bales but Midorifuji slipped inside one more time, charged forward and forced Kagayaki out. Oshidashi.

Tamawashi (7-7) defeated Endo (9-5). Tamawashi got inside Endo’s tsuppari, seized Endo’s belt with his right hand and drove him from the dohyo. Yorikiri.

Nishikigi (4-9) defeated Ryuden (3-10). Nishikigi used his lefthand inside grip to pull Ryuden over the bales. Ryuden was a little slow to get up so Nishikigi stepped down to offer help getting up. Ryuden is not healthy. Shitatenage.

Roga (8-6) defeated Kinbozan (4-10). Kinbozan was too high. Roga stayed low and this helped him keep his balance when Kinbozan tried to throw him to the side. Instead Roga continued to charge forward and drove Kinbozan to the edge and over. Yorikiri.

Kotoshoho (8-6) defeated Hokutofuji (6-8). All of that buildup and Hokutofuji fell to a quick sidestep and slapdown tachiai. Kotoshoho kachikoshi. Hokutofuji makekoshi. Hatakikomi.

Bushozan (8-6) defeated Sadanoumi (5-9). Bushozan got his left paw up on Sadanoumi’s shoulder and blasted him from the dohyo to seal his first kachikoshi in the top division. This is his fourth tournament fighting in makuuchi and the first time he does not earn an immediate demotion and return to Juryo. Oshidashi.

Wakatakakage (10-4) defeated Oho (8-6). Oho tried to pull Wakatakakage over the bales by wrapping up his arm. But Wakatakakage retaliated by shoving Oho hard. Oshidashi.

Tobizaru (8-6) defeated Oshoma (7-7). Oshoma spent his time trying to keep Tobizaru at bay but not advancing. He seemed keen to wait for slapdown attempts. He tried one but Tobizaru stayed away. Both guys had their arms up, playing patty-cake and keeping each other away. It made for a rather boring fight. That is until Tobizaru suddenly lashed out and kicked Oshoma’s lead right foot, bringing Oshoma down. Kekaeshi. Beautiful.

Halftime

Ura (5-9) defeated Nishikifuji (5-9). Nishikifuji pressured Ura backwards but pulled and tried to slap Ura down. Ura maintained his balance and used the opportunity to press forward and drive Nishikifuji from the dohyo. Oshidashi.

Wakamotoharu (5-9) defeated Meisei (4-10). Meisei blasted Wakamotoharu and it looked like WMH was headed for another painful exit but he was able to resist at the bales. Wakamotoharu countered with a firm hold of Meisei’s mawashi and drove him back through the ring. At the edge, Wakamotoharu used his firm right-hand outside grip to throw Meisei roughly to the clay. Uwatenage.

Atamifuji defeated Gonoyama. Atamifuji quickly latched on with a left-hand overarm grip. He needed that to stave off an early exit. A throw was not an easy option. Gonoyama resisted well. Instead it was down to good old gaburi yotsu as Atamifuji worked Gonoyama over the bales.

Sanyaku

Daieisho (8-6) defeated Shonannoumi (6-8) with a quick hit-and-shift at the tachiai. Daieisho kachikoshi, Shonannoumi makekoshi. Tsukiotoshi.

Hiradoumi (9-5) defeated Mitakeumi (6-8). Hiradoumi was too powerful and energetic for Mitakeumi. Mitakeumi makekoshi. Yorikiri.

Abi (8-6) defeated Kirishima (7-7) with Level One Abi-zumo: face-push-to-slapdown. Abi kachikoshi. Kirishima…not yet. Tsukiotoshi.

Onosato (9-5) defeated Churanoumi (10-4). Onosato’s dominance of Churanoumi today just pointed to him being on a different level. Solid footwork keeps that Ozeki run alive. < Thanks his lucky stars for the fusen > Oshidashi.

Kotozakura (9-5) defeated Takakeisho (5-9). Kotozakura employed solid oshi-zumo to force Takakeisho into reverse and drive him from the ring. Oshidashi.

Takanosho (11-3) defeated Terunofuji (12-2). A rough nodowa from Takanosho forced Terunofuji to rear back. Takanosho kept the pressure up and drove the Yokozuna over the bales. Yorikiri.

Wrap-up.

There is a contest for the Top Division yusho, after all. Takanosho has kicked open the door and forced his way into the hunt. If Terunofuji loses again tomorrow, Takanosho will force a play-off with a win. Terunofuji will face Kotozakura tomorrow in the musubi-no-ichiban. There were several sanyaku options available for Takanosho: from Onosato to Abi to Hiradoumi. The Kyokai chose Onosato. Wow.

Onosato probably needs that 10th win to maintain hopes of an Ozeki run at Aki. Looking back at past Ozeki runs, Masayo had three tournaments at Sekiwake and the first tournament of his three tournament “run” included an 8-7. The ultimate deciders of this are working for the Kyokai and not Tachiai, so they can do what they want. So maybe 9 with a win over the Yokozuna will be enough but there’s that little fusen in there, too… Bottom line, he will come into this like Herm Edwards. “You play to win.” Takanosho will have his work cut out, he will need help from Kotozakura AND he will need to beat the Yokozuna again in order to get the all important macarons and the cow.

Come back tomorrow for the thrilling conclusion of the Nagoya Basho 2024.

Hatsu 2024: Day 7 Highlights

Andy Hatsu 2024, Hatsu Basho , , , , ,

The news from the infirmary today is that Aoiyama is not only kyujo, he may have suffered a career-ending ACL injury. Hokuseiho is also going to be out longer than originally anticipated. Hat-tip to Herouth for the news that Hokuseiho will go under the knife and have surgery on his meniscus. This will put him out of action for Osaka. We will most likely see him back in Tokyo in May, in Juryo. To be completely honest, I think he does need a bit of a sumo style adjustment, too. The knee may dictate it.

Makuuchi Action

Onosho (6-1) fusensho, Aoiyama (0-7-8) kyujo.

Shimazuumi (4-3) defeated Kotoshoho (5-2). Initial advantage to Kotoshoho with his tsuppari. Once Shimazuumi used his arms to effectively block the incoming blows, he began to counter. He moved inside and drove Kotoshoho to the edge. Kotoshoho tried to wriggle away but Shimazuumi shoved him down. Oshitaoshi.

Bushozan (4-3) defeated Churanoumi (4-3). A great tsuppari battle here as both men generated alternating forward motion. Eventually Churanoumi started driving Bushozan to the edge. But it was a bit of a ploy by Bushozan. At the edge, Bushozan grabbed Churanoumi’s arm and tried to slip to the side. Churanoumi followed but Bushozan re-engaged from the side, shoving Churanoumi over. Oshitaoshi.

Myogiryu (2-5) defeated Takarafuji (3-4). Hurricane Myogiryu may have been weakening but still provided tropical storm-force headwinds for the Takarabune today. This forced a new course, straight backwards. The Takarabune attempted to tack before running aground but it was too late, and dropped over the horizon. Yorikiri.

Onosato (6-1) defeated Oho (5-2). Onosato locked up with his right hand inside grip right at the tachiai. Oho tried to circle but Onosato kept pace and pressed him back. Quick yorikiri.

Tsurugisho (2-5) defeated Tomokaze (1-6). Neither men were very effective with their tsuppari early on. Tsurugisho moved inside and locked up Tomokaze with his right hand inside. From there it was over as Tsurugisho bulldozed Tomokaze over the edge. Yorikiri.

Sadanoumi (2-5) defeated Endo (1-6). Sadanoumi locked in quickly with a hold of Endo’s trunk. Endo circled back as he tried to counter. Sadanoumi gathered up his strength and charged forward, gently lowering Endo off the dohyo to do some more fansa (Japanese colloquial term for “fan service”). Yorikiri.

Tamawashi (4-3) defeated Takanosho (4-3). Good ole Tom O’Washi was back as he quickly and easily battered Takanosho. Oshidashi.

Asanoyama (7-0) defeated Meisei (4-3). Meisei blasted Asanoyama at the tachiai, rocking Asanoyama’s head back. No bother. Asanoyama wrapped him up and charged forward. Yorikiri.

Ichiyamamoto (3-4) defeated Hiradoumi (4-3). Ichiyamamoto-brand sumo here. Hit high with the arms, then pull down. It looks so easy. Hatakikomi.

Halftime

Mitakeumi (4-3) defeated Shonannoumi (1-6). Straight-forward bulldoze from Mitakeumi. Shonannoumi will need to retool his sumo to succeed at this level. He’s just letting his opponents walk him to the edge and they’re not falling for his pulldowns. Oshidashi.

Nishikigi (4-3) defeated Kinbozan (3-4). Nishikigi locked in close at the tachiai. After an initial tussle of arms, Nishikigi acquired a left-hand inside hold of Kinbozan’s trunk. From there, it was a cake walk as he steamed ahead. The way Kinbozan seemed to shut off there should be a point of interest for his future opponents. Oshidashi.

Midorifuji (2-5) defeated Gonoyama (2-5). Midorifuji sprung ahead early. Andy’s henka alert system kicked into high gear… No henka. Powerful tachiai from Gonoyama as he blasted Midorifuji to the edge before attempting a pulldown. Midorifuji maintained his balance and countered with his own tsuppari. Gonoyama charged forward in response. As they neared the edge, Midorifuji slipped quickly to the side and pushed Gonoyama out. Nearly an okuridashi, there. Yorikiri.

Atamifuji (3-4) defeated Abi (1-6). Abi-zumo did not faze Atamifuji. Atamifuji just walked forward and drove Abi over the bales. Oshidashi.

Sanyaku

Wakamotoharu (4-3) defeated Takayasu (2-3-2). A quick flurry of tsuppari at the tachiai but once Wakamotoharu latched on, Takayasu set the gearbox in “R” instead of “D” and backed out. There is a movie where the main character got in the car, thought he put it in drive but it was in reverse. There were instructions but apparently upside down, so he flipped it around? I can’t think of the name of it, though…that will bug me. Anyway, Takayasu’s back is still an issue. Yorikiri.

Daieisho (5-2) defeated Ura (1-6). Daieisho-zumo. Tsukidashi.

Kotonowaka (6-1) defeated Ryuden (3-4). Kotonowaka used a strong right hand grip to drag Ryuden around to the edge. From there it was just a matter of force as he shoved Ryuden out. Ryuden wouldn’t go out quietly, though, so Kotonowaka had to put a bit more force into it. Yorikiri.

Kirishima (6-1) defeated Hokutofuji (4-3). A nervous Hokutofuji charged forward early. In the most comical moment of the match day, Hokutofuji blasted into Kirishima and they took out the gyoji, Kimura Yodo. This may have unsettled Hokutofuji as both men shifted to a yotsu battle, righthand inside. Hokutofuji tried hard but once Kirishima got that left hand grip, it was over. Yorikiri.

Hoshoryu (5-2) defeated Tobizaru (3-4). Hoshoryu wrapped up Tobizaru with a kimedashi grip but Tobizaru freed his left arm. The two battled for a grip and Tobizaru made a critical error as it looked like he tried to wrap up Hoshoryu high, possibly for a kubinage attempt? This yielded a morozashi for Hoshoryu who ushered Tobizaru out. Yorikiri.

Shodai (4-3) defeated Terunofuji (5-2). Terunofuji tried the same thing Hoshoryu tried with both arms locking up the arms of his opponent. However, Terunofuji tried that against Shodai, who is a lot larger than Tobizaru. For once in his life, Shodai charged forward. Sensing trouble, the Yokozuna pivoted and tried to throw Shodai but Shodai kept his balance and pivoted with Terunofuji. He then drove the Yokozuna straight across the ring, and dropped him to the floor. Kinboshi! Yoritaoshi.

Wrap-up

Onosato outclassed Oho, who has been performing well, his only blemish suffered in the loss to the sanyaku veteran, Onosho. He will have a bit of a freebie tomorrow against Endo. As he and Asanoyama continue to chew through their competition, I anticipate a matchup between the two.

Asanoyama dominated Meisei and will face Tom O’Washi for his kachi-koshi tomorrow. If he and Onosato both win, the schedulers definitely will have a conundrum. Do they try to place a few high-ranking roadblocks in the path of Asanoyama, first, wagering Onosato’s run will end sometime?

If I were a master scheduler, I would pit the winner of Asanoyama/Onosato against Wakamotoharu before introducing any sanyaku opponents. At this point, we would be at Day 11, and the start of any real yusho talk. If Onosato is 10-1 at that point, has dispatched Asanoyama and Wakamotoharu, it makes sense to look at putting guys like Ura, Takayasu, Daieisho, Hoshoryu on his schedule.

Terunofuji slipped up again here, today. But the important thing is that he is still in the competition. I just think he used a technique against a big guy that he should not have used. I feel Kirishima escaped today with the help of the gyoji. Hokutofuji brought some fire into this bout and it was partially extinguished with the interference from the gyoji.

At this point, I am most impressed with Kotonowaka and Asanoyama. Asanoyama is head-and-shoulders above the rank-and-file. He will surely leap back into the joi in Osaka, perhaps even higher. Since his comeback, it is the joi-level and sanyaku-level competition that really challenges him. He is the only rikishi looking to pick up his kachi-koshi on nakabi.

Kirishima and Kotonowaka lead the group of four men with one loss. Kirishima will fight Tobizaru and Kotonowaka will fight Takayasu. Both bouts are really more than “must win”; they are “should win,” in that if either man falters, that will be a serious blow to any promotion or yusho hopes. They are joined by Onosato and Onosho. We already discussed Onosato; as for Onosho, he will face Shimazuumi.

Hatsu 2024: Day 2 Highlights

Andy Hatsu 2024, Hatsu Basho ,

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

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

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

Makuuchi Highlights

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

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

Bushozan will face Aoiyama. Shimazuumi will take on Takarafuji.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tsurugisho will battle Tamawashi and Sadanoumi will face Oho.

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

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

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

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

Halftime

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

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

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

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

Shodai will face Nishikigi and Tobizaru gets Ryuden.

Sanyaku

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

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

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

Daieisho will fight Hokutofuji tomorrow.

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

Takayasu will take on Gonoyama on Day 3.

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

Atamifuji will face Kirishima on Day 3.

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

Midorifuji will face Kotonowaka and Hoshoryu gets Ura.

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

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

Wrap-up

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

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