Kyujo

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?

Hatsu 2024: Day 8 Highlights

Andy Hatsu 2024, Hatsu Basho , , , , ,

Late news from the infirmary that Takayasu kyujo, again. Kotonowaka will receive the default win and Nishikifuji will visit from Juryo to fill out the numbers.

Asanoyama leads and could be the first to clinch his kachi-koshi. With tomorrow’s torikumi out, it looks like the Kyokai has decided to throw Onosho at Asanoyama, first, rather than Onosato as I had speculated. They are clearly going to start challenging these low-ranked guys with 1 loss by moving them up. Onosato will face Meisei tomorrow, 100x more of a challenge than Endo has proven to be, so far this tournament.

Makuuchi Torikumi Results

Nishikifuji (Juryo, 6-2) defeated Bushozan (4-4). Nishikifuji circled away as Bushozan charged forward. In retreat, Nishikifuji continued to press down on Bushozan’s shoulder until he fell out. Tsukiotoshi.

Onosho (7-1) defeated Shimazuumi (4-4). Onosho is pumped. You got the sense from the start that despite Shimazuumi’s strength, Onosho was not going to accept defeat. He pressed forward into Shimazuumi’s right shoulder, held him high and forced him into reverse. At the edge, Shimazuumi resisted so Onosho finished him with a twisting throw. Sukuinage.

Takarafuji (4-4) defeated Churanoumi (4-4). A mirror image of the Nishikifuji bout, the Takarabune cruised the coastline draping Churanoumi out the back like a fishing net. Hikiotoshi.

Onosato (7-1) defeated Endo (1-7). Three great shoves and Onosato dropped Endo. How do you cut to commercial when the cameraman found two adorable toddlers with Onosato hats rushing down to the hanamichi to greet their hero? Oshidashi.

Takanosho (5-3) defeated Tomokaze (1-7). Takanosho hit Tomokaze with a nodowa at the tachiai. Tomokaze retaliated with his own fierce shove to force Takanosho back to the edge. But it was bait for Takanosho’s sidestep. Tomokaze was all-in, over-committed, and Takanosho knew it. So, he slipped away to the right and shoved Tomokaze down. Tsukiotoshi.

Tsurugisho (3-5) defeated Myogiryu (2-6). Tsurugisho had this hit-and-shift planned out and executed beautifully. He hit Myogiryu at the tachiai, then shifted left while grasping Myogiryu’s mawashi. With the belt grip, he used Myogiryu’s momentum and swung him out, over the bales. Uwatenage.

Oho (6-2) defeated Kotoshoho (5-3). Oho let Kotoshoho drive forward at the tachiai. Like Tsurugisho, he shifted to the left. Unlike Tsurugisho, he didn’t go for Kotoshoho’s belt. Instead, he brought his hands up behind Kotoshoho’s head and shoulders and dragged him down. Hatakikomi.

Sadanoumi (3-5) defeated Ichiyamamoto (3-5). Sadanoumi tried to deflect Ichiyamamoto’s tsuppari but enough landed to seemingly annoy the hell out of Sadanoumi. So, Sadanoumi yanked back on Ichiyamamoto’s arms. Ichiyamamoto stumbled forward but kept his balance. Sadanoumi then drove through Ichiyamamoto’s slapdown attempt and shoved him off the dohyo. Oshidashi.

Tamawashi (5-3) defeated – and may have broken – Asanoyama (7-1). Asanoyama’s right ankle rolled at the end here, and he struggled to get back up to the dohyo. Thrilling bout with Tamawashi blasting away with his trademark tsuppari. Asanoyama was a bit too desperate to bring an end to the onslaught and reached in deep for a belt grip. Tamawashi hopped backwards, extending Asanoyama’s reach, and threw him to the side. Sukuinage.

Kinbozan (4-4) defeated Mitakeumi (4-4). Wakanohana called out Kinbozan’s effective arm positioning here. It was a quick bout because of that effective use of the right arm. Kinbozan reached in with his right hand for a shallow grip on Mitakeumi’s belt while squeezing Mitakeumi’s left arm. Mitakeumi had to extract his left hand and try to get an outside grip but he was already moving backwards quickly. Unable to recover, Mitakeumi was quickly ushered from the dohyo by Kinbozan. Excellent belt technique from Kinbozan. That is quite the surprise coming from a tsuki-oshi guy like Kinbozan. He had been exposed a few times this tournament for a lack of belt skill. But this was well planned and well executed. Yorikiri.

Halftime

Meisei (5-3) destroyed Shonannoumi (1-7). Meisei employed the same trick Kinbozan used on Mitakeumi. Except Meisei plowed into Shonannoumi harder at the tachiai. This drive meant that Shonannoumi was kept too high. While he tried to extract his left arm, Meisei bulldozed him into the ringside gyoji. Yorikiri.

Nishikigi (5-3) defeated Hiradoumi (4-4). Hiradoumi jumped early. Reset. I wonder if the matta slowed Hiradoumi’s second tachiai a bit. He hit Nishikigi but it didn’t seem to be with as much speed and power. Nishikigi just overpowered Hiradoumi after the initial charge and pressed him out quickly. Oshidashi.

Abi (2-6) defeated Shodai (4-4). Insert Rent too damn high. Shodai’s tachiai was too damn high! Abi-zumo here today. Fierce nodowa forced Shodai back and over the edge. Oshidashi.

Atamifuji (2-6) defeated Gonoyama (4-4). Gonoyama was aggressive and on the offensive. Atamifuji was in trouble and being driven back from the power of Gonoyama’s shoves. At the last moment he used that reach advantage to grab the back of Gonoyama’s belt with the left hand and pulled, hard. Rotating to the left, he threw Gonoyama into the crowd. Uwatenage.

Sanyaku

Wakamotoharu (5-3) defeated Ura (1-7). Ura locked in quick and spun Wakamotoharu around. He tried to drive forward into Wakamotoharu but then pulled on Wakamotoharu’s left arm. Wakamotoharu charged forward with the retreating Ura and dropped him into the crowd. Oshidashi.

Kotonowaka (7-1) fusen win. Takayasu (2-4-2) kyujo, again.

Daieisho defeated Midorifuji. Midorifuji timed his sidestep well and nearly caught Daieisho by pulling on his shoulder. Daieisho recovered and allowed Midorifuji to continue his attack. As Daieisho backed to the tawara again, he slipped to the side as Midorifuji charged forward and tugged Midorifuji down and off the dohyo. Hatakikomi.

Hoshoryu (6-2) defeated Hokutofuji (4-4). Hokutofuji gave it his all. Nodowa, headbutt, forward rush, pull…he threw everything at Hoshoryu but Hoshoryu maintained his balance and stayed in the ring. As Hokutofuji pulled, Hoshoryu rushed forward and helped Hokutofuji’s momentum carry him from the dohyo. Initially, it looked like Hokutofuji was injured in the fall. I was terrified that it was his back. But he looks to have tweaked his knee prior to the fall. Oshitaoshi.

Tobizaru (4-4) defeated Kirishima (6-2). Kirishima tried a hasty pull. He tried to bring Tobizaru down but Tobizaru moved forward into the Ozeki, shoving him from the dohyo. Kirishima should have either been more patient, or come in with a plan. He seemed to be figuring Tobizaru out “on the fly.” He seemed a bit pissed off at Tobizaru’s pre-tachiai antics. He nearly got his hands down, then pulled them back up…hovered a bit… he was living in Kirishima’s head, rent-free. He’s probably still there, penthouse view. Oshidashi.

Terunofuji (6-2) defeated Ryuden (3-5). Both men locked in at the tachiai, opposing maemitsu belt grips. Ryuden tried to press forward, legs churning, but he didn’t make any headway. It should be rather telling to watch as Ryuden’s legs slid backwards each time he tried to budge the Yokozuna. Gif-worthy action there. Terunofuji eventually took the initiative and wrenched free from Ryuden’s grip. Terunofuji wrapped him up awkwardly, Ryuden’s powerful right arm dangling high and useless. Terunofuji pressed forward, forcing Ryuden from the dohyo. Brilliant. Great work from both men. Yorikiri.

Wrap-up

Hokutofuji will surely join the growing kyujo queue tomorrow. This makes me sad. Based on the fact that he couldn’t walk and needed the big wheelchair, I am assuming he will not return this tournament and we will be lucky if he didn’t duplicate Aoiyama’s ACL injury. Someone needs to dig up the squid and re-do the dohyo matsuri.

Kotonowaka got to rest today and now sits atop the leaderboard, but he will have to earn his kachi-koshi tomorrow against the formidable Daieisho, who is now one loss behind the leaders. Asanoyama was denied his kachi-koshi and will fight Onosho tomorrow. Based on the outcome of today’s matches, Onosho flip-flops and becomes the instant favorite to capture his kachi-koshi. Asanoyama will be a fierce competitor but any tweak of that ankle will be exposed.

He’s not going to do it, and I am wasting my breath by even speculating this here. But with 7 wins, Asanoyama will likely maintain his rank in the next banzuke, regardless. At most, he will face a drop of a rank or two (if they are harsh). Without a lot of strong performances there will be a void there in the banzuke and he is safe. Therefore, if he has any type of injury which will get worse over the course of the tournament, he should sit down now. Wait until Osaka and come back fresh. He will start accumulating black stars and might even miss out on any kind of recognition in the form of special prizes. If he ends this tournament at 9-6 or 10-5, rising into the joi with a new mild injury, just to have a crappy Osaka, it is not worth it. Go kyujo now, while it’s in style.

Onosato will take on Meisei. This should be a highlight bout and Onosato’s biggest real test in the top division, so far. Meisei did very well today but he is not impregnable.

Terunofuji leads the chase group with his sage breakdown of Ryuden. He will face Nishikigi tomorrow. That could be a highlight but it should be a much faster-paced bout. That could bring more of a challenge to the Kaiju. He seemed to have time with Ryuden to figure out the puzzle of, “how do I beat this guy who is slamming his topknot into my jaw? It is most uncomfortable. I must stop it. Aha!”

Kirishima’s Yokozuna run is on life support, aided by the fact that Asanoyama did not only lose but seemed to get injured. He has drawn the Shodai wildcard for tomorrow and will need to defeat all comers (Shodai, Kotonowaka, Terunofuji, everyone) if he still hopes for the rope.

Hoshoryu clings on in the chase group with rather defensive sumo. That defense will be tested by Ryuden tomorrow. If Hoshoryu was paying attention today, he will already have a blueprint for how to attack. Lastly, Oho will take on Shimazuumi in their first-ever meeting.

Aki’23 Torikumi Released, Terunofuji Kyujo

Andy Aki 2023, Aki Basho, Kyujo (休場), Terunofuji (照ノ富士) ,

The Nihon Sumo Kyokai released the Day 1 & Day 2 schedule for the top division, as well as the Day 1 schedule for Juryo, and in-so-doing confirmed that Yokozuna Terunofuji would be absent. Unfortunately, this has become rather normal but we are heartened that at least some of the No-Zeki drama has been put to rest as Takakeisho will participate and he is joined by two fellow Ozeki. Both he and Kirishima aim to clear their kadoban status (must have winning records or will be demoted to Sekiwake) but shin-Ozeki Hoshoryu will be eager to follow up his yusho with a strong performance in Tokyo.

Despite Terunofuji’s kyujo, there will be night full of interesting match-ups, culminating in Kirishima vs Tobizaru for the musubi-no-ichiban. There looks to be a lot of risk for upsets so many fans will probably be relieved if the three Ozeki start out strong. However, I have circled the Nishikigi/Tamawashi bout as a potential highlight. We will quickly learn how ready Nishikigi is after the injury suffered during last week’s open practice.

Asanoyama can potentially start his own Ozeki run with an exceptionally strong tournament from Maegashira 2. I know many of his fans are eager to see if he can quickly reclaim his former rank. Injuries are certainly taking their toll, though. But if we are realistic, this is the first opportunity he has to start making moves for Ozeki. There have been rare promotions where Ozeki runs begin from, or near, the top of the rank-and-file. He’ll face Wakamotoharu in his opener, whose own promotion hopes withered in the heat of Nagoya. Daieisho will also be starting from zero this tournament as he faces Meisei. Kotonowaka will face Shodai, who seems to be more reliable as a spoiler than anything. Will one of these four men be the next Ozeki? Will any be promoted by Osaka, or much later?

Hakuōho Shoulder Surgery Confirmed: Kyujo for Aki, Likely Longer

Andy Aki 2023, Aki Basho, Hakuoho, Kyujo (休場) , ,

Hakuōho, Miyagino-beya’s rookie sensation, has had surgery on his shoulder and will not compete in the upcoming Aki-basho. The shoulder injury is a subluxation of the left shoulder, or partial dislocation. It is a common injury among athletes in sports like boxing and American football. Non-surgical treatment includes icing to reduce swelling, medication for pain, wearing a sling, and limiting motion to avoid recurrence. This is followed by physical therapy and exercises to target strengthening the muscles associated with stabilization of the shoulder.

He had injured his right shoulder in high school and had surgery on it prior to “going pro.” But we’ve all seen the massive tape wrapping on his left shoulder recently, and we’ve seen him grimace in pain several times after bouts. He had been kyujo from the summer jungyo due to the injury and a desire to allow it to heal without surgery. However, the pain continued and he decided to have surgery, which was performed on August 31.

According to this study of NFL shoulder instability injuries, surgery may help limit risk of recurrence or extend the period of time he will be able to compete before suffering a recurrence. This study also mentions some of the benefits but also discusses the substantially longer time to “return to play” for those who opt for surgery, compared to those who do not. If he’s out for 26-36 weeks (the optimistic to average timelines from the study) that will mean he will not compete until March or May.

Hopefully the fact that it’s a partial dislocation may help mitigate some of the risks? I do not have details of his case or operation, whether it was performed arthroscopic or open, which seems to make a difference. These should also be assessed on a case-by-case basis, obviously. But it’s safe to say he will be out for the rest of the year.

He will fall to Juryo in November, likely Makushita in January and March. If he’s out until May, he might come back in Sandanme. His goal, however, is not just to be in Makuuchi. Clearly, hopes are pinned on him becoming Ozeki or Yokozuna. The current Yokozuna serves as an example that such comebacks are possible.