Day One in the historic Hakata district of Fukuoka. Fresh off his victory in September, Yokozuna Onosato will look to win a title in Kyushu for the first time. It is fitting that his first bout this tournament will be against Yoshinofuji, whom he finally managed to beat on his path to that title. Prior to Aki, Yoshinofuji appeared to have access to Onosato’s kryptonite, winning their first three bouts. So, this will be a very tough challenge but with that first win, Onosato might feel like he’s broken the curse, gotten the monkey off his back. It won’t be an easy fight but he can go into it with a clear mind.
On the other hand, Hoshoryu has the weight of his rank on his back. He returns from knee surgery and has been working it out on tour and in practice. But this is a hon-basho. Is he “production ready?” The pressure to perform is not just coming from the press, who constantly reminds fans that he has yet to win a title as Yokozuna; his shisho is looking for nothing less than a yusho. Churanoumi will be a difficult opponent but one to whom Hoshoryu has never lost. Churanoumi will be motivated to represent Okinawans as he is now the highest ranked Okinawan sumo wrestler, ever. These are the most dangerous matchups, in my mind. It’s probably good, then, that I will not be up on that dohyo.
Aonishiki will fight Asanoyama in a first-time meeting (初顔合わせ). It’s rather astonishing to me that these guys haven’t fought yet. But here we are. Asanoyama, the former Ozeki still has hopes of returning to his former rank. There are many new fans will not recall the drama of his sudden fall from grace or even his first comeback. Asanoyama has clawed his way back, again, to the top of the rank and file. Can he make it back into sanyaku? Before the scandal, there had been murmurs of Yokozuna, as there are now for his opponent, Aonishiki. Frankly, I just want to see these guys stay healthy for a while. They will undoubtedly give it all they have. It should be a highlight bout.
Rounding out the Ozeki ranks, Kotozakura will fight Fujiryoga and Kirishima will take on Ura. At Sekiwake, we have Fujinokawa fighting Fujiseiun and Atamifuji battling Takayasu. There are some great rank-and-file matchups, too, like Daieisho versus Hakunofuji, Takerufuji against Hiradoumi and Kotoshoho versus Gonoyama. Wakamotoharu will fight Kotoeiho as he works his way back toward the joi.
I’m also watching Takanosho versus Oho. These guys could easily be fighting each other in the joi or sanyaku. In fact, that’s usually where they face each other. Their performances here toward the lower third of the banzuke could tell us a lot about their condition and prospects for moving back up…or sliding down into Juryo. Similarly, Ichiyamamoto will fight Asahakuryu and Abi will take on Toshinofuji.
American readers in particular, though, will be firing up the VPNs tonight to catch early action Sunamusashi will kick off the action tonight. He completed maezumo in September. He was raised in Hawaii and is the son of former Juryo wrestler, Sunahama. Sunahama was fighting in Juryo back when music was good. (Western Civilization peaked in the 1990s. Autotune ruined everything. I will not accept debate on this issue. But feel free to debate anything else in the comments section.)
Once again, the Dohyo Matsuri will be streamed live on the Sumo Association’s YouTube channel at 8pm Eastern. For those new to the sport, this is the consecration ceremony, based on Japan’s Shinto roots. The kami are beckoned to the dohyo to watch after the action on the dohyo. Let’s hope there will be a safe tournament!
Action will begin on Sunday morning, Japan time with the Jonokuchi bouts. The Top Division action will start later in the afternoon, around 4pm until 6. The schedule of the first two days of sekitori bouts has been published.
In Sanyaku, we will have Komusubi Takanosho open things up against Hiradoumi, Wakamotoharu will fight Sekiwake Oho and Shin-Sekiwake will face Kirishima. Ozeki Kotozakura will mount the dohyo and fight Wakatakakage in a big test of the Ozeki’s fitness. Then Hoshoryu will fight Hakuoho before Onosato caps off the day against Takayasu.
Other bouts that will draw a bit of interest will be Ura versus Tamawashi, Yoshinofuji (ex-Kusano) will fight his first bout with the new shikona against Oshoma. Shodai will fight Atamifuji and Abi will take on Ichiyamamoto. A few months ago we were looking at Daieisho as an Ozeki candidate but he will fight Shishi tomorrow as he hopes to turn things around.
Be prepared to see Endo (Kitajin) and Takarafuji (Kiriyama) in new navy blue jackets. They will likely have security duties and we might see them assemble at the close of the day to help usher folks out of the arena. Sunday Morning at 1am, NHK Premium will have its Dosukoi program on Shitatenage and then Makuuchi action begins at 2am Eastern. Again, that’s a subscription service through NHK Premium. In the US and Canada it’s available with JME. For free, at 3:10am NHK World will stream action live via its website. That usually catches the second half of action, which will include the Sanyaku. The NHK Preview Show is available here.
I hate to lead with injury news. But the update from the infirmary is that Hokutofuji is kyujo, which means he will be the first on the barge to Juryo — barring a miracle recovery from surgery. Roga is also out and Bushozan is out down in Juryo.
So many storylines coming into this tournament but the big ones are the return of Terunofuji and the possible promotion runs of Kotozakura and Hoshoryu.
Murray Johnson kicked things off for us on NHK’s English-language coverage. We recently read Josh’s interview of Priyanka Yoshikawa but I do want to remind everyone of Josh’s excellent, four-part interview of Murray. Both are now available in the menu at the top of the homepage.
Tokihayate defeated Nishikifuji. Tokihayate drove into Nishikifuji powerfully. He worked him to the edge with his right-hand overarm grip. Tokihayate then heaved Nishikifuji with that right hand and toppled him over onto the bales under the green tassel. Uwatenage.
Tamashoho defeated Kagayaki. Tamashoho executed, perhaps, the slowest henka in living memory. Kagayaki shifted and pressed forward, driving Tamashoho back. The bullet train charged forward but Tamashoho slipped deftly to the side while pulling Kagayaki off the rails. The makuuchi debutant won his first bout ranked in the top division! Congratulations! Hatakikomi.
Hakuoho defeated Kitanowaka. Hakuoho popped the gear into Drive and left it there. Kitanowaka reversed and shifted, switched up his grip…desperate to stymie Hakuoho’s continued attack. Hakuoho pursued Kitanowaka along the edge and drove Kitanowaka off the fighting surface as he fell forward. Hakuoho’s forward moving was judged to have won. Kitanowaka dead in the air before Hakuoho flopped to the ground. No mono-ii. Yorikiri.
Kinbozan defeated Kotoshoho. Kinbozan forcefully hoisted Kotoshoho to the bales and continued to press forward. Kotoshoho fell backwards under the red tassel. Yoritaoshi.
Onokatsu defeated Shonannoumi. Onokatsu locked onto Shonannoumi at the tachiai. Shonannoumi had a hold of Onokatsu’s left shoulder and reversed, yanking Onokatsu back to the edge. But that was a bad move as Onokatsu kept his balance and pressed Shonannoumi over the tawara. Oshidashi.
Takerufuji defeated Nishikigi. Takerufuji drove Nishikigi to the edge. Nishikigi slipped to his left and shoved Takerufuji under the right armpit. This almost spelled disaster for Takerufuji but he was able to maintain his balance and regroup. As he retreated, he pulled Nishikifuji down with his right-hand belt grip. That was a great escape by Takerufuji. Nishikigi looked solid today. Uwatedashinage.
Midorifuji defeated Meisei. Meisei retreated too quickly and backed himself out of the ring. Midorifuji will take that. Oshidashi.
Tamawashi defeated Oshoma. Tamawashi shove Oshoma. Oshoma fall down. Simple. Well, maybe not quite so simple. Tamawashi’s final shove happened to be timed perfectly. His right hand shoved Oshoma’s left shoulder hard just as Oshoma tried to slip to his right, driving Oshoma completely off balance. Oshitaoshi.
Churanoumi defeated Takarafuji. Churanoumi blocked Takarafuji to the side and then followed up with a nodowa, which forced Takarafuji to the edge. Churanoumi finished him off with a shove. Oshidashi.
Mitakeumi defeated Endo. Mitakeumi let Endo press forward with all his might. As Endo over committed, Mitakeumi jumped to the right and Endo flopped forward. Tsukiotoshi.
Halftime
Ichiyamamoto defeated Takayasu. Ichiyamamoto-style sumo here as he shoved Takayasu to the bales and then pulled Takayasu forward to the ground. Hikiotoshi.
Chiyoshoma defeated Hiradoumi. Chiyoshoma pivoted in the center of the ring and let the eager Hiradoumi charge past. He stuck with Hiradoumi and continued to press forward until Hiradoumi fell out under the black tassel. Oshidashi.
NHK World’s free coverage kicked in just in time for Shodai vs Ura.
Ura defeated Shodai. As if Shodai was going to get low against Ura. Come on now. At least he tried to go forward a little bit. Ura quickly got Shodai moving in reverse with his head in under Shodai’s chin. Shodai only earned a reprieve from Ura’s attack by walking over the bales. Yorikiri.
Sanyaku
Oho defeated Abi. Abi-zumo as he drove forward into Oho. However, Oho turned the tables at the edge by slipping to Abi’s right. As Abi’s momentum continued forward, Oho shoved him from behind. Okuridashi.
Daieisho defeated Gonoyama. Gonoyama took the initiative in this bout, pressing forward. But he was baited by Daieisho. Gonoyama over-committed at the edge so Daieisho slipped to his left and shoved Gonoyama down. Tsukiotoshi.
Wakamotoharu defeated Atamifuji. Wakamotoharu locked on with the right hand outside and drove Atamifuji back. Atamifuji was busy trying to bat Wakamotoharu’s left hand away but never stopped his backward momentum. Wakamotoharu kept pressing forward. Yorikiri.
Tobizaru defeated Onosato. Press forward and then quickly pull backward and the Ozeki goes down. Abi-like tachiai here as he slammed into Onosato, attacking the head, driving Onosato back. With a lightning quick pull on Onosato’s right arm, Tobizaru picked up the first big upset of the new year. Priyanka must be pleased. Great start for the flying monkey. And he won with his head and solid sumo, rather than hopping around like Daffy Duck. Hikiotoshi.
Hoshoryu defeated Kirishima. Hoshoryu attached himself to Kirishima’s belt with his right-hand, over-arm grip. Kirishima tried everything he could to free himself from Hoshoryu but the Ozeki stuck with him and eventually worked him over the edge. It felt like a sport fisher had reeled in a sailfish and the sailfish dragged the boat around before tiring. Yorikiri.
Kotozakura defeated Takanosho. Takanosho nearly pulled out another upset but Popeye the Ozeki remained calm and eventually pressed Takanosho over the bales. Yorikiri.
Wakatakakage defeated Terunofuji. Firm tachiai. Terunofuji charged forward but Wakatakakage slipped to the right and pulled Terunofuji down by the shoulder. “Wham, bam, thank you man.” Katasukashi.
Wrap-up
Wow. Day One is in the books! Two big upsets to start off the tournament. Both Onosato and Terunofuji fell today in David vs Goliath showdowns. In both cases, we see the underdogs clearly studied their opponents and prepared well for quick attacks. In both cases, the higher-ranked champion was pulled to the clay before they had much chance to execute any attack of their own. Absolutely beautiful work.
Preparation was key today. Earlier, we saw Churanoumi dismantle Takarafuji with the same effectiveness. We also saw the division’s newbie, Tamashoho, pick up a win in his debut. That backwards-style sumo will grow stale quickly at this level, though. He will need to pick up the aggression of his stablemate and brother-in-law, Tamawashi, to hang around.
Pivoting to Day Two, I saw Kawazoe on the torikumi! He’s paired up with Taiga. This is good news as Kawazoe mysteriously disappeared from view after winning his first bout in Kyushu. It was quite the disappointment since he started well. Also on the torikumi is his Miyagino-beya colleague, Enho. Enho will fight Hogasho.
The Dohyo has been built and consecrated. The purification ceremony was performed last night. Shikimori Inosuke presided over the event. In the words of Mills Lane, “Let’s get it on!” Oh, wait, no…that was Marvin Gaye. No… I think I was right the first time. Anyway, kachi-kuri have been buried, sake has been poured, salt has been sprinkled. It’s time.
How to Watch
If you want to watch LIVE each day, as in wake up at 3am for makuuchi, JME.tv has it for you in North America. Their sumo coverage is a part of their regular Japanese-language programming. Live, top division sumo is shown on the NHK World Premium channel. The service does provide a special channel for re-broadcasts throughout the day, which is a nice feature. You can listen to audio in Japanese and/or English.
We’re still putting in requests for more coverage, including Juryo. But the best way to get more coverage is for them to have more viewers, frankly. Outside of the US, NHK Premium is still the place to get it but accessing it depends on deals with cable networks and such. NHK has a tool on their website to help you find who you need to hassle. Scroll down a bit and then use the drop boxes to choose your region and then your country. Tachiai is big in Finland, for example, where NHK World Premium is available on Tivify and toober. https://nhkworldpremium.com/en/apply
If you can’t watch live or don’t want a subscription service, NHK does offer videos of Makuuchi AND Juryo action. NHK posts these videos a few minutes after each bout. The videos show the entire bout, from just before the tachiai until the winning wrestler receives his kensho and is walking away. This is far superior to the clips on Twitter that just show the action. Why? The reactions. The glares. The drama. Oh, dear, I am already looking forward to tonight.
To recap, Aki-Basho senshuraku coverage is here: Juryo, Makuuchi Part I and Part II
Hidenoyama-beya
Former Ozeki, Kotoshogiku, opened his new heya and brought over four jonidan-ranked wrestlers from Sadogatake. All four wrestlers have new shikona, dropping the Koto- naming convention. Instead, these Hidenoyama’s wrestlers may use Kiku (菊) in their shikona. Seiyu will be the first we will see in action with the new heya. (Hat tip to Asashosakari for the clarification.)
菊琉峰
琴宗形
(きくりゅうほう)
誠雄
琴高口
(せいゆう)
康誠
琴元村
(こうせい)
菊ノ城
琴花城
(きくのしろ)
Juryo
Shirokuma will take on Hakuoho. Shirokuma is coming off an injury which forced him to withdraw early from Aki and demoted back to Juryo. Hakuoho is crawling his way back up the banzuke. With strong performances, both men are in good position to earn re-promotion into the top division and will want to get off to a good start. Someone’s start will not be as good as the other.
This will be an important tournament for Onosho as he faces Daishoho. Just a few months ago, Onosho seemed on a path back to the joi-jin but he banged up his already banged up knee. We’re not sure if he is going to come back and clean house down here in Juryo, linger for a few tournaments like Aoiyama, or take a more rapid sudden drop and an appointment with the barber.
On a more positive note, we have three young sekitori debutants. Aonishiki, Wakaikari, and Kotoeiho (formerly Kototebakari). These youngsters will be fighting hard for kachi-koshi. A handhold on the bottom rungs of Juryo is not a very safe place to be. It’s a different world here, fighting a full 15-day schedule.
Makuuchi
Let’s start in Sanyaku. Terunofuji is out but the rest of the cast is here and it will be a night of heated action, that’s for sure. The final five bouts go: Ura vs Daieisho, Kirishima vs Wakatakakage, Hiradoumi vs Onosato, Oho vs Hoshoryu, all leading into Kotozakura vs Emo King Shodai in the musubi-no-ichiban. Just about everyone here (except for the goofballs in that last bout) gives it their all in each and every bout, leaving nothing on the table. Hiradoumi will be fighting with his hometown fans in the crowd, so I might have to put an extra star next to that fight. Taking a win off the newly minted Ozeki, Onosato, would sure be sweet.
Illustrative of this transition-era, our big rivalry fight is down in the rank-and-file: Tamawashi vs. Takarafuji. These guys have fought each other 32 times, Tamawashi holding the slight edge. This just seems a world away from where we were during the Kisenosato-Kotoshogiku days. Those guys fought an astonishing 66 times with Kotoshogiku taking 36 wins. In 10 years, will we be talking about Onosato vs Oho in the same way as those two legends?
Closing
It’s no coincidence that I close things out on this post with that thought. Both men are now stablemasters in their own right. Kisenosato had a head start, built a castle and has crowned a prince. Now, it’s Kotoshogiku’s turn to see what he can do, developing the next generation of talent. So much to look forward to here in Kyushu…and when we turn to 2025!
