Terunofuji (照ノ富士)

Nagoya 2022: Day 13 Highlights

Andy Nagoya Basho 2022 , , ,

Well, instead of getting serious, tonight was when this basho became a joke. Not one, not two, not three but FOUR stables were forced into Covid kyujo: Shibatayama, Kataonami, Isenoumi, and (gasp!) Oitekaze. This eviscerated the heart of makuuchi action. Tamawashi, gone. His perfect attendance streak, reaching back to 2004, over. Nishikigi, Endo, Tobizaru, Daieisho, Daiamami, Tsurugisho…sidelined. News from Herouth is that Endo actually tested positive. We hope that if he has symptoms, they’re mild and he recovers quickly.

The nonsense really hit home in the last half of makuuchi “action” with a streak of five consecutive fusen, broken by three bouts, only to have yet another fusen, and then the final two bouts. The gasps and groans from the audience were audible to those of us viewing at home. Well, let’s take a look at how it went down.

Tonight’s bouts

Mitoryu vs. Tsurugisho: I was jazzed for this bout because of the promotion/demotion implications of both wrestlers. Unfortunately, Tsurugisho’s late covid scratch meant this match would not take place. As a consequence, Mitoryu is 8-5, kachi-koshi, and Tsurugisho is 5-8, make-koshi*…with a corona-virus-shaped asterisk. Mitoryu is likely to be promoted but Tsurugisho’s status for the next banzuke is suddenly uncertain, not to mention stablemate Daiamami.

Terutsuyoshi vs. Oho: Terutsuyoshi went for the submarine attack at the tachiai. What surprised me was that Oho obliged and went for the belt. Oho sure knew what he was doing, though, because one quick pull brought Terutsuyoshi forward to the floor. Uwatedashinage. Oho claims his first kachi-koshi in the top division and looked pretty chuffed as he walked to do do his sankyo. Terutsuyoshi is make-koshi.

Yutakayama vs. Midorifuji: We got a decent brawl. Yutakayama’s plan may have been to beat Midorifuji into submission. But Midorifuji well-executed plan lured Yutakayama to the edge…and then disappeared, causing Yutakayama to tumble from the dohyo. Hatakikomi, rather than katasukashi, but close enough. Midorifuji secures his kachi-koshi while Yutakayama falls to 6-7.

Myogiryu vs. Meisei: A quick bout which didn’t go the way I thought. Myogiryu already had his winning record but was more motivated than Meisei, and drove him back and out with little-ado. Myogiryu is 9-4 and looking at his first double-digit record in nearly a year. Meisei falls to 7-6.

Chiyotairyu vs. Onosho: Onosho didn’t fall for it this time. Chiyotairyu had the strong tachiai, driving Onosho back. But when he executed his pull, Onosho was unfazed, following without losing his balance or pitching too far forward, then shoved Chiyotairyu over the bales. Onosho kachi-koshi at 8-5, Chiyotairyu falls to 6-7.

Shimanoumi vs Chiyomaru: Shimanoumi continues to have a terrible tournament. He locked up with Chiyomaru in a lean-fest. He even strategized with a sufficiently loose shimekomi. This time the gyoji did not intervene and attempt to fix it as it started to unravel. This did give Chiyomaru significant difficulty in trying to lift or drag Shimanoumi forward. Chiyomaru’s left hand, while firmly gripping Shimanoumi’s belt, was up at Shimanoumi’s shoulder!

Wisely, Chiyomaru decided to push him down from that shoulder. I’d almost call that a katasukashi but they’ve given him an uwatedashinage, likely because his hand was all over Shimanoumi’s belt. Shimanoumi is Juryo-bound at 1-12. Chiyomaru improves to 5-8.

Tochinoshin vs. Chiyoshoma: No double henka. Long stare down, they reset. One-way henka. Chiyoshoma henkas and Tochinoshin falls for it, literally. They call it an uwatedashinage because Chiyoshoma got his hand over on Tochinoshin’s belt. Tochinoshin is 7-6, Chiyoshoma is 6-7.

Pestilence Strikes

Nishikifuji vs. Tobizaru: A first-time bout here, which we miss out on because of Covid. Tobizaru rests, kachi-koshi at 8-5, Nishikifuji improves to 9-4.

Daiamami vs. Sadanoumi: Sadanoumi won this but I did not foresee the Covid kyujo. Daiamami is 2-9-2 but will he save his makuuchi rank with the covid kyujo? Sadanoumi improves to 5-8.

Endo vs. Takarafuji: Endo kyujo. 3-10* with a covid-asterisk. Takarafuji improves to 7-6 and may actually get a kachi-koshi.

Tamawashi vs. Ura: Tamawashi kyujo for the first time ever. Now make-koshi (5-8*) while Ura improves to 6-7.

Nishikigi vs. Ichinojo: Nishikigi kyujo, 8-5*. Ichinojo improves to 11-2 and surely enjoys the stress-free W.

Action Resumes

Kiribayama vs Okinoumi: Both wrestlers showed up today! We have a bout, after five consecutive fusen. After the solid tachiai, Okinoumi set in for a long lean fest. But just when Okinoumi’s weight was rested full on Kiribayama, Kiribayama suddenly twisted and spun out of the way. They call it a kotenage but there was no arm bar, Okinoumi just fell because Kiribayama wasn’t there anymore. Kiribayama 6-7, Okinoumi 4-9.

Hokutofuji vs. Abi: Hokutofuji did not quite make it off the dohyo when he fell forward. Other than that, this bout went pretty much as expected. Hikiotoshi. Abi improves to 7-6 while Hokutofuji falls to 6-7.

Hoshoryu vs. Wakamotoharu: A long stare. Dud bout. The stare down ended up being longer than the fight. Hoshoryu won by quick kotenage after a solid tachiai, not giving Wakamotoharu any chance. Hoshoryu kachi-koshi, Wakamotoharu make-koshi.

Aoiyama vs. Daieisho: Daieisho fell to covid kyujo. Aoiyama 6-7, Daieisho 6-7*.

Takakeisho vs. Shodai: I’m a sumo Einstein. Shodai’s run came to an end tonight. Like I said, Takakeisho is no Aoiyama. Takakeisho’s nodowa forced Shodai back to the edge where T-Rex’s lethal shove helped Shodai over the bales.

Terunofuji vs. Wakatakakage: Terunofuji just too dominant. Wakatakakage tried to get inside but the Yokozuna wasn’t having any of it. This bout resembled a schoolyard version of King of the Hill, when a first grader took on the biggest fifth grader in school. Oshidashi.

Well, that’s it for the action today. Unfortunately, rather abbreviated. Hopefully tomorrow’s bouts won’t be quite so sparse. They’re actually pulling four blokes up from Juryo to fill in! I’ll have more details later today in the preview post.

Nagoya 2022: Day 12 Highlights

Andy Nagoya Basho 2022 , , , ,

These closing few days of the tournament present many challenges as yet another heya is forced to pull out due to Covid. This time Asakayama beya is forced to withdraw but makuuchi dodges a bullet and loses no more competitors. We’re already down to an abbreviated list of 18 bouts over the scheduled two hours, even with Kagayaki visiting from Juryo.

The yusho race has narrowed to Terunofuji and Ichinojo with two losses each while Tobizaru and Nishikigi joined Takakeisho and Nishikifuji in the chase group with three losses. With no further ado, lets get to the bouts.

The Bouts

Yutakayama versus Kagayaki: Kagayaki drove forward at the tachiai, leading with the crown of his forehead. A forearm to the throat may have been the spark Yutakayama needed to make his own charge. With Kagayaki’s feet sliding, Yutakayama pivoted left and shuffled to the middle of the ring. The pivot was important because re-positioning himself in this way meant he didn’t have to shove Kagayaki all the way across the dohyo, through the center, to get him to the tawara. Instead, the much shorter route turned the tables quickly, imperiling Kagayaki. Kagayaki tried to dance along the bales to get his position back but Yutakayama stuck with him and finally forced him over the bales, yorikiri. Both even their records at 6-6.

Onosho versus Chiyoshoma: Chiyoshoma didn’t henka and it cost him. The head-to-head only managed to stagger Oshoryu temporarily. While Chiyoshoma leaned in for a belt grip with his left hand, Onosho pressed both hands into Chiyoshoma’s core, Superman-style, and launched him clear from the into the head shimpan. Oshidashi. Onosho is 7-5 and Chiyoshoma is 5-7.

Daiamami versus Takarafuji: Daiamami’s make-koshi deepened today against the Takarabune. He tried to get that right hand in on Takarafuji’s belt but Takarafuji yanked it away. While Daiamami was still trying to get the fingers of his left hand onto his opponent’s belt, Takarafuji had already secured his preferred right hand grip and quickly drove Daiamami back and out. Daiamami is 2-8-2 and on the barge back to Juryo while Takarafuji steadies himself at 6-6.

Chiyomaru versus Midorifuji: Chiyomaru was just too much mass for Midorifuji today. Midorifuji tried shifting his belt grip but Chiyomaru corralled him at the edge and gently ushered him over the bales to pick up his fourth win. Midorifuji falls to 7-5.

Chiyotairyu versus Myogiryu: Chiyotairyu tried to pull Myogiryu down at the center of the ring but Myogiryu didn’t just maintain his balance, he squared up and charged back. Myogiryu’s tsuppari were forceful enough to force Chiyotairyu over the bales and earn his kachi-koshi. Myogiryu is at 8-4 with Chiyotairyu falling to 6-6.

Oho versus Meisei: Oho and Meisei launched themselves repeatedly into one another. Meisei had the dominant tachiai and better position to launch his charging attacks. Oho attempted a pulldown but missed and had to regroup quickly before Meisei could take advantage. Meisei saw the flaw in his plan and started to use more regular tsuppari but Oho had already steadied himself. Meisei attempted a half-hearted throw and failed. This allowed Oho claim to the center of the ring and better position to launch his own shoulder blasts but by this time he seemed sapped of strength and Meisei was quickly able to move forward, reclaim position at the center of the ring, and heave Oho from the ring with a final lunge. Oshidashi. Both are 7-5, eager to claim that kachi-koshi tomorrow.

Tochinoshin versus Nishikifuji: The veteran Tochinoshin executed a well-timed pull, thrusting Nishikifuji down and out of the ring. We often see guys fall on their face to this and end up with hatakikomi, but Nishikifuji’s effort to regain his balance saw his momentum carry him forward and clear from the ring for a tsukiotoshi, instead. Tochinoshin is 7-5 and Nishikifuji is falls out of the hunt group to 8-4.

Endo versus Shimanoumi: Endo followed through on his strong tachiai with solid tsuppari to force Shimanoumi to the edge. As Shimanoumi pushed back Endo seized the opportunity to seize Shimanoumi’s shimekomi. Endo drove forward again but Shimanoumi slipped away to Endo’s left. However, Endo quickly re-engaged and coupled with the pair’s momentum moving to the left side, pushed Shimanoumi out. Yorikiri. Endo picks up a third win while Shimanoumi falls to a dreadful 1-11.

Terutsuyoshi versus Sadanoumi: Terutsuyoshi tried to grasp Sadanoumi’s leg but failed. He then desperately tried to avoid getting pushed down and escaped to the right. Sadanoumi was in hot pursuit. He attempted, and failed, with a pull-down attack but drove forward. As Terutsuyoshi planted with his left foot to slide back, and catch the tawara with his right, Sadanoumi deftly kicked Terutsuyoshi’s plant foot. This forced Terutsuyoshi to lose his balance and fall backwards earning Sadanoumi a clever sotogake outside leg trip. Sadanoumi’s already make-koshi but gets a fourth win while Terutsuyoshi, at 5-7, needs to win out.

Tamawashi versus Tsurugisho: After a strong tachiai, Tsurugisho latched on to Tamawashi’s left arm. Tsurugisho tried a pull but Tamawashi kept his balance just enough to counter and force Tsurugisho backwards and off the dohyo. Gumbai Tamawashi. A quick mono-ii confirms that Tsurugishi was dead before Tamawashi’s hand went down. Oshidashi. Both wrestlers are 5-7.

Tobizaru versus Ichinojo: Ichinojo’s patience with Tobizaru today demonstrated, to me at least, his desire to win this tournament. He wasn’t going to make hasty mistakes and let it slip away today. After a firm tachiai, Tobizaru bounced three feet away from the boulder. Ichinojo is in the driver’s seat, hands at 10 and 2. (Like that? See what I did there? I crack myself up.) Tobizaru 8-4. Oshidashi.

Kiribayama versus Ura: Ura chose a hit-and-run technique, lunging in for an attack and then retreating, cycling back and around the dohyo. Each time Ura came in for an attack, Kiribayama laid into Ura and pursued with tsuppari. One final lunge and Kiribayama slapped down a charging Ura. Hatakikomi. Both men are 5-7 and must win their final 3 in order to claim kachi-koshi records.

Hoshoryu versus Hokutofuji: Hoshoryu weathered Hokutofuji’s forehead charges and tsuppari, trading attack for access to Hokutofuji’s belt. After an attack, Hokutofuji strayed too close and this allowed Hoshoryu to secure a belt grip. He pivoted and threw Hokutofuji out of the dohyo. Uwatenage. Hoshoryu improves to 7-5 while Hokutofuji falls to 6-6.

Wakamotoharu versus Abi: Abi henka! Wakamotoharu didn’t fall for it but as he turned to face Abi from his new position, he encountered a torrent of Abi’s thrusts. Tsukiotoshi. Abi improves to 6-6, Wakamotoharu falls to 5-7.

Wakatakakage versus Okinoumi: After a strong collision at the center, Wakatakakage was impervious to Okinoumi’s attempts to advance. His own steady pressure forced Okinoumi back and out, yorikiri. Wakatakakage improves to 7-5, Okinoumi is make-koshi and falls to 4-8.

Takakeisho versus Nishikigi: In another matchup which likely would not occur without all of the kyujo, Maegashira 8 Nishikigi gets to face Ozeki Takakeisho. Both men are kachi-koshi and one loss off the leaders coming into today’s bout. Takakeisho’s opening nodowa drove Nishikigi back to the bales. Nishikigi circled to his left and charged back at the Ozeki. But the Ozeki did not budge, sending Nishikigi back to the edge to try again. One final lunge at the Ozeki but Takakeisho again repelled the attack, and pushed Nishikigi out of the ring. Oshidashi. Takakeisho is 9-3 and Nishikigi falls to a comfortable 8-4.

Aoiyama versus Shodai: Shodai advanced through Aoiyama’s “tsuppari”, forced Aoiyama to retreat. It’s not clear to me whether Aoiyama pulled himself a bit too close to the edge or whether Shodai’s advance shoved him over, but the call is oshidashi. Shodai clears his kadoban and stands at 8-4. Aoiyama 5-7. Oshidashi.

Terunofuji versus Daieisho: Daieisho charged into the Yokozuna but could not make any head way. Terunofuji brought his right forearm up to re-enforce the shove landed with his left, dropping Daieisho from the dohyo’s surface. Terunofuji matches Ichinojo’s pace at 10-2. Daieisho falls to 6-6. Oshidashi.

Day 8’s “Musubi no WTF”

Herouth Nagoya Basho 2022 , , , , ,
Terunofuji turning appealing eyes to Inosuke (Photo from Nikkan Sports, by Ozawa Hitoshi)

Just when you think that this basho can’t get any crazier, Shikimori Inosuke tells us all to hold his beer.

I’m talking, of course, of what happened in the musubi-no-ichiban on day 8.

This starts out as an exciting match, with Wakamotoharu showing that his win over an Ozeki was not a fluke. The match gets complicated, and two minutes pass. Wakamotoharu gets the Yokozuna pretty close to the edge, shuffles for a position, while the Yokozuna also improves his own hold with a deep left hand grip.

Then Wakamotoharu goes on the attack and the Yokozuna is out! A zabuton flies in. The audience goes “oh!”. But… wait… the gyoji doesn’t point the gunbai. There’s a commotion. A monoii? What is going on?

Here is what is going on.

At exactly 2:54 in the video above, Wakamotoharu’s back knot gives in and gets untied. Shikimori Inosuke, who is standing far away on the other side of the dohyo, notices this, and runs in to call a mawashi matta. He shouts “matta, matta”, and attempts to tap both rikishi’s backs. Terunofuji complies and relaxes his hold, at which point Wakamotoharu, who was already starting an attack, completes it and the Yokozuna is out.

To understand what a mawashi-matta is, you can refer to my older article about gyoji calls (scroll down a bit). If the back knot is untied, the whole mawashi can get unraveled, at which point the front part may also loosen enough to show the rikishi’s family jewels – and that’s a “shameful disqualification”, and definitely not considered a good thing to watch on prime time TV.

So a gyoji has to stop the match, re-tie the knot, and start it from the position where it was stopped. It was unfortunate, though, that Wakamotoharu did not stop when the gyoji called it.

The shimpan discussion was not your usual monoii discussion, therefore, but a discussion about a rare if not unprecedented situation. A mawashi matta itself is not a problem, but continuing to move after that is, and there was also the issue of the Yokozuna going out.

The rules say that after the time limit (when the rikishi throw their last salt and enter the ring), exiting it is a loss. There was a famous case in a 1968 match between Katsuhikari and Asaarashi, in which Asaarashi picked a bit of trash that somehow got into the dohyo, and left the ring to throw it away. The shimpan stopped the match and a foul was called (loss by hansoku). So you are not supposed to leave the dohyo. But clearly the Yokozuna should not be punished for complying with the gyoji’s instruction, nor should Wakamotoharu be rewarded for not complying.

The shimpan had a consultation, and decided to proceed as if he never left the dohyo. That is, from the point of the mawashi-matta. The problem was getting the two rikishi back into their positions. So more than a mawashi-matta, this resembled a mizu-iri situation (see the same article!). But this turned out to be a bit difficult.

You see this sort of situation in Snooker sometimes. A foul and a miss is called, and the opponent requests a reset. The referee then consults with an overlay of the video and the table, and adjusts the balls until they are back to their original position.

But this is sumo, and what followed was a farcical adjustment of positions, arms and feet, with the spectators having a commotion in the background. You can see it in the video above from 4:24, when Shikimori Inosuke calls Sadogatake up to adjust the rikishi, as he is the only one with a video link. Only, of course, he can’t see the video, just hear instructions from the Fujishima oyakata, who was at the video room, and serve as a proxy.

I really hope the NSK will learn from this situation and equip the shimpan-cho with a tablet through which he’ll be able to see the overlay (or other video situations) with his own eyes rather than go through the “tell him to tell them that I was told that…” hoops.

Going back to the point of the call, though, there is argument that Inosuke’s call came at a bad timing. Sadogatake oyakata, in an interview, said the consultation was mainly to establish that it really was a mawashi-matta situation, but he wasn’t very clear about whether it was made at an appropriate time. Usually a mawashi-matta is only called when the rikishi are at an impasse. However, some shifting and shuffling do not prevent a mawashi-matta from being called. Inosuke clearly believed this was an impasse, as he stopped calling “nokotta” shortly before the incident.

His positioning can also be questioned, as if he stood closer to the pair, he’d probably have been able to react more quickly.

Another point for argument is whether it would have been better to call a yarinaoshi (redo, not a torinaoshi (rematch), which is the call made when two rikishi lose a match at the exact same time). Bear in mind there was also the question of time, because this was past 6 O’Clock Japan time and a yarinaoshi would have required the whole shikiri process again. It’s also debatable whether or not it would be fairer.

Kudos to Wakamotoharu for giving the yokozuna an excellent fight. Next time, though, make sure your mawashi is tied properly. Also, a nod to Shodai who fixed the knot for him though it’s clearly not his duty.

Terunofuji Granted Japanese Citizenship

Andy Japanese Society, Terunofuji (照ノ富士), Yokozuna (横綱) , ,
I miss the crowds (photo: NicolaAnn08)

The good news continues for Terunofuji. Yokozuna promotion last week, Japanese citizenship this week. This clears the way for him to become oyakata upon retirement. Isegahama-oyakata will is building an incredible legacy, with beloved disciples in Ajigawa-oyakata and some day, Terunofuji-oyakata. After watching the Kakuryu citizenship drama drag on, this must present a bit of a relief.

After some of the news stories and drama over the past week, this really presents a great surprise. While we hope his reign at Yokozuna is a long and successful one, today’s announcement means we can also look forward to his second career, molding the next generation of young Kaiju. He came through the storied sumo program at Tottori Johoku High School and might use that connection to usher more champions through that dohyo. But I do wonder if he will look to a certificate or other program at Waseda when his active career draws to a close. Either way, I’m eager to see him guide young deshi. This week, we saw Araiso-beya open and Hakuho is already leveraging his GOAT-status to bring in talent and wonder whether Terunofuji will start bringing his own class through Isegahama.

Sometimes events come around that make you look forward to the future, you know?