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Senshuraku
Comments
(Clancy Kelly reporting)
I'd like to take the chance here on Day 15 of the New Year basho to introduce, properly, the newest member of Sumotalk. Loyal readers know that Martin claims to be Romanian (I think he's a "cyberspace" Romanian, but in actuality a Bulgarian) and that English is not his first language (although you'd never know by the length of his reports, my lord, Mike was seriously thinking about serializing that Day 7). This second point is a little difficult to swallow, too, as his grammar, syntax, and dexterity with The Bard's tongue are better than that of most native speakers, but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt on this point.
The only niggling concern for me is his hatred, his loathing, his...his detestation of all the Mongolians in sumo (currently 35 asskickers). Why would a man have such strong dislike for a people with whom he seemingly has nothing in common? I mean, Romania or Bulgaria, they're both pretty damnably far from Mongolia. What gives?
Naturally, as Sumotalk's resident snoop, I decided to look into it. What I uncovered is more shocking than Simon's run from Interpol, more disturbing than Bernie's own admission that he once got his ass kicked by a twist, and more provocative than Mike's "secret" late night phone calls from the hotel here to someone he addresses as "my little M. Butterfly".
As most of you well know, round about the mid 13th century, the Mongolians were more than just "slamming their opponents to the clay", they were ruling the largest, most extensive empire mankind has ever seen. They had at the time decided to enter Europe, just to see what was what. Turned out that they were light years ahead of the Europeans in warfare, and they smoothly advanced, "like buddah", as far as the lands where Martin now lives. Before the death of their leader back home forced them to return to Mongolia and leave Europe to recover (imagine what kind of world we might have if The Khan did not die right then), they naturally ran roughshod on the populations of conquered peoples, aka Martin's ancestors.
Now you needn't work for The European Space Agency to realize that this means Martin's great-to-the-nth-degree grandpapas got worked over quite a bit, and so too did the mamas. I approached Martin armed with this info before the Day 10 bouts and after much imbibing he finally relented, admitting that, yes, nearly 75% of his blood relatives extant at the time were put in the ground by the Mongols in the year 1241. This is why he abhors the likes of the Yokozuna, Asasexy and Kakuryu.
But Clancy, you might rejoin, that's ancient history. Why hold a grudge for so long? I had the same thought. I mean, my wife's relatives, a scant 60 years ago, got their collective keister kicked from Bhutan to Osaka-wan by the Yanks, but that fact didn't stop my wife from jawin' my bone by our fifth date.
So I dug a bit deeper. (Fans of Empire Strikes Back may see this coming.) Evidently Martin's great grandmother 18 times removed was violated by a Mongol warrior (coincidentally 18 times). She produced a son, who grew to marry. His bride was the daughter of a Mongolian couple who were inadvertently (along with hundreds of other countrymen and women) left behind when the Horde pulled out of Europe in 1242. These people established a few tiny but fiercely Mongolianesque enclaves in the middle of Southeastern Europe that survive to this day. One aspect of these communities is that they have steadfastly remained true to the Mongol tradition of marrying someone who is at least of some Mongol descent. Mixed again and again over the course of 800 years, it is safe to say that any Romanian (or Bulgarian) blood in Martin's line has long since been replaced by that of the Great Khan his bad self. In other words, Martin, you are a Mongolian! Sorry to have to break the news to you like this, in such a public forum, but life's tough all over. (I interviewed his mom and asked her why she never told him, and she said she just doesn't like to dwell on the past, that she wants her "Smarty Marty", as she calls him, to be an International Man. Now the awesome English skills make sense.)
 Course, there is nothing whatsoever wrong with being Mongolian, and nobody knows that as well as Asa, who celebrated his Day 14 yusho by annihilating Kotooshu. After the Bulgarian's stage fright caused one matta, Asa came in low and kept the Ozeki's long left arm away from his belt, while getting his left arm deep under Shu's armpit (now that Kyokushuzan is gone Kotooshu can be Shu). They circled to the center where Asa, whose center of gravity lies approximately three kliks below the Earth's mantle, pushed his left leg forward and pivoted on his right with the speed of a dust devil, flipping the heavier and taller Ozeki down like he was Martin's ancestral grannie, who was probably not as humiliated as Kotooshu was upon getting up. Utter dominance.
Which leads me to a topic I'd like to touch on a bit, the whole "Asa dominates but vs. what kind of competition?" brouhaha. Seems Kitanoumi, whose place in sumo history will be lowered a peg by Asa within a year or so, has stated publicly a number of times that the Yokozuna's domination perhaps lies more with the feebleness of his opponents than with anything Asashoryu does himself. Now I know that he is the Big Poomba and all, and he needs to say things like, The Ozeki suck, in order to light a fire under them. But the fact remains that there are individuals in every sport who come along and dominate so utterly that they make everyone else look bad. Nobody was bemoaning the level of competition when Jordan was winning three NBS titles in a row TWICE, nor is it said that Vijay and Ernie and Phil are bums because Tiger regularly wipes the links with them.
But Clancy, I hear you moan, if the Ozeki were finishing 12-2 or 13-2, beating pretty much everyone else but Asa, then we could say it is Asa alone making history. But they are losing to Maegashira, to lower ranked opponents regularly. So what? They are still getting beaten by the Yokozuna when it counts, and since the Yokozuna himself never wins a yusho with greater than 2 losses, what does it matter if the Ozeki have 3 losses or 6? They still wouldn't catch Asa. You might say that 6 losses indicates they are subpar Ozeki. Well, Chiyotaikai and Kaio are two of the longest serving Ozeki in sumo history, Kaio I believe with the most yusho of any Ozeki who did not then go on to become Yokozuna, so that argument is specious at best. Furthermore, it is ridiculous in any sport to compare eras. Sampras vs Borg, Bonds vs Mays, Taylor vs Lewis, it's an exercise in, yes, futility.
The problem with the current Ozeki is simple: They are so thoroughly dominated by one man, so totally blocked from becoming Yokozuna themselves by the presence of an all-timer, a man who may end up being called the greatest sumo wrestler of modern times, that they are mentally affected and it shows. End. Of. Story.
Kaio, coming in 7-7, surprisingly was given a nice, big fat deep two handed belt grip by Tochiazuma, who had already gone over 7 losses. Is it possible that Tochi is the only person in the universe who hasn't heard the term, "Kaionage"? Kachikoshi for the likable giant. Let's see how he repays Tochi's kindness in Osaka.
Martin is always on about how size matters, and in the Hakuho/Chiyotaikai bout, his point was vividly illustrated. Nearly every opponent who stood in front of Chiyo this basho and let him play mumblypeg on his chest, neck, and face was summarily driven out (think little Ama on Day 13). But Hakuho is an altogether different kettle of fish. He's big and tough, and those tsuppari affected the future Yokozuna about as much as a light dusting from the Gobi. Once that nonsense was over he moved in and grabbed the Wolf Pup's belt, which for all you math majors looks like this: Chiyo foe + belt grip = Kokonoe oyakata gastrointestinal distress. Glad to see my worries about Hakuho were misplaced. He got much stronger in Week Two, and I believe he will in fact solve that tachi-ai problem Mike is right about, and that Osaka will be his own little bubble bath until Day 15 vs. Asa.
 I'm happy for Toyonoshima, but guess I'm a little gun shy. A few years back Hokutoriki had a breakout basho and everyone got their hopes up. Now he's 6-9 at Juryo 1. Then Futenoh got all us warm where it feels good with his own breakout about eighteen months ago, and now look at him (and he BEAT Toyonoshima this basho). Iwakiyama was showing promise just two basho ago, and Tamanoshima was runner-up last May! So, yes, he executed a perfect shoulder throw vs Mitsuki today, but his other opponents don't necessarily get me googly, Jumonji, Yoshikaze, and he LOST to Toyozakura! He's young and hung, but he needs to show me 8 wins from his M2 rank next basho for me to jump aboard.
What was wrong with Miflobby this time out? He abandoned his shoving attack this basho for some goofy mongrel strategy that worked like a charm. For his opponents. He tried to come out with the some of the old school shite today vs Kyokutenho, but the former Mongolian was able to stem that tide and get in close quarters, where he bided a bit and then got a right belt that sent Miyabi, quite nicely to the dirt and to the Maegashira ranks. I think if he had beaten Tochi on Day 7 and Tenho today, they may have dropped him only to W Komusubi. But 5-10? As much as they might like to reward him for that fine 2006 by keeping him in Sanyaku, their hands are tied. No way he stays.
Heartbreaking is the only word to describe Kisenosato's loss today to Ama (who got shtooped big time by receiving no Fighting Spirit award. What more spirit can a man show when he fights to 10 wins after the sudden death of his beloved father? This is why I hate awards that are decided by people's opinions rather than by actual contests. Fuck the sansho and the Oscars and the Grammys and the Booker and all that drivel. If you can't decide for yourself what is and isn't good, then you're a douchebag.) Had Kisenosato won he would have become Sekiwake, and he really should have. He had his hands square on Ama's throat, moved him back to the tawara, but when Ama slipped to the side, The Kid left his legs behind and fell to his ashamed face. A total rush job by Kise, who was in position to take his time. Then again, Ama is a master at slipping away, so it may be easy for me to say.
But it leaves us with some intrigue for the Komusubi rank. If they grant The Kid a reprieve and drop him only to WK, then who goes into the EK slot? The Geeku is likely to shoot up to Sekiwake, although I think Komusubi would be better for him at this stage. Will it be 8-7 Tokitenku, who stunk up the joint today but defeated two Ozeki, a Sekiwake, and a Komusubi, or 8-7 Kyokutenho, a former Sekiwake who beat three Ozeki, two Sekiwake, and a Komusubi, or 10-5 Ama, a former Komusubi in full on grieving mode who nonetheless took down two Ozeki, a Komusubi, Kyokutenho, and the 12-3 jun-yusho man? Or what if The Kid drops along with Miyabi to Maegashira? I think it SHOULD be ES Mitsuki, WS Ama, EK Geeku, WK Kyokutenho. I think it WILL be ES Mitsuki, WS Geeku, EK Ama, WK Kisenosato.
Let's continue with the matches. Kokkai and Roho fought. One of them won, one of them lost.
The Geeku got his right arm up under PT's boy's left arm, negating his favorite grip, then kept his hips low and bodied him out by the belly for win number 9, just like I predicted on Day 1. What's that you say, I did NOT predict that? What did I say? "If he isn't sitting on at least a 9-5 come Senshuraku, I will invite you all to a live video feed of me swallowing a dog turd." Okay, okay, technically I was wrong, but the spirit of the boast was right, and really, doesn't spirit count for anything anymore? My prediction was that while he might lose on Day 15 to finish 9-6, he would have a good basho contrary to Mike's gloom and doom. So he WON on Day 15 to finish 9-6, what's the diff?
Allright, I'm weaseling. I admit that I was a bit stoked on Day 1, and that I may have gone a bit overboard. And I really do want to keep my word and invite you all to a live feed (in more ways than one), but it turns out that the Sumotalk by-laws prohibit contributors from humiliating themselves, and I quote, "for the sole purpose of entertaining strangers and/or for financial gain when a causal link can be reasonably made between the aforementioned humiliation and comments made or actions undertaken during a basho", which pretty much leaves me slit up a treat. My hands are tied, myan! I have never been, nor will begin to be now, a rule breaker. But if you send an email to my box (heh heh, he said "box"), I will send you a snapshot of me preparing my son's daily bowl of natto-gohan, which takes roughly the same cojones as eating a dog turd.
Aminishiki, an opportunistic weasely rikishi if there ever was one, had nothing to lose or gain from pulling a henka vs Dejima, so he didn't and he lost to the White Rhino. If only The Dejyptian's foes were forced to stay in front of him at tachi-ai. Nah, he'd still get pulled/slapped down a lot. But I still can recall fondly that butthole hiccup he caused me to have on Day 3.
Homasho and Kasugao went at it with both men 7-7. Thrilling stuff, with Homasho getting a left hand belt so deeply that his hand was around the knot on the back and to the other side. This is good for the tango but brought him in too close for sumo, and Kasugao, after failing on a leg trip that was both defensive and offensive, kept his balance when Homasho sent them whirligig around and let the big guy fall to his eighth loss. If Kasugao ever discovers how to bring some consistency to his sumo, look out.
Asasexy nabbed a sweet 10-5 from E6, capping it by giving Jumonji, otherwise known as the New Jokutoriki, a sound beating. Jumonji started about two rows back at tachi-ai, which allowed Martin's cousin to build up a huge head of steam and nail the sumbitch, grab his belt, pull him to the middle and wing him down. The Mongolians are really starting to horde into the upper levels of sumo, aren't they? We could easily have six Mongolians in the top 12 slots come March. Now where have I seen that 50% Mongolian term before?
I noticed that NHK sort of got away from giving us that bird's eye view replay of the bouts, probably because it shows, indisputably, the egregious henka (the move that kept my buddy Simon in Room 344 sleepless at night, coughing up phlegm and vowing revenge on the Queen). Today Tamakasuga must have wanted number nine in a bad way, because he ran away from Tochinonada, who didn't recover and ended up doing a pushup on the clay. And to think many of you were slapping up Tamakasuga For President posters just a week ago!
Futenoh and Tokitsuumi went high at tachi-ai, holding each other off and upright, until Futenoh made a slick move to the side that had Mr. Handsome flailing forward, where Futenoh gave him a good hard neck shove, picking up his 8th win.
Two little Kaks battled it out today, with one Kak chasing the other Kak around the ring until he caught him, then grabbing onto him and lifting him up. It was great, seeing the two Kaks, sweaty and erect, bursting with pride at being the strong Kaks they are, sticking it to each other. Ryu finishes at 6-9, Izoe at 8-7.
Ushiomaru finished a nice 9-6 tourney with an impressive yorikiri win over Iwonkeykong, who took exactly five basho to go from his Makuuchi debut in 2002 to his Sanyaku debut in 2003, but has fallen off recently. I am hopeful he recovers his past form at some point this year. We need the guy. The Marios and Luigis of the sumo world are getting way too big for their britches.
Tosanoumi and Yoshikaze both picked up their 8th wins, Tosa keeping his long running Makuuchi road show alive for one more basho, Yoshi hoping to use this as a springboard to the mid-Maegashira where he rightfully belongs.
Well, that about does 'er. A few things sort of jelled for me after Day 15 ended. I think 2006 was the Year of Miyabi and there will not be another one ever, Kotooshu will never be Yokozuna, and Kotomitsuki will never be an Ozeki. I also think that if there were no foreigners in sumo, Chiyotaikai would have been a dai-Yokozuna. Still, they are all great wrestlers and are far more entertaining than J-League, NBA, and televised shyouji.
Did anyone think Top Hat guy and the Emperor were exchanging glances the other day. Wonder if they "accidentally" met at the beer concession stand:
Emperor: So, uh, how you doin?
Top Hat: Not bad. Yerself?
E: Can't complain. Who would listen!
Top Hat (chuckling softly at joke): Yea, fuhgeddaboudit.
Did you see that gaijin behind Asa at the start of the trophy presentation, actually singing the words to Kimigayo! Or maybe he was mouthing one of those subversive English language parodies. And I agree with Simon, yobidashi Hideo resembles Benny Hill's sidekick Jackie.
I trust you all enjoyed these 15 days. I know I did. Dunno, but for some reason I don't really care if there is a yusho race or not. I only need just a few good bouts everyday to make me feel good about my devotion to sumo, and to get my brain oiled to chat about it. Maybe I've been gone from America for too long, have been infected by the Japanese ideal of sports as a fundamental and fun part of life, throughout life, without much focus on the importance winning or losing. Or maybe I like sumo for what it is: Two men, both standing, one goes down (heh heh he said "goes down").
Day 14
Comments (Mike Wesemann reporting)
As much as I/we like to dish out various criticisms of the Sumo Association, the one area where they are as consistent as ever is they never compromise the yusho. Unlike a lot of you, they don't care if Asashoryu wins every yusho. Isn't that a Yokozuna's job anyway? The Association is most concerned about the surrounding rikishi,
especially the Ozeki. You read Kitanoumi Rijicho's comments each basho, and it's nothing but frustration regarding the other rikishi, not with
Asashoryu's dominance. Kitanoumi Rijicho was there once. He dominated as Asashoryu does now so he gets it. Getting back to the yusho, it's no coincidence that they paired upstart Toyonoshima with Ama today, a rikishi Toyonoshima has never beaten in five tries. Make the dudes earn the prestigious ranks...and the yusho.
Let's cover the bouts in chronological order today where we start with J2 Tochiohzan's ass kicking of M12 Toyozakura. This was quite the entertaining bout even though it was over in seconds. Entertaining because Tochiohzan knew exactly what was coming. The Makuuchi-to-be took a page out of Daniel-san's defense book and used the perfect wax-on wax-off technique to wipe away Toyozakura's initial tsuppari attack. While breathing in and out to perfection, Tochiohzan retreated ever so slightly causing Toyozakura to tsuppari into thin air throwing himself off balance. From there, the J2
easily dumped his hapless opponent to the clay by the back of the belt to move to 9-5. From the J2 rank, Tochiohzan is guaranteed his ticket to the Makuuchi division come March, and that alone will give us something to look forward to when the banzuke comes out.
I thought it was quite funny how M11 Tamakasuga suspected his 7-0 start may have been due to the fact that he had given up his vices. As soon as he made those comments, he went 0-6. He must of said to hell with it last night and done some serious partying in Tokyo because he really kicked M12 Tokitsuumi's ass today starting with a hard tachi-ai
followed by a quick pull at Tokitsuumi's side that threw him off balance. Tamakasuga never relented driving some sharp tsuppari into Tokitsuumi's neck area until he could take no more and plunged to the clay. Yuh gotta be happy for the veteran who was once the sole leader after day 7. Both rikishi are 8-6.
M16 Otsukasa looked a lot like Asanowaka today "attacking" M11 Tochinohana's chest from the tachi-ai with fingers glued together. Tochinohana easily withstood the attack before finally getting a left arm deep on the inside of his
opponent that he used to force Otsukasa back and out with. Tochinohana picks up only his fourth win while Otsukasa falls to 7-7.
It's pretty sad that M10 Iwakiyama is fighting this early in the afternoon, but he sure laid the wood to M15 Asofuji with a smashing tachi-ai and a couple of pushes to the face before pulling Asofuji across the dohyo and shoving him off at the tawara. As soon as I want to say Iwakiyama is under-ranked this low, I look at his 7-7 record and say probably not. The real reason is Asofuji is not Makuuchi material. He falls to 4-10.
M10 Jumonji is just pathetic. Unlike Asofuji, Jumonji actually has the goods to survive in the division, but his work ethic is lacking, he's terribly out of shape, and he makes poor decisions in the ring (at least he doesn't have jock itch). Today against Tosanoumi, Jumonji
executed a tachi-ai henka to his right, but Tosanoumi had to know it was coming because he shifted gears to his left on the fly and shoved Jumonji back and out without argument. It was gratifying to watch Tosanoumi move to 7-7 while Jumonji fell to 4-10.
You ever wonder why M14 Hakurozan never brings a tsuppari attack? Today was the perfect example why. The Russian completely halted M9 Kakizoe at the tachi-ai with a great charge, but it might have been too good as Kakizoe was knocked too far back for Hakurozan to get a belt grip. Hakurozan began a tsuppari attack that looked to keep Kakizoe on the run, but Zoe was just waiting for an opening, which came near the tawara as Kakizoe perfectly timed an evasive maneuver causing Hakurozan to thrust into mid-air before getting shoved down to the dirt from the side. I don't want to call Hakurozan's fall comical, but you rarely see rikishi go down that awkwardly. Both rikishi are 8-6.
M13 Kasuganishiki just smothered M8 Kakuryu at the tachi-ai leading with a right shoulder and following with a left ottsuke that threw Kakuryu off balance. The move didn't finish the Mongolian off, but he was beat up enough to the point where he was an easy pulldown target from there. There's nothing else to say except that Martin was probably doing cartwheels after this ass-kicking that saw Kasuganishiki clinch his kachi-koshi. Kakuryu falls to 5-9.
M13 Yoshikaze used a fine tsuppari attack from the tachi-ai against M7 Kasugao to gain a deep left arm on the inside. Kasugao, who had moved a bit to his left at the charge to set up a quick kote-nage throw, went for the move anyway, but Yoshikaze's positioning was just too good, and the lightweight rikishi easily forced Kasugao across the dohyo and out from there. Both rikishi are 7-7. If Kasugao ever wants to make a serious push for the jo'i, he's got to stop losing like this to Yoshikaze.
M15 Ushiomaru had M7 Futenoh on the ropes--literally--with a solid left uwate from the tachi-ai, but for some reason he abandoned the grip with a maki-kae that didn't even give him morozashi. The bout quickly turned to a yotsu-zumo stalemate, but that favors the more experienced Futenoh, who eventually wrangled his favored left inner grip and used that to force Ushiomaru back and out straightway. This was a pretty entertaining display of chikara-zumo, but Ushiomaru made too many mistakes to call it good sumo. Who cares, though, right? The Ushi's got his 8 wins in the bag already. Futenoh moves to 7-7 and unbelievably has a chance to kachi-koshi this basho. His sumo has been terrible.
M14 Tamanoshima was far too passive at the tachi-ai today against M6 Asasekiryu and could never seem to get any momentum. Sexy kept his opponent at bay with some lightweight tsuppari that packed little punch but did keep Tamanoshima away from his belt. After both rikishi traded pull down attempts, Asasekiryu used his speed advantage to slip to the side and
push Tamanoshima out from behind. This was pretty lackluster stuff as both rikishi are 9-5. I also noticed the red crop circles missing from Tamanoshima's back. Like Tamakasuga's vices, you gotta stick with with what got you here.
In a battle of 6-7 rikishi, M8 Takekaze outwitted M5 Kokkai at the tachi-ai by absorbing Kokkai's initial double thrust charge and grabbing onto his right elbow to throw the Georgian slightly off balance and upright. From there, Takekaze seized the opportunity by immediately attack straight forward and driving Kokkai back and out in a flash. Ten bucks says Kokkai wishes he could have this one back. He should never be done like that at the hands of Takekaze. The Georgian must lament his make-koshi at 6-8 while Takekaze lives to fight another day at 7-7.
In the marquee matchup of the day, M4 Ama coolly brought the goods from the tachi-ai with an effective tsuppari attack focused on the throat of M9 Toyonoshima that moved him back a few steps, but Ama whiffed on his second volley allowing Toyonoshima to actually force the action the other away for a step or two, but Toyonoshima made a critical mistake here by failing to go for Ama's belt and opting to counter with shoves of his own. At this point, Ama must have lost said cool because he wound up a right hook punch that actually landed square on Toyonoshima's jaw. Ama next moved in towards the belt where Toyonoshima went for the pull down, but in the process, he had a fist full of Ama's hair and couldn't follow up on the attempt. The ever slippery Ama took advantaged of the balk by sneaking behind Toyonoshima, grabbing his belt, pushing Toyonoshima
 from behind, and then brilliantly lifting up at Toyo's left ankle causing him to crash to the dirt in spectacular fashion. You could feel the energy in the Kokugikan as Ama did his best
Asashoryu impression when the Yokozuna says to hell with it and turns his bout into a brawl, but the tactic worked as Ama moves to 9-5, keeps his unbeaten streak alive against Toyonoshima, and most importantly, busted that final cap into this sick horse of a basho that was on it's last leg anyway. Toyonoshima falls to 11-3 and will have to settle for some consolation prizes to be announced tomorrow.
M6 Tochinonada secured his favored left inner grip against M2 Tokitenku from the tachi-ai, and it looked as if Tenku was content to just stand in the middle of the ring, which surprised me a bit considering kachi-koshi and a probable promotion to the sanyaku was on the line and considering some of the fine techniques we've seen from the Mongolian thus far (no, those henka don't count). Still, he allowed Tochinonada to dictate the pace, which meant the two stood in the middle of the ring for about 20 seconds before
Tochinonada went for a scoop throw with his left arm that was on the inside. The attempt failed and was the opening Tokitenku was waiting for as he slipped to Nada's side, curled his left arm from behind up and around the inside of Tochinonada's right arm, and yanked him out from there with the tottari move. Tokitenku could be a ginosho candidate if he wins tomorrow, but he'll take his 8-6 so far. Tochinonada suffers make-koshi at 6-8.
 One of the most compelling rikishi this basho has been M1 Kotoshogiku. The probable sanyaku rikishi looked great early on, but made some poor decisions derailing his momentum mid-basho. He made another poor decision today against M11 Dejima by opting for a stick and pull maneuver at the tachi-ai that allowed Dejima to bulldoze the Geeku back to the rope in a flash. Luckily, Kotoshogiku swiftly repented of his ways and used a deep left arm on the inside to lift Dejima upright and halt his charge, at which point Kotoshogiku's superior sumo took over, and he was able to turn the tables and force his opponent out at the rope. It wasn't pretty, but to see
Kotoshogiku at 8-6 from the M1 rank after a mediocre basho speaks volumes for this kid's future. His grin as he exited the arena was worth it as well. Dejima falls to 3-11.
Another loss by Komusubi Kisenosato would clinch Kotoshogiku's promotion to Komusubi, but some careless sumo from M3 Kyokutenho today ensured that the Kid would live to see one more day. After a sharp paw to Tenho's throat at the tachi-ai, Kisenosato used his left arm to push straight into Kyokutenho's right armpit causing the M3 to backpedal and evade around the perimeter of the ring. In the process, Kyokutenho was unaware of where he was positioned in the dohyo and carelessly
allowed his right foot to step out before he executed a counter throw that would have given him the win. Kisenosato will take that any day, especially as it moves him to 7-7 leaving him to best Ama tomorrow for a kachi-koshi. Kyokutenho falls to the same 7-7 mark.
The forgotten Komusubi, Roho, was simply outclassed today by M2 Aminishiki who brilliantly cut off an early left uwate by the Russian and forced the action low and on the inside completely taking Roho out of his element. After some jockeying in the ring, Aminishiki used his frontal belt grip to mount a charge that stood Roho upright at the tawara where the Russian just walked out instead of digging in and going for a last gasp counter move. The effort hasn't been there all basho from Roho, who falls to a paltry 3-11. Aminishiki improves to 4-10.
The Sekiwake Miyabiyama - M4 Homasho matchup looked to be compelling coming in, but the Sheriff made sure it wasn't by using his tsuppari from the tachi-ai to keep Homasho upright and away from the Sekiwake's belt. Miyabiyama used good footwork to keep his tsuppari shoves sound and moving forward to the point where Homasho had no answer whatsoever and was pushed out in about 4 seconds. This was great sumo from Miyabiyama, but it's way too little way to late as the Sekiwake moves to 5-9. Homasho is still alive at 7-7.
In our only Ozeki matchup of the day, Kotooshu took himself out of the bout in my opinion from the tachi-ai as he elected to start a half step behind the starting lines. Why would he do that? All that did was made him extend his arms further away from his body at the initial charge, and Kaio wisely just dipped under the outstretched arms of Kotooshu, pushed up at Kotooshu's left arm standing the Bulgarian straight up and twisting him around a bit, and then bodied up to him forcing him out in about two seconds. Shame on Kotooshu for allowing Kaio to do him like that. Unbelievable as the Bulgarian falls to 9-5. Kaio's kachi-koshi hopes are alive and well at 7-7.
I guess Ozeki Hakuho has fought all the tough ones because he was paired up against M5 Takamisakari today. The bout wasn't even close as Hakuho's left arm that he extends at each tachi-ai actually stuck onto Takamisakari's belt...the first time Hakuho has gotten that all basho. From there, Hakuho could have walked in his sleep and won as he secured his right arm on the inside of Takamisakari and just twisted the cop to the side and out for the dominating win. Hakuho moves to 9-5 while Takamisakari will provide a bit of drama tomorrow for the fans at 7-7.
Ozeki Chiyotaikai used a slight henka to his left (probably wouldn't have been a false start under my rules) to counter the charge of Sekiwake Kotomitsuki, and the move worked wonders as it kept Kotomitsuki completely off balance. Chiyotaikai followed up the move with his usual tsuppari attack, and Kotomitsuki made the mistake of attempting to stand toe to toe with the Ozeki and trade tsuppari with him. After a few seconds of this nonsense, Chiyotaikai just timed a move to his left that caused Kotomitsuki to thrust into mid air leaving him the perfect hataki-komi candidate. Chiyotaikai was all over it like a fish to stink bait picking up the ugly pull down win and moving to 10-4. Kotomitsuki is stuck on 8 wins.
 Which leaves us Yokozuna Asashoryu who only needed to counter the hobbling Ozeki Tochiazuma to make his 20th career yusho official. Asashoryu used a cautious tachi-ai that actually gave Tochiazuma a left outer grip, but there ain't nothin' a crippled Tochiazuma is going to do with that
against the Yokozuna when the yusho's on the line. Asashoryu kept the action moving in circles until he was able to secure his own left outer grip before forcing the action back to the tawara where Tochiazuma dug in and resisted somewhat. Asashoryu countered with a few gaburi pumps of the belly before lifting Tochiazuma (5-9) clean off his feet and setting him across the tawara for the tsuri-dashi win.
So, Asashoryu clinches the yusho on day 14 for the 11th time in his career, which is quite an incredible number that caps off a pretty boring, uneventful basho. Fortunately, we have a few compelling rikishi with 7-7 records to keep us watching tomorrow in Kaio, Kisenosato, Takamisakari, and Homasho, but better than that, we have Clancy back tomorrow to wrap it all up.
Day 13
Comments (Simon Siddall reporting)
Excellent! Looks like I've shaken them off for a while. As you can see,
I'm in disguise (don't tell anyone). I think it's pretty convincing – what do you reckon? As Martin told you the other day, the Feds got their filthy paws on me on day 11, meaning I
couldn't report on the Asashoryu-Hakuho match-up. And if that wasn't enough to piss me off, they tore my library card in half and said
I'd never borrow a book (or CD/DVD) again for three years at least. However, during a coffee break in the interrogation, I managed to henka a guard (sorry about that) and made a dash for it.
They're not really up to much on security in Japan. But now I'm in real trouble...if they get me this time,
it'll be a stint in Guantanamo AND Abu Ghraib for me on some trumped-up terror charge, and it
won't matter which god I pray to. Incidentally, for those of you who were wondering which religion is the right one, watch this
short video
clip. (Warning: this clip is amusing and not offensive in the slightest).
Actually, I'd better get on with this report because a couple of likely Feds have just walked in here (here being a Russian doll-making establishment with a small café). You can always spot them (sunglasses, black suit, Hollywood contract, know about aliens etc.) so
I'd better keep my profile low in this dark corner with my back turned and my hood up etc.
It's a pity there is only one other customer in here (a Cossack) because it makes it a bit tricky to blend into the crowd. But
don't you worry about me – British intelligence training is the best in the world (so spake Sean Connery in the
Rock...and just watch the latest James Bond).
Well, to be honest, being on the run and all and not being in the best of moods,
I'm tempted to go on a rant. The Lord (Tom Waits) knows the sumo has been diabolical this basho. And as most of you will know, when
you're on the run from the law, one's mind naturally turns to the ills of sumo. Now where do I start? The first thing
I've noticed is a creeping-in of rikishi going early at the tachiai but not getting called back by the head shinpan or gyoji. Just yesterday, Chiyotaikai did it against Asashoryu (but got his arse kicked in majestic and nonchalant style anyway) and Kotomitsuki did it to screw Homasho. What the hell is the point of making a rule of the two rikishi having both hands down on the shikiri-sen if
you're not going to enforce it, or at best, enforce it loosely? Sort it out, you tadpoles.
Next...you know how you just cringe when you know something utterly awful is about to happen – like when that tosser Bono from U2 gets on his high horse (again) – well, I had that feeling yesterday when Ama got his kachi-koshi and was called into the interview booth. Despite him stating categorically to the press that he would no longer talk about his father (who died in a car crash before the basho), the total knob masquerading as a reporter went for it
anyway...yeah, first question..."Was this kachi-koshi any different for you in light of the death of your
father?" Now just think about that question...what purpose could it possibly serve apart from some poxy hope that Ama might get a bit emotional? (If you watch Japanese TV, especially in the daytime,
you'll know that it's a dire festival of mawkishness, with tears being the prize commodity). I was caught between seething despite for the idiot in the suit, and fierce admiration for the dignity with which Ama brushed him off. So, nice one NHK; a total lack of respect for a great fighter who is grieving the death of a close relative but still managed a kachi-koshi on day 12 at a tough rank. You da men.
And, of course, no Sumotalk rant is complete without a comment on the henka. With Kotooshu a strong contender for this
basho's Sumotalk 'Ugly Prize' sansho, it's relevant, and you know that most of us here at Sumotalk think the henka is girly sumo. But, hey,
it's not against the rules – let's just marvel at the timing, right. Wow,
he's just so clever to do that, and the crowd rise as one to applaud the
fantastic...er...timing of a guy...er...jumping out of the way. Well, it's all right girls and boys, because
it's not against the rules. Reminds me of a recent directive from FIFA (Federation Internationale F*ck All), or could it be the (sweet) English FA (F*ck All) in football – soccer to you North American barbarians. Traditionally, if a player went down injured, the other team kicked the ball out of play and allowed the hurt player to receive treatment. And then when the physio was done, the opposing team passed the ball back to the other
team's goalie or defence. The fans always applaud this as fair play, sportsmanship. But now, due to some people allegedly feigning injury (yes it happens), FIFA or whoever has made it known that no team is obliged to kick the ball out of play and can play on, even if three players are down injured with their team mates checking them
out...it's OK now to go on and score a goal. It's OK – don't worry –
it's not against the rules. So that's all right then. The referee is only obliged to stop play in the event of a possible head injury so this is a possible (if unlikely) scenario.
Yeah...I'm OK with that. And next time I have an arm wrestle, I'm going to surreptitiously tickle my
opponent's inner thigh with my big toe under the table so I get a bit of an advantage
(Ok...that might be against the rules, but only in Azerbaijan and Fiji). It's not against the
rules...why the hell not? GET HENKA OUT OF SUMO!!! Come on, Clancy...back me up on day
15...get it out of your system! Again.
OK, that's better...rant over...it's much more fun than reporting on the sumo this basho, which has been (and
let's be honest) with a few exceptions in terms of content, bollocks. Where the hell are the Ozeki, Sekiwake and Komusubi rikishi? There are five Ozeki and not one of them
 is within two wins of the leader coming into day 13, and all this with Asashoryu trying to help them out by losing to Dejima in the first week.
As a quick aside, I have a little quiz for you: who does top yobidashi Hideo
(pictured right) remind you of? Here's a
hint. (Warning: this is an audio file so bear that in mind if
you're in your office! On second thoughts, turn the volume up...it might give someone a laugh).
On to the action: today's lamb to the slaughter for Yokozuna Asashoryu was veteran battler Ozeki Kaio, who was simply manhandled around the dohyo. Once the Yokozuna got the migi-uwate it was just a matter of time. Kaio fought valiantly and refused to give in via the seemingly inevitable yorikiri but you could almost see the little wheels spinning in
Asashoryu's head: which technique am I going to use? Finally, he yanked downwards and pulled the hapless Kaio around and out. Uwatedashinage. 12-1. 14-1 yusho here I come. Kaio is in real danger at 6-7.
Ozeki Chiyotaikai (9-4) launched his trademark lightning tsuppari against M4 Ama (8-5), who had no answer at all. Ama tried to fight back with tsuppari, strangely not even attempting to make a grab for the belt. Bad idea, my friend.
We've seen this type of win from Chiyotaikai a billion times.
Like a ferret who's just discovered that his best ferret has run off with his blushing ferret bride, Ozeki Hakuho has been looking very twitchy indeed this basho. He had to be content with
only a right-hand grip in a long-ish bout against Sekiwake Kotomitsuki, no pushover on any day of the week. Kotomitsuki wisely kept the deadly left hand of the Mongolian well away from his belt and bided his time before executing a lightning quick maki-kae that Asashoryu himself would have been proud of, thereby getting morozashi and the inevitable yorikiri win. Hakuho really is out of sorts this basho, but
it's ring rust as much as anything else. The most worrying thing, as I said in my day 3 report, is the fact that the top lads have worked out how to counter his tachiai. Between now and Haru he needs to go back to the drawing board. Both men are 8-5. Kotomitsuki stays at Sekiwake for yet another basho.
Forgive me for not getting too excited about today's only all-Ozeki match-up; the five men of this rank have been at best average, at worst poor. Ozeki Tochiazuma had Ozeki Kotooshu in an advantageous position as he started with his trademark ottsuke and then gained the hidari-uwate grip, facing the side of Kotooshu, exactly where he wanted him. However, in his condition, he was never going to beat Kotooshu in a throwing match and the Bulgarian countered with his own migi-shitate grip and threw Tochiazuma to his make-koshi. Nice one,
Tochi...you've been risking further serious injury all basho and now you've got a losing record, meaning you could have taken the basho off and had exactly the same situation going into the Haru Basho. I shake my head. Kotooshu is 9-4.
Komusubi Kisenosato (6-7) has enjoyed a fine basho but fell for a sneaky little trip while seemingly in total control against the always-dangerous M2 Tokitenku (7-6). Excellent foresight from the Mongolian here, who saw very early that he was going to be thrown and pulled off a rare chongake (a kind of ankle hook). I
wasn't too worried about this loss for Kisenosato because he will learn from it. And he is learning all the time. Future Ozeki
here...no doubt whatsoever. Good technique from the Mongolian.
Well, Clancy, do you want some sugar on that dog turd you promised to eat if Kotoshogiku
wasn't at least 9-5 come senshuraku? M1 Kotoshogiku executed a fine tachiai against the woefully hot and cold Komusubi Roho and went with migi-yotsu. And then, with Roho asleep at the wheel, slipped the left hand from outside to inside – and there we have morozashi and game over by yorikiri. Good, strong, solid technical sumo from Kotoshogiku today. He reminds me a lot of Wakanosato in the good old days, actually. Kotoshogiku is Tom Cruise at 7-6. Roho is Jack Skellington at 3-10.
With the retirement of Kyokushuzan still recent in my memory, I got to thinking how you miss rikishi when
they're not there. I was never a fan of Kyokushuzan, and M1 Dejima's henka-yusho at the expense of Akebono ensured I was never a fan of him either.
He's been around for a while now (he invented the kipper, you know), so there I was before Dejima came up for his bout thinking that
I'll miss the big lug when he finally retires. Why? Well, imagine a world without knockers; particularly
Dejima's knockers. Damn it, I won't live in that world. M6 Tochinonada walked right into a hatakikomi in
today's bout. BUT!!! The judges spotted that Dejima had pulled the mage (top-knot) of Tochinonada. Pulling hair is an illegal move in sumo (and chess) so he was disqualified. Pretty unlucky. I think
it's safe to say he didn't intend to do it. The former Ozeki will be as bemused as the rest of us at his 3-10 record (after defeating Hakuho AND Asashoryu). Tochinonada is hanging in there at 6-7.
M3 Kyokutenho couldn't quite believe that he'd lost to M5 Takamisakari. But it was no accident as circus boy executed a lovely maki-kae to get morozashi. From then on even the technically superior Kyokutenho stood no chance at all. The Mongolian paid the price for not taking Takamisakari seriously – he was uncharacteristically sloppy. Both men are at 7-6.
M4 Homasho put M14 Tamanoshima in his place nicely with a low tachiai that allowed him to get right in under
Tama-chan's armpits. This gives the attacker the advantage of forcing the opponent upright, leaving them unable to use any lower body strength. And that, spawn of Satan, is why he won this bout easily. Homasho is in with a great chance of kachi-koshi at 7-6. Tamanoshima will be pleased nonetheless with a decent 9-4 record. You have to admire
Homasho's sumo this basho. Another one on the up-and-up.
I thought I spotted Kate Bush in the crowd prior to the Kokkai-Kakizoe bout...but then I realized it
wasn't her. Oh, well. In a ludicrous bout, M5 Kokkai played cat and mouse with M9 Kakizoe. Neither man really knew what he was doing and both were looking for the pull-down win. Kokkai (6-7) finally succeeded in pulling Kakizoe (7-6) down but his foot just strayed outside the tawara. The ensuing mono-ii went against the cuddly Georgian so he bowed very politely, skipped off down the hanamichi, and possibly went to the ice cream shop with his friend (a former roadie for Sparks).
I'm afraid I can't tell you for sure whether this mono-ii was correct because my video broke. At least now you can define professionalism.
M9 Toyonoshima has been on fire, fulfilling the role of possible spoiler to Asashoryu (cough). His solid sumo has been one of the few high points of a deeply disappointing basho. M15 Ushiomaru has been no slouch himself and with his kachi-koshi in the bag coming in, anything from now on was a bonus. Not today, however, as Toyo kept the basho
'alive' with a clinical display, taking good advantage of Ushiomaru's floppy arms to get the morozashi grip and march him out with ease. Toyonoshima stands at 11-2 and fights Ama tomorrow, a match which is certainly winnable. Although he has next to no chance of winning the yusho, at least he is giving the Yokozuna a nice nudge in the back. Ushiomaru is a rare breed of parakeet at 8-5.
M11 Tamakasuga (7-6) has wilted badly since that fine 7-0 start, looking tired and lacking in the sharpness we saw in the first week. In a forgettable and untidy match,
Tama-chan's opponent Otsukasa (7-6) eventually pounced and thrust the veteran down by tsukiotoshi. A horrible bout.
Oh, and by the way, M13 Kasuganishiki (7-6) should have at least had a mono-ii in his
'loss' to M6 Asasekiryu (8-5). Well, maybe the theories about the shinpan always favouring the Japanese in close calls are rubbish after all. Or is that because this was a totally inconsequential match? You decide.
Well, it's now between two men, and by two men, I mean one. Asashoryu is 12-1 and fights the injured Tochiazuma tomorrow.
Toyonoshima is 11-2 and takes on Ama. The yusho race could be as good as over before the Yokozuna steps on the dohyo for his bout if
Toyonoshima loses to Ama so
let's hope the plucky lad gets his win and keeps some semblance of tension in the air. Honestly, I think
you'd be mad to reserve senshuraku tickets these days. The best day to go to the sumo is definitely day 13 or 14. With Asashoryu around,
it's going to be game over well before the final day in most instances.
Oh, I almost forgot...the Emperor turned up with his missus today. Good for them.
Well, Mike titillates your badger tomorrow and Clancy will wrap things up in patented fashion on senshuraku. And if
you've been wondering where Kenji has been, he's got Black Death.
I'll be back between basho with the Sumotalk Good, Bad and Ugly Awards. Until then,
I'll be lying low. Wish me luck, and keep it hanging to the left.
Day 12
Comments (Bernie McManus reporting)
Even when Asa downshifts into the lead in the second week of a tournament there are always a few rays of light to look forward to in the final days when the big guns finally draw on each other. There are upsets in the first week, s'true, but it seems it's always in the second that the bouts worth remembering start to fall. And yet this too has been taken from us loyal sumo gawkers as yesterday's Hack-Asa match fell a bit short of the usual suspense, and today's Hack-Oshu debacle is best forgotten quickly, especially as far as Kotooshu's concerned. The third match-up of the threesome will be the last bout of the entire tournament when Kotooshu faces Asashoryu, although there's barely a hope that it will mean anything.
First, however, I'll swiffer through the bottom half of the Makuuchi and then start back at the top. The big winners so far have been M14 Tamanoshima
・The under-ranked Fridge, M9 Toyonoshima
・No nickname but gunning for prizes and only one other, M15 Ushiomaru, with a kachi-koshi in the lower half. Otherwise nobody is going down in flames as they all have at least three wins, besides poor Baruto, who is still the only withdrawal. I would have bet money on Tochiazuma pulling out time and time again this basho but 'lo, he continues undauntedly. Bless us all.
Asofuji started things off by getting embarrassed by a prancing Jokutoriki with not so much sumo as jogging. Then some spicy nibblings as Hakurozan laid into Tochinohana like he'd been dating his younger sister. Whoa-ho, has Mt. Baldy woken up these past few days or what? Today, fierce shots to the neck followed by a strong uwatenage. I enjoyed myself. Next course!
Iwakiyama grabbed the belt and wrenched Tosanoumi sideways with his back to the tawara, recovering for a yorikiri win, his 5th. Otsukasa lost a squirm-fest against fellow bo-wwwwhhheemoth Jumonji falling to a rear push-down okuritaoshi. M9 Kakizoe paid a visit to hot potato M15 Ushiomaru using his classic charge to go 6-6 and shrimpy goodness prevailed as Yoshikaze absolutely crunched his skull into Kakuryu's neck at the tachi-ai before dropping a few tsuppari and winning by tsukidashi in the space of about 2 seconds.
Tamanoshima proved too much man for the lower-elite once again as he stopped Takekaze dead in his tracks and forced him back quickly for his own tsukidashi win. Korean Kasugao was being pushed back by a solid Kasuganishiki before using a sly inside grip to upset 'Nish enough to launch a desperate kotenage over the edge
・that worked! Toyozakura sprang with his usual vigour against the sleep-waking 5-6 Futenoh but when some space opened up he walked straight into a rare Futenoh hatakikomi slap down. M12 Zakura, now at 3-9, is nearly assured to soon join his brother in Juryo. Kita's scoring 5-7 at J1, if anyone's interested.
Tamakasuga is fading fast with his fifth straight loss, today against a defiant Asasekiryu who's come on strong of late and is one short of his kachi-koshi. Tokitsuumi went on the offensive after locking up with Tochinonada for his 7th by yorikiri and stepping into the top half we have Takamisakari and Toyonoshima--actually this is almost a highlight match for the night so I'll even give it it's own paragraph. Robocop, who makes up in crazed strength what he lacks in mass, had been on a slide since going 6-2 to start the year and would tonight face Toyonoshima, man of no good nickname, going 9-2 so far from the M9 rank. Both men connected with their chests from the tachi-ai with Toyo's arms more on the inside. Robo went for his right-arm grip but before he could find any purchase he had given up morozashi and was marched out faster than even Toyo realized. Toyonoshima sits at 10-2 but probably won't have many more wins like that handed out to him, or big stacks of envelopes for that matter.
 Heading back to the top, Asashoryu maintained his lead with yet another win over the Ozeki who's style fairs the worst against the Yokozuna, Chiyotaikai. Actually today it's hard to say that Asa's tachi-ai was soft, he was just caught flat-footed by Chiyotaikai and was pushed back before he could even get his grips in. Taikai followed it up with some tsuppari but allowed Asashoryu to get an arm under and around the back of his left shoulder blade. With a quick tug of his arm the Ozeki was thrown to the edge of the ring and pushed out. It was looking good for a second, but no. 11-1 for the Yokozuna.
Tochiazuma surprised me by holding the initiative against Kisenosato and beating him straight up with a nifty arm tug, which the youngster tried to resist and ended up being caught upright. Azuma is still on the verge of his make-koshi at 5-7 while Kissy's done me proud so far at 6-6.
Ama is once again one of the bright lights of the basho with an agile win here against the Ozeki Kaio who, I'll admit I was wrong, didn't retire in Kyushu last basho as I expected and now looks to be following the Kotonowaka route of being big, old and not especially maneuverable. Ama struck at the tachi-ai but twisted his
shoulders to the left so as to squish Kaio's left arm against his chest. This gave him a grip on the gift bow of Kaio's mawashi, which he, being Ama, used to swing behind him for the okuridashi win. Ama earns his kachi-koshi stripes against an Ozeki who himself is showing pocket 6's.
The big bout! Woo! This is what I was talking about! Kotooshu and Hakuho have had some great bouts, although I'll admit that my favorites are the ones that Koto wins. So after such a punk basho I finally get some tall-boy loving and what happens? Kotooshu lunges too far at the tachi-ai but keeps his arms in to defend his belt
・for a moment. Hakuho showed superior speed by pulling him to the side and throwing a tsuppari before the Bulgarian can decide what to do with himself. Kotooshu tried to slap it away but in doing so allowed Hakuho a tight double-inside which left Koto's arms helplessly dangling in thin air for the rest of the match. Pretty disappointing ending, Hakuho by yorikiri. Kotooshu looked pretty stiff. Both Ozeki are 8-4.
Kotoshogiku dropped Miyabiyama at the tachi-ai with a pretty insulting henka. I'd like to say I feel for the guy but if you're not bona fide Ozeki, such is life, and you'll have a few bad basho. Giku is yet another at 6-6.
Kotomitsuki is 7-5 after absolutely pounding Homasho at the tachi-ai, fighting off a grip with his own sukuinage attempt which succeeded at least in recovering the advantage. Mitsuki then--well, it's hard to describe, he's almost pulled a kotenage armlock throw but by standing in front of Homasho and running backwards, which worked at least in pulling him off balance and giving Mitsuki a rather macho oshidashi win. I don't think we'll see 10 wins from this guy but if he starts a 9-win per basho trend I'd be happy.
Can Roho get no love at all? With a ticket out of the Komusubi slot yesterday the Russian follows it up with another loss, this time to a uwatenage courtesy of the towering Mongolian Kyokutenho. I don't have much to say about either of these guys, although 'Tenho has been one of the sleeper hits of this basho with his 7-5 at M3 so far. Roho is quickly dropping from the headlines.
Tokitenku managed to hold up Dejima's tachi-ai headbutt and with a deft sidestep nearly slapped the former Ozeki down in a way that is usually quite common. Dejima caught himself this time and charged back at Tokitenku who pulled his 'Gumby Defence' of arching his back and slipping to the side and behind Dejima, finishing him off by okuridashi.
Kokkai decided to henka by Mike's rules by throwing a monster harite before diving for cover and almost had the footwork to out Aminishiki on the first go. The crafty but struggling M2 Ami managed to stand him upright and make it back to the center of the ring before succumbing to the abuse being leveled against him and going down by hatakikomi. Dirty, dirty sumo my Georgian gorilla. Kok's at 6-6 while Aminishiki rests at 3-9.
Another Day 12 come and gone, nothing e'special in a nothing e'special Basho. It looks possible to have Ama return to Komusubi if he can get another win or two by Sunday.
Simon's scheduled for tomorrow, but Mike has refused to post bale for him. If Simon somehow does make it out, I don't know how he's going to sneak back into the hotel. His mugshot is plastered everywhere around here. Stay tuned.
Day 11
Comments (Martin Matra reporting)
You're probably wondering how I got to report on glorious day 11, aren't you? No? How about I tell you anyway? Yesterday I was enjoying a quiet afternoon in my fleabag room at our fleabag hotel (you didn't really believe Clancy when he said the doors opened with swipe cards, did you?), when someone knocked on the door. I instantly knew it wasn't one of the guys, because they just barge in with no previous warning, so I instinctively reached for the holster. Not finding it, I thought about it a bit and remembered I wasn't there on assignment, so I
 just asked through the door who the hell it was and what they wanted. No answer coming, I cautiously stepped behind the door, and when the guy busted it open, I grabbed him and threw him to the ground (by a kimarite I don't really remember, sumo was the last thing on my mind that moment). When he came to, he told me he was from the Interpol and showed me a picture of some guy named Danvers McEwan, who looked vaguely familiar and was wanted for numerous accounts of panda bear poaching. I was unable to help, so I sent him to Mike. Some thirty minutes later I heard police sirens outside, and I saw Simon being arrested. I then realized the picture that guy had showed me was of someone closely resembling our man. When I asked Mike about the whole thing, he told me it was a simple case of mistaken identity, and the guy they were really looking for was also known by some as 'Bryce'. With Simon held up at the local police station, someone had to take care of day 11, so, being the newest and all, I got to do the honors. Hang in there, Simon, I'll make you proud.
Having to do day 11 on such short notice proved to have some good parts too, like, say, an Asashoryu-Hakuho match. It all started with a low tachi-ai that allowed the Yokozuna to grab a deep left uwate while keeping his opponent's left hand at bay. He quickly made his move, going for an open throw, but Hakuho managed to survive. Despite getting a right inside of his own, Hakuho had little more to do than delay the inevitable, with Asashoryu completely controlling the hostilities from his right side and denying his younger foe any grip on the left. After the first throw attempt, Asashoryu stood Hakuho upright and tried to force him out, and when that didn't work he quickly changed his momentum and tried a second throw, but Hakuho's grip on the front of the mawashi allowed him to resist again. Finally, tired of all that cat-and-mouse game, the Almighty Yokozuna dug deeply under Hakuho's left armpit and pushed forward until there was no place left to go but out. It might have looked like Asashoryu had some trouble with his main rival, but the truth is that Hakuho never really had the initiative, despite not going down easily. The win puts the Yokozuna two wins ahead of the competition (don't you even think about Toyonoshima taking the cup) and sends all my hopes of a second Asashoryu upset down the drain. Hakuho stands at 7-4 and will have to wait another basho for another Yokozuna run.
Next up, Bulgarian Kotooshu took on fellow Ozeki Chiyotaikai, employing another henka, albeit a milder one, to get his deadly left uwate. Chiyotaikai never had a chance and he was soon thrown to the dirt by the trademark uwate-nage, but the victory leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Defeating the yotsu-challenged Chiyotaikai by yotsu-zumo using a henka is like stealing candy from a baby. Both Ozeki are out of the Yusho race, at eight victories apiece.
Russian ex-Komusubi Roho executed a poor tachi-ai today against veteran Ozeki Kaio, leading with his arms and trying to keep Kaio away from his belt. After the initial impact, Ugly tried a half-assed thrust to the Ozeki's face, but his balance was so poor that all Kaio had to do was push a bit to his right shoulder and turn him around, Cell-Block H style. An easy okuridashi win for the old Ozeki, which may provide decisive to his kachi-koshi, since his competition down the stretch ain't getting any lighter. Roho just sucked today, and his 3-8 record so far is no coincidence.
Ozeki Tochiazuma's injury is visibly taking away any power from his lower body. It could be seen clearly today against Mongolian M3 Kyokutenho. Tochiazuma slightly stepped to the left and charged head-first, but his massive opponent didn't back off that easy. Eventually, Kyokutenho got a solid right uwate and an inside left, but Tochiazuma shook the latter off, sacrificing position instead. Safely at the Ozeki's side, Kyokutenho resisted a timid push-out attempt and drove out the hapless Tochiazuma to his seventh loss. I think it's safe to say a healthy Tochiazuma would never lose like this, but he's anything but healthy right now. It's also safe to say we'll have at least one kadoban Ozeki this Haru. Kyokutenho is sitting pretty at 6-5.
Sekiwake Kotomitsuki stopped his free-fall today with a win against M4 Ama. Although Ama delivered a tachi-ai as solid as ever, the larger Sekiwake went right for the left uwate and got it, quickly forcing a throw. It failed, and the two were locked in the center of the dohyo for a short while, but without a good grip, there was little the Mongolian could do when Kotomitsuki pressed the action moving to his left again and yanking Ama off balance to get behind him. Ama is very quick and actually managed to turn around and face Mitsuki again before being finally forced out by yorikiri. With 7 wins, Ama's promotion is just around the corner, while 6-5 now will most likely turn into another 8-7 for the Sekiwake.
The other Sekiwake reaped the benefits of yet another henka, this time from M2 Tokitenku. The Mongolian jumped to his left at the tachi-ai and went straight for the slap-down, but the Fatman probably planted an ACME Gimmick-Proof Homing Device in his mage, because he was on Tokitenku's every move and after surviving the slap-down he blasted him right into the second row. With 8 losses already, Miyabiyama'd better run the table from now on if he cares about staying in sanyaku. Tokitenku still has some kachi-koshi hopes with five wins so far.
Komusubi Kisenosato withstood M1 Dejima's vigorous tachi-ai and took him to the edge in a matter of seconds. The ex-Ozeki tried a last moment slap-down, but his palm completely missed Kisenosato's head, and he soon found himself out. They called it oshidashi, but Dejima clearly stepped out on his own, after bungling the hataki-komi. His 3-8 record is that much more unflattering after his two major upsets on days 2 and 3. Kisenosato is already 6-5 and is facing a 50% Tochiazuma tomorrow. With Miyabiyama in trouble, kachi-koshi now guarantees our youngster promotion to Sekiwake for the next tournament. Rejoice, Japanese fans.
The last of the Sadogatake, M1 Kotoshogiku, lost precious ground today in his quest for sanyaku. M4 Homasho scored his sixth win by keeping low after the tachi-ai and denying any sort of mawashi grip. Kotoshogiku took him back, but soon hit a brick wall and thought he'd change the strategy a bit. But an Asashoryu he is not and he thought wrong, going for a slap-down that only destroyed his momentum. Homasho couldn't ask for more and capitalized, driving Giku all the way across the dohyo in no-time at all. A last moment utchari had Homasho flying, but Kotoshogiku fell to his back first. After a solid 5-2 start, Kotoshogiku is suffering from a rebel four-day losing streak, and tomorrow ain't getting any better, with a frustrated Miyabiyama looking to stay in sanyaku. Homasho is 6-5 and, contrary to my expectations, he might just survive this high up.
M3 Aminishiki came hard today against M5 Takamisakari, probably aiming for that easy kensho money. Aminishiki moved forward right from the get-go and kept pushing until he got moro-zashi and forced out the one they call Robocop. I'm not sure what to make of this bout, but I think it was more a case of Takamisakari being useless than Aminishiki being strong. Takamisakari's 6-5 record is ambiguous too, but Aminishiki's 3-8 is pretty clear: he needs some time off from the sharks.
How about a little quiz for those of you bored already? Let's say M5 Kokkai were to fight a yotsu wrestler, say Iwakiyama, and say I gave you the name of the kimarite by which the bout was won, uwatenage. Can you predict the winner of the bout? What's that? Iwakiyama, right? I'd answer the same myself, but today Kokkai showed he can do some decent yotsu, when push comes to shove. He blasted with his left shoulder into Iwakiyama's face at the initial charge, and was deflected to his right, grabbing a quick right uwate. All of a sudden, Iwakiyama was in no position to do anything, with Kokkai to his left, and he was thrown off balance by the hairy Georgian with a pull to the back of the head, and finally thrown down to the clay by uwate-nage. Kokkai now stands at 5-6 and might get the critical 8 if he keeps his cool. Iwakiyama is looking bad so far and 4-7 says he's going down.
My favorite little Mongolian (neither little nor favorite for that matter) M8 Kakuryu met fellow countryman Asasekiryu. After taking a hard hit at the tachi-ai, Kakuryu, of course, started retreating and went straight for the pull-down, but it was a half-assed effort with little effect on his more experienced opponent. Strangely enough, Asasekiryu tried everything to keep Kakuryu away from his belt (both of them being Mongolian and all, maybe he knows something I don't, but somehow I doubt he was afraid of going at it yotsu-style with Kakuryu). Anyway, after the failed pulldown, Kakuryu showed some spirited shoves, actually driving his opponent back a few steps. Asasekiryu kept his cool and fought back, surviving a second meek pull-down, until he finally ran his elusive but weak opponent out of the dohyo. This was more cat-and-mouse sumo from Kakuryu, and I tend to think his role-model was Kyokushuzan in his later years. I won't regret his demotion to Juryo one bit, though I might have to wait a while for it (or so his 5-6 record says). Asasekiryu is at a dull 6-5.
A rather uneventful bout faced M6 Tochinonada and M10 Jumonji, who won the Juryo Yusho last basho. Tochinonada hit harder at the tachi-ai, pushing his opponent back and gaining a right uwate which he used to drive Jumonji to the tawara. Jumonji's efforts were futile, and Tochinonada patched up his record to 5-6 with the yorikiri. Jumonji gets make-koshi for his trouble.
The next bout saw M7 Kasugao take on M9 Toyonoshima. Both of them are very technical wrestlers, but the outcome of the bout exceeded any of my expectations. Toyonoshima took Kasugao's charge standing and gained morozashi. The Korean sensed the danger and quickly tried his patented armlock throw, but Toyo countered brilliantly by hooking his right leg from the outside. In the next instant he heaved the Korean into the air for a spectacular back-drop. The powers that be named the kimarite sotogake, but it looked more like a kakezori or a kirikaeshi. Anyway, it was fantastic stuff, and just for this little gem the 9-2 Toyonoshima fully deserves his technique prize. Kasugao is two losses away from make-koshi.
Both M7 Futenoh and M11 Tochinohana came with 7 losses into today's bout, so one of them was going to get make-koshi. It was Tochinohana who "prevailed" in the end, in a race to keep the other from getting the right uwate. Yorikiri and a glimmer of kachi-koshi hope for the Orange Prince, outright demotion for Tochinohana.
The NSK had to dig all the way to M16 to find Takekaze's opponent for today. And they came up with Otsukasa, who provided little competition for the M8. The tachi-ai was honest and strong, both men coming to a brief standstill in the center of the dohyo. Takekaze then produced some quick footwork and thrust down Otsukasa while slipping to the side. Both rikishi are 6-5.
The one thing that stands out in the next bout is the name of the kimarite, sokubiotoshi. Whenever I see that, one thing comes to mind, hair pulling (I wonder why). Anyway, the beefier Tamanoshima had Kakizoe on the run most of the time, and finally got him with a rather spectacular slap-down (or chop-down, but fancy name aside, the sokubiotoshi is nothing more than a hatakikomi in disguise). Tamanoshima secures kashi-koshi while Kakizoe isn't feeling so good at five wins to six losses.
M11 Tamakasuga traded his 7 bout winning streak in for a 4 loss one today (eat your heart out, Bernie). He must be losing steam, the old man, because he tried the cheap pull-down right from the tachi-ai. M13 Kasuganishiki wouldn't fall for it, and he drove the veteran to the tawara in mere moments. Tama dug in hard, but what goes around comes around, so Kasuganishiki just pulled on the back of his head to send him tumbling to the dirt, evening their records to 7-4 each.
Soon to be Juryo Toyozakura got his 3rd win today, following a chaotic and closely contested bout. The things that made is so closely contested were the protagonists' poor balance and defense, and most of all, their complete lack of any offensive skills whatsoever. In the end Toyozakura won by managing to keep Asofuji's right hand away from his mawashi and literally tiring him out to get behind him for the okuridashi. Asofuji gets make-koshi and he too will be back among his people in Juryo come Haru.
Small but feisty M13 Yoshikaze slapped a few good ones on M12 Tokitsuumi's face, but size (or lack thereof) does matter and he soon found himself thrust out by tsukidashi. Tokitsuumi looks set on staying in Makuuchi with his 6 wins so far. The jury's still out on Yoshikaze, but we are moving on.
The other Russian in the division, still a Maegashira only by a fortunate turn of events, had no answer for M15 Ushiomaru's quick charge. I'm not sure what he was trying to do, I didn't detect any pull-down attempts, nor was he trying to get the belt (well, at least he didn't henka). Anyway, all he ended up with was moro-zashi for his opponent, who then forced him out by yorikiri to get his kachi-koshi. Hakurozan hasn't been looking that bad lately and don't be surprised if he gets his 8. Ushiomaru will be hanging around Makuuchi for at least one more basho.
So, what have we to look forward to? Let's see, we have Asashoryu with ten wins already and a healthy lead on all the main contenders (were there any to begin with?). There's also a mouth-watering Kotooshu-Hakuho matchup tomorrow and Toyonoshima threatening for some prizes. Oh, yeah, and Simon's bail hearing is up too, and I really hope he makes it so he can treat us with some day 13 smack.
Mac enlightens you tomorrow, so don't you dare not show up.
Day 10
Comments (Mike Wesemann reporting)
When you were a kid, did you ever do anything stupid like shoot a hornet's nest with a BB gun even though you didn't have anywhere to hide? Put a lit firecracker in a glass jar to see what would happen with the lid closed? Sekiwake Kotomitsuki was as stupid is as stupid does today against the Yokozuna by exhibiting a henka to his right at the tachi-ai in order to grab the right outer grip. Kotomitsuki got it and was standing to the side of the Yokozuna, but Asashoryu showed his greatness by refusing to go down and getting his left arm on the inside to stop the bleeding. With Kotomitsuki's momentum compromised by the henka, he was unable to capitalize on that left outer grip leaving Asashoryu room to force the action back to the center of the ring. Asashoryu immediately went for a maki-kae, but Kotomitsuki fought it off by holding the Yokozuna's wrist away. But Asashoryu would not be denied, and on the second maki-kae attempt, he didn't really even go for a surprise move; rather, he forced that goddamned right arm on the inside and there wasn't nuttin Kotomitsuki could do about it. Now with the morozashi grip, Kotomitsuki was standing upright and on his way back to the tawara having just given Asashoryu a tachi-ai henka. As Asashoryu crouched lower in the morozashi position, it looked to me as if Kotomitsuki just took a dive at the edge rolling in the corner of the dohyo as if he were on fire. I was waiting for the Yokozuna to set something up in retaliation, and I think Kotomitsuki was expecting it too, so he gladly hit the deck with little
 persuasion. I may be wrong here, and Asashoryu maybe did intend the winning kimari-te of yori-taoshi, but Kotomitsuki's fall looked unnatural. With Mitsuki lying in the fetal position in the corner of the dohyo, Asashoryu added a double slap of his ass, a move that he does when he's pissed at an opponent for disrespecting him. What is it with the Sadogatake-beya boys this basho? The Yokozuna moves to 9-1 with the win while Kotomitsuki has managed a 4 bout losing streak.
M1 Kotoshogiku moved slightly to his left against Ozeki Hakuho probably in an effort to grab the quick left outer grip as he knew Hakuho's own left arm would be going for the frontal belt grip. Whatever Kotoshogiku was thinking, it didn't work as Hakuho managed to get his left arm on the inside of Kotoshogiku's right side and wrench him upright. To make matters worse, Hakuho's right arm was at the front of the Geeku's belt, so the Ozeki wisely parlayed that into moro-zashi, which he used to smite Kotoshogiku to the dirt with a wicked scoop throw. Adding insult to injury, Hakuho mounted Kotoshogiku as he fell to the clay probably as a gesture in return for the henka at the initial charge. Afterwards in the back halls of the Kokugikan, Iwasa announcer caught up with
Kotoshogiku and asked him what he was thinking? Kotoshogiku indicated that he wanted to set up a left ottsuke move, but whatever his intentions were, I think he out thought himself today. With Hakuho's suspect condition, Kotoshogiku perhaps could have handled him in a straight up fight. The Ozeki moves to 7-3 and will battle Asashoryu prematurely tomorrow. The Geeku is at a dangerous 5-5...dangerous because he's losing momentum with stupid decisions in the ring.
Ozeki Kotooshu used a slight henka to his left to grab the easy left outer grip of Sekiwake Miyabiyama's belt. This is the kind of sumo we often saw in Aki 2005 when Kotooshu was making that run to Ozeki. I don't like it, but what am I gonna do? With the smothering outer grip of Miyabiyama, you just knew the nage was coming. Miyabiyama can do nothing at the belt against a guy like Kotooshu, so the Bulgarian ended things in short order with the usual throw. Those who have that fetish for seeing Miyabiyama thrown to the clay in all his fat got their fix today. Let's get back the tachi-ai in the final three bouts today. All involved tachi-ai henka to the left and all by Sadogatake-beya rikishi. Thankfully, two of the three list. Can anyone confirm whether or not Sadogatake is translated as monkey see monkey do? Kotooshu advances to 7-3 while Miyabiyama
 drops to an ugly 2-8.
In our only bout between Ozeki, Chiyotaikai showed no mercy for the injured Tochiazuma focusing his tsuppari attack into Tochiazuma's grill. Tochiazuma tried to evade to his right, but this was too easy for Chiyotaikai who thrust Tochiazuma out with ease. Chiyotaikai clinches kachi-koshi with the win and is the only rikishi who deserves to be listed on the leaderboard with Asashoryu. Tochiazuma falls to 4-6 and won't receive any mercy from Asashoryu, so he's can only lose one other bout. We'll see if he can solve Kyokutenho tomorrow.
Speaking of the M3, Kyokutenho must have read my comments yesterday on the tachi-ai henka because he used his left arm to slightly push at Ozeki Kaio's chest before stepping out wide to his right to grab the cheap outer grip. Kaio's giving up a quick uwate to a yotsu-zumo specialist like Kyokutenho spells disaster, and Tenho wasted no time driving the Ozeki back. Kaio's suspect lower back and lower body showed today. When he tried to dig in and stave off the charge, he just collapsed to the dirt. This wasn't cheap sumo from Kyokutenho because a powerful tachi-ai from Kaio would have denied Kyokutenho's initial tactic. Both rikishi are 5-5, and like Tochiazuma, Kaio's competition only gets better from here. It wouldn't surprise me to see two Ozeki kadoban in March.
Major props to Komusubi Roho for not taking the low road and delivering a henka to Dejima's charge when other rikishi have figured out that it's the easy way to win this basho. the Russian met the former Ozeki straight up getting his left arm deep on the inside of Dejima and immediately cutting off Dejima's attempt at the outer grip on the same side. Roho used his strength to stand Dejima upright, and in desperation, Dejima went for a maki-kae with the left arm leaving Roho a powerful left handed outer grip. Roho wasted no time in driving Dejima back to the tawara, and to emphasize the thorough
domination, Roho even read a Dejima evasive maneuver to the left using his left leg to trip at Dejima leaving him nowhere to go but back and down. Wow, this was excellent stuff from Roho, and it leaves me scratching my head why he doesn't go for this every bout. I love to watch Roho's offensive yotsu-zumo; the problem is we rarely ever get to see it. Great stuff today, though, as Roho improves to 3-7. Dejima incredibly shares the same record after his awesome 2-1 start.
Komusubi Kisenosato took complete advantage of Aminishiki at the tachi-ai leading
with a left shoulder and a left arm on the inside. The Kid was able to drive Aminishiki straight back at the tachi-ai grabbing a right outer grip in the process. Aminishiki tried in
desperation to come up with anything at the tawara, but he was completely smothered and forced out with ease. There's nothing more to say the sumo from Kisenosato was so precise. The Kid evens his mark at 5-5, and the Sekiwake rank is his if he can scrape out yet another kachi-koshi. Aminishiki falls to 2-8.
M4 Homasho could never get on track today against M2 Tokitenku. After a stalemate at the tachi-ai, Homasho was attempting the usual burrowing into his opponent's mid-section, but Tokitenku executed a quick keta-guri with the right leg sweeping at Homasho's left leg. The move worked brilliantly. No, it didn't fell Homasho outright, but it forced him to totally
rethink his attack. Tokitenku went for another leg swipe informing Homasho to keep back, and I think it flustered Homasho to the point where Tokitenku nearly dragged him down. With Homasho out of
rhythm yet still trying to tsuppari his way on the inside, Tokitenku managed to burn him at the tawara with a pull down while tip-toeing the tawara as Homasho's midsection slammed to the clay. Both rikishi are now 5-5, but what was interesting is you
could detect the disappointment in the NHK broadcast crew today at the loss. It's obvious that Homasho has been a surprise of late and that expectations are high.
M4 Ama dominated M5 Takamisakari from the tachi-ai today attacking low and driving the Cop back to the tawara in an instant, but in the process, Takamisakari gained a gangly left uwate over the top that he used to stave off the attack and turn the tables nicely (where have were heard that before when talking about Takamisakari?). Takamisakari had Ama on the ropes--well, staring over the rope--where he unleashed an outer belt throw with that left arm grip, but Ama displayed on awesome counter leg trip where he used his right leg on the inside of Takamisakari's left to completely raise Takamisakari's left stump off the ground. The move worked so well that Ama went for it again this time time as an offensive maneuver. With Takamisakari now aware that the right leg was going to counter his every move, he just stood in the center of the ring planning a next move. It would never come as Ama brilliantly went for an uchi-muso move and dragged Takamisakari down to the dirt with the right inner grip. This was Ama's best sumo of the basho without question as he moves to 7-3. It was interesting to see both Tokitenku and Ama fluster their opponents with the threat of a tripping technique in successive bouts. Good stuff. Takamisakari falls to 6-4.
Kokkai, where have you been my man? Today was an awesome display of those double tsuppari that we were so used to seeing so early on in the Georgian's career. M6 Asasekiryu had no answer has he swallowed a nasty dose of Kokkai elbow at the tachi-ai standing him completely upright. Kokkai's de-ashi were perfect from there as he needed one more double strike to push Seki back to the tawara and a final double blast to knock him clear off the dohyo. Sorry Asasekiryu (5-5), Kokkai (4-6) takes the title of sexy today.
You know things are really going bad when you lose to a rikishi you have dominated to the point of having never lost to him. Such was the case with M7 Futenoh coming in against M6 Tochinonada, and Futenoh even managed a right outer grip from a solid tachi-ai, but Tochinonada just charged forward for the easy yori-kiri win. Futenoh needs to learn to pick his nose like a man and just dig in. There was no
resistance whatsoever today as he fell to 3-7. Tochinonada is 4-6.
M7 Kasugao led with his head and immediately went for the right kote-nage throw at the tachi-ai, but M10 Iwakiyama read the move well and stopped the move with a beefy left arm deep on the inside of his opponent. When someone as large as Iwakiyama is as deep as that with his inside grip, you have zero room to move. Kasugao attempted to break the position by circling around the ring, but in the process Iwakiyama grabbed a right uwate and threw the Korean down to the dirt. Like Tochinonada above, this was Iwakiyama's first ever win over Kasugao (5-5). You get burned so many times until you
finally learn what your opponent is going to do. Iwakiyama improves to 4-6.
M8 Takekaze (5-5) completely dominated M11 Tochinohana (3-7) with a strong low charge that stood Tochinohana upright setting him up for the quick offensive pulldown. This was over in seconds and the only things missing were the leather outfits and the whip.
M8 Kakuryu enjoyed the clear advantage from the tachi-ai against M10 Jumonji with a nice nodowa to the throat pushing Jumonji back and then a well-timed counter katasukashi attempt sending Jumonji to the other side of the dohyo. But I think that Martin might be on to something in regards to Kakuryu's sumo. The new Mongolian just didn't seem to have the oomph to finish Jumonji off. Around and around the dohyo the two went with Kakuryu giving chase and Jumonji going for counter pull attempts. Finally, Jumonji (3-7) was just worn out and Kakuryu was able to shove him into the first row. It wasn't as dominating as that. It was more a matter of Jumonji's listless sumo and his being out of shape. Kakuryu pulls even with the win at 5-5.
In a battle between two 7-2 rikishi coming in, M9 Toyonoshima exposed M14 Tamanoshima's rather weak attack by striking nicely at the initial charge and then slapping the veteran Tamanoshima down to the clay. When NHK showed a replay of the bout from above the dohyo, I think I counted 18 of those big red spots on Tamanoshima's back. As much as I respect George, his explanation of magnet pads accounting for those red spots is stupid. Now I really thought his suggestion that those were red crop circles made by aliens was plausible. Magnets shmagnets. I'm sticking with the elves and aliens.
M9 Kakizoe's oshi attack hasn't seemed as well-ground as it used to be. Today he was involved in a wild pushing affair with M13 Yoshikaze where the younger Yoshikaze was actually getting the best of Zoe, but at the edge Kakizoe perfectly timed an evasive maneuver just as Yoshikaze went for the kill. You've seen the move a million times. Kakizoe was able to tiptoe the tawara while Yoshikaze fell face first to the dirt. Both rikishi are now 5-5.
M11 Tamakasuga's name has now officially been removed from the fake leaderboard. Today against M15 Ushiomaru, the two rikishi enjoyed a true shove fest, but the difference was that the Ushi was attacking with solid footing and his back arched just so. Tamakasuga was the rikishi forced to evade this way and that, and his feet were aligned several times which completely takes away a rikishi's balance. The veteran simply couldn't keep up with the sounder sumo being displayed by Ushiomaru, so in the end, he was given a ride off the dohyo. Sorry to burst everyone's yusho hopes, but that eliminates Tamakasuga. Both rikishi are 7-3.
As much as I've been criticizing M15 Asofuji's sumo this basho and saying that he isn't worthy of the Makuuchi division, he showed today against M12 Tokitsuumi that anyone can win if they get the moro-zashi grip. Tokitsuumi (5-5) failed to get any push from the tachi-ai thus giving up the costly grip. This one was over quick as Asofuji moved to 3-7.
The featured bout of the day of course was the Toyozakura - Hakurozan matchup. This one went exactly according to script with M12 Toyozakura coming out with a weak oshi attack while M14 Hakurozan
immediately back-pedaled going for the pull down. Oh, the drama! In the end, Hakurozan was able to keep his foot on the tawara while Toyozakura took an
exaggerated spill to the dirt and a 2-8 record to boot. Hakurozan looks as if he's here to stay another basho at 6-4.
M13 Kasuganishiki employed a haphazard oshi attack against M16 Otsukasa when really Kasuganishiki should have been going
for the belt. Otsukasa just stood in the center of the ring and watched Kasuganishiki dance around until finally he threw the sloppy Kasuganishiki down. Both rikishi are 6-4.
Has M16 Tosanoumi injured that left knee of his? Today against J3 Shimotori, the veteran had no push from the tachi-ai allowing Shimotori to get an early right arm on the inside, which he eventually used for a scoop throw of Tosanoumi at the edge. The veteran falls to 4-6 while Shimotori is the opposite at 6-4.
Martin seeks more hate mail tomorrow.
Day 9
Comments (Mike Wesemann reporting)
As we head into week two, the inevitable is upon us once again. I can stomach Asashoryu winning every tournament, but it gets really old really fast when no one even tries to keep pace with him. I was thinking "what's been the most memorable moment of the basho so far?". The first thing that came to my mind was the story surrounding Ama and his losing his father to a car accident a few weeks ago. But then I realized that Dejima actually beat
the Yokozuna on day 3. The bout didn't readily come to my mind because no one has capitalized from it. Asashoryu is in firm control of this tournament despite the early loss, none of the Ozeki or sanyaku are mounting any sort of a charge, and even Dejima has managed to squander that fast start away with a three bout losing streak late in week one. Things were a lot better when the likes of Tochiazuma and Hakuho were actually yusho contenders. And god forbid that Baruto ever gets into fighting shape again. We've got yet another mess on our hands, so let's start the scrubbin'.
 Starting from today, Asashoryu fights the West Sekiwake and then works his way up the banzuke in ascending order. Of this group of rikishi, I'd say that Miyabiyama is the least likely to topple the Yokozuna. As good as Miyabiyama has been, he doesn't have the speed to contend with Asashoryu, so today was yet again another instance of "let's see how Asa
dismantles the Sheriff today." He did it with an early right inner belt grip and then an eventual left outer grip that he used for a dashi nage throw. The throw attempt failed, but Asa was able to maintain his right inner grip and after gathering his wits for a few seconds, he rushed in for moro-zashi that he used to easily force the Sheriff back and out with. It was quite an uneventful affair, but the Asashoryu - Miyabiyama matchups always are. The Yokozuna moved to 8-1 with the win...and oh yeah, he's now the sole leader of the basho. Miyabiyama falls to 2-7, but hey, at least he didn't get his fat thrown down to the clay as usually happens against the Yokozuna. Let's move on.
Now that we're in week two, we should see an all-Ozeki matchup each day. Before I get to the Chiyotaikai - Kaio bout today, let me back track to the Chiyotaikai - Kotoshogiku bout yesterday. I know it's wrong to have favorites when trying to offer an objective opinion on the bouts, but coming into this bout yesterday, I wanted Kotoshogiku to go out and kick Chiyotaikai's ass. But that was until the Geeku showed the Ozeki up at the tachi-ai. If you don't get the live feed from NHK, you probably missed it, but as the two rikishi lined up at the starting lines, Chiyotaikai was ready to go and gave his opponent that motion of "let's go," but Kotoshogiku decided to implement a stall tactic, one that he probably learned from stablemate Kotomitsuki. As the two reloaded again, Kotoshogiku next jumped the gun twice coming out of his stance early before Chiyotaikai could get set. Chiyotaikai commented afterwards about how those shenanigans really pissed him off, and I don't blame him. It was so gratifying to see Chiyotaikai storm out, bust the Geeku in the chops, and humiliate him in the bout...and I wanted Kotoshogiku to win coming in!! I know these opinions aren't popular with a lot of you--and probably some of my colleagues here--but the Geeku received an old school lesson: don't diss the Ozeki, especially one that has earned his stripes. Now you might ask why does Kotoshogiku have to start when Chiyotaikai says so? He doesn't. It's perfectly fine for the opponent of an Ozeki--or even the Yokozuna--to fail to synch up a the tachi-ai, but once you give the motion that you're ready as Kotoshogiku did
initially and then you stall intentionally throwing the Ozeki off of his timing, watch out. If you are of the opinion that nothing intentional happened prior to that bout, just answer this question: when was the last time Chiyotaikai came out like that against a quality opponent and finished him off without argument? Good to see me and my buddy Chiyotaikai are on the same page with this one. I haven't been on board with his sumo for awhile, but I've stated over and over the last few basho that I love how he's policing the other rikishi and keeping them in line. None of the other Japanese Ozeki are doing this, so I commend Chiyotaikai for his efforts.
Onto the bout today against Kaio, Chiyotaikai's momentum carried over from that bout with the Geeku as his solid thrusting attack was so quick and powerful that Kaio could only withstand it for maybe five seconds. After driving Kaio back from the tachi-ai with perfectly placed thrusts to Kaio's neck, Chiyotaikai switched gears on a dime and pulled Kaio down for the solid win. Chiyotaikai improves to 7-2 with the dominant win while Kaio falls to 5-4.
In yet another Ozeki matchup today, Tochiazuma and Hakuho "treated" us to some of the worst sumo you'll ever see from two Ozeki. Tochiazuma attacked to his left keeping his belt and arse away from Hakuho's favored tachi-ai where he extends that left arm for the frontal belt grip. In this position, the left ottsuke (push to the side near the back of the shoulder) was WIDE OPEN for Tochiazuma, but he couldn't move at all and didn't
capitalize on the tachi-ai. Hakuho, who was let off the hook, stepped to his right and pulled his fellow Ozeki over from the side instead with a rather weak pull attempt, but it was an example of Tochiazuma's being maybe 50% healthy. Hakuho moves to 6-3, so while kachi-koshi seems to be in the bag, he's gotta use these last 6 days to hone his skills and get that ring sense back. Tochiazuma is in trouble at 4-5 with his brutal competition down the stretch. This was really ugly stuff from both parties, injuries or not.
 Takamisakari knew better than anyone that his fast start from the M5 ranks would pair him against much better competition down the stretch. He got his first taste of that today against Ozeki Kotooshu. The two hooked up from the tachi-ai in the gappuri hidari-yotsu position, which means both rikishi have left inners and right outers. Takamisakari made it tempting by forcing the action close to the tawara, but there was no doubt about the
outcome of this bout as Kotooshu demonstrated by slamming the Cop down to the clay with an uwate-nage. Both rikishi stand at 6-3, and this was a great example of the difference between the jo'i and the rank and file.
I mentioned those shenanigan stall tactics at the tachi-ai earlier...well the two masters of these sheningans hooked up today in Sekiwake Kotomitsuki and M1 Dejima, and they didn't disappoint. In my opinion, trying to psyche your opponent out at the tachi-ai only indicates weakness and a lack of confidence in one's ability. After some mental "games" between the two, Dejima rocketed out of his stance and blew the lethargic Kotomitsuki back and out in two seconds flat. Kotomitsuki obviously wasn't ready, but it's his own fault for dinking around at the start. All that does is produce one-sided sumo, which we saw today. Kotomitsuki apparently hasn't learned how to fight Dejima this basho. Either that or he took himself completely out of it from the start with the head games. The Sekiwake has no one to blame but himself as he falls to 5-4. Dejima improves to 3-6.
 The most compelling match of the day featured Komusubi Kisenosato and M1 Kotoshogiku, the two rikishi who currently provide the greatest hope for Japan. Thankfully, they didn't disappoint even though the bout lasted about 5 six seconds. The two hooked up in another gappuri hidari-yotsu position with Kisenosato making the first move by driving Kotoshogiku back to the tawara. At the rope, Kisenosato wasted no time by attempting a throw with his outer grip, but Kotoshogiku had the gumption on his way down to reach for the back of Kisenosato's leg in watashi-komi fashion to try and trip his opponent down or out first. He wasn't able to pull the move off, but it did take some of the sting off of Kisenosato's initial domination. I thought this was a perfect example of the current ability of the two rikishi. As I mentioned in my pre-basho report, I think Kisenosato is slightly better, and today was a perfect
demonstration why. He just has this fire and edge to him that gives him the slight advantage over his peers. This was great sumo from both parties, and I can't gush enough about these two rikishi. At 4-5, Kisenosato's competition will go down hill from here while Kotoshogiku at 5-4 still has a great shot to
rightfully take over Roho's Komusubi slot.
Speaking of Komusubi Roho, he actually looked good today against M2 Tokitenku where the two hooked up in the gappuri migi yotsu position from the tachi-ai, which means the stronger rikishi usually wins. Such was the case today where Roho had Tokitenku forced out fairly easy in the belt contest. Roho picks up only his second win, but he can make that look more respectable in week two. Tokitenku falls to 4-5, and I've really been disappointed with his henka tactics coming into this bout.
In the Maegashira ranks, M4 Homasho continues to surpass my expectations of him. I saw a glimpse of greatness in this rikishi over two years ago as a non-sekitori...I just didn't think he would look this good this fast in the Makuuchi division. He opened up today's bout against M2 Aminishiki with his usual low charge that was fueled by a left outer grip gained at the tawara after driving Aminishiki back straightway. A nifty throw attempt at the edge didn't knock Aminishiki on his arse, but it did set up the easy force out. Homasho dominated the whole way as he moves to an incredible 5-4 while Aminishiki can't get anything going at 2-7.
M6 Asasekiryu gained a right outer grip at tachi-ai against M3 Kyokutenho, but when the larger Tenho showed resistance, Sexy wisely went for a quick maki-kae to get morozashi easily forcing Tenho (4-5) out from there. Asasexyryu moves to 5-4.
M4 Ama used a stiff morote at the tachi-ai against M6 Tochinonada setting up a quick right outer for himself and left inner belt grips for both rikishi. That right outer grip from Ama meant that Tochinonada was enabled his favored left inner grip position, so Ama wisely abandoned that attack backing his fanny away from his opponent opting to push Tochinonada (3-6) back and out with that initial right uwate. Today was a case of Ama never letting his opponent get settled in with that beefy body of his. Ama moves to 6-3.
M7 Kasugao used a nasty tachi-ai henka to his right enabling a quick kotenage throw of M5 Kokkai. This was dirty pool from the Korean who cheaply moves to 5-4 while Kokkai can't catch a break at 3-6.
M7 Futenoh should be ashamed of himself for not being able to get a decent position or belt grip from M8 Kakuryu's tsuppari attack. Kakuryu's shoves were well-timed and well placed, but Futenoh was anything but overpowered. Finally, after 10 seconds Kakuryu ended the funny business by pulling the hapless Futenoh over. Futenoh looked to be standing around (upright of course) like a bump on a log this whole bout and doesn't even deserve his 3-6 mark so far this basho. Kakuryu moves to 4-5.
M8 Takekaze (4-5) scored an easy oshi-dashi victory over the listless M10 Jumonji (3-6). Does Jumonji even care anymore? He made no effort to combat his opponent's attack today. M9 Kakizoe used his usual quick charge and inside attack, but his legs couldn't drive a tricycle today much less M11 Tochinohana (3-6) back, so Tochi just swayed to his left and easily pulled Kakizoe (4-5) down to the dirt.
M11 Tamakasuga looked to bounce back from his first loss with a decent tsuppari attack today, but M9 Toyonoshima was all over it and got on the inside a bit and countered with thrusts of his own that sent Tama-K circling around the perimeter. The younger Toyonoshima was simply too quick for the 35 year old and finished him off quite easily. Both rikishi are now 7-2 and still on that ridiculous leaderboard that NHK has been showing the last few days. I mean, you have guys like Takamisakari, Tamakasuga, Tamanoshima, and Toyonoshima when really you only need two names on there right now: Asashoryu and Chiyotaikai. Kotooshu was on that list yesterday until Ama greased him out of a chance, so as long as I'm on the prowl, let's talk a bit about the tachi-ai henka and how it's ruining the quality of sumo these days.
At the beginning of the broadcast on day 8, NHK flashed back to 1982 showing a bout between two former Yokozuna in Chiyonofuji and Takanosato. I had to laugh at the tachi-ai because neither rikishi squatted a bit and no one's hands went below his knees before the charge...you know, the good old days when they didn't enforce the proper tachi-ai? But as funny as those tachi-ai were, it completely took the henka out of the game. I don't see how anyone who supports the henka can argue that it makes the quality of sumo better. It doesn't by a long shot. How often do we ever see highlights from the past of a bout that
involved a tachi-ai henka? Never. It's a dirty move and everyone knows it. The rikishi know it and squirm like hell when the press asks them about it afterwards. They also can't even look the dude they're giving the chikara mizu to afterwards in the eye. The fans know it's dirty. The venue becomes a library after a tachi-ai henka, and there are sometimes (deserved) cat calls when a foreigner does it. This basho has already been marred by some ugly tachi-ai henka, and we're not even two-thirds in. The problem is the rikishi feel this sense of entitlement with the attitude of "I got screwed by the henka on that day, so I'm going to get my win back by performing it myself." It
 really is a plague in sumo these days that keeps getting passed around and around.
Now I don't complain about anything or talk about a problem without offering a realistic solution. If any of you have read this site for two years or more...first, my sincere apologies, and second...you're going to read this take again. The way you eliminate the tachi-ai henka is to make it a false start. The definition would be if a rikishi's foot steps outside of the imaginary plane (those cool purple dots in my graphic) created by the ends of the starting lines BEFORE he touches his opponent, then it's a false start. You have two judges on the East and West sides of the dohyo that are looking right into the plane, so they could easily make the call. The rikishi could still do that little sly side step to grab the uwate, but they couldn't just jump to the side and slap their opponent down who has just charged into thin air. Sure, it would be a
judgment call, but we all know what kind of tachi-ai I'm talking about. Kotooshu
would have false started against Kisenosato...Ama would have false started against Kotooshu...and Kasugao would have been called for a matta today. I'm telling you...it's a solution that would clean up this sport and make the rikishi actually practice one of the fundamentals of sumo.
Let's pull out the mop and bucket beginning with M10 Iwakiyama, who was too indecisive with his hands at the tachi-ai, so M13 Kasuganishiki (6-3) just backed up a step to his right and pulled Iwakiyama forward and down. This was a shame because Iwakiyama really executed a nice tachi-ai...he just
didn't' capitalize on it. No wonder he's 3-6.
How pathetic was M12 Toyozakura with a tachi-ai henka to his right of M15 Ushiomaru of all rikishi? Well, it was pathetic that he tried to pull the move off but it
was even worse that it didn't work. Then, to add insult to injury, the Ushi stumbled all the way to the tawara, but Toyozakura's attempt to tsuppari him out
after all that failed as well. Thankfully, Ushiomaru (6-3) slapped Toyozakura's sorry ass (2-7) out of the dohyo putting him and all of us out of our misery.
M12 Tokitsuumi (5-4) attempted a quick harite at the tachi-ai and thought of a pull attempt, but before he could finish that nonsense, M16 Tosanoumi had a deep right arm on the inside and a left outer to go along with his usual freight train charge. Rosie O'Donnell (the fat lady) sung from there as Tosanoumi improved to 4-5.
M14 Tamanoshima's lethargic charge was met by the fierce tsuppari of M13 Yoshikaze, whose push-out victory was complete in three seconds. I go back to that leaderboard NHK has been showing of late. A yusho candidate does NOT get his ass handed to him by Yoshikaze.
M14 Hakurozan came with his usual upright tachi-ai and meek pull down attempts against M15 Asofuji. Luckily for Hakurozan, his opponent doesn't belong in the division and after some faux tsuppari and a lost attack by Asofuji (2-7), the Russian managed to grab a left inner grip that he used to swing his opponent down with. Damn, Hakurozan is now 5-4, which means we'll probably have to watch him fight again in March.
Last and certainly least, M16 Otsukasa managed a right arm under J3 Satoyama's left armpit to set up the massive right uwate, but Ostsukasa's not a yotsu guy and this bout dragged on FOREVER with Otsukasa attempting a yori-kiri charge here and there only to rebuffed back into a stalemate. With so much time on my hands during the bout, I popped in the Beatles' Hey Jude and listened to that twice. Next, I went back and read Martin's day 7 report a couple of times, and as luck would have it, just when I returned to the TV set Otsukasa tried yet another yori charge that was countered by a nifty sukuinage throw from the Juryo rikishi. What happened in this bout is that Otsukasa showed Baruto's stablemate and sparring partner the same charge over and over, so finally Satoyama clued in to what was coming and countered the attack for the win. Both rikishi are 5-4.
Since I can't get enough of this, I'm back for more tomorrow.
Day 8
Comments (George Guida reporting)
As fate would have it, nearly one year to the day of my report from Haru Basho 2006, who else but His Excellency Demon Kogure was once again brought back to NHK's guest booth to give his unique insight on today's bouts. Despite the bizarre juxtaposition of the
Demon--"cosplay" gone horribly wrong--sitting next to meat and potatoes Takasago Oyakata, the man knows his sumo and is isn't afraid to call rikishi out on bad sumo either, as you'll read later. Who's next in the guest booth, DJ OZAM?
Two months after the infamous "keta-guri incident", Asashoryu (7-1) opted for straight out domination rather than humiliation of Kisenosato (3-5) with what is becoming his patented lightning fast tachi-ai, immediate moro-zashi grip and unstoppable yori-kiri. A split-second hidari uwate-nage attempt by Kise at the dohyo's edge only served the insolent pup to get an extra-savage shove into the front row.
A slow motion, brontosaurian tachi-ai between two Ozeki heavyweights saw Hakuho denied yet again his left grip. Despite allowing Kaio to secure a migi uwate, Hakuho countered with and offset any advantage Kaio initially had with a migi uwate of his own. I would have liked to have seen more fight from Kaio. Hakuho's yori-kiri seemed too easy. Things still aren't all there for Hakuho. Even his big grizzly bear swipes from the past few years seem to be missing that "thud" of yore.
 Ozeki Chiyotaikai was a juggernaut on methamphetamines today, blowing out an unprepared M1 Kotoshogiku, who after two false starts could barely advance half a step from the tachi-ai before being steamrolled by one of the fastest oshi-dashi wins you'll ever see. Kotoshogiku is technically still in the hunt at 5-3 while Chiyotaikai leads all Ozeki at 6-2.
It's sad to see such an anticlimactic finish to two of sumo's most talented rikishi when M4 Ama resorted to another henka. The Demon took Ama to task from the announcer's booth, reminding the skilled Mongolian that last year Ama made a promise to never henka. Ama, with an "Aw shucks" grin, argued that it wasn't a henka, but rather that he was merely attacking from the side, which is about almost as good of a euphemism that you're going to get for a henka, one that I think Bernie would love to use in the future. Both underachievers (at least for this basho) fall to 5-3.
Tochiazuma's struggling something terrible this basho. M2 Aminishiki (2-6) is a pitiless, mechanical automaton that cares nothing for Tochiazuma's woes. Witness the hidari ottsuke to set Tochiazuma off balance, plus the constant tinkering, grabbing and wrenching 葉hink a modified collar-and-elbow tie-up葉hat Aminishiki thrives on, constantly searching for that chink in the armor of san'yaku rikishi. Add a well-placed kata-sukashi to steer Tochiazuma's neckless head into the dirt while simultaneously hooking his left arm and you have Tochiazuma batting .500 at the halfway mark. Tochiazuma was never in this bout from the get go, and you wonder how he's going to fare with a steady diet of Ozeki on his plate heading into Week 2.
Miyabiyama (2-6) needed only a few half-hearted tsuppari to expose Roho (1-7), setting him off balance and getting deep from Roho's left to toss him with a nifty sukui-nage. Takasago Oyakata suggested that Roho is overthinking his opponent's moves before the tachi-ai, thus leading to poor sumo and an almost guaranteed return to Maegashira ranks.
M2 Tokitenku (4-4), with a bit of luck, capitalized on a locomotive tachi-ai from Kotomitsuki, who simply came in too strong and fast for his own good. Toki was clipped at impact, but Koto's momentum carried him right to the edge of the bales, where the Mongolian pounced on the Sekiwake and needed nothing more than a light slap on the back of Koto Blitzed on Whiskey for the tsuki-otoshi win and keeps a potential san'yaku berth still at play.
Like an airborne virus, it seems everyone is catching the henka bug at Ryogoku Kokugikan. M5 Kokkai (3-5) caught it too, but whiffed on his henka attempt, allowing M1 Dejima to regain his balance and regain his composure as the two gargantuans settled for a lazy tie-up at the center of dohyo. (There should be an unwritten rule that a botched henka immediately forfeits all henka privileges for the following three basho.) After a few seconds of this, Kokkai went supernova, bum rushing Dejima (2-6) in an impressive display of pure leg drive and upper body strength, even more remarkable as Kokkai's hands were forced awkwardly in a "Stick 'Em Up!" position as Dejima cranked an ultimately futile frontal grip on his mawashi.
M4 Homasho (4-4), favoring his Sequoia that poses as a left leg, displayed gutsy "nebari" at the bales, stuffing a kote-nage and a migi uwatenage from M3 Kyokutenho (4-4) before trying a desperation tsuri-dashi of his own until a frustrated Kyokutenho resorted to just pushing the youngster out via oshi-dashi.
Nobody takes punishment with more flair and dramatics than M5 Takamisakari (6-2), who eats tsuppari like a Rock 'N Sock 'Em Robot, with the whiplash neck-thrashing, the gyrations, the shakes, spasms and quivers and what not. M8 Kakuryu (3-5) discovered that sumo's true eccentric can give as good he gets, hooking Kakuryu's left arm underneath for a deep migi yotsu and then wrenching him around at the bales until the young Mongolian crumbled, underestimating Taka's strength as many a rikishi foolishly do.
M11 Tamakasuga (7-1) failed to make kachi-koshi today, despite deft footwork and solid sumo fundamentals. The problem is M8 Takekaze (3-5), shorter and with an even lower center of gravity, makes for a difficult stylistic match-up for everyone's favorite blue-collar rikishi. After lots of chasing each other round with the close quarters sumo that both rikishi prefer, Tamakasuga lost his patience and charged in too low and recklessly, allowing Takekaze to sidestep and be in position for the oshi-dashi win. Tamakasuga shares the leader board with Asashoryu and Tamanoshima.
The mysterious red crop circles that Mike witnessed on Day 6 reappeared today on the back of M14 Tamanoshima (7-1) who, in one of the better bouts of the day, finally applied a wrenching shitate-nage on M10 Iwakiyama (3-5) after failing to force the big lug out on numerous yori-kiri attempts in a satisfying "power sumo" match up. By the way, those circles can most likely be explained as the result of sticking magnetic circle pads on your back, an increasingly popular remedy that pro athletes use for sore and stiff muscles.
In other bouts that need only one sentence to describe them, M13 Kasuganishiki displayed sound suri-ashi (see Mike's comments on Day 6) to neutralize the tsuppari of M12 Toyozakura (2-6) to pick up win No. 5 via oshi-dashi.
M12 Tokitsuumi (5-3) secured moro-zashi grip instantly on M15 Ushiomaru (5-3) to usher "Baby Fat" out with textbook yori-kiri.
M15 Asofuji (2-6) (far more compassionate and loving than his brother Aminishiki) fell prey to M11 Tochinohana's (2-6) hataki-komi, despite a very stubborn migi frontal grip on Tochi's belt.
Mike brings the noise tomorrow. Be there.
Day 7
Comments (Martin Matra reporting)
Welcome, people, to the seventh day 2007 Hatsu Basho chronicle. Remember what was happening in sumo this time last year? Early losses by Asashoryu, Tochiazuma on a rampage, a solid Hakuho chasing that Ozeki promotion--the 2006 Hatsu had a lot of promise and it delivered. But what about this year, hmm? Well, for me anyway, the most exciting moment so far was, of course, that fairy-tale tsunami-taoshi Dejima destroyed the almighty Yokozuna Asashoryu with. As most of you already know, I'm not exactly Asashoryu's biggest fan, but that's irrelevant, as in terms of excitement, there's nothing better than the Yokozuna losing early (it gives us the illusion that the Yusho is still actually in contention). Asashoryu declared after the bout that he was expecting a matta, but I think it was more a case of vanity and underestimation from the Yokozuna's part: seeing Hakuho lose straight on the day before, he thought he could stop the train and, of course, he was run over. Unfortunately for Dejima, he suffered some unhappy losses due to overcommitment, and he's now forced to watch that Shukun-sho shamelessly walk away. How about the Yusho then? Even I can call this one: Asashoryu can stretch that thick arm and pat himself on the back for reaching number 20 and joining the elite (and for causing Taiho some serious agitation).
Ozeki Kotooshu has been the black sheep of the basho so far, mainly because of that nasty, no, shameful, no, no, no--what's the word I'm looking for--that EVIL henka against Komusubi Kisenosato on day 1 (And I'm perfectly aware that poisonous hate-mail will start pouring from the Bulgarian fans; Ha! Bring it on, Bulgarian fans!). 1% of me is happy for Kotooshu, because he has now defeated his tormentor three times in a row, but the other 99% has a message for the Bulgarian: My man, the henka is stinky, no good. Stop doing it, for God's sake! (And you might throw in a little victory over Asashoryu as well this time, for old times' sake, eh?). I think Mike made a good point in his comments, so I won't waste anymore time on this subject.
Let's move on to today's action then. M15 Asofuji was not at all impressed by Katayama's uncanny ability of touching ceilings with the soles of his feet and rushed a solid right inside grip at the tachi-ai. Katayama stood his ground and eventually managed to get the left uwate. He then seemed to get the upper hand and took Asofuji to a tour of the dohyo, while Asofuji tried to throw him some three times, unsuccessfully. Katayama moved in for the kill, but Asofuji held on long enough for the pair to throw each other simultaneously. A torinaoshi ensued, and things went somewhat similar at the tachi-ai, with Aminishiki's brother going straight for the belt grip with his right hand. This time he got an uwate, but Katayama turned the tables on that, only to be thrown out in style moments later. Yes, you read right, I just mentioned Asofuji and style in the same sentence, and for good reason, as this bout was one of the most entertaining of today and it showed that good sumo can occur this low in the division also, and Clancy was right about us not giving it enough attention when it really deserves it. To wrap it up, Asofuji is 2-5 after the win and stares Juryo relegation in the face, while his victim is already in Juryo, so there's no point for us to worry about his 3-4 record.
M15 Ushiomaru is proving to be quite a hard slab of butter this basho. Today, against M13 Kasuganishiki, he produced a powerful charge that drove his foe a large step back. On Kasuganishiki's quick rebound attempt, Ushiomaru secured moro-zashi by pushing the right arm out of the way, and from there victory was just a formality. Yoritaoshi and a solid 5-2 for the M15. Kasuganishiki is at an uneventful 4-3.
M12 Tokitsuumi was roughed up today by M16 Otsukasa, after a tachi-ai that seemed to favor pretty-boy (What? MY comments are gay? Have you even read Bernie's day 5 report?). Driven back, Otsukasa kept his cool, dazed Tokitsuumi with a couple of well-aimed double tsuppari to the jaw, changed momentum in his favor and drove his hapless opponent out before he knew what hit him, finishing the job with some frantic gaburi-yori. Both rikishi are now at 4-3.
And here we are, looking at the sole leader of the Makuuchi division. Who would have thought Tamakasuga might start 7-0 after being beaten to a pulp only four months ago in Tokyo? I'm really asking myself, how can anyone just destroy the lower echelons of the division so convincingly and get prison-raped so badly by the jo'i? Is the difference between the two that big? Well, Tamakasuga is living proof of that, isn't he--Let's see, I was talking basho excitement earlier, and some of you noticed I didn't say anything about the hero of this paragraph. How would a cool 10-0 start sound, would that do it for you? 'Cause it sure would do it for me, even if Tamakasuga would get a lot of tougher opponents towards the end of week two. In fact, tougher opponents might make things even more interesting, with the 35 year-old riding the wave and collecting a few valuable
 scalps for a nice Kanto-sho. Well, I say he can do it, and I fully expect 11 wins from him. M16 Tosanoumi was the victim today, and his once feared tachi-ai didn't help him either. Tamakasuga took the charge with a good low stance and softened Tosanoumi's advance with the right hand to his shoulder. Afterwards, he kept the other veteran at bay with some fierce tsuppari that eventually withered Tosanoumi, so Tamakasuga took him off balance with a push to the left side of his head while quickly moving to his right. A second helping of stiff thrusts wore the veteran out, and Tamakasuga just got out of the way before Tosanoumi crashed out of the dohyo to an unflattering 2-5 record this low on the banzuke. Maybe it's time to retire, old man.
M14 Tamanoshima is also cruising through the lower layers of Makuuchi, but you'd have to expect that from such a skilled wrestler who only got there because of injury in the first place. The only dent in his current 6-1 record comes from a bad decision he made on day 4 against the bulky Ushiomaru, who quenched his meek pull-down attempt to drive him out convincingly. Today Tamanoshima took on M10 Jumonji, who tried to keep the former Sekiwake away from his belt so badly that he found himself out of the dohyo in a matter of seconds. A win that showed good strength still flowing through Tamanoshima's lower body and sent Jumonji to his fourth loss.
Up next is a bout that promised to be very ugly at first. Let's see, you have Iwakiyama, currently in a much "deserved" M10 spot, a big guy with probably the poorest balance in the division, and a balding Russian, nominee to the Sumotalk Ugly Prize, Kyushu 2006 Edition, by the name of Hakurozan who would have been in Juryo now, had it not been for several favorable twists. What should you get? That's right, a straight up |
