Asashosakari

Generally, matching up rikishi with different records means that the guy with the worse score should have the better ranking. They seem to aim for a difference of about 15 to 20 ranks as the sweet spot (as was seen in those two 5-0 vs 4-1 pairings), but of course there's not always an appropriate rikishi available in that range. So we've got: Sd1w Aron Sd4e Enho Sd7w Chiyodaigo Sd8w Noda (can only face Daikosho) Sd15w Yamato Sd25e Kirinryu Sd26e Soma My guess would be Sd32e Daimasakari - Sd15w Yamato and Sd36w Daikosho - Sd25e Kirinryu, but there's no obvious answer here. Down in Jd/Jk, Daikisho also needs an opponent and might actually face Ai, who almost certainly would have been his opponent if Ai had won his 5-0 vs 4-1 bout.

I managed to have back-to-back days in Toto in which I was the first player below the line, and then the last one above. If anyone's ever wondering why "my" games see KK players promoted so aggressively, not wanting to be like that was one of the primary reasons I set it up that way. No newcomer to the games should be expected to essentially sign up for a lifetime career just to get anywhere relevant on the banzuke.

The Day 12 matches for the seven contenders after Day 10: M3w Oho (8-2) - M1w Kirishima (7-3) M14w Kinbozan (9-1) - O1w Hoshoryu (7-3) O1e Kotozakura (4-6) - M11w Takerufuji (8-2) M5w Chiyoshoma (8-2) - O2w Onosato (7-3) That's one intra-sanyaku match scrapped for both Hoshoryu and Kotozakura, each has four opponents left for now just three days. (Ozeki matchups plus Kotozakura vs WMH & Daieisho, Hoshoryu vs WMH & Abi.)

Day 10 - Results new KK: Hitoshi, Takakento, Kitaharima, Asashiyu, Kawazoe, Enho new MK: Fujiazuma Another excellent round with 17 wins and 8 losses, two of them head-to-head (Tochimaru over Yuma and Daishomaru over Fujiazuma). Kaisho's quest for a return to juryo from the lowest possible rank was unfortunately ended by newcomer Ishizaki - he's facing Tsushimanada next, who did manage to protect his unbeaten record, albeit only after surviving a mono-ii and subsequent torinaoshi. Yago is likewise 5-0 in jonidan but will now meet by far his toughest challenge so far against recent low makushita competitor Raiho. Hitoshi enjoyed a great pair of days on the dohyo, first defeating makushita top-ranked prospect Wakanosho for his kachikoshi and then tacking on another win up in juryo. He's not that close to securing the promotion yet - as many as 7 rikishi might still finish ahead of him - but he has built up an excellent base that could already be enough if the other contenders' results go his way, and almost definitely will be sufficient if he finishes 6-1. Also in the promotion zone: Akua held off makekoshi again but still needs more at 2-3, Kotokuzan improved to 3-2, and Kazekeno continued to alternate losses and wins to find himself 2-3 now. Akua and Kazekeno will be meeting on Day 11 so one of them will definitely fall out of contention. Three rikishi - Tochimaru, Tenshoho and Takakento - were successful just below the zone, and Takakento's kachikoshi record could already be enough to secure a spot in the top 5 ranks for March. Chiyomaru fell short of that for now. Further down the Miyagino/Isegahama duo of Kawazoe and Enho managed to pick up their kachikoshi, but they will surely have their sights set on finishing 6-1 to earn a big boost up the rankings. Conversely it's a 1-4 record for Fujiazuma and another trip to sandanme might beckon if he doesn't find at least one more win (and he may need two). Asanowaka arrested his slide and finally isn't winless anymore. All three sandanme/jonidan dwellers not named Enho or Yago stand at 2-3. Rank Shikona Heya Record Hatsu 2025 Results Ms1w Kazekeno Oshiogawa 2-3 X O – – X – O – X – Ms2e Kotokuzan Arashio 3-2 O – X – O – X – O – Ms2w Akua Tatsunami 2-3 – X X X – – O – O – Ms3e Onosho Onomatsu intai – – – – – – – – – – Ms4w Hitoshi Oitekaze 5-1 X – O – O – O – O O Ms7e Tochimaru Kasugano 3-2 – O – O – X X – – O Ms7w Tenshoho Isegahama 3-2 – X – O – O – X – O Ms9w Takakento Tokiwayama 4-1 – O – X – O – O O – Ms10e Chiyomaru Kokonoe 3-2 O – O – X – – O X – Ms12e Yuma Onomatsu 2-3 X – O – – X – O – X Ms14w Tochimusashi Kasugano 2-3 O – X – X – – O X – Ms15w Kaisho Asakayama 4-1 – O O – O – – O X – Ms24w Kitaharima Yamahibiki 4-1 O – – X O – O – O – Ms34w Daishomaru Oitekaze 2-3 X – X – – O X – – O Ms36w Fujiazuma Tamanoi 1-4 X – X – – X O – – X Ms38w Tsushimanada Sakaigawa 5-0 O – – O – O – O O – Ms40w Asashiyu Takasago 4-1 – O – X O – – O O – Ms41w Asanoyama Takasago kyujo – – – – – – – – – – Ms48w Asanowaka Takasago 1-4 – X X – X – – X O – Ms49w Chiyosakae Kokonoe kyujo – – – – – – – – – – Ms51e Nionoumi Yamahibiki 3-2 – X O – – X O – – O Ms53w Chiyonoo Kokonoe 0-2-3 – X X – – – – – – – Ms58e Asagyokusei Takasago 0-3-2 – X – X – X – – – – Ms60e Kawazoe Isegahama 4-1 – O – O O – X – O – Sd4e Enho Isegahama 4-1 – X O – – O O – O – Sd20w Kyokutaisei Oshima intai – – – – – – – – – – Sd39w Amakaze Oshiogawa 2-3 – X – O X – X – O – Sd71w Dairaido Takadagawa 2-3 X – – O O – X – X – Jd19w Yago Oshiogawa 5-0 O – O – – O – O O – Jd43w Yoshiazuma Tamanoi 2-3 O – O – – X – X X –

BTW, is it just me or does it look as though the likelihood of an 11-4 yusho line is actually rather high now? To get at least one 12-3 record: Kinbozan needs to go 3-2 or better Oho, Chiyoshoma or Takerufuji need to go 4-1 or better Hoshoryu, Onosato or Kirishima need to go 5-0 It doesn't feel inconceivable that all seven might fail their respective targets.

Big carnage among the lower-rankers on Day 10 ahead of all these Day 11 pairings; of the 8 contenders ranked lower than M3, only Takerufuji won today (head to head against IYM, so somebody had to win). Of the five high-rankers, only Daieisho lost (again, head to head with another contender in Hoshoryu). We've gone from 13 rikishi with at most 3 losses to just 7 now. That went from high to low.

They've gone with a variation on suggestion 2, putting the middle Oitekaze rikishi against a 4-1 opponent and the lowest one against Ikarigata. I suppose that makes sense from the "matching the nearest opponents available" angle. Ms38w Tsushimanada - Ms8w Ishizaki Ms44e Mudoho - Sd1w Aron Sd32e Daimasakari - Sd8w Noda Sd35w Daiyusho - Sd15w Yamato (4-1) Sd80TD Ikarigata - Sd36w Daikosho Jd37w Raiho - Jd19w Yago Jd47e Hokutoyoshi - Jd60w Sekimoto Jd71e Ojiyama (4-1) - Jd89w Ai Jk13w Gonosho - Jk4w Daikisho No free pass to 6-0 for Gonosho after all, he'll certainly be the underdog against mid-makushita experienced Daikisho.

Onosato with the Aoiyama memorial victory today. Kinda yesterday, too, but today's looked even more like how Big Dan used to do it. I don't think I agree with the negative reactions posted above; sure, it's not what we've come to think of as "Onosato's sumo", but that could be an excellent long-term backup weapon if he refines it further, especially since we know he's got the footwork for it. (Kakuryu's another one who was always a threat while moving backwards, of course with different angles because he didn't quite have the height to pull from above.)

Wow, some aggressive match-making for Day 11. Every non-joi rikishi that's 6-3 or better has been shuffled up. M12w Onokatsu (6-3) - M3w Oho (7-2) M2e Tobizaru (5-4) - M15e Hakuoho (6-3) M10e Tamawashi (6-3) - M1w Kirishima (6-3) K1e Abi (5-4) - M6w Ichiyamamoto (6-3) M11w Takerufuji (7-2) - S1w Daieisho (6-3) S1e Wakamotoharu (2-7) - M6e Takayasu (6-3) M14w Kinbozan (9-0) - O2w Onosato (6-3) M5w Chiyoshoma (8-1) - O1w Hoshoryu (6-3)

The real reason is that it wasn't considered particularly important to crown new yokozuna for the first 250+ of those 400 years. The sport's been averaging a yokozuna every 2 and a half years or so under modern conditions, which is hardly that far off from other professional sports. The men's and women's tennis rankings have been running for around 50 years (since 1973 and 1975 respectively), and each has seen 29 different players in the #1 spot. Men's golf has had 25 different #1's in just about 40 years (since 1986). Snooker has had 12 in 50 years, although for a large part of that they only updated the ranking officially once a year. (There have been 6 in the 15 years since they switched to frequent updates.) The mechanics of how an athlete will be crowned "the best" may be very different from sport to sport, but the overall competitive environments at the top of the heap don't actually differ that much between most individual pro sports that can be considered sufficiently mature. There were quite a few other yokozuna who got in with worse (or at least not better) results than Futahaguro did, including some who either had won no yusho at all before promotion or none as ozeki. Life went on just fine. The "problem with Futahaguro" wasn't particularly the standard that his promotion was decided by, it was that his career did not get to unfold as expected. It's highly unlikely that he would have ended his career yusholess if he'd been able to see it through rather than getting thrown out at age 24. Even if he had won just one yusho as yokozuna before his involuntary exit he'd now just be known as "that asshole", not "that infamous asshole". And consequently what they practically did about the promotion standards afterwards was nothing but a hysterical overreaction, one that they've thankfully slowly walked back from. In any case, the big sticking point during the discussions about Futahaguro's impending promotion wasn't even his competitive merit, it was already his alleged behavioural deficiencies.

Day 7 Playlist Does not include any videos of matches already featured as part of the Round 4 yusho races. Jd55e Shinseido (1-2) Wakasa Jd57w sumo or dance? Jd46w Kosei (1-2) Daitengu Jd40w [kimarite: isamiashi] I agree, that kimarite call felt a bit unfair Jd19e Niiya (2-1) Genbumaru Jd21e (double torinaoshi) Jd20e Fujiyuho (1-2) Shoran Jd16w another slightly confused rikishi Jd18e Fujimusashi (0-3) Masakifuji Jd13w I was convinced the mono-ii would go the other way... Sd67e Gonowaka (2-1) Nishikinoryu Sd66w ...and suddenly, from the jaws of victory... Sd37e Sachinofuji (2-1) Hayashiryu Sd38e Sd33e Asatenmai (2-1) Akitoba Sd36e big amplitude on that throw Sd24w Kojikara (1-2) Kotonofuji Sd21w [kimarite: kubihineri] Sd11w Mikazuchiyama (2-1) Chiyodaigo Sd7w Sd4e Enho (2-1) Ryusei Ms59w a bit of vintage Enho Ms46e Shuji (2-1) Oshoryu Ms48e Ms35w Narutaki (2-1) Wakatakamoto Ms33w Ms14e Kotokenryu (2-1) Kyokukaiyu Ms16e

Lower division yusho races (Day 9 results, videos) 5-0 Ms8w Ishizaki (Takasago) 4-1 Ms15w Kaisho (Asakayama) 4-1 Ms18e Asakoki (Takasago) 4-1 Ms27e Fukai (Takasago) 5-0 Ms38w Tsushimanada (Sakaigawa) 5-0 Ms44e Mudoho (Otake) 4-1 Ms54w Sazanami (Isenoumi) 5-0 Sd1w Aron (Nakamura) 5-0 Sd8w Noda (Fujishima) 4-1 Sd25e Kirinryu (Nishonoseki) 5-0 Sd32e Daimasakari (Oitekaze) 5-0 Sd35w Daiyusho (Oitekaze) 5-0 Sd36w Daikosho (Oitekaze) 4-1 Sd53e Daishinkai (Otake) 4-1 Sd60e Goseizan (Takekuma) 4-1 Sd70w Takashoki (Tokiwayama) 5-0 Sd80TD Ikarigata (Isenoumi) 4-1 Jd5e Wakaterumoto (Shikoroyama) 4-1 Jd15w Gonoumi (Takekuma) 5-0 Jd19w Yago (Oshiogawa) 4-1 Jd31w Akatora (Shikihide) 5-0 Jd37w Raiho (Isegahama) 5-0 Jd47e Hokutoyoshi (Hakkaku) 4-1 Jd56e Asasorai (Takasago) 5-0 Jd60w Sekimoto (Onomatsu) 4-1 Jd71e Ojiyama (Tagonoura) 4-1 Jd84e Wakahizen (Shibatayama) 5-0 Jd89w Ai (Takadagawa) 4-1 Jd97e Fujinoteru (Onoe) 5-0 Jk4w Daikisho (Oitekaze) 5-0 Jk13w Gonosho (Takekuma) Bottom-ranked Gonosho doing the expected thing and beating two 1-win opponents has whittled down the field from 61 3-0's to a convenient 16 5-0's, but it's far from a straight-forward bracket. We should hardly expect 6 undefeated rikishi in the sandanme division now that it's down to just 80 ranks, but Aron (never KK'd above his current rank) took out an opponent from makushita and newcomer Ikarigata did the same somewhat less surprisingly with his jonidan aite. On top of that we've got the Oitekaze trio in the middle who collectively forced their way into getting lower-than-usual opponents and took full advantage of that, so we've got the amusing situation that there are 5 zensho rikishi in the sandanme upper half and only one in the lower (and he's technically not even ranked). I'm a bit puzzled how they're going to proceed for round 6 now. The straight schedule would be this (Oitekaze guys in bold since they're the problem here): Ms38w Tsushimanada - Ms8w Ishizaki Ms44e Mudoho - Sd1w Aron Sd32e Daimasakari - Sd8w Noda Sd80TD Ikarigata - Sd35w Daiyusho Jd19w Yago - Sd36w Daikosho Jd47e Hokutoyoshi - Jd37w Raiho Jd89w Ai - Jd60w Sekimoto Jk13w Gonosho - Jk4w Daikisho I cannot see for my life that they'll actually make that Yago-Daikosho matchup; that's a 63 rank distance which pushes the limits of what they're even willing to do in 6-0 pairings, let alone in a 5-0 like here. Possible solutions: Mudoho gets a 4-1 opponent, Aron gets shuffled into the sandanme part of the schedule where we'll get Oitekaze vs not-Oitekaze x3, Jd/Jk get adjusted. (b) Ishizaki gets a 4-1 opponent, Tsushimanada and Mudoho face off, rest as above. Lowest-ranked Oitekaze rikishi Daikosho gets a 4-1 opponent, the other Ms and Sd matches stay as-is, Jd/Jk get adjusted. Both Daiyusho and Daikosho get 4-1 opponents, Ikarigata goes against Yago. And maybe other options yet that I can't think of right now. The first two options would obviously also require a second 1-loss opponent getting inserted into the bracket somewhere, presumably with Gonosho being lucky again. In any case, depending on how this shakes out we might get a real surprise winner in jonidan. Obviously Yago and Raiho are the runaway favourites considering the other three unbeaten jonidan rikishi have never been above lowest sandanme, but there's a real chance that either a) both could get eliminated by Ikarigata, or b) one of them gets eliminated head-to-head and then Ikarigata ousts the other. Makushita is almost as confusing (as Oskanohana touched on above) though I'm hopeful that Mudoho can take care of business against Aron - if that match actually takes place (see sandanme scenario 1).

Yusho Races Round 5 (Day 9) Jk13w Gonosho (4-0) (3-1) Amamidake Jk2w Jd97e Fujinoteru (4-0) Daikisho Jk4w Jd84e Wakahizen (4-0) Ai Jd89w Jd71e Ojiyama (4-0) Sekimoto Jd60w Jd47e Hokutoyoshi (4-0) Asasorai Jd56e Jd37w Raiho (4-0) Akatora Jd31w Jd19w Yago (4-0) Gonoumi Jd15w Sd80TD Ikarigata (4-0) Wakaterumoto Jd5e Sd70w Takashoki (4-0) Daikosho Sd36w Sd60e Goseizan (4-0) Daiyusho Sd35w Sd32e Daimasakari (4-0) Daishinkai Sd53e Sd25e Kirinryu (4-0) Noda Sd8w Sd1w Aron (4-0) Sazanami Ms54w Ms27e Fukai (4-0) Mudoho Ms44e Ms18e Asakoki (4-0) Tsushimanada Ms38w [kimarite: sokubiotoshi] Ms15w Kaisho (4-0) Ishizaki Ms8w

Switching smoothly to a 12-3 Onosato yusho prediction! (He was my pre-basho pick for the best-scoring ozeki...) Not that it's hugely likely: Yusho winners who had at least 3 losses by Day 5 Edit: Heh, sorta the same idea that Reonito just posted about.

Yeah, also supported by other older online sources (banzuke.com, Tachiyama and Umegatani at Takayama).