Octofuji

He looks so young in his fatigues!

I'm enjoying this image, but isn't that one of the clearer cases of the dead body "guidelines"? Or at least according to this https://web.archive.org/web/20190820150014/http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0005918769 (Linked from Wikipedia https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shini-tai) Looking at Orora's kimarite he lost by isamiashi four times which is pretty high, it must be pretty hard when you can't see your feet.

@thatsumoguy thanks again for this great resource :) A bug seems to have appeared in the Rikishi Matches API, I noticed today when compiling Makuuchi consecutive tracker streaks (it was fine in September). For quite a few rikishi there is a rogue Makushita result being inserted between on Day 1 of 2024-09. For example for Tamawashi the 16th match is actually a Makushita match between two unrelated rikishi (ID 14 appears for both Tamawashi and Wakanosho): { "bashoId": "202409", "division": "Makuuchi", "day": 1, "matchNo": 8, "eastId": 14, "eastShikona": "Tamawashi", "eastRank": "Maegashira 10 East", "westId": 55, "westShikona": "Roga", "westRank": "Maegashira 10 West", "kimarite": "shitatedashinage", "winnerId": 55, "winnerEn": "Roga", "winnerJp": "狼雅" }, { "bashoId": "202409", "division": "Makushita", "day": 1, "matchNo": 24, "eastId": 45, "eastShikona": "Toshunryu", "eastRank": "Yokozuna 1 East", "westId": 14, "westShikona": "Wakanosho", "westRank": "Maegashira 10 East", "kimarite": "oshidashi", "winnerId": 14, "winnerEn": "Wakanosho", "winnerJp": "若ノ勝" }, The same is true for quite a few others e.g. Daieisho, Meisei, Nishikigi, etc...

I had a lot of those and changed none of the bad ones. But that in itself is an encouragement I guess. Congratulations

They've both had 71 basho in Makuuchi so they can open their own stables

I missed that he'd got a special prize last time. Presumably for beating the Yokozuna since he only got a 9-6. Although I had thought that was just for kinboshi, not for sanyaku.

Sad to see the Mysterious Obligation Dragon go, I loved his tachiai and remember seeing him start a basho a few years ago with two straight kinboshi, before finishing 5-10. I guess typical of his latter career once he got injured. It's good to see him as an oyakata, he comes across very well on the variety TV shows I've seen.

There was this post from Oskanohana in the main basho thread

The other candidate (Takerufuji) also being Japanese of course

I guess the difference is all of these guys have posted double digit wins recently, which is something Takarafuji has hardly ever managed to achieve even when lower down the banzuke. But maybe sustained under-achievement shouldn't be the basis for a special prize.

Yeah I thought as much. Aoiyama had an 11-4 a few years ago and got a prize, but he was theoretically in yusho contention towards the end.

Takarafuji is getting dangerously close to his first double digit win in eight years. Hypothetical I'm sure, but if he does finish 11-4 is there any chance of a special prize, given he's not been in yusho contention?

Shodai is such a comedian :o) Dumping Gonoyama and seamlessly breaking into a little happy dance. And this just two days after falling backwards and rolling over Abi's backside. He's got so much to give!

Wakatakakage has history of henka'ing the previous day's henkaer (Takakeisho the day after he did it to Hokutofuji in Nov 2022)

Yes kotenage occurred to me except they were facing in the same direction

Wakamotoharu put so much into that, his left hand was still finishing the tottari while his right hand was starting the uwatenage! I really enjoyed today's bouts, Endo excepted - two mirror image henkas in a row, he slipped to the right against Shonannoumi and to left against Gonoyama.

I don't know what that kimarite was by Takarafuji but it didn't look like sakatottari (armbar counter throw), since Oshouma wasn't attempting a tottari

Terunofuji https://sumodb.sumogames.de/Rikishi.aspx?r=11927 He won the Yusho as Sekiwake, got promoted to Ozeki, and then won the next basho. He still had to wait until the following basho (where he went 14-1 losing to Hakuho) to get the rope. I don't deny the reality of the feel though - hard to believe now that Takerufuji was (is?) even better than this guy.

Well that was...unusual! Have a emoji as well as the Thank you

After Nagoya 2024 Name Matches Since Current rank Tamawashi 987 2013-07 Maegashira 10 East Daieisho 657 2017-03 Komusubi 1 East Mitakeumi 476 2019-01 Maegashira 3 East Meisei 360 2020-09 Maegashira 6 East Shodai 330 2021-01 Maegashira 4 East Sadanoumi 255 2021-11 Maegashira 11 East Kotozakura 250 2021-11 Ozeki 1 East Nishikigi 222 2022-03 Maegashira 13 West Midorifuji 210 2022-05 Maegashira 8 West Oho 210 2022-05 Maegashira 2 West Ura 195 2022-07 Maegashira 5 East Ryuden 180 2022-09 Maegashira 14 East Abi 165 2022-11 Sekiwake 1 East Gonoyama 105 2023-07 Maegashira 6 West Shonannoumi 105 2023-07 Maegashira 5 West Atamifuji 90 2023-09 Maegashira 2 East Hiradoumi 90 2023-09 Komusubi 1 West Churanoumi 75 2023-11 Maegashira 7 West Ichiyamamoto 75 2023-11 Maegashira 9 East Kotoshoho 60 2024-01 Maegashira 4 West Onosato 60 2024-01 Sekiwake 1 West Takanosho 60 2024-01 Maegashira 1 East Hokutofuji 45 2024-03 Maegashira 13 East Nishikifuji 45 2024-03 Maegashira 17 East Roga 45 2024-03 Maegashira 10 West Kinbozan 38 2024-03 Maegashira 12 West Tobizaru 35 2024-03 Maegashira 1 West Oshoma 30 2024-05 Maegashira 9 West Takarafuji 30 2024-05 Maegashira 15 West Wakamotoharu 20 2024-05 Maegashira 3 West Bushozan 15 2024-07 Maegashira 12 East Endo 15 2024-07 Maegashira 8 East Kagayaki 15 2024-07 Maegashira 11 West Kirishima 15 2024-07 Sekiwake 2 East Takakeisho 15 2024-07 Sekiwake 2 West Terunofuji 15 2024-07 Yokozuna 1 East Wakatakakage 15 2024-07 Maegashira 7 East Chiyoshoma 10 2024-07 Juryo 1 East Asanoyama 0 Juryo 3 West Hoshoryu 0 Ozeki 1 West Onosho 0 Juryo 1 West Takayasu 0 Maegashira 15 East

And one on the right could be Statler from the Muppets

Wakatakakage has achieved more than Tochinoshin had back in 2014 (a yusho plus more than a year ranked at S1E, compared to four losing tournaments at komusubi) so maybe he's being held to a higher standard.

Stunning utchari from Hakuoho v Shishi. If you watch his foot on the tawara it remains utterly motionless until the last moment when he launches himself into the air. Beautiful to watch!

You could even add in Terunofuij. I think you got them all: https://sumodb.sumogames.de/Rikishi.aspx?shikona=&heya=-1&shusshin=-1&b=202407&high=2&hd=-1&entry=-1&intai=-1&sort=1

I remember he sounded so tired in his post retirement interviews, it really brought home how much pain some of these guys have to cope with each day.