Aki 2014 Basho Comments

[Andreas21 188]

Hakuho simply figured Terunofuji out. He is too defensive at the Tachi-ai, too upright - he often got away with it but the master gave him a lesson. Great stuff.

Great how simply Ichinojo disposed of Tochiozan, like a small boy. True, Ichinojo is also of the slower Tachi-ai type, but he is a different body-mass category - he is too vulnerable to henka and the like, he simply can't rush the Tachi-ai. Still, it will not work with the jo-i bunch. Anyway, it amazes me what quick movements Ichinjo is able to make at times.

Great stuff also in the Kisenosato-Chiyotairyu match. He nearly got him but great reactions from Kise.

Great challenge to Harumafuji, Takayasu is finally back. Great stuff also from Kyokotenho and Yoshikaze.

I really enjoyed the show today!

[Jakusotsu 6,049]

Since I didn't see video footage yet, I wonder how a komatasukui looks like ?

Reminds me of the one and only "bout" I ever did for fun with a friend of mine, who was 30 kilos heavier and had no clue about sumo at all. I "won" exactly the same way as Yoshikaze did today (and had no clue what I was doing either B-) ).

[Yasashiryu 16]

Yoshikaze always pulls the exotic/uncommon kimarite, not sure it's premeditated or just "oh crap i'm in dire straits, let me pull a leg or an arm!", regardless, great fun to watch.

Not a fan of Kisenosato but it looks like he's standing way too tall, he has a great abiliy to lower his center of gravity (for a guy of his size) and standing tall like he has done in the past 2 bouts ends up opening lots of space for the opposed rikishi.

Great stuff today specially with Guro's videos now having sound! :D

[Randomitsuki 2,843]

Alex Jones says Mongolian rikishi always lose the first bout against their senpai.

Today, Alex Jones sent me this little table for your convenience. The rows indicate winners, the columns indicate losers. Green is a gachinko bout, and red is a yaocho bout. Comes in very handy!

Click to enlarge.

Edited September 16, 2014 by Randomitsuki

[bettega 431]

Since I didn't see video footage yet, I wonder how a komatasukui looks like ?

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x40a8_prise-de-sumo-komatasukui_sport

[Pandaazuma 1,310]

Bettega: That technique looks a bit saucier than most!

[kuroimori 1,634]

Kyokutenho marches on, getting his scorep (4-0) look like his age (40).

What a story!

[kuroimori 1,634]

Ichinojo doesn't stop when sanyaku level experienced rikishi are thrown at him.

He just disposed Shohozan with an unimpressed kotenage.

If he keeps ploughing through "competition" he will face the current sanyaku in week 2.

Really exciting to watch him rise higher and higher every day.

[Gernobono 467]

kise won at the end, but had to put much effort in his win.....more than an ozeki with a morozashi against a maegashira should have to......

[kuroimori 1,634]

Couldn't see the bout but my maybe not so wild guess would be that Harumafuji thought Yoshikaze's hairstyle needed a little do-over...?

[Propmanoz 1]

kuroimori: You would be absolutely correct. He was hansoku (disqualified) for gripping Yoshikaze's hair.

Can someone tell me what that is called? Is it disallowed to even touch the hair, or is it the grip and pull that's kindan (forbidden)?

[ronnie 221]

Couldn't see the bout but my maybe not so wild guess would be that Harumafuji thought Yoshikaze's hairstyle needed a little do-over...?

I think Harumafuji just took his eye off it!

[Morty 1,505]

That was the best day of sumo I have seen for ages! Absolutely brilliant stuff

[Tsubame 368]

Can someone tell me what that is called? Is it disallowed to even touch the hair, or is it the grip and pull that's kindan (forbidden)?

Touching is no problem, because that accidental can happend to everyone. The grip into the hair (and/or pulling) is not allowed.

[Gurowake 4,107]

It always has seemed a little strange to me that it's a foul to accidentally do something that could be easily prevented from ever happening by just changing from the traditional hair style. It should be possible to maintain the long hair but have it tied back and not be as loose and available to easily be pulled by a hand going over the top of the head. But I doubt there is much of any chance of anything like that.

The number of hair-pull fouls in recent years has risen dramatically, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was due to higher resolution video replay. There were some spikes in some years, but there's clearly an increase in the last several years compared to the previous that were recent enough that kimarite should be available. With the available evidence they can justify the calls of fouls within their interpretation of the rules; previous technology just couldn't provide enough detail to convince them previously. (Or I'm completely wrong and in 2009 they decided to enforce hair-pulls more strictly; I can easily admit that I'm wrong and am just saying what I think is going on).

All the hansoku recorded in the DB, by year.

1955: 1

1957: 1

1968: 1

1971: 1

1972: 1

1980: 1

1990: 1

1991: 1

1992: 3

1994: 2

1995: 1

1996: 2

1997: 4

1998: 2

1999: 1

2000: 2

2002: 2

2003: 8

2004: 3

2005: 1

2006: 2

2007: 2

2008: 3

2009: 9

2010: 1

2011: 5

2012: 10

2013: 8

2014: 7

Of course, the real reason they called that foul is otherwise Harumafuji would have beaten Yoshikaze; that's not allowed to happen.

[Gurowake 4,107]

Can someone tell me what that is called? Is it disallowed to even touch the hair, or is it the grip and pull that's kindan (forbidden)?

Touching is no problem, because that accidental can happend to everyone. The grip into the hair (and/or pulling) is not allowed.

I doubt very many of the 30 rikishi in the last 5 years that lost due to fouls intended to pull on their opponent's hair. It's pretty safe to say in the vast majority of cases they were trying to pull their opponent's head, and their hand slipped into the hair. I'm not going to excuse the behavior as it definitely creates an advantage to accidentally do so when you're not allowed to intentionally do it, but it seems really silly to me. Although if it means that less people try pull-down techniques on their opponent's head, it might be a good thing overall.

[Asashosakari 19,661]

The number of hair-pull fouls in recent years has risen dramatically, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was due to higher resolution video replay. ... (Or I'm completely wrong and in 2009 they decided to enforce hair-pulls more strictly; I can easily admit that I'm wrong and am just saying what I think is going on).

I suspect it's a combination of both - higher resolution TV broadcasting has forced them to enforce the rule more strictly because they'd otherwise get complaints from the viewing audience who can now spot all those hands entangled in the opponents' hair.

[Doitsuyama 1,192]

Tochinoshin beat him twice last basho, who is essentially a rank-and-file maegashira.

I'm still in wait-and-see mode...

Rank-and-file?? This is for me a maegashira who struggles to get into the joi-jin and gets whooped when there. Tochinoshin actually was a joi-jin regular from age 22 to 25, and it wouldn't surprise me if he is even stronger now at age 26 and with a good amount of rest (and looking fully healthy of course).

Now Ichinojo... he is 21 years old, has a body built for sumo and has a 39-8 career record. I'm not sure how strong he is right now but I will be very surprised if he won't be a yokozuna not too far in the future (four years or faster).

[Randomitsuki 2,843]

Ichinojo = Baruto + sumo sense. Could be frightening! :-)

[Shikona 168]

I like what I see so far, but I hesitate to predict yokozuna so early for Ichinojo. Osunaarashi looked unstoppable when he first came into makuuichi; looking pretty stoppable lately. Endo came zooming up, and is finding the joi-jin a whole nother thing. Haven't lost hope for either of them, but at this point who can say? And there was the lad a few years back who on first reaching the joi-jin scored four kachi-koshi in a row. His name is Kisenosato, and whether he makes it to yokozuna still very much in doubt.

[Asojima 2,874]

The number of hair-pull fouls in recent years has risen dramatically, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was due to higher resolution video replay.

AND the increased use of "forward moving(pushme-pullyou)" sumo. It was hard to pull the hair when your hands were on the belt. Edited September 17, 2014 by Asojima

[Asashosakari 19,661]

I like what I see so far, but I hesitate to predict yokozuna so early for Ichinojo. Osunaarashi looked unstoppable when he first came into makuuichi; looking pretty stoppable lately. Endo came zooming up, and is finding the joi-jin a whole nother thing. Haven't lost hope for either of them, but at this point who can say? And there was the lad a few years back who on first reaching the joi-jin scored four kachi-koshi in a row. His name is Kisenosato, and whether he makes it to yokozuna still very much in doubt.

I agree for the most part, but I have to take issue with describing Osunaarashi as looking unstoppable when (or before?) he reached makuuchi. He was able to dominate opponents who couldn't handle his superior physique and his often fairly unorthodox style, but there were also plenty of opponents who did manage to exploit the many holes in his overall package - it's no coincidence that his juryo record was only 20-10 and that he's had his hands full in makuuchi since then. If anything, he's overhyped and underdeveloped, albeit to a lesser degree than Endo. Ichinojo might well be the opposite - for his age and relatively low experience level he's already showing remarkable resilience even when his more experienced opponents start going to plan B. And he's doing it with an almost annoyingly orthodox style, so it's likely to play well even against better opposition.

That's not to say that he's a sure future yokozuna, but I dare say what Ichinojo lacks at this point is a lot easier to acquire just by being active for a bit than what most other recent hopes lack(ed). As they say, you can't teach size and he's got that in spades, but I'd argue you also can't teach ring sense and "sumo instinct" much, and (as Randomitsuki said) he appears to have a good helping of that as well.

Edited September 17, 2014 by Asashosakari

[Masumasumasu 902]

I like what I see so far, but I hesitate to predict yokozuna so early for Ichinojo. Osunaarashi looked unstoppable when he first came into makuuichi; looking pretty stoppable lately. Endo came zooming up, and is finding the joi-jin a whole nother thing. Haven't lost hope for either of them, but at this point who can say? And there was the lad a few years back who on first reaching the joi-jin scored four kachi-koshi in a row. His name is Kisenosato, and whether he makes it to yokozuna still very much in doubt.

Ichinojo is lower body.

Oosunaarashi is upper body.

Oosunaarashi is headed for Kyujo City.

[Vikanohara 171]

Of course, the real reason they called that foul is otherwise Harumafuji would have beaten Yoshikaze; that's not allowed to happen.

Strange record between the two of them, indeed.

Black Sheep

[Gurowake 4,107]

Oosunaarashi is upper body.

Oosunaarashi is headed for Kyujo City.

I certainly agree with the first quoted sentence, and I don't necessarily disagree with the second, but could you (or anyone else) provide some detail or examples as to what you mean? I personally don't see a connection between a strong upper body and getting injured, but I haven't been following the sport very long.