September (Aki) Basho- offical thread (yay..)

[Seiyashi 4,072]

8 hours ago, Tigerboy1966 said:

Guilty pleasure of the the day was Chiyoshoma vs Nishikifuji in juryo. Chiyoshoma eschewed normal tactics and just smacked the kid around the head over and over again until he got dizzy enough to throw. Nasty, cynical, brutal sumo from a man whose hobbies allegedly include biting the heads off kittens. I enjoyed it enormously.

Darn it, it was nowhere near as brutally juicy as you made it sound. I've heard better-sounding harite in the top division. And was that a knee to the balls at the end?! 

[808morgan 805]

7 hours ago, lackmaker said:

.....plus no bombing, petting or diving in the shallow end.

Can you imagine a Chiyomaru or Ichi cannonball off a high dive? 

[808morgan 805]

10 hours ago, Kaninoyama said:

I mentioned it back in January, but I attended a day at this year's Hatsu Basho (pre-corona era), and right as we filed out of the Kokugikan, who was right there making his way to a waiting taxi but Shodai himself. He had won that day and was in the thick of the yusho hunt at that point.

Two things stand out about the moment.

1: Standing right next to him, he was truly massive.

2: He was mobbed by fans and I'm sure tired and hungry, yet he patiently stopped for every single photo and autograph request, of which there were dozens. 

Very happy for the man. 

 

They are bigger than you think, I have stood outside the Kokugikan and watched them come in up close. The guys I thought were smaller are still pretty big. Ichi was huge and Tochinoshin is scary, I would not want to meet him in a dark alley. 

[Kotomiyama 167]

Great finish to a really nice tournament. 

With the old guard retiring, we have now yet another yusho winner. I wonder if November would set a record of most Makuuchi yusho winners in the banzuke: Hakuho, Kakuryu, Takakeisho, Asanoyama, Shodai, Mitakeumi, Terunofuji, Tochinoshin, Tamawashi and Tokushoryu if I am not mistaken.

Edit: I was indeed mistaken, I forgot Kotoshogiku

Edited September 27, 2020 by Kotomiyama

[Washuyama 639]

5 minutes ago, Kotomiyama said:

Great finish to a really nice tournament. 

With the old guard retiring, we have now yet another yusho winner. I wonder if November would set a record of most Makuuchi yusho winners in the banzuke: Hakuho, Kakuryu, Takakeisho, Asanoyama, Shodai, Mitakeumi, Terunofuji, Tochinoshin, Tamawashi and Tokushoryu if I am not mistaken.

Unless he retires, you'll also have Kotoshogiku (albeit probably in Juryo).

Edited September 27, 2020 by Washuyama

[WAKATAKE 2,648]

1 minute ago, Kotomiyama said:

Great finish to a really nice tournament. 

With the old guard retiring, we have now yet another yusho winner. I wonder if November would set a record of most Makuuchi yusho winners in the banzuke: Hakuho, Kakuryu, Takakeisho, Asanoyama, Shodai, Mitakeumi, Terunofuji, Tochinoshin, Tamawashi and Tokushoryu if I am not mistaken.

You forget that Kotoshogiku was also a yusho winner. For the Aki 2020 banzuke we had 10 yusho winners on it. If Geek somehow stays on, we would have 11, but this number will likely not change and we will be back at 10 yusho winners on the banzuke for November 2020

[Washuyama 639]

Just now, WAKATAKE said:

You forget that Kotoshogiku

...  HA!! Beat you by 5 seconds!!  LOL

[WAKATAKE 2,648]

5 minutes ago, Washuyama said:

...  HA!! Beat you by 5 seconds!!  LOL

Lol I'm trying to update the top 10 thread and checking out this forum at the same time

[Yamanashi 3,794]

I wrote this in January 2019.  It's closer to correct than a lot of my opinions.

Imagine a cultural anthropologist finding the Hatsu 2019 final results and trying to deduce the structure of Ozumo from that one piece of data:

     "The strongest wrestlers, or rikishi, are the Sekiwake, as shown in the final win/loss table.  The Ozeki class contains veteran wrestlers who have passed their prime, but continue to hold rank as long as they maintain an 8-win average.  The Yokozuna consists of recently retired rikishi who, as in golf, participate in the first few rounds for the sake of loyal fans, but remove themselves early in order to maintain their health.

     We admit to having no definitive idea what the Komosubi class does.  Although more research is needed, we now believe that this rank contains rikishi who are being punished for some infraction. 

Perhaps the discovery of more banzuke will clarify some of our assumptions." 

[Tsuchinoninjin 1,262]

Congrats Shodai!

[code_number3 698]

9 hours ago, Yamanashi said:

My thoughts exactly. Maybe they're prepping for Oldboy Sumo 2022: Kasugayama (Ikioi) vs Naruto (Kotooshu) and Furiwake (Shohozsan) vs Ajigawa (Aminishiki).

Also Izutsu (Toyonoshima) vs Hidenoyama (Kotoshogiku)

[Philioyamfugi 378]

2 Fish for Shodai !!

 

 

 

[Yokozuna Hattorizakura 151]

It's been a great time for rikishi returning from injury in juryo lately. First Terunofuji, then Meisei, & now Chiyonokuni has won the yusho. Will Ura win in November?

[Eikokurai 3,437]

3 hours ago, 808morgan said:

Tochinoshin is scary, I would not want to meet him in a dark alley. 

I was going to quip that I’d just run away as he’s got no knees, but then I realized that neither do I. :(

[Kaminariyuki 498]

Some excellent matches on senshuraku. Glad to see Enho and Ishiura get a few wins the second week. 

Shodai was a force to be reckoned with and the new kid, Tobizaru, really made a splash. We’ll see how he does in November, further up the banzuke. 

[yohcun 401]

15 minutes ago, Yokozuna Hattorizakura said:

It's been a great time for rikishi returning from injury in juryo lately. First Terunofuji, then Meisei, & now Chiyonokuni has won the yusho. Will Ura win in November?

It's also been a time of fresh makuuchi youngsters free-falling all the way into makushita. Tomokaze, Yago, Takagenji, and now Daishoho

[Yamanashi 3,794]

1 hour ago, code_number3 said:

Also Izutsu (Toyonoshima) vs Hidenoyama (Kotoshogiku)

Now those two would be worth seeing, since I'm sure Giku will heal (just not before he's at Sd45).  They met 42 times on the dohyo; Toyonoshima won the first four at lower ranks, then 28-12 Giku after that.

 

4 hours ago, 808morgan said:

Tochinoshin is scary, I would not want to meet him in a dark alley. 

He has a world-class scowl, especially before a match.  He makes me think of Achilles sulking while the Trojans are beating the crap out of the Greeks at Troy.  More disaster for the Greeks, more scowling ...

[Katsunorifuji 65]

Great basho. Most of my thoughts have already been echoed above but here are a couple takeaways I see. 
 

Congrats to Shodai, big time. For a guy who wasn’t really a household sumo name before January he’s no a yusho winner, an Ozeki, and just maybe a Yokozuna contender. Hoping he keeps this momentum up 

Enho is still pretty early in his career so it’s hard to generalize yet, but I’m getting the feeling we are seeing where his career will play out. The guys in the joi are simply big enough and fast enough that Enho can’t win consistently at his size. But he’s fast enough that those in the lower maegashira ranks can’t beat him consistently. Perhaps this is is sweet spot, a really good wrestler who hangs out in the upper single digit ranks with the occasional jump into joi and the occasionally slip to the higher double digits. But he’s a man of surprise so don’t quote me to that prediction.

Im expecting Kotoshogiku to retire but kind of hoping he doesn’t. Just like a band or tv show that’s past it’s glory days I keep holding out hope for one more great run. 

[Kaninoyama 1,719]

31 minutes ago, Katsunorifuji said:

Im expecting Kotoshogiku to retire but kind of hoping he doesn’t. Just like a band or tv show that’s past it’s glory days I keep holding out hope for one more great run. 

If he wasn't injured I'd say give it another go.

But if his calf is still hurting and he can't put his considerable weight on it, he's just headed for a fate similar to Ikioi right now, which I think would be beneath his dignity as an ex-Ozeki. 

[hakutorizakura 610]

9 hours ago, Kaninoyama said:

What inspired that sort of treatment? In interviews he always seems like the most mellow, affable guy. 

I don't know. Maybe because he's just such a nice guy everybody likes to "play" with. He never scowls like Tochi as discussed above 

[WAKATAKE 2,648]

Some highlights about Shodai's yusho that Nikkan has been able to provide

- First yusho for Kumamoto prefecture
- First sekiwake yusho since Mitakeumi did it last year in Aki 2019
- 5th wrestler born in the Heisei era to win the yusho
- 10th collegiate wrestler to win the yusho after the following: Yamanishiki, Wajima, Asashio, Dejima, Musoyama, Kotomitsuki, Mitakeumi, Asanoyama, Tokushoryu
- First yusho for a wrestler from Tokyo Agricultural University
- First yusho for Tokitsukaze beya in 57 years and 6th overall. The last wrestler to win it was Kitabayama in Nagoya 1967. The previous four yusho were won by Yokozuna Kagamisato under the tutelage of Futabayama
- 5th wrestler to win the yusho while using his real name as his shikona after the following: Hasegawa, Wajima, Hoshi (Hokutoumi) and Dejima

https://www.nikkansports.com/battle/sumo/news/202009280000101.html

[Eikokurai 3,437]

18 hours ago, RabidJohn said:

Mitakeumi looked abysmal against the injured Kiribayama, but what do you expect? Mitakeumi is extremely predictable: any time there's a hint of talk about ozeki promotion he firmly shuts it up by putting himself back to square one. My guess is he doesn't actually want to be ozeki.

That’d be a strange kind of logic though, since it’s much more effort to maintain a Sekiwake rank than an Ozeki one once it’s been attained. No kadoban safety net. Mitakeumi has to hit eight wins every time. Unless we think he’s fine getting demoted so doesn’t much care if he even makes the eight wins?

Deciding not to push on for Ozeki because it’s too difficult to achieve is somewhat plausible, but not because it’s difficult to maintain once you’re there. All Mitakeumi would have to do to say an Ozeki is exactly what he’s doing right now as a Sekiwake.

[sahaven111 174]

16 minutes ago, WAKATAKE said:

- 5th wrestler to win the yusho while using his real name as his shikona after the following: Hasegawa, Wajima, Hoshi (Hokutoumi) and Dejima

 

I wonder how that would work out if say, Meisei won a yusho?

[Yokozuna Hattorizakura 151]

12 minutes ago, Eikokurai said:

That’d be a strange kind of logic though, since it’s much more effort to maintain a Sekiwake rank than an Ozeki one once it’s been attained. No kadoban safety net. Mitakeumi has to hit eight wins every time. Unless we think he’s fine getting demoted so doesn’t much care if he even makes the eight wins?

Deciding not to push on for Ozeki because it’s too difficult to achieve is somewhat plausible, but not because it’s difficult to maintain once you’re there. All Mitakeumi would have to do to say an Ozeki is exactly what he’s doing right now as a Sekiwake.

Perhaps he meant he doesn't want to deal with all extra-curricular responsibilities that ozeki has to deal with. he does strike me as somewhat of a lazy guy.

[pricklypomegranate 730]

2 hours ago, Katsunorifuji said:

Enho is still pretty early in his career so it’s hard to generalize yet, but I’m getting the feeling we are seeing where his career will play out. The guys in the joi are simply big enough and fast enough that Enho can’t win consistently at his size. But he’s fast enough that those in the lower maegashira ranks can’t beat him consistently. Perhaps this is is sweet spot, a really good wrestler who hangs out in the upper single digit ranks with the occasional jump into joi and the occasionally slip to the higher double digits. But he’s a man of surprise so don’t quote me to that prediction.

Time to open Pandora's box. Is Enho the latter-day Mainoumi or is he not or is he something different? Mainoumi made it to Komusubi (though did not occupy the rank successfully). 

In my opinion, although Enho is a very talented rikishi and a wonderful catch for Hakuho, his talent and innovativeness falls short of Mainoumi. However, I feel Enho has more tenacity. If Enho uses his full potential (and gains just a smidge more weight) he could briefly be a sekiwake and more successfully a komusubi. But I think realistically, he might make it to upper joi (M1 - M3). I hope to be wrong. Additionally, I feel that Enho has more motivation to be a sanyaku member - with the new regulations of kabu creation and a kabu title practically reserved for him (No other candidates in the heya or ichimon that I can think of). I suspect his career will be a short one, whether by injury or just leaving once the kabu title is ready and he is ready to assume it. 

*To be fair, I have never watch Mainoumi extensively, and I am quite unsure of somewhat opaque kabu rules. 

Edited September 28, 2020 by pricklypomegranate