Akinomaki 40,281 Posted January 12 Onosato and Terunofuji did the proper thing, leave the limelight for the 2 on yokozuna run 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tigerboy1966 1,436 Posted January 12 4 hours ago, dingo said: Seeing Chiyoshoma at maegashira 5 is really weird. Chiyoshoma always knew he could make sanyaku. He decided to wait until he was 32 years old and half way down juryo before making his push just so he could get the money on at 150/1. 1 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bunbukuchagama 708 Posted January 12 12 hours ago, Hankegami said: Finally, Onosato made an early Terunofuji impression and got hikiotoshi'd by Tobizaru. Earlier this morning I happened to read a translation of Nihonhoseki's pre-basho column in a newspaper, where he hinted that Onosato didn't train enough because of festivities - and he was ok with that. I guess it says a lot about what we can expect from Daiki boy this tournament - but I could be wrong. As I was watching Onosato getting slapped down, I had a terrible thought: what if he is just a tech billionaire's Shodai? Having the ability to beat anyone, but showing up only when he feels like it. He would still win a lot (because he is so insanely talented), but would never reach his full potential... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yubinhaad 11,631 Posted January 13 Jonidan rikishi Daigozakura has a totally bald head now, perhaps a case of alopecia like Taikomaru from some years back. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Leoben 127 Posted January 13 Flashes of his uncle in Hoshoryu's yeeting of Tobizaru today. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kotogouryuu 131 Posted January 13 2 hours ago, Leoben said: Flashes of his uncle in Hoshoryu's yeeting of Tobizaru today. Definitely. There was such a clear level difference between the two, and Tobizaru is no pushover. If Hoshoryu keeps this up, he certainly has a chance of getting the rope. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dingo 1,258 Posted January 13 Nishikigi used his size advantage well against Midorifuji, deliberately letting him inside, locking him down and using his own weight to wear Midorifuji down. Tamawashi is off to a great start. Hope he won't run out of steam too fast, I'm rooting for another kachikoshi. Endo did a nifty 360 degree turn but Takayasu thought he needs to add another 90 degrees so he helped Endo to a parallel position with the dohyo. This new Chiyoshoma is actually doing well. I'm starting to think the joke about his sanyaku run might turn out to be not really a joke... Oh yes, now this is the Oho I want to see! Did Santa give him coal for Christmas? Otherwise where did he find this aggression!? Kotozakura was perhaps too careful against Abi. Maybe he didn't want to go in too fast expecting a potential henka, but this careful tachiai gave Abi the opening to use his strong thrusts effectively. Let's see how this early loss affects Kotozakura's mindset and tsuna chances. Hoshoryu however had no issues at all against Tobizaru and grabs an important 1-win gap over the yokozuna and ozeki. Bit we are still only two days in so anything can happen. Terunofuji got a difficult win but then again Takanosho is a difficult opponent for him. Demon Kakka predicted Takanosho for ozeki this year and he almost pit in an ozeki-worthy performance. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hankegami 495 Posted January 13 A few comments for Day 2: The Kyushu vibe is wearing off on the second day. Of the big boys, Kotozakura showed once again he's weak-ish to nodo-wa. He's known for his relatively high stance and a well-placed thrust can pull him back upwards. That's also the reason I think that Hoshoryu should have kept pushing him instead of going for an uwatenage on Kuyshu. Considering how well Oho has been faring, I would watch out for their match to see if the other grandson pulls an upset like last basho. Hoshoryu also showed that he finally got Uncle's memo - keep it for 15 days, Nephew, and the rope could really be on sight for you. Aside from those two, Onosato just showed how hard he actually is to be beaten. Poor Kirby threw even the sink at him, but got bulldozed anyway. Last, Terunofuji looks like he's going to stay for a few more days at the least - hopefully for the full 15. Takanosho may have no much gas those days (he failed to get the edge both yesterday and today) but he's still a heavy client to deal with. Aside from that, we're just 2 days in and it's difficult to predict how the tournament is going to shape out. Picking a few names - Chiyoshoma is doing good, I enjoyed his bout vs. Ura. Same Kotoshoho down the ladder - then on earth has he ever been this aggressive? On the other side of the coin, Atamifuji will bloom in the next tournament again - 0-2 and behaving like a sack of potatoes to be thrown around. I'm sure he will begin racking wins soon, but he still looks like a guy who planted his tent in the joy area and is not moving anywhere anytime soon. Also, Tamashoho lost convincingly against not-so-threatening Nishikifuji after his last-second win from yesterday - looks like he will have a hard way ahead to get his KK at the bottom of Makuuchi. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kintamayama 45,013 Posted January 13 (edited) Enhou today: Enhou- Sand 3E - Hougashou Sand 3W Edited January 13 by Kintamayama 3 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kintamayama 45,013 Posted January 13 (edited) Top 4 Makushita matches - day 2: Asahakuryuu- Takakentou Tochimaru - Tenshouhou Osanai - Ootsuji Kusano - Akua Edited January 13 by Kintamayama 1 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yamanashi 3,825 Posted January 13 Day 2: Tamawashi doesn't look old at all. He could go another three years barring injury. Oshoma did what we thought was impossible: consistently find Takarafuji's neck. Chiyoshoma now looks like a smooth hipster guy, instead of a rattled henka machine. Takayasu vs. Endo looked a little too much like an OB event -- including the 360° spin. Takerufuji did something between a hit-and-shift and a HNH. Was he actually just aiming his chest at the shoulder of Meisei? Kirishima at least looked like he belongs near the San'yaku ranks; Atamifuji did not. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sue 501 Posted January 13 23 hours ago, Bunbukuchagama said: As I was watching Onosato getting slapped down, I had a terrible thought: what if he is just a tech billionaire's Shodai? Having the ability to beat anyone, but showing up only when he feels like it. He would still win a lot (because he is so insanely talented), but would never reach his full potential... Well, at least he'd be the next Oze-- oh, wait. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bunbukuchagama 708 Posted January 13 8 hours ago, Kintamayama said: Enhou today: Enhou- Sand 3E - Hougashou Sand 3W Enho's opponent successfully employed a surprise technique known a "being huge". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kintamayama 45,013 Posted January 14 (edited) Tenrousei (18) against Hikarumusashi (19) happened in Maezumo today. Tenrousei won by tsukiotoshi. He is another nephew of ex Asashouryuu. Hikarimusashi is the nephew of ex-Musashimaru. So it was interesting. Flags still missing; Edited January 14 by Kintamayama 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robnplunder 975 Posted January 14 6 hours ago, Bunbukuchagama said: Enho's opponent successfully employed a surprise technique known a "being huge". Size cannot be taught. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hankegami 495 Posted January 14 (edited) A brief take about the top dogs from Day 3: Tsuna hopeful Hoshoryu remains the main leader as he dominantly pushes out Wakatakakage. WTK is weak-ish to strong pushes (although he can counter with an amazing defense by the rope, as he showed in the Haru 2022 playoff against Takayasu), but Nephew was channeling Uncle and there was no way back anyway. Hoshoryu looks very good for the moment, especially since his Plan B if the pushes don't work is actually his Plan A (going for the belt), and a big A in his case. I admit it, I'm rooting for him at this point. Kotozakura's tsuna run is is big danger instead. Tobizaru masterfully matador'ed him all the way, winning a great push 'n' thrusts bout up to getting the giant fall. 1-2 on Day 3 and no real room for further mistakes. Either he wins the Cup, or he stop losing and gets a 13-2J. Both scenarios look increasingly unlikely though. Onosato almost jointed the Zakura train today - he got saved by Takanosho stepping out and ruining his last second recovery. He still shows the same poor lateral movement that caused his relatively poor performance in Kyushu. Either he mans up, or here we have another Ozeki virtually out of Cup contention. Finally, the Big Man himself. Terunofuji's health benchmark for today was to jeet Kirishima in the trash again. It simply didn't happen. Kirsihima showed a resistance nowhere to be seen one year ago, at their famed jeet meeting. Since I cannot see how Kirby might have improved in the meanwhile (having fallen to the Maegashira ranks and being 0-3), I take that Terunofuji's shape is shakier. This is even more apparent if we consider that Kirby has trouble against big framed guys (see yesterday against Ogresato). In short, Teru manages to live one more day, but I still cannot imagine him in actual contention for the Cup this time around. Extra note: the high-note match between Onokatsu and Takerufuji caused some discussion as a torinaoshi was called despite Takerufuji touched the clay first with his left arm. I don't know if it was deemed a case of 'helping hand' (but in this case Onokatsu would have lost), but it was fortunate for Takerufuji. Not just because he won the rematch, but also because he was clearly more dominant all along. Edited January 14 by Hankegami 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dingo 1,258 Posted January 14 (edited) I'll add a few thoughts to Hamkegami's excellent overview. Shonannoumi seems really hapless these days, especially compared to a year ago when he seemed to be destined for at least maegashira joi. There must be something going on that prevents him from doing his usual sumo. Nowadays he loses so easily that it's just sad to watch. It was fun to watch Ura's face during the Chiyoshoma-Ichiyamamoto bout replay. Maybe I'm trying to read it too much, but he seemed to be carefully recording everything with a face full of wonder and it looked like he was taking a mental note to try a flying henka next time. He didn't do it today but I'm hoping he does try it out at some point. Is Shodai going to get a win this basho? Today he actually tried to put in some effort against Daieisho but the result was the same as always, except the bout took a bit longer. He always seems to get at least a few wins somewhere so maybe I'll just have to be more patient. Moving on to some brighter spots, that was excellent sumo third day in a row by Oho. He put good pressure on Wakamotoharu, prevented him from getting inside and delivered strong pushes to get his third win. I'm really rooting for him to take his sumo to the next level consistently, I know it's inside him somewhere. Wakatakakage was pretty much powerless in Hoshoryu's path. Hoshoryu has definitely managed to channel the tsuna motivation into his sumo this basho. Unless he loses his focus, it will take some great sumo to stop him. Kotozakura on the other hand seemed to be unsettled and nervous by yesterday's loss. He got lucky Tobizaru didn't take advantage of his soft tachiai right away, and during the whole bout he seemed to only think about not losing rather than winning. And that is not a strategy that will take him to the tsuna. The mental weight of the yokozuna run seems to be heavy on him so the best he can do now is to use this basho as experience for his next opportunity. I'm sure it will come. Takanosho did really well against Onosato except for that unfortunate misstep. Are other rikishi starting to figure out Onosato? He still has his incredible physicality but it feels like his one-dimensional attack is being countered more these days. Kirishima and Terunofuji had an excellent bout. The yokozuna won in the end but not without spending a lot of effort trying to overpower Kirishima who seemed to be waiting for an opening that didn't come. Edited January 14 by dingo Spelling 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jakusotsu 5,913 Posted January 14 26 minutes ago, dingo said: Shonannoumi seems really hapless these days, especially compared to a year ago when he seemed to be destined for at least maegashira joi. There must be something going on that prevents him from doing his usual sumo. Nowadays he loses so easily that it's just sad to watch. On 31/10/2024 at 22:24, Akinomaki said: Shonannoumi was kyujo at the jungyo with hyperhidrosis and suspected hyperthyroidism - probably Basedow 's disease 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Fat Cyclist 31 Posted January 14 It was an excellent days sumo. Except I was just thinking that at least Chiyoshoma isnt henka'ing anymore. . . . . oh! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BroadMeadow 42 Posted January 14 3 hours ago, dingo said: Is Shodai going to get a win this basho? It's Shodai. He is going to get a win when you least want him to just to ruin your fun. 1 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrGrumpyGills 129 Posted January 14 1 hour ago, BroadMeadow said: It's Shodai. He is going to get a win when you least want him to just to ruin your fun. As they say - misery loves company 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dingo 1,258 Posted January 14 1 hour ago, BroadMeadow said: It's Shodai. He is going to get a win when you least want him to just to ruin your fun. Seeing as Kotozakura has two losses, I suppose that means he will beat Hoshoryu and ruin his yusho chances. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
visitor_22 28 Posted January 14 (edited) 9 hours ago, dingo said: Seeing as Kotozakura has two losses, I suppose that means he will beat Hoshoryu and ruin his yusho chances. Doubt it. Kotozakura looks awful rn and got humiliated by Hosh in front of Yokozuna Commission. Edited January 15 by visitor_22 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Morty 1,495 Posted January 15 Hoshoryu being on a Tsuna run seems like the softest run of all time. His only yusho was a year and a half ago, and since then he has only got more than ten wins twice, both for jun-yushos. The basho before last he went 8-7. I thought it was supposed to be two yusho or yusho equivalents in a row, not J-Y. What am I missing here, how is a tsuna run justified at this time? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WAKATAKE 2,650 Posted January 15 25 minutes ago, Morty said: Hoshoryu being on a Tsuna run seems like the softest run of all time. His only yusho was a year and a half ago, and since then he has only got more than ten wins twice, both for jun-yushos. The basho before last he went 8-7. I thought it was supposed to be two yusho or yusho equivalents in a row, not J-Y. What am I missing here, how is a tsuna run justified at this time? Kotozakura didn't do much better https://sumodb.sumogames.de/Banzuke.aspx?b=202409 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
