Kaninoyama 1,797 Posted January 16 What a day. Oho is starting to look like a possible future Ozeki contender. Something I never thought I'd say. And Takakeisho may be an even better commentator than Kisenosato. Something else I thought I'd never say. 3 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shikona 148 Posted January 16 As for Hoshoryu, I had hoped this would be the basho he could take Atomifuji with straightforward sumo, but he insists on trying to throw him, and if you want to make a four-hundred pound man look good, trying to pick him up with one hand is definitely the way to go. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ArsionTrueHeart 5 Posted January 16 Ah yes, all three ozeki lost and the yokozuna has withdrawn. We're back to normal; I was getting worried there for a second. 2 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Faustonowaka 130 Posted January 16 Instead of a double Yokozuna promotion we’re heading straight to two kadoban Ozeki and a Yokozuna intai… 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RabidJohn 1,795 Posted January 16 While some are understandably disappointed that there's not going to be a double yokozuna promotion, I'm feeling more let down by the lack of Onami magic. On the bright side, there's an opportunity here for Tamawashi to break his own record, and I'm starting to wonder if Chiyoshoma is headed for a similar late-career surge as his old-timer countryman. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dingo 1,265 Posted January 16 What a weird day. I thought Kagayaki is done in makuuchi and then he goes and wins against Hakuoho. Or I suppose more accurately Hakuoho lost the bout by inexplicably letting Kagayaki move forward from an inside grip position. Shonannoumi seemed a bit better against Midorifuji, though it's easy to look better if you have a 70kg advantage in weight. I'm not sure why Midorifuji thought it's a good idea to go close inside Shonannoumi. Perhaps he thought Shonannoumi is weaker from his health issue. Add Takarafuji to today's surprise winners list. Based on his performance so far I wouldn't have expected him to beat Mitakeumi, but he does well in yotsu and Mitakeumi looks like he's starting his end of the basho decline early. Roga had a fairly easy opponent for his late basho start in Endo but that leg injury looks like it's gonna be a long basho for him. Lucky to get a few wins here and there. Too bad cause I was just watching the Futagoyama new year's video where he set his aim for sanyaku. Shodai chose the wrong ozeki to pick on. I know Hoshoryu and Kotozakura may look similar because they have both black hair and wear a mawashi but come on Shodai, I thought he's aiming for the stronger ozeki not bullying the currently weakest one. Or is he just practising with one ozeki first and leaving Hoshoryu for later. Kotozakura really has to start thinking how to pick up a few wins. Onosato these days seems to be beaten by anyone who can move laterally. Oho is the latest genius rikishi who thought of the brilliant strategy to do a sidestep. What's even more brilliant is that it actually works... Amazing Atamifuji! Hoshoryu was getting close but Atamifuji managed to keep stable and pull off a great kotenage. Things are getting really interesting. Now for the big question -- between Chiyoshoma and Tamawashi, who gets the yusho? 4 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hankegami 537 Posted January 16 Good Day 5, everyone. Flashbacks of 2022, innit? Most amusingly, the leader board shows a bunch of undefeated grand champions in the lead, such as sloth boy Oho, Mongolian grand champion Henkashoma Chiyoshoma, greenhorn 40-years old Grampawashi Tamawashi, and a returning Kinbozan. I mean, good for them (who would not like a third Grampa Yusho?), but we hoped for a quite different arasoi just five days ago. Kotozakura is falling deeper and deeper. Losing a belt match to Shodai speaks volume. The bar is now officially "let's escape kadoban" for him. Either he wakes up, or he will be lucky to pull a Goeido. Same reasoning for Onosato, getting facepalmed by a guy against whom he went 3-0 in their previous meeting. Props for Oho, though. Now, Hoshoryu. Atamifuji put a lot of resistance for sure, but I expected much better from the Nephew. I am somewhat worried for his twisted arm (hopefully it's nothing), but falling for a 0-4 guy is not enthusiastic either. Now, of course it's not the end for Hoshoryu and the other guys in the runner-up bunch - yet. Lower Makuuchi front runners are having an easy start that won't last forever (Tamawashi today won against an injured Meisei, and Chiyoshoma did the same against a clearly not in shape Takayasu), but I hope that this Day 5 serves as a wake-up call. A few more notes about the other lower Makuuchi contenders. TRAPSerufuji got back from his loss against undefeated leader Gramps and won a good match against Kotoshoho. Although his results are so-and-so, this tournament Kotoshoho is wrestling at his best since perhaps forever. Also, Shonannoumi is racking up a few wins. He's clearly not 100%, but he looks like he can get a few wins now. And, huh, I am actually a Mitakeumi fan since his Ozeki run in 2022. It's sad to see him to be sack-of-potatoes'ed by Uncle Takarafuji of all people. Really sad. I am no Roga fan instead, but seeing him easily yorikiri'd by an underwhelming Endo makes me wonder why on earth he came back in that shape. On the other hand, Ichiyamamoto is having a nice start and a real shot to experiment the joy in Haru. Also, can someone spank Kirishima? He's slaying people over and over (yesterday Kotozakura, now his own nemesis Takanosho). I know he was injured until recently, but damn him. As a fan of his, damn him. 11 minutes ago, RabidJohn said: I'm feeling more let down by the lack of Onami magic. The WakaBros are really having a few rough days. Let's root for them together 1 hour ago, Shikona said: As for Hoshoryu, I had hoped this would be the basho he could take Atomifuji with straightforward sumo, but he insists on trying to throw him, and if you want to make a four-hundred pound man look good, trying to pick him up with one hand is definitely the way to go. I am most worried for him going back to giving unrequited Judo lessons. He did the same with Kotozakura last basho. Hoshoryu has a lot of forwarding power, which is good since he cannot swing around the big guys. This insistence in trying to uwatenage 180+ kg guys is seriously dangerous. Atamifuji has been a sack of potatoes this basho, yet he handed him his shonichi with this great idea of his. More than else, this habits leaves him exposed to other big guys in the joy (Kotozakura, Onosato, Daieisho, Gonoyama, Oho), in addition to some difficult clients such as Abi. he was good enough to push them out in Kyushu (barring Onosato, who is a bulldozer of a guy and had to be tottari'd out), and he must stick with this plan if he wants the Cup. Going for the belt just for the sake of virtuosity is a good recipe for a 10-5. Read my lips, Nephew: no-more-losses. We cannot wait for Onosato to wake up, dammit. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RabidJohn 1,795 Posted January 16 (edited) 1 hour ago, Hankegami said: This insistence in trying to uwatenage 180+ kg guys is seriously dangerous. It's worse than that: he tries to shitatenage them. It's one of the most beautiful things you'll see in sumo when it works, but it's ultra-risky, leaving him open to over-extended elbows when his opponent pulls a successful kotenage like Atamifuji did today. It's also what pulled Chiyonofuji's shoulders out of their sockets, just in case anyone's wondering why I'm concerned. Edited January 16 by RabidJohn 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Asashosakari 19,426 Posted January 16 4 hours ago, Shikona said: Poor Kotozakura. If getting manhandled by Shodai doesn't say "This ain't my basho," I don't know what does. He's honestly looking kyujo-bound, not merely underperforming. Hoshoryu - in another venue a few months ago I commented on somebody's "he keeps losing matches he shouldn't!" remark with something along the lines of, "But if he keeps losing them, what makes you still believe that he shouldn't?" Today's match was pretty much exhibit #342 for that. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Morty 1,495 Posted January 16 That result today is exactly why I think the KK is backing the wrong horse with giving Hoshoryu a tsuna run. There is nothing in his past performance that suggests he is consistent enough to be Yokozuna. Over the past seven or eight years we have had a number of rikishi have a single strong streak, get to Ozeki, then have mediocre performances and eventually crash and burn, for numerous reasons. Terunofuji (and arguably Takakeisho) are the only one who have shown the consistency of performance over a long period of time to rightly be promoted to Yokozuna level. I'm not suggesting Hosh is in the "crash and burn" phase of his career, and hopefully never will be, just that he isn't Yokozuna level yet (and may never get there). Also it would be pretty awesome if the other Grandson kept going and took this yusho 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RabidJohn 1,795 Posted January 16 4 minutes ago, Morty said: That result today is exactly why I think the KK is backing the wrong horse with giving Hoshoryu a tsuna run. There is nothing in his past performance that suggests he is consistent enough to be Yokozuna. Over the past seven or eight years we have had a number of rikishi have a single strong streak, get to Ozeki, then have mediocre performances and eventually crash and burn, for numerous reasons. Terunofuji (and arguably Takakeisho) are the only one who have shown the consistency of performance over a long period of time to rightly be promoted to Yokozuna level. I'm not suggesting Hosh is in the "crash and burn" phase of his career, and hopefully never will be, just that he isn't Yokozuna level yet (and may never get there). Also it would be pretty awesome if the other Grandson kept going and took this yusho KK? As others have alluded to, the NSK is probably looking at Terunofuji and feeling like they have to lower the bar. It is what it is. As for the other grandson... He looks like he's started believing in himself, or looked at his pedigree then at Kotozakura's and thought, "I should really be better than him." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rhyen 1,842 Posted January 16 https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/c7088b4534c66c8913888d0fce309be563a8da53?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR28bfdl-5ZEz-YWDrk9EJtTHTK5DrEDs7nUEgNG6fwLLdN2BTfFzNVNt4w_aem_WiN1C-9GxUogigOkVrQ6vA Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hakutorizakura 629 Posted January 16 So, we have 4 rikishi, all maegashira, going 5-0 into day 6. I don't know how rare that is, but if my sumodb query was right, last time we had four 5-0 maegashira was in 2008.03, but plus Y Uncle Asa. And who is this Chiyoshoma guy?? (No jinx please) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yamanashi 3,865 Posted January 16 6 hours ago, Faustonowaka said: Instead of a double Yokozuna promotion we’re heading straight to two kadoban Ozeki and a Yokozuna intai… Yeah, we fell for it again, didn't we? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yamanashi 3,865 Posted January 16 A: "Hey, it looks like the Mongolians are running over everyone in Makuuchi this basho." B: "You mean Terunofuji and Hoshoryu?" A: " Uh, well ... " 1 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Koorifuu 1,003 Posted January 16 3 hours ago, Morty said: That result today is exactly why I think the KK is backing the wrong horse with giving Hoshoryu a tsuna run. There is nothing in his past performance that suggests he is consistent enough to be Yokozuna. Over the past seven or eight years we have had a number of rikishi have a single strong streak, get to Ozeki, then have mediocre performances and eventually crash and burn, for numerous reasons. Terunofuji (and arguably Takakeisho) are the only one who have shown the consistency of performance over a long period of time to rightly be promoted to Yokozuna level. I'm not suggesting Hosh is in the "crash and burn" phase of his career, and hopefully never will be, just that he isn't Yokozuna level yet (and may never get there). Also it would be pretty awesome if the other Grandson kept going and took this yusho I don't see how Takakeisho was a better candidate than Hoshoryu. Hoshoryu is on his 9th basho as an ozeki. No MKs yet, never been kadoban, despite injuries that have made him go kyujo. Takakeisho's longest KK streak as an ozeki was 6, and even that was an outlier as he only got past 3 twice. Hoshoryu got to 13 wins once in 8 ozeki basho. Takakeisho did it once as well, but in 30 ozeki basho. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Asashosakari 19,426 Posted January 16 (edited) Yeah, Hoshoryu is a perfectly fine yokozuna contender (in general, I mean, not specific to this basho) simply by virtue of performing as an above-average ozeki over the last year and a bit. Anyway, he wasn't "given" a tsunatori, he earned it with last basho's performance, same as any other ozeki would have with the same results in this era. Why would anyone want the guys in charge to dismiss his chances outright before they've had an opportunity to see what follow-up he's capable of? Edited January 16 by Asashosakari 5 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Oskanohana 261 Posted January 16 There's no need for Hoshoryu to be promoted immediately when the next mongolian dai-yokozuna is ascending the ranks and sitting now at Maegashira 5. He was just waiting for an appropriate substitute in Tamashoho, who will keep the amount of wackiness in the sumo universe somewhat stable. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Benihana 1,929 Posted January 16 (edited) Chiyushoma, you've heard it here first. What is wrong with the Ozeki sans Hoshoryu? Kotozakura could be explained with feeling the pressure, but Onosato? Edited January 17 by Benihana Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gurowake 4,088 Posted January 17 2 hours ago, Benihana said: but Oshoma? I assume you mean Onosato. One possibility is that people are finally figuring out how to beat him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WAKATAKE 2,660 Posted January 17 1 Juryo and 1 Makushita wrestler get a freebie promotion Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Faustonowaka 130 Posted January 17 4 hours ago, WAKATAKE said: 1 Juryo and 1 Makushita wrestler get a freebie promotion … and Nishikifuji stays at M17e even with 6 more losses 1 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Akinomaki 40,621 Posted January 17 And now the one with yusho experience dropped from the lead and we have again a bunch hardly anybody would pick for a yusho prediction Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
I am the Yokozuna 193 Posted January 17 So, no pressure on Hoshyuryu then, I assume. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kaninoyama 1,797 Posted January 17 Now that was a torinaoshi you don't see very often. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
