Hatsu 2025 discussion (results)

[dingo 1,258]

Lots of excitement today as the basho moves towards the decisive days. 

Deft tawara dancing by Shonannoumi who keeps slowly marching towards his kachikoshi. Both really needed that win and Kotoshoho almost got it too but Shonannoumi proved more nimble than he expected.

Hiradoumi was just too fast for Nishikigi, applying pressure, keeping him moving and not letting Nishikigi settle into his preferred slow yotsu style. A perfect example how to beat Nishikigi and other similar rikishi.

Shodai seemed to have the drive that he's usually lacking, but Endo is a master of belt sumo and took advantage of his favourable position on the mawashi. Hopefully Shodai won't be too discouraged and can continue his recent surge.

Oho showed some real power and resistance, reminding me very much of Onosato -- I mean the Onosato who won the yusho, not the one who fought today. He even managed to break through a disadvantageous belt grip and send Onokatsu out. The great wins just keep on coming and he has the advantage of having faced the sanyaku already, although Kirishima tomorrow will be a tough test. He just needs to keep his focus, the physical part is already there. Even if he doesn't end up with the yusho, he shouldn't feel bad as this has been an excellent basho so far. Now he just needs to fight it till the end. 

Superb bout between Hakuoho and Tobizaru! They seemed to be evenly matched -- Hakuoho with a slight physical advantage, Tobizaru more experienced. Very exciting to see, and if he stays healthy Hakuoho might soon visit the maegashira joi. Now that will be interesting. 

Abi vs Abi, I mean Ichiyamamoto vs Ichiyamamoto, I mean the guy with the black mawashi vs the other guy with the teal mawashi... anyway, I guess one of them won? 

I've been thinking about it for a few days, but this basho Takerufuji seems to have about 80% of his explosiveness and power. He's falling back more often on pulldowns and today he paid for it. That doesn't look like yusho-winning sumo to me. 

Kotozakura had a real test of kachikoshi readiness in Wakatakakage and passed it easily. He's looking much more like the Kotozakura from last basho, confidence restored and moving forward with more purpose. I guess kadoban can be a strong motivator as well. Will be funny if he destroys Hoshoryuu's yusho chances. 

Wow Kinbozan, what was that!? A strong nodowa to upset Onosato's balance and relentless pushing matching his opponent's power. As for Onosato, this is exactly what I'm afraid of. Once you start feeling the allure of hatakikomi you tend to use it as an easy way out whether the timing is good or not. This time the pulling attempt by Onosato was disastrous and gave Kinbozan the win. Tomorrow Kinbozan can prove his yusho worthiness against Hoshoryu. If he manages to win, I'll gladly eat my words that I can't see him as the winner. 

[Hankegami 493]

2 minutes ago, dingo said:

I've been thinking about it for a few days, but this basho Takerufuji seems to have about 80% of his explosiveness and power. He's falling back more often on pulldowns and today he paid for it. That doesn't look like yusho-winning sumo to me. 

Considering that him being explosive caused him a sprained ankle and a teared pectoral muscle last year, not to mention his many injuries during his amateur career, I think he's doing that on purpose. He did the same last basho. Interestingly, he was 8-3 on Day 11 in Kyushu also, and began losing big in the last days (10-5). Last time he collapsed once he was paired with the joi, and this might be the case again. I think that his focus in now to reach the joi in a healthy state, rather than winning other record-setting Yushos on his way up - only for him to fall back to Juryo due to some other injury.

[The Fat Cyclist 31]

44 minutes ago, dingo said:

Kinbozan, what was that!? A strong nodowa to upset Onosato's balance and relentless pushing matching his opponent's power. As for Onosato, this is exactly what I'm afraid of. Once you start feeling the allure of hatakikomi you tend to use it as an easy way out whether the timing is good or not. This time the pulling attempt by Onosato was disastrous and gave Kinbozan the win.

Exactly that regarding Onosato. He went for the pull far too quickly. Thats a habit he needs to stop.

[Akinomaki 40,278]

2 hours ago, dingo said:

Tomorrow Kinbozan can prove his yusho worthiness against Hoshoryu. If he manages to win, I'll gladly eat my words that I can't see him as the winner. 

It will be interesting ceremonies, should he win - for religious reasons (70% muslim in Kazachstan) Kinbozan doesn't drink acohol - the ozeki sake award with a year's supply is no problem, he can give it to the heya, but the kampai in the heya with the ozeki sake giant cup is with ozeki sake.

He doesn't eat pork as well, if it's in the chanko at Kise-beya, he gets something else. https://www.nikkan-gendai.com/articles/view/sports/366600

[Hankegami 493]

57 minutes ago, Akinomaki said:

It will be interesting ceremonies, should he win - for religious reasons (70% muslim in Kazachstan) Kinbozan doesn't drink acohol - the ozeki sake award with a year's supply is no problem, he can give it to the heya, but the kampai in the heya with the ozeki sake giant cup is with ozeki sake.

He doesn't eat pork as well, if it's in the chanko at Kise-beya, he gets something else. https://www.nikkan-gendai.com/articles/view/sports/366600

I remember reading about Takanohana's first yusho. He was - I think - 19 with drinking age in Japan being 20. He was offered Oolong tea instead of sake. I bet they would do something like that in case of Kinbozan's yusho victory.

Also - not an expert, please correct me if I'm wrong here - I heard many times that chicken often goes well with chanko - standing on two legs and all. I guess Kinbozan might eat well chicken chanko.

Edited 22 hours ago by Hankegami

[Tigerboy1966 1,436]

2 hours ago, Akinomaki said:

It will be interesting ceremonies, should he win - for religious reasons (70% muslim in Kazachstan) Kinbozan doesn't drink acohol

I thought that Kazakhs "follow the hawk".

[Yubinhaad 11,629]

Yago has been looking a bit stiff and uncomfortable in his bouts, probably a combination of ring-rustiness and not being 100% confident after knee surgery. I also noticed some taping on his lower back. I thought he might be outmanoeuvred by Raiho in their bout today, but Yago was watchful and kept his opponent in front of him, eventually managing to push him out to go to 6-0, albeit with quite a heavy fall from the dohyo at the end.

I'm hoping he goes all the way, if only for the unusual circumstance of winning the yusho on his Jonidan debut, nearly eight years into his career!

[Yamanashi 3,825]

7 hours ago, Kaninoyama said:

An unknowing viewer watching today's penultimate bout would have concluded that Kinbozan, not Onosato, was the Ozeki of the two. 

Or a look at the leaderboard. "Guess who in the top ten are the Ozeki?"

[Ack! 462]

Is it me, or is Atamifuji beginning to resemble Ichinojo?

[Koorifuu 941]

3 hours ago, Hankegami said:

I remember reading about Takanohana's first yusho. He was - I think - 19 with drinking age in Japan being 20. He was offered Oolong tea instead of sake. I bet they would do something like that in case of Kinbozan's yusho victory.

Having to follow Japanese laws & accomodating a foreigner whose tradition directly contradicts the traditional ozumo way are two very different matters, though. I'm not that confident it'll happen this time.

He could always pull a Toprak Razgatlioglu, though - as soon as the others receive their celebratory bottle of champagne, LEG IT!

[Kotomiyama 170]

With Abi beating his doppelganger we have avoided a major upset in the balanceof the sumo universe.

[MrGrumpyGills 129]

32 minutes ago, Kotomiyama said:

With Abi beating his doppelganger we have avoided a major upset in the balanceof the sumo universe.

I'm not sure about that... Abi has beaten Ichiyamamoto twice so far - at some point Ichi needs to catch up so the balance can be restored properly.

[Yamanashi 3,825]

33 minutes ago, Kotomiyama said:

With Abi beating his doppelganger we have avoided a major upset in the balanceof the sumo universe.

Belief in the Uniad nature of Abi was found heretical and was condemned by the Third Council of Constantinople.

[Benevolance 2,487]

2 hours ago, Yamanashi said:

Or a look at the leaderboard. "Guess who in the top ten are the Ozeki?"

Pffft. Leading on the leaderboard is for losers. Ozeki are too cool for that. 

[Yangnomazuma 79]

On 21/01/2025 at 07:24, Kintamayama said:

I had a serious look at my crystal balls today. A messy three way playoff. Don't know who, as the balls immediately collided with each other and disappeared. 

Three way playoff.

Am I missing something?  I thought they were gold.

[Kintamayama 45,011]

2 hours ago, Yangnomazuma said:

Am I missing something?  I thought they were gold.

Both. And I'm missing them too..

Edited 8 hours ago by Kintamayama

[Kintamayama 45,011]

10 hours ago, Koorifuu said:

Having to follow Japanese laws & accomodating a foreigner whose tradition directly contradicts the traditional ozumo way are two very different matters, though. I'm not that confident it'll happen this time.

He could always pull a Toprak Razgatlioglu, though - as soon as the others receive their celebratory bottle of champagne, LEG IT!

I was thinking the same, but then decided it was too logical.

[dingo 1,258]

I'm sure they'll accommodate Kinbozan should the need actually arise. To my knowledge Japan has in recent years become much more aware of the restrictions other faiths have. Some universities serve halal food in their cafeteria etc. I don't think it'd be a big issue to fill the giant cup with Sprite or something. 

[Yarimotsu 558]

Catching up on Juryo, just a few observations I didn't see from others:

Kusano made an impressive appearance against similar Kiryuko. Hips were too unlocked, but the way he rescued the position shows potential.

Kotoeiho seems to rise straight up or even backwards against larger opposition - I wonder how this affects Kotozakura's preparation?

Nabatame is looking really fast now, which suits his style well.

Shishi is corralling opponents really well, expect a better showing on Makuuchi return.

Really sad to hear Wakaikari's body couldn't keep up as he's been showing incredible skill to keep himself mobile and have power behind every thrust and twist. Now keen to see what his brothers can do too.

Daiseizan is allowing himself to get caught high just about every bout.

Tsurugisho is really just waiting for the opponent that is heavy enough and fast enough to turn his good knee into the worse of the two. He over-relied on the taped one again (I think day 3 or 4) and did nothing with it for at least 5 bouts afterwards. Similarly, Shimazuumi is sadly a shell of his former self with that knee taping at the moment (suffered early last basho iirc?? hazy.) and hopefully he rehabilitates it somehow.

I saw some comments about Mitoryu vs Shishi on the day, and how Mitoryu seemed to not care whether he won or lost... Now that I've watched it, that was probably the most clear bout I've seen from Mitoryu showcasing winning intent. He really gave it his all, compared to the usual effort. I thought it was going to be a lumbering snoozefest from the description - this Mitoryu is a man who often just walks out backwards when harrassed by any opponent.

Edited 4 hours ago by Yarimotsu
spelling

[Yarimotsu 558]

Kotoeiho v Oshoumi (day 11) was ruled very harshly, in my opinion. Surely this would have always been a redo or even a reversal? Oshoumi remains long after Kotoeiho becomes airborne, never to return, and Oshoumi is in control of his fall - but Kotoeiho is ruled the winner.

[RabidJohn 1,757]

I've watched the replay a few times and I still can't see where Takerufuji found the leverage to throw Kotozakura like that.
It was impressive, but it would have been even more so if the ozeki wasn't on the verge of kadoban.

Kinbozan has the opportunity to send him there tomorrow, and I've got no idea how it's going to turn out.

[Kishinoyama 589]

8 minutes ago, RabidJohn said:

I've watched the replay a few times and I still can't see where Takerufuji found the leverage to throw Kotozakura like that.
It was impressive, but it would have been even more so if the ozeki wasn't on the verge of kadoban.

Kinbozan has the opportunity to send him there tomorrow, and I've got 

Watching the “Dirty Dozen” replay, Takerufuji pushes on the elbow of an already off balance Kotozakura. The right move at the right moment and Kotozakura goes flying.

[Hankegami 493]

Merry Day 12! My usual considerations:

Beginning with the arasoi, the top dogs keep catching up the dark horses. Poor Chiyoshoma is just bullied here. He even got Onosato's belt but was shafted out anyway. And he has to go through Daiesho tomorrow - I hope that's the end of it, they already compromised his very possible 10-5 by feeding him to those many top ranks in the last days. Kinbozan is losing his nerves, and his lead is thinning down with them. He much outstretched himself, giving Hoshoryu a easy hand to pull him down. Tomorrow he gets Kotozakura, but the latter is in an unremarkable shape and might not serve as an efficacious barrier. His match against Takerufuji was worrisome. Kotozakura much used his weight to push the Truck against the rope, he got him almost upright but he was body-slammed nevertheless. As noticed by @RabidJohn up here, Takerufuji had literally no leverage for that sick body slam. Fan rumors suggests that KZK's knee just gave up, which is an actual possibility in this case. Even worse, he will have to stave off kadoban status again Kinbozan tomorrow. If his knee is really failing him, he simply cannot receive Kimbo's powerful thrusts. Last, Oho really didn't go out and did his best to make Kirishima work for that rear push out. Somewhat funny to see.

So, here we are. Kinbozan is only one win away from the sharks - mainly Hoshoryu and Kirishima, but also Takerufuji and Oho are certainly hoping to catch up. Further down, 8-4 Onosato and Daieisho (I don't really think Chiyoshoma anymore) are probably waiting to see whether the Yusho will go down to an 11-4 bar. However, I'd like to bring your attention to an early showdown tomorrow: Onosato vs. Hoshoryu. More of a Day 14 thing, this Ozeki bout was clearly anticipated to make room for more deciding bouts in the last two days. That's also a gigantically important bout for the Nephew. Onosato is big and strong, and his recent wins against him all came from exploiting the other's own forwarding power. This kind of game does not always work. Were the Nephew to lose tomorrow, he will not only compromise his Yusho run, but also bury his tsuna run altogether (a 12-3, as weak as it is, is still good to keep his run alive in any event). Kotozakura vs. Kinbozan can be a letdown, depending on the shape of the endangered Ozeki. Kinbozan has a grand shot at jeeting out today's Kotozakura. I'm actually surprised the Committee put KZK in the fray instead of giving him a fairer hand at getting his KK. Abi vs. Takerufuji is another highlight for Day 13. Abi is just one win away from KK but must also make an argument for taking Wakamotoharu's Sekiwake spot from Kirishima and Oho. The Truck won't have an easy hand with him. The two guys just mentioned are put down on half vacation instead. Tomorrow we get Takayasu vs. Kirishima, with PapaBear showing an unimpressive form by being overpowered by a out-of-shape Atamifuji today, and Ura vs. Oho, the former PinkUsubi not being exactly a formidable opponent in this context. Never say never, sure, but the odds are definitively in favor of the 9-3 duo to become a 10-3 duo.

Last notes. Tobizaru is in serious danger to not get the Outstanding Performance award he's likely entitled to because of his kinboshi. He's 5-7 and must win out - no awards with a MK. He gets 3-9 Atamifuji tomorrow, so he has an actual chance to survive another day. His executioner, Takanosho ,is instead building up a slim chance to hit KK after a dreadful start - he's also 5-7, but perspectives are different for him. Were he able to win out, he could even hit Komusubi by being M1e. I think it's unlikely, but - as I am keep saying in this post - never say never. He will get Gonoyama tomorrow, certainly not an easy opponent but neither unbeatable. Finally, Tamawashi... went for the belt? I mean, he already did it other times, but it's always quite the surprise. The Grand Old Man is also one win within KK - he can do it tomorrow. He gets Onokatsu early in Day 13, also looking for his KK. I don't like Grampa chances to get it, but again never say never.

Edited 3 hours ago by Hankegami

[RabidJohn 1,757]

3 minutes ago, Kishinoyama said:

Watching the “Dirty Dozen” replay, Takerufuji pushes on the elbow of an already off balance Kotozakura. The right move at the right moment and Kotozakura goes flying.

That's the one I watched. I can see exactly what happened, and yeah, Takerufuji's timing was phenomenal
What I'm getting at is Kotozakura went flying so hard while Takerufuji barely moved at all, which almost seemed to defy some basic laws of physics.

[Kaninoyama 1,741]

As you can tell by looking at him, Takerufuji's a really strong guy.