Is it just me or......

[Ryukaze 0]

Does Kisenosato seem to loose alot of bouts right at the edge? Someone needs to teach that boy to "Wrap up" on his opponents mawashi once he gets them where he wants them at the edge as he is considerably powerfull off the tachiai.

Also this tournament has not nearly lived up to the "hype" (well what hype there was...) Kaio looks lackadasical, Wakanosato has been awful, all these guys who should be stepping up haven't been exactly (except Hakuho who's supposed to win the yusho so...lol) I guess you have to be happy if your a Tochiazuma fan tho lol....-!?

Edited January 14, 2005 by Ryukaze

[AsaMoe 0]

) I guess you have to be happy if your a Tochiazuma fan tho lol....-!?

I am happy.

Especially after his today win against Chiyotaikai. And surprisingly, the quote was only 56% in favor of Chiyotaikai

Edited January 14, 2005 by AsaMoe

[kotooshu_bulgaria 0]

Tochiazuma was great today! He did not give in to Chiyotaikai's tsuparis and was lightning fast to carry him out of the dohyo before Chiyotaikai knew what was going on. It was one of those bouts that make sumo attractive, but these bouts are getting rarer than before... :-)

Edited January 14, 2005 by kotooshu_bulgaria

[Doitsuyama 1,185]

It was one of those bouts that make sumo attractive, but these bouts are get rarer than before... :-)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Now you got me curious... How long are you following Ozumo?

[aderechelsea 125]

i just want to add something in the whole "sumo used to be better" conversation ...

my opinion is that sumo looked "better" to all of us at the time we started watching it because it was more exotic back then and we got excited by everything.Even a spectacular henka would be great for us inexperienced eyes ...

Today we are looking for more, but i am sure that new spectators have no problem in finding the bouts interesting and spectacular.

i have been in this kind of debate about football a thousand times in my life with guys over 50years old ...

things change and they will always look prettier when they are in the past ..

[Araiguma_Rascal 0]

I guess since Kiseinosato is still only 18 he still needs some work. It's still a good sign that he is strong enough to push his opponent back. Once he learns how to wrap them up and finish them off as you say, he should be a very formidable rikishi.

Both Kaio and Wakanosato choked. It seems they don't handle the pressure well, so they will probably not ever reach the pinnacle, as they are about to be passed by by the next generation. Still, they have both had better careers than most rikishi do, so it's all relative (not to imply they are finished, but I think they have both probably peaked, although Sato might still become Ozeki, just not now). Not everyone can be a Yokozuna.

[kotooshu_bulgaria 0]

It was one of those bouts that make sumo attractive, but these bouts are get rarer than before... :-)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Now you got me curious... How long are you following Ozumo?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I follow sumo since last year, but I have downloaded all the bouts from banzuke.com and watched them :-/ . I am just happy that there are still rikishi like Tochiazuma, who do the real fight, and dont just "hikiotoshi." (Envisioning today's bout between Miyabiyama and Kotooshu). (Shaking head...)

[Kashunowaka 300]

I follow sumo since last year, but I have downloaded all the bouts from banzuke.com and watched them :-/ . I am just happy that there are still rikishi like Tochiazuma, who do the real fight, and dont just "hikiotoshi." (Envisioning today's bout between Miyabiyama and Kotooshu). (Shaking head...)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Plenty of such rikishi, I think. So I am still enjoying sumo. :-)

Amusing bout of the day was Kyokushuzan's merry-go-round followed by thigh grab against Kasugao. :-)

[aderechelsea 125]

not so funny if you ask me .... it cost me in the "rikshi in the hole" game ...

anyway ... it sure was intersting.

That's why i like Kyokushuzan.He makes all his bouts worht seing, whether he loses or wins ...

[Naifuzan 1]

I am just happy that there are still rikishi like Tochiazuma, who do the real fight, and dont just "hikiotoshi."

Then you should have seen Tochiazuma a couple of years ago when he didnt seem to do anything but henka to hold on to his ozeki rank ;-)

[Xris 2]

my opinion is that sumo looked "better" to all of us at the time we started watching it because it was more exotic back then and we got excited by everything.Even a spectacular henka would be great for us inexperienced eyes ...

Today we are looking for more, but i am sure that new spectators have no problem in finding the bouts interesting and spectacular.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Now for me it's the opposite. The better I understand sumo, the better I like it and I found the bouts more interesting today than 5 years ago when I started to watch sumo. It's true that at that time, I thought that henka was OK, but now I'm (a little bit more) able to understand why Asa's technique (and others) is so impressive. (Sign of approval)

[Mark Buckton 1]

I am just happy that there are still rikishi like Tochiazuma, who do the real fight, and dont just "hikiotoshi."

Then you should have seen Tochiazuma a couple of years ago when he didnt seem to do anything but henka to hold on to his ozeki rank :-S

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And that would have been in which basho exactly? (Sign of disapproval) Natsu 2003? Kadoban IIRC and used 2 hatakikomi. Hardly 'anything but' now is it? ;-)

http://www.szumo.hu/stat/Tochiazuma.html#41

[Otokonoyama 2,735]

I wonder if some aren't confused between inashi and henka. Not that Tochiazuma never uses henka-zumo, but much more often uses inashi in his sumo. I feel inashi is often followed up with pushing techniques, and henka with pulling...

inashi: averting aite's attack by (ducking and) moving diagonally backwards

henka: avoiding aite's attack by dodging to the side, often done at the tachiai in pursuit of hatakikomi win

Or, this version taken from banzuke.com:

Henka is a move that occurs only at tachiai. Inashi can happen anytime, and

usually involves a bounce off the opposing rikishi. If, for example, a

rikishi does a little henka at tachiai, the announcer would likely say "yaya

kawatta" or "chotto henka shimashita", meaning, "He did a little henka."

(In sumo, the verb 'kawaru' and 'henka' mean the same thing.) He might also

say "inashita" ("He did an inashi), but in the sumo world inashi has less

negative connotations than henka does. If the two rikishi crashed together

at tachiai and then on immediately jumped back and to the side, letting his

opponent fall in his face...the announcer would definitely call that as an inashi.

On the NSK website, compare the ratio of his pushing to pulling techniques.

Edited January 14, 2005 by Otokonoyama

[Zuikakuyama 1]

(Envisioning today's bout between Miyabiyama and Kotooshu). ;-)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Kotooshu does have a habit of doing henkas, so it is only fair that he gets some of his own medicine.

[kotooshu_bulgaria 0]

(Envisioning today's bout between Miyabiyama and Kotooshu). (Whistling...)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Kotooshu does have a habit of doing henkas, so it is only fair that he gets some of his own medicine.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I was just watching all of Kotooshu's bouts in Makuuchi to try and investigate why he is more often a victim of henka than a victor by henka. So far his henkas have been unsuccessful, except for the one against Hokutoriki last basho, but he regularly is a victim of henka. Therefore, I concluded that henka is not Kotooshu's medicine, but rather his bad habit that he needs to get rid of before it goes deeper into his sumo practices. About today's bout especially, Kotooshu was expecting the usual strong tachi-ai of Miyabiyama, plus he was deceived by the failed tachi-ai of Miyabiyama and expected a strong surge from his aite. To his surprise, what he got was a henka. Now, henka might be dirty, but if well executed, it gives a victory just as well as the most spectacular technique. So what can be concluded about this bout is that Miyabiyama won, Kotooshu lost and that the tall Bulgarian needs to learn to read his opponents better in the future.

As for tomorrow's matchup against the yokozuna, I am happy that Kotooshu made it to the top, that is, facing the yokozuna in the final game of the day. However, I am convinced that he can do more than that and hope to see the proof of his abilities tomorrow.

:-O Go (I was stupid...) Kotooshu! (Whistling...)