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Love the style of those. Good buys! 

I'm also very convinced that Hakuho will pace himself up until the 2020 Olympics. It's still incredible how little time it took for him to come back after the big knee surgeries in November and the injury in March. 

I admire Kakuryu. Unlike Asashoryu, Hakuho and Harumafuji he doesn't come from a Mongolian-wrestling background. He seems very mild mannered and is brilliant defensively. He's also at a very small stable, only three other rikishi besides him, none of them in the salaried ranks.

This is not exactly a breeding ground for success. Adding to that the injury problems he has had, especially in 2017, I feel myself rooting for him very often. Six Yusho is a good career total and it should render discussions about his time at the top rank in a more positive light. And who knows, maybe he can even pick up another one. 

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  • 4 weeks later...

I think I'll just admit to being a huge Hokutofuji mark as my main takeaway from the banzuke is how he got a wee bit shafted out of sanyaku - Takakeisho has that free pass to Sekiwake and Endo leapfrogged him for the second Komusubi. So many interesting questions from Ozeki down to about M2. Are any of the Ozeki going to be healthy this time? Will Takakeisho get his 10 wins? Can Asanoyama keep the momentum up? Will Endo start consistently winning at higher ranks? Is Abi for real? Will Mitakeumi ever be Ozeki? Are Ichinojo and Asanoyama big fat dudes???

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Hokutofuji has had some really bad luck regarding shots at sanyaku. He will get his chances though. He is still young, but carries himself like he belongs. 

I just read up on the YDC soken, which is an open training session of the Yokozuna Delibaration Council. Apparently Goeido was having a lot of Training bouts. Takayasu and Tochinoshin were merely present. Takakeisho went for 5 bouts in total, looking good regarding the injury, albeit not in good form. Goeido was in twelve bouts, 

I have a feeling we won't see Takayasu. He didn't do any practice bouts up until now and he has the luxuary of lacking the kadoban burden. Fair enough if he sits out, although I would have loved for him to finally get that Yusho. 

Tochinoshin and Goeido will try to get eight. I didn't hear anything about Goeido outside of the fact that he went for 12 Matches at the soken. Tochinoshin seems out of shape, his knee apparently doesn't heal. It's going to be really tough watching him go 0-5 and then drop out. Poor guy. 

The Yokozuna seem okay, which means both Kakuryu and Hakuho have to be considered heavy favourites. Maybe somebody we don't expect to do well can add some flavour to the mix. We had the surprising Yusho of Tamawashi and Asanoyama this year. Maybe it's time for another one of those? 

Would be cool to see Mitakeumi step up, but he just seemed unable to get some consitancy going. Well, not the right wording, since he is at Sekiwake & Komusubi for a long time, but his Sumo isn't quite Ozeki - level on a regular base. 

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On 8/31/2019 at 11:56 PM, ReiseReise said:

Tochinoshin and Goeido will try to get eight. I didn't hear anything about Goeido outside of the fact that he went for 12 Matches at the soken. Tochinoshin seems out of shape, his knee apparently doesn't heal. It's going to be really tough watching him go 0-5 and then drop out. Poor guy.

As someone who also has a torn ACL I can speak on why that is: ligaments like that aren't connected to the blood stream, so they don't heal without surgical intervention. They only get worse until they completely tear. (That's mine, it's so slack that it can like shift around inside my knee cap and get pinched by the bones. FUN!)

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21 hours ago, Lamp, broken circa 1988 said:

As someone who also has a torn ACL I can speak on why that is: ligaments like that aren't connected to the blood stream, so they don't heal without surgical intervention. They only get worse until they completely tear. (That's mine, it's so slack that it can like shift around inside my knee cap and get pinched by the bones. FUN!)

Sorry to hear about the torn ACL. Tochinoshin seems to be at a very crucial point and his style, spectacular as it is, doesn't do his broken down body any favours. At his Age, he is not likely to take another extended break from Sumo. 

Hakuho apparently got granted Japanese citizenship yesterday. This is an important move for him to stay in Sumo after his retirement from competition. It will be interesting to see if he'll enjoy the politics involved, especially with him planning on keeping the Hakuho name alive as an official and stablemaster while starting at the bottom of the hierarchy after being on top for so long. Takanohana had huge trouble adapting, if anyone remembers. 

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Apparently, Takayasu is kyujo for Aki. He injured his arm in Nagoya, but managed to record 8-2 before he dropped out. Damned shame, but a wise decision. 

Another big name kyujo is Yoshikaze. Second kyujo in a row for the former Sekiwake, and with him ranked Juryo 7, this is a sure-fire demotion to Makushita (out of the salaried ranks). I'm convinced this will lead to another intai. Kisenosato, Takekaze, Aminishiki... quite a lot of the old guard seems to be crumbling away. 

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Two days are already in the books, and we are off to an interesting start to the whole affair. Promising to some, worrying / disappointing to others. 

Promising includes three of this year's Yusho winners: Tamawashi, Asanoyama and Kakuryu collected wins, and really convincing ones at that. Kakuryu looks very cool and collected. 

Also 2-0 are Aki expert Goeido and the returning Takakeisho. I still think the little Bowling ball faces an uphill climb, but maybe he can get into the groove. 

Disappointing is Hakuho, who dropped his opening match against Hokotufuji (VERY decisive win), then dropped out of Aki with an injury on his right pinky finger. Too bad! Good thing about it: Abi collected a free win. 

Worrying: One of our favourites, Tochinoshin is back to the wall once again. 0-2 start against low-rankers and he can't seem to be able to generate any of the power so crucial for his Sumo. Long 15 days, if he even makes it that far. 

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Eight days gone. Hakuho and Kakuryu are out. 

The unexpected leader is Okinoumi, who is 8-0, followed by Meisei at 7-1.

In third there are six Rikishi at 6-2:

Mitakeumi, Takakeisho, Endo, Asanoyama, Tsurugoshi and Ishiura. 

The basho is wide open. Tochinoshin is clawing and scratching, but at 3-5 he is in deep trouble. Resident board favourite Enho is at 5-3, putting on some impressive escapes. Quite a few others are 5-3 aswell, among them Goeido, Abi and Tomokaze, who is at a career high & still never suffered a Makekoshi. 

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All these dudes at 8-2. I'm pretty stoked for the last third. Mitakeumi, Takakeisho and Asanoyama all look like they can get it done, with the unexpected but not unearned threat of Mesei and Okinoumi challenging from the lower ranks.

I don't expect both Goeido and Tochinoshin to regain Ozeki but with 6-4 and 5-5 records the odds aren't nearly as long as I thought.

Edited by John E. Dynamite
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4 hours ago, John E. Dynamite said:

 

I don't expect both Goeido and Tochinoshin to regain Ozeki but with 6-4 and 5-5 records the odds aren't nearly as long as I thought.

The Drama of both those guys trying hard and struggling is so intense. So is the Yusho race. Whacky Aki. 

Tomorrow it'll be Takakeisho vs Tochinoshin. 

Good to see Enho back to winning ways. 

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Takakeisho, quite easily and with 3 Matches in hand, reclaimed Ozeki today securing win numbers 10 against Myogiryu. At 10-2 and with Meisei falling to Okinoumi, he now leads the field in the Yusho race. There are numerous Rikishi only one of the pace, though.

Current Pursuers with a 9-3 score: Mitakeumi, Meisei, Okinoumi, Tsurugoshi (very impressive in his Makuuchi debut), Takarafuji (who silently crept into the picture denying Enho his Kachikoshi today) 

Asanoyama sitting at 8-4 pretty much dropped out of the group with back to back losses. There is still a mathematical possibility that 4 losses will suffice to stay in the Yusho race on day 15, it happened exactly two years ago when Goeido blew a three-match lead to loose the Yusho to Harumafuji due to losses in regulation and the ensuing Playoff. Tense final three days. 

Goeido got his winning record in a good match against Ryuden. This means he saves his Ozeki rank once more. Tochinoshin on the other hand has no margin for error and needs to win out to keep Ozeki. He doesn't seem to be in the condition to do so, though. 

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Takakeisho's real win today didn't happen in the dohyo. Hell, it didn't even happen today. For a then-22 year old and brand-spankin'-new Ozeki to shut out the haters, survey the nature of injuries in his sport, and say "y'know what? I'm gonna let my knee heal and wreck everybody when I get back" is just some phenomenal shit.

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The first Aki Basho of the Reiwa era is in the books. It's winner was a young Sekiwake, getting a second Yusho in his career. Mitakeumi, in the process, overcame Takakeisho in a needed Playoff, after both men finished on a 12-3 record. Mitakeumi will be on an Ozeki run by default, but he will need consistant double digit numbers to convince those in charge. 

Takakeisho finished in second place of an exciting tournament that saw no Yokozuna making it into the second week. He might take a little consolation in having secured a return to Ozeki. 

Tochinoshin finds himself in the same situation Takakeisho was in this Basho, after a disheartening 6-9 score he will be a Sekiwake, needing 10 wins for an immediate return to Ozeki. He is no stranger to this, managing this exact result in July. 

Tochinoshin's demotion will probably prevent a lot of movement among the well performing Komusubi Abi and Endo, which in return will prevent a possible Komusubi promotion among the well performing Maegashira, first and foremost Hokotufuji, who beat Hakuho at the Start, dropped six Matches in a row only to win 8 to Finish at 9-6. He will very likely stay at Maegashira #1 East. Not the first time he has bad Banzuke-luck either. 

On a positive note: Both Enho and Ishiura secured Kachikoshi, Enho even went 9-6 in the process. Both will assist Hakuho in his November Ring entrance, which is really cool. 

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An exciting Basho is followed by shitty news:

Takakeisho has injured a pectoral muscle in his Playoff bout against Mitakeumi. He is very likely to sit out Kyushu Basho in November. It's supposedly not as bad as Kisenosato's injury, but it still really sucks. Hopefully he can recover and can compete in January. 

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  • 1 month later...

Four Komusubi I'd never have called. The last Basho of the 2010s is going to be something. It will be interesting to see if the up and comers will challenge again or if it's the veterans who prevail this time. There are question marks behind Takayasu and Takakeisho.

The former is kadoban, but a severe injury in July doesn't seem to be fully healed yet. Takakeisho only very recently started full training and might want to sit this one out. 

Hakuho and Kakuryu seem to be up and running, but especially with Hakuho it seems as if age is finally catching up to him. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Five days are gone, and a lot of kyujo already. Kakuryu, Tochinoshin, Goeido and Tomokaze are the ones way up the rankings who dropped out. Takayasu, Takakeisho and Mitakeumi all look very vulnerable, only Takakeisho is above .500 with a 3-2 score after the first third of the Basho. 

Hakuho tries his hardest at fighting off the young guns, but nobody got out of the first few days with a perfect record. He leads the field with many others and a 4-1 score. The many others include Asanoyama and Enho, aswell as Makuuchi debutant Wakatakakage (that shikona though), who unfortunately dropped out with an injury aswell. 

It will be interesting to see If Hakuho can weather the storm. If you want to check out singular bouts, I will recommend Hakuho vs Okinoumi and Kotoshogiku vs Shohozan from day 4, if you're into crazy slapfests, check out Shohozan vs Sadanoumi from Day 3.

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6 hours ago, Dolfan in NYC said:

So... I'm stepping in here for the first time because I'm attending my first sumo event ever on Sunday.

Sumo + Sushi

I have literally no idea what to expect of this event.  I'm so excited.  

 

Read about this before. It deviates a little from what Sumo is about judging by the Information I read, but it will probably be quite a lot of fun. Looking forward to hearing how you liked it. 

Hakuho is still amazing. He hasn't been as much of an escape artist during the last few tournaments, but he is still top notch. He is definitifely the strongest candidate to raise the Cup in the end. 

 

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I wonder how much of a difference not being demotable has made to Hakuho's longevity. He can pull out of tournaments that he's not going to win, he can not enter tournaments if he's banged up a bit, and then he comes back. As you say, he's not quite at his all-conquering best, but even then he's still so damn good. Compare and contrast with Tochinoshin, Takakeisho and Takayasu who probably should have taken far more time off recently than they have done in order to protect/regain their ranks, to varying degrees of success. I wonder if Mitakeumi even could have used a few days off after splitting his head open.

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