Benevolance

Personally, I didn't think Asanoyama would actually sit out the whole suspension. I was sure he'd quit. Coming in at Sandanme lets him shake off some rust without presenting overly much opposition, and my hunch is he'll be back to sanyaku in one years time. Terunofuji won't last another year and Asanoyama can already wrestle with the likes of Takakeisho and Mitakeumi and Shodai. And so, yeah, Asanoyama will be getting on 30 when he hits O2EKI (trademark pending) but I don't think he's going to have credible opposition on his way there. Given that he was the most consistently good Ozeki before his suspension (and, uh, maybe still since?) I'm more curious whether someone else can make it to Yokozuna before he does.

Okay, okay. The truth is, they did the oichomage and the sheer splendor of it blinded the tokoyama, the stable's cat, and three elderly passerby. Since the kyokai did not yet have a kimarite for "opponent blinded and knocked over by sudden awesomeness" they asked for a one-basho reprieve to update the list of winning techniques.

Thank goodness my ridiculous predictions remain firmly in the realm of ridiculous predictions, for should such events ever come to pass, it would test the sanity of the noblest minds and bravest hearts.

Way to jinx him.

I would bet that all three make it, even if it feels undeserved.

Is that what it was? I thought he was just trying a double harite with those t-rex arms.

And now that Kiribayama has lulled Takanosho into a false sense of security, it's time to unleash HIS TRUE POWER! MWA HA HA HA!

Unless the sumo association is selling something at a loss, then it's a KOENKAI NAGE! ...I'll see myself out.

Hakuho flexing his muscles and causing his suit bursting off leaving him in only a mawashi is actually the sort of programming I'd expect from Japanese television.

Yeah, I don't really associate Nishonoseki or Naruto oyakata with the level of ego that Takanohana seemingly had. But I could be wrong.

Probably a neck injury.

On the bright side, the lack of upper talent means that when I inevitably fall asleep halfway through makuchi (after midnight local time), I don't miss anything important.

The yusho winner gets at least 13 wins.

Wait, wait, wait. "It goes without saying that 10 wins minimum obligation for an ozeki?" No, no. Someone better let him know it's eight wins and coast, or he's going to screw up this whole system.

[spoilers] Terunofuji already won the tournament. [/spoilers] Seen a couple spirited jonokuchi bouts so far, but what's the German word "when two low ranked sumo wrestlers create a spirited bout due more to their mediocrity than their actual fighting spirit"?

Yeah, but when you Brits pronounce it it sounds remarkably like 'wooster cage'

My hunch is Shodai is a no show, Abi fights like a cornered wolverine to get his KK, and Kotonowaka remains consigned to irrelevancy.

I rarely expect Shodai to show up for his important matches. Post-kadoban clearing yet again? My money is that we'll see Week One Shodai on senshuraku. Still, I'm cheering for Takayasu to grab this one, because it's probably one of his last, best shots, and the Waka kid has looked pretty good for a while now and I'm sure he'll get lots of chances in his future.

No Dantsu? No Taka? I don't consider those a problem. The only thing I'm concerned about a rikishi is the way that they Waka.

I cannot abide anyone who advertises his lack of Waka so blatantly. A curse upon his goats and hockey pucks!

I'm not sure why they would start making Takayasu face upper ranked wrestlers at this point, as opposed to continuing their usual scheduling? Because he's been at the top before? Isn't it more usual to expect him to face someone in the running, but higher up the banzuke, around day 13 when they actually need to settle the yusho race? It feels to me that's how they've done it for a while now. Poor Aoiyama. But I dare you to find a rikishi vs Hakuho not named Harumafuji or Kisenosato that would be considered fair odds during Hak's reign. I remember very heated* discussions on the forums as to whether Kise was 'good' or 'bad' based on the fact that he won about 1 in 3 or 4 times vs Hakuho, and he had the second best record against the daiyokozuna. *as heated as an outdoor hockey rink in Red Deer

A 13-2 yusho would be out of Takayasu's reach, so let's hope the 12-3 can do it.

I read this sentence three times and it still doesn't make any sense to me.

I derive immense satisfaction from watching a dohyo get built.

Fingers crossed that losing his sense of smell has somehow improved Shodai's tachi-ai.