gijo

Great!!! I didn't know it is a real option... wow By the way, Kisenosato displayed a great sumo against Hak. In Hakuho's era getting a yusho is a real struggle.... and you have to be lucky, also. Let's see if he manage to keep this shape throughout the year. And I really hope that USB streaming will get better because there will be some couple of interesting bouts in the next days... and today it was painful to see and not see anything... (many thanks to the great Kintamayama and the others)

And it has happened.... Aminishiki has broken something while pushing Tochinoshin out... He won the match but... then it goes to Tochinoshin.... not so clear... Could it be his last bout?

It's too early, it's too early, he may fall, he will start to lose (I'm trying not to think at Kisenosato's yusho).... but man... yeah!!!

Hakuho's henka is all about that hand in the face. It makes the opponent thinking of a frontal impact, and he has to close the eyes too. A great henka indeed, even if I don't expect Hakuho doing so. He needs to fight till Tokyo Olympics, will he end his career as Aminiski?

It won't be difficult for him to raise again even from lower juryo.

Just a little detail. Sometimes they throw salt at their body, arms, legs..: that's for preventing injuries.

Having watched the first gif frame-by-frame, Harumafuji looks to be lifting himself up way before Kisenosato does anything. Looks to me more like Kise just takes advantage of it and helps him up, doesnt initiate it himself. But we can agree to disagree.I saw exactly the same. Maybe Harumafuji was expecting Kise to move, and tried to anticipate with that little jump forward. It's a good way to face Harumafuji, that is one of the few rikishi that risk to jump, having no feet left on the ground, which is a dangerous situation (but deadly for the opponent).

Everybody reads the Hak's henkas as a funny and creative way to win. I see only fear... Yoshikaze was dangerous enough to him, as well as Tochiozan, that defeated Kakuryu the day before.. Am I the only one to read it as a sign of weakness and fear from Hakuho's side? (Maybe I'm just too newby to sumo..)

Kisenosato fails when he is under pressure. It's like it's over thinking, and emotionally breaking up. Anyway, just remote psychology, and I'm not a psychologist... But that could be an option, anyway... From the sumo side, I think that he's just as Ichinojo: someone that has been forced doing something alien to his personality: beating other people. I see them and Chiyomaru, an maybe some others in the same category: those that are really peaceful inside, no intention to harm anyone.

Kisenosato never been Yokozuna: I think that we have to consider also some psycological issues.. A guy like Kise seems to have a poor self-esteem, that's all. Something broke up in this important feature of humans for him, maybe when he was very young or even a child. Maybe he was bullied by other rikishi or even at school. And I guess heya's elder vs younger rikishi habits may influenced him in negative way. Some traumas are very difficult to recover.

Look at the first picture of chairman Moriya... what's on his desk? A banzuke draft maybe? I cannot read Japanese...

Nice basho this one as well!! Hakuho: it seems to be a "fighting spirit" problem, I do not see any evidence of injury at the moment. Ichinojo: still very heavy and lack of fighting strategy, no ideas as the last tournaments. I hope he will get better. Teru: calm, effective, a real yokozuna... Aminiski: he deserve a special price just to be there and keep winning. The yusho race, this time, will be open for Kise, if he can manage to keep his mind up till the end. I hope he will get what he deserve.

Just a newby question. Is banzuke really secret until it's displayed or inside the sumo family someone manage to have some disclosures from gjyoi?

I don't think there is a conspiracy. The only possible thing could be like doing efforts for someone else's benefit, like for friendship. Mongolians may have a deal, because they all are there just for money. And I can see from my perspective, which is far from Japanese culture, that all foreign rikishi are welcome and supported fairly. So I don't believe in a Japanese conspiracy. Sumo is about seconds, where can happen that a less ranked rikishi defeat a higher ranked one just because of the momentum, and that's why I love it. Anything can happen, anything can be debated. And most important: we will never know. I was a pro player and I can tell you that real deals are never visible and never come to the surface.

Hanakaze never missed a bout... he never got injured... amazing

Goeido is in great shape, Kise has shown the right mental attitude, Ichinojo is fighting fearlessly, it's definitely an exciting basho. I just won't see Endo getting injured again, his knee is so weak.

Well, I entered sumo world and I can follow it thanks to your vids. So thank you and please don't give up...