Irakusamaru

When my wife and I went to the Hatsu basho in 2015, there was an old lady sitting in front of us who explained some of the things going on and told us to ask if there was anything we wanted to know. She was mildly annoyed that the beer girls weren't out because the emperor was due to make an appearance and she had to go fetch her own. Months later, I happened upon a photo of the same lady online with a bunch of rikishi and realised that it had been Doreen. RIP.

Arawashi's break-fall there was even better in slo-mo - you could see the moment he realised he'd lost grip of the arm and was about to face plant and just bailed. (Watching Kotoyuki roll off the dohyo is easily one of the most satisfying things to watch on any given day. Nothing against him, he just rolls so well.)

Wouldn't mind the third one - I'll message address details.

Cool, thanks! I enjoy all this background detail!

Did anyone watching the live stream catch why the yobidashi have rikishi's names on the backs of their trousers? They did it explain it, but I was distracted at the critical moment!

My Japanese neighbour, who gets NHK by satellite, updated her box to HD last year. I knew Takayasu was hairy, but seeing him in HD blew my mind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=518&v=KfW25QMbYkI His bout in Osaka last year against Tochinoshin was pretty special - the dude has power but he fights too defensively. That said, I pray for the day something snaps and he lobs someone 5 rows deep into the good seats....

Its a giant macaron - you occasionally see it on the live broadcast, if they aren't pressed for time. This one was pink, but it was gold last time (I think). I like to think Hakuho has an understairs cupboard stuffed with them from all his yushos.

I like Kakuryu, but it seems to take him a second after tachiai to settle down and do his yokozuna sumo. Anyone getting in his face before that and not letting up throws him - he tries to back pedal and usually loses.

I think Takayasu-Kaisei was the saddest bout I've ever seen - neither seemed super enthused to be there today and the tachiai seemed too much effort for them both. Even the gyoji seemed a bit 'meh' about it.

Shortly before his match, the announcers mentioned Takarafuji was dedicating this basho to his senpai, Aminishiki. I hope Aminishiki saw the henka and cried a single tear.

My prediction: Obviously Goeido will beat Haramafuji tomorrow, while a humiliated Kisenosato will rise above and beat Hakuho. Distracted on the last day by his good fortune, Kise will fall prey to Goeido while Hakuho takes out his furious rage on Haramafuji, leaving Takanoiwa to yusho and be elevated to Yokozuna. Man, I need to start my own sumo analysis website...

Who even called the matta? I missed what the announcers were saying on the broadcast.

Hakuho seemed to avoid grabbing Kotoyuki's mawashi today even though he had ample choice and threw a few tsuppari. Wonder if he's amusing himself by imitating the fighting style of the dude he's fighting... Speaking of tsuppari, its good to see Aoiyama's finding some space to unload a storm on the dohyo.

This is a really good comparision! I realise that part of why I enjoy sumo is the unspoken sense of "sportsmanship" that lies under it. As you said, cricket has (or had) this too, but it is gradually being eroded by the drive to "win", and to some degree, it seems sumo will probably go the same way. Which is a shame, because for me sport is about the struggle, not just the numbers at the end. Personally, when playing sport, I'd rather have an epic battle that ends in a loss, than an easy win. Participating to your utmost is the best victory.

Man, the Takarafuji that just picked up Tochinoshin should come to the basho more often!

Well, that explains why they sit on the east and west sides! Are there other large support groups like that? I mean, I'm aware of the koenkai, but Tozai kai seems to offer more general support.

No sure if anyone has explained it, but why are all the spectators in the fancy seats on the east and west sides of the dohyo wearing the brown jackets?

I really hope Kotoyuki remembered to say "arigatHO, HakuHO" when he received his chikara-mizu. (I really like it when rikishi fail to be stoical on the dohyo. Surprised Kotoyuki managed to keep it together as much as he did.) Takayasu is looking pretty fired-up this basho - while he got steamrolled by Hakuho, he came out pretty hard.

Is there a clean clip of Takayasu's solo bit from later on? I think there's a video from his mum filming the TV on her phone.

Two for the price of one - Asahisho's SUPER ULTRA EXTRA PURIFICATION!!! and Ishiura's "burnin' rubber": He used to do a whole bunch of body and face slaps too, but he seems to have left it at the shuffling feet.

Reckon you're right with Kitanofuji - the third image in my google search could be that photo from a different angle. Wondering if the rikishi whose face we can see in the bottom right image is Daikirin: The gyoji is obviously (a former) Shikimori Inosuke, so one of them will need to be near the top of the banzuke.

Given that his former shisho Kotozakura used the Shiranui style, I indeed agree that him going Unryu if he were to get the tsuna would be shocking. Didn't even think about it that deeply. Just thought that Shiranui style would represent his sumo style very well!

Man, I didn't realise Kotoshigiku had such a high shiko. Now I want him to make Yokozuna just to see what his dohyo-iri would be like. If he didn't go Shiranui style, I'd be surprised.

Hmm, maybe its time for a new career...