Katooshu

Takerufuji is competing on day 15. Takerufuji and Onosato both win technique + fighting spirit prizes, with the basho winner taking home outstanding performance as well. https://www.nikkansports.com/battle/sumo/news/202403240000036.html

And he can still win even without competing.......I think Hoshoryu will beat Onosato. He obviously knows his condition better than we do, but if you're wheelchair bound one day, competing this next doesn't sound like a good idea.

Well, there's bad and then there's worse.

He should sit it out. Hoshoryu will beat Onosato anyway, and it's not worth the potential risk to his body and longevity in sumo.

Tochikamiyama doesn't fit the profile of some meek runaway though. He was a win away from making juryo and has been a solid upper makushita contender, coming through many tough matches. He's been doing sumo for years, was a standout member of the top sumo high school, went to a top sumo program in middle school and won the middle school yokozuna title....I doubt he's a shrinking violet who suddenly found sumo is just not his thing, so if he did run away I think it would be something serious.

So many injuries for those legs during Takerufuji's sumo career. This is at least the 4th major one since high school. Would be an absolutely awful way not to yusho, but the long-term is what I'm more worried about for him. I think Hoshoryu will beat Onosato, but suddenly Onosato's yusho hopes seem much brighter.

Whatever they were up to, it looked like a jungyo match to me.

Wakatakakage-Oshoma...............crazy!!

Kiri has lost 3 straight to Midorifuji, including last basho where he started 11-2. He's clearly not 100 percent, but losing to Midorifuji is a regular thing for him.

From not being able to win a title in high school or college, not even getting a single sandanme tsukedashi qualification, to blasting out makuuchi elite like nothing. Incredible transformation for Takerufuji since turning pro. My only worry is that his traps may soon swallow his head. And how about Onosato's one arm launching of Takakeisho. I felt bad seeing him fly like that.

4-1 at Ms28 at age 17 is impressive. Hopefully Tanji doesn't stagnate like Yoshii has.

I agree about his yotsu skills - they are what made me think of him as a future makuuchi mainstay, and he's young so it could still happen. Sometimes he's just so easy to move though, especially off the belt, like he weighs half of what he does. He outperformed similar age peers Onosato and Takerufuji in high school, but he hasn't developed nearly as much physical strength as they have.

First tournament back as a sekitori after surgery, heya drama........I am sure he will improve, though even given those considerations I was expecting a more convincing showing than this. People were joking before the Akua match that Akua would win by kakenage, and then it actually happened!

Takerufuji and Onosato have 33 makuuchi bouts total and only 1 maegashira has a win against them (Onosho x2). Looking like future sanyaku for sure - tonight will be epic Onosato got the better of their amateur H2H series, but Takerfuji looks a different beast since then. What has he been up to at Isegahama beya? Certainly has grown an amazing pair of traps since joining. And sumo can be cruel. For a while many people thought that Onosato would never rank higher than Hakuoho. Now a shoulder surgery and heya drama later, Hakuoho barely has a winning record at the bottom of juryo - even losing to a struggling Aoiyama and getting kakenage'd by Akua. I think he'll find his way back eventually, but difficult to watch at times.

This is 2024 Mitakeumi, drained of the powers that made him a 3x cup winner and sumo's most reliable KK. No one should expect a yusho from him. Unfortunately those days are gone, though he is still a respectable middle maegashira. As for the new tsukedashi not impressing - I'd give it some time. Matsui is only 19, 3 to 4 years younger than most elevated starters, and had pretty much the worst heya situation possible to begin his career. I would like to see what he can do when he's more settled - I have little doubt he'll prove to be much better than the opponents who've beat him so far. For now, I think even a 4-3 KK is a solid result. Tokitenran looks a strong pusher, although someone who will likely spend a while trying to establish himself past mid-high makushita.

Takerufuji is 18-2 as a sekitori; Onosato is 16-1 vs maegashira, had his other defeats come to current ozeki/yokozuna, and is already positioning himself for sanyaku. Love to see hype rikishi delivering Aonishiki still unbeaten in his career too, now 17-0 and looking good each time. Shishi may not be the highest ranked Ukrainian next year. Between new prospects and injury returners, the talent is pretty solid in jonokuchi and jonidan this basho. Sumo!!!

Reports that Kinbozan is out, meaning Onosato will go to 5-0 with a freebie. Tsurugisho now out as well - Gonoyama picks up the win, his third straight since an 0-2 start.

Would've been nice for Niya to show even the tiniest bit of concern for Higahikari....

After such a promising start, it's a shame to see Kinbozan quickly become another talented but habitually beaten up rank and filer. And however far Onosato goes, it's been fun to see these Akebono style blastouts.

Well, you have 8 more wins than me, it could always be worse!

0-3 so far. Looking good to keep my 100 percent MK record - never more than 6 wins

Would be sweet if we somehow got Takerufuji-Onosato. Onosato got the better of their college meetings, but Takerufuji has improved massively since then. He was nowhere near the force he's been professionally - who says stick legs can't be powerful!

Well, I wouldn't say they were lenient with those two, and Abi and Asanoyama also didn't punch people, light them on fire, destroy personal property, or steal on an ongoing basis that we know of.

Mita is an exciting recruit. He is a small (more Ishiura than Enho) but very quick and skillful competitor with a wide range of skills. Even does the nekodamashi. He was West Japan champion, won a national weight class title, and had 2nd, 3rd, and 5th places finishes in national openweight competitions. He earned several sandanme tsukedashi under the old qualification system prior to his Ms60TD. His father is a sumo coach and he's being competing since little. Here he is on the right in a wild bout at the 2023 student championship vs individual champ Kusano. Yamazaki goes later in the match around 6:40. Yamazaki is a fairly basic, but technically sound yotsu competitor who uses his heft to his advantage. Think a shorter Daiamami or Daishoho. He had good results in college and even beat Onosato once in a tournament final (although also lost to him many times). He was good in high school too, and ranked as komusubi on the mikawa's high school banzuke back in those days.

Yes, a lot can change in a year. Controversies happen, new ranks are obtained, we have exciting new guys and the previous crop of newcomers aren't as fresh to us. Also, because this is a H2H tournament rather than just tallying overall votes, different draws could lead to different results. Have a look at the shift in a Reddit poll from a few months ago - only one of the top 10 retained their previous year's rank.