Yukiarashi

While I've loved parity there's been the past six years, a lot of the basho are really starting to feel like this the last couple of years. It doesn't feel like anyone is winning some of these basho it feels like someone just doesn't lose it. Natsu 22, Hatsu 23, Aki 23, and this basho are some that I remember feeling particularly sad. Agree about Kotozakura, it almost seems like somethings wrong with him this time though like he would have gone kyujo if he wasn't in yusho contention. I guess you could say it's an Ozeki quality to be "winning ugly" but his last three wins before today should have been losses. Between that and the henka today it's unbelievable he's in the lead right now. I've really felt this for a while, Azumaryu going 9-6 in Makuuchi last January is when I really started noticing this.

Even harder to swallow is the fact Wakakirin was dismissed before the March Basho and the Juryo 1 West slot was left blank. He was Ms1e with 69 of 70 possible sekitori spots filled. Poor guy.

I think we can all agree on something though. This is could end up being a very sad situation for everyone involved. Who knows if Asanoyama will ever win a Yusho again? We don't even know if he'll hang on for this one. But if he doesn't win by two wins clear of everyone else, his championship will always have an asterisk and be considered impure to most. Tochinoshin could very reasonably end up at 9-6 with his remaining schedule. He already seemed to start crumbling being blasted out by Meisei of all people yesterday, and now today's situation has to be heartbreaking. He was already disappointed enough with having less than a year long Ozeki reign, but now he started this basho 9-1, one win from safety, and loses to three straight mid-Hiramaku rikishi. He has career losing records to all his likely remaining opponents. Today he most likely lost to one of the worst calls in sumo history or a likely misjudgment of his feet that caused what could have been construed as the lightest step on sand in human history. He's 32 and has had career injury problems, this might be his last gasp for Ozeki return with his luck. But it's not limited to these two, Tamawashi, Goeido, Meisei win the Yusho? Unless Tochi tragically goes 9-6 these four will all have a potential Yusho in a playoff that should have included Tochinoshin. Asanoyama winning by a 13-2 score and Tochinoshin finishing exactly 10-5 or Tochinoshin winning a 11-4 playoff is the best outcomes we can salvage from this mess. Edit: Kakuryu winning outright with a 12-3 wouldn't feel tainted.

This was the picture. I don't think I've ever seen something as close as this was. I fault the judges for the sloppiness of the decision making, but at the same time it's impossible to know for sure he's not out here.

The videos and pictures in the tachiai post are the best angles I've seen. It can't get closer than that. This just sounds ridiculous though how the decision was made.

It's a very faint darker spot. It might be a shadow as others have noted but it is circular and lighter than other shadows. Still very far from conclusive even if it wasn't a shadow. If you follow the brown dirt strip closest to the bales within the red circle there's a slightly darker shade of sand.. I don't know. Given some of the pictures I am amazed Tochi's foot didn't appear to hit the ground given how close it was, but at the same time there hasn't been any proof of his foot touching the outside. (Not very helpful, I know.) I think even a hansoku hairpull call might have been less controversial.

I thought Tochinoshin may have been screwed too, but after looking at this picture there is a mark on the outside of the ring approximately two inches from the bottom tip of his sagari to the left. It does look farther over from where his heel was in picture one, but judging by the dirt in the corner of the dohyo it is a slightly different angle. Edit: Apologies for making this post sound conclusive, far from it in fact, but I'm still not 100% sure Tochi never touched out.

Myogiryu M15w (6-9) >>>> M16e!!!! Are you kidding me??!! I also had Kotoeko moving up, and as a fan of his it's very frustrating to see all these very demotable records from bottom Makuuchi be kept over someone who beat two of the three rikishi from Juryo with the most promotable records last basho. This is why I believed it was possible they could keep Tamawashi in Sanyaku for Haru, less and less punishment for demotable records lately and good efforts being passed over that could be very reasonable over-promotions.

There's also mid-basho Kyujo-Intai palindromes. Say a rikishi goes 2-7, kyujo for three days and intais during the basho with a 2-8-2 record. It's possible to only be an active rikishi 12 days in a 15 day basho to get there, though it's a lot more rare.

Okay, now I am beyond confused...

Well he's going to have a slight advantage.

This story just shows what I HATE about western media. I haven't seen this story yet personally in US articles, but it sounds like there's some out there. People over here don't give a rat's a** about sumo. This country laughs at rikishi for their bodies, their attire, stereotypes it, and the traditions and general. They make fun of their weight and appearance, the mawashis, the tradition, and the general image is just of two naked sweaty fat men rolling around on each other with "Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting" playing in the background. The ONLY time anyone even cares about sumo is when there's a scandal. There is no acknowledgement of Hakuho or anyone else whatsoever over here. There was a time with some ESPN article I saw on here a while back of the most dominant athletes in the world where bronze metal winners from the Blind Austrian Men's Skiing Championships would get a mention before anyone in sumo. Yet somehow everyone knows about the scandal ridden recent history of sumo. What hypocrites. A DUI or worse over here is as common as a matta in sumo. I'm just so tired of hearing the American or in other cases, any sort of news jump all over anything that happens in sumo. Every story on sumo begins with, "This is another black mark on the scandal filled world of sumo, including match-fixing, gambling, and assault." I myself think it's beyond fundamentally wrong women are treated impure to the dohyo, and I think about everyone in sumo doesn't think they are impure either, but it's the religious ceremonies of a different country, why is anyone getting involved that wouldn't usually give anything close to a care about sumo. Oh yeah, there's news in America, GREAT, another time for the convenient news magazines to "care" about sumo.

Congratulations Kakuryu!!! I always believed he wasn't done yet and has a very respectable 4 yushos now! So great to see him do better than ever and the top Yokozuna the last couple of basho after all those injuries, especially as I always thought of him as the best mannered Yokozuna of the current era. The yusho deciding bout wasn't much to speak of but what a day of bouts! Three or four incredible escapes from defeat today. Takayasu-Mitakeumi was incredible! Mitakeumi threw the kitchen sink, the dishwasher, the refrigerator, and half the neighbor's kitchen aswell at Takayasu yet somehow he falls to his first MK since Kyushu 2016! How did Takayasu escape that!? I guess his round build works well for spinning around on people too. What a bout! Sad to see Chiyomaru fall to MK as much as he deserved to have a good record, but glad for Tochinoshin getting another win toward an Ozeki run. Yoshikaze starts winning against higher ranked competition, shouldn't have expected anything less. Didn't think I'd see a mawashi battle with these two. Another good escape. Well I guess that answers the question if Ichinojo has shut 'er down for the basho. Shohozan-Tamawashi was another fantastic bout of escapes. How do these guys win some of these? Shohozan has had so much effort this time! Endo-Hokutofuji was another exciting one lost in an entire day of great bouts. Arawashi-Ryuden was another escape bout. Arawashi just didn't have a final push and Ryuden survived a tawara-tightrope a few times. Another great bout. Ooh I detected some ruffled feathers with Kotoshogiku losing to Abi there. I guess henkas are a sore subject with Kotoshogiku, especially in Osaka, on day 14. I loved seeing Kaisei and Tamawashi interact with fans a bit after their bouts. You can tell they're some of the friendliest guys. Chiyonokuni-Daieisho was also pretty hectic. Great comeback by Chiyoshoma, 1-5 to 8-6. Yutakayama 10-4! Ahoy! Captain Ikioi the Pirate (Band-Aid looked like an eyepatch) blasts the cannon and improves to 11-3! What a last day in Juryo we'll have! Three guys tied for the lead at 10-4 and I don't think anyone thought Kotoeko or Akiseyama would be two of them. Tomorrow still looks to be entertaining, Takayasu vs. Kakuryu should be a great bout, I think if Takayasu wins he could be on a potential tsuna-run next basho. If he loses then no. Ichinojo-Tochinoshin is always entertaining, Tochinoshin getting 10 wins I think would get him a for sure Ozeki run for Natsu. Kaisei-Ikioi is a great bout I didn't realize hadn't happened yet, both deserve a jun-yusho share (or whole) sad only one can get it though. Could Aminishiki shock everyone and get promoted BACK to Makuuchi? It's definitely flown under the radar, but I think that's an exchange bout tomorrow with Myogiryu.

The only thing that can knock back Takayasu's bowling ball is the bowling ball himself! That was quite humorous as Takayasu knocks people back on the tachiai everyday doing that but was blown back by pure belly today and lost. Who would have ever predicted Chiyomaru sweeping the Ozeki before the basho?! And Tochinoshin injects some excitement back in the basho! I wouldn't have had a problem with Kakuryu zenshoing but this can really open up the field. Kaisei has never beaten a Yokozuna but tomorrow he has the chance to both get his first kinboshi and tie for the lead with two days left. What an exciting basho! Really some surprise and great performances all around.

I know I have joked about it a few times now, but for me the story of the basho with all that's gone on so far has to be the 32-year old soggy Akiseyama arisen from the dead and is temporarily leading Juryo at 9-3. He got a lot of banzuke luck in his promotion, but today's comeback victory against a KK seeking Daishoho really surprised me. This right in the same area as returning Makuuchi mainstay Takanoiwa is deeply struggling at 5-7 too. I would love to see him get the yusho, as he had an ugly 1-14 exit to the division when he was last ranked here nearly two years ago!