Fukuyamada

Hmmm. It might be a bit of a stretch to consider the US President's cup that was introduced in 2019 as a sign of pre-2020 sumo. But okay. The novelty and grandeur of the bonus trophy and show of friendly international relations during the ceremony seem somewhat reasonable. There was a “President of the Republic of France Cup” at some point too.

Congrats to Terunofuji. 12-3Y with no playoff required, despite the lingering health problems and painful early losses. It doesn't feel normal for 12-3 to be enough. He kept going and prevailed. The likes of Wakatakakage, Hoshoryu, Kiribayama, Kotoshoho and Kotonowaka are almost certainly improving. I'm not convinced that Shodai lacks the fighting spirit or has dramatically fallen off. It seems like quite of few of his opponents have become supremely adept at taking advantage of his upright initial charge (that you guys have been been pointing out for years now) without falling into his traps or becoming engaged in a belt battle. He'll have to fend off another MK again. Whether or not it'll happen, we'll have to wait and see. He earned the rank after all. If he wins 2 straight Yusho, he probably deserves the Yokozuna promotion. But if he does lose the rank, he'll certainly be able to stick around in the top division for several years.

That's a good answer. May 2018 day 12. I found the bout I was thinking of: November 2015 day 14

It has to be Terunofuji. If someone was locked in tight against Hakuho with his favoured grip, and beat him, then Terunofuji is the answer.

Shodai hasn't been matched up with Terunofuji since September 2021.

Shodai has excellent balance. It may have looked ugly, but there was a pull down in there, and he used his forward momentum to delay his own fall. Credit where credit is due. He won that one.

Ura just seems to have a very endearing and respectful demeanor. The injury, comeback, re-injury and return to top division level is remarkable. Plenty of fighting spirit too. All that makes it easier to empathize with or sort-of forgive the non-contact approach, I think. Shodai is just blown away at the tachi-ai, and that just happens far too often.

I think it's likely that he'll make it, even if it's still uncertain. How healthy is Mitakeumi and does he have any long term injury concerns? He could hold the ozeki rank for a few years, on his all-round sumo repertoire and consistency in producing winning scores.

There's an eleven minute video on youtube, that might you might find entertaining: "Mitakeumi vs Tamawashi I Mitakeumi's Dominance | Head to Head All Bouts I Sumo Highlights" It really seems like Tamawashi has to perform close to perfect to win against him. I really don't know either. Mitakeumi starts in a compact position, close to the middle and seems to rise up at an angle that often leads to an advantageous or equal outcome at the initial charge. Mitakeumi excels with the double hand inside grip if that's available. It looks like he can push back just as hard. Then, whenever he's overpowered and driven back, he just seems to find the right counter move to win the bout. Quite bewildering. How?

There were many interesting bouts today. Great sumo. Both Terutsuyoshi's tense victory over Aoiyama and Okinoumi overwhelming Shodai at the tachiai had me rewinding the video for a second look as well.

It's funny, and sometimes it's easy to overlook, especially if you remember the hype and expectations that fans bestowed upon him early in his career. But Shodai is VERY fundamentally sound. Despite his awkwardness or various flaws, he has great strength, balance and mobility. He has also remained healthy and relatively injury-free for a long time.

That bout was brilliant, and worth the attention. Takayasu fought well and was incredibly powerful with that inside left in the latter half. But Kiribayama consistently and skillfully denies the outside right grip, and gradually angles his right shoulder into the chest of Takayasu. Both men showed good footwork as numerous attacks and attempts to advance were followed and resisted. It was that lengthy struggle in the centre of the ring which led to the final drive and match-winning pivot. Edit: I think Takayasu has a decent size/weight advantage on Kiribayama too, which makes it even more difficult for Kiribayama to pull off that sort of lengthy defense.

Well, that was an interesting match.

The fixtures should gradually become more competitive after day 10. Shodai, Mitakeumi and Takayasu will probably offer stronger resistance. I'll be mildly surprised if both leaders enter day 15 unbeaten.

It's awkward. Even if we expect Hakuho and Terunofuji to be the top contenders, I just can't shake the thought of a random maegashira winning a yusho again.