Kotomiyama

Indeed it was. Great bout and a solid basho so far.

Feels good to jump in excitement after a bout. Great match by Endo, a fine technician, maybe the finest of the banzuke.

My thoughts on three rishiki this basho: Ishiura - In his first stints in Makuuchi he was an adept to henka. This basho he chose direct confrontation and earned a well deserved KK. Sumo is better with him, Enho and Terutsuyoshi. Meisei - Makekoshi to learn. I still see him as a future sanyaku mainstay, but he has to be patient and hone his tools. He might achieve what Endo promised and is yet to deliver. Abi - Yes, he is weird, unorthodox and nonchalant (note his salt throw). He seems to have only one trick in the bag, but he still manages to win. We all thought he was not going to stay long in sanyaku and he might be sekiwake in January. I cannot root for him, but he has earned my respect.

Sotogake, what a fine movement to secure the yusho. Hakuho is still the alpha leader, the rest can only hope to snatch a championship when he is injured.

I can't take out of my mind the image of Tomokaze's knee. Sad for the boy, but a stark reminder of how difficult is to have a long and successful career in Sumo.

My money is still on Mitakeumi...

Congratulations to Takakeisho. By no means my favourite rikishi, but I really appreciate his fighting spirit. I hope that his feat serves as an inspiration for other injured rikishi, sometimes is better to lose a rank, rest and come back healthy than fighting injured. His oyakata was right to prevent him to participate in July's basho.

Yusho race still on and wide open. My bet is on Meisei.

Onosho's specialty: losing from an advantageous position. The man is an expert.

It is not surprising that Enho matches are the most sought after: he is a joy to watch. Fast, intelligent and resilient, he is someone that everyone can admire. I wonder where is his limit. Can he reach Sanyaku?

Kakuryu is sometimes seen as a lesser Yokozuna. With this yusho he has confirmed that he deserves the rank. Solid performance and a nice win against the GOAT himself. Endo - Hokutofuji match of the tournament, amazing scape and great stamina. Terutsuyoshi nice surprise, I hope that he does not climb too much in the banzuke, he might have problems. Tomokaze keeps on climbing. Where is his limit? Abi, the man with only one trick on the bag kachikoshi in his first sanyaku tournament. He never ceases to amaze me. His henka today against the Giku was predictable yet necessary. Asanoyama might have suffered the effects of celebrating a yusho. I hope to see him in sanyaku by the end of the year. Finally, Ryuden. My poor Ryuden. Next time will be better.

Onosho has the strange ability of snatchin defeat from the jaws of victory.

One way or the other, the answer I was looking for. Thank you!

How long since the last basho that was decided in the last match of the tournament?

Nice basho so far. Kakuryu is looking good, let's see if he can keep it up. I feel obliged to say that I am a Ryuden fan. His sumo is based in intillegence and resilience and I like his calm demeanor.